Washington sentinel. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1853-1855, 1854-12-24
From the Journal OF Commerce.
NEW SEIGNIORIAL TENURE Bill

The act for the abolition of feudal rights in
Canada, the signing of which was one of the
last acts of the administration OF the Earl Of
Elgin, forms new era in the history of the
British North American Colonies. 1t is as
nearly complete as could have been expected,
considering the character of the Canadians and
the peculiar religious prejudices of the French
Catholic population. The system of fefet seig
neurie tenure, which was introduced into the
French colonies by Colbert, minister of Louis
XIV, has been more rigidly maintained, since
the conquest of Canada by Great Britain, than
before-the tenure in free and common soccage
never having grown into favor According to
this system, concessions of grants Of lands
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES made by the King to such of
his officers as he deemed fitting to enrich, and
the seigneurieS as stewards of the government,
were required to find yassals, to whom were al
lotted sections OF ninety or more acres of land
each, who were to pay q nominal annual rent
and reduce the soil to cultivation. The seig-
niorial grants were usually to an extent of from
nine to th;rty-six square leagues, and some of
those which were considered most valuable,
were made to the Catholic clergy.
The order of Sulpicians have been Seigneurs
Of the whole island of Montreal, and entitled
to the feudal rights of that immense Seigneury.
One OF these rights, as we explained on for
mer occasion, was that of receiving one.twelfth
part of the purchase money of every estate
sold or transferred by those living within their
Seigneury, under the name of tods ct rentes
This privilege, which has been one Of the most
odious of the system, has brought an annual
income to the Sulpicians alone of over 10000,
| and has been so great an obstacle to the sale,
transfer, or Improvement Of property, that the
| friends of progress throughout the colony have
striven most anxiously forts abolition. We have
therefore been surprised to perceive by the 35th
clause of the new act the crown Seigneuries,
and those held by the seminary of st. Sulpiee
of Montreal, the Fiefs Nazareth, Saint Angus
tin, Saint Joseph Closse and Lagauchetiere,
and all drriereftes depending upon them, and
all lands held en- franc aleu- noble, are especi-
| ally exempted from its operation.
Heretofore censitaiyes have been permitted
TO make what have been called optional com.
| mutations of the tax payable by them, as vas
sails, to their Seigneurs. These are now abol.
| ished, and every censitaire will hereafter hold
his land in franc aleu- ,oturisr, free from all
| Siegniorial charges whatsoever, except rente
| constitute to be substituted for them and every
Seigneur will hold his domain. unconceded
lands, and all real estate belonging to him as
Seigneur, including the above rentes, by like
tenure, free of all qint or other feudal dues, or
duties to the Crown, or to any Segneur domi
nant The reRte constitute is the most objec-
tionable feature that we can discover in the
bill, next to its not including the entire Catho-
lie Church Seigneuries. 1t is O compulsory
Communication substituted for an optional one
which is forced upon the censitaires, and must
necessarily give rise to much litigation, through
which the Seigneur may be heavy loser, BY
the arbitrary basis on which the legislature en-.
acts that his lods Ell pentes shall be calculated
The Montreal Herald of last Monday remarks:
Gin new country, where population in
creases so rapidly, and capital and enterprise
are daily developing the resources and In
creasing the value of real estate, what can be
more unjust than to calculate its present value
upon the past revenues derived from it2 All
investments with us are VIGOROUSLY made with
reference TO the future, not to the past; and
whether it be seigneury in the district of Mon
treal or territory in the county Of Renfrew, its
value is regulated, not by the revenues hereto
fore derived from it, but by those which it is
calculated it will yield IN future"
Mr.. Drummond, the responsible minister Of
the crown, had introduced two measures on the
subject Of seigniorial tenure previous to the
present one, each differing from it materially
and from each other. The probability is, that
having felt his way carefully among the diver
gencies of opinion and prejudice, he had dis
covered the necessity of passing a measure
somewhat incomplete, as initiatory TO more per-
feet legislation on the subject. The present
act is far better than nothing. II inaugurates
a new and more healthful system of land ten.
ure, one which opens the country to immi.
grants, and relieves the colouies from a grieyous
bjndrance to their prosperity and advancement.
4