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Jugement pour la demanderesse, mais sans frais. (4 R. L. 14.)

BOURGOIN et LACOSTE, pour la demanderesse.

T.et C. C. DE LORIMIER, pour les défendeurs.

PAROISSE.—PABRIQUE.—POUVOIRS DES CURES ET MARGUILLIERS.— AUTORISATION. —-PROCEDURES LEGALES.—-ADMISSIBILITE DE LA JURISPRUDENCE FRANCAISE.—NULLITE.

PRivy COUNCIL, 6th march 1875.

Present: The Right Hon. Lord HATHERLY, Sir James W. COLVILE, Sir Robert J. PHILLIMORE, Sir Barnes PEACOCK, Sir Mostaoue E. SMITH and Sir Robert P. COLLIER.

On appeal from the Court of Queen's Bench for the province of Quebec, Canada, appeal side.

LES CURÉ ET MARGUILLIERS DE L'ŒUVRE ET FABRIQUE DE LA PAROISSE DE SAINT-FRANGOIS-X AVIER-DE-VERCHÈRES and LA CORPORATION DE LA PAROISSE DE VERCHÈRES.

The municipal council of a parish, being about to form a street across the land of the fabrique of the parish, the curé et marguilliers of the parish, at a meeting at which certain former marguilliers Were present, but at which no other parishioners were present, resolved to take leyal proceedings to restrain the making of such street, and an artion was brought for this purpose by the curé et marguilliers, The council pleaded that the curé et marguilliers were not competent to bring such action :

Held : That the curé et marguillivrs were not competent to bring such action without the consent of the parishioners, and that the plea was a bar to the action ;

That French jurisprudence is to be considered in the construction of Canadian law and the interpretation of Canadian usage, even where it relates to edicts which have not the force of positive law in Canada ;

That, in the roman catholic parishes of Lower-Canada, unless a custom to the contr2ry can be proved, the whole body of parishioners have a ryght to be consulted in ail matters of consequence affecting the parish ;

That, by French law,an objection of nuility must be taken before the case reaches the court of final appeal; but that it may ba taken either before the judges of the first or second instance ;

That, on a question of pleading, the judicial committee will be very reluctant to interfere with the deliberated judgiments of the courts below (1).

Appellants are the fabrique of the parish of Verchères, in the diocese of Montreal, 1. e., the corporation in which is vested the temporulities belonging to the roman catholic church in that parish, and the main question decided in this appeal is as tothe persons in whom is vested the right to regulate the acts of this corporation. Respondents ure the municipal corporation of the same parish, established under a canadian statute, 23 Vict., ch. 61, which enacts, sect. 12, that the inhabitants of each parish in Lower Canada shall constitute a corporation, and provides for the election of a council to manage the affairs of the municipality. The present action was brought by appellants against responilents under the following circumstances : By the Cons. Stat. of Lower- Canada, ch. 24, (sec. 27, 28, 37, 45, 46 and 50), and several amendment acts (see, 25 Vict.,ch. 14, and later statutes), elaborate provisions are made for the management and powers of local municipalities, and for the making by them of new roads in their different districts. The parish of Verchères contains an unincorporated village, which was erected by order of the municipal council, dated the 10th april 1857. The municipal council of the parish having entertained a proposal for laying out and forming a new street which would pass across a portion of land of the fabrique of the parish occupied by the curé, between the same and another part occupied by the convent, also belonging to the fabrique, public notice was, on the 30th july 1868, given: That, on the following 10th of august, à special meeting of the municipal council would be held for the purpose of considering or reviewing the report (procès-verbal) of O. Marin, who had been appointed special superintendent, which report recommended the formation of

(1) Les notables paroissiens, qui sont les paroissiens contribuables, ont tous droit de participer à l'élection des marguillie:s, et les curé et marguilliers peuvent être contraints, par mandamus, de les appeler aux assemblées convoquées pour cette élection (art. 1022 C. P. C, de 1867, et art, 9920 P. C, de 1897). Il n’est pas nécessaire que le bref de mandamus soit signitié aux marguilliers qu'il s'agit de faire priver de leur office, la signification à la fabrique sutlit. Lorsque la fabrique à laquelle un bref de mandamns a ét adressé a fait rapport qu'elle ne peut obéir à ce bref, pour les raisons qu'elle donne, elle ne peut plus, extrajudiciairement et sans la permission du tribu nal, procéder à redresser les griefs dont on se plaint La fabrique ayant fait rapport, le bref de mandarñus péremptoire ne peut être délivré qu'après que ve rapport a été déclaré illégal ou insuffisant, et rejeté, L'annonce au prône peut se faire en termes généraux, sans qu’il soit nécessaire d'inviter spéciale ment les notables. [l peut n'être déjivré qu'un seul br f de mandamus pour faire déposséder de leur office deux marguilliers élus illégalement et en fair élire deux autres. (Æx parte Renouf, req. mandamns, C. B. R., Québec, IS#5, 2R.J.R. Q., 30.)

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