The Irish standard., 1893-12-30

pint of wheat or a few live capOns or
eggs for each arpent. The land of the
censataire passed to his heirs, but, in
case he sold during his lifetime. the
lods ct ventes came into play, and one
twelfth of the purchase money went
TO the seignior. by the droit de re-
trait the seignior could compel pur-
chaser within forty days of the sale to
transfer the property to him at the
price paid if he thought it had not
fetched enough.
The censitaire had to get his wheat
ground at the seignior's mill, and on
some seigniories to have his bread
baked at the seignior's oven, paying a
toll in each case; to give 1.-THE Of the
ash he caught to the seignior, to do
ooTvee or road work, and to get out
xtone and timber for public purposes
6eigniors who could afford to support
local magistrate were empowered to
administer superior, mean and inferior
Justice on their estates, but as class
they were very poor and this right fell
into desuetude.
In 1854, says the New York Post. the
parliament of Canada bought, out the
seigniors. There were 100 of them, in
possession of 900 fefs, embracing 6,000,-
900 acres of cultivated land. The
censitaire was given his choice of two
taaings--the Gems ct rentes were CAPT.
tslized, and he could either pay the
capital sum to the seignior, in which
case, of course, he got q clear title to,
his holding, or continue on as tenant
at rental equal to per cent. of the
capitalization. The tenant came
across, or his father before him. had,
like many more, chosen the latter
course. The other seigniorial rights
were settled by the government at q
cost of about $5,0oO,0oo. The system
would have been abolished before 1854
only the Roman Catholic church was
souls called it, the tithes and fabrique
taxes which she collected by authority
Of law might be abolished, too.
The landlord of whom have spoken
was good enough to let me look at
batch of old papers and books in which
the doings of his predecessors in the
seigniory and of their censitaires are
recorded for $50 years. These papers
enabled one to form tolerably good
Hlea of the sort Of life the people led.
First as to prices: In 1862, as other
markets of Quebec at 80 cents per bush
Il. A creditor was bound to accept it
Ut that price, Beef sold for Scents and
pork for cents per pound. the four
pound loaf for 10 cents. Prices had
dropped little 81 173es Wheat was
then worth 60 cents. In f743 it fell to
20 cents. There had been good crop
IN the region east of Quebec on the
south shore Of the st. Lawrence, which
was regarded as the gransry Of New
France. Capons sold for 10 cents each
Ia 1746, but when paid as Gems et2rentes
their conventional price was 30 cents.
Most of the deeds called for ''good fat
sapons of the brood Of the month Of
May"
In 1140 carpenters and blacksmiths
got from 60 to so cents a day, unskilled
lzborers 10 cents. Cloth of all kinds
except homespun was dear. The for
eign trade of the colony was confined
20 France and French possessions, but
Ahere was good deal of smuggling
by land and water from New England
and New York. Twenty yards of fine
wooden cloth" cost 621f cents yard in
l746. The censitaires and the common
people generally clothed themselves IN
homespun, 1'etoffe du pays, made boots
0ut of green beef hides, got their sugar
from the maple, and had, as rule,
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