The Fenians who had invaded and posted themselves on Pigeon Hill were driven out of the land; but many who were on the border ready to come in stayed their advance in obedience to the injunctions of U. S. General Meade acting on the proclamation of the President of the United States.
The Villages of Freligsburg, parish of St. Armand East, and of Pigeon Hill, St. Armand West, District of Bedford, Canada East, were the centre of invasion by the force under Spears, the days of occupation being the 7th, 8th and 9th of June. A return of the damage done by plunderers was made to the Provincial Government, with the report of Joshua Chamberlin, Esq., Commissioner. These copious documents were not printed though laid before the legislature. I have, however, to-day, Sept. 10, received a written copy of them, but not in time to be used in this Upper Canada section of the Narrative. For these I return thanks to the officers of Government who sent them. The claimants for compensation were in number 102. Each gave a detailed statement of losses. The total amount claimed being $18,232.80. Allowed $15,463.83.
It is noticeable that damage to bureaus, and safes, and to axes broken in breaking safes, are items of account. Also, in Freligsburg very considerable quantities of high wines, old rye, and other liquors are named. The losses on the Fort Erie frontier were about $6,000.
As this page closes rumors of another invasion, more secretly planned, and on a wider scale than that of June, and the military preparations to meet it occupy the minds of the people of Canada. Some public personages who assume to be leaders of opinion, and who, whether with good intention or evil design, resisted for several years a full organization of a defensive Militia, are, in this supreme crisis, engaged in reviling public men who happen to be in possession of power, and who have practically evinced the capacities of statesmen. Though the men in power may have made political mistakes, and I think the conservative section of them did grievously err in not conciliating the American national mind in the years of civil war (see [chapter eight]), it is now the duty of all good citizens to be of courage, of one mind, loyal to the ruling authorities.
ALEXANDER SOMERVILLE.
The “Whistler at the Plough.”
TRANSCRIBER’S NOTE
Obvious typographical errors and punctuation errors have been corrected after careful comparison with other occurrences within the text and consultation of external sources.
Some hyphens in words have been silently removed, some added, when a predominant preference was found in the original book.
Except for those changes noted below, all misspellings in the text, and inconsistent or archaic usage, have been retained.