Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1853-06-03
May 81. 1853.
sEIGNonIAL rENuREsIyCNyAnN

May 81. 1853.
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sElCNOHiiL TEXTURES CANADA
Our relations, present and prospective
with the CanaddS are such, tia. We cannot bu,
watch, with intense interest, the changes which
'hh last SIX years have been briu,u! rbYu.
therc, and the still greater ones which b,rir,
20 cast then 49, do~s before them as they come
Dn' readers have been informed tlat tie b.
sto'ldIng 10! the reducing, and final extinction
IF the rights Of seignorial tenure. IN CInll.
ias' winch passed the House Of Assembly. b.,
decided majority, had been rejected by the
Legislative Council. This, however, does MOI,
eet the matter at rest. The Legislative Coun.
ca. which has always been but an Instrument in
he hands Of the Executive to serve rs check
vpon The Assembly, cannot prevent the bill from
becoming law sooner or later for the will Of
,ae popular branch must in the end be supreme.
We have been intending to set forth briefly.
before our readers, the operation of this seirn-
"TiA' system, and are glad to find the WORK. in
pat, done 10 our hands in the n. y. Trbun,
RI whose Article we make free use in whit fol.
lows.
J: is n singular fact that ore of the last
eiTongholds ot ioudasm should be in the Nen,
World. In France, GERMANY Austria a,y,
Hungary, il hGs been swept away. But on this
continent, under Parliamentary Go,orro,or..
and with the franchises Of british subjects, rl.a
feudoi regime survives. The lands Of Lower
Canada are st,'! generally held under f,nda)
'ln1re. Their cruyators do no. c,yo -Lom
fut occupy as tcnqots, paying to tie lords
-trpctual feut. which, though sonuwhq, ,noli-
fed. y s,''i essentially the system Of the Mid
die Ages. striking consequence is the
stand s',.', unimproYing appearance Of the
c"u0'-y, and the chnngcles9, hereditary b,hu.
a Ii" people. Altcr the lapse Of above two
rthtdF'eS, IN new land and climate, they are
II oil important particulars, the same as the
ancl"nt poafan'ry Of the mother country.
Perhaps something mor7 Of personal irdc-
r'ndcnce belongs t. he French C,ngin,,
relsonlFy, Cor they have grown up under the
protection Of l1w; br in SOCIAL char.ctc, w
inar! asreeal'e and even charming a,,an,rca /
and N the stupidity Of spontaneous conlcrsq.
ton, they arr the same. Tic nlu.c.-! or p9-
Utica! "ne'.'rr,Yrs that have ta.cn r2.cc
around ,hcln have III :hom untouched. The
l~qo'n"0x c-c not o-oic unaffected ny Amer
70 ~ IDEAS and American cc,crpiise.
Tbs iocorvcu.lrcce If the Sernoyi9} Ten.
IRE NM he briefly stalled. Though the rem,
- which lends "ern CONCEDED to settles we've
i"w- seldom exceeding four sons, and never
e!yht--thoso rents were ircdoemthlc. a,d Inc
occupant could not compel ls mnlloui to
grant him the fire., hold Of bis farm. This wa.
ono serious objection to the system Sales,
and IN fact all mutations except TRANSMISSION,
by inheritance, involved fine TO the Soirnlor
Of one twelfth Of the purchase money; and
though IN practice SO heavy percentage was
seldom eNGctej, tie fire claimed was ALWAYS
so heavy as to be serious obstacle to sales of
real estate. At cOmmon law, theEeignor was
authorized 10 resume possession al any time Of
the property he bad sold, Ut the price lie bad
received for Il; and this right was further So
cured by express stipulation in most CONCESSION
deeds. 50 iniQuitous system needs no com.
mcni. Sc'gniors claimed aud Courts Of Jus. {
nee sustained them IN a right Of property I'm
all streams and non,nayiIab,a rivers flowing
through their sc."monos; tins dr;aiy.nr the .
tanani OIL the shore Of bis patuiaI r.lt TO ,Io 81
water adjacent, The former thus rxa-c;.,l q
n"nopoy Of lucrative branch of tr9'.,- ~ C...
ndl, viz that Of cutting saw-lors mi l,...,, .
them d %n to 'lr St. LowreoDo Flour m,
grls nils wero likewise q rcirnior.al moro-o