North American. [volume] (Swanton, Vt.) 1839-1841, 1840-04-15

Euuwn ne was 10 town. bad Fcl ur&fe3 bth4
O. attend In the theatre the ne&t night ia
rxp.asa 70 the cttzens The situation 81
Canals. be did 50.
siace his trail be has msac oath that ae
was entirely ignotanl Of the iateai'0n Of
Rny pcrson 20 take possession 81 The aims
in the eoufi-house and Thomas j. suilt-
edsad. whose evidence be could act have
on his trial. has. since his fetofa ifon
Quebec citadel. sworn that Mackenzie lad
no notice of knowledge Of his (saiher-
lsnd's) Intention 70 address tie olilzeas
al lhe Theatre. OF OF the Object he bsd ~
view 10 proceeding - Black Rock, or that
he was proceediag ihiiher with arms, aiu
uiiions OF war ard N itafv stores, aud
tha, be (Msckenzie) took ~ pa'. what
ever in his (Suihrfand's) movements on
this side Of the Niagara.
The allclged offence, &c il was one, took
place within az hours after Mackenzie had
come 10 Badaio, under The invitation Of us
citizens and before our government had
called attention 10 the long forgotten sta
tute or IT94--if he has offended al oil, it
was in ignorance, and first olIenre--oi the
legality Of bis conviction on the slight evil
dence published many doubts have been
representative Jury wcre long in uncer-
tainiy as 10 their verdicl--aud his punish
ment is in many respects the most severe,
aud his confinement the longest Of the few
who have been tried.
Il could not have been the intention OF the
Legislature to punish by undermining the
human constitution through al entire de-
NAL Of fresh air and exercise in the open
-. - ~ Z iaat nj pftrY IN
ais, and absolutely necessary 10 health,
yet he has not even once in nine months
been allowed that privilege. The certiii-
cate Of three physicians in Rochester, and
his advanced time Of life avalled him
nothing.
He was for long time locked Up night
and day in one solitary apartment with no
other means 81 exercise than ii afforded.
We consider the cause in which w. l..
Mackenzie was engaged in Canada to be
that Of republican freedom, and that harsh
ness 10 him would be Illuminating TO our
country. The Canadian people are bow
ed down by the strong arm oil foreign
European nation, its military power
treachery and force have iriunphed in
their aud--biood has flowed abundanuy in
the field and on the scaiiold-and it would
hs unworthy OF lust and generous peo-
pie 10 pursue vindictvey here an uniortu
nate exile. If stranger on whose head
Her Majesty's Colonial authorities have
twice fixed a price OF one thousand pounds
must needs be made the first example I'M
der our obsolete statute, law and justice
are surely satisfied with the heavy punish
ment already inflicted, seeing he was g in
good faith struggling for the acquisition Of
political institutions as free as we regard
our own to be-" sincere eoiciiude for
tho success Of which object the President
of the United States has declared 10 be
natural and proper.
Her Maiesty's Governor General of
Canada, in his speech at closing the last
legislative session in the upper colony,
whose legislature is not yet abolished, de-
cares that he has no fears Of frontier dis
turbances. Our government has made a
similar declaration. A grand-jury on the
frontier have officially expressed desire
for Mackenzie's release. Many thousands
Of our citizens have memorialized the
President praying that he may be set at
liberty, 10 which object it is hoped the
powerful aid Of your honorable house will
be granted. A rigorous confinement Of
this prisoner for other nine months might
entirely destroy health and strength, and
leave his helpless family destitute in for
eign land, but i, could neither hasten nor
avert frontier troubles.
Ii is between two and three years since
the proceedings near Buffalo, in which so
large portion OF our frontier population
were concerned yet one solitary, friend
less stranger ,outawed by England and har-
raised here, is 10 this hour the only object
of punishment by our authorities. of all
who were supposed TO be- therein en-
gagged and that stranger is the only in
dividual, as far as known, whom the Brit
ish Governor has demanded oil US as a
victim.
The timely interposiiion OF lord Broug-
ham, Mr.. Hume and other just and mer-
ciful men in the English Parliament and
courts Of law, rescued our eouutryman,
John G. Parker and his comrades from
transportation, and restored them TO their
families upon this frontier. VIII no voice
in Congress be raised On behalf Of WIN.
L. Mackenzie Is his offence greater than
theirs Or his imprisonment less painful /?
Your mem0rialisis respectfully request
that inquiry may be made by your honor
able house into the above case, and that