Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1894-01-02
WAYS OF OLD TIMES
Some That s6!I Survive IN Pos-
tons Of Canada
sEIssloRIfs NEAR QUEBEC
ssill Rsn On shs Prtscipai Laid Dewn
In Paris Foar Gestures Ago
ssd Rspsaisd-


about the niid frudal system which
issA The seignior received grHnt Of
Md land from the king en ecsditicn
that be should pat settlers upos II. lie
had 10 preserve the eek timber Cor ship
building. snd the rcd plne tor the man
ufncenre Of Tar, and - notify the
kings agents II he found minerals on
the scigniory. He had - 70 through
the form Of paying homage and feaity
% the kings rerrus>ntetive ~ oeebee
when he entered on posssssion. some
times oftener. and 70 pAy . nth OF the
purchase money IL he sold the estate
20 the royal Golfers, though he wa al
lowed a rebate Of two-thirds for cash
dowu- The censitaire OF hAbitsnt. Who
held the land uncer the seignior. had
20 pay the annual Gems % rcntes. often
q sol tcent). or half . col. with half =
pint OF wheat or few live capons or
eggs for each arpent The land Of the
censasHirc passed. 20 his heirs, but. in
case he sold during his lifetime. the
lods et ventes came into play. and one
twelfth of the purchase money went
% the seignior. by the droit de re-
trait the seigrior could compel . pur-
chaser within forty days Of the sale 90
transfer the property to him at the
price paid II be thought Il had not
fetched enough
The censitaire had to got his wheat
ground at the scignior's mill. aud on
some seigniories 10 have his bread
baked at the seignior's oven. paying
toll la each ease; 20 give tithe OF the
fish he caught 20 the ssignior. 10 DO
corvee or road work, and 20 get ont
stone and timber for public purposes.
seigniors who could Afford 90 support
n local magistrate were empowered 10
administer superior. mean and inferior
justice on their estates. hut as q class
they were very poor and this right fell
into desuetude. -. /.
In 1854. says the New York Post. the
parliament Of Canada bought. out tho
seigniorx There were te0 Of them. in
possession of 20 ficfs, embracing $780,
900 acres of cultivated land. The
censitaire was given bis choice of two
things-thc Gems ct rcutes were capt.
salized. 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
ct rental equal TO Q per cent of the
capitalization The tenant came
across. or his father before him. had,
like many more. chosen the latter
course The other seignioriai rights
were settled by the government ut
cost Of about 5000, COO The system
would have been abolished before 1854
only the Roman Catholic church was
afraid that In the debacie. az timid
souls called 1t. the tithes and fabriqne
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 n
batch Of old papers and books In which
the doings Of his predecessors In the
scigniory and of their censitaires are
recorded for 100 years These papers
idea Of the sort of life the people led
First - TO prices: In 1907, rs other
documents show. wheat sold In the
markets Of Quebec at scents per bush
Ell A creditor was bound 20 accept IL
at that price. Beef sold for scents and
pork for o cents per pound. the four
pound loaf for 10 cents Prices had
dropped little by 173s. Wheat was
then worth o. cents In ice II fell 20
20 cents There had been good crop
In the region east Of Quebec on yhe
south shore Of the st. Lawrence, which
was regarded - the Rrsnsry Of New
France. Capons sold far 10 cents each
In 1916. but when paid as Gems ct rentes
their conventional price was % cents
Most Of the deeds called for good fat
capons of the brood OF the month of
May
In ITO carpenter and blacksrnfths
got from 90 10 20 cents day, unskilled
lAborers 90 cents Cloth Of ell kinds
except homespun was dear. The for
eign trade of the colony was confined
20 France and French possessions. bnt
there was Q good deal Of smuggling
BY land and water from New England
and New York. Twenty ysrds % the
woolsn cloth cost s2,S cents yard In
fTB. The eensitaircs and the common
people generally clothed themselves in
homespsn. fetofe du pays, made boot.
out of green bces hideA got their sugar
from the maple. and had. ~ rule,
plenty of game and fsh. Most ~ them
had q vegetable patch. They en-.
changed timber or furs for store goods
"a they required. The wellto-do keig.
nior- imported wine, brandy. velvet,
lace. jewelry. etc. An sli-veivet sui.
with dress-sworsi. rufflez. buckles and
gilt snuff box thrown In. cost sb9 IA
ITO. The poorer seiguiors lived nnch
a. their censitsires lived Their rive.
aud daughters were forced 20 work In
the fields 10 save The cost Of hired IN,
bor. which was scarce. Ju~s before The
British conquest the colony va flooded
with depreelaied paper menry. add che
crops failing nj the same time The price
Of wheat ran mp % etso
There were no books rsss smcne ths
cierry and seigniors: printing wa MOI
introduced until nearly century an.
. half after the hrst printing pres,
hsd b~en ct up In Nsw England
There were no scbools In ths rsral
parishes AMI no .~snbisnes ~ saauIe
ipsi government either IN lawn ~
eosntry P'sbllc nssttnes were so'