The Express.
London, England, 1850-05-27 00:00:00

CANADA.

Oar correspondent ‘•rites---asfollows. Intelligence
subsiquent to the date of this letter will be found
below, among the telegraphic news.

MONTREAL, MAT 13.
A convention of Fraeco-Casadi.n arlegaitra from
puislies in the 8-inniovies has been held in thee city during
the week. Than were forty delegates present. The object
of the convention wee to consider measures to pr.cure rr.
forms of the Seigniorial Tenant, with a eiew w its wtat
ab .lition.

Any action on this subject coming from the Franco Cans.
eliaes is mtaressirg. It will be remembered that their Anglo-
Saxon fellow-eoluoista have been all along clamorous fur the
reforms which they themselves are now berthing to sedate,
and which formerly they always reelected, with strange
u-iter the plea of opposirg the Anglification of the
colony. The question of this r. form had always been a
source of bitter contention before the insurrections in 1837
end DAS ; and since that time the deities el the Enulish for
the abolition of the vexatious laws has not moderated.
These laws are in effect the !cadet system that prevailed
throughout the contuse et of Europe at the period when the
French coloaieed C.nada. A'though they have year, ago
been abolished or fallen into disuetude in Europe, they have
not in the French sections of Canada. I would specially
particularise the French sections, as in them unly they pre
tail. Ated while they pre, al, they used t ffectuully prevent
the Anglitleation, as it ie termed, of those ocelots. Your
slum will not pi rha;is permit that I go into details of what
these laws consist; but it may be interesting to glare' at one
or two of their features, by way of callosity. First,
there are quints to be paid to the feudal signior
(the Queen). These quints are a filth of the purchase
money to be ;aid by the purchaser every time a
fief is sold. These are not now generally enforced. Fief
is the title seigniors hold from the Queer. There are loos et
wetter to be paid to the seignior every time an estate is sold.
These are paid by the purchaser, and amount to one. twelfth
of the purchase money, It is easy to see that a few transfers
would sat up the value of the wLole. Even when a sale is
made ander the lids a erotic the seignior has the right,
called droit de retrail, which is, in effect, a right of
preemption, at the highest bidden price within
forty days after the sale has taken pleco. I may
state that I think it would be impossible to enforce this now,
although it is legal. There are the annual roars paid by
the coven:tees. These are legally but two solo per super-
ficial acre; but exorbitant sums have been extorted. The
censitaire is obliged to grind his corn at the Moeda& Banal,
and to pay a fourteenth tor the lord's use. There is besides,
more vexations than any of the proceeding, the retract
!logger, or the right of redemption of seignorial lends by
relations, within co* year and a day after the
sale. Under this law • person baying a lot of
ground for 1001. and expending 5001. upon it may have it
taken from hint by a relation of the seller refunding him th.
original purchase money. I believe there are only one or
two imams, In which this has been done. The contempt
of 'the English portions of the population for those who
would hear no word of reforming these laws may be natu-
rally supposed ;sand this, with the natural recrimination,;has
been • mum of much of bitterness that has existed be.
twain the two populations.
The preamble to the revolution, of the convention now
declares that these laws " are &divas to the people, injurious
to the interests of the ce wary, and in opposition to the ides,
of advancement welch the march of progress had given birth
to." I believe the English of all parties are glad to see this'
action; while they laugh at the change which ha, tome over
the spirit of the dream of their French brethren.
The substance of the resolutions which were pawed is,
that the legislature should be called on to pane • declaratory
law limiting the reties annually paid to the seigniors; to the
rate which existed before the country was ceded to the
English. And that, with a view to • total abolition, the
government should eon.e in aid of the censitaires by the
creation of • fund from the seigniories belonging to the go
vernment from the Jesuits' estates, the right of quint, and
from a put of the public lauds of Lower Canada, if nem
sari.
Mr. Merritt, president of the council, has made a long
spefth to his constituents on his re-election without opposi-
tion. Ile reviewed the course of the government. He
stated that although the country had received • severe shock
trees English free trade, it had never asked fur protection
from England, and that ho preferred reciprocity with the
States. He stated that .he subject of an elective council
would come up for diseuesion during the next @eli-
sion, and spoke rather favourably of it. After alluding
to several measures, he strongly condemned the nbstructiens
that had been offered to American settlers in 1815, and attri-
buted the backwardness of the country mainly to this cause.
The Nava Scotian ernvernment has proclaimed an inter-
eolonial reciprocity act in agricultural products, with the
exception of dour.
A distressing accident has occurred on Lake Erie, by
which 38 lives have been lost, principally of nun of the 23rd
Regiment, including one medical officer, named Grantham.
The MS appears to be, from the various accounts, that the
Canadian steamboat Commerce was proceeding along the
' Canadian side of the lake, at night, and was run Into by the
Buffalo steamboat Despatch. Sae rink, and the unfor-
tunate suffers were awakened from their beds for a watery
grave. A part of those ou b sard were saved.
COISKIISCIAL.-o,lino to the lateness of the arrivals from
sea, not much bissineu is yet doing, except in produce with
the United States.
The weather is he. The trees are beginning to put forth
leaves.

TWO DAYS LATER, VIA HALIFAX.
[l3, Outdo Telegraph.;
(raOM DUN OWN CORENAPONDENT.)
uvtalrouL, SUNDAY.
We have received by telegraph to Halifax, dates
from New York to the evening of the 16th inst.
The Hibernia had arrived at Boston.
The House of Representatives had under discussion
the letter of Sir Ileury Bnlwer, in wLich he had noti-
fied the opening of the River St. Lawrence to
American vessels, so soon u the American legislature
had pained the Reciprocity Bill then &fore it. The