The St. Johns herald., 1894-09-13
OLD FEUDAL CUSTOMS.
Some That Still Survive in Por- ,tsr tiOns of Canada.
seigniories Near Quebec Still Run on the Principles Laid Down in Paris Four Centuries Ago and Repealed as Long
 Ago as the French Revolution.

6ekQnfOfte9 Principles Laid Down in Paris Four
 Centuries Ago and Repealed as Long
 Ago as the French Revolution.
 
 Parkman and others have told us all about the mild feudal system which prevailed in French Canada down to 1854. The seignior received grant of wild land from the king on condition that he should put settlers upon it. He had to preserve the oak timber for ship building, and the red pine forthe man. ufacture of tar, and to notify the kings agents if he found minerals on the seigniory. He had to go through the form of paying homage and fealty to the kings representative at Quebec when he entered on possession, some times oftener, and to pay a fifth of the purchase money if he sold the estate to the royal coffers, though he was al- lowed a rebate of two-thirds for cash down. The censitaire or habitant, who held the land under the seignior, had to pay the annual cens ct rentes, often a sol (cent), or half sol, with half a 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 l 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 toll in each case; to give tithe of the fish he caught to the seignior, to do corvee or road work, and to get out stone and timber for public purposes. Seigniors who could afford to support a 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 160 of them, in possession of 220 fiefs, embracing 6,O00,- GOO acres of cultivated land. The censitaire was given his choice of two things-the cens ct rentes were capi- talized, and he could either pay the capital sum to the seignior, in which case, of course, he got clear title to his holding, or continue on as tenant at rental equal to per cent. of the capitalization. The tenant I 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 a cost of about S5,O00,O00. The system would have been abolished before 1854 only the Roman Catholic church was afraid that in the debacle, as timid souls called it, the tithes and fabrique taxes which she collected by authority of law might be abolished, too.
 The landlord of whom 1 have spoken was good enough to let me look at 8 batch of old papers and books in which the doings of his predecessors in the seigniory and of their censitaires are recorded for 150 years. These papers enabled one to form tolerably good
 
 First as to prices: In 1867, as other documents show, wheat sold in the markets of Quebec at 80 cents per bush el. A creditor was bound to accept ii at that price. Beef sold for cents and pork for cents per pound, the four pound loaf for 10 cents. Prices had dropped little by 173S. Wheat was then worth 62 cents. In 1742 it fell to 40 cents. There had been a good crop in the region east of Quebec on the south shore of the St. Lawrence, which was regarded as the granary of New France. Capons sold for 10 cents each in 1746, but when paid as cens ct rentes their conventional price was 20 cents Most of the deeds called for ''good fat capons of the brood of the month ot May"
 In 174O carpenters and blacksmith. got from 50 to 80 cents day, unskilled laborers 40 cents. Cloth of all kinds except homespun was dear. The for eign trade of the colony was confined to France and French possessions, but there was a good deal of smuggling by land and water from New England and New York. Twenty yards of ''fint woolen cloth" cost 62H cents 8 yard il 1746. The censitaires and the common people generally clothed themselves il homespun, retoffe du pays, made boot out of green beef hides, got their sugal from the maple, and had, as a rule plenty of game and fish. Most of then had a vegetable patch. They ex changed timber or furs for store good ss they required. The well-to-do seig nIors imported wine, brandy, velvet lace, jewelry. etc. An all-velvet sui with dress-sword, ruffies, buckles ant gilt snuff box thrown in, cost S52 il TITO. The poorer seigniors lived mucl as their censitaires lived. Their wive and daughters were forced to work il . l the fields to save the cost of hired Ia