Alexandria gazette & daily advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1817-1822, 1821-04-20


PEELED to return 10 the capital by the in.
Auence of Ministers, and to dismiss vm,
Confessor, whose conduct must have in.
spired them with approximations for tho sv.
curity of their places. and this was efFee,.d
in such manner that no ooe is unacouai,..
ed with it all over the peninsula in coma.
quence Of the countless dispatches Sch, },
the Minister Of the Interior to the provn.
ces. memorable occurrence in which ~.
saw SO unworthy an abuse made Of H..
sacred words: 9 The Country is in danger"
land in which were at once imposed NM,
our credulity and patriotism. to The imm;.
nent danger of the public tranquility"
FRENCH POPULATION OF CANADA.
From SiiLinaan's Tour bet1ceex Hart6r1
and Quebec.
Colonel BbuChette states the popula.
ton Of Lower Canada at three hundred
and thirty thousand; and of this
number, two hundred and Sc, enty five
thousand are french. 1t is therefore
still French country, and it is sur.
prisiHg, that in more than half cen.
fury 50 little impression has been made
on their peculiar characteristics.
In the lower province, where thew
are almost exclusively found, the soil
is generally Iuxuriant; they inhabit,
tor the most part, the rich alluyial
soil by which the st. Lawrence, the
SorreI, and other principal waters,
are so extensively bordered. Their
8 bsistence is easily obtained-there
are scarcely any marks of extreme
among them. and a mendicant
we never saw while in the country
They are however, generally without
and are satisfied to 20 on
change. from generation to
There is much reason to
believe, that they give very just ex-
hibition of the French people in the
provinces from which they emigrated,
as they were two hundred years aga.
speak f the common people. They
are more like an European peasantry,
than any thing in this Country; l mean
10 North America. They are truly
a peasantry, except that they are vast.
y superior to European peasantry in
comforts and in privileges.
It's questionable, whether any con.
Iurred country was ever better treated
~ its conquerOrs. They were left in
complete possession Of their religion,
md of the revenues to support it 4; Of
heir property, laws, customs and man.
ners; and even the very governing and
defending Of the country is almost with.
,ut expense to them. They are said
10 pay no taxes to government, and
none of any description, except tria.
ng sum of few shiliings a year to
heir seignueurs, As an acknowledg.
nent for the tenure of their lands, and
. e6th part Of their grain to the cler'
~. and with certain liabilities to con.
rbute to the repair of churches, and
,sr,ous other public objects.
With the affairs of 90, or nment they
rive themselves little concern and it
S a curious fact, if correctly stated to
IS by various intelligent gentlemen in
;anada, that this country, 50 far from
icing a source of revenue, is an actual
barge upon the treasury of the en-
ire.
1t would seem as if the trouble and
Expense Of government were taken Oh
heir hand, and as it they we're LETT to
njoy their own domestic comforts,
Without drawback. Such is certain
y the appearance Of the opulatIon
md it is doubtful " neither even our own
avorcd communities are pol ticalIy
more happy. 1t is evident that the
are abundantIy more 50.
han the mass of the English popula:
ION at home. They are not exposed
n a similar manner to poverty and tie
hangers Of starvation, which SO often
invade the English manufacturing dis
riots, and which formidable evils, AID
d by their demagogues, goad them on
d every thing but open rebellion.
Such is the richness OF the soil IN
.ower Canada, that the farmers are
aid even to he afraid of raising too
much produce. lest the price should
all. They have so little occasion 10
manure their grounds, that stable ms
urc, as we were assured, is, in The
sinter, even now, and it was much
acre the fact formerly, carried to tho
liver. and left in heaps on the ice, thai