North American. [volume] (Swanton, Vt.) 1839-1841, 1839-05-08

author Of an essay on the British constitu-
tien and a member Of the Montreal medi-
cal board. A short time after he was
married, his iaiher-in-law was seized with
sudden illness, which very soon ended
his days. This Circumstance forced DR..
Chenier TO settle at St. Eustache on &C
count of family business.
DR.. Labrie's death having created q
vacancy in the Representation of this
County, it became necessary TO make a
new nomiration. DR.. Chenier was FORE
most in supporting J. ]. Girouard ESQ.,,
the same who voted for the 90 resolutions
and who had price offered for him by
the jesuitinl Gosford.
Our frierd was an enthusiastic reformer.
He knew TO well the numerous grievan-
ces under which his native land groaned,
to be supporter OF the different provincial
administrations, whose sole object was TO
tyrannize over the Canadian people and
to rejoice at the miseries inflicted upon
them. Htknew also, that to prevent the
people from falling into apathy and indif-
erence about their sacred rights and to
keep their eyes constantly open to the con-
duct of tn, government, the best thing
was to call public meetings and there to
discuss the different acts Of the govern
ment. In 1882 he was one of the most
prominent men who signed requlsltlon
for meeting of the ireeholders Of the
county of Two Mountains, which was
held on the .1st of June, at St. Benoi!,
for the purpose Of adopting some eficacious
measures to prevent monopolies and ex-
elusive privileges in settling the waste
lands of the province, and to obtain more
easy and advantageous mode OF conceding
lands to the people who apply for them.
Such were the immediate objects of this
meeting, and we are happy to say that the
county of Two Mountains set an ex-
ample, which was very soon followed by
several other counties. There is not per.
haps another country in the whole uni
verse where the tenure of land is more in
secure than in Lower Canada. The
original tenure of lands in the country was
the feudal system with all its innumerabIt
Inconvenience. But the tenure has beer
made more hurdensome, since the Parlla
ment of Great Britain under the pretenc'
of finding remedy against the dreadful
abuses which arose from the old system
has passed in 1926 law, called the Cana
da Tenures Act, and confirmed to the seig
nors new and unjust privileges with which
they now scourge the conntry-the OLE
system of tenure had always been grea
plague to the people, but the new one is
downright curse.
1t was to remedy these abuses that tn
above meeting had been called. Resolu
tons very much to the point were adopte'
by the freeholders Of the county, and thei
complaints were responded to in true Brit
ish style. Two years afterwards the I'm
perial Parliament chartered the British
American Land Company, to whom tn
British Government sold for song, severa
millions of acres Of Township lands, pro
vinciai property. This company was con-
posed of English land -jobbers and specu
ators, and provincial political intriguers
clothed with all the privileges of monopol
requisite to strengthen and maintain
colonial aristocracy, very essential ingre
dient of Monarchical institutions.
A Committee of correspondence wa
chosen by this meeting and DR.. Chenie
was so well known to them as staunc
reformer who would exert himself to h
utmost on such subject, that the peopI
conferred on him an honorable mark {
their esteem and confidence by nominatin
| him as member.
After the bloody affair of9Ist May 1873:
spoken o: in the biography of Mr.. Cardina
meetings were held in different parts of I'll
country TO disapprove such foul murder
the Canadians looked on this outrage vi