Robinson, Samuel Skiffington, Barrister, Orillia, Ontario, was born in the city of Montreal, Quebec province, on the 6th January, 1845. His father, Arthur Guinness Robinson, was a civil engineer, and superintended the works on the Lachine Canal, at Montreal, when they were first being constructed. His mother was Mary Mulock. His uncle, Charles J. Robinson, is now county judge for Lambton county. The mother of the Hon. Edward Blake and the widow of the late Judge Connor were half-sisters of Arthur G. Robinson. The grandfather of the subject of our sketch, Samuel Robinson, M.D., belonged to Dublin, Ireland, and in July, 1832—along with his son Arthur G.; William Hume Blake, his wife, mother and sisters, and his brother, Rev. D. E. Blake; the late Archdeacon Brough, who had married Miss W. Blake; the late Justice Connor; and the late Rev. Mr. Palmer, archdeacon of Huron—sailed for Canada. The vessel which they had chartered for the voyage—the Ann, of Halifax—had scarcely been at sea three days when one of the crew was seized with cholera and died, and the body before morning was thrown overboard. In consequence of this untoward circumstance, the party felt inclined to return to Ireland, but owing to the sanitary measures adopted by Dr. Robinson the plague was stayed. After a voyage of seven weeks they reached the St. Lawrence, and found that cholera had become epidemic in Canada. They were subjected to a short quarantine at Grosse Isle, and were then permitted to pursue their journey to Toronto (Little York), where they remained about six weeks, and here the party separated. Mr. Brough went to Oro, on Lake Simcoe, Dr. Skiffington Connor to Marchmont village, Orillia township, and the Blakes to the township of Adelaide, of which the Rev. D. E. Blake had been appointed rector by Sir John Colborne, the then governor of the province. Dr. Robinson returned to Ireland, taking his son Arthur G. with him, who, the following season, returned with his brother Charles (now county judge of Lambton), and settled in Orillia township, Charles going farther west. Samuel Skiffington Robinson received his education in Upper Canada College, from which he graduated; and having adopted the law as a profession, he entered the office of Blake, Kerr, Lash & Cassels, in Toronto, where he remained until he was called to the bar. He shortly afterwards moved to the beautifully-situated town of Orillia, which he has had the satisfaction of seeing rise from a backwoods village to a thriving town of four thousand inhabitants. He has succeeded well in his profession, and is at present solicitor for the Dominion Bank agency there, and holds several other important positions. Mr. Robinson has not entirely confined himself to his professional duties, and as a consequence his fellow citizens have honoured him by electing him mayor of the town, which position (1887) he now occupies. He held the office of churchwarden in the St. James Episcopal Church of Orillia, for a number of years; and for several years was president of the Reform Association. He, too, has devoted some attention to the militia, and holds an ensign’s commission in the Simcoe battalion. In politics Mr. Robinson is a Liberal; and in religion is an adherent of the Episcopal church. On the 13th December, 1871, he was married to Elizabeth Millar. Mrs. Robinson’s brother, Melville Millar, was the first mayor of Orillia, which position he held for several terms.
Baillairgé, Louis de Gonzague, Queen’s Counsellor and Chevalier-Commandeur of the Illustrious Order of St. Gregory the Great, is a son of the late Pierre Florent, city treasurer of Quebec under the magistrates, and of Marie Louise Cureux de Saint-Germain, daughter of the late Antoine Cureux de Saint-Germain, captain of transatlantic mercantile vessels. This pious and venerable lady, whose mortal remains rest beneath the vaults of the Basilica, died at Quebec, at the advanced age of ninety, on the 16th of July, 1859. Pierre Florent, her husband, was one of the writers of the Canadien, wherein he published some satirical articles in verse, although he was not a poet, against the administration of Sir James Craig, the governor-general, who on that occasion ordered the seizure of the type and entire plant of the printing office, on the 17th March, 1810. His excellency, at the same time, issued an order to arrest him, together with his friends, Judge Bédard and Lefrançois, who were both imprisoned. Florent, however, escaped imprisonment through the influence of one of his friends, Mr. Young, a magistrate. L. G. Baillairgé now occupies the building, the door of which was burst open by a squad of soldiers armed with rifles and fixed bayonets, under command of Capt. Thos. Allison, of the 5th regiment of infantry, who was also a justice of the peace, where they seized the Canadien printing office, machinery and papers. Mr. Baillairgé is the grandson of Jean Baillairgé, architect and engineer, who was born at Saint-Antoine de Villaret, Poitou, France, on the 30th of October, 1726, and emigrated, in 1748, to Quebec, Canada, where he acted as assistant to Viscount de Léry for the construction of the city gates connected with the fortifications which still surround it. He fought in the battle of the Plains of Abraham, on the 13th September, 1759, and served in the army during the blockade of Quebec in 1775-76 by Montgomery and Arnold. He and his son François, who had studied painting, architecture, and statuary at the Royal Academy of Paris, are the artists who decorated the interior of the Basilica, and designed and executed the “baldaquin” which surmounts the main altar of the sanctuary, and is so much admired. Six of the twelve surrounding statues were sculptured by them; those of Saint-Ambroise and Saint-Augustin, in the lateral chapel of Sainte-Anne, were executed by Thomas, the son of François, who also sculptured the basso-relievo representing the Supper of Emmaus, on the front of the central altar in the church of Sainte-Anne de la Pocatière, respecting which he was highly congratulated by Lord Dalhousie, who took great interest in works of art. The statues of Saint-Louis, king of France, and Saint-Flavien, on either side of the principal altar of the Quebec Basilica, and the two others in the lateral chapel of Sainte-Famille, were executed by artists in France. These specimens of Canadian and European art are such that even the experienced eye of a keen observer can with difficulty decide which of them displays the greatest artistic skill. François Baillairgé’s studio and workshop were in the building now occupied as a livery stable, on St. Louis street, by Mr. Driscoll. Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, father of Queen Victoria, paid frequent visits to the artist in this studio, and gave him orders for the execution of various artistic works, as a proof of his appreciation of his ability, and in order to give him all the encouragement he could. He also induced him to organize a club of young men to give theatrical performances, and afterwards invited them to play a comedy in the casemated barracks of the citadel near St. Louis gate. Jean Baillairgé, his son François, and Thomas, the son of the latter, may be justly considered as the fathers of Canadian architecture, sculpture and statuary. Louis de Gonzague Baillairgé, the subject of our sketch, is the uncle of George Frederick, deputy minister of Public Works of Canada, and of Charles, the city engineer of Quebec, chevalier of the order of Saint-Sauveur de Monte Reale, in Italy. He completed his classical course of studies in 1830, at the Seminary of Quebec, and afterwards studied law under the Hon. Philippe Panet. When the latter was appointed judge, he continued his legal course under the Hon. R. E. Caron, and was admitted to practice at the bar on the 12th October, 1835. In 1844 he became the partner of the latter, who was then the mayor of the city of Quebec, and was later on appointed as successor to Sir Narcisse Belleau, as lieutenant-governor of the province of Quebec. In 1850 Mr. Baillairgé was appointed, together with Mr. Caron, his associate, as joint attorneys of the corporation of Quebec. In 1853, on his partner being appointed one of the judges of the Court of Queen’s Bench, the partnership was dissolved, and the entire practice of the firm, one of the most extensive of the bar of Quebec, remained with him. He continued to act for the corporation of the city until the 22nd of February, 1861, when the council passed a resolution containing the following:—“That L. G. Baillairgé, attorney of the corporation, having efficiently contributed to the economical administration of justice by means of his legal advice, laborious application and praiseworthy disinterestedness, and having also by means of his persevering energy, ensured the collection of considerable sums of money which the city would have lost by the extinction of its mortgages if he had not acted in such energetic manner; he is entitled to the respect of this council, and to the confidence of the public.” Pursuant to this resolution, Mr. Baillairgé was nominated sole attorney and legal adviser of the corporation, in which capacity he continued to act until the 9th of October, 1885. He then requested the city council to grant him an associate for the transaction of city affairs, in the person of the Hon. A. P. Pelletier, of whom he was the patron, and who practised as a lawyer in his office for more than twenty years. The city council readily assented to this proposal, and accordingly passed the following resolution on the same day:—“That this council, taking into consideration the letter of L. G. Baillairgé, Q.C., most willingly avails itself of the opportunity to express its high appreciation and its gratitude for the eminent professional services rendered by Mr. Baillairgé to the city of Quebec during so many years, for the honour and advantage of the city, and accedes with pleasure to Mr. Baillairgé’s request.” In 1885, the government having decided to appoint assistant judges for the Superior Court during the existence of the Seignorial Court, offered him one of the appointments. In 1856, the government tendered him the recordership of the city of Quebec, which had been created, for the first time, by the Act 19, 20 Vict., chap. 106. In 1860, when Chief Justice Bowen retired from the bench, he was invited to replace him during the time of his retirement. In 1860-61, he was called upon to fill the seat rendered vacant in the Superior Court by the death of Judge Power on 1st July, 1860. However lucrative and honorary these appointments might be, he declined accepting any of them; their value, in his estimation, could not, he thought, compensate him for the loss of his personal independence. In 1863, he was appointed Queen’s counsellor, under the Dorion administration. In 1873 he became bâtonnier of the bar of Quebec, and was considered as one of its most trustworthy and distinguished members and one of its most eloquent orators. In 1882 he conceived the noble and philanthropic idea of getting a church or missionary’s chapel constructed in each of the five parts of the world, under the name of one of the members of his family, together with a Canadian oratory, under the name of his patron saint. These churches are either completed or in course of construction, one of them being in Southern and the other in Equatorial Africa. The one erected at the southern end of lake Victoria, Nianza, is named, “St. Pierre de Bukumbi,” and is the first church which has been constructed of stone, in the centre of Africa. The journal of Les Missions Catholiques contains the following, in regard to this church: Monseigneur Livinhac, vicar apostolic of Nianza, has selected this church for his cathedral, and blessed it accordingly, on All Saints day, in 1886. It excites the admiration of the natives, who come from afar in great numbers to examine it, and afterwards return to their homes to speak of the marvellous temple they have seen. They all say that they never saw such a wonderful edifice, it being the first architectural structure ever erected in these regions, in honour of the Divinity. Another of these churches is in course of construction in the province of Nouba, in Central Africa, as agreed upon with Cardinal Sagaro, through the Reverend Father Bouchard, who accompanied the Canadian contingent of Voyageurs to the Nile; and another has been constructed at Rapid Creek, near Palmerston, in the Pacific Ocean. As regards the oratory at Jerusalem, Mr. Baillairgé has not yet succeeded in obtaining the requisite “firman,” permitting its construction from the Turkish government. Objections have been made, but hopes are entertained that they will be finally overcome. Mr. Baillairgé is one of the members and founders of the National Society of Saint-Jean Baptiste of Quebec. He succeeded Sir Narcisse Belleau as “Commissaire Ordonnateur” of the society, and afterwards was elected as its president, in which capacities he acted during a term of fifteen years, until 1859, when he resigned on account of the pressure of professional duties, but remained a member of the society. During this long period, Mr. Baillairgé spared no efforts to establish the society on a solid and lasting basis, and to establish and strengthen its connection with the other national societies of the city. He was also one of the founders of the “Institut Canadien,” whose début was so humble in its origin, but which is now flourishing, and may at present be considered as the focus of learning and of the national aspirations of Canadian youth. In 1873, he was chosen as one of its honorary presidents. He is one of those who first conceived the idea of collecting and afterwards depositing, in June, 1854, in one grave, the scattered remains of the brave warriors of the 78th Highlanders, and of the French “Grenadiers de la Reine,” who were slain during the battle, on the heights of Ste. Foye, between Generals Lévis and Murray. To his exertions and those of his friend, Dr. Robitaille, we are chiefly indebted for the construction of the monument, “Aux braves de 1760, érigé par la Société St. Jean-Baptiste de Quebec, 1860,” which now stands over the graves, in order to commemorate the victory won by the French, on the 28th of April, 1760, six months after the battle of the Plains of Abraham. The solemnity of the proceedings, on this occasion, was never surpassed, except during the official reception of Cardinal Taschereau. The event was witnessed by about 12,000 persons. The British military authorities graciously assented to all the requests of the St. Jean-Baptiste Society, in connection with the inauguration of this monument, and furnished two regiments of the line with a company of artillery and its guns, who placed themselves next to a detachment of the French navy from the Imperial corvette La Capricieuse, then visiting Quebec. The monument consists of a bronzed iron column, resting on a pedestal of masonry, surmounted by a bronze statue of Bellona, which was donated to the Society of St. Jean-Baptiste by Prince Napoleon Bonaparte. The name of “Murray,” with the arms of Great Britain, is inscribed on the side opposite the city, and that of “Lévis,” with the arms of France, on the opposite side of the pedestal. The inscription, “Aux braves de 1760, érigé par la Société St. Jean-Baptiste de Québec, 1860,” with its surrounding laurel wreath, is upon the face fronting the Ste. Foye road; on the opposite side, facing the Laurentides, there is a bas-relief representing the windmill, one of the most contested points of the battle-field; a bronze mortar rests on each corner of the pedestal. Before the departure of Prince Napoleon from Quebec, Mr. Baillairgé met his friend, Dr. Bardy, ex-president of the society, who requested him on behalf of the society to visit the Prince at the Russell Hotel, and to request him to grant a statue for the crowning of the monument. The Prince, after conferring with Baron Gauldrée de Boileau, graciously assented to the request. The design of the monument, which is about 90 feet in height, was made by Chevalier Charles Baillairgé, the city engineer. The country is indebted to Mr. Baillairgé for the possession of the “Standard of Carillon.” This ancient relic of the past, whenever it appears in the ranks of the procession of St. Jean-Baptiste, awakens the memories of the valiant deeds of their forefathers during the memorable day of the 8th July, 1758. He searched, during more than ten years, with incredible perseverance, for this old standard, and finally succeeded in finding it in the abode of an old friend of his family, Frère Louis Bonami, of the order of Saint François d’Assize, at Quebec, beneath a mass of old articles half reduced to dust by decay, at the bottom of an old trunk. Father Berry, superior of the Recollets at Quebec, was one of the almoners of the army of Carillon under Montcalm. After the campaign of 1758 he took charge of the standard, and brought it back to Quebec, where it was suspended to the vault of the Recollet Church, and remained there until the church was destroyed by fire on the 6th of September, 1796. Frère Bonami and another rushed into the church to save what articles they could, threw them into a trunk, and were hurrying out with them at the moment when the standard dropped near their feet, from the vault of the nave, and, picking it up, also threw it into the trunk, which he carried off, with his companion, to a place of safety, and afterwards sent it to his dwelling, where it was found by Mr. Baillairgé, after a lapse of more than half a century. (See Revue Canadienne of 1882, vol. II., page 129). On various occasions, and especially in 1857, he was invited to present himself as a candidate to parliament for Quebec, but always declined the proffered honour. He was one of the founders of the Courrier du Canada, at Quebec, and helped it out of numerous difficulties which generally attend the establishment of a new journal. The Courrier has been in existence ever since, and will, it is hoped, continue to prosper for many years hereafter. In 1863 he was appointed lieutenant-colonel of the 2nd battalion of the militia of Quebec, under Lord Elgin. On the 24th of February, 1885, Mr. Baillairgé founded a chair of sacred and profane eloquence in connection with the faculty of arts of the Laval University at Quebec, known as “La Chaire Baillairgé.” On the 26th of July, 1886, his Holiness the Pope Leo XIII., addressed an autograph letter to his Eminence Cardinal Archbishop Taschereau, respecting the newly founded professorship, which contains the following:
We have learned with great pleasure that we are indebted to the generosity of a distinguished advocate of Quebec, Mr. Baillairgé, for a new chair, which has been created in addition to the chairs already existing in the Laval University, over which you preside as Apostolic Chancellor. We are greatly rejoiced on account of this new endowment, the object of which is to benefit studious young men who wish to perfect themselves in literature and eloquence.
Our beloved son, whom we have already named, has thus, in our estimation, not only contributed to the development of arts and letters in his native land, but he has also erected a lasting monument in his own honour, and is worthy of the praise of his contemporaries and of the commendation of posterity.
The distance which separates us, prevents us from expressing personally to the illustrious founder, our feelings of paternal affection and our ardent desire that he may receive from God the ample reward due to his worthy deed. We, therefore, request you to do so in our name.
His Eminence Cardinal Taschereau accordingly addressed the following letter to Mr. Baillairgé, on the 21st of August, 1886:
Sir,—You will receive herewith the Latin text and French translation of the letter I have just received:
His Holiness the Pope Leo XIII., wishing to give unto the Laval University a proof of the interest he feels in this institution, bestows his praise on the chair of eloquence which you have so generously founded, and commends your action as an example to be followed by those who desire to make a noble use of their fortune. A monument of marble is an object of interest only to a few, and any interest which may be attached to it, seldom lasts beyond one generation. The founder of a work such as yours, sir, will be known and loved by all those whom it will benefit directly or indirectly, until the end of time.
The deep interest I take in the Laval University and in the education of the youth of our native country, will enable you, sir, to estimate the vivacity and sincerity of the gratefulness with which I have the honour to subscribe myself,