Canada Extract of a letter from a Gentleman, to his Friend in Glasgow
” Quebec, March 23, 1810.–A number of leading characters among the Canadians, who were Members of the House of Assembly (twice dissolved for improper conduct) and the proprietor of a French paper, called La Canadien, have been arrested and thrown into jail, upon a charge of treasonable and seditious practises ; the printing press, types, &c. also taken possession of. This vigorous measure of Sir James Craig, has astonished the Canadians not a little, but the consequences will be no doubt beneficial to the country, as it has crushed a faction which has for some years been gaining strength, and acquiring dangerous influence over the minds of the inhabitants, who are without education, and ignorant, of course, in the extreme ; therefore easily misled by demagogues among their countrymen, who seize every opportunity of stirring up all those prejudices which the people of this country naturally have against the British : for, having been allowed to preserve their language, they are nearly as much Frenchmen now as they were at the conquest.”
Quebec, March 22.–On Sunday afternoon, the printer of the Canadien, Mr Charles Lafrancois was arrested and committed to jail, under a warrant from the Executive Council, on a charge of treasonable practises. On Monday evening, Dr Blanchet and Mr Bedard, and last evening Mr T. Taschereau, were also arrested, and committed by the same authority on the same charges.
The Commander in Chief in Scotland gave an elegant dinner, at head-quarters, on the 4th curt. to celebrate the King’s birthday-day–at which several of the Nobility and Gentry, Generals, and Field-Officers of the army, were present.
Among the other accidents that occurred on the King’s birth-day, from the imprudent use of gunpowder, is the death of girl in Richmond Street.– Her clothes were set fire by a squib, and, although immediately taken to the Infirmary, was so severely burnt, that she died before morning.
A very melancholy accident happened at a place called the Pease, Berwickshire. As one of the baggage carts of the Forfarshire militia was stopping there, a fine boy about eight years of age, belonging to Serjeant-Major Nicol, got out of the cart, and was climbing on the wheel, when the horses suddengoing off, threw him on the ground, and the wheel passing over his body, crushed him to death. The unfortunate mother was upon the cart when this unhappy accident happened.
On Thursday night, a spirit shop in Gibson-street, Glasgow, was broken into and about five pounds in silver, a seven shilling piece, about eight shillings of copper, a counterfeit half-guinea, and a pocket-book containing some bills and papers carried ; some partial payments are marked on the bills. The villains appear to have entered the shop by forcing up the window shutter with an iron bar, and then breaking a pane of glass, by which they got the iron bolts and the window opened.
On Saturday last, a porter was killed in the hold of a vessel in Dundee harbour. He was engaged unloading coals ; and the rope by which the iron pully was supported, giving way, the measure fell down upon him, and killed him instantly.
A few days ago, a mason, of the name of Stevenson, was killed by the blowing up of some stones, at Templeton, in the parish of Auchterhouse. The match unfortunately communicated too early to the powder, and the explosion took place before he could get out of the way. He has left a wife and two children to lament his loss.
Citation: Caledonian Mercury (Edinburgh, United Kingdom), 09 June 1810, available at the Scissors and Paste Database, http://www.scissorsandpaste.net/103.