The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1849-04-30


debted to contemporaries and to reporter We
refer to their reports The city remained perfectly
Lord Elgin sent for in the Of the night
and the Executive Council held sitting at which
made an afidnvt duplicating Messrs Howard, Mont,
gomere, Mack, Esdaile and Ferries in the burning of
the Parliament House (athough not one OF them we
believe it), and they arrested in the
forenoon Of yesterday on charge Of arson. An Aft
davit was also made by one William MDonell Dawson
late Of Bytown against Mr. Perry active leader
and by one Greer Walker against Mr. James Farrell
a ripgleader.
Although the afidavts are of the most vague cha
racte and merely relate to words alleged to have been
spoken yet Mr.. Ermantinger thought 1t his duty to
refuse bail Mr. Ermantinger, on the demand Of the
gentlemen accused, stated that on their being cx-
amined he would furnish them with copies Of tho
complete committal that they might obtain habeas
corpus, and give bail to-day. Mr.. Ermantinger was
asked whether he was acting under instructions from
the Attorney General, or whether he was acting
independent magistrate! He replied that he act
ing as an independent magistrate and that the COM
initial would be made out as he said
Instead of that however, Mr.. Ermantinger acting,
it is said from the beginning under the directions Of
Mr. Lafontaine, the Attorney General, made out the
commtta for further examination"
This is Of course, to crafty the malignant and
vengeful feelings Of Mr. Lafontainc by keeping the
gentlemen accused in Jail for several days longer.
MIR. Ermantinger did not intimate to the gentlemen
before him any intention Of remanding them but left
commtta would be final one.
MIR. Ermantnger rendered evidence to prove that
not one of the gentlemen was near the Parliament
House; but he refused to receive it, to grant BAIL
because he said he considered the adavits sufficient to
warrant their committal and he would make it out
cordingly.
Gentleman in the situation Of the accused ought to
be dealt with fairly and openly. The law never
Messrs. Howard, Mack, Montgomerie and Ferries,
accordingly conveyed In cabs to JAIL at halfpast
troops to prevent rescue Of which some fears were en-
tertained The excitement was such as was never
seen oans S They escorted all the
them with tremendous enthusiasm.
1t was new feature to British troops conveying
to prison men who had fought and suffered for their
Queen, and that too, under the directions of dom
nant French faction, whom those very loyalsts had
put down twelve years ago. Can things contine so?
The gentlemen in charge of drawing up the petition
for the recall Of Lord Egn have to advise the public
that little delay may before it is ready in con,
sequence Of the temporary Inconvenience to which
some Of their number subjected.
We are Informed that the Ministry alarmed at
the awful state of excitement In the country and in
Montreal that the Inspector General yesterday
to the telegraph Office, demanding of the Company not
to permit the wires to report any intelligence Of the
riot of Wednesday, and demanding to know what in
telgence had alreadv been conveyed.
The dire ctors ned the honorable gentleman that
their wires were open to the public to transmit any
that parties thought proper and they would
their wires by an armed force, in which they
would have proper recourse As to the second demand
the directors informed him that they communicated
mans affairs except to the party entitled to know
them.
ANOTHER ACCOUNT
From the same.1
Notwithstanding the great excitement which had
been manifested outside the Parliament House, after
the Governor Generals assent had been given to the
Rebellion Losses bill, the House continued in session.
passing one or two measures through committee with
than usual lietness, and apparently perfect
fdence 1t soon became known, however, that meet
Ing had been called and the passing Of carriage with
bells, accompanied by person who proclaimed the
dows About half past seven O'Clock being told that
the walls were chaked with announcements that the
meeting was to take place at o'clock, at the Champ
de Mars, the writer left the House with friend, and
proceeded to that place.
At the Champ de Mars a large number Of persons
were assembled The bank, and the stone steps going
to the guard house crowded with persons who
pressed towards the front and bore torches but below
the muster did not appear great the ground they
part, standing in groups at little distance apart
and 1t was remarked that great number Of females
ment the writer reached the ground some person ap
peared to be proposing list of names for commit
tee but the lights were sxtinguished immediately
There was then cry Of to the Parliament House,
The writer Immediately proceeded there and in con-
sequence of the time necessary to enable the process
sion to FORM reached tie House three minutes
before the crowd The doors were, at that time
locked but making use Of his privilege, the writer
tered and passed Immediately up stairs to the of
the Speakers chair meeting several clerks in the
they comng!" Mr. Price was in the news room at tho
moment the writer passed the stairs Of the smoking
and there was only time say they are coming
window in the house The passage the only place
which afforded shelter from the stones that were
protected that spot from the missiles, and there q
large number Of persons immediately congregated.
We noticed the Speaker Sir A. MNab, Col Gugy, Mr..
Badgey, Mir. Bell, MIR. Chauveau, MIR. Pspineau, Mr..
Drummond, Madame St. Julien and her maid from the
bar and some other members and employees Of the As
semby. All was confusion. Some said they will fire
the building; others, they are breaking in and will
attack us. Some desired to go up the stairs to the
smoking room but the majority appeared resolved to
await the event and face any persons who might pass
through the chamber to the place where they were
Some one now asked who would go and talk to the
crowd! Sir Allan MNab Immediately volunteered to
do So and entered the Assembly Chamber for that pur.
pose but the voeys which were still coming through the
windows made it evident that he could pass length
OF the apartment without certainty of being knocked
down There was an immediate cry for him to return
About this time 1t appears that persons entered
the House and carried away the mace and in all pro-
liability there would have been difficulty in passing
through as they retired and Of descending the great
staircase to the front door But those the passage
sl continued to suppose that the crowd without
ana would refuse to allow them to The only hope
was that the military would speedily arrive Then
some person opened the door Of the news room and
i n ,ne cry That the building was fire. On look
passage and the rcfreshment lobby this was found to
be inc Gaze. The whole awning was in flames, which
were last communicating to the wooden gallery 1t
was now time to make effort escape and to risk
broken head rather than to incur the danger Of re-
manning longer The writer accordingly the
back stairs to the large lobby below, where several
clerks had at sembled and had determined to make !
ruth at any odds The truth however, that no diff
fcuty existed They had closed the door which sepa-
rates the lower lobby Of the House Assembly from the
main entrance hall and great staircase and had thus
Ike the persons in the passage above remained in ig
nofance Of the entrance Of the who carried of the
mace and OF the fact that they had left the front
open This was, Of course discovered entering the
hall and all present passed into the streets The flame
had already enveoped the whole of that end Of the
building which Is situated in M'Gl street and crowd
was drawn up ON the footpsth viewing the confagra
ton, which lit up the entire city to the Unitarian
churcn al the top OF the Hay Market Some engines |
were standing in the street. drawn up across the road
way at the end Of St. Paul street, but they were not
playing and 1t was said that the had forbidden
them TO do So MI Murray, Of the Montreal Office had
striven Intellectually to get them to work The wind
was blowing smart breeze, and the whole of the ex
tensive building in which there was very large ouan-
tty OF woodwork was soon in flames from end !
TO- end 70 that 1t was impossible to approach the front
hen the wind carried the fire across the street and
the opposite houses The house the cen
tire OF the hail occupied by Mr. M'Crank was we believe
o'any gutted ana the whole range between Nj Gill and
St. Peter stree ts time in great dang The
torres occupied by Mcssrs Fitzpatrick, Howell Holiness
young ana Knapp; and other parties, though at some