North American. [volume] (Swanton, Vt.) 1839-1841, 1841-06-23
APPENDIX 10 THE HISTORY or
LOWER CANADA.


Holy Apostolic See, Bishop Of Montreal,
&C., &c.
ToAs Clergy and oil The faithful in our
dioesss, Health and Bsnsd,eiion.
What misery, dearest brethren, what
.,esolaiioa haze per, a,ed many OF our
PARISHES, siace the scouEee oi civil war has
dcsolaird this happy aud BEAUTIFUL countfy
where abundance aud 10y with order and
secanty regard universally, until brIgands
aud reorls had, through sophlsiry and iaIse-
hood, mislrd q part OF the population Of our
diocese What remains to you vi their
fine promises unless il be the burning ol
yDur houses and OF your churches, the
death Of sumo OF your friends and relatives,
and The involving oil many in anjrct pow
cry but, above all, the shame oi having
forfeited that fidelity dac TO the Sovereign,
which had ever previously characterised
your country !, oil having disobeyed tina,
holy religion, which, With great energy,
forbade the commission al such crimes !;
Of having bern deaf TO the voice OF your
Conscience, which, despite the turbulence
OF passion deciaiins against disorder ah !
that is what must ever cause poignant an
guish in your souls, that is what you must
deplore more than the loss OF worldly prop
erty. |, Is true, that the temples 0! God,
the most sacred objects hsgc been profaned,
and your hearts feel justly indiguau, al the
sacteees; hut as the most valiant captain,
however humane or generous he may BE-,
cannot, on such occasions, always restrain
the impetuosiiy oi his eOldIefs, In whom
ought we 10 attribute the first cause OF
these misfor,unes 7 Is il not 10 those, who
nv preaching rebellion, precipiiated the
Province into revolt 7 is il not II those
leaders of revolt, who have dared 10 seize
upnn the House of God AMI use il as
lot or bastion 10 put of the punishment
which was threatening them.
And as, according tn Scripture, on abyss
leads ordinarily 10 another abyss, Cps Al,
8, hardly had the STANDARD Of rebellion
been untuhed, when these pretended pat
riots began 10 make you lee! the kind OF
government they were preparing for you.
Indeed, was il by the elective system,
which they styled the palladium Of liberty,
that the seifca.led Generals. Colonies and
The other officers ol those bands were np
pointed, and whom the people OF the coun-
iry never knew but by their robberes /?
Was it the will of the majority in the
country, which, according 10 their princi-
pies, ought 10 regulate all in the govern
Inent (? Were the military operations oi
The insurgents conducted in accordance
with The public will , DID yon find your
selves Tree, when you were threatened with
ulI kinds of vrxations, incendiarsm and
the loss of all your property, even with
death, If you did not submi, 10 their horri-
blk. despotism they forced more than the
half of the small number, who took up
arms against our august Sovereign, 10
march against her victorious armies
They demonstrated wha, was the liberty |
hey were promising you, when they rifed
your barns and houses, took away your
cattle and reduced you In the greatest
poverty for the purpose Of luxuriating over
heir prize ~ their camps. where they de-
our young men BY keeping them
intoxicated to.drown their ie-
morse. They have shown what they IN
lersiood by hberaiiiy, when they massa-
,red in cold blood, no. on the battlefield,
,u, with oil the atrocity Of assassins. men,
whose crime consisted alone in differing
with them in their political opinions.
Such are the bitter fruits OF first sin
Mas il you had been told at the begin
ling Of your divisions between fellow sub
ects and compatriots, that an unlawful
pitstion would soon lead To Instruction
md open rebellion, then Ia theft and muir
Ter, and ell these crimes TO the awful mis-
ortunes which afterwards betel you such
prophet would have doubtless passed for
visionary; vet he would have predicted
o,hing bot the truth. Yes, your priests,
our bishop, and those, who, being able TO
cad, are conversant with the history OF
he past and can draw therefrom salutary
essons for the future, had warned you
reviously why were not they listened to,
Thy no, have profied by the light of rev.
lation, by the wisdom OF The past, BY ex
erienee, and by events Of daily occur
ence ia France, Spain, Portugal and S.
america, aud wherever they have tried
heir fatal systems Of Instructions Oh.1
ow much OF pain and suffering, crime and
rmorse, would have. been saved to Cana
a. If each individual had followed the
dvice Of his pastor
But il 10 easy for you now TO distinguish
our true friends, the real patriots, from
Aose, who were only seeking To aegrandize
themselves, To govern in new chimerical
xant.@a tbnaa xvt.,.,, Ia, mo,