The sun., 1907-08-25

'ame month delegates from. every town anC
diS'riot In SUFFOLK county met at Milton ANT
fasscd some resolves that presently shoOk
'wo cOnttHents. One of these declared tina
the late act Of Parliament for establishing
the Roman Catholic religion and the Frencl
laws IN that extensive country now called
Nanada IN dangerous In an extreme de
gree to the Protestant religion and To the
clvh rights and liberties Of all Americans
within a fortnight the Suffolk resolves
reached Philadelphia. where the First Cont
mental Congress had just assembled. and
within fortnight they we're indorsed
me First Continental Congress went further
In october. i774. II denounced by a resoiu-
lion the act OF Parliament passed for es-
tablshing the Roman Catholic religion in
the province OF Quebec. abolishing the
equitable system Of English laws and
erecting a tyranny there. 20 the great
danger. from so total a dissimilarity Of
religion. law and government, Of the nei gl,-
boring British colonies" -.
We're American patriots honest In these
protests9 Did they really believe heir
objections 20 the Quebec act we'll founded! =!
An able American historian has asserted
| that such remonstrances were simply loose
sentences used for political ends" That
Is not the opinion OF the author Of these
volumes. He believes the excitement about
the Quebec act TO have been essentially
genuine. 1t was fear, then. as well as hope
that caused the Thirteen Colonies to resolve
TO bring about by persuasion or force or
both the cooperation OF Canada in their up
rising for independence.
Some encouragement was forthcoming
on the part Of the Canadians. For ins. ance.
In September, 177%, residents Of the city Of
Quebec, who sympsthized with Boston in
her patriotic struggles and distresses, con-
tributed to her relief a thousand bushels Of
wheat. At Montreal "a considerable sum"
was collected for the same sufferers" and
forwarded in bill Of exchange. Very early
In ITS a letter from Montreal printed in the
ESSEX Gdzene asserted that even the
French farmers wished the continuance Of
our tAmericanl liberty" To a man like
Samuel Adams such indications Of SYM
pathy were quite enough, and at his sug-
gestion the Massachusetts Provincial Con-
gress was soon feeling about for some
way Of getting in touch with the people
Of the north. In October, l774. il voted to
consider the propriety OF sending an agent
TO the province Of Canada to consult with
the inhabitants thereof and arrange for a
friendly correspondence and agreement
with themS
After the subject had come twice more.
before the body committee was appointed
early in December TO correspond with the
inhabitants OF Canada. among the members
OF which committee we're three OF Samuel
Adams's disciples. Hancock. Warren and
Church. In February. i7'5. one John
Brown. a jealous patriot and a member Of
the committee. was sent 10 Montreal bear
ing instructions in Adams's hand. 1T is
said Adams. -sn inexpressible satisfaction
TO us to hear that our fellow subjects in
Canada Of French as well as English ex-
traction behold the indignity OF having
such a government las that constituted by
the Quebec actl obtruded upon them with
a resentment which discovers that they have
just idea Of freedom and a due regard for
themselves and their posterity.' The letter
closed with an exhortation to adopt the
resolutions OF the late Continental Congress
and TO send delegates to another. which was
TO meet at Philadelphia on May 10. 1875.
The journey undertaken early in March,
Champlsin was one Of grievous hardship.
and the envoy from Puritan Massachusetts,
was shocked to find the population Of the
town divided in nearly equal proportions
between dissolute half savage fur traders
and Romish priests. There was not a single
Protestant meeting house In the place.
There was much to cheer Brown. how
ever. An address TO the Canadians. drawn
by John Dickinson, had been issued by the
First Continental Congress before IL ad-
journed and seems to have exerted not a
little influence. The British residents in
Canada. however. declined the invitation to
take part in the Continental Congress Of
1875. on the ground that should they try to
do so the French Canadians. even though
displessed with the Quebec ,act. would
cooperate with Gov. Carleton to frustrate |
the attempt. Nevertheless the results |
Of the mission were not insignificant Some
of them did not make their appearance
until later, but others could be figured
up at once. Carleton admitted that a |
number Of persons in Canada had promised |
the Colopials -to render them all the SER /
vices in their power" Something was |
done. also, to avert the danger Of invasion /
from the north. sentries being placed in |
readiness to give seasonable notice of such /
a movement. Some arguments in terrorem
had also been put forward by friends Of /
the Colonists. who warned the French
Canadians that should they dare 20 take
up arms against the Bostonians $1,000
men would march into their province and
lay the whole country waste.
That there was some solid foundation
FOR the threat came to be believed after
a band Of Green Mountain Boys under
Ethan Allen had captured the frontier
Fortresses, once reputed to be impregp able.
Of Ticonderoga and Crown Point. Not
ong afterward Benedict Arnold. who had
received a Colonel's commission from the
colony OF Massachusetts. pushed on at
The head OF some militia from that colony
and Connecticut to the Canadian post at
81. Johns and there seized an armed
British sloop, together With some bateaux
md q quantity Of provisions and military
stores. 80 far as the Champlain region
was concerned the nerve o. Britain's right
arm had been cut al a stroke. In the minds, ]
however, OF the members Of the Second
Congress. which had assembled
On May 10, ,775, in Independence Hall.
m. al, L