Part 4 (2/2)

That there are twelve families in the Towns.h.i.+p who were brought from the old country at McNab's expense, and who are willing to pay any reasonable fraught Your Excellency may think proper; all the rest of the settlers came to the Towns.h.i.+p at their own expense, and beg to know from Your Excellency whether the land of this Towns.h.i.+p is McNab's or the Government's.

And your humble pet.i.tioners as in duty bound will ever pray.

(SIGNED.)

James Robertson, James Brown, John Robertson, Donald Stewart, Peter McGregor, Donald Kerr, Angus McNab, John McNab, Donald McNab, Duncan Campbell, Peter McMillan, John McMillan, Malcolm McLaren, Daniel McIntyre, John McGregor, Alexander McGregor, Peter McArthur, John McDermaid, James Stevenson, Alexander Cameron, Thomas McLaughlin, Donald McLaughlin, Jr., Donald McLaughlin, Sr., James McLaughlin, Donald McNaughton, Chas. Goodwin, Alex. Campbell, Izett Duff, Arch. McDonnell, James McDonnell, Dugal McGregor, Andrew Hamilton, Donald McNaughton, John McNaughton, Robt. McNaughton, Alex. McNaughton, Peter Fergusson, Duncan McNab, Angus Cameron, Alex. Dure, Donald Dure, Colin McFadden, Alex. McNiven, Arch.

McNab, Alex. McNab, Colin McGregor, Arch. McNab, John McNab, Andrew Taylor, John Campbell, John Hamilton, Andrew Hamilton, Alexander Goodwin, Duncan McLachlin, Alexander Goodwin, Sr., Donald McIntyre, Jas. McLaren, Donald McIntyre, Alex. Thomson, Jas. Robertson, James McKay, Alex. Fergusson, Donald Robertson, Duncan McNab, Matthew Barr, Thomas McLaughlin, Thomas Frood, Andrew Hamilton, Sr., Alex.

McNiven, Jr., Alex. McNiven, Sr., John McDermaid, James Miller, John McInnes, Archibald Stewart, Sr., David Stewart, Peter Campbell, Patrick Callaghan, Leech McAlormae, Peter Robertson, J.

Crego, John Fergusson.

[REPLY.]

(_Copy_) { GOVERNMENT HOUSE, { Toronto, 13th March, 1838.

GENTLEMEN:--Having laid before His Excellency, the Lieutenant-Governor, your memorial of the 23rd of January, I am directed in reply to the several statements contained in it to inform you that the arrangements made between The McNab and his followers are of a purely private nature, and beyond the _control of the Government_--that Martial Law which you apprehend will bring you more immediately under the control of your Chief, has not been proclaimed nor is it likely to be--and that in any military organization which may eventually take place, the Government will take care in this, as in all other cases, not to put it in the power of any individual to treat Her Majesty's subjects harshly or oppressively.

I have, &c.,

(Signed) J. JOSEPH.

MR. JAMES ROBERTSON and others McNAB.

Printed by order of the Government.

Adjutant-General's Office, } 14th March, 1838. }

The above pet.i.tion was drafted by Mr. Allan Stewart, afterwards Treasurer of the munic.i.p.ality of McNab, a gentleman of some literary pretensions, and the best Gaelic grammatical scholar in the County--perhaps in the Province. It was signed by the majority of the settlers; a few kept in the background from timidity; others were staunch partizans of the Chief; while a few others were governed by a closer consideration. Even some of those who were under deep obligations to him for favors received felt themselves compelled to affix their signatures. Old Mr. Donald McNaughton--one of the first settlers--a man of the most pure and genuine Christian principles; one who, like Enoch, daily walked with his G.o.d; who was a perfect Ebenezer in Israel; a man over eighty at the time; who daily silently glided into the darkest and deepest glades of the forest, and there poured forth the ardent desires of his soul in unrestrained communion with his Maker; who longed ardently to throw off the ”mortal coil” and join the celestial hosts of angels and seraphs who flood the regions of eternal felicity with streams of enchanting harmony, and make heaven's high and resplendent arch echo with the strains of immortal bliss--that man, who longed ardently to be with his G.o.d, was among the very first to sign it. He had met with his soul's eager longings. At the advanced age of nearly a century of years, he yielded up the ghost, and the venerable patriarch, attended by the largest concourse of mourners that ever a.s.sembled in McNab, was gathered to his fathers. When such men sign a doc.u.ment of the above description, the oppression must have been great--the tyranny intolerable. It is true the pet.i.tion is not exactly according to form, and has a few Scottish idiomatic expressions embodied in it; but it tells in clear and forcible language the wrongs the settlers had endured, and the grievances they still expected to bear. It breathes forth a spirit of loyalty to the throne: ”they were willing to go to any part of British America to defend their country under any other leader than McNab.” Mr. Donald McIntyre (Paisley) went round with the pet.i.tion to those who were not present at Sand Point; and Mr. Daniel McIntyre (Kilmabog) brought it to Perth to get it transmitted to the Government.

In vain he applied to the Hon. W. Morris; that gentleman threw cold water on the whole business. Col. Taylor was applied to; he declined.

Mr. Powell was sick; and Mr. M. Cameron, then one of the members, was absent from Perth. At length Mr. James Young placed it in an envelope and directed it to the proper quarter. Upon hearing that a pet.i.tion had been transmitted, McNab wrote to Sir Francis Head not to reply to it until he arrived in Toronto. Accordingly, about the 3rd of March, 1838, he started for the seat of Government, and a.s.sisted the Governor to rivet the chains more firmly, and for the future to preclude any possibility on the part of the settlers to pursue a similar course. The reply conveyed the impression that the whole towns.h.i.+p was the Chief's.

”The arrangements made between The McNab and his followers are of a purely private nature, and beyond the control of the Government.” How came Sir Francis to utter so gross a falsehood? Every buffoon and half-fledged harlequin is a liar, and Sir F. B. Head, impregnated with the spirit of braggadocio, scrupled at no falsehood, when he could turn a period, serve a friend, or carry out a purpose. It was this overweening vanity that caused him to insult the United States Government, and subsequently to lose his own situation, when he said in his memorable speech to the Legislature, speaking of the people of the United States, ”In the name of every militia-man in the Province, I say, let them come if they dare.” But this reply to the poor settlers did not alone satisfy the schemes of the Chief or his friends, the Family Compact. They were resolved to strike terror into their hearts, and make public the pet.i.tion and reply. Accordingly both doc.u.ments were ordered by the Executive to be printed, and four hundred copies were sent to be distributed among the people. They saw that further efforts with their present rulers would be useless; and they bowed quietly to the decision, waiting for better times, and these soon offered by the recall of Sir F.

Head and the mission of the Earl of Durham.

The Chief had now entirely abandoned his Kennell residence on the banks of the Ottawa, and was now residing at Waba Cottage, White Lake, where he was preparing to erect a saw-mill. A characteristic anecdote is told of him, which is literally true. Meeting Mr. Walter McFarlane in one of the houses of the settlers with whom he had not quarrelled, and impressed with his robust and ruddy appearance, he addressed him with a polite bow and said:--

”Well, my man, you're a good-looking fellow. Are you a Highlander, too?”

”Yes, Chief,” said Walter.

”And what may your name be, my fine fellow?”

”Walter McFarlane,” was the reply; ”you ought to know me; I am the son of James McFarlane, one of your first settlers.”

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