"Now, my men, you are under martial law. If you behave well, obey my orders and the officers under me, you will be treated as good soldiers; but if you come under the lash, by the God that made me, I will use it without mercy. So you know your doom. Now, I call upon as many of you as will do so willingly, to volunteer and go to the front, and I will lead you on to glory."

There was a murmur in the ranks, they were drawn up in line, two deep, in Mr. McDonnell's large stone shed, as it was a stormy day. When the whispering was over, a dead silence prevailed. Two—and only two—stepped forward as volunteers, and these were Mr. Young and Mr. Henniker, two of McDonnell's clerks.

"What! No more?" exclaimed McNab: "then I must proceed to ballot and force you."

The men remained doggedly silent; at length some one asked him where was his authority for the ballot. The Chief turned away; told them he would call them together again for that purpose; and dismissed them. The people were in the highest state of indignation and apprehension. They held a meeting and sent the following petition to the Government:—

McNab, 22nd January, 1838.

To His Excellency, Sir Francis Bond Head, Lieutenant-Governor of the Province of Upper Canada, &c., &c.

The Petition of the Undersigned Humbly Sheweth:

That the Carleton Light Infantry was mustered on the 25th ultimo, at Pakenham Mills, commanded by McNab of McNab, and on the 15th and 17th current by Companies at their Captains' respective places of abode.

That we the undersigned, one and all of us, consider ourselves true and loyal subjects, and are willing to serve Her Majesty in any part of British North America, where Your Excellency may think proper to call us, under any other commander than McNab.

That a number of us have suffered severely from McNab through the course of the Civil Law, and are therefore afraid to come under him in the Martial Law, being harsh in his disposition, and also inexperienced.

That we hope it may please Your Excellency to look into our circumstances as misled people by McNab, who made us give bonds for Quit-Rents, which we, not knowing what the poor lands in this part of the country could produce, gave without hesitation; and notwithstanding all our industry and economy, with these bonds we are not able to comply.

That we trust Your Excellency will endeavor to set us on the same parallel with other loyal subjects in the Province, and free us of those Quit-Rents, as we find them a heavier burden than we can bear.

That there are twelve families in the Township who were brought from the old country at McNab's expense, and who are willing to pay any reasonable fraught Your Excellency may think proper; all the rest of the settlers came to the Township at their own expense, and beg to know from Your Excellency whether the land of this Township is McNab's or the Government's.

And your humble petitioners as in duty bound will ever pray.

(Signed.)

James Robertson, James Brown, John Robertson, Donald Stewart, Peter McGregor, Donald Kerr, Angus McNab, John McNab, Donald McNab, Duncan Campbell, Peter McMillan, John McMillan, Malcolm McLaren, Daniel McIntyre, John McGregor, Alexander McGregor, Peter McArthur, John McDermaid, James Stevenson, Alexander Cameron, Thomas McLaughlin, Donald McLaughlin, Jr., Donald McLaughlin, Sr., James McLaughlin, Donald McNaughton, Chas. Goodwin, Alex. Campbell, Izett Duff, Arch. McDonnell, James McDonnell, Dugal McGregor, Andrew Hamilton, Donald McNaughton, John McNaughton, Robt. McNaughton, Alex. McNaughton, Peter Fergusson, Duncan McNab, Angus Cameron, Alex. Dure, Donald Dure, Colin McFadden, Alex. McNiven, Arch. McNab, Alex. McNab, Colin McGregor, Arch. McNab, John McNab, Andrew Taylor, John Campbell, John Hamilton, Andrew Hamilton, Alexander Goodwin, Duncan McLachlin, Alexander Goodwin, Sr., Donald McIntyre, Jas. McLaren, Donald McIntyre, Alex. Thomson, Jas. Robertson, James McKay, Alex. Fergusson, Donald Robertson, Duncan McNab, Matthew Barr, Thomas McLaughlin, Thomas Frood, Andrew Hamilton, Sr., Alex. McNiven, Jr., Alex. McNiven, Sr., John McDermaid, James Miller, John McInnes, Archibald Stewart, Sr., David Stewart, Peter Campbell, Patrick Callaghan, Leech McAlormae, Peter Robertson, J. Crego, John Fergusson.

(Copy) [reply.]
{
Government House,
Toronto, 13th March, 1838.

Gentlemen:—Having laid before His Excellency, the Lieutenant-Governor, your memorial of the 23rd of January, I am directed in reply to the several statements contained in it to inform you that the arrangements made between The McNab and his followers are of a purely private nature, and beyond the control of the Government—that Martial Law which you apprehend will bring you more immediately under the control of your Chief, has not been proclaimed nor is it likely to be—and that in any military organization which may eventually take place, the Government will take care in this, as in all other cases, not to put it in the power of any individual to treat Her Majesty's subjects harshly or oppressively.
I have, &c.,
(Signed)J. Joseph.
Mr. James Robertson and others
McNab.
Printed by order of the Government.

Adjutant-General's Office,
14th March, 1838.		 }

(Copy) [reply.]
{
Government House,
Toronto, 13th March, 1838.
Adjutant-General's Office,
14th March, 1838.		 }

The above petition was drafted by Mr. Allan Stewart, afterwards Treasurer of the municipality of McNab, a gentleman of some literary pretensions, and the best Gaelic grammatical scholar in the County—perhaps in the Province. It was signed by the majority of the settlers; a few kept in the background from timidity; others were staunch partizans of the Chief; while a few others were governed by a closer consideration. Even some of those who were under deep obligations to him for favors received felt themselves compelled to affix their signatures. Old Mr. Donald McNaughton—one of the first settlers—a man of the most pure and genuine Christian principles; one who, like Enoch, daily walked with his God; who was a perfect Ebenezer in Israel; a man over eighty at the time; who daily silently glided into the darkest and deepest glades of the forest, and there poured forth the ardent desires of his soul in unrestrained communion with his Maker; who longed ardently to throw off the "mortal coil" and join the celestial hosts of angels and seraphs who flood the regions of eternal felicity with streams of enchanting harmony, and make heaven's high and resplendent arch echo with the strains of immortal bliss—that man, who longed ardently to be with his God, was among the very first to sign it. He had met with his soul's eager longings. At the advanced age of nearly a century of years, he yielded up the ghost, and the venerable patriarch, attended by the largest concourse of mourners that ever assembled in McNab, was gathered to his fathers. When such men sign a document of the above description, the oppression must have been great—the tyranny intolerable. It is true the petition is not exactly according to form, and has a few Scottish idiomatic expressions embodied in it; but it tells in clear and forcible language the wrongs the settlers had endured, and the grievances they still expected to bear. It breathes forth a spirit of loyalty to the throne: "they were willing to go to any part of British America to defend their country under any other leader than McNab." Mr. Donald McIntyre (Paisley) went round with the petition to those who were not present at Sand Point; and Mr. Daniel McIntyre (Kilmabog) brought it to Perth to get it transmitted to the Government. In vain he applied to the Hon. W. Morris; that gentleman threw cold water on the whole business. Col. Taylor was applied to; he declined. Mr. Powell was sick; and Mr. M. Cameron, then one of the members, was absent from Perth. At length Mr. James Young placed it in an envelope and directed it to the proper quarter. Upon hearing that a petition had been transmitted, McNab wrote to Sir Francis Head not to reply to it until he arrived in Toronto. Accordingly, about the 3rd of March, 1838, he started for the seat of Government, and assisted the Governor to rivet the chains more firmly, and for the future to preclude any possibility on the part of the settlers to pursue a similar course. The reply conveyed the impression that the whole township was the Chief's. "The arrangements made between The McNab and his followers are of a purely private nature, and beyond the control of the Government." How came Sir Francis to utter so gross a falsehood? Every buffoon and half-fledged harlequin is a liar, and Sir F. B. Head, impregnated with the spirit of braggadocio, scrupled at no falsehood, when he could turn a period, serve a friend, or carry out a purpose. It was this overweening vanity that caused him to insult the United States Government, and subsequently to lose his own situation, when he said in his memorable speech to the Legislature, speaking of the people of the United States, "In the name of every militia-man in the Province, I say, let them come if they dare." But this reply to the poor settlers did not alone satisfy the schemes of the Chief or his friends, the Family Compact. They were resolved to strike terror into their hearts, and make public the petition and reply. Accordingly both documents were ordered by the Executive to be printed, and four hundred copies were sent to be distributed among the people. They saw that further efforts with their present rulers would be useless; and they bowed quietly to the decision, waiting for better times, and these soon offered by the recall of Sir F. Head and the mission of the Earl of Durham.

The Chief had now entirely abandoned his Kennell residence on the banks of the Ottawa, and was now residing at Waba Cottage, White Lake, where he was preparing to erect a saw-mill. A characteristic anecdote is told of him, which is literally true. Meeting Mr. Walter McFarlane in one of the houses of the settlers with whom he had not quarrelled, and impressed with his robust and ruddy appearance, he addressed him with a polite bow and said:—