North American. [volume] (Swanton, Vt.) 1839-1841, 1840-07-01

we eAsH have come 20 ihc Fefao1 ol lfctt
our readers will be aslonished TO find how
corrupt the administration Of the govern
n,cut had become, even at lha, early day.
We find IN Sparks diplomatic couespon-
dsnee. 4th vol, page LIS, q letter from
Benjamin Franklin who was then 10
France, which makes menliou of Mr. Do
Calvel'a claims Oh the government OF the
United States. Dn Calvet, like many 9th
ers, had made disbursements, and had fur
nislied goods TO tie Continental Army,
when they occupied the City Of Montreal,
for which he had received Continental bills.
the value Of which was mere nominal
Mr Ffanklin' letter is dated,
Passy, France, Nov. LIST, 1888.
+" There has been with me lately Mr. Pierre
Du Calvet, a merchant OF Montreal, who,
when our army was in Canada, fursished
our Generals and Officers with many
things they wanted, taking their receipts
and promissory notes Tor payment anc
when the English repossessed thecountry,
he was imprisoned, and his estate seized ),
on account of the services he had rendered
us. He has shown me the originals OF his
papers, which | think are genuine. He
produced also a quantity of Congress pa
per, which he SAYS he received in payment
for some OF the supplies, and which ap-
pcared TO me of our first emissions, and
yet all fresh and clean, as having passed
through no other hands When he was
discharged from prison, he could not OBJ
tain permission 10 GO into the United
States TO claim the debt, but was allowed
10 60 TO England, aud from thence he
came hitler 10 solicit payment from me.
Having no authority 10 NEEDLE with such
debts, and the sum being considerable,
refused, and advised him 10 take passage
for America, aud make his application 10
Congress. He said he was grown old,
much broken and weakened by near three
years Imprisonment, and that the voyage
from Canada TO London hal like 10 have
been too much for him, he being sick all
the way so that he could not think Of
another, though distressed for want OF his
money. He appears an honest man, and
his case hard one. have therefore un.
dertaken to forward his papers, and beg
leave TO recommend them TO the speedy con-
sideration of Congress" &c. SC.
Before exposing the Observation-Disclosures
of the government, we must inform our
readers of the doings of the Legislative
Council as established by the Quebec bill
OF l774. II will be remembered that in
consequence of this new act becoming
law, the old council named by General
Murray was dismissed, and new one for
med by Sir Guy Carleton. In consequence
of the excited state in which the province
was kept, from the fall of l775 to 1777 it
had been impossible to call the council to-
eether. However in the spring of lT77
the council was summoned TO meet al
Quebec, and among the divers acts they
passed, there was one for the establish |
ment of Court Of Justice and also Court |
Of Kings Bench, where criminal matters
were to be tried. A Court of common
Pleas was also established in each OF the |
three districts, and probate court was
organized to settle all testamentary and |
estate concerns. The Legislative Coun-
Gil constituted itself court OF appeal, and
the Governor, Lieutenant Governor or
the Chief Justice with any five members,
were declared to be quorum, fit to decide
all business brought before them.
The attention OF our readers is now
called TO the state Of the press in
Canada, that powerful engine by which
nations are taught their rights, and with
out which nation is easily enslaved and
easily learns TO bear injustice from its OPP
pressors. Under the French government
no such thing as a newspaper was ever
known or hardly heard Of in Canada. The |
few the colonisis ever saw or read came
10 them from the mother country. But
as soon as it was defnitively settled that
the Province Of Quebec was TO be ceded
by France TO Great Britain, Scolchman
by the name of Brown brought a press
and types in 1868, from Boston to Canada
and established the Quebec Gazette, which