Montreal, 1535-1914. Vol. 2. Under British Rule, 1760-1914

by William H. Atherton

In the Montreal district the seigneurs held their old position while the merchants never budged from their original demand in general for an assembly though their plans had been greatly modified. The next two years were spent in preparing drafts for the Constitutional act which was passed in 1791 under the title of “An act to repeal certain Parts of an Act” passed in the Fourteenth Year of His Majesty’s Reign entitled “an Act for making more effectual Provision for the Government of the Province of Quebec in North America and to make further Provision for the Government of the said Province.”

Owing to the uncertainty of the maintenance of peace with Spain in 1789, the Canada act was not introduced into parliament until 1790. On the 7th of March, 1791, Pitt introduced the bill to divide Canada into two provinces. The bill became a law on the 14th of May, 1791. It divided Canada into two parts, Lower and Upper; each province was to have an executive council appointed by the crown, Lower Canada to have no less than fifteen members and Upper Canada no fewer than seven; each was to have a legislative assembly, the members for Lower Canada to be no less than fifty and those for Upper Canada to be no less than sixteen.

The long struggle of the Merchants of Montreal for an assembly was at last ended.

NOTE

MONTREAL NAMES ATTACHED TO THE PETITION FOR AN ASSEMBLY. DATED NOVEMBER 24, 1784

These are given as an indication of the national origins of the citizens of the period.[3]

• Jacob Jordan,
• James McGill,
• James Finlay,
• Benjⁿ Frobisher,
• Nicholas Bayard,
• William Kay,
• Alex^r Henry,
• J. Blackwood,
• Geo. McBeath,
• Jn^o Askwith,
• William Allen,
• Joseph Frobisher,
• Hugh Ross,
• Angus Cameron,
• Alexander Hay,
• Charles Paterson,
• Sam^l Birnie
• James Dyer White
• J. McKinnsy,
• Jacob Ruhn,
• Fran Winton,
• John Forsyth,
• John Franks,
• William Harkness,
• Wm. Griffin,
• Rosseter Hoyle,
• Robert Griffin,
• Abraham Hart,
• Samuel Gerrard,
• Colin Hamilton,
• Laurence Taaffe,
• W^m H^y McNeill,
• Charles Smyth,
• Angus Macdonald,
• John Smith,
• Da^d Lukin,
• James Cameron,
• G. Young,
• Felix Graham,
• John Gregory,
• J. Grant,
• David McCrae,
• John Lilly,
• Geo. Selby,
• W. Maitland,
• James Caldwell,
• R. Sym,
• Robert Jones,
• William Taylor,
• F. Bleakley,
• Jno. Bell,
• Alexander Campbell,
• I.R. Symes,
• Rob^t McGrigor,
• James Laing,
• R. Gruet,
• David Davis,
• John Russell,
• Thomas Sullivan,
• Rich^d Dowie,
• (Oliver Church, Late Lieu^t 2d B.K.R.R. New York),
• John Dusenberg, Ensⁿ Late Royal Rangers,
• samuel Burch,
• Levai Michaels,
• Henry J. Jessup,
• Isaac H^t Abrams,
• Isaac Hall,
• John Campbell,
• Donald Fisher,
• Jos. Forsyth,
• (H. Spencer, Lieu^t late 2d B.K.R.R., New York),
• Rich^d Pollard,
• John Grant,
• John McKindlay,
• W^m Packer,
• John McGill,
• Fra^s Badgley,
• Peter Pond,
• Tho^s Burn,
• Dav^d Alex^r Grant,
• Alex^r Fraser,
• Thomas Frobisher,
• John Ogilvy,
• Andrew Todd,
• Thomas Corry,
• Wal^r Mason,
• Gor. Moore,
• R.J. Wilkinson,
• James Noel,
• R. Cruickshank,
• John Rowland,
• E. Edwards,
• Thomas Forsyth,
• D. Sutherland,
• James Grant,
• Allan Paterson,
• John Ross,
• Levy Solomons,
• Levy Solomon, Jun^r,
• John Turner and Sons,
• Uriah Judah,
• Ch^y Cramer,
• Alex^r Henry,
• Adam scott,
• Alex^r Mabbut,
• Jonas schindler,
• William Hunter,
• Alex^r Walmsley,
• Henry Edge,
• Allex^r Martin,
• James McNabb,
• James Ruott,
• Thomas McMurray,
• Isaac Judah,
• Sam^l Judah,
• Laurence Costille,
• Saint Louis,
• Henry Campbell,
• John Bethune,
• Nom^d MacLeod,
• James MacKenzie,
• W^m Murray,
• James Finlay, Jun^r,
• J. Symington,
• J. Pangman,
• John Tobias Deluc,
• Cuthbert Grant,
• Robert Grant,
• Tho^s Nadenhuvet,
• James Foulis,
• William Bruce,
• John Macnamara,
• Daniel Sullivan,
• Finlay Fisher,
• John Stewart,
• David Mackenzie,
• Joseph Anderson,
• Paul Heck,
• Robert Thomson,
• Samuel Heck,
• Alex^r Milmine,
• Robert Smith,
• William Smith,
• Jacob Tyler,
• Char^s Grimesley,
• W^m Grimesley,
• Charles Lilly,
• Duncan Fisher,
• John Ridley,
• Alex^r Campbell,
• John Milroy,
• Joseph Hamly,
• Sam^l White,
• Sam^l Douney,
• C. Rolffs,
• W^m Hall,
• Geo. McDougall,
• Robert Lindsay,
• Ja^s Robertson,
• Tho^s Breckenridge,
• John Foulis,
• Francis Crooks,
• Geo. Edw. Young,
• George Aird,
• Joseph Provan,
• Simon McTavish,
• John Lawrence,
• Sam^l Embury,
• S. Anderson,
• Dan^l Daly,
• Rich^d Whitehouse,
• James Fraser,
• Rich^d Whitehouse,
• James Fraser,
• Alexander fraser,
• Rich^d Whitehouse,
• Levi Willard,
• Joseph Johnson,
• M. Cuthell,
• James Leaver,
• Tobias Burke,
• Rob^t McGinnis,
• Rich^d McGinnis,
• John Hicks,
• George Hicks,
• Stephen Milers,
• William Tilby,
• James Perry,
• Edward Corry,
• Stephen Waddin,
• Peter Smith,
• Owen Bowen,
• Peter Grant,
• J^s Chaorles,
• James Fairbairn,
• John Hughes,
• Ranald McDonald,
• Watkin Richard,
• jenbaptiste Lafrenay,
• Thomas Sare,
• And^w Cockburn,
• Tho^s Isbusther,
• Joseph Landrey,
• Robert Withers,
• David Ross,
• Abram. Holmes,
• William Fraser,
• William Hassell,
• David Ray,
• Thomas Busby, Sen^r,
• Thomas Busby, Jun^r,
• William England,
• Conrad Marsteller,
• William Creighton,
• Hugh Holmes,
• Jervis George Turner,
• R^d Warffe,
• James Nelson,
• Philip Cambell,
• Duncan Cumins,
• Henry Gonnerman,
• Firedrick Gonnerman,
• John Maxwell,
• Tho^s Little,
• Christ^r Long,
• Edward Gross,
• Nicholas Stoneman,
• Jn^o Daly,
• Tho^s Oakes,
• John Grant,
• Will^m Wintrope,
• Joel Andras,
• Thomas Fraser,
• Jn^o Lumsden,
• William Holmes,
• Nicholas Montour,
• Patrick Small,
• David Rankin,
• (Richard Duncan, Late Capn. Royl. Yorkers),
• Duncⁿ Cameron,
• And^w Wilson,
• Donald McFonell,
• Angus McDonald,
• Ed. Umfreville,
• John Lockhart Wiseman,

(Parchment Copy) endorsed: In L^t Gov^r Hamilton’s N^o 2 of 9 Jan., 1785.

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