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Title: A Cyclopaedia of Canadian Biography: Being Chiefly Men of the Time
Author: Various
Language: English
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_ROSE’S NATIONAL BIOGRAPHICAL SERIES. II._
A CYCLOPÆDIA
OF
CANADIAN BIOGRAPHY:
BEING
CHIEFLY MEN OF THE TIME.
A COLLECTION OF PERSONS DISTINGUISHED IN PROFESSIONAL AND
POLITICAL LIFE; LEADERS IN THE COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY
OF CANADA, AND SUCCESSFUL PIONEERS.
_EDITED BY_
GEO. MACLEAN ROSE.
[Illustration]
T o r o n t o :
R O S E P U B L I S H I N G C O M P A N Y .
1888.
Entered according to the Act of Parliament of
Canada, in the year one thousand eight
hundred and eighty-eight, by HUNTER, ROSE
& CO., at the department of Agriculture.
PRINTED AND BOUND BY
HUNTER, ROSE & CO.,
TORONTO.
PREFACE.
It has been too long a custom to regard as proper subjects for
biographical literature only persons who have figured in political life.
In preparing the present work, any man or woman who has, in any
conspicuous way, contributed to the moral, intellectual, industrial or
political growth of the country, has been deemed a suitable person for
these pages. To the heroism and uncomplaining industry of the men who
hewed out homes in the wilderness, and little by little overcame the
obstacles of nature, are we indebted now for our thriving cities, and
for our wide stretches of cultivated lands; and to omit a record of
their labors, and select only for permanent record the deeds of those
who came upon the scenes when the rugged work was done, would be
singularly unjust. We have had, and still have amongst us, men of great
genius in engineering skill, and in mechanical contrivance; and it was
fitting that a brief record of their lives, and what they accomplished
for the community, should be handed down in the history of our common
country. The same may be said of men prominent in every branch of
commerce, of our notable divines, our eminent judges, our great lawyers,
our talented medical men, and those who have contributed to the
educational growth of the country. These it was considered were worthy
of place side by side with the men who chose political careers, and have
won more or less distinction therein. There is to be said in
justification of all these records, that even the history of the man in
an obscure village is a portion of the history of the country, and the
aggregate record of “Representative Canadians” may be regarded in a
young country like Canada, as a full historical account, in every sense,
for the period covered by the biographical matter in the volume. Men are
forever drifting down the slow stream, and most of their deeds like
themselves, pass into oblivion; it is well while the opportunity is at
hand to save as much of the record as possible for posterity. The labor,
the time, and the pains spent in securing data for the sketches herein
contained have been greater than would be believed; and the more so
since accuracy of statement of fact, and the chronological order of
incidents, have been so rigidly aimed at. Dates and facts have all been
verified either by reference to the best published authorities, or to
the persons themselves. For the most part, the call for the coöperation
of the public in furnishing data for the records has been cordially
responded to. As for the literary portion of the work, no pains have
been spared to make that equal to the other features. To make the volume
complete in the historically “representative” sense, memoirs of the most
illustrious of the dead of this country will be found in its pages. The
enterprise has been tedious, laborious and expensive; but if it will
supply a record that the country should not let die; if it preserves the
names of worthy men and women whose deeds deserve to be remembered, it
surely will have well repaid the time, the anxiety, and the pains that
have been expended upon it. A work of this kind could not be else than
tedious; and, therefore, since its commencement, several changes have
taken place: some of the persons in its pages have died; others have
passed from one office to another, and dropped from public places; but
with these latter exceptions and some other minor ones, each memoir, it
is believed, will be found to be an accurate record up to the present
date.
GEO. MACLEAN ROSE.
TORONTO, March, 1888.
Transcriber’s Notes can be found at the end of this eBook.
INDEX.
PAGE.
Addenda 815
=A=
Adam, G. M., Toronto, 759
Adam, L. A. S., Sheriff, St. Hyacinthe, 490
Adams, Aaron A., Coaticook, 376
Adams, Hon. Michael, Newcastle, 230
Adams, Rev. Thomas, M.A., D.C.L., Lennoxville, 403
Aikins, Hon. James Cox, P.C., Lieut.-Governor, 609
Winnipeg,
Aikins, William T., M.D., LL.D., Toronto, 797
Alexander, Rev. Finlow, M.R.C.S., L.S.A., 300
Fredericton,
Allan, Hon. G. W., D.C.L., Toronto, 781
Allard, Joseph Victor, Berthierville, 483
Allen, Hon. John C., Fredericton, 261
Allison, Charles F., Sackville, 50
Allison, Charles, Yarmouth, 312
Allison, David, M.A., LL.D., Halifax, 719
Allnatt, Rev. F. J. B., D.D., Lennoxville, 497
Alward, S., A.M., D.C.L., M.P.P., St. John, 101
Amherst, Lord Jeffery, 513
Anderson, Alexander, Charlottetown, 54
Anderson, Captain Edward Brown, Sarnia, 179
Angers, Hon. Auguste Réal, Quebec, 242, 815
Angus, Richard Bladworth, Montreal, 465
Antliff, Rev. J. C., M.A., D.D., Montreal, 251
Archambault, Urgel-Eugène, Montreal, 36
Archibald, Abram Newcomb, 211
Archibald, Hon. Sir Adams Geo., K.C.M.G., D.C.L., 164
P.C., Q.C., Halifax,
Archibald, Peter S., Moncton, 257
Archibald, John S., Q.C., D.C.L., Montreal, 526
Armour, Hon. John Douglas, Judge, Cobourg, 654
Armstrong, Hon. James, Q.C., C.M.G., Sorel, 325
Armstrong, Rev. W. D., M.A., Ph.D., Ottawa, 49
Aubrey, Rev, François Fortunat, St. John’s, 586
=B=
Baby, Hon. L. F. G., Judge, Montreal, 192
Badgley, Rev. E. I., M.A., B.D., LLD., Cobourg, 366
Baillairgé, Chev. C. P. F., M.S., Quebec, 166
Baillairgé, Louis de G., Q.C., Quebec, 252, 815
Bain, James William, M.P., St. Polycarpe, 603
Ball, George, Nicolet, 769
Baptist, George, Three Rivers, 771
Barbeau, Henri Jacques, Montreal, 427
Barclay, Rev. James, M.A., Montreal, 124
Barclay, Rev. John, D.D., Toronto, 320
Barker, Frederic Eustace, M.A., D.C.L., Q.C., M.P., 207
St. John,
Barnard, Edmund, Montreal, 710
Barrett, M., B.A., M.D., Toronto, 160
Barry, Denis, B.C.L., Montreal, 723
Baudouin, Philibert, St. John’s, 582
Baxter, Robert Gordon, M.D., Moncton, 103
Bayard, William, M.D., St. John, 23
Bayly, Richard, B.A., Q.C., London, 38
Baynes, William Craig, B.A., 371
Beaton, Alexander H., M.D., Orillia, 187
Beaubien, Hon. Louis, Montreal, 631
Beckwith, A. G., C.E., Fredericton, 86
Beckwith, Hon. John Adolphus, 88
Beek, James Scott, Fredericton, 218
Begg, Alexander, Dunbow Ranch, N.W.T., 350
Bégin, Rev. Louis Nazaire, D.D., Quebec, 177
Belanger, Louis-Charles, Sherbrooke, 673
Bélanger, Rev. François Honoré, Quebec, 274
Bell, Andrew Wilson, Carleton Place, 109
Bell, J. H., M.A., M.P.P., Summerside, 269
Belleau, Sir Narcisse, K.C.M.G., Q.C., Quebec, 347
Benson, Rev. Manly, Toronto, 59
Bentley, Hon. G. W. W., Kensington, 259
Bergeron, J. G. H., B.C.L., M.P., Montreal, 438
Bernier, Michael Esdras, M.P., St. Hyacinthe, 595
Berryman, Daniel Edgar, M.D., C.M., A.R.S., St. 268
John,
Berryman, John, M.D., M.P.P., St. John, 674
Berthelot, Hon. J. A., Judge, Montreal, 43
Bethune, J. L., M.D.C.M., M.P.P., Baddeck, 285
Bethune, R. H., Toronto, 764
Bingay, Thomas Van Buskirk, Yarmouth, 550, 815
Binney, Irwine Whitty, Moncton, 42
Binney, Right Rev. Hibbert, D.D., 699
Blackadar, Hugh William, Halifax, 706
Black, Charles Allan, M.D., Amherst, 474
Black, J. Burpee, M.D., Windsor, N.S., 549
Black, Thomas R., M.P.P., Amherst, 733
Black, William Tell, Windsor, 808
Blair, Frank I., M.D., St. Stephen, 352
Blair, Hon. A. G., Fredericton, 440
Blake, Hon. E., P.C., Q.C., M.P., Toronto, 690
Blanchet, Hon. Jean, Q.C., M.P.P., Quebec, 431
Blanchet, Hon. Joseph Goderic, Quebec, 107
Boak, Hon. Robert, Halifax, 682
Boire, Louis Henri Napoleon, Three Rivers, 430
Boivin, Charles Alphonse, St. Hyacinthe, 646
Borden, F. W., B.A., M.D., M.P., Canning, 317
Boswell, G. M. J., Judge, Cobourg, 131
Botsford, Hon. Bliss, Moncton, 603
Boulton, Lieut.-Col. D’Arcy E., Cobourg, 769
Bourgeois, G. A., M.D., C.M., Three Rivers, 766
Bourgeois, Hon. Jean Baptiste, Three Rivers, 646
Bourinot, John George, LL.D., Ottawa, 326
Bowell, Hon. Mackenzie, M.P., Belleville, 701
Bowser, Rev. Alex. Thomas, B.D., Toronto, 473
Branchaud, Moise, Q.C., Beauharnois, 104
Bresse, Hon. Guillaume, Quebec, 583
Bridges, Henry Seabury, Fredericton, 749
Brock, Major-General Sir Isaac, K.B., 113
Brock, Rev. Isaac, M.A., D.D., Halifax, 480
Brodie, Robert, Quebec, 374
Bronson, Erskine Henry, M.P.P., Ottawa, 153
Brooks, Hon. E. T., Judge, Sherbrooke, 766
Brown, H. B., Q.C., LL.M., Sherbrooke, 499
Brown, William, 577
Bruce, Rev. George, B.A., St. John, 202
Brymner, Douglas, Ottawa, 806
Bryson, Hon. George, Senr., Fort Coulonge, 470
Buchanan, Wentworth James, Montreal, 744
Buller, Frank, M.D., Montreal, 172
Bullock, Joseph, St. John, 41
Burland, George B., Montreal, 441
Burns, Rev. Robert Ferrier, D.D., Halifax, 40, 815
Burrill, James, Yarmouth, 716
Burrill, William, Yarmouth, 720
Burwash, Rev. Nathaniel, S.T.D., Cobourg, 90
=C=
Cabana, Hubert Charon, Sherbrooke, 602
Cadman, James, C.E., Quebec, 565
Cairns, George Frederick, Smith’s Falls, 57
Cairns, Thomas, Perth, 57
Call, Robert Randolph, Newcastle, 121
Cameron, Allan, M.D., Collingwood, 807
Cameron, Charles, Collingwood, 333
Cameron, Sir Matthew, Toronto, 156
Cameron, Wm., M.P.P., Sutherland River, Pictou, 333
Campbell, F. W., M.A., M.D., L.R.C.P., Montreal, 321
Campbell, George W., A.M., M.D., LL.D., 205
Campbell, Hon. Wm., Park Corner, 473
Campbell, Rev. Kenneth A., Orillia, 202
Campbell, Rev. R., M.A., D.D., Montreal, 132
Campbell, Sir Alexander, K.C.M.G., Lieut.-Governor, 531
Toronto,
Cannon, Lawrence Ambrose, Quebec, 400
Carbray, Felix, Quebec, 499
Cardin, Louis Pierre Paul, M.P.P., Sorel, 688
Cargill, Henry, M.P., Cargill, 272
Carignan, Onesime, Three Rivers, 525
“Caris Sima” (Clara H. Mountcastle), Clinton, 292
Carleton, John Louis, St. John, 100
Carling, Hon. John, London, 680
Caron, Hon. Sir Jos. Philippe Rene Adolphe, 663
K.C.M.G., B.C.L., Ottawa,
Carrier, Charles William, Levis, 421
Carson, Rev. W. Wellington, Ottawa, 556
Carswell, James, Renfrew, 478
Cartier, Jacques, 17
Cartier, Sir George Etienne, 569
Casavant, Joseph Claver, St. Hyacinthe, 590
Casavant, Samuel, St. Hyacinthe, 590
Casgrain, T. C., Q.C., LL.D., M.P.P., Quebec, 278
Castle, Rev. J. H., D.D., Toronto, 768
Chabot, Julien, Quebec, 381, 815
Chagnon, Hon. H. W., Judge, St. John’s, 633
Chamberlain, David Cleveland, Pembroke, 242
Champlain, Samuel de, 612
Chapleau, Hon. J. A., Q.C., LL.D., M.P., Montreal, 634
Chapman, Robert Andrew, Dorchester, 263
Charland, Hon. Justice Alfred N., B.C.L., St. 721
John’s,
Charlebois, Alphonse, Quebec, 607
Chauveau, Hon. Justice Alexander, B.C.L., Quebec, 213
Chênevert, Cuthbert Alphonse, Berthierville, 751
Chesley, John Alexander, Portland, 138
Chicoyne, Jerome Adolphe, Sherbrooke, 369
Child, Marcus, Coaticook, 647
Chisholm, Mrs. Addie, Ottawa, 604
Chisholm, Peter J., Truro, 408
Choquette, P. A., LL.B., M.P., Montmagny, 341
Church, Hon. Charles Edward, Halifax, 171
Cimon, Hon. M. H. E., Judge, Fraserville, 377
Clarke, Edw. Frederick, M.P.P., Toronto, 525
Clarke, Henry Edward, M.P.P., Toronto, 746
Clark, Rev. W. B., Quebec, 279
Clemo, Ebenezer, 349
Clinch, Robert Thomson, St. John, 581
Cloran, Henry Joseph, B.C.L., Montreal, 342
Cluxton, Wm., Peterboro’, 63
Coburn, George H., M.D., Fredericton, 206
Cockburn, G. R. R., M.P., Toronto, 600
Coldwell, Albert Edward, M.A., Wolfville, 506
Coleman, Arthur Philemon, Ph.D., Cobourg, 196
Colfer, Lieut.-Col. George William, Quebec, 448
Cook, Rev. John, D.D., LL.D., Quebec, 578
Cooke, Richard S., Three Rivers, 767
Cooke, Right Rev. Thomas, Bishop, 779
Cooke, Thos. Vincent, Moncton, 127
Cooley, Rev. John W., Hamilton, 740
Corning, Thomas Edgar, Yarmouth, 549
Costigan, Hon. John, Ottawa, 709
Coté, Louis, St. Hyacinthe, 588
Coursol, Capt. C. J. Q., St. John’s, 563
Courtney, Right Rev. Bishop Frederick, 586
Cowperthwaite, Rev. H. P., A.M., St. John, 260
Craig, James, B.A., Renfrew, 55
Cram, John Fairbairn, Carleton Place, 117
Creed, Herbert Clifford, Fredericton, 106
Creelman, Hon. Samuel, M.L.C., Round Bank, Upper 306
Stewiacke,
Crinion, Rev. James Eugene, Dunnville, 248
Crisp, Rev. Robert S., Moncton, 125
Crocket, William, A.M., Fredericton, 123
Cross, Hon. Alexander, Judge, Montreal, 165
Currey, Lemuel Allan, M.A., St. John, 89
Currie, John Z., A.B., M.D., Fredericton, 90
Curry, Matthew Allison, M.D., Halifax, 627
Cuthbert, Edward O. J. A., Berthierville, 191
=D=
Daly, Thomas Mayne, M.P., Brandon, 316
David, Laurent Oliver, M.P.P., Montreal, 290
Davidson, Hon. Justice C. P., Montreal, 562
Davie, George Taylor, Levis, 728
Davis, D. W., M.P., Macleod, 783
Dawson, Sir J. William, Knight, C.M.G., LL.D., 598
F.R.S., Montreal,
de Cazes, Paul, Quebec, 378
de La Bruère, Hon. P. B., St. Hyacinthe, 424
de Lottinville, J. B. S. L., Three Rivers, 809
de Martigny, Adelard Le Moyne, Montreal, 147
Denoncourt, N. L., Q.C., Three Rivers, 541
Derbishire, Stewart, 487
Desaulniers, D. B. W., M.D., Nicolet, 561
Desaulniers, F. S. L., B.C.L., M.P., Yamachiche, 348
DesBrisay, Theophilus, Q.C., Bathurst, 181
Deschenes, G. H., M.P.P., St. Epiphane, 774
Desilets, Joseph Moise, Q.C., Three Rivers, 746
Desjardins, Dr. Louis Edouard, Montreal, 115
Desjardins, Lieut.-Col. L. G., M.P.P., Levis, 472
De Sola, Abraham, LL.D., 97
Dessaint, Major A., LL.B., Kamouraska, 773
Dessaulles, George Casimir, St. Hyacinthe, 483
De Wolfe, C. E., Judge, Windsor, N.S., 397
Dickson, George, M.A., Toronto, 760
Dickson, William Welland, M.D., Pembroke, 116
Dionne, N. E., S.B., M.D., Quebec, 256
Dobell, Richard Reid, Quebec, 421
Dobson, Rev. William, Fredericton, 335
Doney, Charles, Ottawa, 328
Dorion, Hon. Sir A. A., Knight, Montreal, 641
d’Orsonnens, Lieut.-Col. the Count Louis Gustave 596
d’Odet,
Doucet, Laman R., Sheriff, Bathurst, 405
Doutre, Joseph, Q.C., Montreal, 305
Dowdall, James, Almonte, 122
Drolet, Jacques François Gaspard, Quebec, 364
Drummond, A. T., B.A., LL.B., Montreal, 311
Drysdale, William, Montreal, 794
Duchesnay, Lieut.-Col. H. J. J., 775
Duclos, Silas T., St. Hyacinthe, 775
Duhamel, Most Rev. J. T., Archbp., Ottawa, 683
Dunbar, James, Q.C., Quebec, 724
Duncan, John, St. John, 496
Dunn, Timothy Hibbard, Quebec, 542
Dunnet, Thomas, Toronto, 304
Duplessis, L. T. N. Le N., Three Rivers, 745
Dupré, Rev. L. L., Sorel, 608
Dymond, A. H., Brantford, 809
=E=
Earle, Sylvester Zobieski, M.D., St. John, 229
Edgar, James David, M.P., Toronto, 594
Edgar, William, Montreal, 664, 815
Edwards, William Cameron, Rockland, 345
Elliott, Andrew, Almonte, 92
Elliott, Edward, Perth, 370
Elliott, George, Guelph, 629
Ellis, James, Toronto, 813
Ellis, William, St. Catharines, 121
Ellis, Wm. Hodgson, B.A., M.B., L.R.C.P., Toronto, 662
Emmerson, H. R., LL.B., Dorchester, 500
Emmerson, Rev. Robert Henry, 498
Evanturel, Francis Eugene Alfred, LL.B., M.P.P., St. 323
Victor d’Alfred,
=F=
Fabre, Most Rev. E. C., Archbp., Montreal, 446
Falconbridge, Hon. William Glenholme, M.A., Toronto, 64, 815
Farrell, E., M.D., Halifax, 777
Fenwick, G. E., M.D., C.M., Montreal, 402
Ferguson, Hon. D., M.P.P., Charlottetown, 135
Fielding, Hon. W. S., M.P.P., Halifax, 297
Finnie, J. T., M.D., L.R.C.S., Montreal, 101
Fiske, Edward, Joliette, 723
Fitch, Edson, Quebec, 365
Fitzgerald, Rev. D., D.D., Charlottetown, 112
Fitzpatrick, Charles, Quebec, 494
Fizét, L. J. C., Lieut.-Colonel, Quebec, 275
Fogo, Hon. James, Judge, Pictou, 184
Foster, Hon. G. E., B.A., D.L.C., Ottawa, 752
Foster, James Gilbert, Q.C., Halifax, 206
Fothergill, Rev. M. Monkhouse, Quebec, 185
Flewelling, William Pentreath, Fredericton, 67
Flint, T. B., M.A., LL.B., Yarmouth, 264
Flynn, Hon. E. J., Q.C., LL.D., M.P.P., Quebec, 244
Fournier, Hon. Telesphore, Judge, Ottawa, 481
Fowler, Rev. Robert, London, 161
Fraser, Hon. D. C., B.A., New Glasgow, 458
Fraser, Hon. J. J., Judge, Fredericton, 183
Fraser, John A., M.P.P., Big Bras d’Or, 750
Freer, Lieut. Harry Courtlandt, St. John’s, 567
Fry, Edward Carey, Quebec, 508
Fulford, Right Rev. Francis, D.D., Bishop, 425
Fullerton, James S., Toronto, 350
Fulton, Dr. John, Toronto, 697
Futvoye, I. B., St. John’s, 782
=G=
Gagnon, Hon. C. A. E., M.P.P., Kamouraska, 529
Galbraith, Rev. W., B.C.L., LL.B., Orillia, 55
Garneau, Hon. Pierre, Quebec, 187
Gauvreau, Rev. Antoine, Levis, 451
Gaynor, John Joseph, M.D., St. John, 145
Gendreau, Jean Baptiste, N.P., Coaticooke, 391
Genest, L. U. A., Three Rivers, 405
Germain, Adolphe, Sorel, 606
Gervais, Marie Emery, M.D., Three Rivers, 444
Gibbons, Robert, Sheriff, Goderich, 798
Gibsone, W. C., Quebec, 776
Gilmour, John Taylor, M.D., M.P.P., West Toronto 175
Junction,
Gilmour, Lieut.-Col. H., Stanbridge East, 774
Gilpin, Edwin, Jr., Halifax, 177
Gilpin, Rev. Edwin, D.D., Halifax, 169
Gingras, Hon. Jean Elie, Quebec, 660
Girard, Abbé Pierre, M.A., Sherbrooke, 496
Girouard, Désiré, Q.C., D.C.L., M.P., Dorval, 226
Girouard, Theophile, Quebec, 558
Glackmeyer, Charles, Montreal, 176
Gouin, Antoine Nemese, Sorel, 581
Gould, George, Walkerton, 792
Grant, Henry Hugh, Halifax, 678
Grant, Rev. George Monro, D.D., Kingston, 388
Grant, Rev. R. N., Orillia, 212
Gravel, Rev. J. A., St. Hyacinthe, 750
Graveley, Lieut.-Col. John Vance, Cobourg, 216
Gray, James, Perth, 93
Green, Harry Compton, Summerside, 184
Greenwood, Stansfield, Coaticook, 679
Griffin, Martin J., Ottawa, 436
Guest, Sheriff G. H., Yarmouth, 566
Guevrement, Hon. J. B., Sorel, 780
Guilbault, Edouard, Joliette, 597
Guillet, Major George, M.P., Cobourg, 409
Guthrie, Donald, Q.C., M.P.P., Guelph, 49
Guy, Michel Patrice, N.P., Montreal, 726
=H=
Haanel, E. E., F.R.S.C., Ph.D., Cobourg, 526
Hale, Frederick Harding, M.P., Woodstock, 363
Hale, Hon. Edward, 518
Hale, Hon. John, 552
Haliburton, Hon. Thomas Chandler, 443
Hall, Francis Alexander, Perth, 82
Hall, John Smythe, Jr., B.A., B.C.L., Q.C., M.P.P., 357
Montreal,
Hall, Robert Newton, B.A., LL.D., Q.C., M.P., 685
Sherbrooke,
Hamilton, Hon. C. E., Q.C., Winnipeg, 472
Hamilton, Robert, D.C.L., Lennoxville, 742
Hammond, John, St. John, 521
Hanington, Hon. Daniel L., Q.C., M.P.P., Dorchester, 245
Harper, J. M., M.A., Ph.D., F.E.I.S., Quebec, 231
Harris, Christopher Prince, Moncton, 86
Harris, John Leonard, Moncton, 354
Harris, Joseph A., Moncton, 126, 815
Harris, Michael Spurr, Moncton, 108
Harris, Very Rev. W. R., B.D., St. Catharines, 224
Harrison, Hon. Archibald, Maugerville, 175
Harrison, Thomas, LL.D., Fredericton, 107
Hart, John Semple, Perth, 621
Hatt, Samuel Staunton, Quebec, 286
Haythorne, Hon. Robert Poore, Charlottetown, 657
Hearn, David A., M.P.P., Arichat, 225
Heavysege, Charles, 32
Hemming, E. J., D.C.L., Drummondville, 71
Henderson, D., M.P., Acton, 777
Hensley, Hon. J., Judge, Charlottetown, 427
Hetherington, George A., M.D., L.M., St. John, 298, 815
Hewson, C. W. U., M.D., L.R.C.P., L.M., Amherst, 312
Hill, Andrew Gregory, P.M., Niagara Falls, 53
Hill, Hon. G. F., St. Stephen, 763
Hincks, Sir Francis, 812
Hind, Professor H. Y., M.A., Windsor, N.S., 308
Hingston, William Hales, M.D., L.R.C.S., D.C.L., 436
Montreal,
Hinson, Rev. Walter, Moncton, 50
Hodder, Edward M., M.D., 647
Holmes, Hon. Simon H., Halifax, 163
Honan, Martin, Three Rivers, 773
Honey, John S., Montreal, 772
Hopper, Rev. J. E., M.A., D.D., St. John, 336
Hossack, William, Quebec, 330
Hould, J. B. L., LL.B., Three Rivers, 625
Howard, R. P., M.D., L.R.C.S.E., Montreal, 511
Howe, Henry Aspinwall, T.C.D., M.A., LL.D., 565
Montreal,
Howe, Hon. Joseph, 587
Hudspeth, Adam, Q.C., M.P., Lindsay, 463
Huggan, W. T., Charlottetown, 805
Humphrey, John Albert, M.P.P., Moncton, 186
Hunt, Henry George, St. Catharines, 126
Hunter, Rev. Samuel J., D.D., Hamilton, 66
Hunton, Sidney Walker, M.A., Sackville, 197
=I=
Inch, James R., M.A., L.L.D., Sackville, 322
Inches, P. R., M.D., M.R.C.S., St. John, 133
Inglis, George, Owen Sound, 643
Ingram, Andrew B., M.P.P., St. Thomas, 301
Irvine, Hon. George, Q.C., D.C.L., Quebec, 564
Irvine, Matthew Bell, C.B., C.M.G., Com.-General, 337
Quebec,
Irving, Andrew, Pembroke, 352
Irving, J. D., Brigade Major, Charlottetown, 105
Ives, Herbert Root, Montreal, 629
=J=
Jack, William Brydone, M.A., D.C.L., 260
Jaffray, Robert, Toronto, 675
Jamieson, Philip, Toronto, 676
Jarvis, Frederick William, 171
Jennings, Rev. John, D.D., 462
Jetté, Hon. L. A., LL.D., Judge, Montreal, 432
Johnson, Hon. F. G., Montreal, 114
Johnston, C. H. L., M.D., L.R.C.S., St. John, 234
Johnston, Hon. J. W., Judge, Dartmouth, 266
Jolicœur, Phillippe Jacques, Q.C., Quebec, 602
Joliffe, Rev. William John, B.C.L., Quebec, 324
Joncas, Louis Zephrim, M.P., Grand River, 355
Jones, Hon. A. G., P.C., M.P., Halifax, 385
Jones, Sir David, 345
Jones, R. V., A.M., Ph.D., Wolfville, 466
Jones, Rev. Septimus, M.A., Toronto, 637
Jones, Simeon, St. John, 387
Joseph, Abraham, Quebec, 274
=K=
Kay, Rev. John, Hamilton, 198
Keating, Edward Henry, C.E., Halifax, 214
Keirstead, Rev. Elias M., M.A., Wolfville, 493
Kellond, Robert Arthur, Toronto, 102
Kelly, Francis, J.P., Joliette, 565
Kelly, Samuel James, M.D., M.S., Joliette, 535
Kelly, Thomas Eugene, Joliette, 527
Kelly, Thomas, Judge, Summerside, 84
Kemble, William, Quebec, 345
Kennedy, George, M.A., LL.D., Toronto, 142
Kennedy, George Thomas, M.A., B.A.Sc., F.G.S., 229
Windsor,
Kennedy, James Thomas, Indiantown, 331, 815
Kenny, Thomas Edward, M.P., Halifax, 729
Ker, Rev. Robert, Mitchell, 295
Kerr, W., M.A., Q.C., LL.D., Cobourg, 290
Kerr, W. W. Hastings, Q.C., Montreal, 619
Kilgour, Robert, Toronto, 278
Killam, Amasa Emerson, M.P.P., Moncton, 398
Kincaid, Robert, M.D., Peterboro’, 591
King, Edwin David, M.A., Q.C., Halifax, 249
King, James, Quebec, 562
Klein, Alphonse B., Walkerton, 771
Klotz, Otto, Preston, 26
Knowles, Charles William, Windsor, N.S., 310
=L=
Labelle, Capt. Jean B., M.P., Montreal, 189
Labelle, Rev. F. X. A., St. Jerome, 358
Lacerte, Elie, M.D., Three Rivers, 618
Lachapelle, E. P., M.D., Montreal, 261
Lafrance, Charles Joseph, Quebec, 622
Lake, John Neilson, Toronto, 96
Laliberté, Jean Baptiste, Quebec, 353
Lamarche, Felix Oliver, Berthierville, 582
Lambly, William Harwood, Inverness, 170
La Mothe, G. J. B., Montreal, 94
Langevin, Hon. Sir Hector Louis, K.C.M.G., Q.C., 748
M.P., Ottawa,
La Rocque, Basile, M.D., St. John’s, 732
La Rocque, Gedeon, M.D., Quebec, 484
La Rocque, Rev. Paul S., St. Hyacinthe, 701
La Rocque, Right Rev. Bishop Charles, 689
La Rocque, Right Rev. Bishop Joseph, 712
Larue, Hon. Jules Ernest, Judge, Quebec, 628
La Rue, Thomas George, Quebec, 370
Laurie, Maj.-Gen. J. W., M.P., Oakfield, 356, 816
Laurier, Hon. Wilfrid, B.C.L., Q.C., M.P., Quebec, 592
Laviolette, Hon. J. G., M.L.C., Montreal, 320
Law, William, M.P.P., Yarmouth, 356
Lawson, John A., Charlottetown, 460
Lawson, Prof. Geo., Ph.D., LL.D., F.I.C., F.R.S.C., 717
Halifax,
Leach, Ven. Archdeacon William Turnbull, D.C.L., 134
LL.D.,
Leblanc, P. E., M.P.P., Montreal, 782
Leclerc, Rev. J. U., Montreal, 753
Lefebvre, Guillaume, Waterloo, Q., 721
Lefebvre, Joseph Herbert, Waterloo, Q., 587
Le May, Léon Pamphile, Quebec, 220
Lemieux, François Xavier, M.P.P., Quebec, 601
LePan, Frederick N. D’Orr, Owen Sound, 68
Lewis, W. J., M.D., M.P.P., Hillsborough, 316
Long, Thomas, Collingwood, 81
Longley, Hon. James Wilberforce, M.P.P., M.E.C., 186
Halifax,
Longworth, Hon. John, Q.C., 329
Loranger, Hon, L. O., Judge, Montreal, 299
Lord, Major Artemas, Charlottetown, 219
Lorrain, Right Rev. Narcisse Zephirin, Bishop, 193
Pembroke,
Lount, William, Q.C., Toronto, 743
Lugrin, Charles H., A.M., Fredericton, 382
Lugrin, Charles S., Fredericton, 407
Lyall, Rev. William, LL.D., Halifax, 233
Lyman, F. S., B.A., B.C.L., Montreal, 313
=Mc=
McCaffrey, Charles, Nicolet, 544
McCallum, G. A., M.D., Dunville, 418
McCaul, Rev. John, D.D., Toronto, 165
McClelan, Hon. Abner Reid, Hopewell, 349
McConnell, J., M.D., M.C.P.S.O., Toronto, 367
McConnell, J. B., M.D., C.M., Montreal, 386
McConnel, William George, Berthierville, 490
McConville, Joseph Norbet Alfred, Joliette, 541
McCosh, John, Orillia, 74
McDonald, A. R., River du Loup (_en bas_), 279
McDonald, Hon. J., Chief Justice, Halifax, 712
McDonald, Rev. Clinton Donald, B.A., B.L., B.D., 505
M.A., Ph.D., B.Sc., Thorold,
McEachran, Professor Duncan McNab, F.R.C.V.S., 162
Montreal,
McGee, Hon. T. D’Arcy, B.C.L., M.R.I.A., 302
McHenry, Donald C., M.A., Cobourg, 482
McIsaac, Angus, Judge, Antigonish, 388
McIsaac, Colin F., M.P.P., Antigonish, 395
McIlwraith, Thomas, Hamilton, 722
McIntyre, Right Rev. P., D.D., Charlottetown, 110
McKinnon, Hon. John, M.P.P., Whycocomagh, 410
McKnight, Robert, Owen Sound, 392
McLachlan, Alexander, Erin, 411
McLelan, Hon. Archibald Woodbury, M.P., 703
McLellan, Hon. David, M.P.P., Indiantown, 433
McLeod, Hon. Neil, M.A., Charlottetown, 220
McLeod, Howard Douglas, St. John, 387
McLeod, Hon. J. D., M.L.C., Pictou, 764
McLeod, Rev. Joseph, D.D., Fredericton, 137
McMaster, Hon. William, Toronto, 286
McMicken, Hon. Gilbert, Winnipeg, 346
McMillan, John, M.D., Pictou, 711
McNeil, Hon. Daniel, Port Hood, 381
McNeill, John Sears, M.P.P., Barton, 180
McNicoll, David, Montreal, 662
McPherson, R. B., Thorold, 154
McRitchie, Rev. George, Prescott, 215
=M=
Macallum, A., M.A., LL.B., Hamilton, 738
MacCallum, D. C., M.D., M.R.C.S., Montreal, 138
MacColl, Evan, Kingston, 95
MacCoy, W. F., Q.C., M.P.P., Halifax, 190
Macdonald, Augustine Colin, Montague, 354
Macdonald, Charles De Wolf, B.A., Pictou, 285
Macdonald, Duncan, St. John’s, 630
Macdonald, Hon. A. A., Lieut.-Gov., Charlottetown, 466
Macdonald, Hon. John, Senator, Toronto, 579
Macdonald, L. G., Q.C., St. John’s, 543
Macdonald, Lieut.-Col. C. J., Halifax, 268
Macdonald, Rev. J. C., Charlottetown, 199
Macdonald, R. Tyre, Sutton, 811
Macdonald, Right Hon. Sir John Alexander, G.C.B., 670
D.C.L., LL.D., Ottawa,
Macdonnell, Rev. D. J., B.D., Toronto, 196
MacDowall, D. H., M.P., Prince Albert, 611
MacFarlane, Foster, M.D., Fairville, St. John, 39
Macfarlane, Thomas, Ottawa, 88
MacGillivray, Hon. A., Antigonish, 767
Machin, Henry Turner, Quebec, 554
Mackay, Alexander Howard, B.A., B.Sc., F.S.Sc., 210
Pictou, N.S.,
Mackay, N. E., M.D., C.M., M.R.C.S., Halifax, 269
Mackay, W., M.D., M.P.P., Reserve Mines, 556
Mackenzie, Hon. A., P.C., M.P., Toronto, 522
Mackenzie, J. M., Moncton, 798
MacKinnon, Tristiam A., Montreal, 502
Mackintosh, Charles H., Ottawa, 446
Maclaren, James, Buckingham, 540
MacLean, Alexander, Ottawa, 284
MacLeod, Rev. John M., Charlottetown, 46
MacMahon, Hon. Hugh, Judge, Toronto, 733
Macpherson, Alexander, Montreal, 778
Macpherson, Henry, Judge, Owen Sound, 200
MacVicar, Rev. Malcolm, Ph.D., LL.D., Toronto, 30
Madill, Frank, M.A., M.P., Beaverton, 528
Magnan, Adolphe, N.P., Joliette, 637
Mara, J. A., M.P., Kamloops, 784
Martin, Joseph, LL.B., Quebec, 555
Mason, T. G., Toronto, 811
Masson, Hon. Louis François Roderique, 346, 816
Masson, James, Q.C., M.P., Owen Sound, 666
Matheson, David, Ottawa, 688
Matheson, Hon. Roderick, 459
Matheson, Lieut.-Col. Arthur James, Perth, 465
Mathews, Rev. George D., D.D., Quebec, 258
Mathieu, Hon. Michel, Judge, Montreal, 265
Mathison, George, Quebec, 66
Maunsell, Lieut.-Col. G. J., Fredericton, 102
Maynard, Rev. T., M.A., D.D., Windsor, 491
Medley, Rev. C. S., B.A., Sussex, 284
Meek, Edward, Toronto, 725
Mellish, John Thomas, M.A., Halifax, 246, 816
Mercier, Hon. Honoré, M.P.P., Premier, Quebec, 234
Meredith, Sir William Collis, K.B., D.C.L., LL.D., 223
Quebec,
Merritt, Jedediah Prendergast, St. Catharines, 714
Methot, Joseph Edouard, Three Rivers, 648
Méthot, Right Rev. M. E., A.M., D.D., Quebec, 342
Miller, John Stewart, M.P.P., Centreville, 341
Milligan, Rev. George M., B.A., Toronto, 79
Mills, John Burpee, M.P., Annapolis, 666
Mitchell, Hon. James, St. Stephen, 39
Mitchell, Samuel E., Pembroke, 217
Moffat, William, Pembroke, 413
Moles, Robert George, Arnprior, 327
Molony, Thomas J., LL.B., Quebec, 655
Monk, Hon. S. C., LL.D., Judge, Montreal, 537
Montagu, Walter H., M.D., M.P., Dunville, 686
Montgomery, Donald, Charlottetown, 568
Moodie, Mrs. Susanna, 710
Moody, James Cochrane, M.D., Windsor, 435
Moody, Rev. John T. T., D.D., Yarmouth, 247
Moore, Alvan Head, Magog, 567, 816
Moore, Dennis, Hamilton, 792
Moore, Paul Robinson, M.D., Sackville, 35
Moreau, Right Rev. Bishop L. Z., St. Hyacinthe, 584
Morin, Eusebe, St. Hyacinthe, 611
Morin, Louis Edmond, Quebec, 385
Morris, John Lang, B.C.L., Q.C., Montreal, 747
Morrison, Alfred Gidney, Halifax, 464
Morison, Lewis Francis, St. Hyacinthe, 697
Morrow, John, Toronto, 223
Morse, Hon. W. A. D., Judge, Amherst, 222
Morson, W. A. O., Charlottetown, 92
Motton, Robert, Q.C., Halifax, 783
Mountain, Right Rev. G. J., Bishop, Quebec, 439
Mountcastle, Clara H., Clinton, 292
Mowat, Hon. O., Q.C., LL.D., Toronto, 559
Mowatt, Rev. Andrew Joseph, Fredericton, 38
Murchie, James, St. Stephen, 221
Murphy, Martin, C.E., Halifax, 319
Murphy, Owen, M.P.P., Quebec, 208
Murray, Lieut.-Col. John Robert, Halifax, 717
Murray, William, Sherbrooke, 800
=N=
Nantel, G. A., M.P.P., St. Jerome, 669
Nault, Joseph, St, Hyacinthe, 450
Nelles, Rev. Samuel Sobieski, D.D., LL.D., 363
Nelson, Hon. Hugh, Lieut-Governor, Victoria, 649
Nettleton, John, Collingwood, 161
Nolin, Charles, Sheriff, St. John’s, 502
Norman, Rev. Richard Whitmore, M.A., D.C.L., 74
Montreal,
Normand, Telesphore Euzebe, Three Rivers, 682
Norquay, Hon. John, M.P.P., Winnipeg, 479
Noyes, John Powell, Q.C., Waterloo, Q., 605
=O=
O’Connor, Hon. John, 412
Ogden, Charles Kinnis, Three Rivers, 511
Ogden, W. W., B.M., M.D., Toronto, 716
Ogilvie, Hon. A. W., Senator, Montreal, 131
Ostigny, Joseph Henry, Joliette, 545
O’Sullivan, D. A., M.A., D.C.L., Toronto, 592
Otter, Lieut.-Col. William Dillon, Toronto, 620
Ouellette, Rev. J. R., St. Hyacinthe, 677
Ouimet, Hon. Gédéon, Q.C., D.C.L., Quebec, 450
Ouimet, Hon. Lieut.-Col. Aldric Joseph, LL.B., Q.C., 413
M P., Montreal,
Oulton, Alfred E., Judge, Dorchester, 394
Owens, John, St. John, 548
Owens, William, M.P.P., Lachute, 410
=P=
Pacaud, Ernest, Quebec, 405
Pacaud, Gaspard, M.P.P., Windsor, 558
Palmer, Caleb Read, J.P., Moncton, 135
Panneton, Louis Edmond, Q.C., B.C.L., LL.D., 351, 816
Sherbrooke,
Papineau, Hon. Louis Joseph, 679
Paquet, Hon. A. H., M.D., St. Cuthbert, 535
Paquet, Rev. Benjamin, Quebec, 531
Park, William A., M.P.P., Newcastle, N.B., 322
Parker, Rev. W. R., M.A., D.D., Toronto, 516
Partridge, Rev. F., M.A., D.D., Halifax, 644
Paton, Andrew, Sherbrooke, 448
Paton, Hugh, Montreal, 396
Patton, Hon. James, Q.C., LL.D., Toronto, 174
Payan, Paul, St. Hyacinthe, 638
Payzant, J. Y., M.A., Halifax, 778
Peck, Charles Allison, Hopewell Hill, 451
Pelland, B. L., Berthierville, 810
Pelletier, Hon. H. C., Judge, Rimouski, 275
Pelton, S. H., Q.C., Yarmouth, 296
Perley, William Dell, M.P., Wolseley, 665
Perrigo, James, M.A., M.D., M.R.C.S., Montreal, 284
Peters, Simon, J.P., Quebec, 459
Peterson, Peter Alexander, C.E., Montreal, 707
Pettit, Rev. Charles Biggar, M.A., Cornwall, 724
Phelan, Cornelius J. F. R., M.D., C.M., Waterloo, 595
Q.,
Phillips, Rev. Caleb T., Woodstock, 432
Philp, Rev. John, M.A., Montreal, 395
Piché, E. U., Berthierville, 780
Pickard, Rev. Humphrey, D.D., Sackville, 140
Pidgeon, J. R., J.P., Indiantown, 455
Pim, Richard, Toronto, 563
Pipes, Hon. W. T., Amherst, 791
Plumb, Hon. Josiah Burr, Niagara, 706
Pope, Edwin, Quebec, 512
Pope, Hon. James Colledge, 605
Pope, Hon. John Henry, M.P., Ottawa, 650
Pope, Hon. Joseph, Charlottetown, 417
Pope, P. W. T., Charlottetown, 428
Poupore, Wm. Joseph, M.P.P., Chichester, 645
Power, Hon. L. G., LL.B., Halifax, 503
Power, Michael Joseph, Halifax, 530
Prefontaine, R. F., B.C.L., M.P., Montreal, 779
Prévost, Major Oscar A., Quebec, 612
Price, Evan John, Quebec, 628
Price, Herbert Molesworth, Quebec, 594
Prince, Right Rev. John C., Bishop, 689
Prior, James, Merritton, 600
Proudfoot, Hon. William, Judge, Toronto, 270
Proulx, Hon. Jean Baptiste George, Nicolet, 607
Pugsley, Hon. William, D.C.L., St. John, 649
Purcell, Patrick, M.P., Summertown, 669, 816
=Q=
Quinton, William A., M.P.P., Fairville, 632
=R=
Radenhurst, W. H., Perth, 719
Ratcliffe, John, 546
Ratcliffe, Rev. J. H., St. Catharines, 378
Raymond, Rev. Joseph Sabin, St. Hyacinthe, 686
Read, John, Stratford, 416
Read, Rev. P. C., M.A., Lennoxville, 704
Reddin, James Henry, Charlottetown, 54
Reddy, John, M.D., 85
Reed, Robert, St. John, 557
Reid, Rev. Charles Peter, Sherbrooke, 530
Rexford, Rev. Elson Irving, B.A., Quebec, 486
Reesor, Hon. D., Toronto, 704
Rice, Charles, Perth, 75
Richard, Rev. Cannon Louis, A.M., Three Rivers, 476
Richey, Hon. Matthew H., Q.C., D.C.L., Lieut.-Gov., 380
Halifax,
Richey, Rev. Matthew, D.D., 471
Ritchie, Hon. J. N., Judge, Halifax, 193
Ritchie, Hon. Robert J., M.P.P., St. John, 702
Rivard, A. M., M.D., Sheriff, Joliette, 568
Robb, Alexander, Amherst, 179
Robb, David W., Amherst, 183
Roberts, C. G. D., M.A., Windsor, N.S., 368
Robertson, Andrew, Montreal, 314
Robertson, George, St. John, 336
Robertson, Henry, LL.B., Collingwood, 808
Robertson, Hon. T., Judge, Hamilton, 799
Robertson, N., Walkerton, 776
Robillard, Alexander, M.P.P., Russel, 486
Robinson, D. A., M.D., Coaticook, 751
Robinson, Samuel Skiffington, Orillia, 252
Robitaille, Louis Adolphe, Quebec, 663
Roche, William, Jr., M.P.P., Halifax, 217
Rogers, Henry Cassady, Peterboro’, 147, 816
Rogers, Lieut.-Col. R. Z., Grafton, 765
Rogers, Rev. Jabez A., Windsor, N.S., 534
Rolland, Hon. J. B., Montreal, 793
Rose, George Maclean, Toronto, 731
Rose, Hon. John E., LL.D., Judge, Toronto, 737
Rosebrugh, John W., M.D., Hamilton, 314
Ross, Alexander Milton, M.D., Montreal, 118
Ross, Hon. David Alexander, Q.C., Quebec, 300
Ross, Hon. James Gibb, Quebec, 648
Ross, Hon. William, Halifax, 189
Ross, James Duncan, M.D., Moncton, 136
Rottot, Jean Philippe, M.D., Montreal, 128
Rourke, James, St. Martin’s, 375
Rousseau, Joseph Thomas, St. Hyacinthe, 518
Routhier, Hon. A. B., LL.D., Quebec, 755
Roy, Rouer Joseph, Q.C., Montreal, 667
Ruel, James Rhodes, St. John, 228
Russell, Willis, Quebec, 535
Rutherford, John, J.P., Owen Sound, 289
Ryan, Hon. Patrick George, M.P.P., Caraquet, 736
=S=
Saint-Cyr, D. N. D., Quebec, 379
Saint-Pierre, Henri C., Montreal, 69
Sanderson, Rev. Dr. G. R., Sarnia, 65
Sandford, Hon. W. E., Hamilton, 753
Sangster, Charles, Kingston, 423
Scarth, William Bain, M.P., Winnipeg, 624
Schiller, Charles Edward, Montreal, 677
Scott, Capt. Peter Astle, R.N., 700
Scott, Hon. Richard W., Q.C., Ottawa, 758
Scott, Lieut.-Col. Thomas, Winnipeg, 715
Sears, Lieut. James Walker, Toronto, 606
Sedgewick, Robert, Q.C., Halifax, 422
Sénécal, Hon. Louis Adelard, Montreal, 452
Senkler, William Stevens, Judge, Perth, 52
Seymour, James, St. Catharines, 544
Shakespeare, Noah, Victoria, 297, 816
Shannon, Hon. S. L., D.C.L., Halifax, 756
Shaw, Lieut.-Col. James, 68
Shearer, James Traill, Montreal, 654
Shehyn, Hon. Joseph, M.P.P., Quebec, 539
Shields, John, Toronto, 551
Shorey, Hollis, Montreal, 651
Shortt, Rev. William, B. D., Walkerton, 747
Sicotte, Hon. Louis Victor, St. Hyacinthe, 438
Sifton, Hon. John Wright, Brandon, 46
Silver, William Chamberlain, Halifax, 318
Simcoe, Lieut.-General John Graves, 181
Sinclair, Donald, Walkerton, 757
Skinner, Hon. Charles N., Q.C., St. John, 401
Slack, Edward, Waterloo, Q., 463
Slaven, John Wallace, Orillia, 650
Smart, William Lynn, Hamilton, 468
Smith, Andrew, F.R.C.V.S., Toronto, 726
Smith, A. Lapthorn, B.A., M.D., Montreal, 681
Smith, G. B., M.P.P., Toronto, 791
Smith, Rev. H. Percy W., Dunnville, 209
Smith, Rev. James Cowie, M.A., B.D., Guelph, 680
Smith, Rev. John, Toronto, 515
Smith, John H., Buffalo, 56
Smith, Robert Barry, Moncton, 331
Smith, Robert Herbert, Quebec, 462
Smith, William, M.P., Columbus, 503
Spencer, Charles Worthington, Montreal, 507
Spencer, E. E., M.P.P., Frelighsburg, 382
Sprague, Thomas Farmer, M.D., Woodstock, 145
Starnes, Hon. Lieut-Col. Henry, Montreal, 749
Steadman, James, Fredericton, 543
Steele, Rev. D. A., A.M., Amherst, 264
Steeves, Chipman Archibald, Moncton, 326
Steeves, James Thomas, M.D., St. John, 151
Stennett, Rev. Canon Walter, M.A., Cobourg, 272
Stephen, Alexander, Halifax, 762
Stephen, Sir George, Baronet, Montreal, 231
Stephenson, Major James, Montreal, 665
Sterling, Alexander Addison, Fredericton, 705
Stevens, Hon. Gardner Green, Waterloo, Q., 585
Stevens, Rev. Lorenzo Gorham, A.M., B.D., Portland, 25
N.B.,
Stevenson, Major S. C., Montreal, 492
Stewart, George Jr., D.C.L., F.R.G.S., F.R.S.C., 227
Quebec,
Stewart, John, Woodstock, 204
Stewart, Rev. William James, Portland, N.B., 37
St. George, Percival Walter, C.E., Montreal, 134
St. George, Rev. Charles, Iberville, 720
Stockton, Alfred Augustus, D.C.L., Ph.D., LL.D., 116
M.P.P., St. John,
Strachan, Right Rev. John, LL.D., D.D., 371
Strange, Major-General T. B., Kingston, 784
Stratford, John H., Brantford, 58, 816
Strothard, Rev. James, Halifax, 334
Stuart, Sir Andrew, Knight, Quebec, 640
Sturdee, Henry L., M.A., Portland, N.B., 426
Sutherland, Hugh McKay, Winnipeg, 620
Sutherland, Rev. Alexander, D.D., Toronto, 86
Sullivan, Hon. W. W., Charlottetown, 429
Sweeny, Right Rev. John, D.D., R.C. Bishop, St. 455
John,
=T=
Taché, Eugene Etienne, Quebec, 376
Taillon, Alphonse Antoine, Sorel, 537
Talbot, Hon. Thomas, 157
Tartre, Joseph Raphael, M.P., Waterloo, Q., 593
Taschereau, His Eminence Elzéar-Alexandre, Cardinal, 625
Quebec,
Taschereau, Hon. Henry T., B.L., B.C.L., Judge, 410
Montreal,
Taschereau, Hon. H. E., Judge, Ottawa, 434
Taschereau, Hon. J. T., LL.D., Quebec, 610
Taylor, Henry, Perth, 78
Tellier, Hon. Louis, Judge, St. Hyacinthe, 443
Tessier, Jules, M.P.P., Quebec, 608
Tetreau, Rev. F., St. Hyacinthe, 508
Thomas, N. W., Coaticook, 763
Thomas, Rev. B. D., D.D., Toronto, 379
Thompson, David, 727
Thompson, Hon. J. S. D., Q.C., M.P., Ottawa, 283
Thompson, Lieut.-Col. D. C., Quebec, 394
Thorne, William Henry, St. John, 306
Thornton, John, Coaticook, 439
Tilley, Sir S. L., K.C.M.G., Fredericton, 60
Tims, Frank Dillon, Quebec, 545
Tomkins, Rev. John, 652
Tooke, Benjamin, Montreal, 699
Torey, Edgar J., 705
Torrance, David, 400
Torrance, Hon. F. W., B.C.L., Montreal, 393
Torrance, Rev. Robert, D.D., Guelph, 33
Torrington, Frederick Herbert, Toronto, 546
Tourangeau, Adolphe G., Quebec, 477
Trenaman, Thomas, M.D., Halifax, 554
Trueman, Hermon Silas, M.D., Sackville, 335
Tupper, Hon, Sir Charles, G.C.M.G., C.B., D.C.L., 642
Ottawa,
Turcotte, Hon. Arthur, Q.C., Three Rivers, 445
Turnbull, Lieut.-Col. James Ferdinand, Quebec, 403
Turnbull, William Wallace, St. John, 143
Tyrwhitt, Lieut.-Col. R., M.P., Bradford, 461
=U=
Underhay, J. C., M.P.P., Bay Fortune, 415
Unsworth, Joseph Lennon, Charlottetown, 653
Ure, Rev. Robert, D.D., Goderich, 375
Ussher, Right Rev. B. B., M.D., Montreal, 19
=V=
Valin, Pierre, Vincent, Chateau Richer, 383
Vallee, Thomas E. A., M.D., Quebec, 538
Van Horne, William C., Montreal, 469
Van Koughnet, S. J., Q.C., Toronto, 795
Van Wyck, Rev. James, Toronto, 152
Vaughan, William, St. Martins, 458
Vidal, Major Henry Beaufort, Toronto, 533
=W=
Wade, Edward Harper, Quebec, 430
Waddell, John, M.D., 29
Wainwright, William, Montreal, 736
Walker, Thomas, M.D., St. John, 538
Wallace, Joseph James, Truro, 298
Wallace, Rev. Robert, Toronto, 418
Wallbridge, Hon. Lewis, 374
Wallis, Herbert, Montreal, 81
Wanless, John, M.D., Montreal, 128
Watson, George, Collingwood, 125
Webster, Walter Chester, Coaticook, 678
Weeks, Otto Swartz, M.P.P., Halifax, 668
Wedderburn, Hon. W., Judge, Hampton, 150
Weir, W., Montreal, 527
Weldon, R. C., B.A., Ph.D., M.P., Halifax, 661
Weller, C. A., Judge, Peterborough, 673
Wells, Hon. R. M., Toronto, 639
Welton, Rev. Daniel Morse, D.D., Toronto, 529
Whelan, Hon. Edward, Charlottetown, 414
Whidden, Charles Blanchard, Antigonish, 190
White, Hon. Thomas, M.P., Ottawa, 744
Whitney, Henry A., Moncton, 364
Wickwire, William Nathan, M.D., Halifax, 265
Wild, Rev. Joseph, M.A., D.D., Toronto, 82
Wilkinson, W., Judge, Bushville, Chatham, 270
Willets, Rev. Charles E., M.A., D.C.L., Windsor, 687
N.S.,
Williams, Rev. John Æ., D.D., Toronto, 294
Williams, Rev. William, D.D., Cobourg, 175
Williams, Richard Wellington, Three Rivers, 495
Williams, Right Rev. James W., D.D., Bishop, Quebec, 434
Williams, Thomas, Moncton, 140
Wilmot, Hon. R. D., Fredericton, 765
Willmott, J. B., M.D.S., D.D.S., Toronto, 173
Wilson, Daniel, LL.D., F.R.S, Toronto, 338
Wilson, J. C., M.P., Montreal, 149
Wilson, Rev. Robert, St. John, 80
Withall, William John, Montreal, 520
Wood, Rev. Enoch, D.D., 585
Wood, Robert Edwin, Peterborough, 244
Woodland, Rev. James Barnaby, Yarmouth, 311
Woodward, J. R., B.A., Sherbrooke, 685
Workman, Joseph, M.D., Toronto, 204
Worthington, Edward D., A.M., M.D., F.R.C.S., 456
Sherbrooke,
Wright, Aaron A., Renfrew, 57
Wright, Philemon, 631
=Y=
Young, Edward, Windsor, 800
Young, Hon. Charles, LL.D., Q.C., Charlottetown, 18
Young, Hon. James, Galt, 740
Young, Sir William, LL.D., 398
=A CYCLOPÆDIA=
=OF=
=CANADIAN BIOGRAPHY.=
[Illustration]
=Cartier, Jacques.=—The ancient town of St. Malo, in France, had been
for centuries a nursery of hardy seamen, and among the most eminent on
its list stands the name of Jacques Cartier.—This celebrated navigator
was the first European who explored the shores of Canada to any extent.
On the 20th April, 1534, he sailed with two ships of three score tons
apiece burthen, and sixty-one well appointed men in each. He steered for
Newfoundland, which he reached in twenty days, passed through the
straits of Belle Isle, and advanced up the St. Lawrence, till he saw the
shores of Anticosti. The approach of winter caused him to return to
France. In the spring of 1535, he received a fresh commission, and three
vessels, named _La Grande Hermine_, _La Petite Hermine_ and
_L’Hémerillon_, the largest about 120 tons, were placed at his disposal.
On the 16th May, the officers and sailors assembled in the Cathedral at
St. Malo, where, after confession and hearing mass, they received a
parting blessing from the bishop, and, three days later, they set sail.
After experiencing very stormy weather, during which the vessels were
separated, they reached the coast of Newfoundland on the 26th July. On
the 10th August, it being the festival of St. Lawrence. Cartier gave
that name to the bay which he entered, and it was afterwards extended to
the river and gulf. On the 16th, he reached Stadacona (now Quebec).
Hearing from the Indians that a town of some importance stood by the
bank of the river, many days’ journey above, and named “Hochelaga,”
Cartier determined to go thither, and on the 19th September, he hoisted
sail, and with his pinnace and two small boats, departed on his journey
up the river. On the 28th he reached lake St. Peter. At the head of this
lake he was compelled to cast anchor on account of the shoals; and
finding it impossible to proceed further with his vessel
(_L’Hémerillon_), he took to his boats, and on the 2nd October, 1535, he
landed about six miles from the town, below the current St. Mary. After
he had gone about four miles, he was met by one of the chiefs,
accompanied by many of the natives, who gave him a cordial welcome.
Having seen all that he deemed worthy of notice in the village, Cartier
was conducted to the top of the mountain, the view from which filled him
with feelings of joy and gratification. In honour of his king he named
it “Mont Royal,” which name has been extended to the city. On his return
to the boats he was accompanied by a large number of natives, who
appeared to be anxious to have him stay longer. He, however, embarked
the same evening, and on the 4th October, he reached his vessel, in
which he passed down the St. Lawrence, and rejoined his company at
Stadacona. As the season was far advanced Cartier made the bold resolve
to winter in the country. His party suffered much during the winter from
want of proper food and clothing, and in addition to this, they were all
attacked by the scurvy, twenty-six of whom died. The remainder soon
recovered their health by the use of a decoction of the spruce fir,
which had been recommended to them by an Indian. When spring returned
Cartier sailed for France, taking with him several of the natives, and
among them, Donacona, a chief. None of them ever returned, all dying
before the French again visited Canada. On his return to France, Cartier
found his native land distracted with religious dissensions, and it was
not until 1541, that he sailed with five vessels, and full power to make
discoveries and settlements in Canada. Jean François de la Rocque,
superior of Roberval, was appointed by the king viceroy and lieutenant
of Canada, and was to have accompanied Cartier, but through insuperable
obstacles he was unable to leave until the next year, when he left with
three vessels, having on board two hundred persons, male and female.
Cartier passed the winter at Cape Rouge, where he erected a fort, but
fearing the natives he resolved to return to France. On his way he fell
in with Roberval, at St. John’s, Newfoundland, but he refused to return
with him to Canada, and proceeded on his way to France, where he died
shortly after his return. Cartier manifested in all his expeditions
adventurous courage. No contemporary navigator had as yet dared to
advance so far into the lands of the new world as he. In his braving the
rigours of a Canadian winter, and shutting himself up for six months,
without means of escape, he gave a signal example of the intrepidity of
the mariners of his time and country. Of right therefore in every sense,
he heads the long file of visitors of inner North America.
* * * * *
=Young, Hon. Charles=, LL.D., Q.C., Judge of Surrogate and Probate,
Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, was born on the 30th of April,
1812, at Glasgow, Scotland, and is the younger brother of Sir William
Young, Chief Justice of Nova Scotia. The father of these illustrious men
was John Young, of Falkirk, Stirlingshire, Scotland, and subsequently of
Halifax, Nova Scotia. Judge Young received his early education in
Dalhousie College, Halifax, and studied law in the office of his
brother, Sir William Young, in that city. He was called to the bar of
Nova Scotia in 1838, and to the bar of Prince Edward Island the same
year. He practised his profession for a short time with his brothers,
Sir William and the Hon. George Young, now deceased; and on November
23rd, 1847, was created a Queen’s Counsel, being the first barrister in
Prince Edward Island on which this honour was conferred. Judge Young
entered public life a young man in 1840, where he was returned for
Queen’s County to the Island Assembly, and in December following, he was
appointed to the Legislative Council. In this latter body he accepted a
seat until 1863, ten years of which period he acted as president. He
filled the office of Attorney-General from 28th May, 1851 to the 2nd of
May, 1852; and from 26th June, 1858 to 11th April, 1859; and held the
commission under the Royal Sign Manual as administrator of the
Government of the Island for four years. Judge Young has the honour of
being the first public man who advocated the question of responsible
government for the Island, and he and his co-workers had the pleasure of
seeing this boon granted in 1851, together with other important reforms,
such as free schools, free lands for tenantry, savings banks, etc. He
received his appointment as judge of probate in 1852, and judge in
bankruptcy in 1868. On retiring from the latter position in March, 1875,
he was presented with the following address, which was signed by every
member of the bar in Prince Edward Island, viz:—
“_To His Honour Judge Young, LL.D., etc._
“SIR,—We, the undersigned barristers and attorneys, cannot
permit the opportunity to pass of your honour’s retiring from
the judgeship of the Insolvent Debtor’s Court—the jurisdiction
of which is now merged in another court by virtue of ‘The
Insolvent Act, 1875,’ of the Dominion of Canada—without
expressing our entire satisfaction at the manner in which you
presided over the meetings of the court; and at the same time
thanking you for your many courtesies extended to us during the
eight years Your Honour presided over said court.—(Signed), F.
Brecken, Attorney-General; W. W. Sullivan, Solicitor-General;
John Longworth, Q.C.; Charles Palmer, Q.C.; Charles Binns,
Richard Reddin, E. H. Haviland, Edward J. Hodgson, Louis H.
Davies, R. R. Fitzgerald, W. D. Haszard, Henry E. Wright,
Malcolm McLeod, Neil McLean.
“Charlottetown, P.E.I., March 29th, 1876.”
To which His Honour Judge Young replied:—
“GENTLEMEN,—Be pleased to accept my best thanks for the address
you have so unexpectedly presented, and be assured that I do
most highly value it on account of the expressions it contains
of your entire satisfaction with the manner in which I have
presided over the Insolvent Debtor’s Court for the last eight
years. Where I have always been treated with marked
consideration by yourselves, gentlemen, I could not do otherwise
than reciprocate the courtesies to which you kindly refer.
(Signed),
“CHARLES YOUNG.”
While Judge Young was practising at the bar, he had a large and
lucrative business, and was generally engaged on one side or the other
in most of the leading cases then before the courts. He was invariably
retained on behalf of those he was pleased to style the “Bleeding
tenantry of Prince Edward Island” against the landlords, and generally
succeeded in gaining a verdict in favour of his clients. He was always
the friend and advocate of the oppressed. It is pleasing to note here
that Judge Young has held no position which he has not adorned. In
office and out of office he has rendered great service to the community.
In 1838, a Mechanics’ Institute was established in Charlottetown, mainly
through his efforts, and he had the honour of delivering the
introductory lecture, which was afterwards published in the _Gazette_.
He has since 1845 taken a very deep interest in the cause of temperance,
and was Grand Worthy Patriarch of the Sons of Temperance of Prince
Edward Island several terms, and is a member of the National Division of
the Sons of Temperance of North America. He is also an active member of
the Methodist church, a local preacher, and a Bible-class teacher, and
fills several other important offices in that church. He was
instrumental in founding the second Methodist church in Charlottetown,
and is president of Prince Edward Island Auxiliary Bible Society. The
Judge is a thorough working Christian. The degree of LL.D. was conferred
upon him by the Newton (United States) University; and in 1858 he was
offered the honour of knighthood by Her Majesty, but respectfully
declined the royal gift. In Masonry he takes an interest, and belongs to
the Royal Arch Chapter. In 1838 Judge Young married Lucretia, daughter
of John Starr, of Halifax, Nova Scotia, and he and his wife, there being
no children, enjoy life in their beautiful home, “Fairholm,”
Charlottetown.
* * * * *
=Ussher, The Right Rev. Brandram Boileau,= M.D., Montreal, Bishop of the
Reformed Episcopal church in the Dominion of Canada and the Island of
Newfoundland, was born in the city of Dublin, Ireland, on the 6th day of
August, 1845. He is the youngest son of Captain Richard Beverly Ussher,
late of H. M. 86th Regt., and Henrietta Ussher (_née_ Boileau). On both
sides of the house his ancestors were most distinguished. Captain R. B.
Ussher was descended from Richard Neville, the great Earl of Warwick,
one of whose descendants (for political reasons took the name of the
office which he bore, viz., Usher of the Black Rod, thus retaining his
influential and lucrative position when the name of Neville had become
unpopular and the “Kingmaker’s” influence had waned,) subsequently
settled in Ireland. To distinguish the family name from the office, the
second letter, s, was added some eighty years ago. The subject of this
sketch is descended from a long line of churchmen. His great-grandfather
was rector of the parish of Clontarf, near Dublin, which was held in the
family from father to son for over one hundred and fifty years. The Rev.
John Ussher, afterwards Astronomer Royal for Ireland, was the last of
the family to hold the incumbency. His sons were Rear-Admiral Sir Thomas
Ussher, K.C.A., who figured in the history of the great Napoleon, taking
him to Elba in H.M.S. _Undaunted_. He died Naval Commander-in-Chief, at
Cork, Ireland, and lies buried in one of the vaults of Monkstown church,
County Dublin—his record was that of a gallant sailor. John Ussher, of
Woodpark, who left four sons, the youngest of whom, Richard Beverly, was
the father of Bishop Ussher, of Montreal. He is directly descended from
Archbishop Henry Ussher, one of the founders of Trinity College, Dublin,
whose brother Arland was the father of James Ussher (Trinity’s first
student, buried in Henry VII. Chapel in Westminster Abbey), the
celebrated Primate of Ireland, author of “Ussher’s Chronology,” etc.,
with whom the Duke of Wellington was also connected, owing to the fact
that Mary Ussher married Henry Colley, of Castle Carberry, who was the
mother of the first Lord Mornington, who was the grandfather of the Duke
of Wellington. The Venerable Archdeacon Adam Ussher, rector of Clontarf,
was the brother of the above named Mary Ussher and son of Sir William
Ussher, clerk of the Council. The Rectory of Clontarf descended to his
son Frederick, and from him to his son Henry Ussher, D.D., who held the
Andrew’s Professorship of Astronomy in Trinity College, Dublin, and from
him is directly descended Captain R. B. Ussher, the father of the Right
Rev. Bishop Ussher. Three hundred years ago two brothers of the name of
Ussher were driven from Ireland during one of the troubles, and settled
in the neighbourhood of Melrose, in Scotland, where they acquired
considerable lands, and amongst them the property of Huntley-burn, one
of the most celebrated spots on the Borders. The grandfather of the
present Thomas Ussher, of Edinburgh, for seventeen years secretary of
the Borders’ County Association for the Advancement of Education (and
out of which arose the celebration of the centenary of Sir Walter
Scott), sold to Sir Walter Scott the chief part of the estate of
Abbotsford (_vide_ “Lockhart’s Life of Scott”). By unbroken tradition
this branch claims kinship with Archbishop Ussher; and the Rev. W.
Neville Ussher, cousin of the above named Thomas Ussher, is a canon of
the Cathedral in Edinburgh. The Ussher family have had the honour of
having four distinguished church dignitaries; two Archbishops of Armagh;
one Bishop of Kildare (Robert Ussher); and Bishop B. B. Ussher, of
Montreal, who has at present five surviving brothers and two sisters as
follow:—Major-General John Theophilus Ussher, Beverly Ussher, Henry
Ussher, M.B., Rev. P. R. C. Ussher, a prominent minister in Australia;
and James Ussher, solicitor; Henrietta Buchanan and Arabella Madelina
Buchanan. On his mother’s side Bishop Ussher has an equally
distinguished ancestry, the Boileau family being one of the few that can
trace their genealogy back without a break for a period of over six
hundred years. The present Baron Boileau de Castleneau is the
seventeenth in descent from Etienne Boileau, who, born early in the
thirteenth century, was appointed by Louis IX., in the year 1255, Grand
Provost of Paris, at that period the highest officer of state. In 1371,
Jean Boileau was ennobled by Charles V. At the revocation of the Edict
of Nantes, A.D. 1685, Jacques Boileau, the 10th baron, was arrested as a
Protestant, tortured, and, after an imprisonment of ten and one-half
years, died in the prison of St. Jean de Vedas, one mile from
Montpellier, a noble martyr for the Protestant faith, having been
beheaded by order of the Duke de Nemours. His son, Charles Boileau, then
a youth, having taken refuge in England and having entered the British
Army, firm to his Protestant faith, formally renounced his rights and
titles to the honours and estates of the family which thereby devolved
on his younger brother Maurice, who became the eleventh Baron Boileau.
From that time the barony fell into the hands of the junior and Roman
Catholic branch of the family of which the present Baron Boileau de
Castleneau is now the representative. He holds, too, the ancient château
de Castleneau, six miles from Nimes, which has been for three and a half
centuries in the family to which it gives the present title of the
barony. Five of the Barons de Castleneau held in succession the office
of Royal Treasurer. Charles Boileau died in 1733, leaving three children
who had issue, whose grandchildren and more remote issue are now living
to the number of six hundred and fifty. The Right Rev. Bishop Ussher,
when a child, was sent from under the jurisdiction of a governess at a
very early age. At Delgany College, in the county Wicklow, the Rev. Dr.
Daniel Flyns, of Harcourt street, Dublin, and the Rugby of Ireland, the
Rev. Dr. Stackpools, of Kingstown, he received his education as a youth.
As a lad he was older than his years and sought the company of those
much his seniors, showing a decided _penchant_ for those given to study.
Thrown chiefly amongst medical students he followed the course of study
so closely with one companion, that he was almost as well fitted as he
to pass the examinations. At a little over sixteen years he secured the
diploma of the Royal Dublin Society, taking sixth place out of
seventy-three candidates. Owing to heavy financial losses, through the
dishonesty of associates, the father of young Ussher was unable to
permit him to continue his studies and the determination was formed to
visit the United States. The resolve was put into execution, and, in the
city of New York, mercantile life was entered upon; successful, though
not in harmony with it, it was abandoned after a year, and a visit
undertaken to Washington, where several of the United States’ army
hospitals were visited; the old medical love rekindled and much
practical knowledge gained in the treatment of surgical diseases and
gun-shot wounds. The resolve was then formed to adopt medicine as a
profession, and after pursuing his medical studies in the University of
Michigan, he finally received the degree of Doctor of Medicine in
Illinois, became a member of the State Medical Association, and was
ultimately elected a member of the National Eclectic Medical
Association. As a practitioner he was most successful, and as a citizen
highly esteemed in the city of Aurora, Illinois, where he practised for
over ten years. He was vigorously identified with the welfare of the
community, and at one time it seemed that he would enter into political
life, being offered the nomination by the Democratic party as a
candidate for the legislature. Politics, however, were too impure to
have any permanent attraction for him, and he devoted himself to his
professional duties and the interests of the Anglican Church, of which
he was a member. Set thinking by a sermon preached by the well-known
evangelist, Mr. Moody, the instructions of pious parents were revived,
and earnest Christian work entered upon with marked evidence of the
divine favour. Under the license of the Right Rev. Dr. Whitehouse, then
bishop of Illinois, he kept alive several mission fields and taught a
large Bible-class with great acceptability. It was then pressed upon him
that he should enter the ministry of the Anglican Church in the Diocese
of Illinois. Steadily the conviction of the need of entire consecration
to God’s service deepened; it was fought back, but the urging of Bishop
Whitehouse was strong, and as there was then little evidence of the
sacerdotalism that subsequently manifested itself, the course of study
was entered upon under the bishop’s direction. In time it became
apparent that the bishop of Illinois held strong High Church views. He
was a guest in Dr. Ussher’s house on the evening of the day of the
publication of Bishop Tozer’s letter condemning Bishop Cummins of
Kentucky, for partaking of and administering the communion of the Lord’s
Supper with Dr. John Hall, Drs. Arnot and Dorner, of the Presbyterian
church, and reading it with a sense of indignation, he (Dr. Ussher)
asked Bishop Whitehouse what he thought of such a letter, to which
Bishop Whitehouse replied in cold, severe tones, “I think Bishop Tozer
is perfectly right, and Bishop Cummins deserves the severest
condemnation.” Those words decided the mind of Dr. Ussher, and realizing
that as an Evangelical Protestant Churchman, he would be out of sympathy
with Bishop Whitehouse, he determined to abandon the idea of entering
the Anglican ministry. He felt, however, that his heart was so bound up
in the Episcopal Church, and his love for her liturgy was so great, that
he could not be at home in any other branch of Christ’s Church. At this
juncture the Right Rev. Bishop Cummins, D.D., took steps to organize the
Reformed Episcopal Church, which being made public, proved the open
door. Under the guidance of that distinguished Protestant prelate, he
pursued his studies and was ordained deacon in the city of Chicago, by
the Right Rev. Bishop Cheney, in Christ Church, June 9th, 1874, and
presbyter, July 16th, 1876, in Emmanuel Church, Ottawa, Ontario, by
Bishops Cheney, Nicholson, Cridge and Fallows. His pastorates in Canada
have been, one of three years in Toronto, during which was built the
church on the corner of Simcoe and Caer Howell streets, and his present
charge in St. Bartholomew’s, Montreal, over which he has been pastor
since 1878. For good and sufficient reasons he and his congregation
withdrew from the jurisdiction of the Reformed Episcopal Church in the
United States and united with the English branch of the Reformed
Episcopal Church under the Right Rev. T. H. Gregg, M.D., D.D., otherwise
called the Reformed Church of England. By the General Synod in England,
in the following year, the Rev. Dr. Ussher was elected to the
episcopate, but declined. Two years after he was elected again, the
Canadian Synod electing him as their bishop, and in 1882, on the 19th
day of June, he was consecrated in Trinity Church, Southend, by the
Right Rev. Bishop Gregg, and seven presbyters, as “a bishop in the
Church of God.” Returning to Canada he took charge of the Diocese of
Canada and Newfoundland. The bishop believing in benevolent societies as
handmaids to the church, has been a member of the Order of Oddfellows
since 1865, and has held the office of Grand Master of the Province of
Quebec; he has also been, and is at present, a member of the Order of
Knights of Pythias, in which he holds the rank of Past Grand Chancellor,
and has had the honour of being Supreme Representative for the State of
Illinois, and the authorship of one of the degrees in use by the order.
Bishop Ussher is a graceful and forcible writer and an eloquent speaker,
and poet of acknowledged merit. In his religious views he is an old-time
Evangelical believer, pronounced in his Protestant views, in fact, a
_keeper in the old paths_, for which reason he is ecclesiastically where
he is to-day. On the 16th day of July, 1867, he was married by the Rev.
Dr. Kelly, in the city of Chicago, to Elizabeth Leonora Thompson, third
daughter of the Rev. Skeffington Thompson, of Broomfield, near Lucan, in
the county of Dublin, Ireland, and Elizabeth Margaret D’Arcy. The father
of Mrs. Ussher, the Rev. Skeffington Thompson, is the thirteenth child
of the late Skeffington Thompson, of Rathnally, county of Meath, by Anna
Maria Carter, only child and heiress of Thomas Carter, of Rathnally,
county Meath. Skeffington Thompson the elder was an unsuccessful
candidate in the last Irish Parliament against the Duke of Wellington
for the borough of Trim, both candidates being neighbours in the same
county, Dangan Castle, the Wellesley seat, being near Trim. The family
of Thompson, according to Burke, descended from the Thompsons of Barton,
Cumberland, a branch of which settled about the 16th century in the
county of Hertford, England. The Irish branch are descended from those
who crossed over to Ulster when that province was first taken in hand by
King James, and engaging in the prosperous linen trade made large
fortunes. Mrs. Ussher’s family history on the male side is interesting,
as leading back to the famous Thomas Carter, who took so active a part
in the Irish revolution, ending with the battle of the Boyne, 1690. This
Thomas Carter was sergeant-at-arms, a partisan of King William III. at
the siege of Derry, and battle of the Boyne. He was, as Burke, Ulster
King of Arms, says “_a gentleman whose services to his country at the
revolution were very considerable, for he not only served King William
at the battle of the Boyne (July 1st, 1690), but secured divers useful
books and writings belonging to King James and his secretaries_.” These
documents he secreted in the vaults of Christ’s Church Cathedral,
Dublin, until after the disturbances. He married for his second wife,
the Countess of Roscommon, widow of Wentworth Dillon, the poet, who was
publicly buried in Westminster Abbey. By her he had no family, but his
only son Thomas became Master of the Irish Rolls, for twenty-four years,
Privy Councillor, and Secretary of State. This Right Hon. Thomas Carter
had two sons and three daughters, from the eldest of whom Mrs. Ussher is
descended. The eldest sister of this Thomas Carter married Doctor Philip
Twysden, bishop of Raphoe, and son of Sir William Twysden, baronet, of
Roydon Hall, Kent. The issue of this marriage, Frances, married George
Bussey, fourth Earl of Jersey and first cousin to Anna Maria Carter,
Mrs. Ussher’s grandmother. This latter alliance resulted in the birth of
two sons and six daughters, her eldest son being George, fifth Earl of
Jersey, and the daughters became Ladies William Russell, Ann Lambton,
Sarah Bailey, Lady Ponsonby, Lady Henrietta, who married the bishop of
Oxford, and Lady Anglesey, wife of the Marquis of Anglesey, a hero of
Waterloo, and for her second husband the Duke of Argyll, which Duchess
of Argyll was cousin german to Mrs. Skeffington Thompson, Mrs. Ussher’s
paternal grandmother. The Right Hon. Thomas Carter’s second daughter,
Susan, married Thomas Carter, of Duleek Park and Castle, county Louth,
and her grand-daughter, Elizabeth, became Marchioness of Thomond by
entering the family of William O’Bryen, descendant from Brien Boroimhe,
King of Ireland, and whose line was continued by the King of Munster and
of Thomond to the reign of Henry VIII., King of England (see Sharpe’s
Peerage). Mrs. Ussher’s family history on the female side is even more
interesting. Her mother was Elizabeth Margaret, eldest daughter of the
Rev. Joshua D’Arcy, Rector of Lacka, county Kildare. This D’Arcy family
came to Ireland early in the 14th century and settled at Platten in the
county Meath. In a book “Maynooth Castle,” written by the present Duke
of Leinster when Marquis of Kildare, on page 5, we read, “Sir John
D’Arcy, Lord Justice of Ireland, married the Countess Johanna de Burgh,
daughter to the Red Earl of Ulster, and sister to Ellen, wife of Robert
Bruce, King of Scotland. They had a son, William, born at Maynooth, in
1330, from whom the present family of D’Arcy are lineally descended, and
are represented by George James Norman D’Arcy, of Hyde Park, county
Westmeath (see Burke’s “Landed Gentry”, also Walford’s “County
Families”), the worthy head of both English and Irish families and
representative of twenty-eight peerages of Great Britain.” The Irish
D’Arcys were governors of Ireland in the reign of the three Edwards,
with extraordinary privileges, the power to appoint a deputy, which as
Fynes Thompson remarks, neither before nor after was granted to any but
some few of the royal blood (and which he exercised on two several
occasions). A descendant, Sir William D’Arcy of Platten (or Platyn) was
the person who carried Lambert Simnel on his shoulders through Dublin
after he had been crowned in Christ Church Cathedral, for which he was
obliged to do homage to his viceroy, in 1488. This Sir William D’Arcy’s
descendant, Vice-Treasurer of Ireland, in 1523, was the author of a work
entitled, “The Decay of Ireland and the causes of it,” the MS. of which
is now in the library of Trinity College, Dublin. It is quite beyond the
limit of this sketch to give a full history of a family dating back to
their ancient seat in Arcques, in Normandy, whence they came to England
with the Conqueror, into whose family they had married previously—then
settled in Lincolnshire and are given _in extenso_ in Burke’s “Extinct
Peerages.” The Yorkshire histories contain a full pedigree of about
twenty-five generations, and the English and Irish pedigree illuminated
by Camden, the historian, and author of the “Brittania,” dating from
1066 to 1617, is in the possession of the present head of the D’Arcy
house, Mrs. Ussher’s cousin. This history says, that Nicholas D’Arcy, of
Platyn, espoused the cause of King James II., and was a captain in his
army. He was consequently attained in 1690, and his estates were
forfeited and sold in 1691; his only son Christopher, dying unmarried,
George D’Arcy, the surviving lineal heir, male, succeeded to the family
headship. This George D’Arcy entertained James the Second in his Castle
of Dunmow the night after the battle of the Boyne, and King William was
his guest previous to the battle. King James in his hurried departure
next morning forgot his pistol which yet remains in the D’Arcy family.
It is related of him that on the occasion he repeated the following
couplet:
“Who will be king I do not know,
But I’ll be D’Arcy of Dunmow.”
He was declared an innocent Papist in 1693, and died in full possession
of his estates in Meath and Westmeath, in 1718. His descendant John
D’Arcy, born 1700, married, 1727, and was the first of the family to
conform to the Protestant faith, which took place before his marriage
with Miss Judge, of Grangebey, county Westmeath. He died in 1785,
leaving four sons, Judge, Francis, Arthur, and James. Francis D’Arcy, on
the death of his brother, Judge D’Arcy, became heir male of Sir William
D’Arcy, of Platyn, second son of Lord D’Arcy, viceroy of Ireland. On the
death of Robert D’Arcy, fourth Earl of Holderness, in Yorkshire, 1778,
heir male of John D’Arcy and Norman D’Arcy. Francis D’Arcy died in 1813,
without issue, and his youngest brother James D’Arcy, who alone had sons
and daughters, thus continued the line—his eldest son, John, claimed
the older D’Arcy baronies, held by the last Earl of Holderness, and this
claim after trial was established. But it appears that as Robert D’Arcy,
fourth Earl of Holderness, left an only child, Lady Amelia, who married
the Marquis of Carmarthan, afterwards fifth Duke of Leeds, thus carrying
off the Yorkshire estates into the Osborn family, the title has not been
resumed by the present family. James D’Arcy, born in 1740, had three
sons, John, born 1767, Joshua, the grandfather of Mrs. Ussher, and
Thomas, who was a major in the army, and at his death, Inspector General
of Police, in Ulster. It is interesting to know that the marriage of
Lady Amelia D’Arcy, Baroness Conyers in her own right, was dissolved by
Act of Parliament in May, 1779, after the birth of three children, and
both parties remarried the following year, the Lady Amelia marrying John
Byron, father of the poet, Lord Byron (she died January 20th, 1784,
Dodd’s Peerage, Genealogical Volume and Plates of Arms, page 5). The
foregoing is a very condensed account, necessarily, of Mrs. Ussher’s
family history. A more extended history involving, as it would, the
introduction of many other distinguished families in every department of
the state, and covering many professions, literary, scientific, military
and naval, we must ask our readers to spare us. Reference to the usual
standard histories, genealogies and heralds of Great Britain, would
confirm the above. It must be remembered that all the history of the
English D’Arcys, dating from 1066, their possession of thirty-three
baronies in Lincolnshire and Yorkshire, their active part with the other
barons in extracting Magna Charta from King John, their subsequent
prominent part in the state during every reign down to that of George
III., the _Pilgrimage of Grace_, these and many other matters have been
omitted, but what has been said will suffice to show whence we have
come, and we trust that the present and future will verify the wise
man’s saying (Prov. xvii, 6.) in the history of Mrs. Ussher, that if
“Children’s children are the crown of old men, the glory of children are
their father’s.” The following are the surviving children of Bishop and
Mrs. Ussher:—Sydney Lahmire Neville Ussher, Clarence Douglas Ussher,
Charles Edward Cheney Ussher, George Richard Beardmore Ussher, Elizabeth
Henrietta Ussher, Warwick Wellesley Ussher.
* * * * *
=Bayard, William=, M.D., Edin., St. John, New Brunswick, was born in
Kentville, Nova Scotia, on the 21st day of August, 1814. The ancestors
of our subject were Huguenots, and directly connected with the family,
represented by the famous knight, “sans peur et sans reproche,” whose
coat of arms is carried by them to this day. Having been driven from
France, they landed in New Amsterdam, now New York, in the month of May,
1647. There were three brothers, Petrus, Balthazer and Nicholas; one
remained in New York, and became one of the most prominent men in that
city; one went to Baltimore and his branch gave senators to that city
for the last hundred years, among them the present United States
Secretary; and the other one went to England, giving numerous soldiers
of distinction to that country, among them Colonel Samuel Vetch Bayard
and Colonel John Bayard, brothers. Colonel Samuel Vetch Bayard had three
sons; one a captain in the army, was killed at the battle of Waterloo;
one a captain in the English navy, was murdered at Fordham, near New
York city; and the third son, Robert, the father of our subject, was a
lieutenant in the British army at the age of thirteen years, and was
allowed to proceed with his studies at Windsor, Nova Scotia, while his
father’s regiment was stationed at Halifax, N.S. He left the army and
graduated in medicine at the University of Edinburgh in 1809, was a D.
C. L. of Windsor College, N.S., and for three years professor of
Obstetrics in the University of New York. When the war of 1812 was
declared against Great Britain, he was required to take the oath of
allegiance or leave the country. He chose the latter course, found his
way to Portland, Maine, left that city in an open boat, and arrived in
the city of St. John, N.B., in the month of May, 1813. From that city he
went to Halifax, N.S., and there married Frances Catherine Robertson,
daughter of Commissary Robertson, who was killed in the Colonial war
which commenced in 1775. Her grandfather was Colonel John Billop, who
owned a large part of Staten Island, near New York, and being a
Loyalist, his property was confiscated. He died in the city of St. John.
Dr. Robert Bayard practised his profession in Kentville, N.S., for
several years, and in 1824 removed to St. John, N.B., where he died in
June, 1868 at the advanced age of eighty-one years. He stood at the head
of his profession, and was a fluent speaker and an able writer. His son,
Dr. W. Bayard, when twelve years of age, was sent to a popular
educational institution, conducted by the Rev. William Powell, at
Fordham, near New York city, where he remained five years. He then
entered as a private student with Dr. Valentine Mott, the eminent
surgeon of New York, at the same time attending the medical lectures at
the College. While in Dr. Mott’s office he took high honours for
proficiency in anatomy. The next year he matriculated at the University
of Edinburgh, from which institution he received the degree of doctor in
medicine in 1837. He then walked the hospitals in Paris, and visited
many in Germany, and on returning to St. John, practised in company with
his father. He has since that time frequently visited the hospitals in
England, France and Germany. “His reputation for skill has,” says a
writer who has noted this gentleman’s career “almost from the start,
stood high, and of his profession he has made a brilliant success. He
has been greatly honoured, alike by the medical fraternity and his
fellow citizens generally, and it is safe to say, that no man in his
profession, in the Province, is held in higher esteem. There is not a
city or large town in the Province of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia or
Prince Edward Island, to which he has not been called upon professional
business.” It may be said that the general public hospital in the city
of St. John owes its existence to the energy and perseverance of Dr.
Bayard. Prior to 1858 he brought the subject prominently before the
authorities, but no action was taken. He then endeavoured to obtain
money to build one by subscription, but finding that many of the most
wealthy men in the city refused to subscribe, he abandoned the idea, and
employed and paid a lawyer to draft an Act to assess the community for
the purpose. This bill he placed before the Legislature of the Province,
and with the assistance of Sir Leonard Tilley, Judge the Hon. John H.
Gray and other members of the House, got the bill passed granting power
to raise the funds required for the building, and the support of it. He
has been President of the Board of Commissioners since its establishment
in 1860. He is chairman of the Board of Health for the city and county
of St. John, having been appointed by the Government in 1855 to carry
out the Sanitary Act passed in that year. He was elected President of
the New Brunswick Medical Society for four years in succession,
resigning the situation in 1881. He was elected President of the Council
of Physicians and Surgeons of New Brunswick in 1881, and resigned the
situation in 1885, not feeling justified in assuming the responsibility
of carrying out the Act, the Legislature having declined to pass
amendments to it required. He was appointed Coroner for the city and
county of St. John in 1839, resigning the situation in 1867. During his
tenure of office, there was but one coroner, now there are six with very
small increase of population. The above situations were unsolicited. Dr.
Bayard was at one time the New Brunswick editor of the _Montreal Medical
and Surgical Journal_, in which many interesting articles from his pen
may be found. The arduous duties of his profession compelled him to give
up the work. “He is regarded as a high authority on any branch of
medical science which he sees fit to discuss.” His address to the
Medical Society upon the “use and abuse of alcoholic drinks,” and his
lecture at the Mechanics’ Institute in St. John upon the “Progress of
Medicine, Surgery and Hygiene during the last one hundred years,” has
received high commendation. His politics are liberal-conservative. He is
a member of Trinity Episcopal church, and an exemplary man in all the
walks of life. The wife of Dr. Bayard was Susan Maria Wilson, daughter
of John Wilson, Esq., of Chamcook, near St. Andrew’s, in his day a large
ship owner and merchant, and one of the most enterprising men in the
county. It may be said that the St. Andrew’s and Woodstock railway owes
its origin to his energy. It was from him that Dr. Bayard received the
first telegram ever sent to St. John, as follows:—“To Dr. W. Bayard,
April 30th, 1851. Being the first subscriber to the Electric Telegraph
Company, I am honoured by the first communication to your city,
announcing this great and wonderful work God has made known to man, by
giving him control of his lightning. Signed, John Wilson.” Dr. Bayard
was married in the year 1844, and his wife died in the year 1876,
leaving no children. She was a woman of ability and fine social
qualities, always happiest when she had a house full of friends, and was
a splendid entertainer. She had wonderful energy as shown in attending
to the details of domestic life, in looking after the poor and
unfortunate, and in visiting the Home for Aged Women, the Protestant
Orphan Asylum, etc., etc. She was truly an angel of mercy, and her death
was nothing short of a calamity to the city. Dr. Bayard has not again
married.
* * * * *
=Stevens, Rev. Lorenzo Gorham=, A.M., B.D., Portland, St. John, was born
in Bedford, Mass., U.S.A., on 26th December, 1846, and is the eldest son
of Lorenzo Dow Stevens and Mary Gorham Parsons Stevens. His grandparents
on his father’s side were Abel Stevens, whose nephew, Abel Stevens,
D.D., LL.D., is one of the leading divines of the Methodist Episcopal
church in the United States; and Hadassa Mills, whose brother, Luther
Mills, was a distinguished graduate of Harvard University, in the class
of 1792. His father’s cousin, Edward Lewis Stevens, a graduate of
Harvard, of the class of 1863, and afterwards first lieutenant in the
44th Mass. Volunteer Militia, was killed at Boykin’s Mills, near Camden,
S.C., April 18th, 1865. His grandfather on his mother’s side was Wilhelm
Edlund, ship owner and merchant, born in Stockholm, Sweden. The brother
of this gentleman was private secretary to Gustavus III. His grandfather
left no male issue, and the name, so far as can be learned, is now
extinct in America. His grandmother, on his mother’s side, was Abigail
Hodges, daughter of Abigail Davis, who was cousin of Chief Justice
Parsons, of Massachusetts, and whose brother, Aaron Davis, served at the
battle of Bunker Hill, under Gen. Warren, and received a musket ball in
his thigh at the time. His mother’s grandfather, Joseph Davis, after the
early death of his wife Abigail, married Christina Greene, niece of Gen.
Greene, one of the Division Commanders under Gen. Washington. After
leaving the Francis St. grammar school, Boston, Lorenzo Gorham Stevens
entered the (Roxbury) Latin School, professor Buck, principal, where he
remained five years, graduating July, 1865. He then entered Harvard
University, and remained four years, graduating in the class of 1869.
His favourite studies in the college were the languages, history and
mental and moral philosophy. The year following his graduation he was
principal of the English department of the German-American School, in
Morrisania, New York. In September, 1870, he entered the Episcopal
Theological Seminary, Cambridge, Mass., and remained one year. The years
1872 and 1873 he spent in foreign travel, at the same time prosecuting
his theological studies. While in Berlin he attended at the University
the lectures of the celebrated Dr. Dörner. Mr. Stevens travelled as far
east as St. Petersburg, and as far north as Upsala, Sweden. After a most
enjoyable tour in which sight-seeing and study were about equally
combined, he returned to the Cambridge Seminary, and graduated June,
1874. His diaconate he spent in Massachusetts, preaching in several
places. In September, 1875, he became rector of Trinity Church, St.
Stephen, N.B., and in January of the following year, was admitted to the
order of priesthood in the cathedral, Fredericton, by Bishop Medley, now
Metropolitan. He served as rector of Trinity church three years. On
November, 1878, he entered upon the rectorship of St. Luke’s church,
Portland, St. John, a position he still holds. Rev. Mr. Stevens was
chaplain of the Sussex Lodge, F. and A. M. (St. Stephen), and has acted
as chaplain for other lodges at various times. On August, 30, 1881 he
was married to Susan Lynds, only surviving child of Dr. John Waddell,
superintendent for twenty-seven years of the Provincial Lunatic Asylum,
St. John. (A sketch of his life will be found elsewhere in this book.)
Of this marriage two children have been born, Henry Waddell, March 24,
1883, and Edlund Archibald, August 23, 1885.
* * * * *
=Klotz, Otto=, Preston, Ontario, is a native of Germany, having been
born in the city of Kiel, on the shores of the Baltic sea, on the 25th
of November, 1817. His father, Jacob Klotz, was the junior of the firm
of Klotz & Son of that place. After the death of the senior member, the
firm was continued for many years, first by Jacob Klotz, and
subsequently by his younger brother, Christian Klotz, their business
being chiefly the purchase of grain and shipping it to England. Otto
Klotz received his primary education at a public school in his native
place, but was subsequently educated in Luebeck; after having passed his
final examination creditably, he was confirmed in conformity with the
rites of the Lutheran Church at Kiel, and thereupon apprenticed to a
wine merchant in Luebeck, where, in addition to his mother-tongue, he
had ample opportunity of making use of French and English, which
languages he had by this time fairly mastered. At the expiration of his
apprenticeship, he returned home. In the spring of 1837, his uncle,
Christian Klotz, under the old firm of Klotz & Son, sent on speculation
a cargo of wheat to America (the crops having failed in 1836), and young
Otto Klotz was permitted to make a trip to the new world in his uncle’s
brig, laden with wheat. The requisite arrangements for that voyage were
soon made, and since neither himself nor his relations and friends
considered the departure as being of long duration, but rather a
pleasure trip, the farewell at the wharf was neither gloomy nor sombre,
although his father had advised him to inquire for a good situation, and
if found to stay for a few years, and then return with a good store of
general knowledge, as many young men of the town had done before him. On
the 27th of March, 1837, the anchor was weighed, the sails set, and the
_Friedericke_, heavily laden with wheat, sailed out of Kiel harbour with
young Klotz on board. The voyage was completed in seventy-nine long
days, and on the 14th of June, anchor was cast in the East River, at New
York. On arrival it was found that the wheat was heated, and the market
overstocked, hence the speculation was a failure. Otto Klotz found to
his regret that owing to great depression in business and the numerous
failures, he could not procure a situation in New York. He visited
Newark, New Jersey, and there met a German farmer from Canada, who
proposed to him the taking up of wild land and going into farming. The
novelty of this proposal appeared to have some charm and was really
entered upon. Writing to his father informing him of his resolution, he
handed the letter to the captain of his uncle’s brig, bade him farewell,
and left for Canada. Arrived in the township of McKillop, in the Huron
Tract, he endeavoured to learn what was required in order to become a
successful farmer, and soon ascertained that for a young man standing
alone without relations or friends and without any knowledge of farming,
it would be unwise to take up land and “roughing it in the bush;”
however he stayed about two months, during which time he acquired
considerable proficiency in the use of the axe, helping to chop and put
up log houses in the neighbourhood. He left McKillop in October, 1837,
and went to Preston, which place was then all alive with new settlers
from Germany. He engaged for some time as clerk in a store, and thinking
he saw a good opportunity, he started in business on his own account in
February, 1838, using his father’s letter of credit in the purchase of
his first stock of goods. In 1839, he married the daughter of a farmer
of the township of Wilmot. This marriage proved to be a happy one, his
good wife being an excellent helpmate, a good housewife, a dutiful
mother and an exemplary spouse. Shortly after young Klotz had settled in
Preston, he became acquainted with an old English gentleman, William
Scollick, who was a surveyor, conveyancer and a commissioner of the
Court of Request, and who took a particular fancy to him and his
penmanship. He advised him to learn conveyancing, and promised to
instruct him therein. This kind offer was readily accepted; the pupil
employed his spare moments in studying to perfect himself, became an apt
scholar, and after the death of old Mr. Scollick, became his successor
as conveyancer, a business which proved no mean help for improving his
pecuniary circumstances. Mr. Klotz was made a naturalized British
subject in 1844, was appointed a notary public in 1846, a commissioner
for taking affidavits in 1848, a clerk of the Division Court in 1848,
and a justice of the peace in 1853. For a long term of years, he was
director of the County Agricultural Society, and once its president. Of
the Preston Mechanics’ Institute and Horticultural Society he has been
president from the establishment of the same. Of the Executive Committee
of the Association of Mechanics’ Institutes for Ontario, he was a member
for twelve years, during six of which its vice-president and for two
years its president, and by virtue of these offices a member of the
Agricultural Council of Ontario. But the office which he has occupied
longest and in which he has worked with greater energy than in any
other, is that of School Trustee. When in 1841, the Public Schools Act
became law, he was elected one of the School Commissioners in the
township (the title was subsequently changed to School Trustee); at the
expiration of his term he was re-elected, and has been so re-elected
ever since. A good stone school building with a teacher as good as in
those days could be obtained was the result of his early work in the
cause of education. He next succeeded in getting permission from the
District Council to have all property in the Preston school section
taxed for a free school, and that school has been free ever since,
although in former years it was optional with the rate-payers whether
their school should be free or supported by a rate bill per pupil
attending school. After Preston became incorporated, he was appointed
local superintendent of schools, and in that capacity he was seventeen
years a member of the County Board of Examiners of Teachers. The
scarcity of good teachers was often severely felt, while at present they
are plentiful, and Mr. Klotz obtained permission for German teachers to
be examined in German, and he had charge of preparing the questions for
such examinations. At the insistance of several teachers, he prepared
and published a German grammar for use of German pupils and others
studying German. In 1853, he agitated a public examination of all the
schools in the county; in this move he was ably assisted by the late Dr.
Scott, who was then the warden of the county. The county council granted
$100 for the purchase of prizes to be distributed among the successful
competitors, and appointed Mr. Klotz to make the requisite arrangements,
which were successfully carried out. In 1865, Mr. Klotz, assisted by two
of the teachers of the Preston school, prepared an _exposé_ of “The
Irish National Readers,” which at that time were the authorized readers
for the common schools. In that _exposé_ the writer criticised the
spelling, grammatical construction, historical blunders, unsuitable
words and expressions for children, unfitness of the books for Canadian
schools, and the entire absence therein of any article which might tend
to cultivate in the minds of the pupils a patriotic feeling. A lengthy
and animated correspondence between the chief superintendent, the Rev.
Dr. Ryerson, and Mr. Klotz was the result; but notwithstanding the same,
Mr. Klotz had the gratification of seeing “The Irish National Readers”
superseded by a Canadian series of Readers. As president of the
Mechanics’ Institute, Mr. Klotz has been indefatigable in providing for
the inhabitants of Preston and neighbourhood a large library of well
selected books, numbering in 1886 4,000 volumes, of which 2,800 are
English, and 1,200 German. In politics Mr. Klotz commenced as early as
1838, then hardly a year in Canada, to take an active part, having been
required to shoulder a gun and to stand guard at the Grand River bridge,
upon a report that a band of rebels under lead of one Duncan, was coming
from London to invade Waterloo, which, however, afterwards proved a
false report. He concluded that if, though yet an alien, he was required
to risk his life in defence of Canada, he would claim it as a right to
speak and vote upon political questions. Shortly after the Earl of
Durham’s Report had been published, mass meetings were held in several
parts of Upper Canada to discuss the same; and Mr. Klotz was one of
thirty-six men, mostly old settlers of Waterloo county, who by
hand-bills called a public meeting to be held at Preston, on the 10th
day of August, “to take into consideration the deplorable state of the
province of Upper Canada, and to express their opinion thereon, in
concurrence with the great county meeting lately held at Dundas, upon
the glorious report of the Earl of Durham.” One of those handbills is
still preserved by Mr. Klotz as a relic of his younger days. The first
parliamentary election which came on was held at Guelph, and Mr. Klotz
went there to vote. A scrutineer, the late Colonel Hodgins, asked him:
“How long are you in this country, sir?” The answer was given with
firmness: “Not quite ten years, sir;” the response was: “Oh, that will
do; for whom do you vote?” “for Mr. James Durand, sir,” said Mr. Klotz
and left the polling place. Mr. Durand was afterwards declared elected.
After responsible government had been granted to the people of Canada,
and the political party which adopted the name “Conservatives” had been
formed, Mr. Klotz joined that party, and he has ever since supported it
with all his energy. He held for a number of years the office of
secretary of that party in his electoral division, and in later years
that of president of the same. For the celebration of the Peace Jubilee,
held at the county town, Berlin, shortly after the Franco-German war, he
was elected president of the German societies, and as such he delivered
on May 2nd, 1871, in front of the Court House, to an audience of several
thousands, the Peace Jubilee address; and subsequently at the town of
Waterloo, on the occasion of the first “German Saenger Fest” in Ontario,
being held there, he delivered to an overcrowded house at the
Agricultural Hall, the address in German and also in English. The old
Alien Act requiring a residence of seven years before a foreigner could
become a naturalized subject, was felt by many Germans to be too long a
period of probation, especially since it only required five years’
residence in the United States to become a citizen there. Accordingly
Mr. Klotz agitated the matter through the medium of the public press,
and by letters to members of Parliament and to the government. In this
he was ably assisted by other Germans, and their united efforts were
crowned with success, the seven years being first reduced to five, and
later to three years’ residence. An attempt was made by him to induce
the British government to extend the privileges of a person naturalized
in Canada, over the whole British empire; but in this attempt he failed,
although his arguments upon that subject had been kindly forwarded to
the British government, by His Excellency the Governor-General. It
appeared that the reasons for refusal were not on account of Canada, but
of such of the numerous British possessions which still number among its
inhabitants a large body of semi-civilized peoples, through whom serious
difficulties might arise, if such colonies were also to apply and obtain
the like privileges which were asked for Canada. Among the Masonic
fraternity, the name of Otto Klotz has become a household word. He
became a member of the same in 1846, and has ever since been an active
and energetic worker of the Mystic tie. He is an old member of the Grand
Lodge and served without interruption as a member of the Board of
General Purposes since 1864. He made the subject of Benevolence his
special study, and the present system of distributing aid, and of
regulating grants is his work; in acknowledgment of which, the Grand
Lodge presented him in 1873 with a handsome testimonial. He continued
his noble work with unabated energy, adding from time to time
improvements suggested by experience, and in 1885, after twenty-one
consecutive years as chairman of the Committee on Benevolence, the Grand
Lodge conferred upon him the highest honour, by unanimously electing him
a Past Grand Master, and voting for the purchase of a handsome and
costly Grand Master’s regalia, which, with an elaborate address
beautifully engraved, were presented to him at a later day at his mother
lodge, the old Barton, No. 6, in the city of Hamilton, in presence of
one of the largest gatherings of the fraternity ever assembled there.
Besides this great honour conferred upon him, and the many fraternal
greetings and tributes paid him on that occasion by the brethren
assembled, he had the additional pleasure of the presence of three of
his sons, two of whom as Past Masters of Preston lodge, and the youngest
as Master of the Lodge of Strict Observance, in Hamilton; and the
gratification of a most cordial and fraternal reception of them by the
brethren assembled, as worthy sons of a worthy father. The family of Mr.
Klotz and his good wife consists of four sons and two daughters, of whom
three sons and one daughter are married and have families, while the
eldest son and youngest daughter have remained single. They are all
living in comfortable circumstances, highly respected by all who know
them, and the just pride of their aged parents. A family gathering which
occurs once a year is always accompanied by those genuine pleasures
which are in store for a happy family in which strife and bickerings are
unknown quantities. At one of these gatherings the unanimous wish of Mr.
Klotz’s children was expressed that he should retire from business, and
spend with his good wife the remaining years of his life in rest and
comfort. Arrangements were made accordingly, and in 1881, he retired
from business, since which time he has been living on his income, with
his wife and unmarried daughter in a commodious dwelling, enjoying that
repose and comfort which is the just reward of honest industry.
* * * * *
=Waddell, John=, M.D. The late Dr. Waddell, of St. John, New Brunswick,
was the son of the Rev. John Waddell, a native of Shotts, Scotland. The
latter was educated at Glasgow, and came to Nova Scotia in 1797, and
became pastor of the Presbyterian church of Truro. He was married in
1802 to a daughter of Jotham Blanchard (a loyalist from Massachusetts,
and a colonel in one of the loyalist regiments). The Rev. Mr. Waddell
officiated on the occasion of the opening of the old St. Andrew’s Kirk,
in St. John, N.B. (destroyed by the great fire), having delivered the
first sermon in the church in which his son, the subject of this sketch,
fifty years afterwards became a prominent and influential elder. Dr.
Waddell was born in Truro, Nova Scotia, on the 17th of March, 1810. When
quite a boy, his mother died. After attending the Grammar school at
Truro, kept by Mr. James Irving, he entered the Pictou Academy, under
the presidency of Dr. McCulloch (the able Biblical controversialist,
whose discussions with Bishop Burke, of Halifax, made his name famous
throughout Nova Scotia). After leaving the academy, he went into
mercantile business in his native town, and so continued until the
autumn of 1833, when he commenced the study of medicine under Dr. Lynds.
He next proceeded to Glasgow, Scotland, where he pursued his studies
with untiring assiduity, and received his diploma, October 18th, 1839,
from the Royal College of Surgeons, London. He then went to Paris, and
continued there two years, attending the medical lectures given by some
of the most scientific men of the French capital. On his return to Nova
Scotia, in 1840, he commenced the practice of medicine in Truro. The
same year he married Susan, the only daughter of his first medical
teacher, Dr. Lynds. The following year she died. Five years afterwards
he married Jane Walker Blanchard, daughter of Edward Blanchard, of
Truro. In 1849, Dr. Waddell was appointed by His Excellency, Sir Edmund
Head, to the situation of medical superintendent of the New Brunswick
Lunatic Asylum, a position whose arduous and multifarious duties he
discharged with signal success, until his retirement in the spring of
1876, a period of twenty-seven years. When he took charge of the asylum,
at the age of thirty-nine, he was the very personification of vigorous
health. He was tall and finely proportioned. Humanly speaking there was
in him the promise of the attainment of a life of four score years and
more. He sprang from a long-lived race. His step was elastic and his
form erect; his mind was buoyant and full of love for the work he had
but just undertaken. By his kind and gentlemanly manner, he was
singularly capable of dealing with those unfortunates who required so
much of paternal care and solicitude. And yet, with this urbanity and
goodness, there was firmness of character, so much required by the rules
of discipline, which never failed to exact obedience, but it was the
obedience of a child to a parent. When Dr. Waddell assumed the duties of
his office, there were but eighty patients in the establishment, which
number gradually increased until the figures reached, at the time of his
retirement, three hundred, besides about fifty domestics. With every
successive year, from 1849, there was a steady increase of work—work of
the most sorrowful description—and with it a corresponding amount of
care, anxiety and responsibility. And yet, Dr. Waddell worked on, day
after day, in the same unwearied round for twenty-seven years, devoting
the flower of his days, his vigour, his manhood to a task which led
ultimately to the destruction of a once powerful constitution. At the
earnest request of his family—whose members had always been closely
knit and compacted together by the most tender cords of affection—he
retired from the asylum in the spring of 1876, under the expectation
that with rest and freedom from care and anxiety, he would be enabled to
take a new lease of life. But instead of that repose for which
retirement was sought, it was found that a change from an active to a
passive life was more than his shattered constitution could withstand.
The day he laid down his staff and turned his back upon the asylum he
loved so well and served so faithfully, that day Dr. Waddell’s work upon
earth was ended. Bowed down with the infirmities of a premature old age,
he lingered till August 29th, 1878, when he passed away at the age of
sixty-eight. Probably no man in the province of New Brunswick was better
or more generally known than Dr. Waddell, and there are few whose name
and works will be held in more grateful remembrance by its inhabitants.
His only surviving child, Susan Lynds (by his second marriage), was
married August 30th, 1881, to the Rev. Lorenzo Gorham Stevens, rector of
St. Luke’s Church, Portland, St. John, N.B., a sketch of whose life will
be found elsewhere.
* * * * *
=MacVicar, Rev. Malcolm=, Ph.D., LL.D., Professor of Apologetics and
Christian Ethics, McMaster Hall (Baptist College), Toronto, was born on
the 30th September, 1829, in Argyleshire, Scotland. His father, John
MacVicar, was a farmer in Dunglass, near Campbeltown, Kintyre, Scotland,
and was known as a man of great physical and intellectual vigour, and
was well known in his native Scotland and the land of his adoption,
Canada, for his ability, generosity and sterling integrity. His wife,
Janet MacTavish, possessed a similar character, and reached the age of
ninety-two years before she died, having seen her children’s children in
positions of usefulness and influence. Malcolm, the subject of this
sketch, was one of twelve children, and came with his parents to Canada
in 1835, and settled on a farm at Chatham, Ontario. His early years were
spent at first on a farm, then at Cleveland, Ohio, where he learned the
trade of ship carpenter. Being ambitious and anxious to get on, he
decided to secure an education, and along with his brother Donald, now
Principal of the Presbyterian College in Montreal, went to Toronto, in
1850, and entered Knox College to study for the Presbyterian Ministry,
where he remained for two years. In the meantime his views of doctrines
having undergone a change, he became connected with the Baptist
denomination, and turned his attention to teaching and fitting young men
for the Toronto University, preaching occasionally. He was ordained to
the Baptist Ministry in 1856. In 1858 he went to Rochester, New York
State, and entered the senior class at the University of Rochester,
taking his degree of B. A. the following summer. He immediately went to
Brockport, in the same county, where he became a member of the faculty
of the Brockport Collegiate Institute, then under the principalship of
Dr. David Barbank. Here, with the exception of one year spent in the
Central School at Buffalo, he remained until the spring of 1867 (when
that institution was transformed into a Normal School), first as
subordinate, then as associate principal, and from April, 1864, sole
principal of the school. He was a very successful teacher from the
first, being full of energy, and ambitious to devise new and improved
methods of illustrating and impressing the truth. Nor were the
class-room walls the limit of his intellectual horizon, but he was
constantly seeking some better plan of organizing the educational work
immediately in hand, and over the whole state. He was quickly recognized
by the regents of the University as one of the foremost teachers and
principals in the state. In August, 1865, he, by appointment, read a
paper before the convocation of that body on Internal Organization of
Academies, which looked towards and proved the first step towards
putting in practice regent’s examinations in the academies as a basis
for distribution of the income of the literary fund. He was shortly
afterwards appointed by the chancellor, chairman of a committee of
principals of academies to consider the practical workings and results
of the system of regent’s examinations just being instituted. During
these years of his connection with the Collegiate Institute, he took a
lively interest in the subject of the so-called normal training in
academies, and became convinced that the utmost that could be done for
teachers’ classes under the circumstances was too little to meet the
needs of the common schools of the state. He, therefore, with the advice
and cooperation of friends of education in Brockport and Rochester, and
the Hon. Victor M. Rice, then state superintendent, proposed to the
State Legislature, in 1865-66, a bill authorizing the establishment of a
Normal and Training School at Brockport, and offering to transfer the
Institute property to the state for that purpose on very liberal terms.
Subsequently this measure was so modified as to provide for four schools
instead of one, and to leave the location of them to a board consisting
of the governor, state superintendent and state officers and others. In
this form the bill became law. It now became necessary to adopt some
definite plan of organization for the new schools, and Superintendent
Rice at once turned to Professor MacVicar for assistance. The professor
submitted a plan, which, with some slight modifications, was adopted and
became the basis for the organization of all the schools under the law.
In consideration of the services rendered by Professor MacVicar and
other friends of the cause, the first school was located in Brockport,
with Professor MacVicar as its principal, and he immediately set to work
to organize this school, and opened it in the spring of 1867, having
among the members of his faculty, Professor Charles McLean, William J.
Milne and J. H. Hoose, now the Principals of the Normal schools of
Brockport, Genesee and Courtland. The first year of Normal school work,
carried on as it was in connection with planning and supervising the
erection of the new buildings, proved a very trying one to Principal
MacVicar, and his health giving way under the pressure, he resolved to
offer his resignation at the end of the school year of 1867-8. This he
accordingly did, but the state superintendent, preferring not to lose
him from the state, granted him a year’s leave of absence, instead of
accepting his resignation. He then took a trip west, during the summer
of 1868, and was invited to become superintendent of the schools of the
city of Leavenworth; after some consideration, he accepted this
position, and remained there until the following April, in the meantime
reorganizing the schools from bottom to top, a work that had been
neglected hitherto. His western trip having restored him to perfect
health, he returned to New York state, but thought it best not to again
take up his work at Brockport. A Normal School having been located in
Potsdam, St. Lawrence county, and about ready to open, he was invited to
become its principal, and accepted the office. He at once gathered
around him a corps of teachers, and opened his second Normal school,
three weeks after he left Leavenworth. The regents of the University
welcomed him back to the state, and expressed their estimation of his
ability by conferring upon him the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, in
the summer of 1869, and his _alma mater_ added an LL.D. the following
year. The school at Potsdam was no sooner organized than he gave himself
anew to the study of methods of instruction and the philosophy of
education, for which he possessed a peculiar aptitude. Being encouraged
by the other principals to work out his ideas into permanent shape for
the general good, he became the author of several books on arithmetic;
he also became the author and inventor of various important devices to
illustrate, objectively, principles of arithmetic, geography and
astronomy. Meanwhile there arose a degree of friction between the
academies and Normal schools of the state, which made itself felt in the
legislative session of 1876, in a threat to cut off the appropriations
from the Normal schools, unless the academies were treated more
liberally. At the next meeting of the Normal school principals, the
matter was discussed, and the cause of the difficulty was found to be
the double-headed management of their educational system. It was agreed
that the remedy for the existing difficulties was found in uniting the
management of all the schools of the state under one head. Dr. MacVicar
and Dr. Sheldon, of the Oswego Normal school, were appointed to urge
this view on the State Legislature at its next session. They conferred
with a deputation of academy principals, and won their approval of the
plan prepared. It was then embodied in a bill, and brought before the
legislature in 1877. Although much time was spent in bringing the matter
before the committees of the assembly and the senate, and many of the
prominent men of both houses, who generally approved of the measure, yet
the private interests of aspirants to the office of state
superintendents conflicted with it, and it was thrown out when it came
up for a hearing. In the autumn of 1880, Dr. MacVicar was invited to
take the principalship of the Michigan State Normal school, at
Ypsilanti, and finding it the only school of the kind in that state, and
there being no diversity of interest in the educational management of
the state, it seemed to offer an opportunity for something like ideal
Normal school work, so he accepted the position. He remained there,
however, but one year, when, being thoroughly worn out with hard work,
and being urgently pressed to join the faculty of the Toronto Baptist
College, just then opened, he resigned his position in Michigan and came
to Canada. Dr. MacVicar excels as a mathematician and metaphysician,
having read extensively in both directions, as well as in the natural
sciences. He has also made the relation of science and religion a
special study, and is now investigating the wide field of Christian
Apologetics. As a writer and in the classroom, he is characterized by
the utmost clearness and force, and his career as an educator has been
eminently successful. It has fallen to his lot to perform a vast amount
of hard work in all of which he has shown a spirit of self-sacrifice in
a remarkable degree, through which he has been the means of advancing
many others to positions of high trust and usefulness. His
investigations in the science of education are critical and original,
being based upon extensive observation and a large induction of facts.
Having for twenty-five years taught a wide range of subjects, and being
naturally possessed of strong and well trained logical powers, he is
well qualified to analyze the human mind and all that is concerned in
its proper education and harmonious development. To this work he now
devotes such time as can be spared from strictly professional duties. As
a theologian his views are definite and comprehensive, thoroughly
evangelical and uncompromisingly opposed to the materialistic pantheism,
and philosophical and scientific scepticism of the present day. On the
1st of January, 1865, Dr. MacVicar was married to Isabella McKay, of
Chatham, and has a family consisting of three sons and one daughter.
* * * * *
=Heavysege, Charles=, the gifted author of “Saul,” was born in
Liverpool, England, May 2nd, 1816. On his arrival in Canada in 1853, he
took up his residence in Montreal, where for a time he worked as a
machinist, earning by hard labour a modest subsistence for himself and
his family. Afterwards he became a local reporter on the staff of the
Montreal _Daily Witness_; but, as has been the case with many another
son of genius, his life was one long struggle with poverty. Through all
his earlier years of toil and harassing cares, he devoted himself to
study and poetical composition, but published nothing till he was nearly
forty years of age. A poem in blank verse saw the light in 1854. This
production, crude, no doubt, and immature, met with a chilling
reception, even from his friends. Some time afterwards appeared a
collection of fifty sonnets, many of them vigorous and even lofty in
tone, but almost all of them defective in execution, owing to the
author’s want of early culture. “Saul,” his greatest work, was published
in 1857, and fortunately fell into the hands of Hawthorne, then a
resident of Liverpool, who had it favourably noticed in the _North
British Review_. Longfellow and Emerson, too, spoke highly of its
excellence, the former pronouncing it to be “the best tragedy written
since the days of Shakespeare.” Canadians then discovered that Heavysege
was a genius, and made partial atonement for their neglect; but even to
the end the poet’s struggle with fortune was a bitter one. In 1857, he
published “Saul: A scriptural tragedy.” “Count Flippo or, The Unequal
Marriage:” a drama in five acts (1860). This production is inferior to
“Saul,” not only because it does not possess the epic sublimity of the
sacred drama, but because in it there is too much straining after
effect, the characterization is defective, and the criticism of life
displayed is not of the highest quality. “Jephthah’s Daughter,” (1865):
a drama which follows closely the scriptural narrative, and, so far as
concerns artistic execution, is superior to “Saul.” The lines flow with
greater smoothness; there are fewer commonplace expressions, and the
author has gained a firmer mastery over the rhetorical aids of figures
of speech. His mind, however, shows no increase in strength, and we miss
the rugged grandeur and terrible delineations of his earliest drama.
“The Advocate:” a novel (1865). Besides these works, Heavysege produced
many shorter pieces, one of the finest of which, “The Dark Huntsman,”
was sent to the _Canadian Monthly_ just before his death. To Art
Heavysege, so his critics say, owed little. Even his most elaborate
productions are defaced by unmusical lines, prosaic phrases and
sentences, and faults of taste and judgment. But he owed much to Nature;
for he was endowed with real and fervid, though unequal and irregular,
genius. To the circumstances of his life, as much as to the character of
his mind, may be attributed the pathetic sadness that pervades his
works. Occasionally, it is true, there is a faint gleam of humour; but
it is grim humour, which never glows with geniality or concentrates into
wit. Irony and quaint sarcasm, too, display themselves in some of the
Spirit scenes in “Saul.” But for sublimity of conception and power of
evoking images of horror and dread, Heavysege was unsurpassed except by
the masters of our literature. He possessed also, an intimate knowledge
of the workings of the human heart; his delineations of character were
powerful and distinct; and his pictures of impassioned emotion are
wonderful in their epic grandeur. Every page of his dramas betrays an
ardent study of the Bible, Milton, and Shakespeare, both in the
reproduction of images and thoughts, and in the prevailing accent of his
style. But he had an originality of his own; for many of his sentences
are remarkable for their genuine power, and keen and concentrated
energy. Here and there, too, we meet with exquisite pieces of
description, and some of the lyrics in “Saul” are full of rich fancy and
musical cadence. Without early culture, and amid the toilsome and
uncongenial labours of his daily life, Heavysege has established his
right to a foremost place in the Canadian Temple of Fame: what might he
not have done for himself and his adopted country, had he been favoured
by circumstances as he was by Nature! His death took place at Montreal,
in August, 1876.
* * * * *
=Torrance, Rev. Robert=, D.D., Guelph, Ontario, was born at Markethill,
county of Armagh, Ireland, on the 23rd of May, 1825, and was the
youngest of seven sons. His ancestor on his father’s side—M.
Torrance—left Ayrshire, Scotland, during the times of the persecution,
and settled in the north of Ireland, and their descendants have lived
there, in the same locality, ever since. Robert Torrance, the subject of
this sketch, went to school at an early age in his native village, and
remained under the same tutor until he was ten years old, when he began
the study of the Latin and Greek languages. In 1837, his parents removed
to Glenluce, Wigtonshire, Scotland, and here Robert entered the school
in this place, and continued the studies he had already begun before
leaving Ireland, and began others preparatory to the life-work selected
for him by his parents. In 1839, he was enrolled as a student in the
Royal Academical Institution, Belfast, then or shortly afterwards
affiliated with the London University; then he studied Greek and logic,
and _belles-lettres_; mental and moral philosophy under Dr. Robert
Wilson; mathematics under Prof. Young; natural philosophy, including
astronomy and optics, and Hebrew under Professor Harte, assistant to Dr.
Hincks, who was then an old man, and confined his attention to the
senior class. This Dr. Hincks, was the father of the celebrated Oriental
scholar, Dr. Hincks, and of the late Sir Francis Hincks, whose name is
well known in Canada. After the completion of his art course and passing
the usual examination by the Presbytery in whose bounds he resided, he
entered on the study of divinity, in the halls of the United Secession
Church in Scotland. His first session was spent in Glasgow, and the
subsequent ones in Edinburgh. His course was completed in 1845, with the
exception of one session, and, as there was great want at that time for
missionaries to go out to Canada, he offered his services, and was
accepted, it being agreed, under the circumstances, to exempt him from
attending the last or fifth session on his furnishing testimonials as to
fitness for the field and work. These having been produced to the
satisfaction of the Committee on Foreign Missions, of which Dr. John
McKerrow was convener, the Presbytery of Kinross was instructed to take
him on trials for license, with a view to his proceeding to Canada.
According to appointment, these trials were delivered in the church at
Inverkeithing, a village in Fifeshire, about four miles south from
Dunfermline. Having passed the Presbytery and been licensed, he preached
two Sabbath days in Scotland, one for Rev. Dr. MacKelvie, in Balgedie,
in whose family he had been tutor for three seasons; and the other for
Rev. Mr. Puller, in Glenluce, where he had spent his boyhood. He then at
once left for Liverpool, taking his parents with him, and from that port
sailed, in a few days, for New York, which was reached safely after a
voyage of four weeks. Without delay, he proceeded to Toronto, and there
occupied the pulpit of Rev. Mr. Jennings for a few Sabbaths, Mr.
Jennings being at the time in Scotland recruiting his health. Mr.
Torrance spent one year as a probationer, travelling through the western
section of Canada, from Toronto to Goderich and Detroit, as he had
determined not to settle down in a charge till he had gone over a good
part of the mission field, and given as much supply as in his power.
Travelling in those days was far from possessing the conveniences and
comforts now enjoyed. There were no railways; in several of the
districts there were no stage coaches. The probationer was thus under
the necessity of purchasing a horse, and making his journeys on
horseback. In winter he was exposed at times to intense cold, and in
summer to prostrating heat. He had to clothe himself for such changes of
temperature. Roads were sometimes obstructed with snow, and he had to
wait till parties turned out and made them passable, or opened up a way
through adjoining fields; in spring and fall there was deep mud and
often the horse had difficulty in getting through, and some of the
stations were difficult of access from other causes, such as their
recent formation. Accommodation when he reached his destination, was not
always such as he had been accustomed to in the fatherland. But the
people were uniformly kind and courteous; they gave the best they had
ungrudgingly, often wishing it were better; and extended a cordial
welcome. Many an event then befell him which interested him at the time
and still lingers in his recollection. After receiving and declining
calls from three or four congregations, he accepted a call from a
congregation in Guelph, and was ordained and inducted on the 11th of
November, 1846. He remained in this charge till January, 1882, when his
resignation was placed in the hands of the Presbytery, and its
acceptance pressed. Towards the close of the same month the pastoral
relationship to his congregation was dissolved, the General Assembly
giving permission to retain his name on the Roll of Presbytery. Since
that time he has not had a stated charge, but has been frequently
employed as moderator of sessions of vacant congregations in the bounds,
and doing other work of a ministerial character. Shortly after his
settlement in Guelph, he was appointed a trustee on the High School
Board, and filled that position for a number of years. He succeeded for
a time to the superintendence of the Common (now called Public) schools,
in the south riding of the county, having the oversight of the townships
of Erin, Eramosa, Guelph and Puslinch. Finding the labours too onerous
in connection with his pastoral work, he resigned the position after two
years occupancy to the hands of the County council. Previous to this,
however, in 1855, he had been chosen by the Guelph Board of Trustees
superintendent of the schools in the town, then only three or four in
number. This situation he has since filled without interruption, and has
seen the progress made up to this date, the number of schools having
increased to twenty-six, and a class of buildings provided unsurpassed
by any in Ontario. Shortly after the Rev. Mr. Torrance’s settlement in
Guelph, a new presbytery was formed, called the Presbytery of
Wellington, and of this he was chosen clerk, and this office he filled
till the union of the churches, which took place in 1861, when Mr., now
Rev. Dr. Middlemiss, who had been clerk of the Free Church Presbytery,
was chosen clerk of the united one. In 1870, Mr. Middlemiss resigned,
and was succeeded by Mr. Torrance, who still occupies the office. The
church with which he was connected was known in his early days as the
“United Secession,” a name afterwards changed to “United Presbyterian,”
when the union between the Relief and Secession churches was effected.
For some years he filled the position of convener of their committee on
statistics, and also of their committee on the supply of vacancies and
distribution of probationers. In 1874, his name appears for the first
time as convener of the committee of the united church on statistics,
and he was continued in the office at the farther union, which took
place in 1875, and still occupies it. For some time the supply of
vacancies and allocation of probationers were under the charge of the
Home Mission committee, but they chose a sub-committee for the purpose,
and for a few years the burden of the work fell to him with the other
members. Ultimately a distinct committee was appointed by the General
Assembly, to whom this service was assigned, and he was chosen convener.
In 1880 he was chosen moderator of the Synod of Toronto and Kingston,
which met in St. James’ Square Church, Toronto, and occupied the office
for the usual period of one year. In 1883, he tendered his resignation,
when Rev. Mr. Laidlaw of St. Paul’s Church, Hamilton, was chosen to
succeed him. The scheme fell out of use, and it was considered
unnecessary to continue the committee after 1884, till 1886, when the
want of it having made itself felt, a new committee was appointed under
a revised scheme, of which Rev. Mr. Laidlaw was appointed convener by
the Assembly, and Mr. Torrance clerk by the committee, Mr. Laidlaw
feeling that he could not carry on the work of the committee in
connection with the weight and responsibility of his labours as the
minister of an important city charge. In 1884, Mr. Torrance was chosen a
life member of the British Association for the Advancement of Science at
its meeting in Montreal. In 1885, he was installed as a member of the
Canadian Postal College of the natural sciences, and in September of the
same year, he was constituted a life member of the Canadian Short-Hand
Society. For several years he has been a member, by the appointment of
the General Assembly of the Board of Examiners of Knox College, Toronto,
and the senate of that institute conferred upon him, in 1885, the
honorary degree of D.D. In 1851, he revisited Scotland, for the
restoration of his health, which had become impaired through the labours
that had been undergone; and again in 1881 he visited the old country,
accompanied by his wife. On this occasion he travelled over the greater
part of Scotland, visited Ireland and its chief cities, with the lakes
of Killarney, and crossed over to Paris, where a week was spent amid the
scenes of that gay and enchanting city. Rev. Mr. Torrance’s religious
views are Presbyterian; these he says he acquired from his parents and
is satisfied with their scriptural character, and has not changed his
mind since boyhood. Rev. Mr. Torrance may now be considered as having
retired from very active duties. In 1857, he purchased ten acres of fine
land in the neighbourhood of Guelph, and having built thereon for
himself a comfortable house, he resides there and devotes his spare time
to gardening and the cultivation of flowers, having gone to the expense
of importing from Scotland, and even China, some very rare flower seeds.
In August, 1854, he was married to Bessie Dryden, of Eramosa, whose
father and mother had come from the neighbourhood of Jedburgh, in
Scotland, and took up land in that township soon after it was thrown
open to settlers. Four children, two sons and two daughters, were born,
all of them now grown up; two of them married, one of the latter, a
daughter, having gone with her husband to China, under an engagement for
four years at the close of which they have returned.
* * * * *
=Moore, Paul Robinson=, M.D., Sackville, New Brunswick, was born on the
30th of March, 1835, in Hopewell, Westmoreland county, New Brunswick.
(Since the county was divided, Hopewell is in Albert county). His
father, Thomas Benjamin Moore was a lawyer in Albert and Westmoreland
counties, and died in Moncton, Westmoreland county, April, 1875, aged
sixty-eight years. His mother’s maiden name was Apphia Robinson,
daughter of Deacon Paul C. Robinson, of Hopewell. She bore thirteen
children, six sons and seven daughters, of whom three sons and four
daughters still survive, the subject of this sketch being the third
child. His paternal grand-father was John W. Moore, sergeant of the 1st
battalion of Royal Artillery, and died a pensioner in Ballymena,
Ireland, at eighty-five years of age. His paternal ancestors resided in
the north of Ireland, and it is a family tradition that at the siege of
Londonderry there were seven brothers Moore, engaged in the fighting,
five of whom were slain in one attack. The remaining two survived the
perils of the siege, and their descendants are still for the most part
settled in the north of Ireland. His father was five years old when he
came to this country in 1813, when the regiment to which his
grand-father belonged was ordered out to defend Fort Cumberland. Paul
Robinson Moore received a mathematical and classical education at the
Mount Allison Institution, in Sackville, New Brunswick, up to the age of
fifteen, when on account of ill health his studies were abandoned. Three
years later, having regained his health, he commenced the study of
medicine with Dr. Wm. T. Taylor, of Philadelphia, U.S., but had to give
it up at the end of the first year, on account of another serious attack
of illness which threatened to end in phthisis. He then returned to New
Brunswick, and after recruiting his health, took a clerkship at the
Albert mines in Hillsborough, New Brunswick, for eighteen months, and
afterwards he was employed as bookkeeper and pay-master of the Boudreau
stone quarries in Westmoreland county for a year. His health being then
perfectly restored, he went to New York, and resumed his medical studies
at the university of the city of New York, receiving private instruction
at the same time from Dr. Gaillard Thomas. He graduated in March, 1859,
and was appointed house physician and surgeon of Brooklyn City Hospital
the following May, which position he held till May, 1860, when he
returned to Albert county, New Brunswick, and commenced the practice of
his profession. In January, 1875, he removed to Sackville, and entered
into a professional co-partnership with Dr. Alexander Fleming, which
continued till April, 1881, when Dr. Fleming removed to Brandon,
North-West Territory, since which time Dr. Moore has been attending
closely to his professional duties in Sackville. He was appointed
coroner for Albert county in 1866, and magistrate for the same county in
1873. The doctor has taken an interest in various companies, and is at
present a stockholder in the Moncton Cotton Company, the Sackville Music
Hall Company, and the Baptist Publishing Company. He joined the Howard
lodge of Free Masons in 1867, and Sackville division of the Sons of
Temperance in 1875; became honorary member of the Glasgow Southern
Medical Society in 1880, and president of the New Brunswick Medical
Society in 1885. He is also a member of the Medical Council. He has
never taken an active part in politics, but supports a Liberal
government, and is an uncompromising Prohibitionist. He has travelled in
England, Ireland, France, Scotland, and the United States. He has been a
member of the Baptist church since 1865. On the 12th of December, 1866,
he was married to Rebecca, eldest daughter of John Weldon, of
Dorchester, Westmoreland county, by whom he has had nine children, four
boys and five girls, of whom one boy and five girls survive.
* * * * *
=Archambault, Urgel-Eugène=, Principal of the Catholic Commercial
Academy, Montreal, was born at L’Assomption, on the 27th of May, 1834.
His parents were Louis Archambault, farmer, and Marie-Angélique
Prud’homme, belonging to a very old family of the province of Quebec.
The Archambault family came from France and settled on the Isle of
Montreal about the year 1650, thence off-shoots established themselves
in different parts of the province of Quebec, especially at
L’Assomption, from which place three or four members of this family
were, at various times, elected to the Canadian parliament. Urgel-Eugène
having attended school at Saint-Jacques de l’Achigan and at
L’Assomption, became a teacher at the age of seventeen years (1851),
taught during six years at Saint-Ambroise de Kildare, L’Assomption,
Chateauguay, and finally completed his own studies at the
Jacques-Cartier Normal School, from which institution he received an
academic diploma. In 1858, he taught at Saint-Constant, and the
following year he became head-master of the Catholic Commercial Academy
of Montreal, the principal work of his life, and which he still directs.
This school, established in Coté street, was transferred to the Plateau
in 1871; it has become one of the principal educational institutions of
the city, and even of the province of Quebec. In 1873, Mr. Archambault
was named local superintendent of all the schools controlled by the
Catholic Board of School Commissioners. The interior plans of the
Plateau, Belmont and Olier schools are the work of his hands. This same
year, 1873, he laboured successfully to bring about the foundation of an
institution destined to form civil, mining, and industrial engineers.
This was the Polytechnic School of Montreal, founded by the Catholic
school commissioners and the Honorable Gedéon Ouimet, superintendent of
education for the province of Quebec. Intended principally for
Catholics, it was annexed to the Laval University in January, 1887. The
university, which retains Mr. Archambault as principal of the
Polytechnic School, has named him titular professor of the arts faculty.
Much of the success attending the Jacques-Cartier Normal School
conventions has been due to the active interest which he has taken in
them. He is the author of the Teachers’ Pension Fund Bill, which became
law in 1880, and was amended in 1886. In 1870, Mr. Archambault visited
Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, Richmond
(Virginia), and became acquainted with the best educators in the United
States. Since then he has kept himself informed of their methods of
teaching and management. With the same object in view, he visited the
Centennial Exhibition at Philadelphia, in 1876. In 1878, Mr. Archambault
was sent to the Paris Exhibition, to represent the Educational
department of the province of Quebec; and while in France he was named
member of the International Educational Jury, and was the first Canadian
ever decorated with the _Palmes Académiques_, and honored with the title
of _Officier d’Académie_. On this occasion he was commissioned, by the
Minister of Public Instruction in France, to deliver the _Palmes
Académiques_ to Dr. J. B. Meilleur, and to the Honourable P. J. O.
Chauveau and G. Ouimet, who, each in turn, had directed the Educational
department of the province. To allow him to fulfil his mission at the
Paris Exhibition, he was granted a seven months’ leave of absence,
during which time he gathered an ample store of pedagogic ideas, which
he has since utilized for the benefit of his country. In 1883-4, he made
a second trip to Europe and to Northern Africa, during a six months’
leave of absence granted to him on account of his health. These voyages
brought him into communication with several eminent persons, and with
different societies. Already a member of the Saint-Jean-Baptiste and of
the Historical Society of Montreal, he became a member of the
Geographical Society of Paris; in 1882, he received the title of Knight
of the Sacred and Military Order of the Holy Sepulchre, and in 1886 he
was named honorary member of the first degree of the Universal Humane
Society of Knight-Saviors. In 1860, Mr. Archambault married
Marie-Phélonise Azilda, daughter of Dr. Robitaille, of Saint-Roch de
l’Achigan. Of the eleven children born to them, six, a son and five
daughters, are still living (1887).
* * * * *
=Stewart, Rev. Wm. James=, Minister of the Baptist Church, Portland
city, St. John county, New Brunswick, was born at Second Falls, St.
George, Charlotte county, New Brunswick, on the 22nd of April, 1850. His
parents, David and Agnes Stewart, were born in Newtownards, county Down,
Ireland. They came to America with their parents, and were married in
St. Andrews, New Brunswick, soon after their arrival. Shortly after this
event they removed to Second Falls, where they lived happily together
and raised a family of eleven children, William being the youngest. In
February, 1857, his mother was removed from her family by death, and
laid to rest by loving hands in the village church-yard. His father
married again, his second wife being a Mrs. Manzer, a widow lady, who
still survives him. He had no issue by this wife. In July, 1876, his
father was called to his reward, and buried beside his first wife. Both
were consistent members of the Baptist church. William James Stewart,
the subject of this sketch, was not a very rugged boy, and was therefore
kept constantly at school from his earliest boyhood. At the age of
sixteen he finished the studies in the primary schools, and as there was
no high school near his home, he was allowed to drop his studies for a
few years. In the meantime he went on a visit to his brother and sister,
both of whom were married and lived in the State of Minnesota, and after
a year and a half he returned home a young man of twenty years, with no
very definite idea of life or what he should do in the future. Not long
after this, however, there came a change into his life which decided the
future for him. The sermons of Rev. Edward Hickson, then pastor of the
Baptist church in his native place, made a very deep impression on his
mind. His father was a deacon of that church, and a very godly man, his
life and influence being in perfect accord with the truth preached from
the pulpit; and so after a good deal of anxiety of mind and earnest
prayer to God, William was led to give his heart to the Saviour, and
experience in his life that “peace which passeth all understanding.” On
the 16th of June, 1872, he was immersed in the name of the Trinity by
the Rev. E. Hickson, and received into the fellowship of the Second
Falls Baptist church. He at once felt a desire in his heart to do
something for Him who had done so much for the world, and his first work
was to organize a Sunday school in connection with the church of which
he was then a member. He also resolved to take up his long neglected
studies and prepare himself for a life of usefulness, in the world. In
October, 1872, he entered the Baptist Collegiate School in Wolfville,
Nova Scotia. He did not at that time have the ministry in view, but not
long afterward it was pressed upon him with such weight that he could
not rest day or night until he yielded to the voice of God in his soul,
and began to shape his course with this in view. On 21st May, 1874, he
received a license from the church of which he was a member, signed by
George Allen, clerk, to preach the gospel according to the faith and
practice of the Baptist church. He spent the vacations of each year of
his student life in preaching the word as opportunity offered. The
vacation of 1876 he spent at Musquash, near St. John, New Brunswick, and
God poured out His Holy Spirit wonderfully upon the people and many
precious souls were saved. There was no minister near to baptize, and he
consented to be ordained, although he was but a student. His ordination
took place on the 23rd day of May, 1876, in the Carleton Baptist church.
In May, 1877, he finished his studies at Acadia College, and received a
unanimous call to the churches at St. George and Second Falls, the
latter of which he was a member. He at once entered upon his work, and
was greatly blessed in his labours among his own people. On 1st July,
1878, he was married to Lillie S. Hanson, daughter of Vernon and Helen
Hanson, in the city of Boston, by the Rev. Dr. Lorimer. After a
pastorate of about four years in his native place, he received and
accepted a call to the Baptist church in Parrsborough, Nova Scotia. He
spent one year with this church, and then received and accepted a call
to the Baptist church in Portland city, St. John county, N.B., and on
1st June, 1882, he entered upon his duties in the church of which he is
at present (1887) the pastor. About two hundred souls have been added to
this church since he took up the work, and God is now very graciously
blessing it. The church edifice has been improved at a cost of about
fifteen hundred dollars, and a fine parsonage purchased since he began
his ministry in it. The outlook for the future is very hopeful. To God
be all the praise. Rev. Mr. Stewart has had two children, a boy and a
girl. The eldest is now a bright boy of seven years. The little girl,
too sweet and pure for earth, was taken at the age of four by Him who
said, “Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not, for
of such is the kingdom of heaven.”
* * * * *
=Bayly, Richard=, B.A., Q.C., Barrister-at-law, London, Ontario, was
born in Dublin, Ireland, on the 25th of May, 1834. He is the son of Rev.
Benjamin Bayly, and Cassandra Henrietta Bayly, who, previous to coming
to Canada, resided in Dublin, Mr. Bayly’s ancestors having resided in or
near that city for over three hundred years. The Rev. Mr. Bayly occupied
the important position of principal of the London Grammar school
(afterwards the London Collegiate Institute) for over thirty-five years,
until the 17th January, 1879, when he died, greatly respected by all who
had the honour of his acquaintance. Richard received his education at
the London Grammar school, in London, and at the University of Toronto,
where he graduated with the degree of B.A. He then studied law in the
office of the Hon. John Wilson (afterwards Justice John Wilson), and
became a barrister and solicitor in 1857, and has successfully practised
his profession in London ever since. He occupied a seat on the London
Board of Education from 1876 to 1885 inclusive, and was chairman of the
board for one year, and chairman of the School Management Committee for
four years. For nine years Mr. Bayly was a warden of St. Paul’s
Episcopal church, and for several years a delegate to the Diocesan and
Provincial synods. In politics, he belongs to the Liberal-Conservative
party, and for many years has taken an active interest in political
issues. He was brought up in the Episcopal fold, and has seen no reason
to change his religious belief. On the 22nd June, 1864, he was married
to Eliza, eldest daughter of the late Dr. Chas. G. Moore, of London, and
the issue of this marriage has been ten children, eight of whom
survive—five boys and three girls.
* * * * *
=Mowatt, Rev. Andrew Joseph=, Pastor of St. Paul’s (Presbyterian)
Church, Fredericton, New Brunswick, is a native-born Canadian, having
first seen the light on the 11th of February, 1838, in the town of
Woodstock, Carleton county, N.B. His father, Thomas Mowatt, and mother,
Elizabeth Scott Moffatt, emigrated from Great Britain to New Brunswick,
and settled in Woodstock in 1837, where they remained for about two
years, and then moved to Harvey, York county, where Andrew, the subject
of our sketch, was brought up, and whose early recollections of the
place is a little log hut in the forest, and a small log school-house
where he received a common school education. After leaving this school,
he went for two winters to the Collegiate school in Fredericton, then in
charge of Dr. George Roberts, and afterwards he spent three terms at the
Presbyterian college at Truro, Nova Scotia, taking the regular arts
course there. He then studied theology under Rev. Dr. King, at Gerrish
Theological Hall, Halifax, N.S., and completed his studies in 1866. On
the 2nd of May of the same year, he received a license to preach the
gospel from the Presbytery of Pictou, was called to the new congregation
of Sharon church, Albion Mines, now Stellarton, and was ordained pastor
on the 5th of June following. The Rev. Mr. Mowatt retained the charge of
this church for seven years, and then left on receiving a call from St.
John’s church, Windsor, N.S., and was inducted its pastor by the
Presbytery of Halifax on the 8th of July, 1873. Here he laboured in the
Lord’s vineyard for six and a half years. He then was called to the
pastorate of St. Paul’s church in Fredericton, and was inducted into
this charge on the 8th of January, 1880, by the Presbytery of St. John;
and here he has laboured ever since. This church has greatly prospered
under Mr. Mowatt’s able ministration, and, on the 10th of January, 1886,
the congregation abandoned their old church edifice and moved into a
fine stone building, which is an ornament to the town. Rev. Mr. Mowatt
was brought up in the faith as taught by the Presbyterian church, and
has so far seen no reason to change his opinion with regard to it. He
has spent his life in his Master’s service, and he has the satisfaction
of knowing that he has done something to advance His kingdom in this
world, and, under God’s grace, fitted many a poor soul to enter the
Father’s home of many mansions. He was married to Louisa Jane Annand, of
Gay’s River, Colchester county, N.S., on the 30th of June, 1868. Her
brother, the Rev. Joseph Annand, is a missionary on the island of
Espiritu Santo, in the New Hebrides. Rev. Mr. Mowatt has a family of
nine children.
* * * * *
=Mitchell, Hon. James=, St. Stephen, New Brunswick, was born at the
Scottish Settlement, York county, N.B., on the 16th March, 1843. His
father, William Mitchell, was a native of Inverkip, Renfrewshire,
Scotland, and came to America in 1827, settling in York county, N.B. His
mother, Ann Dobie, was a native of Dumfries, in Scotland. James Mitchell
received his education first in the public school, then in the
Collegiate Institute, and latterly in the University of New Brunswick,
at Fredericton, where, in 1867, he graduated with the degrees of B.A.,
and M.A. He afterwards studied law, and was called to the bar in
October, 1870, and has since practised his profession at St. Stephen,
Charlotte county, where he now resides. Mr. Mitchell was inspector of
schools for Charlotte county from 1872 to 1875, and from 1877 to 1879,
and during these years exercised a very material influence on the
educational affairs of his town and county. He occupied the position of
Census commissioner in 1881. He is at present a member of the Senate of
the University of New Brunswick, and a member of the Alumni Society;
also a member of the Lunatic Asylum Commission and of the Board of
Education of the province of New Brunswick. At the general election in
1882 his fellow-citizens of Charlotte county chose him to represent them
in the New Brunswick parliament; and, on the 3rd of March, 1883, he was
appointed a member of the Executive Council, and surveyor-general of the
province. On his presenting himself for re-election, he was returned by
acclamation. He was again elected at the general election in 1886. Hon.
Mr. Mitchell is a Liberal-Conservative in politics, having always
identified himself with the party of progress in the country, and is an
active promoter of railways, manufactures, and other public works. As a
barrister he stands high at the bar of his native province. He is a
past-master of the Free and Accepted Masons, and past-principal Z of the
Royal Arch Chapter. He has followed in the footsteps of his parents, and
is a consistent adherent of the Presbyterian church. On the 17th
December, 1873, he was married to Miss Ryder, of St. Stephen.
* * * * *
=MacFarlane, Foster=, M.D., Fairville, St. John, New Brunswick, was born
in the parish of Studholm, Kings county, N.B., on the 12th December,
1834. His father, Matthew MacFarlane, was born in the parish of Dramore,
county of Tyrone, Ireland, and was a descendant of a family of that
name, who, with others, sought refuge from the persecution then
prevailing in the Highlands of Scotland. The record of the family dates
back to the beginning of the thirteenth century. The family name of
“MacFarlane” took its origin from a grandson of the Earl of Lennox,
named Bartholomew, the Gaelic of which is “Pharlan,” whose son was named
MacFarlane (or son of Bartholomew). The seat of the Earl of Lennox was
Dumbarton castle, which was held by his descendants the MacFarlanes, at
intervals, and for six centuries they held possession of their original
lands, the principal seat of which was Arrochar, at the head of
Lochlong. The MacFarlane clan fought, and distinguished themselves, in
the battle of Langside, May 13th, 1565, their valour mainly contributing
to decide the fortunes of the day, and the defeat of Mary, Queen of
Scots. For their bravery they received from the Regent their crest and
motto which has ever since been inscribed on their family escutcheon,
“This I’ll defend.” Chief among the descendants of this ancient family
may be mentioned Walter MacFarlane, of MacFarlane, who is justly
celebrated as the indefatigable collector of the ancient records of his
country, and whose historical writings, according to Mr. Skeen, “form
the best monuments to his memory; and as long as the existence of the
ancient records of the country, or a knowledge of its ancient history
remains an object of interest to any Scotchman, the name of MacFarlane
will be handed down as one of its benefactors, which monument will be
found more enduring than the barbaric splendour of his warlike
countrymen, which has long since faded away, thus showing that it is not
the destroyer but the benefactor of his fellow-creatures who is secure
of immortality.” In 1815, when but a lad of twelve years of age, Matthew
MacFarlane, accompanied his father, James MacFarlane, and other members
of the family, to America, and on their arrival settled at Rockland, in
Kingston, Kings county, N.B. Some years afterwards, and when the family
had grown up, Mr. MacFarlane, sr., left his eldest son, Charles, on the
homestead, and removed, with Matthew and his other sons and daughters,
to Studholm, in the same county. About the year 1827, being amongst the
pioneer settlers of that part of the country, Matthew MacFarlane married
Sarah Foster, whose father, Ezekiel Foster, came from New England during
the American war. One of his brothers fought at the battle of Lexington,
and died in defending what he considered his rights, having espoused the
cause of the colonists. Foster MacFarlane, the subject of our sketch,
was the fifth child of this marriage, and first saw the light in a log
cabin, the common abode of the pioneer farmers of those days. His
earliest education was received in the parish school, and was limited to
the rudiments of an ordinary English education. At the age of twenty,
having passed the required examination before the local board then
existing, he received a license to teach in the public school. After
teaching for a time, he entered upon a course of study at the Baptist
Seminary, Fredericton, and afterwards took a special course for a time
at the University of New Brunswick. After leaving the university, he
pursued a course in medicine at Harvard University, Cambridge, United
States, and was privileged to sit at the feet of such men as Professor
Agassiz, Jeffries Wyman, Oliver Wendell Holmes, and E. Brown-Sequard, of
Paris, graduating in 1868. He first practised medicine in his native
parish for two years and a half. During this time he was appointed by
the government a coroner for Kings county. He then removed to Fairville,
St. John, N.B., where he has ever since practised his profession. He has
been a member of the Senate of the University of New Brunswick since the
spring of 1883, and a director of the Union Baptist Education Society
since its incorporation. He was one of the promoters of the Dominion
Safety Fund Life Association, filling for a number of years the position
of director, and is now its medical superintendent. He united about
thirty years ago with the Sons of Temperance, and has since belonged to
other temperance organizations, being now a member of the Independent
Order of Good Templars. He was brought up in connection with the
Methodists, but in the year 1858 his views underwent a change, and he
united with the Baptists, and is at present a member of the Fairville
Baptist church. On July 20, 1868, he was married to Elizabeth A.
Babbitt, daughter of Samuel Perry and Phœbe Babbitt, of St. John, N.B.
He has five children—one son and four daughters.
* * * * *
=Burns, Rev. Robert Ferrier=, D.D., Pastor of the Fort Massey
Presbyterian church, Halifax, Nova Scotia. This popular minister was
born in Paisley, Scotland, on the 23rd of December, 1826. His father was
Robert Burns, D.D., and his mother, Janet Orr, daughter of the first
provost of Paisley. His mother’s sister, Susan, was mother of Sir
Archibald Orr Ewing, baronet, M.P. for Dumbarton. His father had three
brothers in the ministry of the Church of Scotland,—namely, Rev. James
Burns, who for forty years was minister of the parish of Brechin; Rev.
William H. Burns, D.D., Kilsyth; and Rev. George Burns, D.D., first
Presbyterian minister of St. John, New Brunswick, afterwards of
Tweedsmuir and Corstorphine, Scotland,—and two uncles in the service of
their Sovereign—Major-General Islay Ferrier, the last governor of
Dumbarton castle, and Sir William Hamilton, baronet, who commanded the
marines that pulled the guns up to the Plains of Abraham, in 1759, at
the taking of Quebec. Miss Ferrier, author, and friend of Sir Walter
Scott, was a second cousin. Rev. Dr. Burns, sr., was pastor for
thirty-three years of Dr. Witherspoon’s church (Laigh Kirk and St.
George’s), Paisley, and moved to Toronto in 1845, and became the first
pastor of Knox’s Church in that city, and professor in Knox’s College.
He died at Toronto on the 19th of August, 1869; and his widow on the
22nd of August, 1882. Rev. Dr. Robert Ferrier Burns received his early
education at the High school of Paisley, and then entered the University
of Glasgow, where he remained four years, taking honours in Latin,
Greek, logic, and moral philosophy. He studied theology in the New
College (Free Church), Edinburgh, and Knox’s College, Toronto. In April,
1847, he was licensed to preach by the Presbytery of Toronto, and on the
1st of July following he was ordained pastor of Chalmer’s Presbyterian
church, Kingston, Ontario. He was Presbyterian chaplain in the 71st
Highland Light Infantry for a year. He remained in this charge for eight
years, and, during his ministry there, succeeded in having built for his
congregation a handsome church edifice. In July, 1855, he moved to St.
Catharines, and was settled over Knox Presbyterian church of that place.
A fine building was erected by his people for him. Here he ministered
until March, 1867, when he accepted a call from the Scotch Presbyterian
church in Chicago, United States, to become its first pastor, and,
during his residence there of three years, a church was built. In 1866,
the degree of D.D. was conferred upon him by Hamilton College, New York.
In April, 1870, he was translated to Côté Street Presbyterian church
(now Crescent street), Montreal, as successor to Principal MacVicar,
where he did good work. On the 18th of March, 1875, he became pastor of
Fort Massey Presbyterian church in Halifax, as successor to the Rev. J.
K. Smith, M.A., now of Galt, who for two years had been first pastor of
this influential congregation. In 1873, Dr. Burns occupied the position
of moderator of the Synod of Montreal, and in 1883 he was moderator of
the Synod of the Maritime provinces. During his residence in Montreal he
was chairman of the Presbyterian College Board; and, for the past twelve
years, has acted as chairman of the Halifax College Board. In 1880 he
was sent as a delegate to the Raikes’ centenary celebration in London,
and during the same year he represented the Assembly of the Presbyterian
Church of Canada in the Presbyterian Council at Philadelphia. In 1884 he
was a delegate from the same church to the council held in Belfast,
Ireland, where he read one of the papers presented to that body, and was
appointed one of its executive committee. This year (1887) the doctor
has been nominated for the moderatorship of the General Assembly of the
Presbyterian Church, which meets in Winnipeg, Manitoba, in June next.
Rev. Dr. Burns takes a great interest in Sunday-school work, and was one
of the first to advocate the establishment of Sunday-school conventions
in Canada, which have done so much of late years to advance this branch
of Christian work. As a platform speaker he stands high, and has often
spoken on subjects, professional and otherwise, before large audiences.
At present he is lecturer on theological themes in the Presbyterian
College at Halifax. As a book-writer, too, he has done his share. His
life of his father, a volume of nearly five hundred pages, published in
Toronto in 1873, soon went through three editions. His other writings,
“Sketch of Abraham Lincoln,” “The Presbyterian Church,” “Modern
Babylon,” “The Maine Law,” “Christian Liberality,” “Confession and
Absolution,” and a variety of sermons and tracts—have all been
favourably received, and commanded a good sale. He has also contributed
largely to the columns of the newspaper press and our periodicals. Dr.
Burns has travelled a good deal, and has visited Great Britain, Ireland,
France, Germany, and various other places in Europe, and is very
familiar with Canada and the United States. He was married on the 1st of
July, 1852, at Belleville, Ontario, to Elizabeth, second daughter of
Rufus Holden, M.D., a much esteemed physician, and elder of the
Presbyterian church, in Belleville. Dr. Burns has eight children—four
sons and four daughters.
* * * * *
=Bullock, Joseph=, Oil Merchant, St. John, New Brunswick, is a native of
Springfield, Ohio, and was born on September 6th, 1833. His father was
William Bullock, a native of Staffordshire, England, who came to the
United States a few years prior to the birth of Joseph. His mother’s
maiden name was Ann Clark Peacock, she being of the Yorkshire family of
that ilk. His mother’s parents came out to Ohio about the same time as
Mr. Bullock, sr. Mr. Peacock went there to accept the position of
engineer for the state of Ohio. Joseph Bullock’s parents removed to
Hamilton, Ontario, in the spring of 1834, he then being only a few
months old. Two years later they removed to what is now known as
Bullock’s Corners, near Dundas, the place taking its name from his
father. It was here Mr. Bullock spent his boyhood, and got what
education could in those days be procured in the public school of the
vicinity. On leaving school he helped his father in his business, which,
by the way, was that of lumberman. During the time he was so engaged, he
married when in his 25th year, Elizabeth, daughter of Isaac Duffield, a
farmer of the township of Glanford, South Wentworth. Two years after his
marriage, the lumber business declining, he commenced business as
general store-keeper at Bullock’s Corners, which he continued for about
three years. After this he settled upon a farm he owned in West
Flamboro’, and worked it for two years. His father having died in the
meantime, he left West Flamboro’ and took up his residence at the old
homestead. Here he remained about three years, travelling occasionally
for his brothers-in-law, Duffield Bros., of London, oil refiners. In the
year 1869, Confederation being an accomplished fact, Mr. Bullock removed
to St. John, New Brunswick, to engage in the oil business, which has now
assumed such large proportions. His original intention was to handle
Canadian oil exclusively, but as the years rolled on, American products
had also to be handled, and he is now the largest dealer in oils in the
maritime provinces. In politics, Mr. Bullock is thoroughly independent,
voting more on the character of the man than from purely party motives.
It is, however, in the religious world that Mr. Bullock is most
conspicuous. As a boy he was identified more particularly with the
Church of England, but at the age of about twenty years he became a
member of the Methodist church, of which he is a consistent and earnest
member. Prior to the great fire of 1877, Mr. Bullock was a trustee of
the old German Street Methodist Church, the oldest church in the city,
and after its destruction by that fire, was chairman of the building
committee of the present Queen Square Methodist Church, and of which he
still continues a trustee. It was largely to his energy and liberality
that the erection of this church was due. He is also a member of the
quarterly board of his church, and is one of the board of directors of
the British and Foreign Bible Society for the city of St. John. He is a
total abstainer, and has been for the most of his life, and is
pronounced in favour of the prohibition of the liquor traffic. When Gen.
Booth visited St. John, he was the guest of Mr. Bullock. Mr. Bullock has
had a family of three children, one of whom is deceased, and the
remaining ones, two sons, are associated with him in business.
* * * * *
=Binney, Irwine Whitty=, Collector of Customs, Port of Moncton, New
Brunswick, was born on the 10th of July, 1841, at Halifax, Nova Scotia.
He is a son of the late Stephen Binney, who for many years was a leading
merchant in Halifax, and who, when the city was incorporated, was
elected its first mayor. Mr. Binney, sr., acting as mayor, on the
occasion of the birth of the Prince of Wales, visited England, and
presented an address to Her Majesty the Queen, signed by a large number
of the citizens. This gentleman was grandson of the late Hon. Hibbert N.
Binney, who for a period of nearly forty years, filled the office of
collector of customs and excise at Halifax, and was also a member of the
Legislative Council; and great-grandson of the late Hon. Jonathan
Binney, one of the first residents of Halifax, who was a member of the
first Legislative Assembly (1758) of the province. He and Frederick des
Barras met the Indian chiefs at Arichat, New Brunswick, in 1761, and
concluded a lasting peace, and was appointed to the Legislative Council
in 1768; second judge at St. John’s Island (near Prince Edward Island);
and also collector of customs for the island. I. W. Binney, the subject
of this sketch, is brother to William Pryor Binney, Her Britannic
Majesty’s consul at Syra, Greece, and was educated at various schools,
including the Sackville Academy, New Brunswick, receiving a commercial
education. In his younger days he found employment as a clerk in several
commercial houses; and from 1861 to 1864, he was in the old established
and well known lumber firm of Gilmour, Rankin & Co., Miramichi, New
Brunswick. He also carried on a wholesale business at Chatham, New
Brunswick, for a few years, and afterwards engaged in mining operations
in Nova Scotia and Cape Breton, in company with the late Sir A. J. Smith
and others. He was appointed a clerk in Her Majesty’s customs in 1874,
and promoted to the collectorship at the port of Moncton, New Brunswick,
in 1883. He joined the Freemasons in 1862; was made a Royal-Arch-Mason
in 1866, and Knight Templar in 1870. At present he is a past master of
Keith lodge of Moncton, New Brunswick. He is an Episcopalian in his
religious views. Mr. Binney’s father moved to Moncton, New Brunswick,
from Halifax, in 1845, and died there in 1872. Mr. Binney is unmarried,
and his mother and widowed sister reside with him.
* * * * *
=Berthelot, Hon. Joseph Amable=, Judge of the Superior Court of
Montreal. This learned judge was born on the 8th of May, 1815, at St.
Eustache, county of Two Mountains, by the marriage of Joseph Amable
Berthelot, notary, and Dame Marie M. Hervieux. Mr. Berthelot’s father
was from Quebec, where he finished his classical studies in 1796, having
been the classmate of the late Hon. Judge Thomas Taschereau, the father
of his eminence the Cardinal, and also that of the late Hon. Judge
Vanfelson, who died in Montreal. Judge Berthelot began his Latin course
in 1824, and finished it on the 9th of June, 1832, when at the age of
seventeen. The course that year was suddenly terminated, on account of
the cholera, the professors having deemed it prudent to send back the
scholars to their families in the month of June. In the month of October
of the same year he began his legal studies, being indentured with the
late Hon. Sir. L. H. Lafontaine, who had married his cousin in 1830. Sir
George E. Cartier, who was his classmate at college, also commenced
studying law in 1832, in the office of the late Etienne E. Rodier,
advocate, M.P.P. for the county of l’Assomption. After being admitted to
the bar in November, 1836, he became the partner of Mr. Lafontaine, and
continued to practise his profession in such partnership until July,
1853, when Mr. Lafontaine was appointed chief justice of the province of
Lower Canada on the demise of the late Sir James Stuart. A few days
after, Mr. Berthelot entered into partnership with his friend, the late
Sir George E. Cartier, and continued this partnership until he was
appointed assistant judge of the Superior Court, succeeding the late
Hon. C. D. Day, who was appointed codifier in February, 1859. On Justice
Day’s resignation having been accepted by the government, in 1860, Judge
Berthelot was immediately appointed permanent judge of the Superior
Court. On this occasion, in December, 1860, the bar of Montreal held a
meeting in order to express publicly their satisfaction of the
appointment of Judge Berthelot to the bench, and adopted resolutions,
copies of which were transmitted to the judge, and also published in the
newspapers of the day, amongst others in _La Minerve_. These resolutions
read as follow:
At a special meeting of the members of the bar of Lower Canada
section of this district, which was held on Wednesday, the 12th
of December instant, it was unanimously resolved:
1. Moved by Henry Stuart, seconded by Gédéon Ouimet, M.P.P.,
That the bar of Montreal has seen with real pleasure the
promotion of the Honourable J. A. Berthelot, whose talents, high
sense of honour, integrity, conscientious work and services
already rendered as assistant judge, are a sure guarantee of the
faithfulness with which he will fulfil the difficult duties of
the new office which he has just entered as permanent judge of
the Superior Court.
2. Moved by Andrew Robertson, seconded by C. A. Leblanc, That as
citizens, and with due regard to public interest, the barristers
of Montreal cheerfully greet the appointment of Mr. Justice
Berthelot, and as his _confrères_, they are highly honoured as a
body by this new appointment.
3. Moved by the Honourable T. J. J. Loranger, seconded by J. C.
Daly, That copies of the foregoing resolutions be transmitted by
the _bâtonnier_ and secretary to Mr. Justice Berthelot, and that
the secretary be authorized to publish them in the city papers.
(Signed) ROBERT MACKAY, _Bâtonnier_,
(Signed) MEDERIC MARCHAND, _Secretary_.
The French paper, _L’Ordre_, made the following comments on the
foregoing resolutions:
We have already fully expressed our opinion on this subject, and
to-day we are happy to see the bar of Montreal confirming our
appreciation of this appointment.
During the time that Mr. Berthelot practised at the bar, his _confrères_
elected him twice to the dignity of _bâtonnier_, in 1858 and 1859.
Whilst he exercised his duties of judge in Montreal, in the space of
fifteen years, he was called upon to perform the same duties of judge at
Ste. Scholastique, district of Terrebonne. In February, 1872, he was
invited by the members of the bar of that district, numbering seventeen,
to a complimentary public dinner by the following resolutions, which
were then published in the press:
At the meeting of the bar of the district of Terrebonne, held at
Ste. Scholastique on the 7th of February, 1872, it was resolved:
1. Moved by J. H. Filion, seconded by Mr. Boisseau, that Mr.
Burroughs be appointed chairman, and Mr. Rochon be requested to
act as secretary.
2. Moved by Mr. Wilfrid Prévost, seconded by J. A. H. Mackay,
That a public dinner be given to the Hon. J. A. Berthelot, by
the bar of the district of Terrebonne, as an acknowledgment of
our esteem and respect for his honour.
3. Moved by J. A. H. Mackay, seconded by J. H. Filion, That the
chairman and Mr. Wilfrid Prévost be delegated to interview his
honour, and express the desire of the bar to give him a dinner,
and in order that he may fix the date that he will find
convenient.
(Signed) C. S. BURROUGHS, _Chairman_,
(Signed) A. ROCHON, _Secretary_.
Judge Berthelot regretted that he could not accept a demonstration which
would be so creditable for himself from the bar of the district of
Terrebonne, being on the eve of sailing for Europe, during a leave of
absence which had been granted to him by the Government for recuperating
his health, which was slightly impaired by his strict attendance to his
judicial duties. Before his appointment to the bench in 1859, he had
been called upon to fulfil the office of assistant judge in Montreal for
six months, in 1855 and 1856, during which time the judges of the
province had to act as such during the sittings of the Seignorial Court
for Lower Canada. On the 28th of November, 1875, his Lordship Archbishop
Bourget, intimated to Judge Berthelot that he had just received from
Rome a letter from his Excellency Monsignor Roncetti, Ablegate,
informing him that His Holiness Pius IX. had been pleased to appoint him
Commander of the Order of St. Sylvestre, by an apostolical writ, dated
the 24th of September then last, enclosed with the Ablegate’s letter,
adding that His Holiness had been so kind and so generous that through
the agency of His Eminence Cardinal Antonelli, he had consented to give
to Mr. Berthelot himself the decoration of the Commandery of the Order
of St. Sylvestre, which he had confided to the care of Mr. Harel,
procurator of the archbishop. The newspaper _Le Monde_, of Paris,
France, on the 28th of December, 1875, noticed this honour granted to
Judge Berthelot in the following terms:
We do not doubt that the appointment of Judge Berthelot will be
hailed with pleasure by the numerous friends that he has in
France, who have had occasion to appreciate, during his several
visits to our continent, how he was worthy in all respects, of
the high distinction which had been conferred upon him.
His Excellency, Monsignor Roncetti, in a letter bearing date of
February, 1876, wrote as follows to Judge Berthelot:
MY DEAR AND HONOURED COMMANDER,—With your very kind letter of
the 20th of January, for which I am very thankful, I have also
received, through the agency of Mr. Harel, your letter for his
Eminence Cardinal Antonelli, who entrusted me with his answer,
which you will find herewith:—In renewing my sincere
congratulations, I beg to present my homage to the most
excellent lady, Madame Berthelot, to your dear children, and to
accept at the same time the assurance of my most perfect esteem
and profound respect. Expecting with the greatest impatience the
day when I will see you in Rome, I have the honour to be, my
dear and honoured Commander,
Your most humble and devoted servant,
CESAR RONCETTI.
In the same month of February, 1876, Judge Berthelot was in receipt of a
letter from his Eminence, Cardinal Antonelli, in Italian, which read as
follows:
ILLUSTRISSIME SIGNOR,—I have presented, with great pleasure, to
the Holy Father the expressions of gratitude which your
illustrissime lordship has given me in his letter of the 20th of
January last, because our Holy Father had conferred upon you the
Commandership of St. Sylvestre, which you acknowledged to be
entirely due to the apostolic benevolence. His Holiness was
raptured when he saw these expressions of veneration and love
for his venerable person, and could not refrain from answering
to them by words of gratitude, and by giving you, from the
bottom of his heart, his apostolic benediction. Having thus
accomplished the wishes which you expressed to me, I have the
honour to be, your illustrissime lordship,
Yours,
Sec. GIACOMO ANTONELLI.
The following particulars about the knighthood are found in the
supplement of “Bouillet’s Dictionary,” page 42:
ORDER OF THE GOLDEN SPUR.
A Roman order founded by Paul III., in 1554, or by Pius IV. in
1559, has been established, according to some writers, by
Constantinus, as far back as 312, to commemorate his victory
over Maxencius, and approved since then by the Pope St.
Sylvestre. Its object was to reward civil merit, admitting only
noblemen; it could also be conferred on foreigners. Some
princely families of Rome and a few high dignitaries could
confer the order, which soon occasioned serious errors. Gregory
XVI. reformed the order in 1841, and gave the name of St.
Sylvestre, or the Reformed Golden Spur. The knights wore a
golden cross with eight points, and white enamelled, showing the
portrait of St. Sylvestre. It is worn with a ribbon striped red
and black; between, the branches of the cross hangs a golden
spur. Before the Reformation, when England was Catholic, and
when the relations of that country with the court of Rome were
uninterrupted, as soon as a chief justice of the Court of King’s
Bench, was appointed, the writ of commandership of the order of
St. Sylvestre was forwarded to him by the Pope, and he wore on
his chain of office the letters S. S. Since England has become
Protestant, the writ is not sent to that country; nevertheless,
when a new chief justice is appointed, and when he orders at the
court goldsmith the chain of office which he wears on his neck,
he receives it still with the same initials S.S., as in olden
times.
This fact is warranted by photographs of Chief Justices Bovill and
Campbell, which Judge Berthelot has in his possession, and which were
given him by his friend, Judge Mackay. In a legal review, entitled
_Albany Law Journal_ for 1874, in the issue of the 8th of August, we
find an article headed, “Article on Campbell’s Lives of Chief Justices,”
with the following comments:
And while there were among the wearers of the collar of S. S.,
men whose lives are neither helpful nor inspiring, there were
many of whom it is good to read.
In Canada the first person who received a writ of commandership of St.
Sylvestre, was the late Sir L. H. Lafontaine, chief justice, in the year
1853. Judge Berthelot was appointed in 1875, as above mentioned. In
1876, after eighteen years of judicial services, he asked and obtained
his superannuation, and on this occasion the _Montreal Gazette_, of the
28th of August, 1876, published the following:
The Ottawa Government has at last come to a determination which
enables it to accept the resignation of Mr. Justice Berthelot.
Nearly a year has elapsed since it was generally understood that
Mr. Justice Berthelot desired to obtain that relaxation from
judicial duties to which twenty years service had fairly
entitled him, but as our readers are aware, ministers were
seriously embarrassed in the disposal of this piece of
patronage, and the learned judge was requested to defer his
proposed relinquishment of official duties. Before reference is
made to his successor, it is but justice to say a word or two
respecting Hon. Judge Berthelot. If the hon. judge has not
obtained the first rank of judicial fame, no one will venture to
deny that he has occupied a most honourable position on the
bench of this province, or that his services have been of a
highly beneficial character. It were scant justice to say that
his character has been constantly honourable, his impartiality
unchallenged, and his intelligence of the most vigorous type.
Laborious without complaining, diligent without ostentation, Mr.
Justice Berthelot has never proved unequal to the arduous
demands of his position. His knowledge of real estate and
insurance law, extensive and profound, and his decisions upon
these, as well as many other branches of the law, were received
with the utmost respect and confidence. In determination of
cases in which juries are more or less liable to be influenced
by sympathy for the sufferers, he did not hesitate to adhere to
those leading principles which have been consecrated by time and
experience, in preference to yielding to impulses which might
create a dangerous precedent. In fine, Mr. Justice Berthelot’s
judicial career has been conscientious, able and upright, and
entitles him to the gratitude of his countrymen.
_Le Nouveau-Monde_, on 29th of August, 1876, reprinting the above
article from the _Gazette_, accompanied it with the following remarks:
This testimony is corroborated by all those who had occasion to
appreciate personally the talents, the carefulness, the
integrity, and the knowledge displayed by this hon. judge in the
exercise of his judicial duties. Some of his decisions in cases
of the highest importance fully demonstrated the fact, that he
was imbued with a sound judgment and a knowledge of
jurisprudence and statutory laws sufficient to make his
reputation and authority cope with that of the most
distinguished judges who have illustrated our Canadian bench.
Liberated from the toils and fatigues of the important position
which he has just vacated, Judge Berthelot, we hope, will not
withdraw entirely from public life, and the population of this
province could still benefit by his great experience, his
serious studies, and his deep knowledge of men and things, which
he has acquired during more than twenty years on the bench.
Judge Berthelot has since remained in private life, without an occasion
to make himself useful to his country. Whilst he was practising at the
bar, he had been often requested to enter parliament by several counties
of the district of Montreal, and in 1858, when the division of Alma was
to elect its first representative in the Legislative Council, he had
been requested to be a candidate by a great number of the citizens of
the division, one of the two candidates at that time being willing to
withdraw in his favour if he accepted the candidature. But Mr. Berthelot
had always refused, in order that his partners and friends, Sir L. H.
Lafontaine and Sir George E. Cartier, be not deprived of the services he
was rendering them, while these statesmen were engaged in political
life, with so much credit to themselves and satisfaction for the
country. Mr. Berthelot since that time has travelled several times in
England, France and Italy, where he has made several friends, with whom
he still keeps an active correspondence. In conclusion, we may say that
during the second rebellion, in November, 1838, Mr. Berthelot was
arrested and sent to gaol without cause or warrant, with many of the
best citizens of Montreal, viz., Messieurs Lafontaine, the two Messieurs
Viger, M. Papineau, a brother of the speaker, Dr. Lusignan, Mr. Fabre,
Mr. DeBoucherville, sr., Amable Badeaux, his cousin, and his young
friend Dr. Perreault. The latter was soon let free to attend his young
wife. Mr. Berthelot, having inquired, by a letter addressed to Colonel
Goldie, secretary of his Excellency the Governor, Sir John Colborne, for
the cause of his arrest, expressing by his letter his readiness to be
brought to trial, received no written answer, but a few days after was
invited to leave the gaol and go to his home. At the same time he had
also written to the late Andrew Stuart, solicitor-general, residing at
Montreal, with whom he was well acquainted, representing in proper terms
against his unjust detention, and always thought that he owed much to
the interest of Mr. Stuart for his immediate release. Of Mr. Stuart, the
solicitor-general, much can be said; that he was at least equal, if not
superior to his brother, the late Sir James Stuart, chief justice of
Quebec.
* * * * *
=MacLeod, Rev. John M.=, Presbyterian minister of Zion church,
Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. This greatly respected divine was
born at the West River of Pictou, in the province of Nova Scotia, on the
25th of August, 1827. His father, Ebenezer MacLeod, was also a native of
the West River of Pictou. He was a man of fair education, of sound
judgment, of extensive information, and of deep and fervent piety. He
was for many years an elder in the congregation of Salem, Green Hill,
and was secretary of what is claimed to have been the first temperance
society in this Dominion. His parents were from Scotland. He was married
to Barbara Benvie, daughter of James Benvie, of Musquodoboit, and died
in the 82nd year of his age. The subject of this brief sketch, having
received a good English education in the common schools of the country,
entered a printing office in the town of Pictou, and served a regular
apprenticeship to the printing business. He, however, in compliance with
the earnest wish of his parents, resumed his studies with a view to the
ministry. He entered the Pictou Academy, where for two years he studied
Latin, Greek, natural philosophy, and mathematics, under Professors Bell
and Hay. About this time the Presbyterian church of Nova Scotia, for the
purpose of training a native ministry, opened what was known as the West
River Seminary, the head teacher of which was the Rev. James Ross, D.D.,
afterwards principal of Dalhousie College, Halifax. Mr. MacLeod was one
of twelve students who entered the first year this institution was
opened. Here he took the regular arts course of four years, and studied
theology three years under Rev. John Keir, D.D., and Rev. James Smith,
D.D. He was licensed in the spring of 1853, was called to the
congregation of Richmond Bay during the following summer, and after
taking another term in the Theological Hall, was ordained and inducted
into the pastoral charge of the above named congregation on the 9th
Nov., 1854, where he laboured with much success for nearly seven years.
During the fourth year of his ministry he was married to Amelia Parker,
daughter of Francis R. Parker, of Nova Scotia, who for many years was a
member of the Provincial legislature. He was married to his present
wife, Mrs. L. G. Taylor, in 1879. In 1860 Rev. Mr. MacLeod accepted a
call to Newport, Hants county, Nova Scotia, where he continued to labour
with acceptance and success for ten years. While in Newport he declined
a call to Boston, Massachusetts, and in 1870 accepted one to New
Glasgow, Pictou, Nova Scotia. But there being at this time four
Presbyterian congregations in the small town of New Glasgow, and Rev.
Mr. MacLeod, believing that his labours were more required elsewhere,
accepted a call to his present charge, into which he was inducted on the
19th of July, 1871. His labours in this field have been crowned with a
fair measure of success. On two different occasions additions of over
one hundred and twenty, mostly young persons, were made to the communion
roll. Mr. MacLeod is at present clerk of the presbytery. He has held
that position for twenty-one years in the Presbytery of Prince Edward
Island, and for seven years in the Presbytery of Halifax, Nova Scotia.
* * * * *
=Sifton, Hon. John Wright=, Brandon, Manitoba, was born in the township
of London, county of Middlesex, Ontario, on the 10th August, 1833. He is
the youngest son of Bamlet and Mary Sifton, who came from the county of
Tipperary, Ireland, in 1832, and settled in London township. His
ancestors on both sides were English. He received his education in the
public and grammar schools of London. Up until 1860 he devoted his time
to farming and other business, when he removed to Oil Springs, in
Lambton county, and engaged in the oil business as producer and refiner.
Here he purchased a large tract of oil lands immediately surrounding the
famous gum beds, and afterwards sold them to an American company. This
was the first foreign company that invested in Canadian oil property,
and they continued to develop the resources of their territory until the
enormous yield of oil at Petrolia made it impossible for them to
successfully compete with this more productive locality. In 1870, Mr.
Sifton removed to Paris, Brant county, with the object of having his
children educated at the grammar school there; and in 1872, in company
with his brother, contracted for and built forty miles of the track of
the Canada Southern Railway. In 1873, he moved to London, and was
appointed secretary of the Oil Association, and this office he held
until the association ceased operations. In 1874, in company with two
other gentlemen, whose interests he soon after bought out, he was
awarded the contract for building and maintaining for five years a
telegraph line from the city of Winnipeg to Fort Pelley, and clearing
the track a hundred feet wide, for a distance of about three hundred
miles, for the then contemplated Canadian Pacific Railway. Although this
contract, when it was entered into, appeared to be one likely to give a
fair profit, yet it afterwards turned out the opposite way. The fearful
wet seasons of 1876, ’77, and ’78, flooded the country for forty miles
east of Lake Manitoba, and sixty miles west along the line to, in some
places, a depth of six feet, making it impossible to keep the line up,
and as the Government refused to make any allowance for this, the loss
was very great. Some idea may be formed of the difficulty of performing
work in this country at that time, when we state that, one winter,
provisions having ran out at one of Mr. Sifton’s camps, he had to send
supplies by dog-trains 160 miles, and then have it carried on men’s
backs, 60 miles further, making it to cost twelve cents per pound
freight from Winnipeg to the camp, and at no time during the best part
of the season could he deliver the same goods at their destination for
less than five cents per pound freight. In 1875, the firm of Sifton,
Ward & Co. were awarded the contracts for sections thirteen and fourteen
of the Canadian Pacific Railway, and Mr. Sifton, the senior member of
the firm, undertook charge of section fourteen, which commenced at Red
River, and extended a distance of seventy-seven miles to Cross Lake.
During this time he removed to Manitoba, settling at Selkirk, and here
he remained until the completion of his telegraph and railroad
contracts. The money involved in these two operations amounted to about
a million and a half dollars. In 1879, he took up his abode in Winnipeg,
where he purchased some real estate outside the city limits, and erected
for himself a fine residence. Taking advantage of the “boom of 1881,” he
sold out this property and moved to Brandon, where he now resides. Here
he has invested a considerable sum of money in farming lands, and for
four years succeeded in raising in each year from 10,000 to 18,000
bushels of grain. But the years of frost (1883, ’84, ’85) having made
the raising of wheat or grain in large quantities a risky business, and
the collapse in values of all kinds of property, especially real estate,
have forced Mr. Sifton to suspend business operations in this direction
for the present. However, from his experience of over twelve years in
the North-West country, and a thorough practical knowledge of farming,
he thinks that although extensive farming has been in the past, and may
prove in the future from certain causes, a failure, when compared with
Ontario, yet he is impressed with the idea that it cannot be equalled on
this continent for fertility; always providing, however, that the
present hindrances to its prosperity be removed. What Mr. Sifton wants
for his country is fair competition in freights; the abolition of all
monopoly; readjustment of our present tariff, so that it may have the
same chance as Ontario; a reasonable homestead law that will not be
changed every year, and pre-emptions at such a price that the settler
can meet it in a reasonable time. If these concessions were made, he
thinks the North-West would make such strides onward that the most
sanguine of us would fail to realize. Mr. Sifton, during his busy life,
has devoted time to other things besides purely business matters. In
1852, he became a member of the Order of the Sons of Temperance, and in
1854, he also joined the Good Templars, and has kept up his connection
with these active temperance organizations to the present time. In 1867,
he became one of the United Templars, and from 1876 to 1883 he acted in
the capacity of president of their Grand Lodge in Manitoba. He was grand
worthy chief templar of the Grand Lodge of Manitoba of the Independent
Order of Good Templars in 1884, and is at present president of the
Manitoban Branch of the Dominion Alliance for the suppression of the
liquor traffic, and has been since its formation in 1879. He took the
leading part in the contest for the Scott Act, when it was passed in the
counties of Lisgar and Marquette. These counties extend over about three
quarters of the old province of Manitoba. The act was carried by very
large majorities,—more than two to one voting in its favour; but on
account of the vagueness of the meaning of some of its provisions in
reference to counties in Manitoba, and the impossibility of getting it
amended, it still remains a dead letter. In politics, Mr. Sifton is a
Liberal. In 1878, he received the unanimous nomination of the Liberal
party for the Commons for the county of Lisgar, and organized and
carried on the campaign up to the memorable day, the 17th of September,
1878. The 18th being nomination day in Manitoba, and the news reaching
there of the defeat of the Mackenzie government, his committee had a
hurried meeting on the morning before nomination, and decided that it
would be better for the county if he would withdraw, and allow a
supporter of the Macdonald government to be elected by acclamation, and
this he consented to do. In the fall of the same year he received the
nomination for the Local House for the electoral division of St.
Clemens, and was elected by a large majority, and on the assembling of
the house he was elected speaker. During the sitting of this parliament
a redistribution bill was passed, giving the new settlers something like
fair representation, which they had not hitherto enjoyed. At the next
general election he ran for one of the new electoral divisions, and was
defeated. In 1881, when the province was enlarged, he ran for the
division of Brandon and was elected. In the general election of 1883 he
was defeated; and again at the last general election for the division of
West Brandon he met the same fate by a small majority. Mr. Sifton was
reeve of Oil Springs and a member of the County council of Lambton
during the years 1867, ’68 and ’69. He was chairman of the school board
of same place in 1868-69, and was reeve of the municipality of
Cornwallis for 1885-86, but declined the nomination in 1887. He has been
a justice of the peace for the province since 1875. He has travelled
over the whole of the Dominion of Canada, and is familiar with all parts
of the United States north and south, and as far west as Omaha. Mr.
Sifton is a member of the Methodist church from choice. Before the union
he was a Wesleyan Methodist, and since then his opinions have not
changed much on religious subjects, except that he has more confidence
in those who differ from him in church affairs than he had in his
younger days, and now has a greater love for and confidence in the
teachings and doctrines of the church of his choice. He was a member of
the General conference of 1882, and a member of the committee appointed
by that conference to confer with committees appointed by other branches
of the Methodist church on union. He was strongly in favour of union,
and was a member of the conference held in Belleville when the union was
consummated. At the conference in 1882, he took the leading part in
having Manitoba and the North-West set apart as a separate annual
conference, which was agreed to at that conference. He was also a member
of the General conference held in Toronto in 1886. He is now a member of
the general board of missions of the Methodist church, and has been a
member of the local board of missions in the Manitoba and the North-West
conference since its formation. He has also been a member of Manitoba
and North-West annual conference since the admission of laymen, and is
president of the Brandon branch of the Upper Canada Bible Society. He
has always been actively engaged in Sabbath school and church work, and
is superintendent of the Brandon Sabbath-school. And as for temperance
work, he has spent much time and labour in this direction, and has
spoken in almost every section of the country on the subject. He was
married 1st October, 1853, to Kate, third daughter of James and Sarah
Watkins, of Parsonstown, King’s county, Ireland, and has three children
living. His oldest and only daughter, Sophia, was educated at Hamilton
Female College, and is married to A. N. Molesworth, civil engineer, now
construction engineer for the St. Paul, Minneapolis, and Manitoba
Railway Co. His oldest son, Arthur Lewis, graduated from Cobourg
University in arts, studied law in Manitoba, was called to the bar in
1882, and is now practising law in Prince Albert. His youngest son,
Clifford, graduated from Cobourg, and is a gold medallist; he studied
law in Manitoba, was called to the bar in 1882 in his twenty-second
year, and is now practising law at Brandon.
* * * * *
=Armstrong, Rev. W. D.=, M.A., Ph. D., Pastor of St. Paul’s
(Presbyterian) Church, Ottawa, Ontario, was born at Cavan, Durham
county, Ontario, on the 28th of July, 1845, and is the son of John D.
Armstrong, yeoman, of that place. After a preliminary education in the
schools of his native place, he entered Upper Canada College, and soon
attained to a front place in his classes. At the close of his term he
carried off the Governor-General’s prize, and the classical, the
mathematical, and modern language prizes. He then entered the Toronto
University, and graduated from that institution in 1870, the silver
medallist in metaphysics and ethics, and prizeman in Hebrew, Chaldee and
Syriac. During his course in the university he also obtained a number of
scholarships and prizes in various departments. After leaving Toronto
University he took a course in theology in Knox (Presbyterian) College,
Toronto, where he likewise distinguished himself. On the 14th of May,
1874, he was ordained pastor of his present charge, and has continued
ever since (with one short break, when he was sent to Great Britain in
1883 for a few months, in the interest of the French Canadian missions),
as the faithful exponent of Christ’s message of love to the world,
greatly appreciated and esteemed by his congregation. In 1886, the
Boston University conferred upon him the degree of Doctor of Philosophy.
Rev. Dr. Armstrong has a strong liking for literature, and amidst his
various arduous parish cares and duties, has found time to contribute a
good many articles to the newspaper press, and publish several sermons.
On the 29th of September, 1886, he married Jean W., daughter of Henry J.
Johnston, of Montreal, a very accomplished lady, and one who has proved
a true helper to him as minister of a large congregation.
* * * * *
=Guthrie, Donald=, Q.C., M.P.P. for South Wellington, Guelph, Ontario,
was born on the 8th May, 1840, in Edinburgh, Scotland. His father was
Hugh Guthrie, and his mother, Catharine Macgregor, sister of Patrick
Macgregor, M.A., barrister-at-law, Toronto, a distinguished Gaelic and
general scholar. Mr. Guthrie received his early education in his native
city, and, when about fourteen years of age, he left his fatherland. He
reached Toronto in August, 1854. Here he entered the office of the Hon.
Oliver Mowat, as a junior clerk; and afterwards became managing clerk
for John Helliwell, barrister. In 1859 he left Toronto and settled in
Guelph as managing clerk for Fergusson & Kingsmill, barristers. The Hon.
Fergusson-Blair, one of the partners of the firm, having retired in
December, 1863, Mr. Guthrie was admitted into partnership, and the name
of the firm was changed to Kingsmill and Guthrie. Under this style the
business was carried on until Mr. Kingsmill was appointed judge of the
County Court of Bruce, in January, 1867, when Mr. Guthrie became head of
the firm, and has continued such ever since, the firm now being known as
Guthrie and Watt. Mr. Guthrie was admitted an attorney in 1863;
barrister in 1866, passing his examinations with distinction; and, in
March, 1876, was created a Queen’s counsel by the Lieut.-Governor of
Ontario, and by the Governor-General of Canada, October, 1885. In
December, 1882, he was elected a bencher of the Law Society, and was
re-elected for five years in April, 1886. Since 1863 he has been
solicitor for the county of Wellington, and also for the same period he
has been solicitor for the city of Guelph, and acts in this capacity for
several other municipalities, banks, etc. He has been president of the
Guelph Gas Company since its incorporation in 1870; is a director of the
Guelph Junction Railway Company, and of the Wellington Hotel Company. He
occupied the position of treasurer of the St. Andrew’s Society of
Guelph, from 1862 to 1869, and in 1870 was chosen its president. Mr.
Guthrie was elected a member of the House of Commons in 1876, as
representative for South Wellington, and served until the general
election in 1878, when he presented himself for re-election, and was
returned by 303 majority. He continued in the House of Commons until the
general election of 1882, when he voluntarily retired from active
political life, with the view of devoting his whole attention for some
years to his professional duties. However, in 1886, he once more sought
parliamentary honours, and the sturdy Liberals of South Wellington sent
him to the Ontario legislature as their representative on the 28th of
December in the same year, by the handsome majority of 671. Mr. Guthrie
was selected in February, 1877, to move the reply to the speech from the
throne in the House of Commons; and on the 2nd March, 1887, he moved the
reply to the Lieut.-Governor’s address in the Ontario legislature. While
in the House of Commons—1876-78—Mr. Guthrie was a supporter of Mr.
Mackenzie’s government, and was an active member of the special
committee appointed to inquire into the affairs of the Northern Railway
Company. This committee sat for several weeks, took an immense mass of
evidence, and made an exhaustive report, which enabled the government to
secure from the railway company a large sum in place of moneys
improperly expended in elections, etc. Mr. Guthrie was also an active
member of the Committee of Privileges and Elections at the time when it
investigated the charges against Mr. Speaker Anglin, and other members,
for alleged breaches of the Independence of Parliament Act. After the
defeat of Mr. Mackenzie’s government in 1878, Mr. Guthrie, with his
political friends, went into opposition. He actively opposed the new
government on the tariff, the Letellier matter, the Canadian Pacific
Railway contract, the disallowance of the Streams Bill, the Gerrymander
Act, etc. Mr. Guthrie is a member of the Presbyterian church. On the
17th of December, 1863, he was married in Montreal to Eliza Margaret
MacVicar, youngest daughter of John MacVicar, formerly of Dunglass,
Argyleshire, Scotland, and latterly of Chatham, Ontario. Mrs. Guthrie is
a sister of the Rev. D. H. MacVicar, D.D., LL.D., principal of the
Presbyterian College, Montreal, and of the Rev. Dr. Malcolm MacVicar,
professor of theology in the Toronto Baptist College (McMaster Hall),
Toronto.
* * * * *
=Hinson, Rev. Walter=, Pastor of the First Baptist Church, Moncton, New
Brunswick, was born at Chesham, England, on the 14th of May, 1858, and
came to Canada in 1879. His father, Thomas Hinson, and mother, Mary
Benwell, are both alive, and are residing in Hertfordshire, Eng.; he has
a brother and sister in London. Rev. Mr. Hinson was educated at Hulme
Cliff College in Derbyshire, and Harley House, East London, England. He
studied for the ministry, and was ordained in 1880. He is a member of
the Eastern New Brunswick Baptist Association, and the church of which
he is pastor is one of the most important centres of religious activity
in the district. It has a membership of between six and seven hundred,
and over four hundred scholars in its Sunday-school. For general
benevolence and Christian aggressiveness its record is good. Rev. Mr.
Hinson has always been a total abstainer, and from early youth connected
with temperance societies. He is at present a member of the Moncton
Division, Sons of Temperance, and is considered one of the most
aggressive of the temperance army in New Brunswick. Mr. Hinson was
brought up among the Baptists, and very naturally feels greatly at home
in, and is one of the leading lights of, the denomination. In the pulpit
he possesses a peculiar power, his manner and matter being forcible and
original, and we have no doubt there is a great future of usefulness
before this young and rising divine. He was married in July, 1886, to
Jennie A. Austin, of Herts, England.
* * * * *
=Allison, Charles F.=—The late Charles F. Allison, of Sackville, New
Brunswick, who was born on the 25th of January, 1795, and died the 20th
of November, 1858, at the age of sixty-three years, was the second son
of James Allison, whose father, Joseph Allison, of Newton Limavady,
county of Londonderry, Ireland, emigrated to Nova Scotia in 1769, and
settled at Horton, Kings county, where he continued to reside until his
death in 1794. James Allison married and settled at Cornwallis, where he
lived and died at the ripe age of ninety years. Here Charles F. was
born, and received his education at the Grammar school, and in 1812
moved to Parrsboro’, where he found employment as a clerk in the
establishment of James Ratchford until 1817, when he went to Sackville,
New Brunswick, and entered into partnership with the late Hon. William
Crane, in a general mercantile business, and in this he continued until
1840. On the 4th of January, 1839, Mr. Allison addressed a letter to the
chairman of the New Brunswick district of Wesleyan ministers, in which
he proposed “to purchase an eligible site and erect suitable buildings
in Sackville, in the county of Westmoreland, for the establishment of a
school, in which not only the elementary, but the _higher_ branches of
education may be taught, and to be altogether under the management and
control of the British conference in connection with the Wesleyan
missionaries in these provinces;” and he proposed to give £100 ($400)
per annum for ten years towards the support of the school. This generous
offer having been accepted, he made arrangements to proceed with the
erection of a suitable edifice for the academy—the corner-stone of
which was laid on the 9th of July, 1840, and from that time to the close
of his life in 1858, he devoted a large share of his time and business
talent to watching over and promoting the financial interests of the
educational enterprise which, under his fostering care, developed
wonderfully. In addition to the $20,000 which he had given to establish
the older branch of the institution, he gave $4,000 to aid in the
erection of the ladies’ branch, which was opened in 1854; and in his
will he left $2,000 for the academies, and $1,000 for the college
whenever it should be organized. So that of the moderate fortune which
he had accumulated before retiring from mercantile life in 1840, at
least $30,000 were employed in founding and establishing the educational
institutions which bear his name, and which stand as the enduring
monument of the far-seeing wisdom and liberality of this unselfish
Christian patriot. Mr. Allison was married to Milcah, daughter of John
and Anne Trueman, on June 23rd, 1840. Mrs. Allison survived him, but
died on the 14th of June, 1884. Mary, their only child, was born 1st
Sept., 1847, and died 1st Jan., 1871. At the date of Mr. Allison’s
demise, _The Borderer_, a local weekly paper, thus kindly alluded to
him:
“Our sheet this week appears in mourning, because we are called
to record the death of one whose removal is indeed a public
loss, and one, too, of no ordinary magnitude. Almost every
individual in our community feels the death of Charles F.
Allison as a public bereavement. But far beyond the circle of
personal acquaintanceship, everywhere throughout the lower
British American colonies, Mr. Allison’s name has been known and
his influence felt, as the most munificent public benefactor who
has yet arisen in these provinces, to bless his country and
benefit the world. Mr. Allison was a native of Cornwallis, Nova
Scotia, but came to this place when a young man, and here
carried on, in connection with his partner, the late Hon. Wm.
Crane, an extensive business until 1840. In all his business
transactions he was remarkable for diligence, promptitude,
punctuality, and rigid honesty. He did not make haste to be rich
by embarking in any rash speculation, being, doubtlessly, more
inclined to the _safe_ than to the _rapid_ mode of acquiring
wealth. He was, however, quite successful, so that when he was
led, many years since, to the more earnest consideration of the
fundamental doctrine of the Christian system of practical
ethics, ‘_Ye are not your own, but bought with a price_,’ etc.,
he found himself in possession of a considerable amount of
property, of which he evidently, thenceforward to the end of his
life, considered himself but the steward; and as such he was
eminently wise and faithful, so that, we doubt not, he has been
greeted by his Divine Master with the commendation, ‘_Well done,
good and faithful servant._’ A large portion of the last
eighteen or twenty years of his life was most unostentatiously
employed in various works altogether unselfish. The noble
educational institutions which he founded, and which he has so
largely helped to build up to their present state of pre-eminent
usefulness, have occupied a great deal of his time and
attention, for he not only cheerfully paid six thousand pounds
and upwards to ensure their establishment, but without fee or
reward discharged the onerous duty of treasurer, and watched and
labored with parental kindness, solicitude and devotion, to
promote their prosperity. These, we believe, will long stand,
monuments of the wisdom as well as of the benevolence of the
Christian patriot and philanthropist. We have not room to
enlarge upon the modesty, gentleness, affability, and other
traits of character which so endeared him to all who had the
privilege of his personal acquaintance. Nor yet can we speak of
the many ways in which his quiet influence will be so much
missed in our neighborhood. ‘_He rests from his labors, and his
works do follow him._’”
In _The Provincial Wesleyan_, of the same week, published at Halifax,
Nova Scotia, a similar notice of Mr. Allison’s death appeared, in which
the writer said:
“He was a benefactor to his race, a blessing to his country, an
ornament to the age in which he lived. He lived not for himself,
but for his generation and for generations yet unborn. Fortune,
this world’s wealth, he sought and won; but lavished it not on
personal pleasures or selfish aggrandizement. His time and his
means were freely given to the noble cause of securing to the
youth of these provinces a sound, liberal, and religious
education. His humility equalled his munificence. He thirsted
not for fame. But he has left a monument for himself more noble
than sculptured stone in the institutions he has reared, and
with which his worthy name must be forever associated.”
The Mount Allison _Academic Gazette_, in its first issue after the death
of Mr. Allison, said:
“The relation which Mr. Allison sustained to the institution,
and to all who were connected with it, was such as no other
individual can ever sustain. His removal is, therefore, to it
and to them an irreparable loss. The feeling of sadness and
anxiety induced by this event must, therefore, with those who
understand the matter, be altogether other than an evanescent
one. But although we are sure that we shall find everywhere many
to sympathise with us in our abiding sorrow as we think of the
deep affliction which befell us and the institution when its
father was taken from us, we think it more becoming for us to
ask them to rejoice with us in gratefully acknowledging how much
he was allowed to accomplish for it whilst he yet lived. Nearly
nineteen years were added to his life after he had formed the
noble design of founding such an institution, and during all
these years he labored and studied and prayed for its
prosperity, as its father only could do. The value of the
services which he rendered to the institution, ‘not grudgingly,
as of necessity,’ but ever most cheerfully, and, be it
remembered, entirely gratuitously, cannot be estimated. Probably
if an accurate account had been kept of them, charging for each
item its fair business value, they would be found to amount to
scarcely less than the sum of his princely money benefactions to
the founding and establishing this institution. Certainly it may
well be questioned whether the devotion of twice the six or
seven thousand pounds, which he gave, would without such
personal attention and services, have secured the establishment
of such an institution as he has left to perpetuate the blessed
memory of his name.”
The board of trustees of the institution, at a special meeting held on
6th Jan., 1859, passed the following resolutions, among others:
“1. That although we are deeply conscious that the academy has
sustained an irreparable loss in the decease of Charles F.
Allison, Esq., and although the remembrance that his work on
earth is done, that the invaluable services which, as treasurer,
chairman of building, furnishing, and executive committees of
the institution, he has ever been wont so ungrudgingly to
render, have now ceased, and that the board can no more hope to
be aided in its deliberations by his eminently sage counsels,
induces a feeling of sadness almost overwhelming; yet the board
would recognize as ground for profound gratitude to Him without
whom ‘_nothing is wise, nothing good_,’ the magnitude of the
work which our departed brother was enabled and allowed so
wisely to undertake and successfully to accomplish in founding,
and so essentially helping to build up to its present eminently
prosperous condition, the Mount Allison Wesleyan Academy in its
two affiliated branches.
“2. That in the judgment of this board, Mr. Allison, in devoting
so large a portion of his time and wealth to the establishment
of an educational institution which is of such wide-spread
influence and usefulness, acted as a truly wise Christian
steward, and fairly entitled himself to the pre-eminently
honourable position which has been assigned to him as ‘_the
noblest public benefactor which has yet arisen in these
provinces to benefit his country and bless the world_;’ and
believing that so long as this institution may continue in
operation true to his design and worthy of its past history, it
will stand the monument of the distinguished Christian patriot
and philanthropist, perpetuating the memory alike of his wisdom
and his benevolence, this board will, as performing a sacred
duty, earnestly endeavour to maintain in ever increasing
efficiency.”
Resolutions of a similar character were passed by the Wesleyan Methodist
Conference of Eastern British America at its next ensuing annual
session. See published minutes for the year 1859, pp. 21-22.
* * * * *
=Senkler, William Stevens=, Judge of the County Court of the County of
Lanark, Perth, is an Englishman by birth, having been born at Docking,
Norfolk county, England, on the 15th of January, 1838. His father was
the Rev. Edmund John Senkler, M.A., of Cains College, Cambridge, a
clergyman of the Church of England; and his mother was Eleanor Elizabeth
Stevens, daughter of the Rev. William Stevens, M.A., Oxon, of Sedberg,
Yorkshire, England. The parents of Judge Senkler, with their family of
nine children, came to Canada in May, 1843, and resided in the city of
Quebec, where the Rev. Mr. Senkler occupied for some time the position
of rector of the High School. He then moved to Sorel, and in September,
1847, to Brockville, at which place he died on the 28th of October,
1872, Mrs. Senkler following him to the grave on the 16th of March,
1873. Judge Senkler was educated by his father, and commenced life in
mercantile pursuits; but afterwards studied law with the Hon. A. N.
Richards, late lieutenant-governor of British Columbia, and also with
the Hon. Edward Blake. During the Michaelmas term of 1860, he was
admitted as solicitor; and was called to the bar in Trinity term, 1861.
He then began the practice of the law in Brockville, first, with J. D.
Buell, then with Hon. A. N. Richards, and lastly, with his brother,
Edmund John Senkler (now county judge of Lincoln), down to December,
1873, when he was appointed by the Mackenzie government, judge of the
County Court of the county of Lanark. On the 15th of October, 1875, he
was appointed master in chancery at Perth, by the judges of that court.
On the 10th of October, 1877, referee of titles by the judges of the
Court of Chancery. On the 14th of March, 1882, he was made local judge
of the High Court of Justice for Ontario; and on the 26th of October,
1885, he was appointed to the position of revising officer for the south
riding of Lanark by the Macdonald government. Judge Senkler has taken an
active interest in military matters, and helped to organize the
Brockville Light Infantry Company, which now forms part of the 42nd
battalion. He held the rank of ensign in his company. True to the
traditions of his house, the judge is a member of the Church of England,
and served as church warden in St. Peter’s Church, Brockville, and St.
James’ Church, Perth, for several years. He has also acted in the
capacity of lay delegate to the Synod of the diocese of Ontario from St.
James’ Church, Perth. Judge Senkler was married on the 21st of May,
1862, by the late Rev. Dr. Adamson, in the Episcopal Cathedral, Quebec,
to Honor Tett, daughter of the late Benjamin Tett, of Newboro’, Ontario,
who at that time represented South Leeds in the parliament of Canada,
and who sat for the same riding in the first parliament of Ontario. The
issue of this marriage has been two daughters and one son. Judge Senkler
is a hale and hearty man, and we predict for him a long life of
usefulness.
* * * * *
=Hill, Andrew Gregory=, Police Magistrate, Niagara Falls, was born on
the 23rd of September, 1834, in the township of Clinton, county of
Lincoln, Ontario. His ancestors were among the pioneers of the province.
They came to this country immediately after the revolutionary war of
1776, and took up land as U. E. loyalists. The township of Clinton was
then an unbroken wilderness, without a habitation, and without a road,
save the track of the red man. Newark, now Niagara, about twenty-five
miles distant, was the nearest village, and the only practicable means
of reaching it was by boat down the lake. It is difficult for us now to
realize the privations that the early settlers had to undergo,
especially when we consider the severity of the winters, the proximity
of the Indian bands, and the inaccessible condition of the country. Even
in later years when small plots of land were reduced to a state of
cultivation, they were compelled to manufacture their own meal by the
most primitive methods. Solomon Hill was one of the second generation
after these pioneers, and in 1833 he married Eleanor Gregory, also the
descendant of a U. E. loyalist family. Andrew Gregory Hill was the
eldest child of this marriage. Both his grandsires bore arms in the war
of 1812, and were both severely wounded. Solomon Hill, his father,
served with the militia in the rebellion of 1837, but privately
sympathized with the patriot cause, and in later years became a great
admirer of William Lyon MacKenzie, the patriot leader. Andrew was
brought up to farm life, attending the public school in winter, and
assisting his father in summer. At the age of eighteen he was sent to
Victoria College, Cobourg, where he subsequently graduated in arts and
in law, having in the meantime taught school for nearly two years in
order to provide funds with which to prosecute his studies. He
subsequently studied law in Cobourg, and afterwards in St. Catharines,
and lastly with the late Adam Crooks, at one time minister of education
for the province of Ontario, in Toronto. Mr. Hill was admitted to
practice in 1862, and called to the bar in 1864. He commenced practice
in St. Catharines, but only continued there a few months, when he
entered into partnership with Warren Rock, late of London, and removed
to Welland. Here he practised for more than ten years. He took an active
interest in all local matters, being for many years in succession a
member of the school board, the village council, the county council, and
the county board of education. In 1864, Mr. Hill became identified with
the local press, and shortly afterwards started _The Welland Tribune_,
which paper at once became, and has since continued to be, the organ of
the Reform party in the county. In 1872 Mr. Hill, being an active
politician, was nominated by the Reform party of the county of Welland
for the House of Commons, in opposition to the late Mr. Street, a tory,
who had held the county for many years, but was defeated. In 1874 he was
appointed police magistrate for the town of Niagara Falls, under the
special “Act to provide for the better government of that part of
Ontario situate in the vicinity of the Falls of Niagara,” which position
he has held since that time. His administration in that capacity has
been prompt and vigorous—some of his judgments being regarded by many
as severe—but in consequence of the bold stand he took as a magistrate,
he soon brought about a beneficial change in the locality, and drove
away large numbers of the criminal class who formerly infested the
neighbourhood. Notwithstanding his appointment as police magistrate, he
still continued to practise his profession, and in 1886 was appointed
solicitor for the town of Niagara Falls, for the Imperial bank of Canada
at Niagara Falls, and for the Niagara Falls Street Railway Company. In
1865 Mr. Hill married Isabel Thompson, daughter of Archibald Thompson,
of Stamford, who was for many years treasurer of the county of Welland,
and whose ancestors were among the earliest settlers of this county.
* * * * *
=Anderson, Alexander=, Principal of the Prince of Wales College,
Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, was born at Aberdeen, Scotland,
30th September, 1836. His father, Alexander Anderson, and his mother,
Margaret Imray, belonged to families residing in the adjacent parishes
of Banchory Ternan and Midmar. Until 1854, he attended school in the
town of Aberdeen. The six or seven years prior to that date were passed
under the tuition of William Rattray, an educationist of considerable
repute in the north of Scotland. Government grants and inspection were
then in their infancy, and Mr. Rattray was one of the first in that
quarter to hail the advent of a system which, sooner or later, was bound
to develop into a national scheme of education. From Aberdeen, Mr.
Anderson proceeded to Edinburgh to the Training College at Moray House,
having gained the first scholarship at the annual competition held in
that city. At this institution he remained two years. Moray House was
then under the able rectorship of James Sime, one of the best scholars
and most enthusiastic teachers of whom Scotland could then boast, and
was, during his incumbency, several times reported as the best college
of its kind in Great Britain. When Mr. Anderson finished his course at
the Training College, he was selected as an assistant master in the
public school in connection with it. He held this position for more than
two years, and only resigned it to complete his studies at the
university. At the University of Edinburgh, whose classes he attended
for four years, his career was distinguished. In the classes of
mathematics and natural philosophy he took the first place, and in both
was bracketed with another for the Straton gold medals, at that time the
highest mathematical honours conferred by the university. In the spring
of 1862, the proposal was made, through the rector of the Training
College, that he should take the second professorship in the Prince of
Wales College. This appointment he accepted, and proceeded to Prince
Edward Island in November of that year. In 1868 he was appointed
principal, and on the amalgamation of the Prince of Wales College and
Normal School, principal of the united institutions, and a member of the
Board of Education. On the schools of Prince Edward Island, Mr. Anderson
has made a marked and lasting impress, which is every year deepening.
His remarkable accuracy of information, his thorough scholarship, and
his enthusiastic devotion to the cause of education, have had a most
astonishing effect in arousing an interest in the public schools
throughout the province. In addition to this, his integrity of purpose,
his high sense of honour, and his love of truth, have been instilled
into the minds of his pupils, and made effective through that
extraordinary force of character which has rendered all his teaching so
impressive. He has a wonderful tact in finding out and developing talent
in his pupils, and many a young man has been started by him in a career
of usefulness and distinction, who might otherwise have remained
unknown. Two of Mr. Anderson’s pupils won, successively, the Gilchrist
scholarship. The highest honours in the Maritime provinces are generally
gained by students from his classes. During the twenty-four years Mr.
Anderson has been in the province, he may be said to have taken the
leading part in every forward movement in the cause of education.
* * * * *
=Reddin, James Henry=, Barrister, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island,
was born at Kew, Surrey, England, on the 9th January, 1852. He is the
eldest son of James Reddin, formerly a merchant in Charlottetown, but
now holding the position of Government inspector of weights and measures
for Prince Edward Island. His mother, Louisa Anna Matthews, was a
daughter of John Matthews, a retired London merchant, and a freeman of
that city, related through his marriage with the widow of Henry Monk, a
scion of the family of Monk, of Albemarle, to the Kershaws, Millers,
Chadwicks, and other well known commercial families of Liverpool and
Manchester. James Reddin’s father, Dennis Reddin, was the son of a
manufacturer in Carrick-on-Suir, Tipperary county, Ireland, by his
marriage with Miss O’Meara, a daughter of an old established family in
the south of Ireland. Dennis Reddin emigrated to Prince Edward Island
during the latter portion of the eighteenth century, and having been
possessed of a better education than most Irish settlers of his day, he
taught school for some time on the island. He afterwards became engaged
in mercantile pursuits, notably in the building of ships, in which he
was very successful until the year 1847, when a great fall took place in
this class of property, and he, like many other shipbuilders, became
involved in the common ruin that ensued. The Reddin family have been for
nearly a century the leading Irish Catholic family of Prince Edward
Island, and one of the sons of the late Dennis Reddin has successively
held the position of solicitor-general and attorney-general of the
province, and is at present a county court judge,—he being the first
Roman Catholic in Prince Edward Island appointed to a judicial office.
James Henry Reddin, the subject of this sketch, was educated at a
private school, and then at the Prince of Wales and St. Dunstan’s
Colleges. After leaving school he occupied for some time the position of
clerk in his father’s office, and when that gentleman gave up business,
he commenced the study of law with his uncle, Richard Reddin, and
continued it in the office of the Hon. Neil McLeod. In July, 1885, he
was admitted an attorney of the supreme court, and a barrister the
following year. Mr. Reddin has been connected with several literary
societies, has written on various occasions for the press, and delivered
before the public lectures on literary and other subjects. Mr. Reddin’s
father is a Roman Catholic, and he has followed in his footsteps; his
mother, however, was a member of the Episcopal church. In politics he is
a Liberal-Conservative. In conclusion, we may add that Mr. Reddin’s
father for many years filled the position of president of the Benevolent
Irish Society, established by Lieut.-Governor Ready in 1825, and on his
retirement from office was elected patron of the society in the room of
the deceased Hon. Daniel Brenan.
* * * * *
=Galbraith, Rev. William=, B.C.L., LL.B., Pastor of the Methodist
church, Orillia, was born in the township of North Monaghan, three miles
from Peterboro’, on 13th of July, 1842. His parents, William Galbraith
and Mary MacGlennon, were both natives of Ireland. His mother is a woman
of strong mind and great force of character, and her son has inherited
from her those qualities which have made him a power in the church. The
subject of this sketch was converted at the age of eleven years, and
united himself with the Wesleyan Methodist church, and has continued
connected with that body of Christians ever since. He received his
education for the ministry at Victoria College, Cobourg, and when only
seventeen years of age was licensed as a local preacher. In June, 1861,
before he was nineteen years old, he entered the ministry, and was
ordained in June, 1865. While doing the work of a heavy city
appointment, he took up the law course in McGill College, Montreal, and
in 1875 received the degree of B.C.L. In 1881 he received the degree of
LL.B. from Victoria College. Rev. Mr. Galbraith has been delegate at
four general conferences; chairman of a district for seven years; was
the last president of the Montreal Conference of the Methodist church of
Canada, and the first president of the Montreal Conference of the
Methodist church after the union in 1884. Apart from his pulpit duties,
the Rev. Mr. Galbraith has taken a deep interest in the educational work
of the church, and has contributed liberally to the support of Victoria
College, Stanstead Wesleyan College, and the Wesleyan Theological
College, Montreal. He has been twice married. His first wife was Hettie
Howell, the only child of Isaac Reid and Nancy Howell, of Jerseyville,
Ontario. She died when only thirty years of age, leaving three children.
His second wife is Kate Breden, daughter of John Breden, Kingston,
Ontario.
* * * * *
=Craig, James=, B.A., Barrister, Renfrew, Ontario, was born at
Inveraray, Scotland, on the 31st of July, 1851. He is son of George
Craig, of Arnprior, Ontario. This gentleman was born at Ellon,
Aberdeenshire, Scotland, and his wife, Annie Clark, was born at Daviot
in the same county, and Mrs. Craig, sen., is sister of the Rev.
Professor William Clark, of Trinity College, Toronto. Mr. Craig, sen.,
came to Canada in 1854, and after residing in Ottawa city for about
three years, settled in Arnprior in 1857, where he has since resided.
For many years he has been a prominent justice of the peace there. James
Craig studied in McGill College, Montreal, and graduated in arts in
1874. In the same year he was articled to W. A. Ross, then barrister in
Ottawa, and now county court judge for the county of Carleton, and was
called to the bar and sworn in as solicitor in May 1878. In this year he
began to practise his profession in Pembroke, but shortly afterwards
moved to Renfrew, where he has since resided and practised with
considerable success. Mr. Craig has always taken an active interest in
public affairs, and was for over four years president of the Mechanics’
Institute, and occupied a similar position in the Curling Club. He is
now master of Renfrew Masonic lodge. Mr. Craig is a Presbyterian, and in
politics a Reformer, and is likely some day to sit in one of our
legislative assemblies. He was married in New York city on the 22nd of
May, 1879, to Lizzie Olivier, daughter of the late Judge E. S.
Macpherson, and Elizabeth Balmer Penton, who was a daughter of William
Penton, of Pentonville, England. Mr. Penton, the grandfather of Mrs.
Craig, was a man owning considerable property in England, and occupied a
good social position, but having taken a strange dislike to the
monarchical form of government that the people of Great Britain are so
proud of, he embarked in 1835 with all his family, servants, and effects
to the United States of America. After residing there for some time he
was induced by Lord Gosford, then governor-general of Canada, and an old
friend of his, to come and settle in Her Majesty’s possessions. To this
he consented, and took up his abode in Port Hope, on Lake Ontario; but
feeling dissatisfied, he again returned to his favourite republic, and
fixed his home at Utica, New York State, where he died. His descendants
are very numerous, and during the late war many of them were found
fighting on opposite sides. His grandson, a Federal officer, on one
occasion chased his uncle, a Confederate colonel, with a view of taking
him prisoner.
* * * * *
=Smith, John H.=, Manager of the Mercantile Agency of R. G. Dun & Co.,
Buffalo; though a resident of that city, may be fairly claimed as a
Canadian, and one who has done honour to his country. Born in
Portsmouth, England, June, 1840, when but five years of age he came with
his parents to Canada, and the family settled in Kingston on their
arrival. Scarcely had ten summers passed over his head, when both
parents died, leaving behind them very little means. Until he was
seventeen years of age he resided in the Limestone City, in the meantime
attending the public school, which he left when he had attained his
thirteenth year, and then made a living by acting in the capacity of
clerk in various stores and in a law office. In 1857 he came to Toronto,
and having resolved to learn a trade of some kind, he decided on
becoming a printer, and apprenticed himself to the _Globe_ office. In
this establishment he acted in the capacity of compositor and
proofreader until 1863, when he gave up printing, and accepted a
position in the mercantile agency of R. G. Dun & Co. (now Dun, Wiman &
Co.). At this time Erastus Wiman was the manager of the Toronto branch
of the firm, and Mr. Smith first met Mr. Wiman in the _Globe_ office,
where, like himself, he had been an employee, and since then the warmest
friendship has continued to exist between them. Mr. Smith, through
strict attention to his duties, soon won the respect of his employers,
and in 1866 he was sent to the city of Buffalo to open a branch office
there. Since then he has managed the business so well that it has grown
to large proportions, and not only does he continue to take charge of
the Buffalo office, but he has nine other branches under his
superintendence. Mr. Smith, having a large capacity for work, and
realizing the great truth that the world had claims upon him outside the
narrow walls of his office, took an active interest in the welfare of
his adopted city, and we now find him greatly interested in several
public projects. Among others in two land companies that have for their
object the development and settlement of several hundred acres of land
in the northern part of Buffalo, just adjoining the beautiful park the
citizens of Buffalo are so justly proud of. This piece of land is now
being laid out in villa park lots, under the supervision of Frederick
Law Olmsted, the celebrated Boston landscape architect and surveyor, and
it is expected that in a very few years this section of the city will be
taken up and built upon by the more wealthy of the inhabitants. Mr.
Smith is also interested with Mr. Wiman in his Staten Island
enterprises, and his movement for bringing the Baltimore and Ohio
Railway into the city of New York. Through his business ability and
tact, Mr. Smith has acquired a large amount of wealth, and is now
reckoned as one of the rich men of Buffalo; yet he does not forget the
land in which his early days were spent, and where he struggled so hard
to get on. We, therefore, find him spending a month with his family each
summer among the islands and lakes of the Muskoka district, or at
Gananoque and the Thousand Islands of the St. Lawrence, where he enjoys
the sports that those regions so abundantly supply. Mr. Smith is still a
favourite among his Canadian friends, and whenever he finds time to pay
a visit to Toronto or other city where he is well known he is always
heartily welcomed by them. He is a member of several clubs in Buffalo,
among others the “Idlewood” and the “Oakfield,” and is also an honorary
member of several of our Canadian clubs. Mr. Smith has been an
industrious and hence a successful man, and his example cannot fail to
prove an incentive to many a young Canadian now setting out to battle
with the world. He married, in 1863, Jane Reeves, of Toronto, and has
now a family of eight children.
* * * * *
=Cairns, Thomas=, Postmaster, Perth, county of Lanark, Ontario, is an
Irishman by birth, having been born on the 4th of May, 1828, in the
county of Fermanagh. He was educated in a private school in his native
place, and in 1851 he came to Canada, and settled in Perth. Shortly
after his arrival he took a position in the _British Standard_ newspaper
office, in which place he remained for some time. In 1861 he established
the _Perth Expositor_. This paper he managed for about five years, when
as a reward for his industry as a public man, he was appointed
postmaster of Perth in January, 1866. Mr. Cairns is a member of the
Board of Education of Perth, and is a member of the Methodist church. It
is almost needless to add that Mr. Cairns is highly respected by the
people among whom he has lived for over thirty-five years, and is a
faithful public servant.
* * * * *
=Cairns, George Frederick=, Barrister and Solicitor, Smith’s Falls,
county of Lanark, Ontario, was born in Perth, county of Lanark, on the
27th October, 1857, and is a son of Thomas Cairns, postmaster of Perth,
his mother being Jane Meuary. He received his education in the High
School of Perth, his native place. After leaving school he decided to
make law his profession, and with this object in view he entered, in
1879, the office of F. A. Hall, barrister, Perth, where he spent a few
years. Then in 1882 he went to Toronto, and entering the office of
Watson, Thorne & Smellie, barristers, of that city, he finished his
legal education with them, and was called to the bar in February, 1884.
The same year he went to Smith’s Falls, where he now successfully
practises his profession. Mr. Cairns is a rising man, and we have no
doubt he will soon reflect great credit on his country. He is a member
of the Methodist church.
* * * * *
=Wright, Aaron A.=, of the firm of Barr & Wright, General Merchants,
Renfrew, Ontario. This gentleman, who is one of the bulwarks of the
Reform party in Central Ontario, was born near Farmersville, county of
Leeds, June 6th, 1840. He comes of U. E. loyalist stock, his grandfather
and grandmother on both sides being U. E. loyalists. His father, Israel
Wright, was a native of Leeds county, and his mother as well, her maiden
name being Stevens, a daughter of Abel Stevens. Our subject was educated
in a public school of his native country, and also in a select school
under John B. Holmes. In 1864 Mr. Wright entered the Normal School,
Toronto, and obtained a first-class certificate there. After this he
became head master of the Gananoque Public School. In 1866 he entered
the Military College at Montreal, and obtained a first-class military
certificate of the highest grade. Soon afterwards he succeeded in
obtaining a first-class Model School certificate for French and English
for Lower Canada. Late in the same year he was appointed principal of
the Model School at Lachine, and the Fenian troubles of that time
impelled him to organize the Lachine company of light infantry, of which
he was gazetted captain. These positions he held until his removal to
Renfrew, in 1870, where he entered mercantile pursuits, which still
engage his attention. Mr. Wright, ever since his settlement in Renfrew,
has always taken an active interest in all matters relating to the
welfare of the village and county. When he first came the place was
entirely without railway communication, and he soon became prominent in
an agitation to extend the line of the Canada Central to that point; the
terminus at that time being at Sand Point, some sixteen miles distant.
Mr. Wright addressed meetings, organized deputations, &c., until the
point was carried and Renfrew was made the terminus of the road. Since
that time, however, the Canada Central has become merged in the vast
system of the Canadian Pacific. This was not by any means all of Mr.
Wright’s railroad experience, for when the Kingston and Pembroke line
was mooted, he took a lively interest in the scheme, which is now
completed from Kingston to Renfrew. In politics, Mr. Wright is an ardent
supporter of the Mowat government and of Mr. Blake. When the Reform
Association for the south riding of Renfrew was organized, in 1875 or
1876, Mr. Wright was elected first vice-president, which position he
holds to this day. He has often been urged to allow his name to be used
for parliamentary honours, but, unfortunately, has persistently refused,
business men of his calibre being sadly lacking in our legislative
halls. Mr. Wright is the president of the County of Renfrew
Horticultural Society, and has held that office since its inception four
years ago; he is also director for division No. 2 of the Fruit Growers’
Association of the province of Ontario. For the past twelve years he has
been chairman of the High School Board of Renfrew, his earlier
experiences eminently fitting him for the position. His partner in
business is David Barr, and it needs scarcely be said it is the most
important and wealthy firm in this locality. They have recently built
what is probably the finest brick block for business purposes in Central
Ontario, which they occupy exclusively for the carrying on of their
extensive trade. To facilitate their extensive and largely increasing
grain trade, they have also erected the finest and best equipped grain
elevator in the Ottawa valley. And in addition to all this, they were
not only the first to introduce gas into the town, but were also the
first to put it out, and introduce the system of lighting by
electricity, being the proprietors of the electric light plant, with
which they light their own building, besides furnishing it to other
private firms, as well as to the corporation for lighting the streets of
the town. Mr. Wright’s busy life has precluded the possibility of
extensive travel, save that connected with business. In this regard,
however, he has on many occasions visited the markets of Europe and this
continent. In religion Mr. Wright is a Baptist, and as might be
expected, believes in water as opposed to whisky in the warfare now
being waged against the latter, in fact, was an ardent supporter of the
Canada Temperance Act, and favours the still more radical measure, viz.,
total prohibition. In 1871 he married Jane, a daughter of Theophilus
Harvey, of Lachine, by whom he has issue five boys and one girl.
* * * * *
=Stratford, John H.=, Brantford, Ontario, is a native of New York state,
having been born in Oswego, on the 30th May, 1840, came over with his
parents and settled in Brantford in 1844, where he has since resided.
Mr. Stratford’s father, who died in 1884, was born at Sheerness, Kent,
England, and was a gentleman of the old school. He was educated at Eton
and Trinity College, Dublin, and was highly respected by the citizens of
Brantford, for his charity and the strict sense of honour he had
practised from the day he first took up his residence among them to the
day of his death. When he retired from business in 1875, he divided his
large fortune among his three sons, retaining a life annuity. His
mother, who died in 1875, was also greatly respected and beloved for her
charitable deeds. She belonged to an Irish family, and was niece of the
late Colonel George Hamilton, for many years manager of the Canada
Company at Toronto. John H. Stratford’s grandfather, Dr. John Stratford,
and his uncle, Dr. Samuel John Stratford, both members of the Royal
College of Surgeons, London, England, were known as eminent physicians
in Canada. The latter, who was assistant surgeon in the 72nd
Highlanders, sold his commission, and with a number of other British
officers, settled at Woodstock, Ontario, where they received grants of
land from Sir John Colborne, the then military governor of Upper Canada.
In this town he successfully practised his profession for many years,
and subsequently left this country, having received the appointment of
emigration agent for the British government in New Zealand, where he
died. Another member of the family, Elizabeth Stratford, his sister,
married in 1839 Mr. Davidson, a celebrated lawyer in New York, who was
appointed chief justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, but
died just before being sworn into office. Joseph and Charles, brothers
of John H. Stratford, still reside in Brantford, Joseph being a wealthy
merchant, and owner of “Stratford’s Opera House,” one of the handsomest
in the province. John, the subject of this sketch, received his
education in Brantford; and after leaving school, for a number of years
up to 1871 he managed first the retail and afterwards the wholesale drug
business of his father. In 1865, he formed with the late C. Gilbert a
partnership, the object of which was the carrying on of a wholesale oil
business; and this firm was the first to introduce on our Canadian
railways the use of natural petroleum as a lubricant for car wheels. In
1868, Henry Yates was admitted into the partnership, and it then
operated under the style of John H. Stratford & Co. The following year
Mr. Gilbert withdrew, and since then the firm has been known as Yates &
Stratford, wholesale oil and lumber merchants. In 1870, Mr. Stratford
formed, with Donald Nicholson, since deceased, and Robert Chisholm, of
Hamilton, a special partnership for the construction of that section of
the Great Western Railway, from Glencoe to Simcoe, a distance of
seventy-five miles. This piece of work, a very difficult one, owing to
the Canada Southern Railway being in course of construction at the same
time, almost parallel, was completed in 1872, to the entire satisfaction
of the Great Western Railway authorities. In 1884, Mr. Stratford
purchased seven acres of land, beautifully situated, overlooking and
within the limits of the city of Brantford, on which he erected, under
his own superintendence, an hospital capable of accommodating fifty
patients and a regular staff of nurses, etc., at a cost of over $20,000.
And on the 10th February, 1885, it was formally opened by His Honour,
John Beverley Robinson, lieutenant-governor of Ontario, and Mrs.
Robinson, in the presence of a large assembly of citizens, when Mr.
Stratford handed it over as a free gift to the city of Brantford. Mrs.
John H. Stratford and Mrs. Arthur S. Hardy also took a deep interest in
the hospital, and through their united exertions, collected from friends
$4,000, wherewith to equip it with suitable furniture, instruments, etc.
It is called “The John H. Stratford Hospital,” and is without
doubt,—being perfect as to heating, light, ventilation, laundry,
stables, and other modern improvements—one of the finest institutions
of its kind in the Dominion. When of age Mr. Stratford joined the
Masonic body, and has continued to keep up his connection with it ever
since. He is a member of the St. James Club, Montreal. He married in
1868, Sara Juson Harris, fifth daughter of the late T. D. Harris, at one
time a prominent wholesale hardware merchant in Toronto. Mr. Stratford
is a member of the Episcopal church; a thorough business man of strict
integrity, and has been eminently successful in all his undertakings.
* * * * *
=Benson, Rev. Manly=, Pastor of the Central Methodist Church, Bloor
street, Toronto, was born in Prince Edward county, Ontario, in 1842. His
parents, Matthew R. and Nancy Ruttan, were of U. E. loyalist stock, and
were among the early founders of Canadian nationality on the beautiful
shores of the Bay of Quinté. To this, doubtless, may be attributed the
sturdy mental and moral, as well as physical fibre, which characterizes
the so worthy a son of so worthy parents—the subject of our sketch. His
parents removed to the town of Newburgh, and here Manly received a good
education at the academy, and prepared himself for the work of a
teacher. At the age of ten years he was converted to God at a special
service held by the late Rev. Joseph Reynolds, the superintendent of the
Demorestville circuit, and he grew up under the fostering influence of
the Sunday-school and the class-meeting, both of which had a marked
influence on his young life, and spared him from the many bad influences
that are apt to surround young men. For a few years Mr. Benson applied
himself as a teacher, at the same time continuing his studies with the
principal of the Newburgh Academy. The piety and cultivated talent of
the young teacher attracted the attention of the members of the
Methodist church of the town in which he lived; and having undergone the
preliminary training in Christian work as a local preacher, he was
recommended by the official board of the Newburgh circuit for the
ministry. He was received on trial in 1863, and made his first
acquaintance with the activities of the work in the western extremity of
the province. For four years he travelled successively as junior
preacher on the Romney, Chatham, Windsor, and Sarnia circuits; and
having given full proof of his ministry, passing with credit all the
prescribed examinations, he was received into full connexion, and
ordained at the Hamilton conference in 1867. He then travelled, as
superintendent, the Ridgetown, Newbury, and Cooksville circuits. After
one year on the latter circuit, he was invited to the Centenary Church,
Hamilton, as colleague of the Rev. W. J. Hunter, D.D. At the end of his
first year in this charge, which date also completed the full pastoral
term of the superintendent of the circuit, he was invited by the
official board to take Dr. Hunter’s place as superintendent of the
church and circuit; but instead of accepting, suggested the name of the
Rev. Hugh Johnston, M.A., who was appointed superintendent, and with
whom he was associated for the balance of his pastoral term of two
years. The closing year of his three years’ term in this city was
signalized by the building of the elegant and commodious Zion
Tabernacle. From Hamilton he went to Stratford and St. Thomas, and spent
three years in each of these places. When closing his pastoral term at
St. Thomas, in 1881, he was invited to the pastorate of the Central
Methodist Church (Bloor Street), Toronto. No transfers were made that
year, and, on this fact becoming known, he was immediately and
unanimously invited to the Brant Avenue Church, Brantford. On the
closing of his three years’ pastoral term in that city he was again
invited by the same church in Toronto, and entered upon his duties in
the Central Methodist Church, Toronto, in June, 1855. Since he took
charge of the Central Church it has greatly prospered under his care,
both spiritually and financially. Its membership has increased from two
hundred and seventy to four hundred and fifteen, and the congregation
has also doubled in attendance. By special collections taken on the
first Sabbath of each of the three years of his pastorate, $6,000 was
contributed, being $2,000 at each collection, and, with other moneys in
hand, $7,000 has been paid off the church debt, and the regular Sunday
collections and pew rents also show a very large increase. In
recognition of Rev. Mr. Benson’s services as pastor, the official board
raised his salary from $1,500 to $2,000, and in addition to this have
furnished and provided him with a comfortable parsonage free. It is
almost needless to say that Rev. Mr. Benson is not only a favourite with
the people of his own church, but with others of the same denomination
in the city, in proof of which he has been unanimously invited, at the
close of his term in the Central Church, to take charge of the large
congregation worshipping in Berkeley Street Methodist Church. Rev. Mr.
Benson has largely enjoyed the advantages of travel, both throughout the
Dominion of Canada and in foreign countries. In 1871, in company with
the late illustrious Rev. Dr. Punshon, he crossed the continent, and
beheld the wonders of the Rocky mountains, and the Sierra Nevadas, the
Geyser springs, the Yosemite Valley, and Salt Lake City. He also enjoyed
the pleasure, or perhaps, endured the pain, of a sea voyage, and visited
Victoria, New Westminster, Fort Yale, and places on the Pacific coast.
In 1879 he crossed the Atlantic and made a still more extended tour
through France, Italy, Switzerland, South-eastern Germany, Belgium,
Great Britain, and Ireland; and during his stay in London was the guest
of Rev. Dr. Punshon, who kindly helped him to see London in all its
phases. After his return to Canada, Rev. Mr. Benson communicated the
many spirit-stirring scenes he had witnessed in distant lands to
appreciative audiences throughout Ontario, by eloquent lectures on “The
Wonders of the Yosemite,” “Across the Continent,” “British Columbia,”
and more recently, on “Memories of Rome,” “Switzerland,” “In Rhineland,”
and on London, Paris, and some of the Italian cities he had visited. He
is an earnest worker in the Sunday-school, and is always ready to labor
for the Master. As a teetotaller he is most pronounced, and is strongly
impressed with the idea that nothing short of the total prohibition of
the liquor traffic will save this Canada of ours from becoming like many
of the places he has visited in Europe—slaves to the intoxicating cup.
Rev. Mr. Benson is one of the directors of the Grimsby Park Company, and
has been director of services for the past four years. Under his able
management this park has been an extraordinary success, and year after
year it is becoming one of the most favourite resorts for those who seek
quiet, with a moderate amount of physical and intellectual excitement,
during the summer months. On the 9th of July, 1867, he was united in
marriage to Julia, third daughter of the Hon. Walter McCrea, judge of
Algoma county, Ontario, and has had a family consisting of nine
children, seven of whom are now living, five daughters and two sons.
* * * * *
=Tilley, Sir Samuel Leonard=, K.C.M.G., Lieutenant-Governor of the
Province of New Brunswick, Fredericton, one of the most prominent of our
Canadian statesmen, is the son of Thomas M. Tilley, of Queen’s county,
New Brunswick, and great-grandson of Samuel Tilley, of Brooklyn, New
York, a U. E. loyalist, who, at the termination of the American
revolutionary war, came to New Brunswick, and became a grantee of the
now city of St. John in that province. Sir Leonard was born at
Georgetown, Queen’s county, on the 8th May, 1818, and received his
education at the Grammar school of his native village, and when he had
attained his thirteenth year, went to St. John, and became apprenticed
to an apothecary. Before beginning business for himself, Mr. Tilley was
for a time in the employ of William O. Smith, druggist, a gentleman of
superior intellectual parts, and who took an active interest in all the
political movements of the day. It was probably from him that the future
lieutenant-governor of the province derived his first lessons in
political economy, and which served him so well when he was minister of
finance for the Dominion of Canada, and we say, without being far
astray, that Mr. Smith plainly saw that his lessons were not likely to
be wasted on this clear-headed and enthusiastic young man. Young Tilley
too, being sprung from loyalist stock, it is only fair to assume that
whenever, if ever he should bring himself before the public, he would
find a prepossession in his favour. He became a prominent member of a
debating society when seventeen, and took a leading part in political
discussions, and shortly afterwards became an able advocate of the cause
of temperance. It may be said here that from that far-past day to this
Mr. Tilley has always been loyal to his temperance principles, has
always seized the opportunity to forward the movement, and upon all
occasions has shown the sincerity of his character by the practice of
his precepts. In recognition of his distinguished services in the cause,
the National Division of the Sons of Temperance of America, in 1854,
elected him to the highest office in the order, namely, that of Most
Worthy Patriarch, and which position he held for two years. In enlarged
politics the first heard of Mr. Tilley was in 1849, when he was the
seconder on the paper of B. Ansley, who was returned by a good majority.
He was one of the foremost promoters of the Railway League, organized to
secure the construction of a railway from St. John to Shediac. In 1850
he was elected to the New Brunswick legislature for the city of St.
John. Mr. Tilley was at this time a Liberal. The following year the Tory
manipulators began to undermine the foundations of their opponents, and
they seduced from allegiance the Hon. J. H. Gray and the Hon. R. D.
Wilmot [Mr. Gray was afterwards appointed a judge, and Mr. Wilmot a
lieutenant-governor], and these two leading gentlemen entered the
government. On the day that their secession became known, the Liberal
party was naturally shocked and pained at the treachery, but closed up
their ranks and resolved still to fight the enemy. Messrs. Tilley,
Simonds, Ritchie and Needham thereupon published a card to the people,
declaring that if Mr. Wilmot, who had accepted office, was re-elected,
they would resign their seats in the house, as they could not, in that
case, represent their views. The electors, however, returned Mr. Wilmot,
and all the parties on the card, except W. H. Needham, resigned their
seats. Mr. Tilley then returned to private life. But he was not long to
remain “a mute, inglorious Milton.” In 1854 the Liberals were
triumphant, and Mr. Tilley obtained a portfolio in the new
administration. From that time up to 1885, when he resigned his seat in
the House of Commons at Ottawa, with the exception of a couple of
breaks, he had enjoyed a remarkable lease of power, having been a member
of the New Brunswick and Dominion governments during many long years,
except the session of 1851, and part of the extra session of 1854. In
1856 he was beaten on the liquor question, but in 1857 regained power,
and became leader of the administration in 1860, which position he
retained till March, 1865. He attended the conference held in Prince
Edward Island to discuss maritime union, and subsequently appeared at
the Quebec conference, where he made a telling speech on the importance
of the province he represented. The proceedings of the Quebec conference
were kept from the public with the most zealous care, but one member
belonging to a sea province told his wife one day that “it was no use,”
he was unable “to keep it any longer.” He unburthened himself to a
newspaper editor, when with the speed of the wind intelligence of the
affair was spread through the British North American provinces. At once
in the lower provinces a storm of opposition was raised to the scheme,
and presses rolled out tons of pamphlets, placards, circulars and open
letters, denouncing the scheme, and calling upon the people to rise and
thwart Tilley and other enemies of his country. The ministry fell. The
Irish were all the time rampant and unappeasable. They all remembered
how Ireland had once been sold, and their representative newspaper
became so bitter as to eventually overreach its aim. To help along the
scheme and defeat the great booming of the Irish, fate brought along the
Fenian scare. The government resigned, and Mr. Tilley was sent for to
form an administration. A new election took place in 1866, and the
_antis_ got a still worse drubbing than had fallen to the lot of the
supporters of confederation. A short time afterwards Mr. Tilley attended
the conference in England, formed to procure a Chart of Union, and he
was, in July, 1867, made a C.B. (civil), in recognition of his
distinguished services. He resigned his seat in the New Brunswick
legislature and government to become minister of customs in the new
Canadian cabinet. From November, 1868, to April, 1869, he acted as
minister of public works, and on the 22nd of February, 1873, he was made
minister of finance. This office he held until the downfall of the
administration on the 5th of November of the same year. He then became
lieutenant-governor of his native province, which office he held till
1878, when he took the field again, with the triumphant result so well
known. In the new Conservative administration he became once again
finance minister, and shortly afterwards framed the legislation with
which his name will be connected so long as the history of Canada is
read, namely the National Policy. On May 24th, 1879, he was created a
Knight of the Order of St. Michael and St. George by the
Governor-General, acting for the Queen. During the session of 1885, at
Ottawa, Sir Leonard’s health having given way, he was compelled to
relinquish his parliamentary duties, and seek comparative rest and
recreation by a visit to London, England, where he gave attention to
some matters relating to the finances of the dominion, and also
considerably improved his health. On his return to Ottawa in the fall,
he however suffered a relapse, and it became very evident to his
friends, that he could no longer successfully cope with his departmental
duties, and if he would prolong his usefulness, he must abandon
parliamentary life. He accordingly sent in his resignation, which was
accepted at a meeting of the Cabinet held on the 31st October, at which
meeting Sir Leonard was appointed lieutenant-governor of New Brunswick
for a second time, the term of lieutenant-governor Wilmot having expired
several months before. On his return to his native province, he was
accorded a hearty reception by the people among whom he had grown up who
gladly welcomed him back to the position he had so worthily filled from
1873 to 1878. He was sworn into office in the legislative council
chamber at Fredericton, on the 13th November, by the chief justice of
the province, in the presence of a large number of prominent persons,
who had assembled to witness the ceremony. It may here be stated that in
December following, the Liberal-Conservative Club of St. John, N.B., was
presented by Mr. Rogerson, with a bust of Sir Leonard, on which occasion
C. A. Everett, then M.P. for the city, who had known him from boyhood,
delivered an address in which he sketched his career, and spoke in the
most complimentary terms of his great public services. It may also be
stated that before Sir Leonard entered upon his duties as
lieutenant-governor, he sent the following farewell letter to his
constituents, addressed to the Hon. T. R. Jones, M.L.C., chairman of the
Conservative Election Committee, in St. John, in the following kindly
tones:—
=St. Andrews, Nov. 9, 1885.—My Dear Mr. Jones=,—I
understand there is to be a meeting of our friends in the city
to-morrow night, to select a candidate for the vacancy caused by
my resignation. I avail myself of the opportunity thus offered
to address a few words to the electors who may there be present.
When in 1882 the electors of the city returned me to parliament
for another term, I then intimated to them that it was probably
the last time that I would be a candidate for their suffrages,
but I then hoped that I would be spared, and my health permit of
my remaining in parliament and in the government until the next
general election. But I had not taken into account the _wear and
tear_ to body and mind, to which I would necessarily continue to
be subjected in the discharge of my parliamentary and
departmental duties. My health was completely broken down last
winter, but after a serious operation there was a hope that I
might continue my work for a short time longer. I regret that my
symptoms of late have been such that I have been forced to the
conclusion that my only chance of a measure of health, and
possibly a few more years of life, is in taking comparative rest
and relief from the mental strain to which I have of late years
been subjected. I feel certain that my many indulgent friends
would cheerfully, in view of my long service, accord me that
rest. It is difficult to find words to express the very great
regret that I have felt, and still feel, at being compelled to
take that course. I took great pleasure in the work of my
department, and I flatter myself that I have been able to
perform it in a way that was acceptable to a majority of the
people. My relations with my constituents were pleasant, and I
may be pardoned if I at this time remark that recent events have
given evidence that my regard for them is reciprocated. To say
good-bye to the men who have been so true and faithful to me for
more than a third of a century is not pleasant, but it must be
said. My colleagues in the government have placed me in a
position where my responsibilities are not great, but where I
hope I may still be able to do something for my native province
and for my country. Thanking one and all for their unwavering
confidence in the past, I still wish to be considered as their
friend. By causing this to be read you will much oblige,
Yours sincerely,
(Sd.) S. L. TILLEY.
Sir Leonard and Lady Tilley visited Toronto, the Queen City of the West,
in May, 1887, and spent a week among their many friends there, who were
overjoyed at Sir Leonard’s improved health, and while here they took
part in the festivities so lavishly bestowed on the Governor-General,
Lord Lansdowne, and his party, who, at the time, were enjoying the
hospitality of the citizens. Sir Leonard Tilley has been twice married,
first to Julia Ann, daughter of James T. Hanford, of St. John, N.B.; and
second, in 1867, to Alice, eldest daughter of Z. Chipman, of St.
Stephen, N.B. Sir Leonard Tilley’s career has been an honour to his
country, and one that young men who aim to do well in public life should
seek to remember and imitate.
* * * * *
=Cluxton, William=, Peterboro’, Ontario, was born in Dundalk, county of
Louth, Ireland, on the 31st of March, 1819. When but six years of age
his father died, and six years later his mother was also removed by
death. His education had been carefully looked after by his mother. On
the break-up of the family, William, the subject of this sketch, went to
reside with an uncle and aunt who was in business in Cootehill, Cavan
county, and this worthy couple soon afterwards, having determined to
improve their condition, emigrated to America, taking with them the
orphan lad. Arrived in Canada, the family located themselves on a farm
near the then small village of Peterboro’, but now one of the most
thriving towns in the province. Here he soon discovered that nature
never intended him to spend his life on a farm. Therefore, with the
consent of his relatives—long deceased, and of whom he still speaks
with the utmost affection—young as he was, and without a single cent in
the world, he sought and obtained a very humble situation in the
employment of the late John Hall, father of the late Judge Hall, who was
then the leading merchant in the village; and in this place he remained
for some time, gradually acquiring knowledge. In 1835, after having
given the utmost satisfaction to all who had reposed trust in him, Mr.
Cluxton accepted a position in the dry goods store of John R. Benson,
and subsequently became the sole manager of his store on Aylmer street.
Here, after business hours, he devoted himself so earnestly and
labouriously to the cultivation of letters and of music, that he soon
became remarkable for his attainments, especially in the latter. In
1836, such flattering offers had been made to him, that he was induced
to leave Peterboro’ and take charge, in Port Hope, of the business of
the late John Crawford, a wealthy and well-known merchant. In this
place, however, from indisposition, being then only seventeen years of
age, he remained but one month, and again returned to Peterboro’ to take
sole charge of a branch of that gentleman’s business which had been
established there, and that was not, it seemed, succeeding so well as
desired. Here his management became so successful, that in three years
he found himself the sole buyer for all of Mr. Crawford’s
establishments, and this position he held until the death of that
gentleman, when he was appointed by the trustees of the estate to wind
up the business, which he did to their entire satisfaction. In 1842, and
after some years of the most unwearied and honourable toil, Mr. Cluxton
purchased a stock of general goods, and launched forth his bark in
Peterboro’ on his own account. From that time to the present, his
success has been of the most marked character, although it may be fairly
supposed that he has met, like all others in business, with occasional
reverses by the way. In 1872, considering his means sufficiently ample,
he retired from the drygoods business. One of its branches established
in Lindsay he disposed to a clerk, who had come to him a mere lad, but
who now, under his strict and able training, has become one of the
wealthiest and best business men in that town. To two of his sons and
another clerk he sold the Peterboro’ establishment; but he continued his
operations in produce, and of late years has only done sufficient to
occupy his mind, so as to prevent the change from an active business
life to one of leisure having an injurious effect. For thirty years or
more he moved the principal part of the grain along the whole line of
railway from Lindsay to Lake Ontario, his transactions amounting to half
a million annually. In 1852 he became manager of the Peterboro’ branch
of the Commercial Bank of Canada, which position he held for eight
years, without having lost a single dollar to the institution, resigning
it only because of its wear and tear, and because of his desire to visit
Europe for the sake of his health—which visit he made in 1862,
accompanied by his wife and a portion of his family. When he did
withdraw from this post, however, the estimation in which he was held by
the directors may be gathered from the fact that he was appointed
confidential adviser to the new manager. Few men in Canada have ever
held so many offices of important public trust as Mr. Cluxton, and no
man in the whole Dominion can boast of a more honourable record or name.
He was for years president of the Midland Railway Company, and has been
president of the Marmora Mining Company, the Little Lake Cemetery
Company, the Port Hope and Peterboro’ Gravel Road Company, and the
Peterboro’ Water Works Company. He has in his time occupied seats in the
town and in the county council, and is at present one of the
commissioners of the town trust. He took a lively interest in the
education of the young, and for twenty-five years was an active member
of the school board. He is captain in the Sedentary militia, and in 1872
he was chosen to represent the people of West Peterboro’ in the House of
Commons. Mr. Cluxton is a Liberal-Conservative in politics. In private
life he is neither banker, merchant nor politician, but simply one of
the great brotherhood of mankind, who makes common cause with his
numerous tenants and his friends, as well as with the fatherless
children and the widow.
* * * * *
=Falconbridge, William Glenholme=, M.A., Q.C., Barrister, Toronto, was
born on 12th May, 1846. He is the eldest son of John Kennedy
Falconbridge, J.P., of Richmond Hill, in the county of York, a very well
known and highly respected retired merchant, who for many years carried
on a large and successful business in the counties of York and Simcoe.
The subject of this sketch received his chief preliminary training at
the Barrie Grammar School, and at the Model Grammar School for Upper
Canada, and matriculated with a general proficiency scholarship in the
University of Toronto in 1862. His course at the University was one of
rather unusual distinction, inasmuch as there was hardly any department
in the curriculum in which he did not at some period obtain first-class
honours. After winning college prizes and university scholarships in
each year, he graduated B.A. in 1866, with a gold medal. He then filled
for a year the chair of professor of modern languages in Yarmouth
College, N.S., and returned to Toronto on being appointed lecturer on
Italian and Spanish in University College, which position he occupied
for one year. In 1868, he commenced the study of law in the office of
Patton, Osler and Moss, and was called to the bar in 1871. (While he was
a student at law he entered the Military School, which was then
established in Toronto, as a gentleman cadet, and in due course obtained
his certificate of fitness for a captain’s commission in the active
militia—under the instructions of the officers of Her Majesty’s 29th
regiment of foot). On the 1st of July, 1871, the firm of Harrison, Osler
and Moss was formed, the members of which were the late Chief Justices
Harrison and Moss; the present Justice Osler, Charles Moss, Q.C., W. A.
Foster, Q.C., and Mr. Falconbridge. He was examiner in the University of
Toronto for several years, and was elected registrar in 1872, and held
that office until 1881, when he resigned and was immediately elected by
his fellow graduates a member of the senate of that institution, and
again elected at the head of the poll in 1886. In 1885, he was elected a
bencher of our only Inn of Court—the Law Society of Upper Canada,—and
was re-elected at the general election in 1886, ranking No. six, out of
the thirty successful candidates, those who received a larger number of
votes being W. R. Meredith, Charles Moss, Dalton McCarthy, C. Robinson,
and B. M. Britton. He was gazetted as one of Her Majesty’s counsel in
1885. Mr. Falconbridge is a pronounced and steadfast Conservative in
politics, and has frequently been solicited to enter public life,
particularly at the general elections for the House of Commons of the
Dominion in February, 1887, when he was offered the nomination for
Centre Toronto. His friends think that his abilities and personal
qualities eminently fit him for the political arena, but he has hitherto
felt obliged by the pressure of professional engagements to decline the
honour. But he has never been chary of rendering gratuitous public
services when called on to do so. He was a prominent member of the
Citizens’ Committee appointed at the time of the terrible accident at
the Humber, in January, 1884, when twenty-nine men were killed outright
or died of their injuries, and fifteen were more or less injured, the
other members of the Committee being the then mayor, A. R. Boswell, J.
H. Morris, Q.C., T. McGaw, Jno. Livingstone, H. E. Clarke, M.P.P., and
John Hallam. Largely through the intervention and efforts of these
gentlemen, more than one hundred thousand dollars were received by way
of compensation from the Grand Trunk Railway, and about fifteen thousand
dollars collected from the general public. For their services in this
connection, given ungrudgingly over a period of nearly two years, they
were publicly thanked by resolution of the City Council. Mr.
Falconbridge is now a member of the firms of Moss, Falconbridge and
Barwick, and Moss, Hoyles and Aylesworth, a strong association,
representing the survival of the numerous judicial appointments which
have been made from their ranks. In religion he has always adhered to
the Church of England, and has been for years an officer of the Irish
Protestant Benevolent Society. He is a keen sportsman and a skilful and
enthusiastic angler, and he is very popular within the circle of his
acquaintance. In 1873, he married Mary, youngest daughter of the late
Hon. Mr. Justice Sullivan, and step-daughter of the late Hon. Sir
Francis Hincks, C.B., K.C.M.G., by whom he has issue one son and five
daughters.
* * * * *
=Sanderson, Rev. Dr. G. R.=, Pastor of the Methodist church, Sarnia.
This worthy and greatly respected minister was born in the city of
Kingston, in the year 1817, so that he is now seventy years of age. He
is of English parentage. With his parents he attended the church of the
Wesleyan Methodists in Kingston, and in the year 1834, through the
ministry of the Rev. Dr. Stinson, was converted, and at once connected
himself with the church. Having a fair English education, possessing a
good voice, good judgment, and above all, a renewed heart, he was by the
quarterly official board made a local preacher in connection with the
Kingston circuit. Engaged in this relation and realizing his need of
better qualification for the work, he entered the Upper Canada Academy,
which formed the nucleus out of which Victoria University has risen,
where he completed his education. He then left the college to enter the
full work of the ministry. The late Rev. Dr. Carroll writes of him: “His
going out as chairman’s supply, one year before his formal reception on
trial, was at the conference of 1836, and his introduction into his
ministerial work was under circumstances which entitle him to rank among
the pioneer preachers. He was first sent to the extensive boundaries,
miry roads and miasmatic atmosphere of the old Thames circuit; and
received a fitting seasoning for its toils by a ride on horseback from
Kingston to Chatham. In the course of this journey the writer first met
and admired the pluck and heroism of the boy of twenty.” A list of the
circuits on which Dr. Sanderson has travelled since entering the
ministry will no doubt interest many readers. In 1837, he travelled the
old Thames circuit, going thence to Newmarket, Grimsby and Hamilton
respectively. In 1841 he was ordained and sent to Stamford, where he
remained for two years, then to St. Catharines for two years, and thence
to Toronto, where he was elected and ably performed the duties of editor
of the _Christian Guardian_. Upon relinquishing the editorial chair,
which position he held for five years, he was appointed to Cobourg for
three years, during which period he was elected secretary of the
conference, and was thence sent back to Toronto to take charge of the
Methodist Book and Publishing House. From the successful discharge of
these important interests of the church he came to the city of London,
where he remained for three years. In the year 1861 he was elected
representative from the Canadian Conference to the Wesleyan Conference
of Great Britain. In 1860 he was elected chairman of the London
district, which position he has held without a break on the several
districts on which he has been placed from that period until the
present. From London he went to the following places in order, remaining
in each the full allotted time of three years: Port Hope, Picton,
Belleville, Kingston, St. Catharines, London (Wellington street), London
(Dundas street east), and Strathroy. In 1876 he was elected president of
the Conference of the Methodist church of Canada, for which position his
many years’ experience as chairman well qualified him. The honorary
degree of Doctor of Divinity was conferred upon him by his _alma mater_,
Victoria University, in May, 1876. Victoria has never honoured a more
worthy son, and Dr. Sanderson has always been a noble representative of
the claims of this university upon the Methodist people of this
dominion. Dr. Sanderson is a fine specimen of the Christian minister.
During his long period of service there has been no time that he has
been laid aside from work by illness, and no year that there has not
been a revival of religion on his circuit. The statement may be ventured
that Dr. Sanderson has been the instrument in God’s hands of winning
more souls to Christ than any other minister in the regular work in the
Methodist church. He is now the oldest man in the active work of the
ministry, and at a conference lately held in St. Thomas, a testimonial
in the shape of a purse of $120 was presented to him in honour of his
advent upon the 50th year of his ministry. Dr. Sanderson as a preacher
is at times eloquent, always practical and strictly evangelical. As a
speaker he is chaste, polished and powerful, and when in debate he waxes
warm with his theme he invariably carries his hearers with him. As a man
he is sympathetic and tender and withal firm and unflinching in what he
believes to be right. To quote Dr. Carroll again—“He has not been
without difficult positions to keep, and has had his trials; yet he has
proved faithful to his trust, and has usually triumphed. He is
self-contained, manly and enduring, and has never failed in a
connexional trust.”
* * * * *
=Hunter, Rev. Samuel James=, D.D., Pastor of the Centenary Church,
Hamilton, Ontario, one of the leading preachers in connection with the
Methodist denomination, is a Canadian by birth, having been born in the
village of Phillipsburg, province of Quebec, on the 12th April, 1843. He
is of Irish parentage, his father and mother having been born and
married in Strabane, county Tyrone. The subject of our sketch removed,
with the other members of the family, to Upper Canada, and settled in
East Gwillimbury, which was then almost a wilderness. He early developed
an unconquerable thirst for knowledge, and when a mere lad had reached
the limit of the common school teacher’s power to instruct. The few
books in scanty libraries here and there amongst the neighbours were
read with avidity and studied with care. The first money he ever earned
was invested in three works that opened to him the vast world of
thought, namely: Dick’s works, Rollin’s Ancient History, and a Latin
grammar and reader combined. When seventeen years of age he was led into
a religious experience through the ministry of the Methodist church,
which he subsequently joined. At the age of eighteen he was received as
a probationer for the ministry, and began his labours in the township of
Walpole. Four years afterwards he was publicly ordained in London,
Ontario. For many years he did the hard work of a Methodist preacher,
and at the same time pursued secular study under private masters. His
fields of labour have been—one year in Walpole, two in Oakville, two at
Thornhill, one at Bowmanville, six in Montreal, twelve in Toronto (six
of which were in Elm street, three in Queen street, and three in
Sherbourne street Church). He is now completing his second year in
Centenary Church, Hamilton, one of the largest and most important
congregations in the Dominion. At the convocation of 1886 the Senate of
Victoria University conferred upon him the degree of Doctor of Divinity.
Dr. Hunter, though a member of every general conference that has been
held, has no taste for debate, and seldom enters the arena. He is
regarded as orthodox in his teachings, but never takes things on trust
merely. He thinks for himself, and never burkes his opinions, even when
they seem to be out of harmony with the generally accepted creeds. He
married, in 1871, Miss Ruston, of Montreal, and has a family of two
children.
* * * * *
=Mathison, George=, Senior Past Grand Worthy Patriarch of the Grand
Division of the Sons of Temperance of the Province of Quebec, was one of
the most energetic and enthusiastic temperance advocates in that section
of our country. Born in Edinburgh, Scotland, on the 1st May, 1801, he
received his education there, and after leaving school was apprenticed
to the baking business. Having faithfully served the prescribed term, he
worked for a short period as a journeyman, and wishing to see the world,
enlisted in His Majesty’s 70th regiment of foot, and soon attained the
position of colour-sergeant. Seeing the evil effects of drink on his
comrades, he soon became convinced that a life of total abstinence was
the safest and best for him to secure success in his profession, and
accordingly adopted the principle. At that time very few had abandoned
the entire use of intoxicating liquors as a drink, and those who had
were looked upon with suspicion by the “moderate drinkers,” but his
example soon began to tell upon his comrades, and many of them were
induced to abandon liquor-drinking. In due course of time, with the
permission of his commanding officer, he established a total abstinence
society in the regiment. He soon afterwards attained to the rank of
quarter-master-sergeant, and still continued to use his influence to
further the good work he had begun. In the year 1842, having served his
country for twenty-one years in Gibraltar, Malta, West Indies and
Canada—proving the practicability of the principles of total abstinence
in all these varied climes—he was discharged with a pension, and at the
same time received a situation in the Commissariat department as keeper
of the government woodyard in Quebec. This gave him greater
opportunities to work in the temperance cause, and shortly afterward he
and several other citizens started the first total abstinence society in
that city, and it proved a great blessing to many. In October, 1850,
having heard of the order of the Sons of Temperance, which was then
making rapid strides in enrolling men in the total abstinence ranks, he
and other members of the society secured a charter from the National
Division, and Gough Division, No. 3, of Canada East, was organized. This
division continued to prosper, and the order to increase in the
province, when in January, 1852, the Grand Division of Canada East (now
Quebec) was organized, Mr. Mathison being one of the charter members,
and in October, 1854, he was elected its Grand Worthy Patriarch. In
February, 1852, St. Lawrence Division was organized under very
favourable auspices, and in the following year he left Gough Division
and joined St. Lawrence, in the hope of extending his usefulness among
the military men who had joined in large numbers the younger division.
In June, 1867, he was initiated into the National Division of North
America, at the session held at Providence, Rhode Island, and continued
to attend the meetings of that body as opportunity offered, the last
time being at the session held in Halifax, N.S., in 1884. In 1859 he was
removed to Halifax to fill another position in the Commissariat
department, and later on to Prince Edward Island. In each place he was
well known as an enthusiastic worker in the cause of temperance, and
other good works. In the year 1866, after serving twenty-four years in
Her Majesty’s service, he was superannuated, with another pension, and
took up his residence in the city of Quebec, and again associated
himself with St. Lawrence Division, and continued to work persistently
in the cause he had so much at heart up to the last month of his life,
not only in connection with the order of the Sons of Temperance, but in
the formation of Cadets of Temperance, Bands of Hope, and other kindred
societies. He was ever ready to help, and very few of the youth of the
city of Quebec have failed in being influenced to a certain extent by
his efforts. He was a consistent member of the Methodist church for over
fifty years, and for several years superintendent of the Sabbath school.
The class meetings and prayer meetings were always faithfully attended
by him and highly appreciated. He passed away after a few days’ illness
on the 30th October, 1886, in the eighty-sixth year of his age and the
sixtieth of his temperance work, deeply regretted by all his co-laborers
in the church, as well as in the cause of total abstinence. George
Mathison earned the benediction: “Well done, good and faithful servant.”
* * * * *
=Flewelling, William Pentreath=, Accountant and Lumber Agent, Crown
Lands department, Fredericton, New Brunswick, was born at Clifton, Kings
county, New Brunswick, on the 31st of May, 1850. His father, William
Puddington Flewelling, was a native of New Brunswick, and resided most
of his life-time in Kings county, where for a long time he carried on a
large ship-building business. He also represented Kings county in the
New Brunswick legislature for a number of years, and part of the time he
was a member of the government, and held the office of surveyor-general.
His mother, Esther Ann Merritt, was a native of Marlborough, Ulster
county, New York state. William received his early education in the
public school of his native place, and at a later period attended the
superior school at Studholm, Kings county. While preparing for a
collegiate course, ill health overtook him, and he was obliged to give
up further study and betake himself to out-door pursuits. He having
become as a boy familiar with the use of tools in his father’s
ship-yard, he betook himself to the lumber regions of New Brunswick, and
joined a lumbering party; and after a winter spent in the forest he
became restored to his usual ruggedness, and returned to civilization.
In the spring of 1869 he removed from Clifton to Fredericton and entered
the service of the government as a clerk in the Crown Lands department.
In 1873, some changes occurring in the staff, he was promoted to the
position of accountant; and in 1881, in addition to this office, he was
made lumber agent. This dual office he has since held—the first having
put him in charge of all the financial matters in connection with the
Land department, and the second the general supervision of the lumbering
on the Crown lands throughout the province, and the collection of the
revenue therefrom. As a young man, Mr. Flewelling took an active
interest in military matters. Having joined a local militia corps as
private he gradually rose in the ranks, and when he retired from the
service in 1874 he held the rank of paymaster of the 74th battalion,
Kings county militia. He has been an active member of various societies,
especially temperance societies, in all of which he has held offices.
For about fifteen years he has belonged to the Independent Order of
Oddfellows, and is a past-grand master of Victoria lodge, No. 13, of
Fredericton. He has always been connected with the Episcopal church, but
is, nevertheless, a strong believer in freedom of opinion, especially in
religion. On the 17th of January, 1874, he was married to Harriet E.
Lugrin, daughter of the late Charles S. Lugrin, editor of _The Colonial
Farmer_, and for a number of years secretary of the Board of Agriculture
for New Brunswick, and grand-daughter of the late George K. Lugrin, for
many years Queen’s printer in New Brunswick.
* * * * *
=Le Pan, Frederick Nicholas D’Orr=, Owen Sound, Ontario, is the son of
Louis Noailles Le Pan and Mary Anne Brown, of Belfast, Ireland, and was
born in the year 1819. His father was a native of Paris, France, and was
a professor of French in the Royal Academy of Belfast, and other
colleges in that city. Mr. Le Pan emigrated to the United States at the
age of nineteen, and was for some time employed in a large flouring mill
as head book-keeper in St. Louis, Missouri. Being anxious to get on and
push for himself, he bought a farm in the state of Illinois, and lived
there until his health failed him. He then sold out his property and
moved to Canada and settled in Picton, Prince Edward county. After
living here for some time he went to Owen Sound, in the county of Grey,
where he opened a general store, and succeeded well. He occupied the
position of treasurer for the county of Grey for over twenty years, and
on his resignation was presented with a handsome present by the county
in recognition of his services. He was local director for the Molsons
bank in Owen Sound, and is a justice of the peace for the county. Though
now well up in years, Mr. Le Pan is still hale and hearty, and living a
retired life.
* * * * *
=Shaw, Lieutenant-Colonel James.= The late Senator Shaw was born in New
Ross, county Wexford, Ireland, in the year 1798, so famous in Irish
history. He was descended from two ancient and honourable families, and
took pride in tracing his lineage back many generations to persons of
distinction, being Scotch on his father’s side, and on his mother’s he
was of French extraction, her family, the d’Ouselys, being Huguenots,
who fled to Ireland, the name being corrupted to Dowsley in the course
of years. In the year 1820, after completing his education in Dublin,
Mr. Shaw, in the twenty-second year of his age, came to Canada with
letters of introduction to Lord Dalhousie, who attached him to his
household, with an officer’s pay and rations for the following six
months, where he was treated with great kindness by Lord and Lady
Dalhousie, and in after days often referred to this pleasant portion of
his life. Subsequently the government appointed him first clerk in the
Lanark military settlement of Upper Canada, under the late Colonel
William Marshall, the superintendent, and this situation Mr. Shaw filled
for nine years. At the commencement of the work on the Rideau Canal,
through Lord Dalhousie’s influence, he was appointed overseer of the
works under the late Colonel John By, from Smith’s Falls to Bytown, now
the city of Ottawa. After the completion of the canal, Mr. Shaw married
Ellen Forgie, daughter of Mr. Forgie, of Glasgow, and carried on at
Smith’s Falls a successful and extensive mercantile business up to the
time of his entering parliament. He was one of the first promoters and
directors of the Brockville and Ottawa Railway. During the Canadian
rebellion of 1837 and 1838 he was stationed at Brockville as major of
the third Leeds Light Infantry, and in later years he was made
lieutenant-colonel of the militia of Canada. In his early days he was a
member of what was known as the Johnstown District Council, and when the
municipal system was adopted he filled the position of reeve of the
municipality, which office he held until higher duties obliged him to
resign. He was also a justice of the peace, but did not often act in
that capacity. Mr. Shaw was a Free Mason, having joined the order as a
young man in Ireland. He was a member of the Church of England—not
extreme in his views, but unswerving in his support and allegiance to
his church. In 1851 he was elected to represent the united counties of
Lanark and Renfrew in the Legislature of Canada in the Conservative
interest, and was again returned for the South Riding of Lanark in 1854.
In 1860 he was elected for the Bathurst division by a large majority to
a seat in the upper house, which he held until the confederation of the
several provinces, when he was called by Royal proclamation to the
Senate of the Dominion of Canada, which position he filled with honour
to himself and credit to his country until his death. Mr. Shaw was a
gentleman of fine physique and commanding appearance, of sterling
principle, unswerving integrity, and by his genial disposition and
urbanity of manner, endeared himself to all with whom he became
acquainted. He died suddenly at his residence in Smith’s Falls, on the
6th of February, 1878, regretted and revered by all who knew him. His
funeral was attended by a large deputation from both branches of the
legislature.
“In social haunts the ever welcome guest,
So generous, noble, and of portly mien;
‘One of a thousand’ has been well expressed—
No finer type of gentleman was seen.”
* * * * *
=Saint-Pierre, Henri C.=, Advocate, Montreal, was born in the parish of
Rigaud, county of Vaudreuil, province of Quebec, on the 13th of
September, 1844, but was brought up at Isle-Bizard, in Jacques-Cartier
county. He is the last child but one of a family of nine, composed of
seven girls and two boys. His father, Joseph Saint-Pierre, a farmer of
Isle-Bizard, died, when his son Henri was only two years old. His
mother, Domithilde Denis, is still living. His first ancestor on his
father’s side in Canada was Pierre Breillé-Saint-Pierre, who was usually
called Pierre Saint-Pierre. He had emigrated from Normandy, and on his
arrival in Canada settled at Isle-Bizard. In 1741 he was married to
Françoise Thibault, by whom he had a large family. He was killed at the
battle of Carillon in 1758. His eldest son, bearing the same name, was
married to Marie Josephte Tayon, and from that marriage was born, on the
23rd of August, 1772, Guillaume, the father of Joseph, and the
grandfather of the gentleman who is the subject of this sketch.
Domithilde Denis, the mother of Mr. Saint-Pierre, belonged to a family
of farmers from La Pointe Claire, which traces its origin in Canada as
far back as the days of the first French settlements, the first colonist
of that name, Jacques Denis, having settled at Lachine in 1689. After
the death of his father, Mr. Saint-Pierre was adopted by a near
relative, C. Raymond, a merchant at Isle-Bizard, who took charge of his
education. At twelve years of age he entered the Montreal College, where
he went through a brilliant classical course of study. He was the
college mate of the unfortunate patriot, Louis Riel. From his childhood
Mr. Saint-Pierre had always exhibited a strong liking for military life;
but as he grew older, this liking ripened into an uncontrollable
passion; so much so, that on leaving college one of the first things he
did was to solicit from his mother and his adopted father the permission
to enlist in the United States army. At this time the war between the
North and South was raging at its highest pitch. It is almost needless
to say that his request was unhesitatingly and peremptorily refused.
With no small degree of disappointment and reluctance, he at last chose
the study of the law, and was sent to Kingston in Ontario, in order that
he might improve his knowledge of the English language. At Kingston he
was articled to James Agnew, one of the leading lawyers of that city. He
soon got tired of the law, however, and on the very day when he was to
undergo his preliminary examination at Osgoode Hall, in Toronto,
yielding to his passion for military life, he crossed over to Niagara
Falls, and thence took the first train to New York. On his arrival there
he enlisted in the 76th New York volunteers, which was then forming part
of the first corps in the Potomac army. To his honour be it said, it was
only after considerable hesitation that General Johnson, the chief
recruiting officer, consented to enlist the runaway school-boy. Mr.
Saint-Pierre of course entered the service as a private, but in less
than two months he rose to the rank of sergeant. During General Meade’s
retreat towards Centreville, in the fall of 1863, he was wounded at the
crossing of the Rapahannock, and had only recently resumed duty when in
the fight at Mine Run, near Fredericksburg, he was again wounded. He was
picked up by a detachment of General Stewart’s rebel cavalry on the
field of battle, and was brought to Gordonsville during the night, and
on the following day sent to Richmond as a prisoner of war. In his
regiment he had been reported as dead, and some time afterwards his name
was published in the list of those who had been killed in that fight.
The result of this information was that funeral services were held both
in the Montreal College and in his native parish, and prayer asked for
the salvation of his soul. To give a detailed and circumstantial account
of the suffering which Mr. Saint-Pierre had to endure, and all the
adventures he had to go through in his numerous attempts to escape from
starvation and death in the southern stockades, would require a
narrative which could hardly be comprised within the compass of a whole
volume; but one may form some idea of it, however, when the names of the
following prisons wherein he was successively detained are mentioned:
Bell Island and Parmenton building at Richmond, Andersonville in
Georgia, and Charleston’s race ground and Florence in South Carolina.
After thirteen months of indescribable sufferings, he at last found
himself free at Charleston on the day when the city was evacuated by the
Southern troops in the spring of 1865. After the war was over, Mr.
Saint-Pierre returned to his native country, where he was greeted as one
who had risen from the dead. In March, 1866, he resumed his legal
studies, and was first articled to the late Sir George Etienne Cartier,
but a year afterwards he became a student in the office of the Hon. J.
J. C. Abbott, where he remained up to the time of his admission to the
bar on the 12th of July, 1870. In 1871 Mr. Saint-Pierre entered in
partnership with the Hon. Gédéon Ouimet, then attorney-general, and some
time afterwards prime minister for the province of Quebec; and on that
gentleman’s appointment as superintendent of education, after his having
resigned his office as prime minister, Mr. Saint-Pierre found himself at
the head of his law office and the sole possessor of his large
_clientèle_. Mr. Saint-Pierre soon reached the foremost rank in his
profession, and to-day the firm of Saint-Pierre, Globensky & Poirier, is
one of the leading firms in the district of Montreal. But it is more
particularly as a criminalist that Mr. Saint-Pierre has distinguished
himself. Few lawyers have been so successful in the practice of that
branch of the law; and whether it be in the often arduous task of
bringing conviction to the minds of juries, or in that no less difficult
one of unravelling a knotty point of law, he has few equals and no
superior in his native province. He has frequently acted as Crown
attorney and as substitute of the attorney-general for the province of
Quebec, both in Montreal and in the adjoining districts. In politics Mr.
Saint-Pierre is a Liberal. He was selected to run as the Liberal
candidate in Jacques-Cartier, in 1878, for the local house, but was
defeated by the former member, L. N. Lecavalier, who succeeded in
securing his re-election by a small majority. Since that date Mr.
Saint-Pierre has taken very little part in active politics. At the
general elections for the federal house in 1887 he was selected as the
_Candidat National_, first in the county of Laprairie, in opposition to
Mr. Tassé, the Conservative nominee, and afterwards in the county of
Jacques-Cartier, in opposition to Mr. Girouard, but declined in both
instances. Mr. Saint-Pierre was married in 1874 to Adeline Albina
Lesieur, eldest daughter of Adolphe Lesieur, merchant, of Terrebonne.
She is a niece of the late Hon. Thos. Jean-Jacques Loranger, of the Hon.
L. O. Loranger, a judge of the Superior Court, and of J. M. Loranger,
Q.C. Mrs. Saint-Pierre is a handsome and accomplished lady and an
excellent musician. She is often seen at charity concerts, contributing,
by her distinguished talent as a pianist, to the enjoyment of the
evening; whilst her husband, Mr. Saint-Pierre, who is the possessor of a
splendid bass voice, and a cultured singer, varies the entertainment by
his singing. Mr. and Mrs. Saint-Pierre were both born and brought up
Roman catholics, and they have a family of five children, the eldest of
whom, Master Henri, is only nine years old. In 1856 Mrs. Saint-Pierre,
the elder, was married to John Wilson, a wealthy farmer of Isle-Bizard.
He was a widower and the father of several boys. Two of those boys were
married to two of Mrs. Saint-Pierre’s daughters. The youngest of those
gentlemen was recently elected deputy-reeve of the county of Prescott,
in Ontario. Mrs. Saint-Pierre has survived her second husband, who died
in 1858. She has now reached the ripe old age of seventy-nine. She is
yet strong and hearty, and lately was invited to the christening of an
infant (a girl) who was the grand-daughter of her own grand-daughter.
She was thereby given an opportunity seldom offered, even to very aged
grand-mothers, that of seeing her fourth generation.
* * * * *
=Hemming, Edward John=, D.C.L., ex-M.P.P., Advocate, etc.,
Drummondville, province of Quebec, is the third son of the late Henry
Keene Hemming, estate agent, and for many years lessee of extensive
brick-fields at Gray’s, Essex on the Thames; and Sophia Wirgman,
daughter of Thomas Wirgman, from Stockholm, Sweden, and aunt to
Lieut.-Colonel Wirgman, late of the 10th Hussars, in their lifetime of
London, England, and Lismore, Ireland (in connection with the Duke of
Devonshire estates), and latterly (where they died and were buried), of
Great Marlow, Bucks, having previously lived farming near Drummondville,
P.Q., for a few years, when they returned to England. There is every
reason to believe that his father was directly descended from John
Hemming, Shakespeare’s associate and literary executor. An uncle of his
father, the Rev. Samuel Hemming, D.D., was chaplain to the Royal Lodge
of Free and Accepted Masons, and as such intimate with all the then
royal dukes, the Duke of Sussex standing godfather to two of his
children. His father was also uncle to the late Hon. Judge Dunkin,
member of the Privy Council of Canada, etc., etc. (his sister being the
judge’s mother), and also cousin to the late Charles F. Smithers,
president of the Bank of Montreal. After the lapse of about a hundred
years, the two families of Hemming and Smithers have intermarried again,
Walter G. A. Hemming, of Toronto, a nephew of the subject of this
sketch, having lately married a daughter of Charles F. Smithers. Edward
John Hemming was born on the 30th August, 1823, in London, England, that
is to say Clapham, Surrey, and was educated at the Clapham Grammar
School, under the Rev. Charles Pritchard, M.A., a Cambridge wrangler.
Among his schoolmates who have since achieved distinction may be
mentioned the Rev. Dr. Bradley, dean of Westminster Abbey; Sir George
Groves, of Sydenham Palace fame; and his brother, George Wirgman
Hemming, of Lincoln’s Inn, Q.C., lately of Hyde Park, now of South
Kensington, London, late fellow of St. John’s College, Cambridge, senior
wrangler of the university—one of the commissioners named by the
Imperial Parliament for revising the statutes of Cambridge
University;—editor of the “Equity Law Reports” under the council of the
English bar, etc., who married his second cousin, a grand niece of Sir
David Baird, the hero of Seringapatam and Corunna. To show the heredity
of genius we may mention that one of his sons, now in the Royal
Engineers, not only came out first at the final examination at the Royal
Military College, Woolwich, but surpassed the one next to him by more
than a thousand marks. On leaving school in 1839, Mr. Hemming went to
sea as a midshipman, making his two last trips to India in the old East
Indiaman, _Herefordshire_, commanded by Captain Richardson, a cousin. He
left her at Bombay in 1843, to join the _Seyd Khan_, opium clipper
trading to China with a Lascar crew, as second officer, under Captain
Horsburgh, a nephew of the famous Captain Horsburgh of East India
Directory fame. During his voyages, he visited the Cape of Good Hope,
Isle of France, Bombay, Madras, Calcutta, Batavia, Hong Kong, Canton,
Amoy, Chusan, Woosing and St. Helena, this latter before the removal of
the great Bonaparte. After remaining in China a couple of years, he
returned home to his father in Ireland in 1845, where he remained
studying farming till 1851. During his residence at Lismore, the Smith
O’Brien rebellion broke out, and he then made acquaintance with Nicholas
O’Gorman, once secretary to the Catholic Emancipation League, under
O’Connell, but then a loyal subject; also of Richard O’Gorman, his
nephew, one of the Young Irelanders; who had to flee the country in
order to escape prosecution for his action in that rebellion. Richard
O’Gorman is now a judge in New York. Liebig’s work on agricultural
chemistry, then lately published, having caused a great sensation, he
turned his attention to the subject, and the Royal Agricultural Society
of England having offered a prize open to all the world on the occasion
of the International Exhibition of 1851, for the best essay on chemistry
applied to agriculture, Mr. Hemming entered the competition and carried
off the prize. This essay may be found in the Parliamentary library at
Ottawa. While attending the International Exhibition in 1851, he met his
cousin, afterwards Judge Dunkin, who prevailed upon him to enter his
office in Montreal as a law student, and he commenced his legal studies
in the office of Bethune & Dunkin in the fall of that year. Among his
fellow students were the Judges Ramsay, and Papineau, and Julius
Scriver, the M.P. for Huntingdon; and he also entered the law course of
McGill College, and in 1855, took his degree of B.C.L., being first in
honours; and in 1871, took his degree of D.C.L. in course. While he was
a law student he was elected president of the Law Students’ Society,
succeeding the late Judge Ramsay of the Court of Queen’s Bench; Judge
Baby, now of the same court, being elected secretary-treasurer. Shortly
after, in May, 1855, he was admitted to the bar, and immediately
returned to England, where, on the 19th July, 1855, he was married to
Sophia Louisa Robinson (a cousin), eldest daughter of the late Thomas
Robinson, of London and Norwood, merchant, and returned to Montreal the
same year, and commenced practising law in partnership with A. H. Lunn.
He was employed by G. W. Wickstead, Q.C., law clerk of the Legislative
Assembly of Canada, on behalf of the government, to compile a digested
index of all the statute law in force from the conquest to that date,
preparatory to a consolidation of the statutes, which work he
accomplished to his satisfaction. In 1851, he entered the active militia
force by joining the Montreal Light Infantry Battalion as second
lieutenant, and served therein for seven years, until he was gazetted
out on leaving limits as unattached, retaining his rank of captain. In
1858, at the suggestion of Judge Dunkin, who, at that time, was member
for Drummond and Arthabaska, and who intended residing in Drummond
county (and his father having just arrived from England and purchased a
farm in the neighbourhood of Drummondville), he left his practice in
Montreal and came to Drummondville, which was then nothing but a
deserted village in the middle of the woods and out of the world,
although practically the _chef-lieu_ of the then newly constituted
district of Arthabaska, the only resident lawyers living there; now,
thanks to the railroad, Drummondville is a thriving village of two
thousand inhabitants, with flourishing manufactures and magnificent
water powers, but has lost its pre-eminence in law since the erection of
a court house at the _chef-lieu_, and the formation of a resident bar at
Arthabaskaville. Mr. Dunkin, however, being defeated afterwards by J. B.
E. Dorion, _l’Enfant Terrible_, obtained a seat in Brome county and
permanently settled in that county at Knowlton. In 1867, on the death of
_l’Enfant Terrible_ (the then member for Drummond and Arthabaska),
shortly before confederation, Mr. Hemming was invited by a large number
of the electors to become a candidate for the Quebec legislature under
confederation, and although he was opposed by the late Judge Dorion (a
brother of _l’Enfant Terrible_), on the Liberal side, and by N. Hébert,
as a French Conservative, he had a majority over both candidates
combined, and stood at the head of the poll with nearly two hundred
majority, and this, notwithstanding that the constituency was
five-sixths French. During that parliament he took a prominent part in
inaugurating the railway fever of that time and the government policy of
subsidizing the railways consequent thereon. He obtained a charter for
what is now the northern branch of the South Eastern Railway, under the
then name of the Richelieu, Drummond and Arthabaska River Railway, one
hundred miles in length; successfully (for every one but himself)
promoted the scheme and constructed the road, was elected president of
the company and gave to L. A. Sénécal the first railway contract he ever
had, and finally transferred the road to the South Eastern Company on
certain conditions which, we regret to say, were never fully carried
out. He also greatly developed the two counties by opening up
colonization roads; and took an active part in revising the municipal
code. During this time he was elected president of the Agricultural
Society of the county of Drummond, No. 1, and held the office until the
society was constituted for the whole county. In 1870, a vacancy
occuring in the lucrative office of prothonotary for the district of
Arthabaska, the Hon. M. Chauveau, the then premier, nominated him to the
same, but a difficulty arising in connection with the Hon. G. Irvine,
who was then solicitor-general in the Chauveau administration, and who
represented a portion of the district, in order to oblige Hon. M.
Chauveau, he finally consented to decline the nomination, and to present
himself once more in 1871 for re-election against the Hon. W. Laurier,
the Liberal candidate, but was defeated by a large majority, principally
on the ground of nationality and railway difficulties. Shortly
afterwards, Mr. Hemming was elected warden of the county of Drummond,
which office he resigned, when two years afterwards, he was appointed
district magistrate (the equivalent of county judge in the other
provinces) for the districts of Arthabaska and St. Francis, in
conjunction with G. E. Rioux, but practically the two districts were
divided, Mr. Hemming taking the former, and Mr. Rioux the latter. About
the same time it was commonly reported in the press and elsewhere, that
he was to be the new Superior Court judge, for the district, as the
representative of the Protestant element among the six new judges, but
at the end the Protestant element was eliminated altogether. While
holding the office of district magistrate he was named sole commissioner
by the Quebec government to investigate and report on the management and
working of the prothonotary’s and other offices in the Montreal
court-house, including the police office. Mr. Bréhaut (a Protestant)
having resigned his office of police magistrate, and received another
appointment in consequence of this report, it was again positively
reported that Mr. Hemming was to be appointed police magistrate in his
stead, but at the very last moment Judge Desnoyers was substituted. In
1878, during Mr. Joly’s short _régime_, when great efforts were made to
introduce the American system, “to the victors belong the spoils,” Mr.
Hemming and thirteen other district magistrates had their commissions
revoked, on the ground of economy, without receiving any indemnity
whatever for the loss of their office, and Mr. Rioux, being a Liberal,
was awarded Mr. Hemming’s district in addition to his own, thus
eliminating the only Protestant on the police bench in the whole
province of Quebec. Strange to say, the succeeding Conservative
administration in Quebec never took any steps either to reinstate or
indemnify Mr. Hemming for the loss of his office, although nearly all
his French colleagues were provided for one way or the other. As he had
to commence his practice anew he retired from public life for some
years; but in 1881, at the urgent request of the local government,
consented to run against the Hon. George Irvine in the Conservative
interest in Megantic, but was again defeated, not having received the
support promised him, and having entered into the contest only a week
before the polling. In this year he was named census commissioner for
the county of Drummond by the Dominion government; and in 1885 revising
officer for the same county under the Franchise Act. Having a short time
previously consented to take a part in municipal matters again, he was
elected mayor of Drummondville and warden of the county for the second
time. He was also elected syndic of the Bar of Arthabaska, which office
he held until his recent appointment as joint prothonotary and Clerk of
the Crown for that district. Mr. Hemming has for some years past been an
associate member of the Protestant Committee of the Council of Public
Instruction for the province of Quebec, where he has been working for
some time past to procure the introduction of religious teaching in the
Protestant public schools, and has so far succeeded as to have the Bible
placed upon the list of authorized text books. In religious matters Mr.
Hemming is a member of the Church of England, and has acted for many
years past as lay reader whenever his services have been required. And
on one occasion in the absence of a clergyman after the church at
Drummondville was destroyed by fire, conducted the services for nearly a
year, and thereby kept the congregation together. He was churchwarden of
St. George’s Church, Drummondville, for eighteen years, and has been
elected a delegate to the Diocesan Synod of Quebec and to the Provincial
Synod since 1862 without any intermission, and during these 25 years has
never failed attending a single session of either of these synods. Mr.
Hemming is old-fashioned enough to believe in the Bible, and
consequently has no faith in Darwinism, secular education or
prohibition. With regard to the latter, he says he cannot bring himself
to believe that the Saviour was a criminal when he made and drank wine
at the marriage feast, nor when he commanded his disciples to drink wine
in his memory at the Lord’s Supper. In politics, he is and has always
been a Conservative, and does not believe in the principles of the
French or American revolutions, nor in the divine right of the people,
and he believes that authority ought to come from above and not from
below. Mr. Hemming cannot understand the theory of allowing the fools to
elect the wise men, nor why a majority should have the right to utterly
crush out the minority, and still less why a small minority that happens
to hold the balance of power under our constitution, should have the
power of controlling the overwhelming majority of the nation. Neither
does he believe in Adam Smith. He has been a protectionist ever since
the times of Sir Robert Peel, D’Israeli and Lord George Bentinck, and
has never seen any occasion to change his opinion, notwithstanding it
was considered rank heresy to say so. After a lifetime he begins to see
signs that the British are beginning to discover that our social system
is founded on the family, each with its own interest (the nation being
merely an extension of that idea), and that until the whole world
becomes one family, the theory of free trade which is based on that idea
must be inapplicable. It will be seen by the foregoing that Mr. Hemming
has led a pretty active life, which may be considered as decidedly
professional, having been a sailor, soldier, farmer, lawyer, legislator,
judge, doctor (in law) and (lay) parson. His sons are taking different
branches of the professions. His eldest son being a law student, another
is in the Canadian army, being a lieutenant in the Infantry School
corps, and a third in the Canadian marine, being second officer on board
of one of the government cruisers for the protection of the fisheries.
* * * * *
=McCosh, John=, Barrister, Orillia, Ontario, was born in Paris, Brant
county, Ontario, on the 6th September, 1844. His father, Robert McCosh,
M.D., was a native of Beith, Ayrshire, Scotland, who graduated at the
University of Edinburgh, and came to Canada in 1834. Shortly after his
arrival he located in Paris, and in a very few years gained a large
medical practice in the county of Brant. He died in 1862. His mother was
a Miss Irwin, of Welland. She was from the north of Ireland, and
emigrated with her mother and brothers about the year 1836. Her brothers
became merchants, and carried on a large business, one in Paris, and the
other in Galt. John McCosh received his education in the Paris High
School, and subsequently studied law in the office of Clark Gamble,
Q.C., Toronto, and afterwards in the office of the present Chief Justice
Cameron. He was enrolled as a solicitor in 1868, and called to the bar
in 1874. Mr. McCosh then opened a law office in Paris, where he
continued to practise his profession for about two years, and in 1871
removed to Orillia, where he has since resided, and has succeeded in
building up a lucrative business. Apart from his professional duties,
Mr. McCosh has found time to devote a good deal of his time to the
public good, and in appreciation of his disinterested services, his
fellow-townsmen elected him, on different occasions, to the highest
office in their gift, and he accordingly filled the office of mayor in
the years 1881, 1882, and in 1886. He was also, in 1886, nominated for
the Ontario legislature by the Liberal-Conservatives of East Simcoe, but
afterwards withdrew from the canvass, he having failed to agree with the
party on the “Protestant” and “Prohibition” cries. Mr. McCosh is a
rising man, and we hope to see him some day in the legislature of his
country. He is married to Mary Stanton, daughter of Lieutenant-Colonel
Stanton, postmaster of Paris.
* * * * *
=Norman, Rev. Richard Whitmore=, M.A., D.C.L., Christ Church Cathedral,
Montreal, was born at Southborough, Kent, England, on 24th April, 1829.
His father was Richard Norman, merchant, of London, son of George
Norman, a large landed proprietor of Bromley, Kent, England; and his
mother, Emma Stone, was a daughter of George Stone, of Chiselhurst,
Kent, head of the oldest private banking house in London, now Martin &
Co., 68 Lombard street. The subject of our sketch, Rev. Dr. Norman, was
educated at King’s College, London, and afterwards at Exeter College,
Oxford; and was, in 1852, ordained deacon, and priest in 1853. He was
curate of St. Thomas, Oxford, in 1852; fellow of Radley College, 1853;
fellow and head master of St. Michael’s College, Tenbury, 1857; and
warden of Radley College, 1861 to 1866. In consequence of hard work his
health became impaired, and he left England in 1866, in the hope that a
short sojourn in Canada would do him good. He had not been long on this
side the Atlantic when his health began to improve, and family
circumstances prompted him to make Canada his future home. Previous to
his coming here he had but slight experience in strictly ministerial
work, his principal labours in England having been connected with higher
education; but since then he has heartily thrown himself into pastoral
work, without having entirely abandoned education. In 1868 he was
appointed assistant at St. John the Evangelist’s Church, Montreal;
assistant at St. James the Apostle’s Church, 1872; rector of St.
Matthias Church, 1883; and is now (1887) canon assistant of Christ
Church Cathedral. Rev. Dr. Norman was, in 1878, a member of the council
and vice-chancellor of the University of Bishop’s College; a member of
the Protestant School Board in 1879, and chairman of the same in 1880;
vice-president of the Montreal Art Association in 1882, and president in
1887; vice-president of the Montreal Philharmonic Society in 1879;
member of the Protestant Committee of Public Instruction in 1883; hon.
clerical secretary of the Anglican Provincial Synod in 1880; and in 1882
was elected a fellow of McGill College, Montreal. Rev. Dr. Norman
belongs to the Masonic fraternity, and occupied the position of
worshipful master of Apollo University lodge, Oxford, in 1861-1863, and
the same office in Abingdon lodge in 1864. He was also eminent commander
of encampment Cœur-de-Lion, Oxford, 1858. Rev. Dr. Norman has published
several volumes of sermons, and various pamphlets, which have been well
received by the public. He is still in the prime of life, and we hope
has many years of usefulness still before him. He has always been a
member of the Anglican communion, and is unmarried.
* * * * *
=Rice, Charles=, Registrar of the High Court of Justice, etc., Perth,
Ontario, was born on the 7th of November, 1822, in the township of
Drummond, in the county of Lanark, about two miles from the town of
Perth, which then contained but a few log buildings used chiefly for
government stores, the settlement being composed of discharged soldiers
and their families located by the government at the close of the
American war of 1812. His father, John Rice, was born in the county
Down, Ireland, at or near Newry, and was descended from a collateral
branch of the Monteagle family. Returning home from school one afternoon
when about sixteen years old, he was kidnapped by the press-gang and
forced on board a British man-of-war bound on a cruise for the coast of
Newfoundland and Gulf of St. Lawrence. He continued on board ship doing
duty as a sailor, until the American war broke out, when he left the
vessel and enlisted as a private soldier in the Newfoundland Fencibles
and took part in the battles of Chrysler’s Farm, Stoney Creek,
Burlington Heights, and other engagements. He was promoted to the rank
of sergeant, was wounded at Burlington Heights, and at the close of the
war got his discharge with a pension and a grant of land. He had married
Hannah Van Boeler, then the widow of John Woodlands, who had been killed
in battle. She was born at Annapolis, Nova Scotia, of Dutch parents who
had emigrated from the Netherlands and settled at Annapolis. They were
descended from those sturdy and brave Dutchmen who had battled for their
liberty for forty years against the colossal power of Spain under
Phillip II. John Rice, through hard work, had effected a considerable
clearance on his lot, and was prospering apace, when one summer, at the
latter end of August, the barn in which all the produce of the farm had
been stored, took fire and was burned down with all its contents, and he
had to run in debt to the late Hon. R. Matheson for supplies to support
the family for an entire year. This debt accumulated in Matheson’s books
at compound interest at ten per cent., and in a few years Matheson got a
deed of the farm, with a verbal understanding to re-convey when the debt
should be paid off, which was never done in the lifetime of John Rice.
Born and brought up in a log shanty, in what was then the backwoods, the
subject of this sketch, Charles Rice, had but a poor chance of getting
any education. There were no public schools, no free schools, in those
days; and at intervals he was sent to a private school kept in Perth by
the late Mr. Hudson, and afterwards to another kept by the late Dawson
Kerr. On arriving at the age of fourteen Mr. Rice had been at school for
about two years in all, and had only acquired some knowledge of reading,
writing, and arithmetic. When about twelve years old, in the month of
November, he hired out at six dollars a month to burn coal to earn money
to buy himself a pair of boots for the winter. The following year, in
the beginning of December, he hired as bookkeeper with Aaron Chambers,
who had a lumber shanty, taking out oak timber near Peter McArthur’s, in
the township of Beckwith. He started on foot and walked to Franktown,
fifteen miles, and arrived there at dark only to find that he had five
miles farther to go to reach the shanty, through a section of country
and bush roads that he knew nothing about; but by following closely the
directions given him, he succeeded in finding the place some two or
three hours after dark. This was Saturday night. Chambers had hired him
to keep his books, and on Sunday informed him that besides keeping the
books he would have to cook for the men and chop the fire-wood. This he
refused to do, and on Monday morning left the shanty and footed it home.
He continued to work on the farm until about sixteen years old, when he
was apprenticed to James Thompson (the present sheriff), to learn the
printing business in the old _Bathurst Courier_ office (now the _Perth
Courier_). This was in May, 1839. About two years and a half after this,
in the beginning of winter, he left the _Courier_ office, took the stage
to Brockville, thence by stage to Kingston (there were no railroads in
those days), and arrived there at night penniless but not despairing.
The Kingston _News_ had just been started by S. and J. Rowlands, and he
got work on this newspaper. The following summer he returned home, his
father having died in the meantime, and worked for about two years
longer in the _Courier_ office. Ere he had been a year in the _Courier_,
for the first time, he became convinced that if he was to succeed in the
printing business, he must acquire a better education than he then had.
A young lawyer in town, Henry Sache, who was sometimes hard up through
nobody’s fault but his own, offered to sell him a Latin dictionary
cheap. He closed the bargain and bought it, and at once determined to
study Latin. The reader will no doubt smile when informed that he
commenced his studies by committing the Latin dictionary to memory! A
few evenings afterwards Mr. Sache, coming in and finding him intent at
the dictionary, asked what he was doing. He replied that he had
commenced to study Latin, and was learning the dictionary off by heart.
His visitor smiled, and informed him that he would never learn the
language that way—that he must get a Latin grammar, study that, and
then commence to translate. But where was he to get a Latin grammar?
Sache had sold his, and there was none for sale in Perth. The nearest
place was Brockville; and so he got the stage-driver on his next trip to
buy him one and bring it out, and how he exulted over the possession of
that book! Every spare moment was thenceforth devoted to study, and with
some assistance that he got from Ephraim Patterson, who was then
studying for the church, he made pretty rapid progress. This intercourse
with Patterson had induced in him a desire to study for the Church of
England ministry. He talked the matter over with the late Rev. Michael
Harris, and on a confirmation visit to Perth, he had an interview with
Bishop Strachan on the subject. They both approved his decision, and
while offering words of encouragement, pointed out the great
difficulties that would have to be overcome, the subjects that would
require to be studied and mastered before he could take a college degree
and qualify for holy orders. Nothing daunted, the young man determined
to persevere—what others had done he could do—it was only a question
of time. He now reduced his course of studies to a system. He had to
work ten hours a day in the printing office to support himself; so he
rose at four o’clock in the morning, winter and summer, and studied
Greek till six, when work commenced at type-setting. Of the breakfast
hour and dinner hour he devoted forty minutes of each to the study of
Euclid. From seven till ten p.m. was devoted to the study of Latin. Of
course, his health occasionally broke down under this severe strain and
compelled a short cessation, but only to be resumed again. Kingston was
the seat of government when young Rice went there the second time and
got work in the _News_ office. Parliament opened in the fall, and Dr.
Barker, of the _British Whig_, secured the contract for the government
printing; and as he offered higher wages than the _News_ was paying,
young Rice entered the _Whig_ office on the parliamentary work. Lord
Metcalfe was governor at the time, and quarrelled with his ministers
(Baldwin, Lafontaine, Rolph, etc.), on the question of responsible
government. The ministry resigned, parliament was dissolved, the work in
the _Whig_ office stopped, and a lot of journeyman printers, young Rice
among the rest, were thrown out of work, and he concluded to return to
Perth, which at that time and at that season of the year was no easy
matter. A small steamer, the last of the season, was advertised to leave
Kingston for Brockville, and on this steamer he took passage and left in
the afternoon, arriving in Brockville about four o’clock the next
morning; the steamer’s paddle-wheels having got so coated with ice as to
render progress difficult and slow. From Brockville he took the stage to
Perth, a two-wheeled cart drawn by two horses, and the journey to Perth
in that cart over rough and hard frozen roads, on a cold December day,
was one not soon to be forgotten. Once more in Perth, he engaged with
Mr. Thompson to work on the _Courier_ half time, an arrangement which
just suited him, as it gave him means enough to live on, and afforded
ample time to pursue his studies. And here it may be as well to mention
that while living in Kingston, a Frenchman from Paris, who was giving
private lessons in French in the city, came to board in the same house.
This was an opportunity not to be lost, and young Rice at once entered
on the study of the French language, and worked at it diligently every
evening after tea; and when he left Kingston six months after, he could
read, write, and speak French with tolerable fluency. The arrangement
with Mr. Thompson was only temporary, as Mr. Thompson entered upon the
study of law in the office of the late W. O. Buell, and took Mr. Rice
into partnership to manage and conduct the _Courier_ business, as Mr.
Thompson’s name had to be dropped from the paper on signing articles as
a law student. At this time Mr. Rice entered upon his career as a
journalist, his political articles, however, being revised by Mr.
Thompson. The partnership continued until the first of January, 1852,
when Mr. Thompson, having been appointed sheriff of the county of
Lanark, sold out the _Courier_ printing office to Mr. Rice, who
continued to publish and edit the paper, having changed the name to the
_Perth Courier_, until the first of January, 1863, when he sold out to
the late G. L. Walker, brother of the present publisher and editor, Jas.
M. Walker, and thenceforth ceased all connection with political
journalism. In May, 1862, the Canadian parliament was in session in
Quebec, and Sir John A. Macdonald’s ministry was defeated by a small
majority, and the late John Sanfield Macdonald was called upon to found
a new ministry, which he succeeded in doing. At this time the office of
County Court clerk, deputy-clerk of the Crown, and registrar of
Surrogate Court was vacant by the death of the late C. H. Sache. On the
change of government, and the reform party coming into power, Mr. Rice
at once applied for the office, and on the 10th of June was appointed to
fill the vacancy, and which office he still holds (May, 1886). In 1864
Mr. Rice was appointed by the Hon. John Sanfield Macdonald to the
commission of the peace. In 1856 he bought out the book and stationery
store of Wm. Allan, but after continuing the business for two years, and
finding it did not succeed to his satisfaction, wound it up and again
confined his attention exclusively to the newspaper business. During his
connection with the press, Mr. Rice was a strong and pronounced advocate
of reform principles and responsible government, his political
editorials on the questions of the day being often copied into other
journals. The legislative union between Upper and Lower Canada did not
work well, owing to differences in sectional interests, race and
religion. Among the many schemes proposed to make the machinery of
government work more smoothly, and allay sectional jealousies, was the
one known as the “double majority” principle, advocated by John Sanfield
Macdonald, and opposed by George Brown and the _Globe_. Mr. Macdonald’s
scheme was that all measures purely local to Lower Canada should be
dealt with by Lower Canadian members exclusively; and those purely local
to Upper Canada, by Upper Canada members exclusively; while general
measures affecting the whole province should be dealt with by the united
parliament as a whole. Mr. Rice, in the editorial columns of the
_Courier_, supported Mr. Macdonald’s scheme. Confederation came shortly
after, and partly solved the problem. During his connection with the
press, Mr. Rice took an active part in all the election contests and
political movements in the county of Lanark. He gave the influence of
the paper in supporting the Brockville and Ottawa Railway scheme, which
has since developed into the great Canadian Pacific Railway. He was the
first to advocate the construction of plank roads in the county of
Lanark, resulting in the formation of a company, and making the plank
road from Perth to Lanark, which has since become macadamised. He was
ever foremost in advocating schemes of public enterprise and
improvement. Since his retirement from journalism, Mr. Rice has
contributed several articles on various subjects of a non-political
nature to the public press, which have appeared in the _Liberal_, the
_National_, the _Week_, the _Globe_, _Canadian Monthly_, and local
papers. Probably those that have attracted most attention are his
articles against prohibitory liquor laws, and notably, the Scott Act.
Mr. Rice was brought up in the Church of England faith, was baptized by
the Rev. M. Harris, and confirmed by Bishop Strachan. He was a constant
attendant at that church, but his outspoken advocacy of reform
principles in his newspaper exasperated some of the more hot-headed
tories; and one Sunday morning, on going to church, he was confronted
with a placard stuck up on the church door denouncing and libelling him
on account of his political opinions. He never entered the church again,
and joined the Presbyterian Free church. While pursuing his studies for
the ministry he had access to the theological library of the Rev. M.
Harris, and read the best standard works on church history and Christian
evidences, as well as the doctrinal standards of the church. The
evidence and arguments contained in these works, however, did not
satisfy him—he felt that there was a weakness and a want running
through them—something ignored that ought to have appeared; and he
determined to see and know the other side and sift the matter to the
bottom. With this view, he purchased and read the latest modern works on
Christian evidences and Biblical criticism—Strauss, Renan, the Jubingen
school, Dr. Davidson, Mackay, Kimberly, Greig, and many others; and the
scientific works of Darwin, Spencer, Huxly, Lyell, Tyndall, Buchner,
Heckel, Combe, Lubbick, Fiske, and many others, and finally, after many
years of study and research, settled down into a confirmed Agnostic. The
knowledge he had acquired of the Latin, Greek, and French languages was
of great service to him in his reading and studies. On the 18th of
April, 1848, he married Grace Murray, daughter of the late James Murray,
a native of Paisley, Scotland, who had emigrated to this country and
settled in the township of Lanark. Brought up in the backwoods like
himself, her educational acquirements were not much, and, like himself,
she was chiefly self-taught; but she naturally possessed more than an
average share of strong, sound, practical common sense—invaluable
qualities in a woman; and her sound, sensible advice prudently given and
judiciously acted upon many times proved of great value to her husband
in surmounting business difficulties. Five children were born of the
marriage, two sons and three daughters. The oldest son, John Albert,
grew up to be a young man of promise. At the age of eighteen he was
attending the Military School at Toronto, when the Fenian raid occurred,
and accompanied the volunteers to Ridgeway. On their return to Toronto
he was presented by the volunteers with a silver-headed cane, with
suitable inscription, as a token of their appreciation of the services
he had rendered. He afterwards published and edited the _Paris
Transcript_, in the county of Brant, for about two years, but failing
health compelled him to abandon it, and shortly after his return home he
died. One daughter, Jeanetta, died at the age of fourteen of heart
disease. The oldest daughter, Carrie Elizabeth, married Joseph Lamont,
proprietor of the Headquarters hotel in the city of Fargo, Dakota, where
the youngest daughter, Ida, in November, 1883, died from accidental
poisoning, on the eve of her marriage to Charles Scott, now mayor of the
city of Fargo. The youngest son, James M., is working at the printing
business in Chicago. So that all Mr. Rice’s posterity seem destined to
be citizens of the United States. Unaided and unassisted from any person
or any quarter, by indomitable perseverance and a determination to
succeed, Mr. Rice worked his way up from a log shanty in the woods to
his present position of local registrar of the High Court of Justice. He
never wholly failed in anything he undertook to do. If he had to cross a
mountain and could not climb it, he would go around. Although it is
twenty-three years since he retired from journalism, Mr. Rice’s name is
still retained on the books of the Canadian Press Association.
* * * * *
=Taylor, Henry=, Hardware Merchant, Perth, Ontario, one of our young and
pushing business men, was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, on the 9th of
June, 1845. His father was Robert Taylor, merchant, Edinburgh; and his
mother, Margaret, eldest daughter of William Darling, also a merchant in
Edinburgh. Mr. Taylor, jr., was educated at private schools in his
native city, and received a sound mercantile education. His father died
when he was about ten years of age, and on the death of his mother in
the spring of 1863 he, along with his brother William (now a merchant in
Toronto), arrived in Montreal. Until 1872 he held positions in several
of the leading hardware houses there, when he purchased the hardware
business in Perth, county of Lanark, which he is now successfully
carrying on. Mr. Taylor, for six years, belonged to the Victoria Rifles,
Montreal, and served with his corps at Huntingdon, Quebec province,
during the Fenian troubles of 1866. In politics Mr. Taylor is a
Reformer; and in religion an adherent of the Presbyterian church. He was
married, in Montreal, on the 5th November, 1868, to Sarah A., eldest
daughter of Rev. Samuel Massey, and has a family of seven children, five
daughters and two sons.
* * * * *
=Milligan, Rev. George Macbeth=, B.A., Pastor of Old St. Andrew’s
Presbyterian Church, Toronto. This rising and popular divine was born at
Wick, Caithnessshire, Scotland, on the 11th of August, 1841, and when a
mere lad came to Canada, and shortly after his arrival the family made
Kingston their home. His parents were William Milligan and Catharine
Macbeth. George received the first rudiments of his education at
Pulteney Academy, Wick, and for some time after his arrival in this
country he devoted himself to mechanical pursuits, but finding his
inclinations lay in another direction, resolved to educate himself for
the ministry, and with this object in view he entered Queen’s College,
Kingston, and from this seat of learning he graduated in 1862, taking
the first place in all his classes, and highest honours as a B.A. On the
4th of February, 1868, he was ordained to the ministry, and his first
charge was at English Settlement, about fourteen miles distant from
London, Ontario, and in this charge he remained until July, 1869, when
he was called to Detroit. Here he laboured until the fall of 1876, doing
good work for the Master, and making for himself many friends in the
church, which in a great degree was built up under his pastorate. In
1876 Old St. Andrew’s Church, Toronto, was without a pastor, and the
members invited the young preacher to cast in his lot with them. He
therefore left Detroit and came to Toronto, and in October of that year
he took charge of the congregation. At this time Old St. Andrew’s Church
was in a weak condition, the greater part of its members having left the
old building and gone with the Rev. Mr. Macdonnell, who for several
years had preached in it, to the new St. Andrew’s Church, erected on the
corner of King and Simcoe streets. Therefore Mr. Milligan had a hard
task before him but he resolved to do his best to keep together the
members that remained in the old church edifice, which was situated on
the corner of Church and Adelaide streets. At this time the membership
only numbered forty-eight persons, but he went to work, and in a very
short time enthused his people to such an extent—the membership and
congregation having considerably increased in the meantime—that they
resolved to abandon the old building and erect a more handsome one on
the corner of Jarvis and Carlton streets, which was soon done, and the
Rev. Mr. Milligan had the satisfaction of taking possession of the new
pulpit in March, 1878. Since then everything has progressed most
satisfactorily, and he can now boast of having one of the largest and
most influential congregations in the city. Its present membership is
500, and last year the congregation raised, for all purposes, $15,000.
But Rev. Mr. Milligan did not confine himself entirely to his duties as
pastor. He found the Ministerial Association in a very languid
condition, and he resolved to raise it to more vigorous action. He was
elected its president during the second year of its existence, and under
his presidency it began to be recognised as a power for good in the
community, and to-day it exerts an influence far beyond its narrow city
bounds. He has also been connected in Toronto with various other public
associations, such as temperance, and that for the suppression of crime.
He was for years one of the examiners in connection with the
intermediate examinations; has been invited by the trustees of Queen’s
College, Kingston, to become lecturer on Church history; and for a long
time has occupied a position in the Senate of Knox College, and taken a
prominent part as an examiner in the same institution. During the
election campaign in Ontario, in 1886, he took a prominent part in the
discussion then raging with regard to Roman Catholic interference in the
Central prison, and in educational matters in our public schools, and
helped to clear the atmosphere, to a considerable degree, of the fog
some of our politicians attempted to introduce into the controversy.
Rev. Mr. Milligan, though a busy man, often finds time to communicate
his thoughts through the columns of the newspapers and magazines, and a
short time ago the Executive committee of the Foreign Mission Board of
his church induced him to write a series of letters to the _Globe_ on
the foreign mission work of the Presbyterian Church, which attracted
considerable attention at the time. Several of his sermons have been
published, and have been well received, and his articles on scientific
and ecclesiastical subjects in the magazines always find readers. During
his summer vacations he frequently visits Britain. In 1881 he made an
extensive tour through Europe, first visiting Britain, and penetrating
as far north as John o’ Groat’s, which, by the way, is not very far from
where he was born, and then travelled through France from Dieppe to
Marseilles, along the shores of the Mediterranean through Cannes to
Geneva, where he remained some time, and afterwards visited Paris, Pisa,
Florence, Venice and Milan. While on this trip he took copious notes of
what he saw, and afterwards embodied them in a course of lectures which
he delivered in Toronto, and other places in Ontario, to large and
appreciative audiences. He is also familiar with the greater portion of
the Dominion from Prince Edward Island to Calgary in the North-West
Territory. Rev. Mr. Milligan, it is needless to say, has been from his
youth up a Presbyterian, and is conservative in some of his views on
theology; yet he is in deep sympathy with many of the other branches of
the Christian church. On the 19th November, 1867, he was married to
Harriet Eunice Rowse, of Bath, Ontario. This lady is descended from the
U. E. loyalists, who settled on the Bay of Quinté, and her grandfather
was one of the elders of the Rev. Mr. McDowell, the founder of
Presbyterianism in Western Canada. The fruit of the union is one son and
three daughters.
* * * * *
=Wilson, Rev. Robert=, St. John, New Brunswick, was born on the 18th of
February, 1833, in Fort George, Scotland. His father, Peter Wilson, was
a sergeant in the 93rd Highlanders, and saw service during the reigns of
Kings George IV., William IV., and Queen Victoria. He came to Canada
with his regiment previous to the rebellion of 1837-38, and helped as a
true British soldier to suppress it. At Toronto, in 1841, he got his
discharge, and then went to Prince Edward Island, where he resided until
his death. He was for many years a Methodist local preacher, and died on
the 24th of April, 1883. Robert received his educational training at the
public school, New Glasgow Road, and at the Central Academy,
Charlottetown (now the Prince of Wales College). After leaving school he
adopted the profession of teacher, and taught a district school for some
years. During this time, and since, he has taken an active part in
everything that has a tendency to elevate his fellow man—politics,
temperance, and religion. He was foremost in the advocacy of the
confederation of the provinces, using the platform and the press in its
advocacy; of temperance, in divisions and the lodge-room, having held
the position of W. P. in the Sons of Temperance, and W. C. and chaplain
in the Order of Good Templars; and of religion by his pulpit
ministrations and practical Christian life. Rev. Mr. Wilson is a warm
advocate of Imperial federation, having been one of the first, if not
the very first, in the Maritime provinces to press it upon the public
attention. As a writer and lecturer on secular subjects he occupies a
front position. His lectures rank high as thoughtful literary efforts,
and his sermons are generally admired. In short, there is no minister of
any denomination down by the sea who has more friends within and beyond
his own church, or who so frequently and cheerfully responds to the
calls of lecture committees. In politics, Mr. Wilson is a
Liberal-Conservative, and had editorial charge of _The New Brunswick
Reporter_, of _The Albert County Advocate_, and _The Maple Leaf_. He has
also for years been a regular contributor to several newspapers. He has
written and published several books, among others, “Tried but True,” 300
pages; and “Never Give Up,” 300 pages (works well spoken of by the
provincial press), besides, “Judea and the Jews,” “British North
America,” and “Britain among the Nations,” in pamphlet form. He has
travelled extensively through Canada, New England, and as a Dominion
immigration agent in Great Britain. Mr. Wilson was brought up in the
faith of the Kirk of Scotland, but since 1851 he has been connected with
the Methodist church. He entered the ministry in 1853, and has been
chairman of the Sackville and St. John districts of the New Brunswick
Conference, Secretary of the conference for five sessions, and first
delegate in the General conference held in Toronto in 1886. He was
strongly opposed to the basis of union by which the various Methodist
bodies were made one, especially to the general superintendency, because
of its tendencies to Prelacy, and its curtailment of the privileges of
the Annual conference. He believed in the unification of the
non-Episcopal Methodist churches, but thought it wiser to allow the
Episcopal to work out their destiny in their own way, than to grant the
concession demanded, which meant the complete revolutionizing of the
Wesleyan economy. Rev. Mr. Wilson was married on the 7th of February,
1856, to Mary Anne Lane, daughter of William Ford, Prince Edward Island,
formerly of Ring’s Ash, Devonshire, England. The fruit of this marriage
is five daughters and one son. The latter, Albert Edward, is an officer
in the postal service at Fredericton, New Brunswick. We may add that the
Rev. Mr. Wilson was elected president of the New Brunswick and Prince
Edward Island Conference in June, 1887.
* * * * *
=Wallis, Herbert=, Montreal, Mechanical Superintendent of the Grand
Trunk Railway of Canada, was born at Derby, England, on March 10th,
1844, and comes of a family long resident in Derby, whose head was for
several generations engaged in the business of stage-coaching. His
father, William Wallace Wallis, abandoned the business on the advent of
railways, and became one of the carriers or cartage agents of the
Midland Railway, from which he retired, in favour of one of his sons,
some years prior to his death. Herbert Wallis was educated at the
Commercial College, near Halifax, England, and here he was specially
trained in that branch of the engineering profession which he now
follows. On the completion of his education he entered the service of
the Midland Railway Company as a pupil of Matthew Kirtley, then
locomotive superintendent, and was engaged in the drawing office and
workshops of that railway at Derby till August, 1866, at which date he
was appointed foreman of the locomotive and carriage departments at
Bradford, Yorkshire. In March, 1871, he accepted the position offered to
him by Mr. Richard Potter (the then president), of assistant mechanical
superintendent of the Grand Trunk Railway Company, and sailed for
Montreal on May 4th of that year; and in January, 1873, he was appointed
chief mechanical superintendent. Mr. Wallis is a member of the
Institution of Civil Engineers, and of the Institution of Mechanical
Engineers of England, and one of the council of the Canadian Society of
Civil Engineers. He is a staunch supporter of the Church of England. He
married Mary Ellen, eldest daughter of the late Thomas Walklate,
formerly goods manager of the Midland Railway Company, in August, 1870.
* * * * *
=Long, Thomas=, Merchant, Collingwood, county of Simcoe, Ontario, was
born in the county of Limerick, Ireland, on the 7th of April, 1836, and
is the son of Thomas and Margaret Long. After procuring such education
as he was able at the national school of his native village, he
emigrated to this country when he was fourteen years old, arriving in
the year 1850, and apprenticed himself to the general mercantile
business with P. O’Shea, of Mono Centre, for a term of three years,
during which he acquired such further educational advantages as could be
obtained from time to time by attendance at the public school and by
private study. On the expiration of his engagement with Mr. O’Shea, in
the spring of 1853, Mr. Long came to Nottawasaga, and worked on the
Northern Railway, then under construction, for about twelve months,
after which he obtained another situation in a general store, which he
held up to the 1st of December, 1858, when he embarked on his own
account as a general merchant and buyer of grain and produce. In 1865 he
was joined by his brother, John Joseph Long, and the firm thus formed
traded under the style of T. Long & Brother. In 1868 a branch store was
opened at Stayner, Simcoe county, and the business was carried on in
this place under the name of Long Brothers & Gartlan, and in 1870
another branch was opened at Thornbury, Grey county. This enterprising
firm, of which Thomas Long is now the senior partner, soon developed a
wholesale trade, and they became large direct importers, which has since
necessitated frequent visits of Mr. Long and his partners to the markets
of Europe. In 1871 they erected fine new premises at Collingwood, which
were unfortunately destroyed by fire in September, 1881, only, however,
to be replaced by more commodious premises, in which the firm now
carries on its principal business. In 1874 the firm erected, in
connection with their business operations at Stayner, a flour mill,
which proved a successful venture. Mr. Long has always taken the lead in
all local enterprises carried on with the view of developing the
business of the town and port of Collingwood. He was associated as
stockholder and director with the late F. W. Cumberland, W. E. Sandford,
and others in the establishment of the Lake Superior Navigation Company,
which built the first steamer—_The Cumberland_—which traded with the
Lake Superior ports. He was also one of the leading promoters of the
Georgian Bay Transportation Company, and has otherwise greatly helped to
promote the lake trade of his adopted country. Mr. Long served seven
years in the town council, and eight years as a member of the Ontario
legislature, in the Conservative interest, and is at present president
of the North Simcoe Conservative Association. In addition to his
business connection with the firm of T. Long & Bro., he has also the
honours and responsibilities of the following public offices:
vice-president and managing director of the Merritton Cotton Mill
Company, Merritton; director of the Bank of London in Canada;
secretary-treasurer of the Great Northern Transit Company; president of
the Farmers’ North-West Land and Colonization Company; and president of
the Great Northern Exhibition Company. Mr. Long is a member of the Roman
Catholic church. He was married on the 13th of May, 1861, to Ann Patton,
daughter of the late Charles Patton, builder, of Collingwood, by whom he
has had fourteen children, of whom six are now living—three sons and
three daughters.
* * * * *
=Hall, Francis Alexander=, Barrister, Perth, Ontario, was born in the
town of Perth, county of Lanark, Ontario, on 9th August, 1843. His
father, Francis Hall, was a native of Clackmannanshire, Scotland, who
came to Canada in 1831, and settled in Lanark. His mother, Mary
McDonnell, was also a native of Scotland, having been born in Greenock.
Francis Alexander Hall received his education at the Perth Public and
Grammar schools. After leaving school he spent about a year and a-half
as a clerk with a general merchant, but disliking the business he
resolved to make law his profession, and with this object in view
entered, in 1860, the law office of the late W. M. Shaw, of Perth. Here
he prosecuted his studies, and in August, 1866, was admitted as an
attorney, and in May, 1868, was called to the bar. In November, 1867, he
entered into partnership with Mr. Shaw, but this gentleman having died
in December 30, 1868, Mr. Hall continued the business. In October, 1875,
he formed a partnership with Edward Elliott, under the name of Hall and
Elliott; but this arrangement only continued until October, 1878, when
Mr. Elliott retired. In April, 1885, he took J. W. Berryman into
partnership, but this partner dying in November, 1885, he once more
conducts the business on his own account. Mr. Hall was made a Mason in
True Britains’ lodge, No. 12, A. F. and A. M., in April, 1872. He is one
of the charter members of Perth lodge, No. 190, A.O.U.W., and was
elected master this year (1887). Mr. Hall has taken a deep interest in
educational matters, and was elected a High School trustee in 1870. He
has been a member of the Board of Education of Perth since 1870, and is
now chairman of that board. He has also taken an interest in municipal
matters, and occupied a seat in the town council in 1873, 1874, 1875 and
1876, and was mayor of Perth in 1881 and 1882. Mr. Hall has always been
a Conservative in politics; and in religion he belongs to the Episcopal
denomination. He is married to Harriet Frances, daughter of Lewis
Dunham, a descendant of a U. E. loyalist who settled near Maitland.
* * * * *
=Wild, Rev. Joseph=, M.A., D.D., Pastor of Bond street Congregational
Church, Toronto, was born at Summit, Littleborough, Lancashire, England,
on the 16th of November, 1834. He was the youngest of five children. His
father, Joseph Wild, was one of the best of men—a thorough practical
Christian, who was respected by all classes of the community in which he
lived. It was a notable fact that no one passed from time to eternity
without the prayers of Joseph Wild first being sought, and no funeral
was considered complete without his being present at the ceremony. He
dressed plainly, following the style of Bourne and Clowes, and other
noted founders of the Primitive Methodist church. In manner he was
simple, easily approached, kind, sympathetic, generous, and
affectionate. His greatest concern seemed to be for children and aged
people, and on all occasions he had a kind word to say to them as he
passed through the streets or from his home to the chapel. As a preacher
he was plain and conversational, his object seeming to be to show the
best and nearest way to Heaven without the interposition of too many
stiles. When he died his funeral was the largest ever seen in the
village, and to this day his memory is revered. Rev. Dr. Wild’s mother
was a kind and quiet woman, and lived to do her duty to God and her
household, set her children a good example, and died in the favour and
affection of her neighbours and kinsfolk. Coming from such a stock, we
need not wonder that the doctor should now possess such a power in the
pulpit and among the people. At an early age he began to earn a
livelihood, and was apprenticed to the business of iron moulder and
machinist. It is perhaps in consequence of the knowledge acquired in the
workshop that he is now enabled to give occasionally such plain and
practical illustrations, as the following will show: While he resided in
Belleville, a fire having broken out, the fire engine would not work,
and every one in the neighbourhood got alarmed and feared an explosion
of steam—even the engineer deserted his post, and left the machine to
its fate. The doctor, however, felt no alarm, and going to the engine
made an examination and found that the piston rod had stuck, and at once
put it to rights amidst the applause of the multitude, and for this the
mayor and corporation passed him a hearty vote of thanks. Rev. Dr. Wild,
although he had not all the educational advantages the young people of
this country have, yet he was always considered sharp and intelligent,
and when first licensed as a local preacher, was able to give the people
something worth listening to. He was possessed of indomitable
perseverance, and early adopted the motto, “What man has done, man can
do again.” Possessed of an active brain, quick perception, a strong
physical constitution, and a warm heart, England became too contracted
for him, and he felt that Canada alone would be sufficient to satisfy
his wishes and desires for thorough usefulness in the cause of God and
humanity. Therefore, in 1855 he left fatherland, and made his home among
strangers. Few men have landed in America under more unfavourable
circumstances. He had no friends to meet him, and very little money in
his pocket when he landed in New York. Shortly after his arrival he
started on a tramp through some of the western and southern states, and
having satisfied his curiosity with regard to those places, he resolved
to see what Canada was like, and visit some friends who had lately
arrived from the old country. With this desire he started, and soon
reached the country of his successes and his triumphs. Here he became
the subject of impressions convincing in their tendency, that it was his
duty to thoroughly consecrate himself to the work of the ministry, and
from that time he resolved to devote himself to the preaching of the
gospel. He was denominationally connected with the Methodist Episcopal
Church in Canada, and received from it his first station in the city of
Hamilton. After having served about a year in this place, he began to
feel the great importance of the “high calling”—wished to be a minister
of power, “rightly dividing the word of truth,” and believed that God’s
work was a grand work calling for good, holy, and educated men. Being
poor, he had not the means at his disposal to enable him to carry out
his aspirations, but a friend kindly aided with money. He then made all
the necessary arrangements, and went to the Boston Theological
Institute, where he remained several years, and completed his course of
literary, classical, and theological studies, graduating from that
institution. On leaving college, he made arrangements to enter the
Methodist church, South, but in consequence of the breaking out of the
southern rebellion he was forced to abandon the idea. He then returned
to Canada, and after having preached at Goderich for a year, he sailed
for Europe, determined to gather up information from the various learned
institutes of the eastern continent, and thereby prepare himself for a
wider sphere of usefulness. In England, after his return there, he
lectured and preached on many occasions, and was a wonder to the friends
who had known him before he went to America. On his return from Europe,
he received a station at Orono, where he preached for two years, and
from this place he moved to Belleville, the seat of Albert University,
where he remained about eight years. At this time the Genesee College
conferred upon him the degree of M.A., and the Ohio Wesleyan University
that of D.D. While stationed at Belleville, Rev. Dr. Wild did double
work, acting as pastor of the Methodist Church and professor of Oriental
languages in the university. At the time he went to Belleville the
university was greatly embarrassed for want of funds, but he undertook
the position of treasurer, and through preaching and lecturing succeeded
in raising $20,000, and put the institution on a firm footing. During
the years he was engaged at this work he refused to take one cent as
remuneration for his services as professor or treasurer. Belleville to
this day remembers him with pride, and the poor of the place with
gratitude for the many kindnesses he showed them while he went in and
out among them. Too close application to his many duties, and the loss
of his valuable library and manuscripts by fire, wrought heavily on his
mind, and he resolved to leave Belleville and re-visit Europe. In 1872,
while preparing to leave, he was appointed a delegate from the Church in
Canada to the conference of the Methodist church of the United States,
which was to be held in the city of Brooklyn the same year. While
attending this conference the doctor was invited to preach in the
Seventh avenue Methodist Episcopal Church, and having done so, the
congregation decided on giving him a call, which he accepted. Having
served them three years, he then accepted a call from the Union
Congregational Church, remaining with them for nearly six years. During
the years he occupied the Brooklyn pulpit he was honoured with
overflowing congregations. In 1880 he was invited to take charge of the
Congregational Church, Bond street, Toronto, and decided once more on
making Canada his home. When the Rev. Dr. Wild took charge of this work
the congregation was small, an immense debt was on the handsome edifice
which graces the corner of Bond street and Wilton avenue, and things
generally wore a very discouraging aspect, but he had no sooner put
himself at the head of affairs than a new impulse was given, and to-day
it is one of the most thriving churches in Toronto—having a membership
of nearly eight hundred, about a thousand seat-holders, the Sunday night
congregations numbering often three thousand souls, and the debt on the
sacred edifice reduced to a minimum. Without doubt the Rev. Dr. Wild is
the most popular preacher at this moment in the Queen City of the West,
and it is wonderful how he succeeds in holding the attention of the
great numbers of people who come to hear him. The grand secret, however,
is that the doctor never enters his pulpit unprepared. He honours his
audience by refusing to foist on them a subject at hap-hazard. His very
tread indicates confidence in his preparations, and his voice and
gesture indicate the force of his own convictions upon himself. Rev. Dr.
Wild is a little above the medium height, is very strongly built, has an
erect and dignified carriage. His face is a remarkable one, and his
features easily play to the run of his thoughts. He has a large brain,
and a high and prominent forehead, and with his hair worn long and his
flowing whiskers, he presents the picture of a man of careful thought
and great physical endurance. He loves his friends, and is most kind,
free and open to all, and, it may be added, he is the friend of all and
enemy of none.
* * * * *
=Kelly, Thomas=, Judge of the County Court of Prince county, Summerside,
Prince Edward Island. His Honour Judge Kelly is of Irish parentage, and
was born at Covehead, in Queens county, Prince Edward Island, in 1833.
His parents were Thomas Kelly and Mary Grace, who emigrated from the
county of Kilkenny, Ireland, about the year 1824. Judge Kelly received
his education in the old Central Academy of his native place, and at St.
Dunstan’s College, Charlottetown, and pursued his law studies with His
Honour Judge Watters, in St. John. He was called to the New Brunswick
bar in Trinity term, 1865, and to that of Prince Edward Island the same
year, and immediately thereafter began the practice of his profession as
barrister and notary public at Summerside, where he has since resided.
While a law student, he was for two years president of the Irish
Friendly Society of St. John, N.B. Before accepting a position on the
bench, Judge Kelly for many years took an active interest in the
politics of his native province, especially in connection with the party
controversies arising out of the education, railway, and confederation
questions, as they existed in Prince Edward Island. He was twice elected
a representative from Prince county to the Island legislature. In 1870
he was appointed a master in Chancery, and in 1871, a Railway
commissioner, to which office he was again elected in 1872, but resigned
it a few weeks subsequent to the overthrow of the Pope administration.
In 1873 he was offered the chairmanship of the Railway board, and in
1874 the speakership of the House of Assembly, both of which positions
he declined in consequence of a misunderstanding on the school question.
In 1876 he retired temporarily from public life; but in a couple of
years thereafter he again entered it, and in 1879 was an unsuccessful
candidate for the legislature, at the general election of that year. For
several years Judge Kelly was a director of the Summerside Bank, and
afterwards became solicitor for that institution. He was elected license
commissioner in 1877, and the same year was chosen recorder for the town
of Summerside. He is a commissioner for Quebec, Nova Scotia, New
Brunswick and Prince Edward Island, for taking affidavits for use in
those provinces, and is also commissioner _dedimus_ to administer oaths
of office to Dominion appointees. He was appointed to the bench, as
successor to the late Judge Pope, on the 24th October, 1879, and
revising officer under the Electoral Franchise Act on the 26th October,
1886. Judge Kelly is a Roman Catholic, and was married, first, in
September, 1867, to Mary Emeline, daughter of Henry Eskildson, of New
York (she died October, 1868); and, secondly, in November, 1871, to
Marianne H., daughter of the late William A. Campbell, barrister,
Toronto, Ontario. Judge Kelly’s family consists of four children—one
boy and three girls.
* * * * *
=Reddy, John=, M.D.—This distinguished medical man, who successfully
practised his profession in Montreal for over thirty years, was born on
the 31st of March, 1822, at Athlone, county of Roscommon, Ireland, and
died on the 23rd of January, 1884. In accordance with the custom of that
day, he was apprenticed to a local surgeon in the year 1839, and
remained with him until 1842. In April, 1847, he appeared before the
Royal College of Surgeons of Ireland, and received their license in
April of that year. Owing to some demands which he considered
unreasonable, he would not go up for the degree in Dublin, but preferred
crossing to Glasgow, at which university he received the degree of M.D.
in 1848. It was now the intention of Dr. Reddy to enter upon the career
of an army surgeon, and he was actually gazetted to a commission in the
line. His regiment was just at this time, however, ordered to the Gold
Coast for service; and the young surgeon believing that he had not been
born only to fill a premature grave in that most unhealthy station, at
once resigned. He then for a short time held some dispensary
appointments in Ireland, and came to Canada in 1851. Through the
influence of some friends in Montreal he had been appointed house
surgeon of the Montreal General Hospital, and immediately entered upon
the duties of that office. He remained in the hospital for three years,
fulfilling the responsibilities of this position to the great
satisfaction of the then medical officers, Drs. Crawford, Arnoldi,
Jones, and others, and on leaving the hospital, he began private
practice in the city. The year 1854 will be remembered as the last
during which a severe epidemic of Asiatic cholera swept over this
country. Dr. Reddy at once devoted himself with unremitting attention to
the care of the many sufferers who were falling on every hand. His
unvarying kindness to his patients, his cheerful, warm-hearted Irish
manners, his already considerable skill and experience soon led to his
finding himself surrounded by a large and daily increasing _clientèle_.
During Dr. Reddy’s thirty years’ practice of his profession in Montreal,
his perseverance and assiduity knew no rest; he was constantly and
busily employed from morning till night, and very often from night till
morning, until 1883, when to the regret of his many friends, it was
observed that his health was beginning to fail. He went to Europe for
change of air, and the much needed rest, but unfortunately no return to
health was to come to him, and he died in Dublin on the 23rd of January,
1884. Dr. Reddy held many offices of the highest trust and honour in
this community. In 1856 he was appointed one of the attending physicians
of the Montreal General Hospital, which post he held until he retired
upon the consulting board. In 1856 he received the degree of M.D. _ad
eundem_ from McGill College, and for many years served as representative
fellow in medicine in the corporation of that university. He was a
constant attendant at the meetings of the Medico-Chirurgical Society and
was elected president, and he was a long-service officer in the
volunteer militia, having been surgeon of the Montreal Garrison
Artillery. His was a quiet, unostentatious, busy, blameless life. His
high moral character and strict professional integrity, his broad
benevolence and universal goodness of heart, with kind and obliging
manners, procured for Dr. Reddy the respect and esteem of all his
professional friends and _confrères_, his numerous patients, and the
general community. His memory will long be cherished and his character
and good deeds held in warm remembrance. He was married on the 1st July,
1851, to Jane Fleming, daughter of William Fleming, of Cloondra, county
Longford, Ireland, and when he died he left six children, three sons and
three daughters, the eldest of whom, H. L. Reddy, B.A., M.D.C.M.,
L.R.C.P., London; L.S.A., London; L.R.C.S., Edinburgh; professor of
obstetrics in the medical faculty, Bishop’s College University,
physician accoucheur to the Western Hospital, Montreal, succeeds him in
his practice. His second son, William B. S. Reddy, B.C.L., is a notary
public practising in Montreal.
* * * * *
=Harris, Christopher Prince=, Merchant, Moncton, New Brunswick, was born
at Moncton, county of Westmoreland, New Brunswick, on the 29th of May,
1837. He is the third son of Michael Spurr Harris and Sarah Ann Troop.
Mr. Harris, jr., received his education in his native town, and for the
past thirty years has been a member of the firm of J. & C. Harris,
general merchants. In 1877 he took an active part with his brother and
partner, J. L. Harris, and others, in organizing the Moncton Gaslight
and Water Company, and also in the construction of the works. He has
held the position of a director and also treasurer of the company until
the present time. In 1880 he took a similar part in the organization and
erection of the works of the Moncton Sugar Refining Company, and has
been its treasurer ever since. In 1882 he helped to promote the Moncton
Cotton Manufacturing Company, and the construction of its works, and is
now one of its leading directors. Although a busy mercantile man, he has
found time to devote some of his leisure to Masonry, and has been
connected with the order for over twenty-one years. He is a past-master
and honorary member of Keith lodge; past-principal Z of Botsford Royal
Arch Chapter; a member of the Union De Molay Commandery, of St. John,
New Brunswick, and also of other Masonic orders. In religion Mr. Harris
is an adherent of the Reformed Episcopal church; and in politics a
Liberal-Conservative. He was married on the 8th of October, 1867, to
Mary Landon Cowling, eldest daughter of Eben Landon Cowling, justice of
the peace. Mr. Harris is a live business man, and has a bright future
before him.
* * * * *
=Beckwith, Adolphus George=, Civil Engineer, Fredericton, New Brunswick,
was born at Fredericton, on December 28th, 1839. His parents were the
late Hon. John A. Beckwith, M.L.C., and Maria A. Beckwith. (See sketch
life of Hon. Mr. Beckwith, in another part of this volume.) Mr. Beckwith
was educated at the Collegiate School, Fredericton, and took a partial
course at King’s College (now University of New Brunswick), where he
studied civil engineering, and received his diploma from Professor
Thomas Cregan. He joined the volunteers as a private on their first
formation in Fredericton, in 1858, was gazetted ensign in 1st York
Battalion, under Lieut.-Colonel Minchin, in 1861, was lieutenant in
1863, and captain in 1867. He was appointed adjutant of the 71st York
Battalion in 1867, and held that position, with the rank of major, from
July, 1876, until the retirement of Capt. J. W. Smith, paymaster, in
1881, when he exchanged to the position of paymaster, which he now
holds. He holds first and second class certificates from the School of
Instruction. Mr. Beckwith is a deputy surveyor of Crown Lands, and was
draughtsman in the Crown Lands office from 1866 to 1871, when he was
appointed engineer of Public Works, which position he now holds. He
performed the duties of Provincial government engineer for two or three
years, in addition to his other works. Is at present City engineer of
Fredericton. He joined the Free Masons in 1861, in Solomon’s lodge, No.
764, E.R., was master of the lodge in 1865, and secretary of the same,
and Hiram lodge, No. 6, N.B.R., for ten years, and on retiring from that
office, was presented with a handsome piece of plate by the members. He
is also a frater of the encampment of Knights Templar of St. John; a
past grand senior deacon of the Grand Lodge of New Brunswick, A. F. & A.
M. Mr. Beckwith has travelled throughout Canada, the United States and
Europe. He is a member of the Church of England. He was married at
Brooklyn (New York), in 1865, to Mary Elizabeth, daughter of the late M.
B. Marckwald, a merchant of New York. He has only one child
living—Freeman Berton, who is in an office in New York.
* * * * *
=Sutherland, Rev. Alexander=, D.D., Toronto. No man is more widely known
throughout this Dominion as an able preacher, a keen debater, a leader
in the church courts of his own denomination, and a man of general
sympathies and influence in the community, than the subject of this
sketch. And his high position he owes to no favouritism of friends or
fortune, but, under God, to the native abilities which his strong will
and consecrated heart have guided into channels of general usefulness.
Alexander Sutherland was born in the township of Guelph, Ontario,
September 17th, 1833. His father was Captain Nicholas Sutherland, born
in Dundee, Scotland; and his mother, Mary Henderson, a native of Port
Glasgow. The family settled in the township of Guelph in 1832. Amid the
hardships of pioneer life, opportunities for scholarships were few, and
the now learned doctor’s early education was confined to a few terms in
a backwood’s school. His good Scotch parents, however, early planted
within him a love of learning, and that process of self-culture was
begun which has continued through life. As a child he was able to read
fluently before ever going to school. When he was nine years of age his
father died; and, at thirteen years of age, he was forced to leave home
and earn his own living. For seven years he was a printer, and during
those years, as indeed from earliest boyhood, he read with avidity
whatever came in his way. Thus were those stores of information
accumulated which have helped to make their possessor a ready speaker
and a formidable opponent on so many diverse subjects and occasions.
When about sixteen years old he became connected with a Methodist
Sunday-school, and also with temperance organizations, in which he was
repeatedly presiding officer. “The child” was indeed “father of the
man.” In his nineteenth year he was converted and became a member of the
Methodist church. His ability soon displayed itself in connection with
the class-meeting and other services of the church, and before long he
was licensed as an “exhorter” and then as a “local preacher.” In the
year 1855 there was urgent demand for ministers in the Methodist church,
and Alexander Sutherland was persuaded to go out “under the chairman,”
Rev. L. Warner. He was sent to Clinton, at that time an old-fashioned
circuit, thirty miles in length by perhaps eighteen in width, including
about twenty preaching services every month. Travelling such an
extensive round, preaching so frequently, and at the same time pursuing
the Conference course of study requisite before ordination, the young
preacher found written preparation for the pulpit impossible, but gained
in this hard practical school of oratory an invaluable training in
extempore utterance. The next two years were spent on the Berlin
circuit. In 1858, young Sutherland enjoyed one year of college training
at Victoria College, Cobourg. In 1859 he was received into full
connection with the Conference and ordained. In June of the same year he
was married to Mary Jane, eldest daughter of Hugh Moore, of Dundas. Of
this happy union four sons and three daughters have been the issue. Of
the sons, two died in early boyhood. After his marriage, Dr.
Sutherland’s pastoral charges were in order—Niagara, Thorold,
Drummondville, Hamilton, Yorkville, Richmond street, Toronto, and St.
James street, Montreal. During his residence in Toronto he took a very
active and efficient part in Sunday-school and temperance work. For some
time he was president of the Ontario Temperance and Prohibitory League.
His temperance sermons and other efforts in behalf of this cause will
not be soon forgotten by those who came under their influence. In 1869
he was elected secretary of Conference, and was re-elected the following
year. In 1871 he was appointed, with the Rev. Dr. Sanderson, fraternal
delegate to the General Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, in
the United States, which met in Brooklyn in 1872. On this occasion, and
on all similar occasions, Dr. Sutherland has done great credit to his
church and to his country. In 1873 he was appointed pastor of the St.
James street Church, Montreal, and at the Conference of 1874 was elected
chairman of the Montreal district. But the Montreal pastorate was brief.
At the first General Conference of the Methodist church of Canada,
September, 1874, Dr. Sutherland was elected general secretary and
clerical treasurer of the Missionary Society, as successor to the Rev.
Lachlin Taylor, D.D. This is one of the highest honours in the gift of
the Methodist church; the office is one of arduous toil, but affords
scope for high abilities. Since that day, Dr. Sutherland has travelled
from Newfoundland and the Bermudas to British Columbia, superintending
the missionary work and stimulating the missionary zeal of the Methodist
church; has for several years published that admirable missionary
journal _The Missionary Outlook_, and has succeeded in increasing the
annual income of the society from $118,000 to nearly $200,000. The
increased labours of his office have not prevented the missionary
secretary from taking an active interest in all the enterprises of the
church, and his voice has rung out clear and loud on every great
question that has recently agitated the Methodist community. To him more
than to any other man does the church owe the success of that mighty
movement which culminated in 1883 in the union of all branches of
Methodism in this dominion. With tongue and pen he eloquently, earnestly
and constantly pleaded for consolidation; and, when all seemed hanging
in the balance, his admirable generalship and eloquence in the memorable
Union debate in the Toronto Conference, Peterborough, June, 1883,
constrained victory to the union side. To have played such a part at
such a crisis is no mean claim to grateful and unfading memory. In 1882
Dr. Sutherland was elected president of the Toronto Conference, and
again in 1884. In 1881 he was one of the Canadian representatives at the
great Methodist Œcumenical Conference, London, England, and was made one
of the joint secretaries of that august body. In 1886 he was appointed
fraternal delegate to the British Wesleyan Conference, in place of Rev.
Dr. Rice, general superintendent, deceased. Dr. Sutherland’s literary
activity has been, so far, confined to newspaper and magazine articles
and brief pamphlets on questions of the day. His incisive style, his
permeating humour, his wide information, his keen insight, render his
writing and his speaking alike powerful. A man of immense energy, he has
done much to mould the thought and guide the work of his church already,
and bids fair to remain one of her most influential leaders for years to
come. In May, 1879, the University of Victoria College conferred upon
him the well deserved degree of Doctor in Divinity.
* * * * *
=Beckwith, Hon. John Adolphus.= The late Hon. Mr. Beckwith was born at
Fredericton, New Brunswick, on December 1st, 1800, and died November
23rd, 1880. His father, Nehemiah Beckwith, was a loyalist, settled in
Fredericton, and built sloops in partnership with the celebrated
Benedict Arnold, who, at that time, also resided in Fredericton.
Nehemiah Beckwith was married at Fredericton, to Julie Louise LeBrun, a
daughter of Jean Baptiste LeBrun, barrister, and proctor at law, etc.,
of Quebec. Miss LeBrun came to Fredericton from Quebec with the family
of Sir Guy Carleton, in the capacity of companion and French governess
to Miss Carleton. About 1813, Nehemiah Beckwith purchased a large tract
of land in the suburbs of Montreal from Count du Chaillu (father of the
great explorer and historian), but his death very soon after, before the
deeds were completed, lost him the property and purchase money. This
property is now a valuable part of the City of Montreal. Mrs. Beckwith
(neé LeBrun) was cousin to Cardinal Richelieu, and aunt to L’Abbé
Ferland, professeur d’Histoire, University Laval, Quebec. Hon. John A.
Beckwith was cousin to l’Abbé Ferland. Hon. Mr. Beckwith commenced his
studies in the old Fredericton Grammar School, and completed them in
Montreal and Quebec, graduating as a surveyor and engineer. He was
connected with the militia from early manhood, and was for some years in
command of the 1st battalion York Militia. For several years he was
deputy surveyor general, before responsible government, and was
commissioner of the N.B. & N.S. Land Company, from 1860 till his death.
He served as mayor of Fredericton in 1863 and 1864, and represented York
county in the local legislature from 1866 to 1873, holding the office of
provincial secretary and receiver general from 1868 to 1873, when he was
appointed to a seat in the Legislative Council. Mr. Beckwith ever took
an active interest in the advance of agriculture, and was always one of
the committee in Provincial exhibitions. He was at one time grand master
of the Orange body of New Brunswick. In religious matters he was a
member of the Church of England. He was first married in 1822, to Ann
Jewett; and married a second time in 1837, to Maria Ann Berton, whose
father, a son of a loyalist, was the first sheriff of York county. His
second wife survived him four years.
* * * * *
=Macfarlane, Thomas=, Chief Analyst, Inland Revenue Department, Ottawa,
Ontario, was born on the 5th March, 1834, at Pollokshaws, parish of
Eastwood, county of Renfrew, Scotland. His father, Thomas Macfarlane,
was a native of Pollokshaws, and his mother, Catherine, was born in the
adjoining parish of Mearns. Mr. Macfarlane, jr., was educated in
Pollokshaws, at the Andersonian University, Glasgow, and at the Royal
Mining School of Freiberg, in Saxony. In the latter school he studied
chemistry, metallurgy, mineralogy, and geology. After leaving Freiberg
in 1857, he travelled through the Erzgebirge and Bohemia, and then went
to Norway, as director of the Modum smelting works and Cobalt mines.
During his stay in Norway he visited most of the southern part of that
country, including Ringerike, Nummedal, Thelemarken and Saetersdal. In
1860 he emigrated to Canada, and took charge of the Acton, and
afterwards of the Albert mine in the Eastern Townships, province of
Quebec. In 1865-6 Mr. Macfarlane became field-geologist under the late
Sir William Logan, and helped that illustrious gentleman on the
geological survey of Canada. In the volume of geological reports
published in 1866, Mr. Macfarlane supplies reports on Hastings county
and the Lake Superior district. In 1868 he explored the Montreal Mining
Company’s locations on Lake Superior, and was the discoverer of the
celebrated Silver Islet mine. In 1871 he paid a visit to the mining
districts of Colorado, Utah, and Nevada; and in 1873 he revisited
England, and then travelled through Germany and Norway. On his return to
Canada, in 1876, he visited Nova Scotia and Cape Breton; also Ecuador
and Peru, and published a description of the latter journey under the
title of “To the Andes.” In 1879 he spent six months smelting in
Leadville, Colorado. In 1881, visited mining districts on the Lower
Colorado and in Southern Utah, travelling from Fort Yuma to Salt Lake
City. In 1884 he revisited England and Germany; and here we say, Mr.
Macfarlane speaks the German, French and Danish languages fluently. In
1886 he was appointed by the Dominion government chief analyst for
Canada, and is now settled down at Ottawa. In 1882 he was appointed a
member of the Royal Society, Canada, and elected president of the
Chemical section in 1886. In 1885 he became a member of the Imperial
Federation League, and in February, 1886, and January, 1887, contributed
articles to its “Journal.” Mr. Macfarlane has devoted nearly all his
life to science, and as a chemist, metallurgist, miner, and explorer, he
stands very high. His scientific papers are numerous, and by referring
to the pages of _The Canadian Naturalist_, will be found there on:
“Primitive Formation in Norway,” “Acton Copper Mine,” “Eruptive Rocks,”
“Copper Extraction,” “Production of Soda and Chlorine,” “Copper-beds of
Portage, Lake Michigan,” “Geological Formations of Lake Superior,”
“Silver Ore of Wood’s Location,” “Origin of Crystalline Rocks,”
“Canadian Geology.” In the pages of “Transactions of the Institute of
Mining Engineers,” papers on “Slag Densities,” “Classification of
Original Rocks,” “Silver Islet.” And some others in the “Proceedings of
the Royal Society of Canada.” Mr. Macfarlane was reared a Presbyterian
in the U. P. Church of Scotland, and while a young man adopted
materialistic views, but has since abandoned them, and is now a member
of the Anglican church. He married in September, 1858, Margaret Skelly,
niece of Dr. John Litster, Pollokshaws, Scotland, and they have nine
children, all living.
* * * * *
=Currey, Lemuel Allan=, M.A., Barrister-at-law, St. John, New Brunswick,
was born at Gagetown, Queens county, on 11th July, 1856. He belongs to a
very ancient family, and one of the founders being the Earl Currey, who
lived in the time of Cromwell, and owned large estates in Leeds and
vicinity, England. His son, John Currey, was born in Leeds in 1688, and
came to the city of New York about the year 1700, where he married, and
died young of an epidemic, leaving one son, Richard Currey, who was born
4th November, 1709. Richard married a lady of the name of Elizabeth
Jones, and removed to Peekskill, on the Hudson, New York state, where he
died on March 20, 1806. By this marriage there were three sons and seven
daughters born. The eldest son was Joshua Currey, who married Eunice
Travis at Peekskill. At the breaking out of the Revolutionary war,
Joshua Currey sided with the British, but the rest of the family
sympathised with the colonists. During these troublesome times Mr.
Currey had several narrow escapes for his life. At one time he had to
hide himself under the floor of his house to escape the fury of the
revolutionists, and his son David was nearly killed by them by being
buried in a sandpit. Joshua and his family managed to make good their
escape, and, joining a band of loyalists, reached St. John, New
Brunswick, in October 23, 1783, where he remained one year, and then
removed to Gagetown, where he died in 1802. He left large estates in New
York state, but he, however, succeeded in carrying away with him in his
flight a large sum of money. He had a family of five sons and two
daughters. His second son, David Currey, who was born at Peekskill,
April 27, 1767, died at Gagetown, August 12, 1827. This gentleman
married Dorothy Estey, by whom he had twelve children, one of whom,
James Robert Currey, who was born in 1817, was the father of the subject
of our sketch, and was by profession a barrister in Gagetown, and
registrar of probates, and clerk of the Queens county court. His mother
was Sarah Amelia, daughter of Reuben Hoben. Lemuel Allan Currey received
his literary education at the Queens County Grammar School, and at the
University of New Brunswick, where he graduated in 1876, with honours in
the first division, taking a special prize for general proficiency.
After graduating he entered as a student-at-law with his father, with
whom he studied till 1880, and during said period taught the Queens
County Grammar School for two and a-half years. In 1880 he entered
Harvard Law School, where he remained one year, taking a special course.
He then entered the office of S. Alward, D.C.L., barrister, St. John.
Mr. Currey was admitted an attorney in 1882, and a barrister the
following year. Since his enrolment he has practised law at St. John. In
1873-4 he attended the Military School at Fredericton, and took a
certificate. He is a member of the Young Men’s Liberal-Conservative
Club, of St. John, a member of St. George’s Society, and belongs to
Union lodge, of Portland, A. F. and A. M. In religion he belongs to the
Episcopal church, and in politics is a Conservative.
* * * * *
=Burwash, Rev. Nathaniel=, S.T.D., Professor of Biblical and Systematic
Theology, and Dean of the Faculty of Theology, Victoria University,
Cobourg, Ontario, was born in Argenteuil, province of Quebec, on the
25th July, 1839. His father, Adam Burwash, was a descendant of an
English family from Burwash, in Sussex; and his mother, Ann Taylor, was
from Argyleshire, Scotland, and was the eldest sister of the late Rev.
Lachlin Taylor, D.D. His great-grandfather was a United Empire loyalist.
Nathaniel received his rudimentary education in the schools of his
native place, and then entered Victoria University, where he took the
arts course, and graduated B.A. in 1859. He then devoted his time for
two years as a Public and Grammar school teacher; and in 1860 entered
the ministry of the Methodist church. From this year to 1866 he filled
the position of pastor in churches in Belleville, Toronto, and Hamilton.
In 1866 he left Canada for a time, and entered Yale College, New Haven,
U.S., for the purpose of studying the natural sciences, and having
completed his course, he returned home in 1867, and was appointed
professor of natural sciences in Victoria University, Cobourg. In 1873
he was promoted to the professorship of Biblical and Systematical
Theology, and was also made dean of the faculty of theology in the same
institution. This important position he still occupies, and since his
appointment fully one-fifth of the entire ministry of the several
Western conferences of the Methodist church have been his students.
Professor Burwash some years ago took an active interest in the
Volunteer movement, and was one of those who risked his life at
Ridgeway, in repelling the Fenian hordes who attempted to desecrate
Canadian soil. He has travelled a good deal, and has visited several of
the universities and educational institutions of Great Britain, France
and Germany. The professor has not been an idle man, as the record of
his life amply testifies, and to those who would like to peruse some of
his literary productions, we recommend them to examine his works on:
“Nature, Genesis and Results of Sin”; “Relation of Childhood to the
Fall, the Atonement and the Church”; “Wesley’s Doctrinal Standards”; and
his “Commentary on Romans.” On the 25th December, 1868, he was married
to Margaret Proctor, only daughter of E. M. Proctor, registrar of
Lambton, a graduate of the Ladies’ College, Hamilton.
* * * * *
=Currie, John Zebulon,= A.B., M.D., &c., Fredericton, New Brunswick, was
born at Keswick, parish of Douglas, York county, New Brunswick, January
3, 1847. He is the second son of Thomas Gilbert and Patience Currie.
Both parents belonged to old loyalist families. His father’s family is
descended from John Currie (Currey), who came from Leeds, Yorkshire,
England, and settled in New York about A.D. 1700. At the outbreak of the
American revolution, Joshua, a son of Richard, refusing to join the
insurgents, escaped to the British army, served as a lieutenant in that
force, and at the close of the war came to St. John, New Brunswick, with
the fall fleet. He brought three sons with him, of whom Richard, the
eldest, having married Barbara Dykeman, became the founder of this
family in New Brunswick. Dr. Currie’s mother is a daughter of the late
Major Abraham Yerxa, who lived at Keswick, York county, N.B. John Yerxa,
father of Abraham Yerxa, came from Holland to New York, with his
parents, at the age of fourteen years. He was married to Katie Gerow,
and throughout the American revolutionary war served as a volunteer in
the British army. At the close of the war he came to St. John, N.B.,
being a member of one of the two regiments that were disbanded and given
lands in New Brunswick. When he came to St. John there was but one house
where the city now stands. Subsequently he settled upon lands on the
Keswick stream, York county, and remained there until his death. Dr.
Currie remained at Keswick until about fifteen years of age, and
received his preliminary education in the schools of his native parish.
When in his sixteenth year he attended the Provincial Normal School in
St. John, and at the close of the term of study there, received a second
class teacher’s certificate. In 1864, he became a student at the Baptist
Seminary, Fredericton, New Brunswick, where he remained two years. In
September, 1867, he matriculated at the University of New Brunswick, and
pursued the regular course of study there. During his undergraduate
course at this institution he was the successful competitor for the
scholarship in English Language and Literature, besides taking honours
in this and other departments. Having completed the course of study he
received the degree of Bachelor of Arts in June, 1870. He at once began
the study of medicine, entering the medical department of Harvard
University, Boston, the same year. Having completed the regular course
of study in this institution he received the degree of Doctor of
Medicine (M.D., Harvard) in 1873. At the same time he passed the
required examination for, and was admitted a fellow of, the
Massachusetts Medical Society. He then went to Scotland to complete his
professional studies, and matriculated at the University of Edinburgh,
and at the College of Physicians and Surgeons, Edinburgh. At the
completion of the course in the University of Edinburgh he was awarded
the first medal in midwifery and diseases of women and children, with
the highest standard which had at that time been attained. He also
received a special license in the same department. In the College of
Physicians and Surgeons he was the successful competitor for the second
prize in surgery under Prof. Patrick Heron Watson. He then went to
London, England, where he spent some time in visiting the different
hospitals and in further professional study. In the latter part of 1874
he returned to Fredericton, N.B., began the practice of his profession,
and has remained there ever since. Dr. Currie’s student life was marked
by careful study and constantly advanced standing. On June 15, 1881, he
was appointed assistant surgeon of the 71st York battalion of the Active
Militia of Canada, and on the 25th of December, 1883, was promoted to be
surgeon of the same corps, which office he still holds. Dr. Currie is
secretary and registrar of the Council of Physicians and Surgeons of New
Brunswick, and has constantly held this office since the organization of
the council in July, 1881. He is a member of the Provincial Board of
Health of New Brunswick, and also secretary of the board; both
appointments date from June 1st, 1887, when the Public Health Act went
into operation. In virtue of his position as secretary of the Provincial
Board of Health, he is chief health officer for the province. Dr. Currie
is at present a member of the council of the Associated Alumni of the
University of New Brunswick, and has been since June, 1885. He is also a
coroner for York county, N.B. This appointment dates from October 17,
1882. He is a member of the New Brunswick Medical Society and of the
Canada Medical Association, and at present is vice-president for New
Brunswick of the Canada Medical Association. In 1886 he was appointed a
delegate from this association to the meeting of the American Health
Society, held in Toronto, October, 1886. He is also a member of several
secret societies. He became associated with the Independent Order of
Oddfellows, August 22, 1881; with the Independent Order of Foresters,
October 1, 1881; and with the American Legion of Honour, September 28,
1880. He still continues his membership in, and is physician to, each of
these societies. His travels were not important, and only such as were
necessary in the prosecution of study or on business. His religious
views have always been those held by the Baptist church, but he was not
united with any religious society until 1867, when he became a member of
the Fredericton Baptist Church. On the 5th of June, 1877, he was married
to Helen M. Estey, second daughter of the late Harris S. Estey. The
first representative of this family in New Brunswick was Zebulon Estey,
who came to New Brunswick from Newburyport, Mass., about 1765. Before
leaving Newburyport he was married to Mollie Brown. After coming to New
Brunswick they had a large family, one member of which, Nehemiah B.
Estey, was great-grandfather of Harris S. Estey. Dr. Currie has been
eminently successful in every respect in the practice of his profession.
He was the originator and one of the principal promoters of the movement
which led to the passage of the New Brunswick Medical Act. He is devoted
to his profession, giving his whole time to it, and taking a lively
interest in everything which pertains to its well-being.
* * * * *
=Elliott, Andrew=, Almonte, one of the most enterprising of our woollen
manufacturers, was born on the 3rd April, 1809, at Stanishwater, parish
of Westerkirk, Eskdale, Scotland. His father, William Elliott, and his
mother, Jane Jardine, were both natives of Dumfriesshire, Scotland. Mr.
Elliott received his education at the Langholme and Corrie school, near
Lockerby, which he left at the age of thirteen, and began the battle of
life unaided. In 1834 he came to Canada, and two years after his arrival
he began business as a grocer in Galt, Ontario. Here he did a good
business, built a distillery, ran it for several years, sold it out, and
joined Robert Hunt, of Preston, in the woollen business. In 1853 they
changed the factory into a four-set mill, and worked it very
successfully for about ten years. About 1864, while Mr. Elliott was in
Great Britain buying wool, the mill was burnt down, but on his return he
rebuilt it, and associated with him in his new venture (the old
partnership having been dissolved) J. L. Hunt and George Stephen (now
Sir George Stephen, bart.). The new firm abandoned the manufacture of
cloth, and went into that of flax and linseed oil. After spending a
great deal of money in importing first-class machinery from Great
Britain, Ireland and the United States, and pushing the business for
about four years, they found that Canada was unsuited for such an
enterprise, and parted with the concern, having lost a considerable sum
of money by the venture. Mr. Elliott then sold out all his property in
Preston and Galt, and purchased a woollen mill in Almonte, where for the
past seventeen years he has successfully prosecuted his business. Mr.
Elliott was elected district (Gore district) councillor for the township
of Dumfries (Upper Canada), and in 1840 he was chosen the first reeve
for the village of Galt, and occupied the position for several years.
The late Hon. Robert Baldwin made him a magistrate, and in this capacity
he acted for about ten years; and was sent as a delegate from the
village of Galt and the township of Dumfries with an address to Lord
Elgin, in Montreal, shortly after the destruction of the Parliament
buildings by a mob. Mr. Elliott took an active interest in railway
extension, and did his share in getting the Great Western Railway
Company to build a branch line from Harrisburg to Galt. In his younger
days he was a strong supporter of the Baldwin administration, and even
supported the late Hon. George Brown, but refused longer to follow him
as a party leader when he left the government of the day and formed the
“Grit” party; and he has ever since been an opponent of the Reform
party. Mr. Elliott has been a Presbyterian from his youth up. In 1839 he
married Mary Hanley, a native of the county of Longford, Ireland. He has
been a busy man, and now enjoys the fruits of his industry.
* * * * *
=Morson, Walter Augustus Ormsby=, Barrister, etc., Charlottetown, Prince
Edward Island, was born on the 24th December, 1851, at Hamilton, Prince
Edward Island. His father, Richard Willock Morson, formerly of the
island of Montserrat, in the West Indies, now of Upton, Dundas, Prince
Edward Island, was a son of the late Richard Willock Morson, of
Montserrat, and nephew of the Hon. Walter Morson, M.D., physician to the
late Princess Sophia, daughter of George III. His mother, Elizabeth
Codie, daughter of the late Hon. Patrick Codie, of Cascumpec, P. E.
Island, and Annabella Stewart, his wife, daughter of the late Dugald
Stewart, of Hamilton, P. E. Island. Mr. Morson, jr., received his
education at Hamilton, and in 1866 removed to Charlottetown, where he
secured employment in the “City Hardware Store.” In this situation he
remained until 1872, when he gave up mercantile pursuits, and began the
study of law with the Hon. W. W. Sullivan, the present attorney-general
and premier of Prince Edward Island. In February, 1877, he was admitted
as an attorney of the Supreme Court, and became a member of the firm of
Sullivan, Maclean & Morson. In February, 1878, he was called to the bar
of the Superior Court and admitted as solicitor of the Court of
Chancery. In March, 1877, he was made a notary public. Mr. Maclean
having retired from the above firm in 1878, it then became Sullivan &
Morson, and so continued until December, 1882, when it was dissolved.
Mr. Morson then entered into partnership with the Hon. Neil Macleod,
M.A., and this arrangement continued until October, 1883, when Neil
Macquarrie, the stipendiary magistrate of Sommerside, was admitted a
partner, when the name was changed to MacLeod, Morson & Macquarrie, with
offices at Summerside Charlottetown. Mr. Morson was appointed master in
Chancery in 1885. In April of the same year, on the death of the Hon.
John Longworth, he was appointed clerk of the Crown and prothonotary of
the Supreme Court of Prince Edward Island, and also registrar of the
Court of Chancery, all of which positions he resigned in June, 1885. On
the formation of the Prince Edward Island Provisional Brigade of
Garrison Artillery, Mr. Morson was appointed adjutant, with rank of
lieutenant, 2nd June, 1882; and on the 8th November, 1884, he obtained a
first class special course certificate from the Royal School of
Artillery in Quebec. He volunteered with two batteries of the brigade
for the North West Territory on the outbreak of the rebellion in 1885.
Mr. Morson is a busy man, yet he finds time to devote his attention to
Masonry. He has been a member of Victoria lodge, No. 383, of the
Registry of Scotland, since April 1870, and has held several important
offices in his lodge, and been depute master. In religion Mr. Morson is
a member of the Episcopal communion, and in politics belongs to the
Conservative party. He is a rising man, and has a grand future before
him.
* * * * *
=Gray, James=, Manager of the Merchants Bank of Canada, Perth, Lanark
county, Ontario, was born on the 3rd of September, 1820, at Black Hills,
parish of Elgin, Morayshire, Scotland. Arthur Gray, the father of the
subject of this sketch, was a native of Morayshire, Scotland, and joined
the active militia in 1809, and in 1811 was gazetted ensign in the 2nd
battalion of the 24th Regiment of the line. In November of the same year
he proceeded with his regiment to the Peninsula, where he joined the
army under the command of the late Duke of Wellington, and served till
the end of the war, during which he was present at the following battles
and sieges: In the covering division at the siege and capture of
Badejoz; the battle of Salamanca (where he carried the colours); the
capture of the Retiro and the siege of Burgos, where he was engaged in
the storming of the outer line, on which occasion the battalion suffered
so severely that it became necessary to incorporate it in a provisional
battalion with the 58th Regiment; on the raising of the siege of Burgos
he was the last officer to quit the trenches, having been left with a
piquet to see the works blown up at all hazards, and at the imminent
risk of being taken prisoner, being fortunate enough, however, to regain
his regiment after executing the orders he had received; he commanded a
company during the rest of the retreat into Portugal, and suffered great
hardships consequent upon such retreat. He was also engaged in the
battle of Vittoria, and the actions in the Pyrenees for four successive
days, including the attack on the heights of Echellar, where the
battalion in which he was serving received on the grounds the thanks of
Lord Dalhousie for their gallant conduct. He was also at the battles of
Nevelle and Orthes, the investment of Bayonne, besides a great number of
affairs of outposts and skirmishes, and was not absent from his
battalion for one day during the whole period of these memorable events.
On the return of the battalion he was removed to the 1st Battalion of
the 24th Regiment, and proceeded to join it in the East Indies in
February, 1815. He served with this corps in the Nepaul war, the
campaigns of 1815 and 1816, including the battle of Harriagrove; and in
the Mahratta campaigns of 1817 and 1818. During the Indian campaign he
fell a victim to severe liver disease, and was compelled to return to
England in 1819, and on the expiration of his leave in 1820, still being
disabled from active duty from this cause, he was retired on half-pay.
His health having been restored, in 1839 he was appointed to the first
battalion Royal regiment, with which he served at Gibraltar to August,
1841, when Lord Hill removed him to the Royal Canadian rifle regiment.
In 1847 he was appointed by His Grace the Duke of Wellington captain in
the Ceylon rifle regiment, and proceeded to Ceylon. An insurrection
breaking out there he was placed second in command, and shortly after
the commander of a corps to scour the jungle and disperse the rebels. In
consequence of exposure while on this mission he was attacked with
dysentery, and being carried along with his column to Kandy he there
died. James Gray received an English and classical education in the St.
Andrew’s school of his native shire, and came to Canada in 1844, and
settled in Montreal. The same year he entered the service of the Bank of
Montreal, in that city. He was over a quarter of a century in the employ
of this great monetary institution, and during this time resided in
Kingston, Picton, and Perth. In 1868 he resigned his position in the
Bank of Montreal, and was appointed manager of the branch of the
Merchants Bank in Perth, which position he still occupies with credit to
himself and satisfaction to his employers. Mr. Gray is connected with
the Presbyterian church; but in politics he takes little interest. He is
married to Mary Robinson, a daughter of the late Dr. Moore, of Picton,
who, during his lifetime, was a staunch supporter of the late lamented
Hon. George Brown, and in sympathy with the political reforms advocated
by that great man.
* * * * *
=La Mothe, Guillaume Jean Baptiste=, Postmaster, Montreal, was born in
Montreal on September 24th, 1824. He is the son of Capt. Joseph Maurice
La Mothe, who married Marie J. Laframboise, in Montreal, on the 1st
February, 1813. Captain Joseph Maurice La Mothe was superintendent of
the Indian Department from 1816 until his decease in 1827. He was also
captain and in command of the Indian allies at the battle of
Chateauguay, and was favourably reported in the orders of the day for
gallant conduct. His grandfather was Captain Joseph La Mothe, who was
born 26th January, 1742, and married 24th November, 1777, to Catherine
Blondeau. In March, 1776, the military commandant in Montreal entrusted
Captain J. La Mothe with most important despatches for General Guy
Carleton, then besieged in Quebec by the American army. Accompanied by
Mr. Papineau (father of the Hon. L. J. Papineau), he started from
Montreal on foot, and after a long and dangerous tramp, managing to
cross the American lines at night, safely delivered the despatches in
proper time, which contributed to the salvation of Quebec. His
great-grandfather was Pierre La Mothe, married first to Marie Anne St.
Ives, and in January, 1740 (being then a widower), he married Angélique
Caron, in Montreal. His father and mother were Bruno La Mothe and Jeanne
Le Valois, who came originally from the diocese of Bordeaux, France. The
family, whose correct name is de La Mothe (as mentioned in old family
documents), was residing in Montreal as early as 1673, and in 1689
Pierre de Saint Paul de La Mothe had the command of the town and island
of Montreal. The subject of our sketch received his education at St.
Hyacinthe College and at Montreal College. In September, 1852, he
received a commission as lieutenant in the Montreal Sedentary Cavalry,
but this position he resigned in March, 1854. On the 17th of January,
1856, he was appointed lieutenant in No. 2 troop Militia Cavalry,
Montreal, and on the 23rd of April, 1857, was retransferred to and
promoted captain in the Sedentary Cavalry of Montreal. On the 7th of
November, 1862, he was transferred to and promoted major commanding the
Rifle Companies (Police) Active force in Montreal. On the 26th of
November, 1861, Captain La Mothe was appointed chief of police for
Montreal. This office he held until the 30th January, 1865, when he
resigned. He effected the capture of the famous St. Albans raiders a few
months previous. And on the 15th of July, 1874, he was appointed to the
postmastership of his native city, and this important position he fills
to-day. Mr. La Mothe has been actively connected with the development of
gold mines in Nova Scotia; copper mines in the Eastern Townships, and
iron mines in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, where he discovered the magnetic
iron ore deposit at Moisie. Upon report made to friends respecting the
value of the ore and extent of the deposit, the Moisie Iron Company was
formed. This company has manufactured malleable iron pronounced in
England and France equal to the best. During the years from 1846 to 1851
inclusive, Mr. La Mothe travelled extensively through England, France,
Switzerland, and Italy; and while in England he joined the expedition
against Ecuador (South America), which, after putting to sea, was
overtaken by a British man-of-war, and brought back to London. He also
took part in the French Revolution of 1848, and at the storming of the
Tuileries he was one of the first to enter the place. After this event
he travelled through Switzerland on foot, then on to Italy, where he
married, and then returned to Canada. For fifteen years of his life, Mr.
La Mothe was actively engaged in politics on the Liberal side. In
religion he is a respected member of the Roman Catholic church. He was
married in Florence, Italy, in 1850, to Marguerite de Savoye, and his
family consists of one son and four daughters, all living. The son,
Henri, is married to Marie, youngest daughter of the late Hon. Judge
Bossé, of Quebec. The eldest daughter, Marguerite, is married to Hon. J.
R. Thibaudeau, senator for division of Rigaud. His second daughter is
married to Henri Hamel, of the firm of J. Hamel & Frère, Quebec. The two
youngest daughters, Juliette and Marie, are unmarried.
* * * * *
=MacColl, Evan=, Kingston, Ontario, was born at Kenmore, Lochfyne-side,
Scotland, on the 21st of September, 1808, where he is well-known as the
“Mountain Minstrel.” He early developed a taste for poetry, and in 1837
contributed to the Glasgow _Gaelic Magazine_. The poet gives a very
striking account of his first attempt at Gaelic verse. He took into his
confidence a young friend, a capital singer, taught him a song without
mentioning that he was the author of it, and got him to sing it the same
evening at a neighbour’s house at Kenmore. It was received with great
applause. From that hour Evan MacColl felt himself a bard and became
supremely happy. Some time after he published a small volume of poems in
Gaelic, and another in English, which were reviewed by Dr. McLeod, Hugh
Miller, the celebrated geologist, and other British critics, in the
highest terms of admiration. In 1831 Mr. MacColl’s father, with the rest
of his family, emigrated to Canada, but Evan remained behind, and eight
years afterwards he accepted a position in the Customs at Liverpool. In
1846 he published a second volume of poems which was even more highly
appreciated than the first. Of this work, Dr. Norman McLeod wrote: “Evan
MacColl’s poetry is the product of a mind impressed with the beauty and
grandeur of the lovely scenes in which his infancy has been nursed. We
have no hesitation in saying that this work is that of a man possessed
of much poetic genius. Wild, indeed, and sometimes rough are his rhymes
and epithets; yet there are thoughts so new and striking—images and
comparisons so beautiful and original—feelings so warm and fresh—that
stamp this Highland peasant as no ordinary man.” In 1850, in consequence
of ill-health, he visited Canada, and while here received an appointment
to the Customs at Kingston. He never solicited any favour from the
Conservatives, and the overthrow of the Mackenzie government in 1878
effectually quenched his hopes of preferment, and two years afterwards
he was superannuated. No man ought to know Mr. MacColl better than his
friend, Charles Sangster, a poet of considerable repute, who speaks thus
of him in his article in Wilson’s work on Scottish, bards:—
“In private life he is, both by precept and example, all that
could be desired. He has an intense love for all that is really
good and beautiful, and a true and manly scorn for all that is
false, time-serving, or hypocritical; there is no
narrow-mindedness, no bigotry in his soul. In the domestic
circle, all the warmth in the man’s heart—the full flow of
genuine feeling and affection—is ever uppermost. He is a
thoroughly earnest man, in whose daily walks and conversation as
well as in his actions, Longfellow’s ‘Psalm of Life’ is acted
out in verity. In his friendship he is sincere; in his dislikes
equally so. He is thoroughly Scottish in his leanings. His
national love burns with intensity. In poetry, he is not merely
zealous, but enthusiastic, and he carries his natural force of
character into all he says and does.”
All his virtues he inherited from his parents. Among Evan MacColl’s old
country friends have been John Mackenzie, of “The Beauties;” the late R.
Carruthers, LL.D., Hugh Miller, the brothers Sobeiskie Stewart, at
Eilean-Aigais, and drank with them out of a _cuach_, once the property
of Prince Charlie; Dugald Moore, author of “Scenes before the Flood,”
and “The Bard of the North;” Alexander Rogers, the author of “Behave
yourself before Folk,” Rev. Dr. Norman McLeod, Dr. Chambers, Bailey, the
author of “Festus;” Leighton, author of “The Christening of the Bairn;”
J. Stuart Blackie, the great Edinburgh professor; James Logan, author of
“The Scottish Gael;” Fraser, of _Fraser’s Magazine_, and Hugh Fraser,
the publisher of “Leabhar nan Cnoc.” He is a member of the Royal
Canadian Literary and Scientific Society, founded by the Marquis of
Lorne, and was the guest several times of his lordship and the Princess
Louise at Rideau Hall, Ottawa. MacColl has been twice married. Of a
family of nine sons and daughters, Evan, the poet’s eldest son, has been
educated for the ministry, and is now pastor of the Congregational
Church at Middleville, Ontario. His eldest daughter’s productions have
merited a very high admiration, and the more youthful members of his
family give promise of proving worthy of the stock from whence they
sprang. John Massie, of Keene, a brother poet, not having heard from the
“Bard of Lock Fyne” for over six weeks after having written him a
letter, thus addressed the Limestone City:—
Say, Kingston, tell us where is Evan?
Thy bard o’ pure poetic leaven!
And is he still amang the livin’?
Or plumed supernal,
Has taen a jink and aff to heaven,
There sing eternal!
Or if within your bounds you find him,
A’ bruised and broken, skilfu’ bind him;
Or sick, or sair, O! carefu’ mind him,
Thy darling chiel!
And dinna lat him look behind him
Until he’s weel.
But if he’s gane, ah, wae’s to me!
His like we never mair shall see,—
Nae servile, whinging coof was he,
Led by a string,
But noble, gen’rous, fearless, free,
His sang he’d sing.
Hech, sirs! we badly could bide loss him,
For should this world vindictive toss him.
Or ony hizzie dare to boss him.
Clean gyte he’d set her;
The deil himsel’, he daur’dna cross him,
Faith, he ken’d better!
Let any man, o’ any station,
But wink at fraud, or wrong the nation,
E’en gowd, nor place, ’twas nae temptation
To sic a chiel,—
He’d shortly settle their oration,
And drub them weel.
Or let them say’t, be’t high or low,
Auld Scotia ever met the foe,
That laid her in the dust fu’ low,
Right at them see him!
Professor George still rues the blow
MacColl did gie him.
Is history in Fiction’s grip,
Does Falsehood let her bloodhounds slip,
Crack goes his castigating whip,
With patriot scorn!
Macaulay laid upon his hip.
Amidst the corn.
Does English critic meanly itch,
To cast old Ossian in the ditch,
And trail his laurels through the pitch
Of mind benighted;
Our bardie gies his lugs a twitch
And sees it righted.
In a’ this warld, there’s no a skellum,
Nor silly self-conceited blellum,
But Evan, lad, wad bravely tell ’em
The honest truth;
E’en if he kend that they should fell ’im
Withouten ruth.
Ye feathered things in mournfu’ tune,
Come join my waesome, doleful croon;
Ye dogs that bay the silver moon,
Your sorrow show it;
And a’ ye tearfu’ starns aboon,
Bewail our poet.
What though this grasping world, and hard,
May barely grant him just reward,
Still shall his genius blissful starred,
Effulgent shine,
And endless ages praise the bard
Of fair Loch Fyne.
Mr. MacColl has many admirers in Canada, in proof of which he has lately
issued the third edition of his poems here, and they are having a good
sale. His Gaelic Lyrics, lately issued in Edinburgh, is also attracting
attention among his countrymen on this side of the Atlantic.
* * * * *
=Lake, John Neilson=, Stock Broker, Toronto, was born on the fourth
concession of the township of Ernesttown, county of Addington, Ontario,
on the 19th August, 1834. His great-grandfather and grandfather owned
part of Staten Island, New York state, and when the war of independence
broke out they took sides with the British, and with sons and
sons-in-law fought for their king and country. The family removed to
Upper Canada about 1782, and as U. E. loyalists received a grant of
15,000 acres of land, and settled near the village of Bath, west of
Kingston. James Lake, the father of the subject of our sketch, was born
near Bath in 1791, and with the exception of a short period, he resided,
until his death, in the township of Ernesttown. His mother was Margaret
Bell, daughter of John Bell, of Ernesttown, who, though a U. E.
loyalist, did not remove to Canada until 1810. John, until his sixteenth
year, attended school, when he joined his brothers in the carriage
business, and at the same time he learned drafting and architecture. At
twenty-one he gave up this profession and entered the ministry of the
Wesleyan Methodist church as a probationer, and spent the years 1855-6
in the town of Picton; 1857 in Aylmer; 1858 in Ingersoll; 1859 in
Hullsville; 1862 in Markham; 1865 in Pickering, followed as stations in
succession; but in 1866, in consequence of a peculiar affection of the
eye producing double vision, and preventing all study, he was compelled
to relinquish the ministry for awhile. In 1869, his health being
somewhat improved, he again attempted the ministerial work, and was
stationed at the town of Niagara; but in less than twelve months
thereafter it became evident that this mode of usefulness could not be
continued, and he was reluctantly compelled to abandon the ministry. He
moved to Toronto, and in 1870 opened a real estate and loan office, just
at the time when the value of property was beginning to improve, and
when there were only two real estate brokers in the city. In 1875 he was
joined by J. P. Clark, of the town of Brampton, and soon the firm of
Lake & Clark became widely known and highly trusted. In 1882 Mr. Lake
retired from the firm, and four years later Mr. Clark gave up business,
when the firm of Lake & Clark ceased to be longer known as dealers in
real estate. During all these years Mr. Lake was very intimately
associated with church work, and the Sherbourne Street Methodist Church
owes not a little of its success to his labours and generous
contributions. In 1881 he was induced by his numerous friends to permit
himself to be put in nomination as alderman for St. Thomas ward, and
having surrendered his standing as a minister, he consented, and was
elected a member of the city council. One year in the council seems to
have satisfied Mr. Lake, for although next year he was strongly urged by
his St. Thomas ward constituency to again act as their representative,
he refused to concede to this request, and retired from municipal
politics. Politically Mr. Lake has always been a Reformer, but he is not
a person who would support a party without a good and sufficient reason.
He has been a member of the Toronto Stock Exchange, and of the Toronto
Board of Trade, for many years, and is president of the American Watch
Case Company; secretary of the Ontario Folding Steel Gate Company;
director of the North American Life Assurance Company, and chairman of
the agency committee. He is also treasurer of the Union Relief Fund, and
of the Church and Parsonage Aid Fund of the Methodist church; has been
treasurer from the beginning of the Sherbourne Street Methodist Church,
and was organizer and superintendent of its Sunday school for the first
eleven years. Mr. Lake was lately elected chairman of the committee on
plans for the new Victoria College buildings to be erected in the
Queen’s Park, Toronto, for the Methodist Church, at a cost of about
$200,000. We may add that Mr. Lake has done a good deal to improve
Toronto during the past fifteen years, having built residences worth
about $200,000, in the most improved style of architecture, and his own
residence,—286 Sherbourne street—is a model of completeness and
convenience. In June, 1859, he was married to Emily Jane, youngest
daughter of S. V. R. Douglas, of Burford, Brant county, and
granddaughter of the Rev. Thomas Whitehead, a gentleman who occupied a
prominent position in the Methodist church from 1790 to 1840.
* * * * *
=De Sola, Abraham=, LL.D.—The late Dr. de Sola was one of the most
distinguished scholars who ever graced an American-Jewish pulpit. His
reputation as an Orientalist, theologian and linguist, was not confined
to his own people; the profundity and extraordinary intellectual acumen
which characterized his numerous writings and researches having won for
him wide renown among the _savants_ both of this continent and of
Europe. He was descended from a very ancient and celebrated Jewish
family, his ancestors having, in their migration from Judea, gradually
moved across Northern Africa, until, crossing the Straits of Gibraltar,
we find them settled in Spain as early as the close of the sixth
century. Here the de Solas became very distinguished in the higher walks
of life. They assisted the Saracens, when the mighty sons of the desert
overran the Iberian Peninsula, and in return were received in high
favour at the court of the Caliphs. The Gothic princes also treated them
with distinction; and in Navarre, where a branch of the family settled,
Don Bartolomé de Sola attained to such influence as to be ennobled and
created a minister of state, and at one time exercised the functions of
Viceroy. Another de Sola won renown by his prowess in battle, when
fighting under the Infante of Aragon, in the fourteenth century. For
several centuries they continued to flourish in Spain, the family being
famed for the large number of illustrious men it produced, eminent as
authors, rabbis, physicians, and courtiers. In 1492, in consequence of
their adherence to Judaism, they suffered the fate of all Spanish Jews,
being condemned to exile by the edict of the bigoted Ferdinand and
Isabella. They fled to Holland, where they soon again rose to
distinction in the world of letters. One member of the family, however,
lingered behind in Portugal, eluding the vigilance of his persecutors by
professing to become a New Christian (as Jewish converts to Christianity
were styled), while he secretly continued to follow Judaism. During
several generations some of his descendants continued to reside in
Lisbon, where they possessed much wealth, remaining ever true to their
ancestral faith, and all resorting to the same hazardous expedient to
escape the notice of the Inquisition. But the fact that they often sent
their children to Holland, that they might be the better able to follow
Judaism, at length aroused the suspicions of the Holy Office; and
towards the close of the seventeenth century David de Sola was suddenly
pounced upon and incarcerated in the cells of the Inquisition-House. He
bore the most frightful tortures heroically, and, as no confession could
be forced from his lips, nor aught proved against him, he was released;
but his shattered frame never recovered from the terrible agonies he had
suffered. Years afterwards the suspicions of the Inquisition were again
aroused, and two members of the family were seized, tortured, and having
been found guilty of secret adherence to Judaism, suffered death at an
_Auto-da-Fé_. Aaron de Sola (son of the above-mentioned David) was then
the head of the Lisbon branch of the family, and, alarmed at the
frightful fate of his two relatives, took refuge with his wife and
children on an English man-of-war, which then lay at the mouth of the
Tagus, only just in time to escape the officers of the Holy Office, who
were in pursuit of him. Landed safely in London, by the friendly English
captain, Aaron de Sola had no sooner put foot upon free soil, than he
openly proclaimed his adherence to the faith which he and his fathers
had so long followed in secret. This was in 1749. He proceeded shortly
after with his family to Amsterdam, where he took up his abode. His
eldest son, David, was the ancestor of the Abraham de Sola who forms the
subject of this sketch; while his youngest son, Benjamin, became one of
the most eminent practitioners in Holland, and was Court Physician to
William V., and the author of numerous medical works. Another son of
Aaron de Sola settled in Curaçao, and was the progenitor of that General
Juan de Sola who won such high military distinction fighting under
Bolivar and Paez in the revolt of the South American Colonies from
Spain. In 1690 another member of the family, Isaac de Sola, became famed
in London as a preacher and author. Some volumes of his writings are
still to be seen among the rare collections of European libraries.
Abraham de Sola was born on the 18th September, 1825. His father, David
Aaron de Sola, was a very prominent rabbi, celebrated for his
theological writings, and had removed from Amsterdam to London, England,
early in the present century, where the subject of this sketch was born.
His mother was of the illustrious Meldola family, who had furnished
leading rabbis to the Jews of Europe for twelve consecutive generations.
From childhood Abraham de Sola betrayed a strong inclination for study,
and having received a thorough training in those branches which form the
usual curriculum of higher education, he turned his attention to
theological and linguistic studies, and early laid the foundation of
that deep acquaintance with oriental languages and literature which
afterwards won him such renown. In 1846 he was offered the position of
minister of the Congregation of Portuguese Jews of Montreal, and, having
accepted this call, arrived in Canada early in 1847. Here began the
great work of his life. Shortly after his advent to Montreal his
eloquent sermons in the Synagogue attracted the attention of the
Mercantile Library Association, and upon invitation he delivered before
this body a series of lectures upon the history of the Jews of England.
The interest evoked by these efforts led to his delivering a further
course of lectures upon Jewish history before this association the
following year, and also before the Mechanics’ Institute. In 1848 he
published his “Notes on the Jews of Persia, under Mohammed Shah.” This
was followed by “A History of the Jews of Persia,” and within the same
year he published his “Lectures on Scripture Zoology” which was
succeeded by his “Lectures on the Mosaic Cosmogony.” Shortly afterwards
he gave to the world “The Cosmography of Peritsol,” a work which at once
attracted great attention and brought its author prominently to the
front. It received such favourable notice from leading reviews as to be
republished in part by the _Occident_ and other magazines, and
translations in various languages were brought out by publishers in
foreign countries. As late as 1881 we find it attracting the attention
of the learned Chevalier Pesaro, of Italy, in the columns of an Italian
review. His next important work “A Commentary on Samuel Hannagid’s
Introduction to the Talmud,” displayed a deep and broad acquaintance
with rabbinical literature, and was received with marked approbation by
the _literati_ of this continent and Europe. His literary labours had
now made him a prominent figure among the learned bodies of Montreal,
and in 1853 he was appointed Professor of Hebrew and Oriental literature
at McGill University, Montreal, a position which he continued to fill
with marked ability during the rest of his life, and for which his deep
knowledge of Semitic tongues particularly adapted him. He was also a
co-labourer of Sir William Dawson in the Natural History Society, as
well as at McGill, and did much towards vitalizing and extending the
usefulness of that body. In 1853, in conjunction with the Rev. J. J.
Lyons, of New York, he published his work on “The Jewish Calendar
System,” containing a very exhaustive and abstruse treatise upon the
Jewish mode of calculating time by the lunar system. Some years after
this he completed one of his greatest and most learned productions, “The
Sanitory Institutions of the Hebrews;” a work containing a most
elaborate and critical consideration of the rabbinical dietary and
hygienic laws, as based upon the Jewish traditional exposition of the
hygienic statutes of the Bible, viewed in the light of modern scientific
discoveries. The work excited alike the applause of scientists and of
rabbinical scholars, and the eminence to which its author had now
attained resulted in his having the degree of LL.D. conferred upon him
in 1858. Shortly after the publication of “The Sanitory Institutions of
the Hebrews,” Dr. de Sola published a supplemental work to it, entitled,
“Behemoth Hatemeoth;” and in 1860, when Dr. Hall founded the _British
American Journal_, devoted to the advancement of medical and physical
sciences, Dr. de Sola accepted an invitation to assist the publication,
and among many others of his writings that appeared in this journal his
articles “Upon the Employment of Anæsthetics in cases of Labour, in
connection with Jewish Law,” is specially worthy of notice. During the
succeeding decade he was particularly active with his pen, bringing out
in rapid succession numerous works and treatises, besides constantly
lecturing before various literary and scientific associations. Of his
writings and lectures at this period the principal ones were: “Scripture
Botany,” “Sinaitic Inscriptions,” “Hebrew Numismatics,” “Philological
Studies in Hebrew and the Aramaic Languages,” “The Ancient Hebrews as
Promoters of the Arts and Sciences,” and “The Rise and Progress of the
Great Hebrew Colleges.” For several years he occupied the position of
President of the Natural History Society, and in that capacity he
received Prince Arthur (now Duke of Connaught) when His Royal Highness
visited the society in 1870. His address upon “The Study of Natural
Science,” delivered before the Prince upon this occasion, called forth a
letter of approbation from Queen Victoria. In 1869 Dr. de Sola completed
his valuable historical work entitled, “The Life of Shabethai Tsevi, the
Jewish False Messiah.” This was followed by two other important
historical works: “The History of the Jews of Poland,” published in
1870, and “The History of the Jews of France,” published one year later.
Ever since his arrival in Canada Dr. de Sola had been labouring
zealously in every movement that tended to the advancement of the Jewish
people. His eloquence as a preacher, added to his intimate knowledge of
rabbinical learning, placed him among the very foremost exponents of
Jewish thought of the day, and he was recognized as one of the chief
leaders of the orthodox Jews of America. Broad-minded and tolerant in
all things, he was at the same time strictly orthodox in his Judaism.
His deep studies in the paths of science, literature and philology all
tended the more to confirm him in his abiding faith in the Book of
Books; hence we find that throughout his career he was constantly
engaged, both in the pulpit and press, in giving battle to those who
would assail the Hebrew Scriptures. Scarcely a work ever left his hands
that did not contain many a well directed shaft at the infidel teachings
of certain modern sceptics. In the columns of the Jewish press he was
particularly active in this respect, and for many years he was a very
regular contributor to various Jewish journals, particularly to the
_Occident_ of Philadelphia (edited by the gifted Isaac Leeser), with
which he was closely identified. He also frequently visited the United
States, where his lectures invariably attracted large audiences and
brought him into great prominence. In 1872 Dr. de Sola was invited by
General Grant’s administration to open the United States Congress with
prayer, and for the first time in history the extraordinary spectacle
was witnessed of one who was not a subject of the United States nor of
the dominant faith—one who was a British subject and a Jew—performing
the opening ceremonies at the assembling of Congress at Washington. This
high example of liberality upon the part of the government of the United
States was generally looked upon as one of the earliest indications of
the birth of a more friendly feeling between the United States and
Britain, whose relations had then been but recently strained by the
_Alabama_ Claims; and Sir Edward Thornton, the British Minister at
Washington, as well as Mr. Gladstone—who was then premier,—extended to
Dr. de Sola the special approbation and thanks of the British
Government. Having purchased the stereotype plates and copyright of
Isaac Leeser’s works, Dr. de Sola published about this time a new and
carefully revised edition of that author’s English translation of the
Bible, according to Jewish authorities. He also brought out a new
translation of the Jewish Forms of Prayer, based upon the editions of
his father (D. A. de Sola) and of Leeser. These were heavy undertakings,
and their completion entailed several years of severe work. In addition
to his other arduous duties, Dr. de Sola had now been appointed Hebrew
Lecturer at the Presbyterian College, Montreal, and also Lecturer in
Spanish Literature at McGill—a literature with which he was
particularly familiar. But the heavy strain of such intense application
to work at length undermined his naturally strong constitution, and in
1876 his health suddenly gave way. After a year’s rest in Europe he was
so far recuperated as to be enabled to partly resume his duties, and in
1878 and 1879 he was again an active contributor to the Hebrew press.
Among other of his writings at this time one of the most noteworthy was,
“Yehuda Alcharizi, and the Book Tachkemoni.”—In 1880 he produced his
last great work, “Saadia Gaon”—a book which gives a vivid picture of
the political struggles and literary labours of one who played so
important a part at the court of a Prince of the Captivity. But Dr. de
Sola’s health was now rapidly failing, and, while in New York, on a
visit to his sister, he was prostrated by an attack of illness which
finally culminated in his death on June 5th, 1882. The remains were
removed to Montreal, and there interred. In his decease the _literati_
of Canada felt that they had been bereft of one of their brightest
luminaries, while the Israelites throughout the Dominion mourned the
loss of one who had literally _built up_ Judaism in Canada. As his
remains were being consigned to their earthly tenement with truth indeed
did the officiating rabbi exclaim, “If respect be attached to the name
of Jew throughout these Canadas, to Abraham de Sola belongs the chief
glory of having gained it.” For thirty-five years he had ruled his
co-religionists in his adopted country with a sway that was almost
absolute—for his influence extended far beyond his own immediate flock.
He had bent every energy to improve and advance his people, and in his
death it was felt that there had passed away one who above all others
had energized and elevated the Jewish community in Canada. Dr. de Sola
was married to Esther Joseph, in 1852, and had several children. His
eldest son succeeded him as minister to the Portuguese Jewish
congregation at Montreal. His wife’s father—Henry Joseph—was one of
the earliest Jewish settlers in Canada, while her brothers stand among
the most prominent and most respected citizens of Montreal and Quebec;
one of them, Jesse Joseph, being president of the Montreal City Gas
Company, president of the Montreal Street Railway Company, and director
of the Montreal Telegraph Company; while another brother, Abraham
Joseph, of Quebec, was president of the Dominion Board of Trade, first
president of the Stadacona Bank, and a director of the St. Lawrence
River Navigation Company and of the Gulf Ports Steamship Company. He was
nominated for mayor of Quebec some years ago and generally claimed to
have been elected. Another brother, J. H. Joseph, has long been director
of the Montreal Elevating Company.
* * * * *
=Carleton, John Louis=, Barrister, St. John, New Brunswick, was born at
St. John on 1st October, 1861. His father was William Carleton, and
mother, Bridget O’Connor. Mr. Carleton received his education in the
schools of the Christian Brothers in his native city, and studied law in
the offices of Weldon & McLean, and Allen & Chandler, St. John. He was
admitted an attorney in October, 1882, and called to the bar the
following year. Mr. Carleton having made the study of criminal law a
specialty, he has in consequence been engaged on all the principal
criminal cases tried in the province since he began practice, besides
many important civil cases. In November, 1886, he was appointed Official
Referee in Equity by the Provincial government. For several years he has
been an active member and held office in the Father Matthew Association,
and in the Irish Literary and Benevolent Association. He is also a
member of the Young Men’s Liberal Club. Mr. Carleton is a respected
member of the Roman Catholic church, and was married on the 22nd of
September, 1886, to Teresa G. Sharkey, of St. John. He is a rising man
in his profession, and has a promising future before him.
* * * * *
=Finnie, John Thom=, M.D., L.R.C.S., Edin., Montreal, was born on the
14th September, 1847, at Peterhead, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. His father,
Robert Finnie, carried on business for many years in Peterhead as tailor
and clothier. Dr. Finnie was educated partly in the parish school of his
native town, and after coming to Canada continued his studies at the
High School and McGill University, Montreal, and graduated from the
latter institution as doctor of medicine early in 1869. He then went
over to Britain and prosecuted the study of his profession in the
hospitals of Edinburgh, London and Paris, and in October, 1869, passed
the necessary examination at the Royal College of Surgeons, of
Edinburgh, and received from that college the degree in surgery and
midwifery. In 1870 he returned to Montreal, and since that time he has
successfully practised his profession. The doctor has for many years
taken an active part in various societies, national and other kinds, and
has on two occasions been elected president of the Montreal Caledonia
Society. He has been for several years and now is the president of the
Montreal Swimming Club. His large and increasing practice has prevented
him from taking any active part in either municipal or provincial
politics; yet he is a man of large and liberal ideas, and we have no
doubt, if time permitted him, he could be of great practical use to any
party with whom he might choose to connect himself. He is an adherent of
the Episcopal church. He was married on the 9th of April, 1874, to
Amelia, daughter of the late Christopher Healy, and has a family of four
children.
* * * * *
=Alward, Silas=, A.M., D.C.L., M.P.P., Barrister-at-Law, St. John, New
Brunswick, was born at New Canaan, Queens county, N.B., on 14th April,
1841. His father, John Alward, a successful agriculturist, was the son
of Benjamin Alward, a U. E. loyalist, who emigrated with his family from
the state of New Jersey, at the close of the American revolution, and
made his home in Queens county, New Brunswick, and there he died at the
age of ninety years. The mother of Silas Alward was Mary A. Corey, whose
family also settled in New Brunswick, at an early date. Silas received
his education at Acadia College, Wolfville, Nova Scotia, and graduated
B.A. in 1860, standing at the head of his class. The following remarks
may be seen on the records of Acadia College, with regard to Mr. Alward:
“I now come to probably the most brilliant class that ever took
the prescribed course at Acadia, the class of 1860. * * * There
is Silas Alward, one of the most persevering, indefatigable,
attentive students who ever attended college. Of strong physical
frame, with great aptitude for study, a good linguist, an
ambitious young man, it is not improbable that in his daily and
terminal reckoning he stood in his class where the alphabet has
placed him dux.”
In 1871, he received the degree of A.M., from Brown University,
Providence, Rhode Island. After getting through with his college course,
he began the study of law in the office of the Hon. Charles N. Skinner,
Q.C., now Judge of Probate in St. John; was admitted to practice in
1865, and called to the bar in 1866, since which time he has steadily
applied himself to his professional duties, and is now noted for his
high legal attainments, and is without doubt an ornament to the bar of
New Brunswick. He has been on two occasions president of the St. John
Mechanics’ Institute, and is a trustee of the St. John School Board. In
1867, Mr. Alward took a tour through Europe, and spent some time in the
cities of Rome and Naples. He afterwards wrote for a St. John newspaper
some very interesting articles, descriptive of the various places of
note he visited on this occasion. He has since then twice visited the
old world. He is well versed in general literature, and occasionally
takes the platform as a lecturer. Amongst his favourite lectures we may
mention: “Our Western Heritage,” “A Day in the Heart of England,” “The
Permanency of British Civilization,” and “The Great Administration.” In
February, 1887, Dr. Alward was elected by acclamation to the legislature
of New Brunswick, for the city of St. John. In politics, Mr. Alward is a
Liberal, and in religious matters, he belongs to the Baptist
denomination. On October 12th, 1869, he was married to Emilie, daughter
of Peter Wickwire, of Nova Scotia, and sister of Dr. Wickwire, of
Halifax. Mrs. Alward died in 1879, leaving no children.
* * * * *
=Kellond, Robert Arthur=, Solicitor and Attorney for Inventors, Toronto,
Ontario, was born in Montreal, Quebec province, on 6th November, 1856.
His father belonged to an old Devonshire (England) family, and was the
only son of the name who emigrated to Canada about 1850. His grandfather
had the honour of fighting under Lord Nelson on board the _Victory_ at
the battle of Trafalgar. Robert Arthur received his education at McGill
Normal School, and under private tutors in Montreal, and also in
England. He was also a pupil of the late Charles Legge, C. E., and was
engaged with him in the preliminary surveys and work upon the lines of
railway between Montreal and Ottawa, now known as the Canadian Pacific
Railway and the Canada Atlantic Railway, of which Mr. Legge was chief
engineer. Mr. Kellond studied law while in the office of Charles Legge &
Co., and paid particular attention to the patent soliciting branch of
that firm, and on the death of Mr. Legge, he and his partner, F. H.
Reynolds, succeeded to the business of the firm. Mr. Kellond has now in
successful operation offices in Montreal, Toronto, and Washington, D.C.,
United States, and has representatives in nearly all the capitals of
Europe. By this means he does a large business as a solicitor and
attorney for inventors, and as counsel and expert in patent and trade
mark causes, his _clientèle_ including many of the largest manufacturing
firms and corporations throughout Canada. He served eleven years in the
3rd battalion Victoria Rifles, of Montreal, and retired in 1886 with the
rank of captain. As a Mason he stands high in the order, being past
master of Hochelaga lodge, No. 57, Q.R., Montreal; past grand orator of
Sovereign Sanctuary of Canada and Newfoundland, 33°, 96°, 90°; is a
member of Carnarvon Chapter Royal Arch Masons; Delta Rose Croix Chapter,
and Richard Cœur-de-Lion and Odo de St. Amand perceptories of Knights
Templar; and is a member of the Rosicrucian Society, and Baltimore Unity
of Oddfellows. Politically Mr. Kellond is a Liberal, but since 1878 he
has been a supporter of the National Policy and protection to home
industries. He has declined several public offices on account of
professional duties. In religious matters he is a supporter of the
Episcopal church, but nevertheless is an admirer of many of the methods,
and social efforts of the Methodist and other independent bodies. He has
travelled through most of the southern and western states of the
neighbouring Union, and also in England, having a large number of
clients and professional associates in both countries. He has two
brothers, the eldest of whom was an officer under Lord Wolseley when he
went to Fort Garry, and is now a resident of Kentucky, U.S. The other
brother is a prominent railroad official in Louisville, Kentucky state.
Mr. Kellond was married in 1880 to a daughter of the late Henry Ryan
Hurlburt, barrister, Prescott, Ontario.
* * * * *
=Maunsell, Lieut.-Col. George J.=, Deputy-Adjutant General district No.
8, New Brunswick, Commandant of Royal School of Infantry, Infantry
School corps, Fredericton, was born at Bally-William House, Rathkeale,
county of Limerick, Ireland, on the 25th of August, 1836. His father was
George Meanes Maunsell, J.P., of Bally-William House, Limerick county,
_vide_ “Burke’s Irish Landed Gentry.” His mother was M. Maunsell,
daughter of Rev. J. Stopford, son of the Bishop of Cloyne and Ross, Cork
county, and was a descendant of the Lord Courtown family, “Burke’s
Peerage.” Lieut.-Col. Maunsell, was educated at home and afterwards
studied for the profession of arms, and passed his final examination at
Sandhurst Royal Military College in May, 1855, and was gazetted ensign
in her Majesty’s fifteenth regiment on the 15th of the same month. He
attended a course of instruction in military engineering (branch of
senior department of the Royal Military College) at Aldershot in 1857,
and was subsequently employed, temporarily, on the staff at Aldershot in
connection with this course of instruction. On November 27th, 1857, he
was gazetted lieutenant in his regiment, and in 1858-9 attended the
course of instruction at the School of Musketry, Hythe, receiving a
certificate of the first class, on January 26th, 1859; and on February
10th following was gazetted as instructor of musketry. He was promoted
to a captaincy of the Fifteenth regiment on March 12th, 1861, and in
1861-2 was acting adjutant and instructor of musketry at the Eighth
Depot Battalion. He sailed for Halifax _en route_ to New Brunswick in
January, 1864, and soon embraced an opportunity that offered to see
active service in the field, for he was with the army of the Potomac
during the whole of the spring campaign of 1865, ending with the capture
of Richmond, and was at that time temporarily attached to General
Grant’s staff. On Nov. 22, 1865, he was gazetted adjutant-general of
militia of New Brunswick, and besides the organizing work was speedily
called upon to more arduous duties, for in 1866 came the Fenian
invasion, and Colonel Maunsell was engaged in the defence of the western
frontier of New Brunswick. In 1868, after confederation, the Militia Act
was passed and under it, on Jan. 1st, 1869, Colonel Maunsell was
gazetted adjutant-general of the military district No. 8, province of
New Brunswick. Between 1871 and 1880 he commanded tactical brigade corps
at Fredericton, Woodstock, and Chatham, and attended course of studies
at the Royal Arsenal, Woolwich (certificate granted). On the 1st April,
1881, Colonel Maunsell was transferred from the command of military
district No. 8 to No. 4, with headquarters at Ottawa, and commanded the
brigade camps at Ottawa and Brockville, and the School of Instruction
(infantry) at Ottawa. On the 21st July, 1883, the Colonel sailed for
England, to be attached to her Majesty’s forces at Aldershot for
instructional purposes, and while in Europe he visited various towns in
Belgium, Germany and France, and also examined several of the battle
fields connected with the Franco-German war, in search of information.
He returned to Canada in November of the same year, and on 31st December
was gazetted commandant of the School of Infantry, Infantry School
corps. On the 16th May, 1884, he was re-appointed deputy adjutant
general district No. 8, New Brunswick, holding at the same time command
of the school and corps which he had successfully organized. In May,
1885, Colonel Maunsell formed a temporary battalion, composed of the
School corps and companies (6) active militia of New Brunswick, and (2)
of Prince Edward Island for immediate active service in the North-West
Territory, and proceeded with this battalion _en route_ to the
North-West, but on the 18th of that month was ordered into camp at
Sussex, to await further orders. On the 25th May he received the thanks
of the authorities, and the different companies were sent to their local
headquarters, their services not being further required. In addition to
the above Colonel Maunsell served with the fifteenth regiment in several
Mediterranean stations, when his regiment was sent to reinforce troops
during the Crimean war; and in the years 1855-6 he travelled on foot and
on horseback throughout Spain. He has been from youth up an adherent of
the Episcopal church. On the 9th August, 1862, Colonel Maunsell married
Miss Moony, elder daughter of the late F. E. Moony, J.P., D.L., of “The
Doon,” King’s county, Ireland, and has a family of seven children, four
sons and three daughters. His eldest son is captain in the 8th regiment
P.L. cavalry, New Brunswick, and his eldest daughter is married to J. W.
de Courcy O’Grady, of the Bank of Montreal, Ottawa.
* * * * *
=Baxter, Robert Gordon=, M.D., Moncton, New Brunswick, was born on 28th
April, 1847, at Truro, Nova Scotia. His father was John Irving Baxter,
born in Annan, Dumfriesshire, Scotland, in 1803; educated in Pictou,
Nova Scotia, and for years was the Presbyterian minister at Onslow, N.S.
His mother, Jessie Gordon, was a daughter of the Rev. Mr. Gordon, of
Prince Edward Island, whose mother afterwards married the Rev. Dr.
McGregor, Presbyterian minister of Pictou, N.S. Dr. Baxter received his
early education in Truro, and pursued his medical studies in New York
and Philadelphia, and in London, England. In 1868 he began the practice
of his profession in Philadelphia, and in the following year removed to
Tatamagouche, N.S., and in the summer of 1870 to Moncton, where he has
resided since. He has held a lieutenant’s command in the third regiment
Colchester County Militia since June 21st, 1865; and was the first
chairman of the Board of Health of Moncton. He takes a great interest in
public enterprises, especially in agriculture, and was the first to
introduce into New Brunswick and bring to public notice the system of
ensilage, now so popular in Great Britain, and of so much advantage to
stock raisers. He has travelled over the greater part of Canada and the
United States, and has visited England, Scotland and several of the
continental cities. The doctor is in religion a Presbyterian. On the
29th January, 1872, he was married to Jean McAlister, of Moncton, and
has two children, a son and a daughter.
* * * * *
=Branchaud, Moise=, Q.C., Beauharnois, Quebec province, was born at
Beauharnois, on the 6th March, 1827. His father, Jean Baptiste
Branchaud, _bourgeois_, of Beauharnois, and his mother, Louise Primeau,
were both descendants of two of the earliest colonists of the Seigniory
of Beauharnois. His father died in 1883, at the advanced age of
eighty-three, enjoying the esteem and respect of his fellow citizens.
Mr. Branchaud was sent, at an early age, to the College of Sainte
Thérèse de Blainville, where he made a brilliant course of classical
studies. On leaving college he entered the office of the Hon. Lewis T.
Drummond, to study law, and he was admitted to the bar on the 27th
February, 1849. Immediately after his admission he took up his residence
in Beauharnois, where he has practised his profession to this day. At
that time there was only a circuit court sitting in the district of
Beauharnois, with a jurisdiction of $80.00; this was increased, in 1851,
to the sum of $200.00. In consequence of this limited jurisdiction, his
professional advancement was but slow. However, when the “Act relative
to the division of Lower Canada into districts for the administration of
justice” came into force, there was a decided change. By virtue of said
act, a Superior Court was established in the district of Beauharnois,
with an unlimited jurisdiction in all civil and commercial cases; as
well as a criminal court and a circuit court. His practice then took
such an extension that, after a few years of assiduous toil, he
possessed a competency which enabled him to look tranquilly to the
future of his young family. His zeal and honesty in the exercise of his
profession was never challenged, either by his numerous clients or his
_confrères_. In 1858 he formed a partnership with Sir John Rose, for the
administration of the legal business of the seigniory of Beauharnois,
which was then very important and extensive. This partnership existed
until the departure of Sir John for London, England. The following
letter, written by Sir John before his departure, shows the high esteem
in which the baronet held his young partner:
“MONTREAL, 30th September, 1869.
“MY DEAR BRANCHAUD,—A thousand thanks for your kind note, the
contents of which affect me very deeply. Every recollection
associated with our intercourse is, I can assure you, of the
most pleasant character, and I look with great regret at having
to say good-bye to so many attached friends. I would have been
deeply gratified to have seen you at the dinner, but the
expression of your kind wishes will long be remembered by me.
That every good thing may attend you is the earnest wish of your
sincere friend—=John Rose=.”
This affectionate letter, coming from such an eminent man as Sir John
Rose, who attained such a high position among the most eminent men in
England, is preciously preserved by Mr. Branchaud, and the feelings of
friendship and esteem he always held towards the baronet are still warm
in his heart. During his sojourn in Beauharnois, in the summer of 1858,
the Right Honourable Edward Ellice, then proprietor of the seigniory of
Beauharnois, showed special marks of honour to Mr. Branchaud. He was
invited to all the dinners which he gave, whether to the principal
citizens of the place, or to his distinguished visitors from England. On
one of these occasions he met Lord Frederick Cavendish, the victim of
the Phœnix Park murder, Dublin, and Lord Grosvenor, now Duke of
Westminster. They were both very young then, and were going on a hunting
expedition to the western prairies. On returning home Mr. Ellice tried
to induce him to accompany him, and made him very flattering promises,
but the extended practice Mr. Branchaud had acquired did not permit him
to accept such an agreeable invitation. He regrets having declined now,
for he will never have an opportunity, if he should take a trip to
Europe, of forming acquaintances which the high position of Mr. Ellice
could have facilitated. He nevertheless keeps a grateful remembrance of
the old gentleman, who had so much regard for him. In 1859 Mr. Branchaud
married Marie Elizabeth Henrietta Mondelet, a daughter of the Hon. Judge
Charles Mondelet, of the city of Montreal, one of the judges of the
Superior Court for Lower Canada, and of Dame Maria Elizabeth Henrietta
Carter, a daughter of the late Dr. Carter, of Three Rivers. Madame
Mondelet was the niece of Captain Brock, a nephew and _aide-de-camp_ to
General Brock, and of Dr. Johnston, in his lifetime inspector general of
military hospitals in the Ionian Islands; and a first cousin of the late
Judge Short, of Sherbrooke. Mr. and Madame Mondelet died many years ago.
The Hon. Dominique, Mondelet, a judge at Three Rivers, was the elder
brother of Mr. Branchaud’s father-in-law. They were the sons of
Dominique Mondelet, a member of the old Legislative Assembly of Lower
Canada, and also a member of the Executive Council under the
administration of Lord Aylmer. In politics M. Branchaud was an advanced
liberal in his youth, but his opinions have greatly changed during the
last few years. Experience and age always exert a soothing influence on
the ideas and sentiments of the generality of men, and Mr. Branchaud did
not form an exception to the rule. He would not be so willing, to-day,
to endorse the political and social principles formulated in the
programme of _L’ Avenir_, and which were so enthusiastically adopted by
the young men who founded that paper. However, Mr. Branchaud thinks one
may be liberal without sharing the opinions of the nineteenth century
philosophers, and without believing in the omnipotence of universal
suffrage to save society—such safety being more certain in the hands of
the few than in those of the greater number of its members. The
democratic ideas carried to extreme limits will cause the fall of modern
empires, as they have produced the fall of the older ones, and what is
happening to-day in Europe is only their natural consequences. The
actual opinions of Mr. Branchaud do not find favour with either party.
His independence of character and his well-known frankness are obstacles
which would prevent his success in politics. So for many years he has
not engaged actively in them. However, he does not conceal his opinions
when called upon to express them. Thus he desires the continuation of
Sir John A. Macdonald’s administration because he thinks the national
policy would run great dangers in the hands of Mr. Blake, and the
Canadian Pacific Railway Company would find very little sympathy with
him, in case of necessity. This company, being still in its infancy, may
yet want the support of the government, and Mr. Branchaud thinks it
would be to the interest of the country to grant such help. It is hardly
to be expected that a man who has tried to arrest its progress in each
phase of its existence would be kindly disposed towards it at a given
moment. At all times he has repudiated the Rielite movement in Lower
Canada, as tending to arouse prejudices and race hatreds, and to retard
the progress of the country, and the conduct of the government in
letting the law take its course, has had his entire approbation, as the
only practical way of restoring peace and harmony, which would have been
threatened as long as Riel would have lived. In conclusion we may state
that Mr. Branchaud has been the promoter of the Beauharnois Junction
Railway Company. The road is intended to run from Ste. Martine to
Dundee, where it will connect with the American system. The building of
this railway will place Beauharnois—undoubtedly a town of future
importance, on account of the beauty of her site on the St. Lawrence,
and the extent of her water powers—in the first rank among the
important cities of the Dominion. Mr. Branchaud has worked for several
months to organize the company, and he is confident that his efforts
will soon be crowned with success. He was ever ambitious to see his
native place prosperous, and in the evening of his life he is happy in
the hope that the earnest wish of his heart will soon be gratified. The
Hon. James Ferrie is president of the new company, and Mr. Branchaud
vice-president.
* * * * *
=Irving, James Douglas=, Major, and Brigade-Major of Military District
No. 12, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, was born at Charlottetown,
on the 12th February, 1844. His father, Robert Blake Irving, was born in
Annan, Dumfriesshire, Scotland, and emigrated to Prince Edward Island
about the year 1832. Here he engaged in the profession of teaching, and
in addition took an active interest in politics on the Liberal side
until the confederation of the provinces, when party lines having been
broken, he became a supporter of the Liberal-Conservative party. He was
of a literary turn of mind, and contributed largely to the columns of
the _Examiner_ newspaper when it was under the editorial management of
the late Hon. Edward Whelan, writing strongly in support of responsible
government, free schools, the settlement of the land question by the
government purchasing from the proprietors and reselling to tenants, and
for confederation. He married in 1843 Joanna Charlotte, a daughter of
Thomas Rhodes Hazzard, a U. E. loyalist, who came to Prince Edward
Island from Providence, Rhode Island, with his father and family at the
conclusion of the war with the revolted colonists. Major Irving received
his education in his native parish in the private school taught by his
father. On the 26th of March, 1867, he was appointed a lieutenant in the
Active Militia of P. E. Island, and was shortly afterwards promoted to a
captaincy. After confederation he was given a commission in the Canadian
Artillery Militia, and subsequently commanded the P. E. Island
provisional brigade of Garrison Artillery. On the 1st of April, 1885, he
was appointed brigade-major of Military District No. 12, and this
position he at present holds. He was deputy-prothonotary of the Supreme
Court of P. E. Island from 1st March, 1871, to 1st April, 1885;
registrar of the Court of Chancery, and also that of the Vice-Admiralty
Court from 28th March, 1876, to 1st April, 1885; and Clerk of the Crown
for P. E. Island from 1st August, 1883, to 1st April, 1885. For many
years Major Irving has been an active member of the Caledonian Society,
and in general takes a deep interest in all that appertains to his
native island.
* * * * *
=Creed, Herbert Clifford=, Fredericton, was born at Halifax, Nova
Scotia, September 23rd, 1843. His father, George John Creed, of
Faversham, Kent, England, was clerk in the Royal Engineer department
(with rank of lieutenant), at Halifax, N.S., for thirty-five years. He
was the eldest son of Richard Creed, who also was in Her Majesty’s
service, as clerk of works, R. E. D., with the rank of captain. Both
father and son were, at the time of their decease, retired from active
service upon ample pensions. Richard Creed’s youngest daughter was the
wife of the late Hon. Jonathan McCully, senator of Canada, and
afterwards judge of the Supreme Court. The mother of the subject of this
sketch was Susan, eldest daughter of John A. Wellner, of Halifax, N.S.,
a manufacturer and at one time owner of extensive property in that city
and in the county of Hants. He was of a family that came out from
England among the original settlers of Halifax, with Governor
Cornwallis. Herbert Clifford Creed received his academic education
chiefly in the High School connected with Dalhousie College, Halifax. He
matriculated in the earliest class of undergraduates in Dalhousie
College in 1857, studying till 1860, the college proper having in the
meantime been discontinued. In 1861 he entered Acadia College,
Wolfville, N.S., and took the regular four years’ course there under the
presidency of the late Rev. J. M. Cramp, D.D. He graduated in 1865 with
honours in classics, having also held the highest place in his class
throughout the whole course. From August, 1860, to June, 1864, Mr. Creed
was teacher of French at the Collegiate Academy and Ladies’ Seminary at
Wolfville, N.S.; from the autumn of 1865 till the spring of 1869, he
filled the position of head master of the County Academy at Sydney, C.
B.; and from 1869 till June, 1872, was principal of the Seminary at
Yarmouth, N.S. In 1869 the degree of A.M. was conferred upon him. In the
following autumn he accepted the principalship of the English High
School, Fredericton, N.B., but resigned it at the close of 1873, in
order to take a position offered him in the Provincial Normal School of
New Brunswick, and here he has continued, with various changes of work,
down to the present time. His position now is officially designated as
“Mathematical and Science Master, and Instructor in Industrial Drawing,”
the term “Professor” not being applied to the instructors or teachers in
this Normal school. Mr. Creed was elected a member of the Board of
Governors of Acadia College in 1883; a senator of Acadia College in
1882, and secretary of the Senate in 1883; all of which offices he now
holds. In 1871 he was made one of the examiners of the college, and
filled the position for several years. He is secretary of the
Educational Institute of New Brunswick, having been re-elected every
year from its organization in 1877; vice-president of the Baptist
Convention of the Maritime provinces for the current year; a director of
the Baptist Annuity Association of New Brunswick and of the Maritime
Baptist Publishing Co. He was at one time president of the Associated
Alumni of Acadia College; president of the Fredericton Young Men’s
Christian Association, and for eight years secretary of the Fredericton
Auxiliary Bible Society. Mr. Creed has been connected with the following
among other Temperance societies:—The Sons of Temperance since 1857,
and is a P.W.P.; the Temple of Honour and Temperance from 1871 to 1875,
and is a P.W.C.T. and past deputy G.W.C.T.; the Temperance Reform Club;
the New Brunswick Branch of the Dominion Prohibitory Alliance. He has
also been connected with the Masonic order, in which he is a past
master; the Independent Order of Oddfellows as a P. G. and a P.D.D.G.M.,
Independent Order of Foresters, and is at present H.C.R. (presiding
officer) of the High Court of New Brunswick; and is a past commander in
the American Legion of Honour. Mr. Creed has written largely for the
press, for the most part anonymously, on educational topics; on the
temperance question; on matters of Christian doctrine and practice, etc;
and has also prepared a variety of matter for school texts and other
books. On November 4th, 1867, he was married to Jessie S., third
daughter of John F. Marsters, of St. John, N.B., customs broker and
forwarding agent, and has a family of four children, three sons and a
daughter. Mr. Creed has been a member of the Baptist church since he
attained his seventeenth year.
* * * * *
=Harrison, Thomas=, LL.D., President of the University of New Brunswick,
Fredericton, was born at Sheffield, New Brunswick, on the 24th October,
1839. He is son of Thomas Harrison, by his wife Elizabeth Coburn, and
grandson of James Harrison, of the county of Antrim, Ireland, who
emigrated to South Carolina in 1767. During the Revolutionary war
Lieutenant James Harrison, with his elder brother, Captain Charles
Harrison, fought under Sir Henry Clinton, on the British side, and in
1783 these gentlemen came among the loyalists to New Brunswick. Charles
Harrison was appointed lieutenant-colonel of the militia of the county
of Sunbury, by Governor Thomas Carleton, in 1784, and the two brothers
settled at Sheffield, Sunbury county. James Harrison married Charity
Cowperthwaite, of a Quaker family from Philadelphia, and in 1806 died,
leaving five sons and four daughters. Their descendants are numerous,
and are mostly settled in New Brunswick. Thomas Harrison, the subject of
our sketch, was educated at Trinity College, Dublin, under the tutorship
of Dr. Salmon, F.R.S., whose works have for many years been the standard
treatises for advanced students in some of the highest branches of
modern mathematical science. He was a first honour man in mathematics,
and was elected a mathematical scholar in Trinity College in 1863. He
also attended law lectures, and took the degrees of B.A. and LL.B. in
the University of Dublin in 1864, and afterwards the degrees of M.A. and
LL.D. in the same university. In June, 1870, he was appointed professor
of the English language and literature and of mental and moral
philosophy in the University of New Brunswick. In 1874 he was made, by
the Dominion government, superintendent of the meteorological chief
station at Fredericton, and in August, 1885, president of the University
of New Brunswick, and professor of Mathematics by the Provincial
government. Mr. Harrison is a member of the Episcopal church. He
married, in 1865, Susan Lois Taylor, daughter of the late John S.
Taylor, of Sheffield, N.B., and niece of Sir Leonard Tilley, K.C.M.G.,
lieutenant-governor of New Brunswick. The fruit of this marriage is two
sons and a daughter. The eldest son, John Darley Harrison, is a member
of the graduating class of 1887 in the University of New Brunswick.
* * * * *
=Blanchet, Hon. Joseph Goderic=, Collector of Customs, Quebec, is a
descendant of one of the first families that came from France to Canada,
and is a son of Louis Blanchet, of St. Pierre, Rivière du Sud, and
Marguerite Fontaine, whose family came from Picardy, in France. Joseph
G. Blanchet, the subject of our sketch, was born at St. Pierre, on the
7th June, 1829, and received his education in the arts at the Quebec
Seminary and at the Ste. Anne College. He afterwards studied medicine
with his uncle, Jean Baptiste Blanchet, M.D., and for many years
practised his profession at Levis, during which time he stood high among
his _confrères_ of the medical fraternity. Dr. Blanchet, jr., took an
active interest in the militia of his native province, and in 1863 he
raised the 17th battalion of Volunteer Militia Infantry, which he
commanded, holding the rank of lieutenant-colonel. He had command of the
3rd administrative battalion on the frontier during the St. Albans raid
in 1865, and the active militia force on the south shore of the St.
Lawrence river, in the Quebec district, during the Fenian raid of the
next year, and also in 1871. Dr. Blanchet, during his residence in
Levis, occupied many prominent positions. For six years he was its
mayor. In 1870 he was elected president of the _Cercle de Québec_; in
1872 president of the Levis and Kennebec Railway; and in 1873 he was
appointed a member of the Catholic section of the Council of Public
Instruction for the province of Quebec. Though a busy man, Dr. Blanchet
did not neglect the interests of his country. He took an active part in
politics, and as early as 1857 he presented himself as a candidate for
Levis in the Legislative Assembly of Canada; but, although he made a
good run, in the end he was unsuccessful in securing his election. Four
years later he again presented himself as a candidate in the same
constituency and succeeded, and sat from 1861 until confederation in
1867, when he was returned by acclamation to the House of Commons. There
he continued to sit until 1874, being meantime speaker of the House of
Assembly of the province of Quebec, from the meeting of the first
parliament after confederation, until the dissolution of the second
parliament in 1875. The year before this latter date, in consequence of
the passing of the law respecting dual representation, he resigned his
seat in the House of Commons in order to continue to hold one in the
provincial assembly, which he did, as representative for Levis, until
the general elections in 1875, when he was defeated. In November of that
year, a vacancy having occurred in the representation for Bellechasse,
in consequence of the elevation of the sitting member, Mr. Fournier, who
had been made a justice of the Supreme Court of the Dominion, he
presented himself for election, and was secured this seat; and in
September, 1878, he was once more returned for Levis. At the general
election held in 1882 he was again returned by his old constituency, but
only held the seat for about a year, when he resigned to accept the
collectorship of the port of Quebec, and this office he still holds.
When the Hon. Mr. Blanchet was speaker of the Quebec House of Assembly,
he showed fine talents in that capacity, and made an admirable presiding
officer, and some time before the fourth parliament had met, his name
was again mentioned in connection with the speakership, he being a
Conservative and his party once more in power. On the meeting of the
House of Commons in February, 1879, he was unanimously elected speaker
of that august body, and the choice proved a wise one, for he soon
showed himself an adept in parliamentary rules and tactics, was prompt
and impartial, and on his retirement from office carried with him the
good will and respect of both sides of the House. In August, 1850, Hon.
Mr. Blanchet was married to Emilie, daughter of G. D. Balzaretti, of
Milan, Italy, and the fruit of this marriage has been six children, four
of whom are dead, three having died in infancy.
* * * * *
=Harris, Michael Spurr.=—The late Michael Spurr Harris, of Moncton, New
Brunswick, who was born at Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia, September 22nd,
1804, and married, May 11th, 1826, Sarah Ann Troop, of Granville,
Annapolis county, N.S., was descended from a long line of ancestors. One
of these, Arthur Harris, came from England, and was among the earliest
settlers in Duxbury, Plymouth county, Massachusetts. In 1640 he moved to
Bridgewater, Mass., and a few years afterwards, about 1656, he took up
his residence in Boston, where he died on the 10th June, 1674, leaving a
widow and five children. Samuel Harris, a direct descendant of Arthur
Harris, married, in 1757, Sarah Cook, in Boston, from whence, about
1763, they emigrated to Nova Scotia, and settled in Annapolis county at
a place called Mount Pleasant, near Bridgewater, and here Samuel Harris
died in 1801, leaving several children, among others the father of the
subject of our sketch, Christopher Prince Harris, who died in Annapolis
county, near Digby, 30th January, 1853, and his widow at the same place
in 1862. Sarah Cook, wife of Samuel Harris, was a grandchild of Francis
Cook, who came with the first Pilgrims from Plymouth, England, to
Plymouth, America, in 1620. Six years afterwards her grandfather, on her
mother’s side, came out to the Plymouth settlement, and he it was who,
in 1676, captured the celebrated Indian chief “Annawan.” Michael Spurr
Harris received his early education in the parish schools of Nova
Scotia, and passed his boyhood at his father’s home in Digby county,
N.S. When quite young he went to St. John, N.B., and entered the employ
of Mr. Peterson, a carriage-builder, where, after serving his
apprenticeship, he began business; and in 1826 married Sarah Ann Troop,
and settled in St. John, continuing his trade of carriage-making. A few
years later moving to Norton, Kings county, N.B., he extended his
business, and remained there until the fall of 1836, when he moved with
his family to Moncton, N.B., then called the Bend of Petitcodiac. Here
he became largely interested in the lumber trade and shipping, building
and owning vessels and sawmills. He was one of the earliest prominent
business men, and foremost in promoting the social, commercial, and
industrial welfare of Moncton. Comparatively self-educated, his manner
of life did not throw him in conflict with others in political
questions; but he held liberal and advanced views on the leading
questions of his day, and supported the policy of provincial responsible
government, the union of the provinces, and the encouragement of
manufactures. He was a magistrate, and held a justice’s court for many
years. From about 1840 to 1862 he was very actively engaged in
shipbuilding and the shipment of lumber to England, which at that time
were the leading industries of the province. His business called him
frequently to Great Britain, and he was known among shipping men in
Liverpool as a man of strict business integrity. The town of Moncton
elected him its mayor in 1859, a position which he filled with much
ability. Possessed of strong natural powers, a fine physique, a kindly
and courteous manner, and a strong belief in the orthodox Christian
faith, he lived a useful and exemplary life, and died at his home in
Moncton, January 26th, 1866, of paralysis, a malady which had for some
years previous deprived him of the active use of his limbs. His remains
are in the family lot at Moncton cemetery.
* * * * *
=Bell, Andrew Wilson=, Carleton Place, Ontario, was born in the town of
Perth, county of Lanark, Ontario, on the 14th February, 1835. His
grandfather, the Rev. William Bell, who came from Scotland in 1817, and
was the first Presbyterian minister in Perth, died in 1857. His father,
John Bell, carried on business in the same town as a merchant from 1828
until 1849, when he died. A. W. Bell received his education in the old
district grammar school in Perth, and after leaving school began a busy
and useful career. In March, 1885, he commenced business at Douglas,
Renfrew county, with Charles Coulter, under the name of Bell, Coulter &
Co., general merchants, and next year having admitted into the
partnership Thomas Coulter, of Clayton, Lanark, they traded in the
villages of Douglas and Eganville under the name of Bell & Coulter, and
in Clayton as Coulter & Bell. The partnership was dissolved in the
spring of 1858, each partner taking the branch he then had in charge.
Mr. Bell was then a resident of Eganville, and in the spring of 1859 he
sold out his stock to the Coulters, and removed to Carleton Place for a
few months. In the fall of the same year he again began business in
Douglas, and in 1862 entered into partnership with Donald Cameron. The
new firm did a large local mercantile trade, and sent several rafts of
square timber to the Quebec market in 1863-4. This partnership was
dissolved in 1864. Mr. Bell, in the years 1858, 1865 and 1866, carried
on saw-mills at Eganville and Douglas; and in 1864 and 1865, having
joined William Halpenny, in Renfrew, under the name of A. W. Bell & Co.,
they carried on a general mercantile business. In 1867 Mr. Bell removed
from Douglas to Newboro’, Leeds county, and where he bought out the
business belonging to John Draffin. In this place he remained until
April, 1872, and then took up his abode at Carleton Place. Here he
prosecuted his mercantile business until 1875, and then, selling it out
to a partner he had admitted in 1873, he retired into private life. In
addition to his other business enterprises, Mr. Bell has dealt
considerably in real estate in the counties of Lanark and Renfrew, and
has bought and sold many thousand acres of farm lands, and built several
shops and dwellings in Carleton Place, which he still owns. In 1856 he
was appointed postmaster in Eganville, Renfrew county, which position he
held until 1859, when he resigned; again, in 1862, he was appointed
postmaster of Douglas, in the same county, and resigned in 1867. In
March, 1862, he was made clerk of the Seventh Division Court for Lanark
and Renfrew, but when these counties were separated in October, 1866, he
gave up the position. In 1862 he was made a notary public, and also
commissioner for taking affidavits and an issuer of marriage licenses.
In 1863 the Government conferred upon him the commission of a justice of
the peace. In 1873 the Board of Trade of Ottawa appointed him official
assignee for the county of Lanark, and in 1875 the Government appointed
him to the same office, and this office he held until the repeal of the
Insolvency Act. Mr. Bell also acted in the capacity of creditors’
assignee in the counties of Lanark, Renfrew and Pontiac, and was
arbitrator for the Canada Central Railway at Renfrew and at Pembroke,
and purchased part of the right of way for the railway company. Mr. Bell
was the originator of the Winnipeg and Hudson Bay Railway and Steamship
Company,—his name being first in the charter as passed by
parliament,—and he also had a hand in procuring two other North-West
charters. Mr. Bell is a member of the Masonic fraternity, having joined
in June, 1859. He held a commission as lieutenant, and afterwards
captain, in the militia, dating from July, 1856. Though brought up as a
Presbyterian, Mr. Bell now attends the Episcopal church, his wife being
a member of that communion. He married, 27th July, 1857, Jane Andersen,
daughter of the late James Gibb, merchant, of Glasgow, Scotland. Mrs.
Bell died on 2nd June, 1886.
* * * * *
=McIntyre, Right Rev. Peter=, D.D., Bishop of Charlottetown, was born at
Cable Head, in the parish of St. Peter, Lot 41, Kings county, Prince
Edward Island, on the feast of SS. Peter and Paul, June 29th, 1818. His
parents, Angus McIntyre and Sarah McKinnon, Scotch Highland Catholics,
emigrated from Southwest Inverness-shire to Prince Edward Island,
towards the close of the last century. Providence blessed their industry
and integrity; and they were enabled not only to have “full and plenty”
for a large family of sons and daughters, but also to extend the sacred
rites of hospitality to all who came in the way. Mr. McIntyre’s house at
Cable Head was one of the principal stations of the late Bishop
McEachern in that part of the country—before there was a church at St.
Peter’s—and his children were naturally enough brought to the notice of
the pious and discerning bishop. The bishop, it is needless to say,
entertained a very high regard for Angus McIntyre and his family, and
his lordship insisted that the youngest son, little Peter, should be
sent to college to be educated for the church. Mr. McIntyre was well
aware that the proposed undertaking would be exceedingly heavy, at a
time when schools were few and means were not easily obtained. But out
of respect for the wishes of his bishop, he generously acted upon the
suggestion, and his son Peter was accordingly among the first students
at the opening of old St. Andrew’s College. After the death of the good
Bishop McEachern, in 1835, young McIntyre expressed a strong desire to
be sent to Canada to pursue his studies. This wish was complied with by
his kind father, who placed him in the college of St. Hyacinthe, where
he remained for five years, entering the Grand Seminary of Quebec in
1840. After a three years’ course at the Grand Seminary he was, on the
26th of February, 1843, ordained to the priesthood by Bishop Signay in
the Cathedral of Quebec, and returned to his native diocese the same
year. We have been told by an old friend of the family that when young
McIntyre first went to college, his father had accumulated quite a large
sum in Spanish dollars, and so was enabled to promptly make generous
remittances to his son and pay the college bills on presentation. The
same good friend also tells us that by the time young “Father McIntyre”
returned from Quebec the Spanish dollars were pretty low, but not
exhausted. May it not be that the generous manner in which his venerable
father furnished him with ample funds until he was able to provide for
himself, materially helped to form and develop those generous,
hospitable and princely traits of character which we all admire in
Bishop McIntyre. The first missionary duties of Father McIntyre were
performed as assistant to Father Perry. After a short time, however, he
was appointed to the charge of Tignish, Lot 7, the Brae and Cascumpec,
with his principal residence at Tignish. There he lived and laboured for
seventeen years; and it was there that he first gave evidence of his
talent for building. The Acadian French, who form the largest proportion
of the Catholic congregation at Tignish, were, at that time, neither
rich in this world’s goods nor counted enterprising. Yet to them belongs
the very great credit of building, under the direction of Father
McIntyre, the first brick church—if we mistake not, the first public
building of brick—ever erected in this province—a church which, at
this day, is one of the finest on the island. Inspired by their
enthusiastic priest, the poor French people made the bricks, hauled them
to the site, laid the foundation, and built the church. They had little
money, but much zeal; and they were led by a man of rare administrative
ability. To the church at Tignish was added a handsome parochial house
and a fine convent, both of brick. A church and parochial house were
also about the same time built at Brae. The talents and zeal of Father
McIntyre were soon recognized by a church which—whatever her faults—is
not slow to see and reward true merit. On the death of Bishop Macdonald,
he was appointed to preside over the Roman Catholic diocese of
Charlottetown, comprising Prince Edward Island and the Magdalen Islands;
and on the 15th of August, 1860, he was solemnly consecrated Bishop of
Charlottetown. The ceremony was performed by the late Archbishop
Connolly, of Halifax, assisted by the late Bishop McKinnon and Bishop
Sweeney—the late Bishop Mullock, of St. John’s, Newfoundland, and
Bishop Dalton, of Harbour Grace, being also present. Under the
administration of Bishop McIntyre great attention has been given to the
education of the youth of the Catholic people and to the erection of
buildings in which to carry on the work of the church; and the bishop’s
talent for building has found scope. The first work of consequence which
he undertook was the rebuilding of St. Dunstan’s College. The Catholic
population of the island at the time of Bishop McIntyre’s consecration
was 35,500. There were only thirteen priests to minister to their
spiritual wants. The Catholic population is now about 55,000, and there
are thirty-seven priests with well organized missions. The new parishes
established by Bishop McIntyre are Cardigan Bridge, Montague Bridge,
Cardigan Road, Morrell, South Shore, Hope River, Lot 7, Lot 11, Brae,
Palmer Road, Little Pond, Bloomfield, Alberton, Summerside, in Prince
Edward Island, and Bassin in the Magdalen Islands, which form part of
the diocese. Besides the splendid episcopal residence in Charlottetown,
which was much required for the diocese, he has built St. Patrick’s
School (one of the finest buildings in the city); St. Teresa’s Church,
Cardigan Road; St. Francis’, Little Pond; St. Mary’s, Montague Bridge;
St. Andrew’s, St. Peter’s; St. Lawrence’s, Morell; St. Michael’s, Corran
Ban Bridge; St. Patrick’s, Fort Augustus; St. Joachim’s, Vernon River;
St. Lawrence, South Shore (the first stone church built on the island);
St. Anne’s, Hope River; St. Charles, Summerside; St. Mark’s, Lot 7; St.
Mary’s, Brae; St. Bridget’s, Lot 11; St. Anthony’s, Bloomfield; SS.
Simon and Jude, Tignish; St. Thomas’, Palmer Road; Sacred Heart,
Alberton; and in the Magdalen Islands, Notre Dame de la Visitation,
Amherst; Etang du Nord, St. Pierre; Bassin, St. François Xavier. This is
work enough, one would say, for one prelate and an indefatigable staff
of clergymen for one generation; but besides these churches, many of
them splendid specimens of architecture, there have been eight
conventual establishments erected and founded within the last
twenty-five years in various parts of the province, which educate
annually thousands of pupils. The chief part of the labour of the
churches was done by the zealous people in several of the parishes. In
1877 Bishop McIntyre organized the Central Council of the Catholic Total
Abstinence Union, with affiliated societies in every parish of the
diocese. He has accomplished a great work in the suppression of
intemperance in many parts of the island. In 1878 he founded the City
Hospital, which has already done a vast amount of good, and has
stimulated others to found another hospital for the sick. His lordship
has visited Rome four times since his consecration, and on one occasion
extended his journey to the Holy Land. He took part in the Œcumenical
Council of 1870, where it was generally conceded that no more imposing
figure was seen in the grand procession of churchmen, than that of the
venerable and stately Bishop of Charlottetown. In person his lordship is
above the medium height, his carriage is stately and his step elastic.
His activity is remarkable; few young persons could endure the amount of
travelling and fatigue which is constantly undergone by Bishop McIntyre,
upon whom it has no ill effect whatever. His voice, which is low and
sweet, is so clear that he is easily heard even at a great distance. His
prepossessing appearance and courtly manner, no less than his genuine
kindness of heart, have made him hosts of friends. He is highly esteemed
by Protestants throughout the province, from whom his blameless life and
fearless advocacy of what he deems to be right command respect. The
bishop takes a great interest in education, and is invariably present,
when his duties allow him, at the examinations in his Catholic schools.
It is to his lordship’s unflagging energy and zeal that St. Dunstan’s
College owes its present hopeful position. Besides providing for their
secular instruction, the bishop has always been much interested in the
spiritual welfare of the little ones of his flock; it is his delight to
preach at the children’s mass on Sundays, when the large congregation of
young folk listen to his clear and practical instructions with profit
and pleasure. He is a clear, forcible speaker, impressive if not
eloquent, with a perfect command of good Anglo-Saxon. Though a zealous
prelate, he has never been known to give utterance to any intolerant
expression against those differing from him in religious matters. He has
been to Charlottetown, and the island generally, a public benefactor.
Though drawing close to the seventies, his eye is bright, his lip is
firm, and his face fresh. He has a fine constitution, rises between four
and five a. m., and has a day’s work done before most Charlottetown
folks are out of bed. He has many years of usefulness ahead of him, and
hopes not to complete his labours until he shall have built a
magnificent cathedral in the metropolis of his province. That such a
great worker deserves and receives the gratitude of his own people might
be expected, that he should and does command the admiration of all
classes is only reasonable; and that he enjoys the esteem of his peers
is witnessed by the number of bishops and archbishops who did him honour
on the occasion of his silver jubilee, which was celebrated in
Charlottetown, on the 12th of August, 1885, amid the congratulations and
good wishes of all classes, creeds and nationalities in the community.
* * * * *
=Fitzgerald, Rev. David=, D.D., Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island.
This reverend and highly respected divine was born at Tralee, in the
county of Kerry, Ireland, on the 3rd of December, 1813. He is the eldest
surviving son of William Fitzgerald, barrister-at-law of Adrivale,
county of Kerry, who married Anne, sole daughter and heiress of the Rev.
Robert Minnitt, of Blackfort, county of Tipperary, and rector of Tulla,
county of Clare, whose ancestor, Captain John Minnitt, came to the
country in the reign of Charles II. One of Mr. Fitzgerald’s ancestors
was a captain in King James’ army. This gentleman lived during the reign
of six English monarchs, and died at the advanced age of 116 years. Rev.
Mr. Fitzgerald was educated at schools in Clonmel and Limerick, and
obtained his A.B. degree and divinity testimonium at Trinity College,
Dublin. In February, 1843, he married Cherry Christina, second daughter
of Rowan Purdon, M.D., a physician of established reputation and
extensive practice in Kerry, his native county. His brother, Richard,
was a fellow of Trinity College, Dublin, and his son, George, was a
scholar in the same university. In June, 1845, after a creditable
examination by Rev. I. T. Russel, archdeacon of Clogher, he was ordained
deacon at Tuam by Lord Plunket, bishop of the diocese, and in 1846 was
ordained priest by Lord Riversdale, bishop of Killaloe, on letters
dimissory from the bishop of Clogher. He began his ministry as curate to
Rev. Geo. Sidney Smith, D.D., ex-fellow of Trinity College, Dublin, at
Cooltrain, county of Fermanagh. He then had charge of the district
church, at Maguire’s Bridge, in the same county, where as secretary to
the Poor Relief Committee of that place, he established a soup kitchen
for its famine-stricken inhabitants, and was the means by obtaining
subscriptions from absentee landlords and other benevolently disposed
persons, with a ton of rice from the Quakers, of providing daily
suitable cooked food for four hundred families for several months, and
left on his departure over £100 in the hands of the committee to carry
on the work. In June, 1847, he came out to Prince Edward Island as
assistant minister to Rev. Dr. Jenkins, then rector of St. Paul’s
Church. On the retirement of Dr. Jenkins and that of his successor, Rev.
C. Lloyd, in 1857, he was appointed rector of the parish, which he
served without intermission for thirty-eight years, when in 1885 he
retired from active duty. For upwards of twenty years he was a member of
the board of education, and a trustee of the Lunatic Asylum, and for
some time was chaplain of the Legislative Council. He is the author of
several printed sermons and pamphlets, and has delivered lectures on
various subjects for several years. In 1881 he took the degrees of A.M.,
B.D., and D.D., at King’s College, Windsor. On several occasions since
his retirement, he has occupied the pulpit in the parish church and in
other churches in the province, and hopes while he has the power of
utterance to speak a word for the Master and for the edification of his
followers. Three of his children have been called from this world, and
three remain, viz., Rowan Robert, Q.C., stipendiary magistrate and
recorder of Charlottetown; Sidney David, chemist and druggist, now
residing at Kansas, U.S.; and Minnitt John, for many years connected
with the Union Bank of Charlottetown, now amalgamated with the Nova
Scotia bank of Halifax. Mr. Fitgerald’s religious views have undergone
no change. He is to-day what he was fifty years ago, an Evangelical
churchman. He has been a member of the L. O. A. since 1832, when he
became secretary to Calvin lodge, No. 1509, then established in Dublin.
In 1848 he joined the order of the Sons of Temperance, and is a member
of the National division. He has seen some service and undergone some
labour, and trusts that the years already past have not been spent in
vain.
* * * * *
=Brock, Major-General Sir Isaac=, K.B., was the eighth son of John
Brock, and was born in the parish of St. Peter’s, Port Guernsey, on the
6th of October, 1769, the same year which gave birth to Napoleon and
Wellington. He entered the army as ensign in the 8th Regiment of
Infantry by purchase, on the 2nd of March, 1785. In 1790 he was promoted
to the rank of lieutenant, and at the close of the same year obtained
his captaincy and exchanged into the 49th regiment. In June, 1795, he
purchased his majority, and on the 25th of October, 1797, he was
gazetted lieutenant-colonel. In a little more than seven years he had
risen from the rank of ensign to that of lieutenant-colonel. He served
with his regiment in the expedition to Holland under Sir Ralph
Abercrombie in 1799. He greatly distinguished himself at the battle of
Egmont-of-Zee, where he was wounded. He was second in command of the
land forces in the celebrated attack on Copenhagen by Lord Nelson in
April, 1801. On its return from Copenhagen the 49th was stationed at
Colchester till the spring of 1802, when it was ordered to Canada, where
its distinguished commander earned the fame and performed the gallant
services which have so endeared his memory to the Canadian people. At
Fort George, shortly after his arrival in Canada, Brock quelled an
attempted mutiny with great firmness and tact. His regiment soon became
one of the most reliable in the service. In 1806 Brock succeeded to the
command of the troops in Canada, and took up his residence in Quebec. In
1811 Lieutenant-Governor Gore went to England on leave, and
Major-General Brock was appointed administrator of the government,—and
thus happened to be the civil as well as the military head of the
province of Upper Canada on the outbreak of the war with the United
States in 1812. He at once threw himself with great vigour, and with the
full force of his soldierly instincts, into preparations for the war.
Upper Canada then had a population of only some seventy thousand; the
United States had a population of about ten millions. In Upper Canada
many of the settlers were aliens from the States—half-hearted, if not
absolutely disloyal. The timid viewed the outlook with grave misgivings.
In fact, the surroundings were enough to discourage the stoutest heart.
It was in these circumstances, entering upon what seemed almost a
hopeless struggle, that the noble courage, the unfaltering
determination, and the perfect faith in his country, of General Brock
shone out with such striking brilliancy. Our Canadian poet, Charles
Mair, in his drama of “Tecumseh,” has given fine expression to the
spirit which animated Brock, when he puts in his mouth these words:—
BROCK.
“’Tis true our province faces heavy odds:
Of regulars but fifteen hundred men
To guard a frontier of a thousand miles;
Of volunteers what aidance we can draw
From seventy thousand widely scattered souls.
A meagre showing ’gainst the enemy’s,
If numbers be the test. But odds lie not
In numbers only, but in spirit too—
Witness the might of England’s little isle!
And what made England great will keep her so—
The free soul and the valour of her sons;
And what exalts her will sustain you now,
If you contain her courage and her faith.
So not the odds so much are to be feared
As private disaffection, treachery—
Those openers of the door to enemies—
And the poor crouching spirit that gives way
Ere it is forced to yield.”
Brock’s first step on the outbreak of the war was to ask the House of
Assembly to suspend the _Habeas Corpus_ Act, which they refused to do by
a majority of two votes. He therefore prorogued the House and took
prompt measures to resist General Hull, who, with an army of two
thousand five hundred men, had invaded the province at Sandwich. The
militia were called out, a few disaffected people were ordered out of
the country, and at the head of a small force of regulars and Canadian
volunteers, only seven hundred in all, with a force of nine hundred
Indians under the celebrated chieftain, Tecumseh, Brock crossed the
Detroit river and captured Detroit with General Hull’s whole force. His
movements were wonderfully rapid. He left York on the 6th of August,
1812, embarked at Long Point on the 8th in small boats for Amherstburg,
a distance of two hundred miles, where he arrived on the 13th at
midnight. On the 14th he moved to Sandwich; on the 15th demanded Hull’s
surrender; opened fire from batteries erected that day; crossed the
river during the night, and before mid-day on the 16th Hull surrendered
with two thousand five hundred men, thirty-three cannon, a brig-of-war,
and immense military stores. This prompt and vigorous action of General
Brock was the turning point of our Canadian fortunes. The success was so
complete, so brilliant, that it produced an electrical effect throughout
Canada. It was the first enterprise in which our militia were engaged,
and it aroused the enthusiasm of the loyal, inspired the timid, fired
the wavering, and over-awed the disaffected. From that moment Brock
became the idol of the Canadian people, and on his return to York, which
he reached after an absence of only nineteen days, he was received with
heartfelt acclamations. Shortly after, Brock went to Fort George, on the
Niagara frontier, where a large hostile force was being gathered to
invade the province. On the morning of the 13th of October, 1812, the
enemy effected a landing at Queenston Heights. Brock hurried at once to
the spot with a very small force he had hurriedly gathered, and with
that impetuous and indomitable energy which was his most striking
characteristic, made a vigorous attack upon the enemy without waiting
for the reinforcements which were hurrying up to his support. He was
killed while gallantly leading a charge up the heights. Although this
for the moment checked the advance, the loss so roused the feelings of
his troops that in a few hours a second attack was made, and one of our
most glorious victories won, the whole force of the enemy being killed,
wounded, or captured. This ended the campaign in the west, and still
further encouraged our people and made possible the final result of the
war. No man was ever so mourned by the Upper Canadians as General Brock.
A handsome monument was erected to his memory on the field where he gave
up his life for Canada. This was destroyed by an act of vandalism on the
17th of April, 1840, but has been replaced by a far more imposing and
stately monument which was completed in 1859, and now stands one of the
most striking features of the Niagara frontier. General Brock was
forty-three years old when he died. He was tall, erect, and well
proportioned. In height about six feet two inches. His fine and
benevolent countenance was a perfect index of his mind, and his manners
were courteous, frank, and engaging, although both denoted a fixedness
of purpose which could not be mistaken. As an evidence of the high
opinion formed of him by the Canadians, the following extract is quoted
from a letter of the late Chief Justice Robinson, who knew the general
personally, and served under him at Detroit and Queenston:—
“I do most sincerely believe that no person whom I have ever
seen could so instantly have infused, under such discouraging
circumstances, into the minds of a whole people the spirit
which, though it endured long after his fall, was really caught
from him. His honesty, firmness, frankness, benevolence, his
earnest warmth of feeling, combined with dignity of manner, and
his soldier-like appearance and bearing, all united to give him
the ascendancy which he held from the first moment to the last
of his command. It seemed to be impressed upon all, and at once,
that there could be no hesitation in obeying his call, and that
while he lived all was safe. The affection with which the memory
of General Brock has ever been regarded in this province is as
strong as the feeling of admiration, and these feelings still
pervade the whole population.”
* * * * *
=Johnson, Hon. Francis Godschall=, Judge of the Superior Court of the
Province of Quebec, and senior Judge for the district of Montreal, with
duties of Chief Justice at the court in Montreal, was born at Oakley
House, in Bedfordshire, England, on the 1st of January, 1817. His
father, Godschall Johnson, was an officer in the 10th Royal Hussars
(then known as the Prince of Wales regiment), and his mother Lucy
Bisshopp, was a daughter of Sir Cecil Bisshopp, a prominent man in his
day, and a sister of Colonel Cecil Bisshopp, who lost his life in the
war with the United States in 1812-14, and was buried at Niagara,
Ontario, where his grave can now be seen. The Hon. Judge Johnson
received his education at St. Omer, in France, and at Bruges, in
Belgium, and came to Canada in 1834. He studied law in the office of the
Hon. Justice Day, and was called to the bar in 1839. He began the
practice of his profession in Montreal, and in 1846, before he was
thirty years of age, was appointed a Queen’s counsel. While practising
at the bar this learned judge was noted for his eloquence, and while
acting as Crown prosecutor, his splendid talents showed to the best
advantage. In 1854, he was appointed recorder of Rupert’s Land, and
governor of Assiniboine (now Manitoba), and took up his residence at
Fort Garry, where he resided until 1858, when he returned to Montreal.
Here he resumed the practice of his profession and continued until 1865,
when he received the appointment of judge of the Superior Court, in
which position his fine abilities continue to be shown. Being peculiarly
fitted for the task in consequence of his previous acquaintance with the
country, he was, in 1870, selected by the Dominion government to go to
Manitoba, to assist in the organization and establishment of a regular
system of government there. He did good service to the state, and
remained for about two years—special leave of absence from Quebec
province having been given him—acting as recorder of Rupert’s Land,
until new courts were established, and as commissioner in hearing and
determining the claims made for losses caused during the Riel rebellion
of 1869-70. He returned in 1872, and was appointed lieutenant-governor
of Manitoba, but declined the honour, considering the position
incompatible with the retention of the office of judge. During the time
Judge Johnson was practising in Montreal, he held several offices, and
was secretary of the commission that revised the Statutes of Lower
Canada. He is a member of the Church of England; and was married in
September, 1840, to Mary Gates Jones, daughter of Nathaniel Jones, of
Montreal. This lady died in July, 1853, and left three children. His
second marriage was in March, 1857, to Mary Mills, daughter of John
Melliken Mills, of Somersetshire, England, by whom he has also a family
of three children. Judge Johnson resides in Montreal.
* * * * *
=Desjardins, Dr. Louis Edouard=, Montreal, was born at Terrebonne, on
the 10th of September, 1837. According to the “Dictionnaire
Généalogique” of l’Abbé Tanguay, his ancestors came to the country more
than two hundred years ago. He married Mademoiselle Emilie Zaïde Paré,
second daughter of Hubert Paré, a partner in the large commercial firm
founded by F. Souligny, one of the most important firms of Montreal at
that period. Dr. Desjardins entered upon his classical studies at the
College Masson, Terrebonne, and terminated them at the Seminary of
Nicolet. After practising medicine in Montreal during seven or eight
years, he took a first trip to Europe to study ophthalmology. On his
return, a year after, he established at the Hôtel-Dieu, of Montreal, a
special department for the treatment of eye diseases. In 1872, he made a
second voyage to Europe to complete his ophthalmic studies. He followed
the clinics of Bowman and Critchett, in London; and of Giraud-Teulon,
Wecker, Sichel and Meyer, in Paris. During his sojourn in London, he was
admitted a member of the International Congress of Ophthalmology. When
he returned to Montreal in 1873, he founded the ophthalmic institute of
the Nazareth Asylum, for the gratuitous treatment of the poor suffering
from diseases of the eye, and at the same time to give clinics on those
diseases to the medical students. It is the first institution of the
kind founded in Montreal. He was one of the founders of the “Société
Médicale,” and of the journal _L’ Union Médicale_, to which he was a
contributor for many years. This year (1887), in concert with the Hon.
Dr. Pâquet, Dr. Hingston, and Dr. Beausoleil, he founded the _Gazette
Médicale_, of Montreal. Since 1870, he has been surgeon-oculist to the
Hôtel-Dieu, and professor of ophthalmology at the School of Medicine and
Surgery of Montreal. He is one of the founders and one of the supporters
of the newspaper, _L’Etendard_. He advocated, and was chiefly
instrumental in bringing about, the nomination of a Royal Commission, in
1883, to institute an inquiry into the affairs of the Catholic schools
of Montreal; and before that commission he energetically took the
defence of the fathers of families against the encroachments of the
school commissioners of that city. In the difficulties which arose
between the School of Medicine (Victoria) and Laval University, from
1876, he took an active part in the struggle the school had to sustain
for the maintenance of its rights. In consequence of an erroneous
interpretation of the decrees of Rome, in relation to the establishment
of Laval at Montreal, the Archbishop of Quebec (now Cardinal Taschereau)
and nearly all the bishops of the province of Quebec, undertook to
destroy the School of Medicine, in order to give more scope to the Laval
branch. The school tried, but vainly, to defend its cause with the
episcopacy; and in June, 1883, Mgr. Taschereau fulminated against this
institution his famous sentence of rebellion against the church. Dr.
Desjardins was then delegated to Rome, to appeal from the sentence.
Despite this, the bishops of Montreal, St. Hyacinthe, and Sherbrooke in
their turn hurled sentences of excommunication against the professors
and pupils of the school, and even against the parents who should
continue to send their children to it. Once in Rome, Dr. Desjardins was
enabled to lay his appeal at the feet of the Holy Father, and obtained a
favourable judgment. The order “_Suspende omnia_,” was sent by a
telegram of the Cardinal-Prefect of the Propaganda to the Bishop of
Montreal, on the 24th of August, 1883. In the month of September
following, Mgr. Smeulders was delegated by Leo XIII., as Apostolic
Commissioner to Canada, with power to definitely settle the difficulties
existing between Laval and the school. At the present day the School of
Medicine is doing its noble work as in the past, and has more than two
hundred pupils.
* * * * *
=Dickson, William Welland=, M.D., Pembroke, Ontario, was born on the 9th
of January, 1841, at Pakenham, county of Renfrew. His father, Samuel
Dickson, and mother, Catherine Lowe, were both natives of Ireland. When
but eighteen years of age, Mr. Dickson, sen., came to Canada, and like
many a young man in those days, was without money, but possessed of a
great deal of faith in his own right arm. Shortly after his arrival he
married and began to make for himself a home in the township of
Pakenham, in Lanark county. Things succeeding, he commenced the
manufacture of square timber, and after a while became a successful
lumber manufacturer and exporter. He lived and died in the township in
which he first settled. William received his education at the Perth
Grammar School, Ontario, at Bishop’s College, Lennoxville, Quebec, and
pursued his medical studies at McGill College, Montreal, where he
graduated. He began the practice of his profession at Portage du Fort,
in June, 1863, and in 1866 removed to Pembroke, where he has since
resided, and succeeded in building up a paying business. He is also
principal in the business conducted by the Dickson Drug Company in the
same place. From 1870 to 1874, Dr. Dickson held the position of captain
of No. 7 company, 42nd Battalion of Volunteers, and from 1873 to the
present time, he has acted as coroner for the county of Renfrew. During
the years 1877, ’78, ’79, he had a seat in the town council of Pembroke,
and in 1880, ’81, ’82, he was mayor of the same town. From 1881 to 1886,
he was one of the examiners of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of
Ontario. Dr. Dickson’s parents were Presbyterians, and he has followed
in the same safe path. In 1869, he was married to Jessie Rattray,
daughter of D. M. Rattray, of Portage du Fort, province of Quebec.
* * * * *
=Stockton, Alfred Augustus=, Barrister-at-Law, D.C.L., Ph.D., LL.D.,
M.P.P. for the city and county of St. John, New Brunswick, residence,
St. John, was born November 2nd, 1842, at Studholm, Kings county, N.B.
His father is William A. Stockton, of Sussex, Kings county, N.B., and
his mother, Sarah, daughter of the late Robert Oldfield, who came to
this country from Stockport, England. He is descended on the paternal
side from Richard Stockton, who emigrated from Cheshire, England, some
years prior to 1660, settled for a short time in Long Island, New York,
and afterwards removed to Princeton, New Jersey, where he became the
grantee of extensive tracts of land. His great-great-grandfather was
Richard Witham Stockton, who was born at Princeton, N.J., in 1733, and
was a cousin of his namesake who signed the Declaration of Independence.
Richard W. Stockton served under the Crown with the rank of major during
the war of the revolution. His son, Andrew Hunter Stockton (Mr.
Stockton’s great-grandfather), also served under the Crown, with the
rank of lieutenant, throughout the revolutionary war, and at its close
they both, with other members of the family, came with the U. E.
loyalists to St. John, then known as Parr Town. They were among the
original grantees of that city. They subsequently removed to Sussex,
Kings county, and became grantees of extensive tracts of land there. His
great-grandfather, Lieutenant Andrew Hunter Stockton, was married at St.
John (Parr Town) on the 4th day of April, 1784, to Hannah Lester. It was
the first marriage which took place at Parr Town. Alfred A. Stockton was
educated at the Academy and at the University of Mount Allison College,
Sackville, N.B.; graduated B.A. there in 1864, being the valedictorian
of his class, and M.A. in 1867. He also graduated LL.B. at Victoria
University, Cobourg, Ontario, in 1869; Ph.D., on examination at Illinois
Wesleyan University in 1883, and received the degree of D.C.L. from the
University of Mount Allison in 1884; also LL.D. in course from Victoria
University in 1887. He studied law with his uncle, the late C. W.
Stockton, and was admitted to the bar of New Brunswick in Trinity term,
1868, and was for some years senior member of the law firm of A. A. and
R. O. Stockton, of St. John, N.B. This legal firm having been dissolved,
he is now practising law on his own account. As an advocate and as a
speaker, Mr. Stockton stands high, and has done good service for his
profession in compiling the rules of the Vice-Admiralty Court of New
Brunswick, and editing in 1882, with very extensive notes, “Berton’s
Reports of the Supreme Court of New Brunswick.” He is an examiner for
degrees at the University of Mount Allison in political economy and
constitutional history, and in law at Victoria University; is also
registrar of the Court of Vice-Admiralty of New Brunswick; a director of
the Provincial Building Society of New Brunswick, and legal adviser of
the same; a member of the Board of Governors of the University of Mount
Allison College and secretary of the Board; president of the Historical
Society of New Brunswick; a member of the Council of the Barristers’
Society of the province; a director of the Society for the Prevention of
Cruelty to Animals, and also its legal adviser and prosecuting counsel.
He was at one time a director of the St. John Mechanics’ Institute and
corresponding secretary of that corporation. In July, 1883, a vacancy
having occurred in the New Brunswick Assembly, in consequence of the
death of the Hon. Wm. Elder, LL.D., the provincial secretary, on the
23rd of August following, Mr. Stockton was elected to the House of
Assembly to represent the city and county of St. John, to fill the
vacancy caused by Mr. Elder’s death. He was returned again for the same
constituency at the last general election in April, 1886. He was
appointed in June, 1887, by the government of New Brunswick, an advisory
and honorary member of the commission to report upon the amendment of
the “Law and Practice and Constitution of the Courts of that Province.”
Mr. Stockton was opposed to the confederation of the provinces under the
terms of the Act of Union, but favoured a union of the Maritime
provinces. Having been brought up in the old school of New Brunswick
Liberals, he is naturally opposed to the policy of protection so-called.
He is a Liberal in Dominion politics, and in favour of manhood suffrage,
and thinks the lieutenant-governors of the different provinces should be
elected by the people of the province at large, and that the Senate of
Canada should be elected for a specific term either by the direct vote
of the constituencies or by the Provincial legislatures. He has always
taken an active interest in higher education, and has written
considerable for publication on different subjects. At one time was one
of the editors of the _Maritime Monthly_, since ceased publication, and
also a correspondent of _La Revue Critique_ of Montreal, which has also
stopped publication. Mr. Stockton for a number of years took an active
interest in military affairs, and held a commission as captain in the
militia of the province at the time of the union in 1867. He is a past
master of the Masonic order, and a member of the Grand Lodge of New
Brunswick. He is also prominently identified with the temperance reform
movement. In religious matters he is a member of the Methodist
denomination, and has always belonged to that church, and at present is
one of the trustees of the Centenary Methodist Church in St. John. He
was married on the 5th September, 1871, to Amelia E., second daughter of
the Rev. Humphrey Pickard, D.D., of Sackville, N.B., who was for over a
quarter of a century president of the educational institutions at
Sackville, and one of the most prominent educationists of the Maritime
provinces of Canada.
* * * * *
=Cram, John Fairbairn=, Wool Merchant and Farmer, Carleton Place,
Ontario, was born on October 13, 1833, in the township of Beckwith,
county of Lanark, Ontario. His grandfather, Peter Cram, in the year
1820, with his wife, five of his sons and two daughters, left their
native village of Comrie, in Perthshire, Scotland, and set out for
Canada, to seek their fortune as farmers. After a tedious journey by sea
and land, extending over two months, they reached the township of
Beckwith, in Lanark, Ontario, where their eldest son John had settled
two years before, and had prepared for them a primitive shanty in the
woods. Here the family took up their temporary abode, and shortly
afterwards, the father and several of his sons selected lands in the
eleventh concession of Beckwith. The lots they selected were of good
quality, and though heavily timbered, these sturdy Scotch pioneers did
not feel the least dismayed, but soon succeeded in making a clearing in
the forest, and establishing a comfortable home for themselves. In 1830,
James, one of the sons of Peter Cram, and the father of the subject of
our sketch, married Janet, daughter of John McPhail, of the township of
Drummond, and settled on a lot adjoining his father’s farm, and in
course of time this worthy couple were blessed with a family of six sons
and three daughters, all of whom are still living, though they and their
descendants are now scattered throughout Canada and the United States.
The old couple passed away a few years ago, Mr. Cram at the age of
eighty-seven years, and Mrs. Cram about ten years younger, both greatly
respected and regretted by their numerous relatives and neighbours. John
Fairbairn, who was the second eldest son of James Cram, was at the age
of seven years sent to a school about three miles from home, and was
able to attend pretty regular until May, 1846, when unfortunately his
father’s dwelling house, with barn and all other outbuildings, were
destroyed by fire, when he had to give up attending school and go to
work on the farm. After this he had few opportunities presented him in
the way of school learning; and at the age of seventeen left home and
apprenticed himself to John Murdock, of Carleton Place, as a tanner, for
three years. He honourably served his apprenticeship, and in the spring
of 1853, joined in a partnership with his brother, Peter, when they
built for themselves a tannery at Appleton, about three miles from
Carleton Place. The brothers carried on the tanning business pretty
extensively for about sixteen years, when John sold out his interest in
the business to Peter, and removing to Carleton Place, erected a wool
and pelt establishment for himself. In 1872, Mr. Cram was elected a
member of the Board of Education of Carleton Place, and was re-elected
continuously for the following twelve years. He occupied a seat in the
Municipal Council of the village for eleven years, three of which he
presided as reeve. At the end of this period, finding the position too
onerous, he declined re-election. Mr. Cram is a total abstainer, and has
been connected with the order of the Sons of Temperance, the Good
Templars, and the County Temperance Alliance. In religious matters, he
is an adherent of the church of his fathers—the Presbyterian church.
Twenty-seven years ago he became a member of this church, and for the
last eighteen years has been one of its managing committee, and six
years ago was elected a deacon of the church. In politics, he is a
staunch Reformer, and is president of the Reform Association of Carleton
Place. Mr. Cram has been fairly successful in business, and although
like many another self-made man, has had his trials and difficulties,
yet he can afford to look back on his struggles and say that with the
help of God and an indomitable will, I have succeeded in making enough
of this world’s goods to enable me to spend the remainder of my days in
comfort. In 1865, Mr. Cram was married to Margaret, only surviving
daughter of William Wilson, of Appleton. This estimable lady died on the
21st of November, 1886. The fruit of the union was one daughter
(deceased) and three sons.
* * * * *
=Ross, Alexander Milton=, M.D., Montreal, the eminent Canadian
philanthropist, scientist and author, has had a career of striking
interest. He was born on December 13th, 1832, in Belleville, Ontario.
His father, William Ross, was a grandson of Captain Alexander Ross, an
officer of General Wolfe’s army of invasion. Captain Ross took part in
the battle on the Plains of Abraham, which resulted in the defeat of the
French and the conquest of all Canada. He subsequently received a grant
of lands from the Crown, and settled in Prince Edward County, Upper
Canada, where he lived until his death, which occurred in 1805. Captain
Alexander Ross was a grandson of Alexander Ross, laird of Balnagown,
Ross-shire, Scotland, who descended in a direct line from Hugh Ross, of
Rariches, second son of Hugh, the sixth and last Earl of Ross, of the
old family. Dr. Ross’s grandmother, on his father’s side, was Hannah
Prudence Williams, a descendant of Roger Williams (1595-1683), the
famous liberal preacher, and apostle of freedom, of Rhode Island. His
mother, Frederika Grant, was the youngest daughter of John Grant of the
British army, who died from wounds received at Niagara, in the war of
1812-1814. His maternal grandmother was Mary Jenks, a daughter of Joseph
Jenks, colonial governor of Rhode Island. Governor Jenks has left a
famous record of public services. He was speaker of the House of
Representatives of Rhode Island, from Oct., 1698, to 1708; deputy
governor from May, 1715, to May, 1727; governor from May, 1727, to May,
1732. He was a staunch and persistent friend and advocate of political
and religious liberty. In his boyhood Dr. Ross made his way to New York
city, and after struggling with many adversities, became a compositor in
the office of the _Evening Post_, then edited and owned by William
Cullen Bryant, the poet. Mr. Bryant became much interested in young
Ross, and ever after remained his steadfast friend. It was during this
period that he became acquainted with General Garibaldi, who at that
time was a resident of New York, and employed in making candles. This
acquaintance soon ripened into a warm friendship, which continued
unbroken down to Garibaldi’s death in 1882. It was through Dr. Ross’s
efforts in 1874 that Garibaldi obtained his pension from the Italian
government. In 1851 Dr. Ross began the study of medicine, under the
direction of the eminent Dr. Valentine Mott, and subsequently under Dr.
Trall, the celebrated hygienic physician. After four years of
unremitting toil, working as compositor during the day and studying
medicine at night, he received his degree of M.D. in 1855, and shortly
after received the appointment of surgeon in the army of Nicaragua, then
commanded by General William Walker. He subsequently became actively and
earnestly engaged in the anti-slavery struggle in the United States,
which culminated in the liberation from bondage of four millions of
slaves. Dr. Ross was a personal friend and co-worker of Captain John
Brown, the martyr. Although Dr. Ross’s sphere of labour in that great
struggle for human freedom was less public than that of many other
workers in the cause, it was not less important, and required the
exercise of greater caution, courage and determination, and also
involved greater personal risks. Senator Wade, vice-president of the
United States, said, in speaking of the abolitionists:—“Never in the
history of the world did the same number of men perform so great an
amount of good for the human race and for their country as the once
despised abolitionists, and it is my duty to add that no one of their
number submitted to greater privations, perils or sacrifices, or did
more in the great and noble work than Alexander Ross.” He has received
the benediction of the philanthropist and poet, Whittier, in the
following noble words, which find their echo in the hearts of
thousands:—
DR. A. M. ROSS.
For his steadfast strength and courage
In a dark and evil time,
When the Golden Rule was treason,
And to feed the hungry, crime.
For the poor slave’s hope and refuge,
When the hound was on his track,
And saint and sinner, state and church,
Joined hands to send him back.
Blessings upon him!—What he did
For each sad, suffering one,
Chained, hunted, scourged and bleeding,
Unto our Lord was done.
JOHN G. WHITTIER,
_Secretary of the Convention in 1833,_
_which formed the American Anti-Slavery Society._
The sincere radical abolitionists, with whom Dr. Ross was labouring,
were despised, hated and ostracised by the rich, the powerful and the
so-called higher classes; but Dr. Ross always possessed the courage of
his opinions, and prefers the approval of his own conscience to the
smiles or favours of men. During the Southern rebellion he was employed
by President Lincoln as confidential correspondent in Canada, and
rendered very important services to the United States government. For
this he received the special thanks of President Lincoln and Secretary
Seward. When the war ended, with the downfall of the Confederacy, Dr.
Ross offered his services to President Juarez, of Mexico, and received
the appointment of surgeon in the Republican army. The capture of
Maximilian, and the speedy overthrow of the empire, rendered Dr. Ross’s
services unnecessary, and he returned to Canada and to the congenial and
more peaceful pursuits of a naturalist. The object of his ambition now
was to collect and classify the fauna and flora of his native country, a
labour never before attempted by a Canadian. He has collected and
classified five hundred and seventy species of birds that regularly or
occasionally visit the Dominion of Canada; two hundred and forty species
of eggs of birds that breed in Canada; two hundred and forty-seven
species of mammals, reptiles, and fresh water fish; three thousand four
hundred species of insects; and two thousand species of Canadian flora.
The _Montreal Herald_ of August 19, 1884, says:—“Dr. Ross has been a
member of the British Association of Science for the last fourteen
years, and of the French and American Associations for the past ten
years. The following brief sketch will, therefore, prove doubly
interesting in view of the approaching gathering of scientific men
(meeting of the British Association, Sept., 1884), in this city. He has
devoted special attention to the ornithology, ichthyology, botany and
entomology of Canada; has personally made large and valuable collections
of the fauna and flora of Canada; has enriched by his contributions the
natural history museums of Paris, St. Petersburg, Vienna, Rome, Athens,
Dresden, Lisbon, Teheran and Cairo, with collections of Canadian fauna
and flora. He is author of “Birds of Canada” (1872), “Butterflies and
Moths of Canada” (1873), “Flora of Canada” (1873), “Forest Trees of
Canada” (1874), “Mammals, Reptiles, and Fresh water Fishes of Canada”
(1878), “Recollections of an Abolitionist” (1867), “Ferns and Wild
Flowers of Canada” (1877), “Friendly Words to Boys and Young Men”
(1884), “Vaccination a Medical Delusion” (1885), and “Natural Diet of
Man” (1886). He received the degrees of M.D. (1855), and M.A. (1867);
and was knighted by the Emperor of Russia (1876), King of Italy (1876),
King of Greece (1876), King of Portugal (1877), King of Saxony (1876),
and received the Medal of Merit from the Shah of Persia (1884), the
decoration of honour from the Khedive of Egypt (1884), and the
decoration of the Académie Française from the government of France
(1879). He was offered (and declined) the title of baron by the King of
Bavaria, in recognition of his labours as a naturalist, and was
appointed consul to Canada by the King of Belgium and the King of
Denmark. Dr. Ross was elected a fellow of the Royal Society of
Literature and the Linnean and Zoological Societies of England; the
Royal Societies of Antiquaries of Denmark and Greece; the Imperial
Society of Naturalists of Russia; the Imperial Botanical and Zoological
Society of Austria; the Royal Academy of Science of Palermo, Italy; a
member of the Entomological Societies of Russia, Germany, Italy, France,
Switzerland, Belgium, Bohemia and Wurtemburg; member of the Hygienic
Societies of France, Germany and Switzerland; honorary member of the
Royal Canadian Academy of Arts, and member of the European Congress of
Ornithology. For several years past Dr. Ross has laboured with his
characteristic zeal and energy in behalf of moral and physical reform.
He is the founder (1880) of the Canadian Society for the Diffusion of
Physiological Knowledge, and enlisted the sympathy and active support of
the Archbishop of Canterbury, Earl Shaftesbury, the Archbishop of
Toronto, and two hundred and forty clergymen of different denominations,
and three hundred Canadian school-teachers in the work of distributing
his tracts on “The Evils Arising from Unphysiological Habits in Youth”;
over one million copies of these tracts were distributed among the youth
of Britain and Canada, calling forth thousands of letters expressing
gratitude from parents and friends of the young. Dr. Ross is one of the
founders of the St. Louis Hygienic College of Physicians and Surgeons,
in which he is professor of hygiene, sanitation and physiology. He is
always on the side of the poor and the oppressed, no matter how
unpopular the cause may be. He does his duty as he sees it, regardless
of consequences to himself. The philanthropic Quakeress, Lucretia Jenks,
thus speaks of Dr. Ross:—
No, friend Ross! thou art not old;
A heart so true, so kind, so bold,
As in thy bosom throbs to-day,
Never! never! will decay.
Some I know, but half thy years,
Are quite deaf to all that cheers;
They are dumb when they should speak,
And blind to all the poor and weak.
There are none I know, in sooth,
Who part so slowly with their youth,
As men like thee, who take delight
In helping others to live right.
LUCRETIA JENKS.
Rhode Island, 22, 11mo., 1885.
When Dr. Ross had attained his fiftieth birthday, he was the recipient
of many tokens of regard and congratulations from friends and
co-workers. From the poet Whittier the following:—
DEAR FRIEND—Thy fifty years have not been idle ones, but filled
with good works; I hope another half century may be added to
them.
From Wendell Phillips:—
MY DEAR ROSS—Measured by the good you have done in your fifty
years, you have already lived a century.
From Harriet Beecher Stowe:—
DEAR DR. ROSS—As you look back over your fifty years, what a
comfort to you must be the reflection that you have saved so
many from the horrors of slavery.
During the small-pox epidemic in Montreal in 1885 Dr. Ross was a
prominent opponent of vaccination, declaring that it was not only
useless as a preventive of small-pox, but that it propagated the disease
when practised during the existence of an epidemic. In place of
vaccination, he strongly advocates the strict enforcement of sanitation
and isolation. He maintains that personal and municipal cleanliness is
the only scientific safeguard against zymotic diseases. When the
authorities attempted to enforce vaccination by fines and imprisonment,
Dr. Ross organized the Anti-Compulsory Vaccination League, and
successfully resisted what he considered an outrage on human rights. Dr.
Ross is a radical reformer in religion, medicine, politics, sociology
and dietetics, and a total abstainer from intoxicants and tobacco. He is
a graduate of the allopathic, hydropathic, eclectic and botanic systems
of medicine, and a member of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of
the provinces of Quebec, Ontario and Manitoba.
* * * * *
=Ellis, William=, Superintendent of the Welland Canal, St. Catharines,
Ontario, was born near London, England, on the 31st August, 1826, and
came to Canada in 1853, to take charge of the construction of an
eighty-two mile section of the Grand Trunk Railway. His father and
mother, Thomas and Margaret Ellis, were members of two old Yorkshire
families. William Ellis received his education in Cheshunt, Herts, and
London, England. Before coming to Canada, he acted in England as
engineer and contractor’s agent on various railway works, and in Canada
on the Grand Trunk Railway; and during the last seven years he has been
superintendent of the Welland canal. While a resident of Prescott in
1861, he was elected town councillor; and in 1864, he was chosen mayor.
For three years in succession he was president of the Prescott
Mechanics’ Institute, the Grenville County Agricultural Society, the
Prescott Board of School Trustees, and the Prescott Choral Society. At
present he is and has been for the past three years president of the St.
Catharines Philharmonic Society. Mr. Ellis belongs to the Episcopal
church, and occupies a prominent position in the denomination. He was
for three years churchwarden while in Prescott, and for twenty-one years
lay delegate for that parish. For St. Catharines, he has been lay
delegate for six years, and is also churchwarden of St. George’s Church,
and warden of St. George’s Guild. During the Fenian troubles in 1866,
Mr. Ellis served as lieutenant in the Garrison Artillery in Prescott,
and retired from military service on the disbandment of his company. He
has travelled a good deal, and has twice visited France. He has been
married twice. First, in October, 1855, to M. E. A. Jessup, of Prescott,
daughter of Edward Jessup, formerly M.P., for the Johnstown district.
This lady died, leaving a family of two children. The son has graduated
M.D. in McGill University. He married the second time in May, 1886, to
M. A. A. Bryant, daughter of Shettelworth Bryant, of Blackheath (Eng.),
and cousin of Colonel Bryant, St. Leonards, England.
* * * * *
=Call, Robert Randolph=, Newcastle, New Brunswick, was born in
Newcastle, Miramichi, N.B., September 12, 1837. His father, Obadiah
Call, was a native of the state of Maine, having been born in the
village of Dresden, August 1, 1800, and is still alive. Margaret Burke,
his mother, was born in Limerick, Ireland, in 1810, and came to
Miramichi with her father, who was a house-carpenter, shortly after the
great fire in 1825. She died on the 10th of May, 1877. Robert, the
subject of this sketch, was educated at the Grammar School of Newcastle,
and soon after leaving this institution developed an aptitude for
business. In 1871, in company with John C. Miller, he built the
side-wheel steamer _New Era_, and established the first line of
passenger steamers that ran on the Miramichi river. During the past
twenty-five years he has been interested in the steamboat business, and
occupied the position of agent for the Quebec and Gulf Ports Steamship
Company, and for other lines of steamers that have called at the port of
Newcastle. On November 26, 1866, he received the appointment of United
States Consular Agent at Newcastle. In June, 1867, was elected chairman
of the Northumberland County Almshouse Commissioners; and in January,
1874, was made a member of the board of Pilotage Commissioners for the
Miramichi district of New Brunswick, under the Pilotage Act, which then
came into force, and was chosen its secretary-treasurer. Mr. Call is
owner of the gas works in his native town, and they are operated under
his own immediate direction. On the 9th September, 1865, he was
appointed a lieutenant in the 2nd battalion Northumberland County
Militia; and on October 1st, 1868, at a public meeting held in the town
of Newcastle for the purpose of organizing a battery, was chosen captain
of the Newcastle Field Battery of Artillery, and was gazetted as such on
the 18th December of the same year. On the 18th December, 1873, he was
made major, and lieutenant-colonel on the 4th February, 1885. He still
retains the command of this battery, which he was mainly instrumental in
raising. In 1875 this corps was called into active service during the
school riots in Caraquet, Gloucester county. Lieutenant-Colonel Call,
with Lieutenant Mitchell second in command, and part of the battery, in
all forty-six persons, with horses, sleds, two nine-pounder guns,
ammunition, etc., left Newcastle on the afternoon of the 28th January
for Bathurst, the shire town of Gloucester county, and had to traverse a
distance of fifty-five miles through a comparatively desolate country.
The weather was very unsettled, and more severe than it had been for
years. The snow was fully four feet deep on the level, while in many
places it was drifted so badly that the men had to shovel for hours
before the teams could pass. They, however, after experiencing great
fatigue, and with hard labour, succeeded in reaching their destination
on the evening of the 29th, having accomplished the journey in
twenty-eight hours, without resting, except while the horses were being
fed on the road, the men in the meantime keeping their seats on the
sleds, and eating the provisions they had brought from home with them.
On their arrival in Bathurst they found that twenty-six of the leading
rioters had been safely lodged in the jail there. The infantry that
followed them proceeded to Caraquet. Here the battery remained for about
six weeks, making the court house their barracks, until the excitement
was calmed down and quiet was restored. Mr. Call became a member of
Northumberland lodge, A. F. and A. Masons, in 1863, and in the years
1866 and 1867 was master of the lodge. In 1873 he was appointed
representative to the Grand Lodge of New Jersey. He is also a member of
the Northumberland Highland Society, and one of its vice-presidents. He
has travelled a good deal, having visited England for his health in
1863, going over and returning in a sailing vessel. In 1881 he went,
_via_ Lake Superior, to Rainy River, Lake of the Woods, Winnipeg, etc.,
to Portage la Prairie, then the extreme end of the Canadian Pacific
Railway, for the purpose of having a look at this wonderful country, and
has taken an occasional trip to the United States. Mr. Call is a
Presbyterian, is one of the Trustees of St. James’ Church, and has been
its secretary and treasurer since 1874. He was married, May 21st, 1862,
to Annie Rankin Nevin, who was born in Stonehaven, Kincardineshire,
Scotland, on 5th December, 1836.
* * * * *
=Dowdall, James.=—The deceased, James Dowdall, who for many years
practised as a Barrister-at-Law in the town of Almonte, Ontario, was
born at Perth, county of Lanark, on the 31st December, 1853, and died on
the 27th October, 1885. His father, Edward Dowdall, was a son of the
deceased Patrick Dowdall, a reputable and well-educated magistrate of
the township of Drummond, in the county of Lanark; and his mother, Mary
O’Connor, was a daughter of an equally respected and literary farmer of
Drummond township,—Denis O’Connor, who was successful in life, and died
February, 1887. James Dowdall received his education at the Public and
High schools of Almonte, to which town his parents removed when he was
four years of age. In 1872 he commenced his law course with Joseph
Jamieson, M.P., Almonte, and concluded his studies in the office of Hon.
Edward Blake, at Toronto, and was called to the bar in 1877. He then
formed a partnership with D. G. Macdonell, and the firm in a very short
time attained to a high position in the legal fraternity, and secured a
large share of public support. He was president of several literary,
debating, benevolent and other societies, from his seventeenth year
continuously until his death in 1885. He also occupied the position of
president of the local Reform Association; was founder and president of
the Almonte branch of the Catholic Mutual Benefit Association; chairman
of the Separate School Board; had a seat on the High School Board; and
for years sat in the town council. He had a very large law practice, and
for years previous and up to his demise was Crown counsel for the
counties of Lanark and Renfrew. Mr. Dowdall was a public spirited man,
and took an active part in everything that went to improve his native
place and the surrounding district. He was a staunch Reformer, and took
an intelligent interest in politics. As a speaker, he was eloquent and
argumentative, and travelled through Lanark and other counties in
Ontario during several local and federal election campaigns, and did
good work for his party. In 1879 he married Onogh T. Nogle, daughter of
the late William Nogle, and left a family of children. The _Almonte
Gazette_ thus alludes to his death:—“Mr. Dowdall was an able antagonist
in court, quick to see the weak points in an opponent’s case, and no
less expert in concealing his own. These qualities, as well as his
careful study of the law in each case, made him a generally successful
lawyer in court, while his knowledge of human nature gave him great
advantage in cross-examination. Had his life been spared there is no
doubt he would have risen to the highest point in his profession. His
many good qualities more particularly demand our grateful recognition.
Many a battler with the world can tell of a hand stretched out and aid
given just at a time when a friend in need was a friend indeed. Many a
struggling tradesman can tell how often he has mounted the office stairs
to ask for help to meet a note or some other similar emergency, and that
he did not ask in vain. Many a poor and perplexed one took up his time
by recounting some act of another’s from which they were or had been
suffering, and from him obtained as much attention and as carefully
considered advice as though they had carried a large fee in their hands.
The blank caused by the death of Mr. Dowdall will be a wide one: not all
at once will it be discovered how much he is missed, but as the days and
weeks glide by there will be many occasions when parties will long for
the sound of a voice that is still, and it is safe to say in his case
that take him for all and all it will be long before we look upon his
like again. Mr. Dowdall was a Roman Catholic, and the Roman Catholic
church of this town will miss his counsel and assistance greatly, but it
can be said to his credit that though himself a devoted Catholic he was
as broad-minded and liberal as he was zealous in religious matters.
Throughout his career he always showed a warm feeling for his
co-religionists, while nothing ever prevented his doing justice to those
who differed from him. The Reform party, too, will greatly miss him.”
The _Central Canadian_, of Carleton Place, also spoke of him in this
kindly manner:—“As a member of the corporation of Almonte, he
contributed of his judgment, knowledge, energy, and life to make
everybody happy and everything prosperous. Mr. Dowdall’s prominent play
in politics and his long sphere of operations as a lawyer of much
discretion and accuracy brought out his innermost self in a way few
other professions do, and showed what manner of man he was. Yet though
thus so fiercely exposed to hostile criticism, he made iron-bound
friends where-ever he went. He had a personality so attractive, a
character so disarming in its tenderness and self-abnegation; he was so
clear and candid that he broke down all barriers of prejudice. Moreover,
among his intimates he possessed that mysterious gift of attraction
which in colloquial symbolism is called magnetism. On the 28th
September, Mr. Dowdall first complained and was advised by his physician
to take rest, which he did, but contrary to advice he went out on
Tuesday and drove up to the Reform meeting, and died on the 27th
October, 1885.” Richard J. Dowdall, barrister, has succeeded to the
practice of the late James Dowdall. He had just completed his law course
at the time of his brother’s death, and at once commenced practice in
the old offices at Almonte.
* * * * *
=Crocket, William=, A.M., Chief Superintendent of Education for New
Brunswick, Fredericton, was born in Brechin, in the north of Scotland,
on the 17th of May, 1832. His parents were James Crocket and Martha
Procter. William received his elementary education at the High School of
his native parish, and then went to King’s College, Aberdeen, where he
took the university course. His professional training he received at the
Established Church Normal School in Glasgow. He came to New Brunswick in
1856, and from this date to 1861, filled the position of principal of
the Superior School at Campbellton, New Brunswick. In 1861, he was
appointed rector of the Presbyterian Academy, at Chatham, New Brunswick,
and acted as such until 1870, when he was appointed principal of the
Normal School of New Brunswick, and this office he held until 1883. On
the 13th November of that year, he was appointed by the government of
New Brunswick, its chief superintendent of education for the province,
and this office he now holds, and is greatly respected by all with whom
his official position brings him in contact. Mr. Crocket has been
faithful to his profession; has laboured zealously to improve the method
of teaching in the Public schools of the province, and has the
satisfaction of knowing that his efforts have not been barren of
results. He has also taken a deep interest in the higher education of
the province, and has been for over ten years one of the examiners for
degrees in the University of New Brunswick, and is likewise a member of
the University Senate. He belongs to the church of his fathers, the
Presbyterian; and was married to Marion, daughter of William M.
Caldwell, of Campbellton, New Brunswick, on the 13th of April, 1858.
* * * * *
=Barclay, Rev. James=, M.A., Pastor of St. Paul’s Presbyterian Church,
Montreal, is a native of Paisley, Scotland, having been born in that
town on the 19th June, 1844. His parents were James Barclay and Margaret
Cochrane Brown. He received his primary education in Paisley Grammar
School, and Merchiston Castle School, Edinburgh, and then went to the
University of Glasgow, where he graduated with high honours. He was then
called to St. Michael’s Church, Dumfries. On the occasion of his
ordination, the Rev. Dr. Lees, of St. Giles, Edinburgh, who was present,
spoke in the most kindly manner of the young minister, and said that
during Mr. Barclay’s college course the presbytery of Paisley had great
cause to be proud of him; he had carried off one prize after another—in
fact, his name was seen on every list of honours published by the
university. Rev. Mr. Barclay’s next charge was Canobie, Dumfriesshire;
then he preached for some time in Linlithgow, and was afterwards induced
to seek a wider field for his talents, and was chosen colleague of the
Rev. Dr. McGregor in St. Cuthbert’s Church, Edinburgh. Here he soon won
for himself a name, and became one of the most popular preachers in the
Scotch metropolis. St. Paul’s Church, Montreal, being without a pastor,
it extended a unanimous call to Mr. Barclay, asking him to come to
Canada and take charge of this church, which he consented to do, and was
inducted as its minister on the 11th of October, 1883. Since then his
ministry in Montreal has been eminently successful, and his influence
among the young men of that city is greatly marked, so much so that they
flock to his church in great numbers, and regard him in a special sense
as their friend. The Rev. Mr. Barclay has great mental qualities, is an
independent thinker, and never hesitates to enunciate the scientific and
theological thoughts of the times we live in. His sermons are prepared
with great care, and are delivered with earnestness and force. He is a
good reader, an impressive platform speaker, and his prayers are solemn,
reverential and spiritual, leading man up from self and earth and sin
into the presence of God, the Father of all. Physically the Rev. Mr.
Barclay is tall and muscular, giving one an idea of strength and power.
He belongs to the Charles Kingsley school, and is a lover of outdoor
pastimes and sports, a champion cricketer and golf player, and a great
admirer of the “roaring game”—curling. The Edinburgh _Scotsman_ has
spoken of him as being the best all round cricketer in Scotland, and a
terrifically fast bowler who has won victory after victory for the west
of Scotland. He was captain of the Glasgow University cricket and
football clubs for some years, and also captain of the “Gentlemen of
Scotland.” We are glad that in this matter of out-door recreation, and
also in some other matters, he has shown the courage of his convictions,
and we do not think he has lost anything by it. There is such a thing as
being too professional and too priestly, and there can be little doubt
but that this has done its full share in creating the somewhat general
prejudice that exists among young men against religion. This popular
divine has been honoured by being called on to preach before Queen
Victoria on several occasions, and he stands high in her Majesty’s
estimation as an expounder of the gospel of Christ. The congregation of
St. Paul’s Church is large and influential. Its ministers have always
been men of commanding intellect and gentlemanly bearing, and who held
their several pastorates for a considerable number of years. Their names
and good deeds are kindly remembered by the citizens and the members of
the church and congregation. The regular communicants of the church
number about six hundred, and the Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper is
administered three times a year. The several organizations of the church
are doing good work for humanity, and there is a large and flourishing
Sunday school. The Victoria mission, at Point St. Charles, is supported
and carried on by this church; and it also supports a missionary in
Central India. Its annual revenue amounts to about $22,000.00, and the
pastor’s salary is $7,300.00, the largest paid to any minister in the
dominion.
* * * * *
=Watson, George=, Collector of Customs, Collingwood, Ontario, was born
on the 2nd of December, 1828, in the parish of Strathdon, near Aberdeen,
Scotland, on a farm that had been occupied by his forefathers for over
two hundred years, and which one of the family still occupies. The first
of the Watson family, an aunt of the subject of our sketch, came to
York, Upper Canada, in 1816, at the solicitation of Bishop Strachan, who
came to Canada in 1812 from the same parish. His uncle-in-law, William
Arthurs (father of the late Colonel Arthurs), was one of the first city
councillors of Toronto, William Lyon Mackenzie, mayor. His father,
Alexander Watson, emigrated to Upper Canada in 1832, and settled on a
farm in the township of Chinguacousy, about twenty miles from Toronto,
and died at Collingwood on the 30th of November, 1877, at the ripe old
age of eighty-four years and six months. His mother was named Annie
Watt, and died at the family homestead in Scotland when only twenty-nine
years and nine months old. George received his early education in the
parish school of Strathdon, and coming to Canada in 1843, finished his
course of studies in the Grammar School at Toronto. He went on his
father’s farm and continued there until 1855, when he took the position
of passenger conductor on the Northern Railway, and continued as such
for nearly twelve years. In October, 1866, in consequence of ill health,
he gave up railroading, and in November of the same year received the
government appointment of sub-collector at the port of Collingwood. In
1873, when the port was made an independent one, he was made collector,
and this position he still holds. He has now resided in Collingwood over
thirty-two years, and occupied the position of government officer of
customs over twenty years. In 1867 Mr. Watson was elected mayor of
Collingwood, and held the office for five consecutive years, and at the
end of this time he declined to serve any longer; but in 1877, however,
he was again induced to accept the office, and served another term. He
is a justice of the peace; and has been chairman of the board of license
commissioners for West Simcoe since the passing of the Ontario License
Law in 1876. He is an enthusiastic Scot, and has filled the office of
president of the Collingwood St. Andrew’s Society since its organization
in 1880. Mr. Watson is also surveyor and registrar of shipping for the
Collingwood district. He is an adherent of the Presbyterian church, and
in politics a Reformer, as were his forefathers. In June, 1865, Mr.
Watson was married to Joanna, daughter of the late John Watson, of
Chinguacousy, and has a family of three sons, George, aged twenty years,
Lorne Mackenzie, aged four years, and Norman, aged four months. Mr.
Watson is one of Nature’s noblemen, and has through life manifested a
thoroughly independent spirit, and one well worthy of imitation by any
young man starting out in life. He has earned for himself a competency
“for the glorious privilege of being independent.”
* * * * *
=Crisp, Rev. Robert S.=, Pastor of the Methodist Church, Moncton, New
Brunswick, is one of two brothers (Robert S. and James Crisp), who came
to the Maritime provinces during the years 1871 and 1872, for the
purpose of entering the Methodist ministry. Robert S., the elder of the
two brothers and subject of this sketch, was born near Norwich, England,
July 1st, 1848. He is the eldest son of James and Sarah Crisp, and is
descended on his mother’s side from a junior branch of the Walpole
family, some members of which occupied important positions in English
politics during the reigns of George I. and George II. Many interesting
traditions and relics, as well as valuable estates in Norfolk, still
remain in this branch of the family. After receiving a general education
in the public schools and in a private school of his native place, Mr.
Crisp took theological studies under the direction of the Rev. Thomas G.
Keeling, M.A., well known in certain divinity circles in the old
country, purposing to offer himself for the Methodist ministry in
connection with the English conference. A letter from the late Rev. Dr.
Geo. Scott, urging him to go to America, decided him, however, in an
early purpose he had formed of some time offering himself for the work
under the control of the (then) Eastern British American conference,
which he accordingly did in October, 1871, and on arriving in this
country was appointed assistant to the Rev. F. W. Harrison, in a large
country charge on the banks of the St. John river, in New Brunswick.
Among other charges held by Mr. Crisp, have been Charlottetown, P.E.I.,
Chatham, Portland, and Moncton, N.B. Mr. Crisp’s especial aim has been
to adapt himself as far as possible to the actual needs and tastes of
the people among whom he has laboured in word and doctrine. As a result
of this he has been successful in his work, and the church to which he
belongs has been extended and consolidated in his various charges. He is
also well known as a lecturer and enthusiastic temperance worker. In the
latter capacity he has sometimes aroused much opposition. He was chosen
to deliver an address of welcome at the annual meeting of the Sons of
Temperance in Moncton in 1886, and as a result of remarks he made
regarding the appointment of a man who was transacting business in
liquor, to the office of justice of the peace in a town in which the
Scott Act had been adopted, he was sued for libel with damages laid at
$10,000. Rev. Mr. Crisp, however, kept on steadily in his course, and
soon after the local government appointed a commission to enquire into
the charges preferred. Mr. Crisp is still a young man (1887), and hopes
to have very many years of labour before him in various departments of
Christian work.
* * * * *
=Harris, Joseph A.=, Barrister-at-law, Moncton, New Brunswick, is the
fifth son of Michael S. Harris, and was born at Moncton, New Brunswick,
on the 23rd of August, 1847. He received his educational training at the
Mount Allison Academy, New Brunswick, and in the Liverpool Collegiate
Institution, England. After leaving school he followed mercantile
pursuits until 1872, when he began the study of law in the office of the
late Albert J. Hickman, barrister, Dorchester, New Brunswick, and
continued here until September of 1873, when he entered Harvard
University, Massachusetts. In this university he remained for over two
years. He then returned to his native province, and entered the office
of the Hon. John J. Fraser, Q.C., J.S.C., at Fredericton, New Brunswick,
as a student, and continuing there until October, 1876, when he was
admitted to the bar of the Supreme Court of New Brunswick. In 1877 Mr.
Harris became a member of the Suffolk bar in Massachusetts, and
practised his profession in Boston until 1885, when he returned to
Moncton, was re-sworn in a barrister, and is now in active practice in
that town being counsel for several leading corporations. On the 29th of
April, 1879, Mr. Harris was married at Warren, Rhode Island, U.S., to
Isabel F. E. Brown, daughter of the late Hon. Charles Frederick Brown,
of Rhode Island.
* * * * *
=Hunt, Henry George=, St. Catharines, Ontario, was born on the 16th of
June, 1846, at Sheerness, Kent, England. He is the eldest son of Harvey
Hunt, of Poole, Dorsetshire, England, and Sarah Tucker, of Horne, in the
same county, daughter of W. Tucker, the Swedish and Danish consul at
Poole. Henry George Hunt, the subject of this sketch, spent the first
six years of his life in Sheerness, and in 1852, his father having
received an appointment in her Majesty’s dockyards at Portsmouth, the
family removed to that place. Here Henry received his education at the
Grammar School of that town, and at the age of fourteen years he went
before the Civil Service commission and passed a most creditable
examination, being first out of one hundred and thirteen for a
scholarship in the Royal College of Naval Architecture at Portsmouth. At
the end of a three years’ course in this institution he was in 1863
promoted from the lower to the upper college. Two years later he was
appointed by the Imperial government to the Peninsular and Oriental
Company’s service in the East Indies, and left England on the 29th of
September, 1865, in H.M.S. _Octavia_, fifty-one-gun frigate, commanded
by Rear-Admiral Sir James Hilyar, K.C.B., for India. This ship on her
way out called at Madeira, Sierra Leone, Ascension, St. Helena, and
remained some weeks at each of these ports, arriving at the Cape of Good
Hope in the early part of 1866, and remained there about a month,
visiting Port Natal, Simonstown, and other places. He afterwards visited
Zanzibar, the island of Madagascar, etc. In 1867 he sailed for Bombay,
and entered upon his duties with the Peninsular and Oriental Company.
During the years 1867-8-9 he visited every stores depot owned by this
company in the east, among them being Suez, Aden in the Red Sea; Muscat
in the Persian Gulf; Kurachee, Bombay, Goa, Pondicherry, Madras,
Calcutta, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Canton in China; and Yokahama in Japan.
In the summer of 1869 he was taken down with the jungle fever, having
caught a severe cold when out shooting with some brother officers in
Ceylon, and when it was discovered to be a very serious case, he was
conveyed to the Madras Hospital, where, after a hard fight, he pulled
through. He then resigned his appointment and started for home by the
long sea-route round the Cape of Good Hope, having taken passage in
H.M.S. _Lyra_. On his arrival in England he was appointed landing waiter
in her Majesty’s customs, and was stationed at Portsmouth. He remained
in this service until the fall of 1871, when the Hon. Mr. Gladstone’s
“free breakfast-table policy” caused a great reduction in the staff of
customs officers at the out-ports, and Mr. Hunt, with many other
officers around the coast of Great Britain, received a few hundred
pounds cash as compensation for the loss of their commissions, and left
the service. In the spring of 1872 Mr. Hunt was married to Eleanor
Fanny, eldest daughter of Arthur Charles Lansley, of Andover, Hants; and
in the fall of the same year he sailed for America to visit a wealthy
uncle who lived in Alabama. Having taken his passage _via_ Quebec, on
his westward journey, he was induced to stay over at St. Thomas,
Ontario, and take a position in the Canada Southern Railway Company. Not
having realized his expectations, he abandoned this service, and for the
next two or three years he was engaged in various pursuits, such as
bookkeeper for Rich & Mitchell, wholesale druggists, St. Thomas, and for
Messrs. Kain, of the same place. In 1877 he bought out a jobbing
business, and in the following year sold this out and removed to St.
Catharines, to take charge in that city of the extensive piano-forte
business of A. & S. Nordheimer, of Toronto. On this branch being closed,
Mr. Hunt received the appointment of city ticket agent for the Great
Western Railway Company in St. Catharines; and since he has extended his
business of ticket-selling so that he now represents every railway and
steamboat line in Canada and the United States, and the extensive
tourist system of Thomas Cook & Sons, of New York and London, England.
Mr. Hunt has been prominently identified with the Masonic order for many
years. In 1866, while at the Cape of Good Hope, on his way to India, he
was initiated in Royal Alfred lodge of the Grand Lodge of Scotland, a
very aristocratic lodge, Prince Alfred, after whom it was named, with
many officers of the military and civil service, being members. While in
St. Thomas he was instrumental in forming a company that built one of
the finest Masonic halls in Canada. He established Elgin lodge, and was
its first worshipful master; was also first principal of De Warrene
chapter of Royal Arch Masons, and assisted in establishing Nineveh
Council of Royal and Select Masters, and was one of its Illustrious
masters. Since his residence in St. Catharines he has taken an active
part in city improvements, and helped in getting an electric light
company established, and is now the manager and secretary-treasurer of
this company. Mr. Hunt has also been for the past five years manager of
the Grand Opera House; and is manager of Hendrie & Co’s. cartage agency
for the collection and delivery of freight for the Grand Trunk Railway.
He represents the Baltimore & Ohio Telegraph Company, the Commercial
(Mackay-Bennett) Cable Company, and all the transatlantic steamboat
companies, as well as the Canadian Pacific Telegraph Company, and
Dominion Express Company. Mr. Hunt is a strong supporter of the
Episcopal church. He has been twice married, his first wife having died
a few years after his arrival in Canada, leaving two children. Six years
afterwards he married the second daughter of the late Charles Norton, of
St. Catharines, and by this marriage he has had two sons and two
daughters.
* * * * *
=Cooke, Thomas Vincent=, Moncton, New Brunswick, General Storekeeper of
the Intercolonial Railway of Canada, was born at Pictou, Nova Scotia,
August 6th, 1848. He is a son of Dr. William Edward Cooke and Euphemia
Turnbull. Dr. Cooke was a son of Thomas Cooke, of Garryhill, county of
Carlow, Ireland, and Mary Mallow. Miss Mallow was a daughter of John
Mallow, mayor of Dublin, in the stirring days of ’98. Mr. Cooke, sen.,
came to Halifax when a boy, and studied medicine under the late Dr. Head
of that city, and graduated at Jefferson College, Philadelphia. He
married Miss Turnbull, a daughter of William Turnbull, ex-M.P. for the
county of Richmond, Cape Breton, and shortly afterwards moved to Pictou
and practised his profession in that town until his death in 1879. He
was a man of the most kindly and genial disposition, and was widely
known and universally beloved throughout the county of Pictou. His son,
Thomas Vincent Cooke, the subject of this sketch, was educated at Pictou
Academy and the Normal School, Truro, and studied medicine for a time
under the late Dr. Samuel Muir, of Truro, but having a dislike for the
medical profession, entered the service of the Nova Scotia Railway
Company as clerk in the freight department at Richmond, Halifax, in
January, 1865. On the opening of the line to Pictou in 1867, he was
appointed agent at Pictou Landing. Was appointed agent at Truro in 1870,
and reappointed at Pictou Landing in 1872. On the reorganization of the
service in 1879, he was appointed assistant auditor of the Intercolonial
Railway Company, and removed to Moncton, where he was appointed general
storekeeper in October, 1880. Mr. Cooke has always taken a deep interest
in Masonic matters. He joined the order in Truro in 1871, and is a past
master of Cobuquid lodge, No. 37, Truro, and past high priest of Keith
Chapter, Truro, and of St. John’s Chapter, Pictou, Royal Arch Masons.
Holds past rank as past grand king of the Grand Chapter of Nova Scotia,
and is representative of the Grand Chapter of Nevada in that body. Is
eminent preceptor of Malta Preceptory of Knights Templar, Truro, under
the Great Priory of Canada. He was married in 1867 to Annie Curry,
daughter of Captain John Curry, of Pictou, N.S., and has one son and
three daughters. He is a member of the Church of England.
* * * * *
=Rottot, Jean Philippe=, M.D., Montreal, was born at L’Assomption,
county of L’Assomption, July 3rd, 1825. His grandfather, Pierre Rottot,
who had been gazetted captain of the Canadian _Voltigeurs_ in 1812, was
killed at the battle of St. Régis, on the 20th October of the same year.
After his death, his son, Pierre Rottot, the doctor’s father, was
appointed lieutenant to the “Chasseurs Canadiens,” commanded by
Lieutenant-Colonel de Courci, and was present at the different
engagements which took place between the English and American troops
during the war of 1812, among others at the expedition to the Salmon
river, and at the battles of Plattsburg and Chrysler’s Farm. Dr. Rottot
received his education at the College of Montreal. He studied medicine
at the School of Medicine and Surgery of Montreal, and was admitted to
practice on the 16th November, 1847. After practising a few years in the
country, he took up his residence in Montreal. In 1856 he was elected,
without opposition, a member of the City council of Montreal. At the
expiration of his term of office he declined re-nomination, in order to
devote himself wholly to his profession. About 1860 he was appointed
physician to the Hôtel-Dieu, and professor of the School of Medicine and
Surgery of Montreal, where he occupied successively the chairs of
botany, toxicology, medical jurisprudence, and internal pathology. In
1872 he became editor-in-chief of _L’Union Médicale du Canada_, which
was just being founded. He was president of the St. Jean Baptiste
Society of Montreal in 1877 and 1878. About the same time he was elected
president of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of the province of
Quebec. In 1878 he resigned his chair at the School of Medicine and
Surgery, and was appointed professor of internal pathology and dean of
the faculty of medicine of Laval University at Montreal. Dr. Rottot was
one of the founders of the Notre Dame Hospital. During his medical
career he has been the physician of the greater number of the charitable
institutions of Montreal, and is at present physician to the reverend
gentlemen of the Seminary of Saint Sulpice, and the reverend ladies of
the General Hospital. Dr. Rottot was twice married; the first time to S.
O’Leary, daughter of Dr. O’Leary, and the second time to the widow of N.
Migneault, in his lifetime registrar of Chambly county. Mrs. Migneault
is a sister of P. B. Benoit, ex-member of the House of Commons. By his
first wife he had three children, the eldest of whom belongs to the
order of the Reverend Jesuit Fathers, and is professor of philosophy in
St. Mary’s College, Montreal.
* * * * *
=Wanless, John=, M.D., Montreal.—This famed homœopathic physician is a
Scotchman by birth, having been born at Perth road, Dundee, near St.
Peter’s parish church, where the celebrated Rev. R. M. McCheyne was
pastor, on May 26th, 1813. He is the second son of the late James
Wanless, a man who was in his day very much respected by his fellow
townspeople, and who for many years carried on business as a
manufacturer of green cloth in Dundee. His mother, Agnes Sim, is still
alive (August, 1887) at the age of ninety-six years, in full possession
of her mental faculties, and can see to read without spectacles. Dr.
Wanless much resembles this wonderful woman in many respects. Dr.
Wanless’s father intended that his two sons should succeed him in his
own business, but after his death, which took place when the doctor was
only ten years old, the executors of the estate, when he had reached his
thirteenth year, apprenticed him to Dr. James Johnston, one of
themselves, a leading physician in Dundee. This gentleman having died
shortly afterwards, James Hay, merchant and ship-owner, another of the
executors, and one of the governors of the Dundee Royal Infirmary,
discovering the boy’s aptitude for medical study, was induced to secure
for him the position of dresser and clinical clerk in the above
hospital, which for three years he filled to the entire satisfaction of
the governors and medical men of the institution. While he was here he
was a great favourite with the celebrated lithotomist, Dr. John
Creighton, of Dundee, and this gentleman often asked young Wanless to
assist him in his private operations, as well as in the hospital, and on
the eve of his leaving to prosecute his studies in Edinburgh, he bore
high testimony to his ability and diligence as a student, and as to his
practical knowledge of his profession. It may be as well to mention here
that young Wanless, like all other boys on the Scotch sea-board, was
very fond of paddling in the water, and on several occasions narrowly
escaped drowning. When about ten years of age he and some other boys
were amusing themselves on some logs that had got adrift from the ship
_Horton_, of Dundee, just arrived from America, and had floated up the
river into a small bay, which at its mouth had a sort of pier with
arches on it. While astride a piece of this timber it capsized, and our
young hero was soon at the bottom of the river. On coming to the
surface, he found himself immediatetly below a raft, and considering
that his time had not yet come to be drowned, he struck out boldly from
under, and gasping for breath, he was hauled on the raft by his
terrified comrades. On getting ashore he dried his clothes and made for
home; but his father nevertheless discovered that he had had a ducking,
and gave him a sound thrashing and confined him in doors for some time
for his boyish escapade. The doctor now thinks that if his father—who
was a very loving man—had not been imbued with the idea that “he that
spareth the rod hateth the child,” he would have done better had he
given him some dry clothes, or sent him for a time to a warm bed. In
1831 John Wanless left Dundee and went to Edinburgh, as a student in the
Royal College of Surgeons, under the then celebrated professors
McIntosh, Liston, Lizars, Ferguson, and others, fellows of the college,
all of whom are now gone to their final rest. During the college session
of 1831, his friend, Mr. Hay, offered him the position of surgeon on
board the whaling ship _Thomas_, which office he cheerfully accepted,
although he was then only seventeen years of age. This good ship sailed
from Dundee in March, 1832, and returned with a full cargo in time to
permit the young surgeon to attend the opening of the college session of
1832-3. Subsequently during college vacation he went three times to
Davis Straits in the same ship, and thereby greatly invigorated his
previously rather slender physical frame. While on one of his whaling
voyages he one day was out in a boat shooting loons, which are very
numerous in Davis Straits, and a good many can be killed by one
discharge from a gun. In the act of gathering the killed he espied a
wounded bird at a short distance, and in his endeavour to reach it he
leaned too far over the gunwale, lost his balance, and went head first
into the Arctic sea. His shipmates were alarmed, and waited in dread
suspense for some time, but at length he came up, holding on to the loon
by one of its legs. The mate afterwards remarked “that the doctor should
always be taken with the shooting parties, for he could dive for the
wounded fellows.” It may be here mentioned that the doctor was a good
swimmer, and as a youth practised swimming in the Tay at Dundee, and was
in the habit, sometimes, of carrying younger boys on his back out into
the stream, and then throwing them off; but before doing this, however,
he always gave them instructions how to swim on their “own hook.” He has
been known to swim for three miles on a stretch, resting occasionally on
his back. At Pond’s Bay he one time fell out of a boat, while steering
with a long oar, amongst a lot of whales. There were about fifty ships’
boats and their crews in a crack in the land ice, which extended about
twenty miles from the shore, and in some places the rent was about one
hundred yards wide. In this opening the whales were so numerous that the
harpooners only selected the largest fish for capture. During the
excitement, and when passing another boat, the blade of one of their
side oars unshipped the doctor’s steering oar while he was pushing it
from him, and, losing his balance, he fell into the water. He however
did not feel the least alarmed, but at once struck out for the ice, and,
drying his clothes as well as he could, walked to his ship, which was
anchored about two miles away, in the field ice, and soon found himself
on deck, not much the worse for his ducking. In the spring of 1835,
having passed his examination before the Faculty of Physicians and
Surgeons of Glasgow, he returned to Dundee and married Margaret
McDonald, the only daughter of Duncan McDonald, a well-known
manufacturer of that town, and Margaret Rose, his wife. To Miss McDonald
he had been betrothed for several years. He then became house surgeon in
the Dundee Royal Infirmary, and having filled this position for about
two years, gave it up, and entered into private practice, his office
being in the same house in which he was born and married. In 1843 Dr.
Wanless, accompanied by his wife, mother, brother, and sisters, with
their husbands, emigrated to Canada, and ultimately settled in London,
Ontario. While in this city the doctor built up a good practice, and as
coroner for the city of London and county of Middlesex he was highly
spoken of by the press for the luminous and logical way in which he
presented evidence to his jurors. In 1849 he received his license from
the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Lower Canada. One day, in
1859, as he was walking along a street in London to visit a patient, he
observed Dr. Bull, a homœopathist, give some pellets to a man who had
fallen out of a two-story window. Having a prejudice against homœopathy,
he accosted Dr. Bull in these words, “Don’t you think shame of yourself
in giving that useless trash to a man in that condition?” Dr. Bull rose
up, in a defensive attitude, and said, “I have always taken you for a
sensible man, and instead of acting as you have done in your
persecutions of us, why don’t you try to test our remedies according to
the law of cure? I will give you some of our books to read, and also
some of our medicines for that purpose.” Dr. Wanless accepted the offer,
and took the books and medicines, thinking that he would be able to
expose what he then thought was a humbug. After studying the principle
of homœopathy for some time he gave the medicines to some of his
patients, strictly according to the principles of homœopathy, beginning
with some cases which had resisted the allopathic treatment under his
own care, and that of some of the ablest men in the country, keeping a
strict account of the symptoms and disease, and the symptoms and
pathogenesy of what the medicine would produce on the healthy body, and
after carefully testing this method of practice for nearly two years, he
found that, instead of persecuting the homœopathists, he would have to
become a homœopathist himself. After thorough conviction of its benefits
to his patients, like Paul with the Christians, and in order to carry
out the practice of homœopathy with more efficiency, he ceased from
practice in London, and devoted himself to renewed study at the age of
fifty years, and obtained the degree of Bachelor of Medicine from the
University of Toronto in 1861, and the degree of Doctor in Medicine from
the same University in the following year, 1862. He then, in order to
have a wider field to labour in, went to Montreal (but before leaving
having been complimented by the press of London upon his previous
professional attainments), where he now resides, enjoying a good
practice. In politics, as in medicine, Dr. Wanless has sought to
conserve the good, and set aside the effete and worthless. Both in
London and Montreal, by his spirited and able contributions to the
press, he has done much to popularize homœopathy, and establish its
prime tenets. He was instrumental in procuring an act of the Provincial
parliament of Quebec, in favour of homœopathic education, and with power
to grant licenses to those who had studied according to the curriculum
specified by the act, and who had passed a satisfactory examination
before the appointed board of examiners, as he always upheld that
homœopaths, as well as allopaths, should be able to show that they
possessed a thorough medical education and training. Dr. Wanless is
nominal dean of the Faculty of the College of Homœopathic Physicians and
Surgeons of Montreal, and professor of the practice of physic and one of
the examiners of the college. He attained the license of the Faculty of
Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow in 1835; College of Physicians and
Surgeons of Lower Canada in 1849; M.B. of the University of Toronto,
1861; M.D. of the University of Toronto in 1862, and is a member of the
Colleges of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario and Quebec. He has a son,
Dr. John R. Wanless, who now practises in Dunedin, New Zealand. This
gentleman is a graduate M.D.,C.M. of McGill University, Montreal, and,
like his father, has adopted the homœopathic principle from conviction.
In religion, as in politics and medicine, the doctor is thoroughly
liberal, and belongs to the Congregational body of worshippers. He is
broad in his views, giving liberty of opinion to all, and exhibits no
desire to scold and burn those who differ from him, except to show them
their error by fair reasoning.
* * * * *
=Boswell, George Morss Jukes=, Q.C., Judge of the County Court of the
United Counties of Northumberland and Durham, Cobourg, Ontario, was born
at Gosport, England, in June, 1804. His father, John Boswell, of London,
England, solicitor, was the youngest son of James Boswell, an officer in
the Royal Navy, whose four elder brothers were also officers in the same
service, and a descendant of the Boswells of Balmuto, Scotland, the
elder branch of the family of the celebrated biographer. Judge Boswell,
the subject of our sketch, was educated at the Grammar School,
Buntingford, Herts, England, came to Canada in 1822, and was one of the
earliest settlers in Cobourg. He was called to the bar in Michaelmas
term, 1827, and is the premier Queen’s counsel in Canada, being the
first created by commission in August, 1841. He was an unsuccessful
candidate for the Upper Canada Assembly in 1836, but was returned at the
first election after the union of Upper and Lower Canada, and sat from
1841 to 1844, in the then Parliament of Canada. While in parliament he
took a prominent part in constitutional debate, was a staunch advocate
of responsible government, and although a Conservative in principle,
worked with the Reform party until constitutional government was
conceded. During the discussion on this question, he forced Mr. Draper,
then attorney-general, to admit the principle, “That if the government
cannot command the majority of the house, so that its measures may be
carried on harmoniously, if they do not find by the whole proceedings of
the house that they have the confidence of a majority of its members,
then that a dissolution of the house shall follow, or that the
government resign.” This then settled this important question of
responsible government, though dragged out of Attorney-General Draper
against his will (see _Cobourg Star_, June 11th, 1841). Before accepting
a judgeship, Mr. Boswell was one of the leading lawyers in Canada, and
as such was specially retained to defend Hunter, Morrison, Montgomery,
and others, who were tried for high treason in connection with the
rebellion in 1837. The two former were acquitted. In 1845, he was
appointed Judge of the County Court of the United Counties of
Northumberland and Durham, and accepted superannuation in 1882. In 1837,
he served under Colonel Ham as brigade major with the volunteers in
suppressing the rebellion, and was on the frontier at Chippawa, at the
time the rebels under McKenzie took possession of Navy Island. Judge
Boswell was married first in 1829, to Susannah, daughter of James
Radcliffe, by whom he had a numerous family; and last to Mary, daughter
of the late Rev. Thomas Wrench, rector of St. Michael’s Church,
Cornhill, London.
* * * * *
=Ogilvie, Hon. Alexander Walker=, Montreal, Lieutenant-Colonel, member
of the Senate of Canada for Alma division, was born at St. Michael, near
the city of Montreal, on the 7th of May, 1829. The Ogilvie family is
descended from a younger brother of Gilchrist, Earl of Angus, a valiant
soldier who in the thirteenth century was rewarded with the land of
Ogilvie, in Banffshire, Scotland, and assumed the name of the estate.
The family is celebrated in history for having long preserved the Crown
and sceptre of Scotland from the hands of Oliver Cromwell. The parents
of Senator Ogilvie came from Stirlingshire, Scotland, to Canada in 1800,
and Mr. Ogilvie, sr., served his adopted country as a volunteer cavalry
officer during the war of 1812-14 against the Americans; and took up
arms against the so-called patriots during the Canadian rebellion of
1837-8. To this couple were born a large family of sons and daughters,
and all have made their mark in the country. In 1854 Alexander and his
brothers, John and William, founded the firm of A. W. Ogilvie & Co., as
millers and dealers in grain, and built extensive mills on the banks of
the canal at Montreal, now known as the Glenora mills. Since that time
the business has grown to such dimensions that the firm’s mills and
business operations are carried on at Montreal, Goderich, Seaforth,
Winnipeg and other parts of the North-West, and they are now the most
extensive millers in the Dominion. In 1874 Alexander retired from the
business. In 1867 he first entered political life, and at the general
election of that year he was chosen by acclamation to represent Montreal
West in the Quebec legislature, when on the dissolution of the house in
1871 he declined re-nomination. He, however, was induced again to enter
the political field in 1875, and was elected for his old seat. This he
occupied until the legislature was dissolved in 1878, when he retired
from local politics. On December 24, 1881, he was called to the Senate
to represent the Alma division in that body. Senator Ogilvie has been an
alderman for the city of Montreal, president of the Workingmen’s, Widows
and Orphans’ Benefit Society, and of the St. Andrew’s Society, and a
lieutenant-colonel of the Montreal Cavalry (now on the retired list). He
is president of the St. Michael Road Company, chairman of the Montreal
Turnpike Trust, and of the Montreal Board of Directors of the London
(England) Guarantee Company, a director of the Sun Life Insurance
Company, the Edwardsburg Starch Company, the Montreal Loan and Mortgage
Company, and the Montreal Investment Company. He is also a justice of
the peace. Senator Ogilvie is a Conservative in politics, and in
religion is a Presbyterian. He is married to a daughter of the late
William Leney, of Montreal, and has a family of four children, one son
and three daughters.
* * * * *
=Campbell, Rev. Robert=, M.A., D.D., Pastor of St. Gabriel Presbyterian
Church, Montreal, was born on a farm near the town of Perth, Lanark
county, Ontario, on the 21st June, 1835. Peter Campbell, father of the
subject of this sketch, was born at Rein-a-Chullaig, Loch Tayside,
Breadalbane, Perthshire, Scotland, and belonged to the Lochnell branch
of the Campbell clan. One of his ancestors having taken part in the
Jacobite rising in 1715, and thus having incurred the displeasure of
Argyll, who was at the head of the Hanoverian forces, did not return to
his native district, but placed himself under the protection of his
other great kinsman, Breadalbane, who was neutral in that contest, and
who assigned him the property called Rein-a-Chullaig. Peter Campbell was
a man of high character and intelligence. He had for a time been a
teacher in Scotland, and this gave him much influence with his Highland
countrymen who accompanied him to Canada in 1817, and settled in the
Bathurst district. He brought some money with him to Canada, and owned
the first yoke of oxen in the settlement; although during the first
season he had to carry a bag of flour on his back through the woods from
Brockville, a distance of about fifty miles, having no road to follow
but guided only by the blazes on the trees. He was chosen an elder of
the first Presbyterian church, which was under the ministry of Rev.
William Bell, shortly after his arrival in the country. But as he was
born and bred in the Church of Scotland, he united with that branch of
the Presbyterian communion as soon as it was established in Perth under
the ministry of the late Rev. T. C. Wilson, of Dunkeld, Scotland, and
was installed an elder in it too, which office he retained till his
death in 1848. Margaret Campbell, Rev. Dr. Campbell’s mother, was of the
Gleno and Inverliver branch of the clan Campbell. She was born in
Glenlyon, Scotland, her mother being a MacDiarmid, one of the oldest
families in Scotland. Mrs. Campbell ably seconded her husband in all his
aims and efforts; and one of the results of their joint influence and
instruction was that three of their sons became ministers of the
Presbyterian Church of Canada in connection with the Church of Scotland,
and a fourth studied for the ministry of the Baptist church, but his
health broke down before he was able to complete his course of
preparation. Robert was the seventh son, and eleventh child of the
family, his youngest brother being Rev. Alexander Campbell, B.A., of
Prince Albert, North-West Territory. He was educated at the common
school, near his birth place; but as it happened that the school was
taught by a succession of able masters, one of them being an admirable
scholar in both classics and mathematics, he enjoyed considerable
advantages, and he, with his youngest brother, made very rapid progress
in study. He himself became a common school teacher at the age of
sixteen; and the desire he had to perfect himself in the subjects which
he had to teach was the best master he was ever under, and he learned
more always while teaching than while avowedly only a student under the
direction of others. In 1853 he entered as a student at Queen’s
University, taking the only open scholarship for the year. This
scholarship he retained by competition every year all through his
course. In 1855 he obtained the first medal ever offered in Queen’s
College for a special examination in English history and ancient
geography. In 1856 he graduated B.A., and in 1858 M.A., in the same
university. He taught the public school near Appleton in 1852, and the
next year the school at Leckie’s Corners, near Almonte. In 1856 he was
appointed headmaster of the Queen’s College Preparatory School, where he
had under his care, at a time when High schools were few and inefficient
throughout the country, students from all parts of Canada, and even from
Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, who had it in view to matriculate
in Queen’s University. A great many of the youth of Kingston also took
advantage of the educational facilities afforded by the school. This
position he held till 1st October, 1860, when he quitted it with a view
to entering the ministry of the Presbyterian Church of Canada in
connection with the Church of Scotland. In the autumn of 1860, after
having received license as a preacher in Canada, he went abroad with a
view to seeing a little of the world, and becoming familiar with men and
things in the older civilized communities, and he remained thirteen
months in Great Britain and the Continent, taking advantage of access to
the museums, art galleries, and learned societies of Edinburgh
particularly, where he spent most of the winter, as well as giving
occasional attendance at lectures in the university. He returned to
Canada late in the autumn of 1861, and accepted a call in April, 1862,
to St. Andrew’s Church, Galt, Ontario, having declined overtures from
Melbourne, Beckwith, and one or two other charges. He remained in Galt
till 1st December, 1866, when called to his present sphere of labour as
minister of the oldest Presbyterian church in the inland provinces. The
centennial celebration of the founding of the congregation that built
this church was held on the 9th of March, 1886, and was an occasion of
great interest to the entire community. The University of Queen’s
College conferred the degree of Doctor of Divinity upon him at the
convocation in April, 1887. Rev. Dr. Campbell is chairman of the Board
of Management of the Widows’ and Orphans’ Fund of the Presbyterian
Church of Canada in connection with the Church of Scotland; a member of
the Executive Committee of the Temporalities Board of the same church; a
trustee of Queen’s University, and a member of the Senate of the
Presbyterian College, Montreal. He held the office of lecturer in
Ecclesiastical History for two sessions in Queen’s University, Kingston,
and was a vice-president of the Natural History Society of Montreal. He
has maintained steadfastly his early religious convictions. But while
orthodox himself, he has always exercised toleration towards those that
could not see exactly as he did. Rev. Dr. Campbell won the prize for the
best essay on Presbyterian Union offered by a committee of gentlemen in
Quebec and Montreal in the year 1866, which was afterwards published,
and greatly helped to leaven public opinion on that question. He is now
engaged on a history of the St. Gabriel St. Church, Montreal, which will
shortly be published, and cannot fail to prove of great interest to
every Presbyterian in Canada. Rev. Dr. Campbell was married on the 29th
of December, 1863, to Margaret, eldest child and only daughter of Rev.
George Macdonnell, minister of St. Andrew’s Church, Fergus, a faithful,
useful, and highly respected minister of the Presbyterian Church of
Canada in connection with the Church of Scotland. Rev. D. J. Macdonnell,
B.D., of Toronto, and G. M. Macdonnell, Q.C., of Kingston, are her
brothers. Her mother was Elizabeth Milnes, of the same stock as Moncton
Milnes, Lord Houghton.
* * * * *
=Inches, Peter Robertson=, M.D., M.R.C.S., England, St. John, New
Brunswick, was born on the 19th of February, 1835, at St. John, New
Brunswick. He is a son of James Inches, of Dunkeld, and Janet Small, of
Dirnanean, Perthshire, Scotland, who emigrated to America in 1832, and
settled in St. John. Dr. Inches received his early education in the
Grammar School of his native city, and studied medicine in New York
city, at the University College, and from this institution he graduated
in 1866. He then went to Great Britain and further prosecuted his
studies at the University of Edinburgh, and at King’s College, London.
In 1868 he was elected a member of the Royal College of Surgeons of
England, and then returned to St. John, New Brunswick, and commenced the
practice of his profession, and here he has ever since resided. Dr.
Inches was brought up in the faith as taught by the Presbyterian church,
and has continued his connection with that body of Christians. In 1876
he was married to Mary Dorothea, daughter of Dr. C. K. Fiske, from
Massachusetts, who for many years practised his profession in St. John.
The doctor has had five children born to him, four of whom survive.
* * * * *
=Leach, The Ven. Archdeacon.=—The late William Turnbull Leach, D.C.L.,
LL.D., Archdeacon of Christ Church Cathedral, Montreal, was born in
Berwick-on-Tweed, Scotland, on the 1st of March, 1805, and died at
Montreal, on the 13th of October, 1886. He was of English descent, his
grandfather having removed to Berwick from the previous home of the
family in Lincolnshire, England. Archdeacon Leach was educated in
Edinburgh, and took the degree of M.A. in the university of that city in
1827. In 1831, he was ordained a minister of the Presbyterian church,
but shortly afterwards came to Canada, and was appointed to the charge
of St. Andrew’s Church, Toronto, and was also chaplain to the 93rd
Highlanders, stationed in that city, about the time of the rebellion in
1837-8. He subsequently entered the Church of England, to which he was
ordained by Bishop Mountain in 1841, and was appointed to the incumbency
of St. George’s Church, Montreal, which position he retained for nearly
twenty years. He took the warmest interest in educational matters, was
one of the founders of Queen’s College, Kingston, and was for many years
an honoured member of the Council of Public Institution for Lower
Canada, afterwards the province of Quebec. He was one of the little band
who brought McGill University to its present position. His connection
with McGill dates from 1845, and he may be said to have been the last
survivor of the original staff. From the earliest years of the college,
he was one of the professors of the Faculty of Arts, and as the work of
the university extended, he relinquished his ministerial duties to
devote himself exclusively to college work. During his active connection
with the college, he held the Molson chair of English language and
literature, was professor of logic and of mental and moral philosophy,
dean of the Faculty of Arts, and vice-principal of the University. He
was created D.C.L. of McGill in 1849, and LL.D. of McGill in 1857, and
in 1867, the University of Lennoxville conferred upon him the degree of
D.C.L. The Venerable Archdeacon Leach married three times. Shortly after
his arrival in Canada, he returned for a short visit to Scotland, where
he married Miss Skirving, daughter of Mr. Skirving, of Haddington, and
granddaughter of Adam Skirving, author of “Johnnie Cope,” and other
songs very popular at the time in Scotland. Of this marriage there were
four children, two of whom are living, viz.: David S. Leach, of
Montreal, and Mrs. Howell, of London, England. He afterwards married
Miss Easton, daughter of the Rev. Robert Easton, a lady well known and
much beloved, who previous to her marriage had conducted one of the
principal establishments in Canada for the education of young ladies.
His widow (daughter of the late Francis Gwilt), with her young unmarried
daughter, reside in Montreal.
* * * * *
=St. George, Percival Walter=, Civil Engineer, Montreal, was born at
Forres, Morayshire, Scotland, on the 22nd October, 1849. He is a son of
Lieutenant-Colonel James D. N. St. George, who was a lieutenant-colonel
in her Majesty’s Ordnance Staff Corps, and had charge for many years of
the clothing establishment of the British army in London, England.
Walter was sent to France by his parents to be educated, and spent seven
years of his boyhood days in that country, and then finished his
educational course in Edinburgh University, where he took honours in
mathematics. He came to Canada in 1866, and began the practice of his
profession. From 1866 to 1868, two years, he was the pupil of Alexander
McNab, chief engineer for the province of Nova Scotia; from 1868 to
1872, four years, he acted as assistant engineer on construction and
survey of the Intercolonial Railway of Canada; in 1872-73 he was
engineer on survey of the North Shore Railway of Canada; in 1873-74,
engineer maintenance of way on the Intercolonial Railway, in charge of
one hundred and eight miles; in 1874-75 engineer on survey of the
Northern Colonization Railway, from Ottawa to the Mattawan; in 1875-76
he was assistant engineer of Montreal; and from 1876 to 1883, eight
years, deputy city surveyor of the same city; from July to December, in
1883, he was engineer in charge of three hundred miles of line on the
Norfolk and Western Railway in Virginia; and in December of 1883 he was
appointed city surveyor of Montreal, and this position he has occupied
ever since. He was also one of the members of the Royal Flood Commission
of Montreal, appointed in 1886. Mr. St. George has been an associate
member of the Institute of Civil Engineers of England since 1877; and is
now a member of the Council of the Canadian Society of Civil Engineers.
He is a master Mason, and a member of the Royal Arch Chapter. He has
travelled a good deal, and his profession has made him familiar with the
greater part of Canada. He is a member of the Church of England. On the
11th July, 1872, he was married to Flora Stewart, daughter of the Rev.
Canon Geo. Townshend, rector of Amherst, Nova Scotia, and Elizabeth
Stewart, daughter of the Hon. Alexander Stewart, C.B., master of the
Rolls, and judge of the Vice-Admiralty Court, and has issue five
children.
* * * * *
=Palmer, Caleb Read=, Justice of the Peace, Moncton, was born at
Dorchester, Westmoreland county, New Brunswick, on the 13th February,
1834. His father, John Palmer, grandson of Gideon Palmer, a U. E.
loyalist, who came to New Brunswick from Staten Island, New York, is a
veteran of 1812, and is now (1887) in his ninety-ninth year, and
regularly draws his pension for services during the war. His mother,
Elizabeth Cole, was a daughter of Ebenezer Cole. Caleb received his
education at the Wesleyan Academy, in Sackville, N.B., taking a course
in the higher mathematics and languages, and then for some time adopted
teaching as his profession. From 1859 to 1870 he taught the Superior
School in Sussex, Kings county, and from January, 1870, to September,
1882, he acted in the capacity of station master at Dorchester for the
Intercolonial Railway Company. In July, 1883, he became manager of the
Moncton Publishing Company, and this position he occupied until
February, 1885, since which time he has confined himself to the duties
of justice of the peace, and secretary to the Board of School Trustees
of the town of Moncton. Mr. Palmer is interested in shipping, and is
also a stockholder in the Moncton Cotton Factory. He is a member of the
Royal Arcanum, and in politics is a Liberal. Although brought up in the
Episcopal church, he found it more congenial to his taste to attend the
Methodist church, and is now a member of that denomination. He was
married on the 21st of December, 1865, to Agnes Murray, daughter of John
Murray, of Studholm, Kings county, N.B.
* * * * *
=Ferguson, Hon. Donald=, M.P.P., Provincial Secretary and Commissioner
of Crown Lands of Prince Edward Island, Charlottetown, was born at East
River, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, on the 7th of March, 1839.
His father, John Ferguson, and mother, Isabella Stewart, were
descendants of thrifty Scotch farmers, who emigrated from Blair Athol,
in Perthshire, Scotland, in 1807, and settled near Charlottetown, Prince
Edward Island. Donald was reared on the farm and received the rudiments
of education in the Public school of his native parish, and subsequently
pursued his studies in English and mathematics by private tuition. He
became interested in politics when quite a young man, and was a strong
advocate of the confederation of the provinces. He was a contributor to
the press, and in 1867, wrote a series of letters over the signature of
“A Farmer,” which attracted considerable attention, and was replied to
by the Hon. David Laird, one of the leading politicians of the island,
and subsequently lieutenant-governor of the North-West Territories. At a
later date, he engaged, over his own signature, in a discussion with the
Hon. George Beer, on the union question, and became at once known as one
of the champions on the island for a Canadian nationality. He was also a
strong supporter of the interests of the tenantry, an advocate of
railway construction, and was the mover of the resolutions in favour of
the railway which were adopted at the mass meeting of the electors of
Queens county, held at Charlottetown, in the winter of 1871. In 1872,
Mr. Ferguson was appointed a justice of the peace, and he held the
position of collector of inland revenue for Charlottetown for a short
time in 1873. In 1873, the great question of confederation, for which
Mr. Ferguson had for years contended, having been settled, he offered
himself as a candidate for the Legislative Council of Prince Edward
Island, for the second district of Queens county, where the Hon. Edward
Palmer had been returned in 1872, to the Council, as an anti-railway and
an anti-confederate, by a majority of nearly eight hundred votes—and he
succeeded, after a spirited canvass and good fight against great odds in
reducing the anti-railway majority to two hundred and fifty votes. A
vacancy occurring next year in the same constituency, Mr. Ferguson was
again brought out by his friends, and this time succeeded in reducing
the anti-railway majority to seventy. In 1876, the question of
denominational education came prominently before the electors, and Mr.
Ferguson and other leading politicians pronounced in favour of a system
of payment by results, by which the state would recognize and pay for
secular education in schools in towns, in which religious education
might also be imparted at the expense of parents. Religious bitterness
was introduced, the Protestants became alarmed, the people decided
largely according to their creeds, and the “payment by results”
candidates were defeated in all except Roman Catholic constituencies.
Believing that almost any settlement of this vexed question was better
than a prolonged political-religious agitation, he accepted the
situation. In 1874, Mr. Ferguson was appointed secretary of the Board of
Railway Appraisers, which office he held until 1876. In 1878, he was
invited by the leading electors of the Cardigan district, in Kings
county, to offer himself for parliamentary honours; he consented and was
returned by acclamation. In March, 1879, on the meeting of the
legislature, the government, under the leadership of the Hon. L. H.
Davis, was defeated, and the Hon. W. W. Sullivan, who had been entrusted
with the formation of a new administration, offered Mr. Ferguson a seat
in his cabinet, with the portfolio of public works, which office he
accepted. A dissolution of the house having immediately followed, Mr.
Ferguson was returned by acclamation. In 1880, he resigned his position
as head of the Public Works department, and became provincial secretary
and commissioner of Crown Lands, and this position he occupies to-day.
In 1882, Mr. Ferguson was elected to represent Fort Augustus, and again
in 1886, he had the same honour conferred upon him. Hon. Mr. Ferguson is
a member of the Board of Commissioners for the management of the
Government Poor-House; a commissioner for the management of the
Government Stock Farm, and a trustee for the Hospital for the Insane, at
Falconwood. He was a delegate to Ottawa, on the Wharf and Pier question
in 1883, in conjunction with the Hon. Messrs. Sullivan and Prowse, and
also a delegate to England, with Hon. Mr. Sullivan, on the question of
the communication between the island and the mainland. Mr. Ferguson is
an enthusiastic agriculturist, and has a farm in a high state of
cultivation, four miles from Charlottetown. Besides having published
several useful official reports, Mr. Ferguson gave to his
fellow-citizens in 1884, an excellent paper on “Agricultural Education,”
and another in 1885, on “Love of Country.” He has been a lifelong total
abstainer, and became connected with the Good Templars in 1863, and held
the office of grand secretary for two years, 1863-5, and that of grand
worthy chief templar the following two years, 1865-7. He is a
Conservative in politics, and in religion a member of the Baptist
denomination. In 1873, he was married to Elizabeth Jane, daughter of
John Scott, Charlottetown, and has a family consisting of three sons and
two daughters.
* * * * *
=Ross, James Duncan=, M.D., Moncton, New Brunswick, was born at Pictou,
Nova Scotia, in October, 1839, and is a son of the Rev. James Ross,
D.D., principal of Dalhousie College, and grandson of the late Rev.
Duncan Ross, one of the first Presbyterian ministers who came to Nova
Scotia from Scotland. His mother was Isabella Matheson, a daughter of
William Matheson, who through industry and perseverance accumulated a
fortune at farming, lumbering, and trading, sufficient to enable him to
leave the handsome sum of $35,000 to the institutions of the church in
the province, and $35,000 to the British and Foreign Bible Society.
James Duncan Ross received his elementary training in the public schools
in his native town, and then took the arts course in the West River
Seminary. He then spent three years in the office of the late Dr. Muir,
of Truro, N.S., and afterwards studied medicine and surgery in
Philadelphia and Harvard, graduating from Harvard University in 1861,
when he moved to Londonderry, in Nova Scotia, and began the practice of
his profession, and continued here until 1865; then he went over to
Britain and took a course of medicine and surgery in the University and
in the College of Physicians and Surgeons in Edinburgh, and while in
that city he was for a time a student in the office of Sir J. Y.
Simpson. He then went to London, and became for a time a dresser in St.
Bartholomew’s Hospital; and afterwards, returning to Nova Scotia, he
resumed his practice. Dr. Ross occupied the position for some time of
assistant surgeon to the 2nd battalion of the Colchester Militia, and
also surgeon of the Caledonian (Highland) Society of Nova Scotia. He has
been since 1863 a coroner for the county of Westmoreland. He took a deep
interest in the establishment of the Medical School in Halifax, and was
demonstrator of anatomy in it for the first two years of its existence.
The doctor has now practised medicine and surgery continuously for
twenty-five years, the first eleven years of his medical career having
been spent in Nova Scotia, and the remaining fourteen in Moncton, N.B.
His work has been continuous and laborious, and very varied, and he
stands high in the profession, especially for surgery. In him the poor
always find a kind and sympathizing friend, who dispenses medicine to
them gratuitously as well as his best skill. In religion the doctor
holds all the doctrines of the second reformation, and believes the
Presbyterian form of church government scriptural. He has experienced no
change in his views since his youth, except a deeper conviction of the
duty which nations owe to Christ, and a more scriptural constitution for
nations. He married, in 1870, Ruth, daughter of the late R. N. B.
McLellan, merchant, of Londonderry, N.S. The McLellan family are north
of Ireland Scotch, and have been closely connected with the political
and mercantile interests of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick for many
years. Issue, one son, who died in infancy.
* * * * *
=McLeod, Rev. Joseph=, D.D., Fredericton, was born in St. John, New
Brunswick, June 27, 1844. His father, the Rev. Ezekiel McLeod,—born in
Sussex, New Brunswick, Sept. 17, 1815, died in Fredericton, New
Brunswick, March 17th, 1867,—was the leading minister in the Free
Baptist denomination of Canada, and the founder and, till his death, the
editor of _The Religious Intelligencer_. He was an earnest and
influential advocate of the confederation of the British American
provinces; a strong advocate of prohibition; and widely known and highly
regarded both for intellectual qualities and godly character. His mother
was Amelia Emery, born in Boston, Massachusetts, and survived her
husband till June, 1887. Joseph McLeod was educated in the public
schools, and in the Baptist Institution in Fredericton, New Brunswick,
and in July, 1868, was ordained to the ministry. In the same month he
was called to the pastorate of the Free Baptist Church in Fredericton,
which he has held ever since. In 1875 the Rev. Mr. McLeod was chosen
chaplain to the New Brunswick legislature, and still holds the office.
He is a very active worker in the temperance army, and has held the
office of grand worthy chief of the British Templars; president of the
National lodge of the United Temperance Association of Canada, and is
now, and has for several years been president of the New Brunswick
Prohibitory Alliance. He is an ardent advocate of the prohibition of the
liquor traffic, and has for years been a leader in this cause in New
Brunswick, and has had much to do with introducing the Canada Temperance
Act into New Brunswick. In addition to his strong advocacy of temperance
measures, he has been an earnest advocate of the establishment of the
free, unsectarian school system in his native province. In the Free
Baptist denomination he also stands high as a leader in all progressive
movements. He is an advocate of the union of the Baptist denominations
in Canada, and by voice and pen has done much to promote the union
feeling. He is a member and vice-chairman of the joint committee of the
Baptist and Free Baptist bodies which now (1887) have the question of
union under consideration, and are authorized to arrange a basis of
union. He was secretary and a director of the Free Baptist Education
Society for many years, till, in 1883, the Baptist and Free Baptist
Education Societies were united by act of the legislature; since then he
has been a director of the united Education Society. He has also been
corresponding secretary of the Free Baptist Foreign Mission Society of
New Brunswick for fifteen years; was for three years president of the
American Foreign Mission Society, which includes representatives of all
the free communion Baptist bodies in the United States and Canada, and
is now a member of the managing board of the society. Has been moderator
of the New Brunswick Free Baptist Conference twice within ten years.
Since 1867 Dr. McLeod has owned and edited the _Religious_
_Intelligencer_. In May, 1886, Acadia College conferred the well-earned
degree of D.D. on Mr. McLeod. He is active in all matters pertaining to
the welfare of the public, and is frequently called upon to do pulpit
and platform service outside his own charge. He has not found time for a
European tour, but has made two trips to the western states; spent the
winter of 1882-3 in Florida for the benefit of his health; and in the
summer of 1886 made the trip across the continent _via_ the Canada
Pacific Railway, spending several weeks in British Columbia, the
North-West, and in Manitoba. Dr. McLeod’s parents were Free Baptists,
and in this faith he was brought up. He at a very early age became a
communicant in that church, and is now one of the most respected of its
clergy. In December, 1868, he was married to Jane Fulton Squires, and is
blessed with a family of five children.
* * * * *
=Chesley, John Alexander=, Manufacturer, Portland, New Brunswick, was
born in Portland, N.B., in May, 1839. He is the eldest son of William
Ambrose and Mary Ann Chesley, of U. E. loyalist descent. He received his
educational training in the Public school in Portland, and at the
Grammar School in Albert county, N.B. Mr. Chesley began his business
career in Portland, N.B., in 1862, as a manufacturer of ships’ iron
knees, and conducted the business on his own account until 1869, when he
took his brother, W. A. Chesley, into partnership, and thus formed the
firm of “J. A. & W. A. Chesley,” of which he is the head and senior
partner. Since then the firm has had a very successful career, and is
very well and favourably known throughout the Maritime provinces for its
locomotive frames, piston and connecting rods, truck, engine and car
axles, shafting, ships’ iron knees, etc., and all kinds of heavy
forgings. The firm has also a large interest in shipping. In 1876 Mr.
Chesley was elected alderman for No. 1 Ward in Portland city, and
occupied a seat in the city council continuously until April, 1885,—a
period of nine years,—when he was elected mayor of the city. He also
sat as one of the representatives of the city of Portland in the
municipal council of the city and county of St. John from 1880 to 1886,
a period of five years. In 1881 he was appointed a commissioner for
taking the census in the county of St. John; and was a liquor license
commissioner for St. John county in 1883 under the Dominion Liquor
License Act. At the general elections of 1882 and 1886 Mr. Chesley was
an unsuccessful candidate for the representation of the city and county
of St. John in the legislature of New Brunswick, but received such
support that we think he will be justified in running again for
parliamentary honours when the occasion offers. In 1872 he was made a
Mason, and now holds the rank of past master in the Blue lodge, and also
that of past principal in the Royal Arch chapter. He is a member of the
Encampment of St. John Knights Templars, and a member of the Ancient and
Accepted Scottish rite of Masonry; also a member of the Royal Order of
Scotland. He is an active politician, and is a member of the Young Men’s
Liberal Conservative Club of the city and county of St. John, and at the
present time is the vice-president of the Club for the city of Portland.
Mr. Chesley was a supporter of confederation, and worked hard to carry
the measure, and has ever since taken an interest in all public
questions—Dominion, provincial, and municipal—brought before the
people of the city and county of St. John. He also took an active
interest in, and laboured very hard in the election held to decide the
free school system in New Brunswick, and had the satisfaction of seeing
his party win in the contest, and secure for his province a school law
that every lover of his country should be proud of. He is a
Liberal-Conservative in politics, and a strong supporter of the national
policy. He was married, first in December, 1860, to Mary Frances, eldest
daughter of Albert Small, of Portland, Maine; and some time after her
death he was again married in September, 1872, to Annie, eldest daughter
of James S. May, of St. John, N.B.
* * * * *
=MacCallum, Duncan Campbell=, M.D., M.R.C.S., Eng., Fellow of the
Obstetrical Society, London, Foundation Fellow of the British
Gynecological Society, and Professor Emeritus, McGill University,
Montreal, was born in the province of Quebec, on the 12th November,
1825. By descent Dr. MacCallum is a pure Celt, being the son of John
MacCallum and Mary Campbell. His maternal grandfather, Malcolm Campbell,
of Killin, during his lifetime widely known and highly esteemed through
the Perthshire Highlands, was a near kinsman and relative, through the
Lochiel Camerons, of the Earl of Breadalbane. Dr. MacCallum received his
medical education at McGill University, at which institution he
graduated as M.D. in the year 1850. Immediately on receiving his degree,
he proceeded to Great Britain, and continued his studies in London,
Edinburgh and Dublin. After examination he was admitted a member of the
Royal College of Surgeons, England, February, 1851. Returning to Canada,
he entered on the practice of his profession in the city of Montreal,
and was appointed demonstrator of anatomy in the medical faculty of
McGill University, September, 1854. From that time to the present he has
been connected with the university, occupying various positions in the
faculty of medicine. In August, 1856, he was preferred to the chair of
clinical surgery. In November, 1860, he was transferred to the chair of
clinical medicine and medical jurisprudence, and in April, 1868,
received the appointment of professor of midwifery and the diseases of
women and children, which position he held until his resignation in
1883, on which occasion the governors of the university appointed him
professor emeritus, retaining his precedence in the university. For a
period of twenty-nine years he has been actively engaged in the teaching
of his profession. Elected visiting physician to the Montreal General
Hospital in February, 1856, he discharged the duties of that position
until the year 1877, when he resigned, and was placed by the vote of the
governors of that institution on the consulting staff. From 1868 till
1883 he had charge of the university lying-in hospital, to which he is
now attached as consulting physician, and for a period of fourteen years
he was physician to the Hervey Institute for children, to which charity
also he is now consulting physician. He has always taken a warm interest
in the literature of his profession, and articles from his pen have
appeared in the _British American Medical and Surgical Journal_, the
_Canada Medical Journal_, and the “Transactions of the Obstetrical
Society of London, Eng.” In the year 1854 he, in conjunction with Dr.
Wm. Wright, established and edited the _Medical Chronicle_ which had an
existence of six years. He was vice-president for Canada of the section
of Obstetrics in the ninth International Medical Congress, which was
held at Washington during the week commencing September 5th, 1887. Dr.
MacCallum married in October, 1867, Mary Josephine Guy, second daughter
of the late Hon. Hippolyte Guy, judge of the Superior Court of Lower
Canada. The Guy family, of ancient and noble origin, supposed to be a
branch of the Guy de Montfort family, has been distinguished for the
valuable services, military and civil, which its members have rendered
to the province of Quebec, both under the old and new _régimes_. Pierre
Guy, the first of the name to settle in Canada, joined the French army
under M. de Vaudreuil, in which he rose rapidly to the rank of captain.
He took an active part in the engagements which were then so frequent
between the French in Quebec and the English in Massachusetts and New
York. He died at the early age of forty-eight. His son Pierre, who was
sent to France and received a thorough and careful education, also
joined the French army and distinguished himself under General Montcalm
at the battle of Carillon, and in the following year at Montmorency. The
battle of the Plains of Abraham having annihilated the power of France
in Canada, young Guy with others left for France after the capitulation
of the country, where he remained till 1764. Returning to Canada, he
accepted the situation, entered into business at Montreal, and became a
loyal subject of Great Britain. Shortly after, when General Montgomery
invaded Canada, he took up arms for the defence of the country, and this
so exasperated the Americans that they sacked his stores after the
capitulation of Montreal. In 1776 he received from the Crown the
appointment of judge, which at that time was considered a signal mark of
favour; and in 1802 he was promoted to the rank of colonel of militia. A
man of great attainments and scholarly parts, he was an ardent promoter
of all educational projects. He was one of the most active in the
foundation of the College St. Raphae, under the control of the gentlemen
of the Seminary of the Sulpician order, and which still exists and
flourishes under the name of the “College of Montreal.” He died in 1812
and left several sons and daughters. Louis, who by the death of his
brother became the eldest of the family, was an intimate friend and
adviser of Sir James Kempt, and subsequently of Lord Aylmer. He was made
a councillor by King William in February, 1831. He died in 1840. Of his
family, Judge Hippolyte Guy was the second son. The eldest son, named
Louis, received a commission as lieutenant in the British army through
the influence of the Duke of Wellington, in consideration of the bravery
he had displayed at the battle of Chateauguay, where he gallantly led
the advanced guard of the Voltigeurs. Several years before entering the
British army he served as a member of the body guard of Charles X. of
France, into which no one was admitted who was not of proved noble
origin. Judge Guy married the adopted daughter of Chief Justice
Vallières, and had four children, a son who died in youth, and three
daughters. The eldest of the latter is married to Chief Justice Austin,
of Nassau, Bahamas, and the youngest to Gustave Fabre, brother to
Archbishop Fabre, Montreal. Dr. MacCallum’s family consists of five
children,—four daughters and one son.
* * * * *
=Williams, Thomas=, Accountant and Treasurer of the Intercolonial
Railway, Moncton, New Brunswick, was born at Handsworth, near
Birmingham, England, on the 3rd of June, 1846. He is the youngest son of
Joseph and Hannah Williams. His father’s ancestors can be traced back
several centuries as farmers and occupiers of land in the adjoining
parish of Perry Barr. His mother’s ancestors, the Coulburns of Tipton,
in South Staffordshire, have been connected with the development of the
iron industries there for several generations past. Thomas Williams was
educated at the parish schools, and subsequently at the Bridge Trust
School—a grammar school founded from the proceeds of a legacy for
repairs of bridges in the parish, for which after the organisation of
the Highway Board, its existence for its original purposes was not
necessary, and the accumulated funds were devoted to the erection and
endowment of a superior school. In 1868, he entered the service of the
London and North-Western Railway of England as freight clerk, and was
subsequently appointed freight agent at Sutton Coldfield, near
Birmingham, and station master at Marton, near Rugby. He resigned in
June, 1870, to come to Canada, and in December, 1870, entered the
service of the New Brunswick and Canada Railway, at St. Andrews, New
Brunswick, as clerk to the general manager. Mr. Williams left the
service of that railway in August, 1873, to enter upon duties of clerk
in accountant’s office of the Intercolonial (Government) Railway, at
Moncton, New Brunswick, and was subsequently appointed chief clerk in
mechanical department of the same railway. In November, 1875, he was
sent to Charlottetown, to organise the system of accounts of the Prince
Edward Island Railway, and was appointed accountant and auditor of that
railway. And on the 1st of July, 1882, he was appointed chief accountant
and treasurer of the Intercolonial Railway at Moncton, which position he
at present holds. Mr. Williams was a member of the Church of England
until December, 1873, but in consequence of Ritualistic practices having
been introduced into the church he was in the habit of attending, he
left it, and was among the first to join the then newly organized
Reformed Episcopal Church, St. Paul’s, in Moncton. He has held the
office of vestryman and warden in this church, almost continuously
since. On the 12th of January, 1875, he married Analena, daughter of the
late John Rourke, merchant, St. John, New Brunswick, and has a family of
seven children.
* * * * *
=Pickard, Rev. Humphrey=, D.D., Methodist Minister, Sackville, New
Brunswick, was born at Fredericton, New Brunswick, June 10th, 1813. His
parents, Thomas Pickard, was the son of Deacon Humphrey Pickard, and was
born at Sheffield in 1783, and Mary Pickard, daughter of David Burpee.
Mrs. Pickard was also born at Sheffield in 1783. Both Deacon Pickard and
Squire Burpee, came, while yet mere youths, from Massachusetts, New
England, with a party of the earliest English settlers on the Saint John
river, about the year 1762. The subject of this sketch, after receiving
a fair English education in Fredericton, was sent to the Wesleyan
Academy, North Wilbenham, Massachusetts, United States, in 1829, where
he commenced a classical course of study, and having prepared for
matriculation, he entered the Freshman class in the University at
Middletown, Conn., in 1831. He, having completed the Freshman course of
study, retired from the university in 1832, and spent the following
three years in mercantile pursuits. In 1835, he entered the Methodist
ministry, as an assistant to the Rev. A. Des Brisay, in the Sheffield
circuit. In 1836, he was received on trial as a Wesleyan missionary, by
the British Methodist Conference, and laboured for a year as such on the
Miramichi mission and Fredericton circuit. In 1837, he resumed his
course of university study at Middletown; in 1839, he graduated,
receiving the degree of Bachelor of Arts, and re-entered the work of the
Methodist ministry, being stationed at Richibucto, until 1841, when he
was appointed to St. John. In 1842, he was ordained and received into
full connection with the English Conference as a Methodist minister, and
appointed editor of the _British North American Methodist Magazine_,
which was published at St. John. In November of the same year, he was
elected principal of the Mount Allison Academy, and removed with his
family to Sackville at the close of the year. The academy was opened on
the 19th of January, 1843, with a very few students, but under his
skilful management, it rapidly rose into importance in public
estimation, and attracting students from all parts of the Maritime
provinces, soon took position in the very front rank of the educational
institutions of Eastern British America. The catalogue for the term from
January to June, 1855, contains 250 names of students in actual
attendance, viz.: of 134 in the male branch, and 116 in the female. In
1862, the Mount Allison College was organized at Sackville, by the
authority of an Act of the Legislature of New Brunswick, and Mr. Pickard
was appointed its president, and he continued to act as president of the
college and principal of the academy until 1869. At the annual meeting
of the Board of Governors of the united institutions, held May 26, 1869,
the following resolution was unanimously adopted: “That the board,
having received intimation from Rev. Dr. Pickard, that in consequence of
the action of the conference in assigning to him another portion of
connexional service, his resignation of the office of president of the
institution is deemed necessary, though reluctantly accepting that
resignation, would express in strongest terms its regret at the removal
of Dr. Pickard from the field of usefulness for which he has special
qualifications, and at which for upwards of a quarter of a century, he
has with fidelity and honour served the church and his generation. The
board is also assured that the great work of education in connection
with the Wesleyan Conference of Eastern British America is greatly
indebted to the retiring president of the institution, and that its
success is largely to be attributed to the indomitable application and
perseverance—the high business ability, and the earnest Christian aim
by which Dr. Pickard has been animated during the whole period of his
service in the government of the institution.” The _Provincial
Wesleyan_, in a notice of the Mount Allison Academy, June 15, 1870,
says: “The college established in 1862, under a charter from the
Legislature of New Brunswick, mainly through the exertions of the Rev.
Dr. Pickard, is the latest of the foundations at Sackville. * * * The
first president of the college was the Rev. H. Pickard, D.D., president
also of the Wesleyan Conference. Dr. Pickard’s name is so intimately
associated with the Sackville institutions as almost to rival that of
its benevolent founder. To them he gave the flower of his life. And
although retired from the responsible office of president, and engaged
in another sphere of usefulness, the doctor is still one of its ablest
friends and supporters. His address at the recent celebration was
received with the warmest demonstrations.” Dr. Pickard, having been
elected to the office of editor of _The Wesleyan_ and book steward,
became resident in Halifax, from 1869 to 1873, but in this latter year
he returned with his family to Sackville. From 1873 to 1875, he acted as
agent for the college, and was largely instrumental in securing the
first endowment fund; and in 1876 he was superintendent of the Sackville
district. In 1877, he became a supernumerary, and has since so remained
resident at Sackville, except during the years 1879-80, when, at the
call of the General Conference of the Methodist Church of Canada, he
acted as book steward at Halifax. He was elected secretary of the
Wesleyan Methodist Conference of Eastern British America in 1857, 1858,
1859 and 1860, and co-delegate of the same conference in 1861, and
president in 1862 and 1870. He was appointed representative of the
conference of Eastern British America to the Canada Conference, which
met in the city of Kingston, June, 1860; and again to the conference
which met in the city of Hamilton, June, 1867. He was appointed
representative of his conference to the British Conference, first, in
1857, secondly in 1862, and thirdly in 1873. He was a member of the
joint committee on the Federal union of the Wesleyan Methodist church in
British America, which met in Montreal, October, 1872; and of the joint
committee which met in Toronto in 1882, and formulated the basis of
union by which the four separate Methodist bodies in Canada united to
form the one Methodist church. Rev. Mr. Pickard was a member of the
first and second general conferences of the Methodist Church of Canada,
and served in both as chairman of the committee on discipline. He was
also a member of the second general conference of the Methodist church,
which met in Toronto, in September, 1886, and was appointed a member of
the court of appeal and of the book committee for the quadrennium,
1886-1890. Mr. Pickard received the degree of Master of Arts in 1842,
from the University at Middletown, and had the honorary degree of Doctor
of Divinity conferred on him by his _alma mater_ in 1857. At the late
session of the annual conference of New Brunswick and Prince Edward
Island of the Methodist church, the following address, beautifully
engrossed and elegantly framed, was presented to Dr. Pickard:—
_To the Reverend H. Pickard, D.D._:
DEAR BROTHER,—The members of the New Brunswick and Prince
Edward Island Conference, assembled in annual session, desire to
express to you their hearty congratulations upon the completion
of FIFTY YEARS in the honourable work of your ministry. We also
express our gratitude to GOD, that he has so long spared you to
see the growth, prosperity, and influence of the church to whose
interests you have given such rich qualities of learning,
wisdom, and piety.
We rejoice that through all these years your moral and
ministerial character has been preserved without a stain. We are
profoundly conscious of the far-reaching influence of your life
in our ACADEMIC AND COLLEGE WORK. The ministry of this and other
churches, as well as the business and professional life of our
provinces, have been enriched by the ripe scholarship and godly
zeal of those who owe much to you for their culture and their
ability in their callings. We are not unmindful that other
departments of our church work have been benefited by your
consecrated zeal and wisdom. As early life directs and tinges
the thoughts of advanced age, we fail not to discern in you the
earnestness of purpose, the singleness of aim that mark the
years of the early itinerant. Your company has almost gone
before, and while with the few venerable men whom we lovingly
call FATHERS, you wait the summons of the Master, you say—
“In peace and cheerful hope I wait,
On life’s last verge quite free from fears,
And watch the opening of the gate,
Which leads to the eternal years.”
We desire that your day, as it draws to its close, may be
brightened by the glory of the sunset, full of the golden
promise of the eternity of light.
Signed by order of the Conference,
C. H. PAISLEY, ROBERT WILSON,
_Secretary_. _President_.
Marysville, N.B., June, 1887.
Mr. Pickard was twice married, first at Boston, on October 2nd, 1841, to
the daughter of Ebenezer and Hannah M. Thompson, by whom he had two
children—Edward Dwight and Charles F. Allison, who died in early
childhood and infancy. Mrs. Pickard died at Sackville, the 11th of
March, 1844. She was a lady of superior ability, and much literary
talent, her memoirs and selections from her writings were published at
Boston, by the Rev. Edward Otheman, A.M., in a duodecimo volume of
upwards of 300 pages, in 1845, which is now out of print. He was married
again on the 5th of September, 1846, to Mary Rowe Carr, who was born at
Portland, Maine, United States, the daughter of John and Avis Preble
Carr. This second wife bore him two daughters, the first, Mary Emarancy,
is the wife of Andrew M. Bell, hardware merchant in Halifax, Nova
Scotia, and the mother of two boys, Winthrop P. and Ralph P. The second,
Amelia Elizabeth, is the wife of A. A. Stockton, D.C.L., M.P.P., of St.
John, New Brunswick, and mother of six living children, three daughters
and three sons. The second Mrs. Pickard died on the 24th of January,
1887, in the 77th year of her age.
* * * * *
=Kennedy, George=, M.A., LL.D., Barrister, Toronto, was born on 1st
March, 1838, at Bytown, now the city of Ottawa, Ontario. His father,
Donald Kennedy, was born near Blairathol, in Scotland, and came with his
father to Canada in 1818, the family settling in the township of
Beckwith. About the time of the building of the Rideau canal the father
of the subject of this sketch removed to Bytown, engaged in business as
a contractor and builder, was employed for some time as surveyor for the
district of Dalhousie, now the county of Carleton, and for many years
carried on, in partnership with John Blyth, an extensive cabinet-making
business. An ancestor of his took part in the battle of Culloden, on the
side of Bonny Prince Charlie, by some called the “Pretender,” and the
dirk he used on the occasion is still in the possession of the family.
Dr. Kennedy’s mother, Janet Buckham, was born in 1807, in Dunblane,
Scotland, and came, with her father, to this country in 1828. This
family settled in the township of Torbolton, and Mr. Buckham went into
farming on a large scale at the head of Sand Bay, where he planted one
of the finest orchards in that part of the country. The Buckhams were
descended from an old Border family that have resided in Jedburgh from
the time of Queen Mary, of Scotland. Mrs. Kennedy died in 1856; but Mr.
Kennedy is still alive, and resides about three miles from Ottawa city,
on a picturesque spot overlooking the Rideau river. George received his
education at the Carleton county Grammar School (now the Ottawa
Collegiate Institute), and at University College, Toronto, where he
matriculated in 1853, taking the first-class scholarship in classics,
and in his subsequent course held first-class honors also in
mathematics, metaphysics and ethics, natural sciences, modern languages,
logic, rhetoric and history. In 1857 he graduated B.A. with gold medal
in metaphysics and ethics; took M.A. in 1860; LL.B. in 1864, and LL.D.,
in 1877. In 1859 Dr. Kennedy occupied the position of master of the
Grammar School of Prescott; and during the years 1860-1 he was second
master in the Ottawa Grammar School, and had charge of the branch
Meteorological Observatory at Ottawa. In 1862 he began the study of the
law in the offices of Crooks, Kingsmill and Cattanach, Toronto, and was
admitted as an attorney and solicitor, and was called to the bar of
Ontario in Hilary term, 1865. He then began the practice of his
profession in Ottawa, and for six years carried on his business in his
native place. In February, 1872, he received the appointment of law
clerk to the Crown Lands Department of Ontario, and moved to Toronto,
where he has ever since resided. During the years 1878-9-80 the doctor
was examiner in law at the University of Toronto. He was one of the
founders of the Ottawa Literary and Scientific Society, formed by the
amalgamation of the Mechanics’ Institute and Natural History Society,
and was secretary for some years, and as a recognition of his labours in
connection therewith was made a life member. He was also one of the
original members of the University College Literary and Scientific
Society, and is a member of the Canadian Institute, of which he was for
three years a vice-president, and is now editor of “The Proceedings.”
For some time he has been secretary to the Toronto St. Andrew’s Society,
and as such prepared a history of the Society as a memorial for its
jubilee year, 1886. Dr. Kennedy is an omnivorous reader, and as a
consequence has a large and well-selected library—indeed he considers a
library the most important part of any home—and few men are better
posted in book-lore than he. He, too, has seen a good deal of Canada and
the United States, and is familiar with the principal places in North
America, ranging from the Southern states, the Western states, the
Maritime provinces, the Muskoka district, and the regions beyond Ottawa.
As might be expected, Dr. Kennedy was brought up a Presbyterian, but
when quite young he began to entertain doubts as to the correctness of
the Calvinistic faith of his church. For several years he was greatly
troubled about this matter, and finding he could no longer stifle his
convictions, he broke away from the church, and became almost an
Agnostic. After a while, however, he joined the Unitarian church, and no
one has now a firmer faith than he in the Divine Fatherhood, and the
infinite possibilities of human progress. On the 6th June, 1883, he
married Sarah, daughter of the late Henry Jackson, a well-known
jeweller, and once resident of Toronto.
* * * * *
=Turnbull, William Wallace=, Merchant, of the firm of Turnbull & Co.,
Flour Dealers, Commission Merchants, and Importers of West India Goods,
St. John, New Brunswick, was born on the 23rd of May, 1828, at Bear
River, Annapolis county, Nova Scotia. His father was William Baxter
Turnbull, and his mother, Relief Ann Tucker. His father’s grandparents
emigrated from Edinburgh, Scotland, in the last century, and settled at
a small place now known as Bay View, about three miles distant from the
town of Digby, N.S., and here the father of the subject of our sketch
was born. His mother’s grandparents were U. E. loyalists, and came to
Nova Scotia from the United States shortly after, or during, the
revolutionary war between Great Britain and that country. Mr. Turnbull,
sen., was characterized by his keen sense of humour, his cheerfulness,
and his affectionate nature, his sympathy for the weak and suffering,
his strong religious convictions, and by his fealty to whatever he
believed to be just and right. He died at the comparatively early age of
forty-five years, and was buried at Bear River, greatly respected and
beloved by all who knew him. William’s education was confined to the
English branches, and was obtained at the Grammar School at Bear River,
and also by attendance, for a short time, at the Grammar School at
Albion Vale, a place about one mile distant from Annapolis, N.S. The
school at Albion Vale was taught by the late Andrew Henderson, and it
was at the time a somewhat celebrated place of instruction. Mr.
Turnbull, sen., died, in July, 1845, leaving a widow and nine children
(two sons and seven daughters), William being the younger of the two
brothers. On the winding up of his estate, and the payment of all just
debts, what remained for the family did not much exceed $1,000. For some
time previous to this event William’s health was in such a precarious
condition that it created a good deal of anxiety to the family, and it
may be readily supposed he could do little towards the support of his
mother and sisters, and to add to their troubles one of the younger
sisters, eight years old, died. In the following spring (1846) all of
the family except the brother removed to St. John, and shortly after
their arrival in that city William obtained a situation as clerk with W.
D. W. Hubbard, auctioneer. In this office he remained for about eighteen
months, when he became book-keeper for G. & J. Salter, a firm then
largely engaged in the West India trade, and as shipbuilders and
shipowners. On the 1st May, 1851, he left their employ and struck out
for himself as a wholesale flour, provision, and grocery merchant,
adding thereto a few years afterwards shipowning and sailing, and in
this business he is engaged at this time. When he started business he
had a capital of about $200.00, very small indeed, but he had himself
earned this money, and therefore knew its value. Owing, perhaps, to his
youth and inexperience, for many years his progress was very slow, he
having made a good number of bad debts and unwise ventures, yet
notwithstanding these drawbacks he managed to meet all his liabilities
as they matured, and now the reflection that throughout his business
career he has been able to meet every honourable obligation, affords him
the greatest satisfaction. Since his removal from Bear River he has
always lived in St. John. The changes or experiences that he has had are
perhaps such as are common to men engaged in business for so long a
period as thirty-six years, particularly during a time when railroads,
steamships and telegraphs have wrought such great changes in the methods
of business, and to which we may add the change resulting from the
confederation of the provinces into the Dominion of Canada. When Mr.
Turnbull was about twenty-four years of age he became a member of the
order of Sons of Temperance, but after a few years he withdrew, not
because he had ceased to believe in the soundness of total abstinence
principles, but because he became so immersed in business that his mind
seemed to be wholly absorbed by it, and he felt, owing perhaps to the
limitation of his capacity, unable to keep up his interest in the
organization. He has always been, and still is, a total abstainer, but
is not at present associated with any society having for its object the
dissemination of temperance principles. During his connection with the
Sons of Temperance he held a number of offices in the division, and
afterwards became its presiding officer; and still later a member of the
Grand Division of the province of New Brunswick. In May, 1884, Mr.
Turnbull was elected president of the St. John Protestant Orphan Asylum,
and also a director of the Bank of New Brunswick, which positions he
still holds. He, with about a dozen other persons, built a railway from
Gibson (opposite Fredericton) to Edmundston, a distance of about one
hundred and sixty miles, with branches in addition to Woodstock, N.B.,
and Fort Fairfield, Maine, and he continued to be connected with this
enterprise until the road was sold in 1880 to a number of capitalists in
Montreal. He is a member of the Board of Trade of the city of St. John.
In 1883 he took a trip to the Old World, and spent some time abroad,
visiting Britain, Germany, and Switzerland. Mr. Turnbull’s father was a
Presbyterian of the old school, and of course the son was brought up in
the same faith; but he now attends the Episcopal church with his family.
He, however, is not a member of this or any other church, not that he
objects to churches, but simply that his mind is unsettled as to what is
really the orthodox doctrine of faith and practice. One thing is
certain, however, Mr. Turnbull finds great pleasure in relieving the
wants of the deserving poor, and in doing all the good he can to his
fellow-men. He does not consider himself in any sense a politician, yet
nevertheless he holds decided opinions on most of the political
questions that now agitate the country. He is strongly opposed to what
is known as the national policy, for he believes it wrings large sums in
taxes from the pockets of the people, without its being able to give
them in return any compensating advantages. He is also strongly opposed
to the expenditure of large sums of money on public works of an
unremunerative character, and on public works which exist, as he is
satisfied many in Canada do, only by reason of sentiment or false pride.
While he recognizes that free trade, in its entirety, owing to the
enormous debt of the Dominion, is not now practicable, he holds that it
is thoroughly sound in principle, and being so would work the greatest
good to the greatest number of our people, he would therefore favour its
adoption to as large an extent as might seem to be practicable. He
believes in the fullest individual liberty and freedom, consistent with
a just regard for the rights of others, and is in favour of all measures
having for their object the elevation of the masses. He is, in its true
sense, a Liberal, but with enough conservatism in his composition to
cause him to oppose any change in the laws of our country that he did
not feel firmly convinced would be for the better. Mr. Turnbull was
married at Maugerville, Sunbury county, on June 6, 1854, to Julia
Caroline, daughter of the late Calvin L. Hatheway, of that place. Mr.
Hatheway was of loyalist stock, his father having taken a somewhat
prominent part in the revolutionary war between Great Britain and the
United States. Mr. Turnbull’s wife’s mother was a daughter of Lieutenant
James Harrison, who was also a loyalist, and who came to this province
from the United States. He has a family consisting of five children
living, namely, three daughters and two sons.
* * * * *
=Sprague, Thomas Farmer=, M.D., Woodstock, New Brunswick, was born on
the 30th of August, 1856, at Brigus, island of Newfoundland. He is a son
of the Rev. S. W. Sprague and Jean Manson Sprague. Thomas was educated
at Mount Allison Academy, Sackville, New Brunswick, and at the
Provincial Normal School. After leaving school he adopted the profession
of teaching, which he successfully followed for some years, and then, in
1877, moved to the city of New York, and began the study of medicine. He
entered the medical department of New York University, and successfully
graduated in the spring of 1880 from this institution. Dr. Sprague then
removed to Welsford, in New Brunswick, in April of the same year, and
began the practice of his profession. He remained in that place for two
years, and in June, 1882, went to Hartland, New Brunswick, where he
stayed until June, 1883, and then took up his abode in Woodstock, county
of Carleton, New Brunswick, where he has been successfully practising
ever since. The doctor was brought up in the faith as taught by the
Wesleyan Methodists—his father being a clergyman of that church—and he
has seen no reason to change his religious belief since growing up into
manhood. He married on the 17th of June, 1884, Loella Nourse, of Boston,
Mass.
* * * * *
=Gaynor, John Joseph=, M.D., St. John, New Brunswick, was born of Irish
parents, at Chatham, New Brunswick, on the 19th of March, 1854. They
were educated Irish Catholics, his father being a native of the county
Meath, and his mother of the county Clare, Ireland. They might well be
classed as Irish-Americans, as they were both brought by their
respective parents to this country while yet infants. Dr. Gaynor’s
father, Thomas Gaynor, was educated at the Grammar School, Chatham; and
his mother, Catharine Buckley, at a seminary for young ladies, conducted
by a Mrs. Merry at Newcastle, New Brunswick. This privilege, so
exceptional for Irish Catholics in those early days, was doubtless the
reason which determined the doctor’s parents to bestow in turn a liberal
education on their own offspring. On his father’s side Dr. Gaynor comes
of the best blood of historic Meath, being a descendant of the same
family that in the last century produced General Hand, of revolutionary
fame as adjutant-general to Washington during the war of American
Independence, and that in the present century gave birth to such eminent
churchmen as the late Father Hand, founder of All Hallows College,
Dublin, and the present patriotic Bishop of Meath, the illustrious Dr.
Nulty. According to family tradition also, one of Dr. Gaynor’s ancestors
fought under King James at the ill-fated battle of the Boyne, and was
killed while defending the “Bridge of Slane.” His name, the same
tradition says, was Thomas Gaynor. While on his father’s side Dr. Gaynor
is thus descended from a liberty-loving race, on his mother’s side he is
connected with that aristocratic class known in Ireland as “Castle
Catholics.” His mother, who was born at Ferhill Castle, Blackwater,
county Clare, was also closely allied by ties of blood to the famous
fighting “Goughs of Clare,” whose name is historical through General
Gough, of India fame. Dr. Gaynor is the eldest member of a family of
twelve, eight of whom are still living. One of his brothers, the Rev.
William C. Gaynor, is Roman Catholic pastor of Richmond, in Carleton
county, New Brunswick. Father Gaynor is a writer of great power on
theological questions, and is the author of “Papal Infallibility,”
published in 1885, and of a Commentary in Latin on the _Summa
Theologica_, of Thomas Aquinas, now in press in Paris. Another brother,
P. A. Gaynor, is a member of a large lumbering house in Pennsylvania,
and is now in the Redwood district of California, where he has
established a branch firm. Dr. Gaynor was educated partly at St.
Michael’s College, Chatham, and partly at St. Joseph’s College,
Memramcook. In the former institution he studied mathematics and the
exact sciences under the most distinguished teacher of his day in New
Brunswick, Thomas Caulfield, M.A., of Trinity College, Dublin. His
subsequent studies in logic and metaphysics were pursued at St. Joseph’s
College, Memramcook. In this institution he taught the higher
mathematics. It was here also that in 1877 he began the study of
medicine under the preceptorship of Dr. H. E. Boissy, resident physician
to St. Joseph’s, and leading medical practitioner among the Acadians of
New Brunswick. From St. Joseph’s Dr. Gaynor went in 1878 to Buffalo, New
York. There he attended the lectures in the medical department of
Buffalo University. He followed also the different courses of the newly
established College of Physicians and Surgeons in the same city.
Graduating in 1881, after a four years’ course, he carried off the
honours of his class, and was immediately offered the chair of chemistry
and toxicology in his _alma mater_. This honourable position he declined
at the insistance of his friends in New Brunswick, and immediately
returned to his native province. Shortly after his return he read by
invitation a paper on “Chloroform as an Anæsthetic,” before the Medical
Society of New Brunswick. Establishing himself at DeBec, Carleton
county, he soon acquired a lucrative practice. It was here that for the
first time in the history of medicine in New Brunswick nitro-glycerine
was employed, by Dr. Gaynor, for remedial purposes. Finding that his
sphere of labour was too circumscribed, and desirous of entering into a
larger field, Dr. Gaynor removed, in 1884, to St. John city, where he
has since resided. On February 20, 1884, he was united in the bonds of
holy wedlock to Nora Costigan, of St. John, a relative of the Hon. John
Costigan, Minister of Inland Revenue. By her he has three
children—Walter and Frederick, born February 16, 1885, and James, born
August 28, 1886. During his vacations, while yet a medical student, Dr.
Gaynor travelled extensively through the Northern, Western, and Middle
states, spending some time in the Oil regions of Pennsylvania, and at
the watering places on the Atlantic coast. In politics he is a
Liberal-Conservative, with no love, however, for toryism as it exists in
the mother country. The descendant of a family that fought and bled for
human liberty, he is naturally a liberal in sentiment and aspiration. It
is his belief, however, that so far as principles are concerned, there
is no essential difference between the Conservative party led by Sir
John Macdonald and the Liberal party led by Edward Blake. It is
tweedle-dum and tweedle-dee; and in the end the people always rule. Such
being his opinion of the two great political parties into which the
Canadian people are divided, Dr. Gaynor has pronounced views as to the
position which his Irish Catholic co-religionists should take in
dominion politics. They should, he believes, adopt Parnell’s famous
motto, _Support the party which does the most for you_. They would thus
as a body be bound to neither political party, and would gravitate from
one to the other consistently with the fair or unfair, just or unjust,
treatment they might receive from either party. Outside his native
province Dr. Gaynor is best known as a writer on _materia medica_. He
has made a specialty of the study of new drugs; and his articles in the
“Investigator”—a medical monthly of Buffalo—on this and kindred
subjects, have attracted unusual attention from the medical profession
in America. He also wrote and published in the same journal a series of
articles in explanation and defence of the Catholic doctrine on
craniotomy. In those articles he triumphantly refuted all the objections
brought forward by his adversaries, and abundantly proved, in defence of
the Catholic position, that the rational soul animates the human fœtus
from the very first moment of conception, and that consequently it is as
great a violation of divine law to destroy the living embryo as it would
be to murder the new-born child. Dr. Gaynor’s views of medical practice
are wide and comprehensive. His motto as regards remedial agents is:
“Seek the best where’er ’tis found,
On Christian earth or pagan ground.”
Yet he is not an eclectic in the narrow sense of the word, which is now
practically synonymous with homœopath. A thorough knowledge of anatomy,
a complete acquaintance with the physiological effect of every drug or
remedy, a no less complete acquaintance with pathology, and a virility
of character sufficient to elevate the mind above the crude ideas of
past generations, whether sanctioned by usage or made sacred by great
names, must in future, he contends, be characteristics of the successful
medical practitioner. A determined opponent of everything irrational or
unintelligent in medicine, Dr. Gaynor has ever raised his voice against
that hit-or-miss method, facetiously yet correctly styled “shot-gun
practice,” which combines, for example, in one prescription three, four,
or six different remedies, with the hope that if one misses some of the
others will touch the target. He is, by consequence, a strong believer
in the single remedy in every prescription. Dr. Gaynor is also a
specialist in gynecology, his practice in St. John being almost limited
to this department of his profession. He resides at number 2 Germain
street.
* * * * *
=de Martigny, Adelard Le Moyne=, Notary and Cashier of _La Banque
Jacques Cartier_, Montreal, was born at Varennes, on the 25th of
December, 1826. He is the son of Jacques Le Moyne de Martigny, seigneur
of de Martigny, St. Michel and La Trinité, and of Dame Suzanne Eléonore
Perrault, daughter of the late François Perrault, prothonotary of the
Superior Court at Quebec. Mr. de Martigny is descended from that
distinguished family of Le Moyne, who arrived in this country in 1611,
of whom were the de Longueuil, de Ste. Hélene, d’Iberville, de
Bienville, de Chateauguay, de Sévigny, and de Maricourt; one of his
ancestors, J. B. Le Moyne de Martigny, was at the capture of Fort
Bourbon by d’Iberville, and was left there as commander of that fort.
Having terminated his classical studies at the Montreal College, under
the gentlemen of the Seminary of St. Sulpice, he studied law under J. N.
A. Archambault, notary, at Varennes, and was admitted to practice in
January, 1848. In August, 1856, he was appointed registrar of the county
of Beauharnois; and in 1871 manager of the branch of the Merchants Bank
of Canada, established in the town of Beauharnois. He, however, resigned
these different positions to accept the one as manager of _Le Crédit
Foncier du Bas Canada_ in 1875; and finally he was offered the position
of cashier of _La Banque Jacques Cartier_ in Montreal in 1877, which he
accepted and still occupies. He is one of the executors of the estate of
the late Hon. Charles Wilson. Mr. de Martigny is one of the owners of a
large asbestos estate in Coleraine, Megantic county, and one of the
proprietors of a pulp and paper mill in Sorel, and was president of the
Joliette Railroad Company at the time of the sale of that road to the
government. In 1855 he married Aglaé Globensky, daughter of
Lieut.-Colonel Globensky, one of the officers under Colonel de
Salaberry, at the battle of Chateauguay. He has four sons by this
marriage, one of them, the oldest, Louis Le Moyne de Martigny, is
manager of the Jacques Cartier Bank at Salaberry de Valleyfield. He was
married again to his first cousin, Marie Malvina Le Moyne de Martigny,
daughter of Hugues Le Moyne de Martigny, seigneur of de Ramezay and
Bourgchemin.
* * * * *
=Rogers, Henry Cassady=, Postmaster, Peterboro’, Ontario, was born at
Grafton, Northumberland county, Ontario, on the 16th of July, 1839. He
is the second son of the late Lieut.-Col. James G. Rogers and his first
wife, Maria Burnham. His father died at his residence in Grafton on the
27th of November, 1874, in his seventieth year, greatly regretted by all
who knew him. He (J. G. Rogers) came to Grafton with his parents from
the village of Brighton, his birthplace, when he was only five years of
age, and his life was spent amidst a people many of whom were the
contemporaries of his youth. He was an upright magistrate and a sincere
Christian. His grandfather, David McGregor Rogers, was a U. E. loyalist,
who came to this country from New England with the first loyalists after
the termination of the revolutionary war in 1776. He settled first on
the Bay of Quinté, afterwards moving to Presqu’Isle, and finally to the
township of Haldimand (now the village of Grafton), where he opened the
first post-office between Kingston and York (now Toronto), and where
three generations of the family have been born. The homestead is now
occupied by his brother, Lieut.-Col. R. Z. Rogers, commanding the 40th
battalion. He (D. McG. Rogers) was for twenty-four years a member of the
Upper Canada legislature; and died on the 13th July, 1824, in the
fifty-third year of his age. In his political opinions he was a warm
admirer of the British constitution, and during the time he sat in the
legislature no member guarded the rights and interests of the people
more zealously than he did. His great-granduncle was the famous Col.
Rogers of “Roger’s Rangers,” who was a man of note during the last
century,—best known as Major Rogers. He first became famous as a scout
in the Indian troubles. His exploits furnished Fenimore Cooper with the
ground-work of his tales of the “Leather-stocking,” and “Horrors of the
Backwoods.” He was commissioned to raise and organize a regiment of
scouts during the French war. This corps rendered valuable service at
the taking of Canada from the French, and on its surrender Rogers was
entrusted by the commander-in-chief with the arduous duty of proceeding
west from Montreal, and taking possession in the name of the king of
Great Britain, of the country including forts Frontenac (Kingston),
Niagara, Detroit, Pittsburgh, Mackinaw, etc., as far as the Mississippi
in the west and Lake Superior north. He had therefore the honour of
commanding the first British expedition that passed through the great
chain of lakes, interesting accounts of which may be found in his
“Journal,” published in London, England, in 1765; “Heely’s Wolfe in
Canada,” “Parkman’s Conspiracy of Pontiac,” chap. vi.; and many others.
The Rangers were re-organized on the breaking out of the rebellion in
1765, by a brother of the first commanding officer Colonel James Rogers
who was the great-grandfather of the subject of this sketch, commanded
at St. John’s, Quebec (the key of Canada as it was then called), and
were called the “Queen’s Rangers,” but many of the leading spirits
joined the rebels, among others Putnam and Stark, who were lieutenants
in the Rangers, and who became celebrated generals in the American army.
Great inducements were offered the Rogers to join Washington, but they
remained staunch to the Crown, for which they not only lost their homes
and possessions (some 30,000 acres of land in New England), but had
their good name calumniated, being called traitors and spies by the
partisan press of the revolutionists. The mother of H. C. Rogers was
third daughter of the late Hon. Zaccheus Burnham, of Cobourg, who came
to Cobourg with his four brothers from New Hampshire at the end of the
last century, and who carved out homes and affluence from the forest,
and left a large circle of descendants who are filling many positions of
trust and honour throughout the Dominion. Henry Cassady Rogers, the
subject of our sketch, received his primary education in the public
school at Grafton; then when twelve years of age he was sent to the
Model School at Toronto, and finally to the Grammar School at Kingston
where he graduated. He then apprenticed himself to his uncle, the late
Lieut.-Colonel R. D. Rogers, of Ashburnham, who learned him how to
conduct a commercial business, and with this uncle he remained from 1855
to 1860. He then went into business in Peterboro’ with his
brother-in-law, Harry Strickland, son of Colonel Strickland, of
Lakefield, and for ten years they carried on a successful mercantile
lumbering and mining business under the name of Strickland & Rogers. In
1871 Mr. Rogers retired from the firm and was made postmaster of
Peterboro’, which office he now fills with satisfaction to the public.
Mr. Rogers has inherited from his illustrious ancestors a love of
military life, and when only sixteen years of age, on the Rifle company
being formed at Peterboro’ in 1855, he joined that corps; and in 1866,
on the promotion of Captain Poole, he was given command of the company,
and acted as its captain during the various Fenian raids of that period.
In 1867, when the 57th battalion was formed, he and his companions
became No. 1 company of the battalion. In this connection, we may here
say, that his brother, Lieut.-Colonel Robert Z. Rogers, commands the
40th (Northumberland) battalion; and his cousin, Lieut.-Colonel James Z.
Rogers, the 57th battalion Peterboro’ Rangers. In 1872 he raised and
commanded the Peterboro’ Cavalry troop, which now forms C troop of the
3rd Prince of Wales Canadian Dragoons. Mr. Rogers is an active member of
the Masonic brotherhood, and belongs to Corinthian lodge, No. 101,
Peterboro’. He crossed the Atlantic in 1862, and made himself familiar
with many cities of the old world. In politics he is a
Liberal-Conservative; and in religious matters he is an adherent of the
Episcopal church. In 1863 he was married at Smith’s Falls, to Maria,
eldest daughter of Dr. W. H. Burritt, a scion of an old U. E. loyalist
family of the Rideau, who settled at Burritt’s Rapids many years ago.
* * * * *
=Wilson, J. C.=, M.P. for Argenteuil, Manufacturer, Montreal, was born
on the 19th of July, 1841, near Rasharkin, county of Antrim, Ireland,
and came to Montreal with his parents in September, 1842, and near this
city the family settled. His father, Samuel Wilson, belonged to a
numerous family of farmers and artisans in Antrim county; and his
mother, Elizabeth Crocket, was descended from similar stock. Her
forefathers were of a roving disposition, and their descendants are
scattered all over the British colonies. Both Mr. Wilson’s parents were
religious people, and held a prominent position in the church. His
mother died at an early age from the excessive hardships she had to
endure in the vicinity of Montreal, as a pioneer settler. His father, as
a youth, received no training as an artisan, yet having a natural talent
for using tools, he adopted the trade of carpenter, and in a very few
years thereafter became an expert mechanic. He designed and made the
first railway snow-plough used in Canada, and from his model the plough
now used is still made. He entered the employ of the Grand Trunk Railway
Company, and up to the time of his death was engaged by that company in
building their cars. He was a very industrious man, and in the evenings,
after leaving his usual work, frequently spent hours in his own workshop
in his house at his lathe and bench, making furniture for himself and
his neighbours. James, the subject of this sketch, was educated by an
old-fashioned schoolmaster in the rudiments of learning, and had to work
for a living at a very early age. He was apprenticed to mechanical
engineering in 1853, and until 1856 he worked at his trade, when, having
met with an accident that injured his right arm, he had to give up the
trade of a mechanical engineer. Mr. Wilson now shows with pride some
fine machinist’s tools he made when he was an apprentice. On recovering
from his injuries, a kind friend observing the talents and perseverance
of the lad, sent him to the Model School, and from there to the McGill
Normal School in Montreal, and in July, 1859, he graduated as a teacher.
In 1859 he removed to Beauharnois, and taught the dissentient school in
that town until 1862, when he moved west to Belleville, where he clerked
until December of that year, when he moved to Toronto, and accepted the
position of clerk in the office of a wholesale news company. In 1863 he
went to New York, and from November of that year until January, 1867, he
had the management of the publishing house of T. W. Strong, of that
city, and through his perseverance and industry gained the highest rung
of the ladder of fortune in Mr. Strong’s establishment. While Mr. Wilson
resided in New York he was a great favourite among the Canadians
visiting there, and helped many of them when they were in need. A
deep-seated love for Canada, and a special inducement brought him again
back to Montreal in January, 1867, and he at once assumed the position
of cashier and bookkeeper in the office of Angus, Logan & Co., paper
manufacturers (now the Canada Paper Co.) He remained with this firm
until September, 1870, when he went into business on his own account. He
began the manufacture of paper bags by machinery, and was the first in
Canada to supply the grocers all over the Dominion with this very useful
article. This proving, by energy and ability, a prosperous business, in
1880 he built a large paper mill at Lachute, province of Quebec, and in
1885 had to double its power so as to be able to make six tons of paper
per day. In 1880 Mr. Wilson was elected an alderman for the city of
Montreal, and was again returned by acclamation in 1883. For six years
he represented St. Lawrence ward in the city council, and for four years
was chairman of the light committee. He was president of the Fish and
Game Protection Club of the province of Quebec for two years; president
of the Irish Protestant Benevolent Society for two years; and has
occupied the principal chairs in several other societies in Montreal.
Mr. Wilson is a life governor and vice-president of the Montreal
Dispensary; a governor of the Protestant Insane Asylums of the province
of Quebec; one of the board of Protestant School Commissioners of
Montreal; principal and head of the firm of J. C. Wilson & Co., paper
and paper-bag makers, Montreal; and at the general elections held
February 22, 1887, he was elected to represent the county of Argenteuil,
province of Quebec, in the House of Commons at Ottawa. Mr. Wilson is an
ardent fisherman, fond of lakes and brooks, and never hesitates to drive
thirty or forty miles over a rough road to enjoy a few hours’
trout-fishing, and thoroughly enjoys camp life. In business he is
active, pushing, hard-working, and far-seeing in his plans, and never
puts off until to-morrow what can be done to-day. With his employees he
is a favourite, and is looked upon by them as most generous and kind.
Mr. Wilson has adopted as his motto, “It pays to think.” In politics he
is a Liberal-Conservative, and in religion an adherent of the
Presbyterian form of worship. On the 6th of November, 1865, he married
Jeanie, third daughter of the late William Kilgour, of Beauharnois,
province of Quebec, and has a family of five children—three sons and
two daughters.
* * * * *
=Wedderburn, Hon. William=, Q.C., Hampton, Judge of the County Courts of
Kings and Albert counties, New Brunswick, was born at St. John, October
12, 1834. He is a son of the late Alexander Wedderburn, of Aberdeen,
Scotland. Imperial emigration agent at St. John, New Brunswick, and Jane
Heaviside, of London, England. His father was the author of several
pamphlets and letters on important public affairs. Judge Wedderburn was
educated at the St. John Grammar School, and entered as a student for
the profession of the law in the office of the Hon. John H. Gray, (now
judge of the Supreme Court of British Columbia); was called to the bar
in 1858, and created a Queen’s counsel in 1873. Until he entered
political life he enjoyed a very large and leading law practice. For
several years he was intimately connected with the press as a
contributor and editor, and in both capacities, as well as on the
platform, took a very prominent and pronounced stand in favour of the
confederation of the provinces. At the general elections of 1870 he
first presented himself for parliamentary honours, and was returned for
the city of St. John to the New Brunswick legislature. In 1874 he was
re-elected by a very large vote; and again in 1878 he was honoured by
re-election. While in parliament he took a very prominent part in the
discussions before the house, and was the author and promoter of a
series of resolutions in favour of “better terms” for New Brunswick, and
was afterwards delegated on several occasions to go to Ottawa on this
subject. The result of the agitation was a very large increase to the
income of the province, secured with other advantages when the delegates
pressed the matter finally and with effect upon the settlement of the
export duty question during the discussion of the Washington treaty. Mr.
Wedderburn was also the author and mover of the famous
resolutions—known and published throughout the election as the
“Wedderburn resolutions”—on which the School bill contest in 1874 was
conducted, re-affirming the principle of the School law, and protesting
against any interference by the parliament of Canada on the subject.
Very many laws were added to the Statute Book upon his motion. On
February 18, 1876, he was elected speaker of the House of Assembly by
acclamation, and while holding this office he was requested to report a
code of laws for the government of the house during business and in
committee. The rules at this time were very few and incomplete, and
quite behind the age. At the following session he reported to the house.
Taking the practice of the Imperial and Canadian Houses of Commons, and
the rules of parliament, and of the different legislatures of the
provinces,—the report provided a full and complete course of procedure.
After full discussion during that and the following session the whole of
the rules were adopted with very little, if any, material amendment. The
committee reported a grant of five hundred dollars to the speaker for
his work—which had, of course, been prepared without charge. Mr.
Wedderburn ranked high as a parliamentary authority, and is thought not
to have been excelled in the chair. At the close of the term of the
Assembly, the leader of the opposition, in a very complimentary speech,
moved the thanks of the House to Mr. Speaker for his ability, etc., in
the government of the house. The premier (now Judge King) seconded the
motion, and highly eulogized the Speaker, and concluded by saying that
“if he (Mr. Wedderburn) had not been so good a Speaker, he (Mr. King)
would have been a better parliamentarian.” Immediately after this, Hon.
Mr. Wedderburn was appointed to the office of provincial secretary, and
this office he held until he accepted the position of judge of the
County Courts of Kings and Albert. He twice refused a seat in the
government of 1870, and the appointment of commissioner to consolidate
the provincial statutes. He has been prominently identified with the
temperance movement, and has filled various important positions in this
army of moral reform, among others that of grand worthy patriarch of the
Grand Division of the Sons of Temperance of New Brunswick. He was
president of the Mechanics’ Institute of St. John for three years
consecutively, 1869-72, as well as holding other offices in the
institute. He was first president of the Provincial Board of
Agriculture, created by a law passed by the government of which he was a
member, and the address delivered by him at the inauguration of the
board was greatly complimented, and published or largely quoted in
English and French throughout Canada and in the United states. And it
was largely through his means that the stock farm was undertaken by the
government. Hon. Mr. Wedderburn has been speaker, orator, and lecturer
on many important public and private occasions, commanding the close
attention of his auditors at all times by his eloquent, powerful and
ornate deliverances. Among his efforts in this direction may be
mentioned his address at the memorial services held in the city of St.
John for President Lincoln; his oration as provincial secretary at the
memorial services of President Garfield; at the laying the corner stone
of the Masonic Temple in St. John; at the ceremonial in celebration of
the Centennial of the introduction of Freemasonry into New Brunswick;
his great lecture on “Colin Campbell,” in the Mechanics’ Institute, on
behalf of the volunteers during the Fenian troubles; and his brilliant
oration, delivered by request of the city corporation of St. John, upon
the Centennial celebration of the landing of the loyalists in New
Brunswick. Many others might be mentioned. Judge Wedderburn has always
been prominently identified with the fraternity of Free and Accepted
Masons. He was initiated in St. John’s lodge, of St. John, June 19,
1857, and was senior warden in 1860, and worshipful master in 1862 and
1863. The capitular degrees were received in the New Brunswick Royal
Arch Chapter. He was the first of, and the most prominent among, those
who advocated the erection of an independent Grand Lodge in and for New
Brunswick; promoting the movement by his voice and pen, particularly by
the latter in the columns of the _Masonic Mirror_, the organ of the
order, and of which he was the editor. At the formation of the Grand
Lodge, October, 1867, he was unanimously elected deputy grand master, in
which position he continued up to 1870, when he was elected grand
master, and occupied the latter office for two years. Although the
removal of his residence to his villa at Hampton, Kings county, and the
prosecution of his judicial functions have drawn him away from active
participation in the work of the craft, nevertheless he continues to
retain his membership in the lodge, and to preserve a warm interest in
the prosperity of the brotherhood. The editor of the _Parliamentary
Practice_ thus refers to him when he was provincial secretary:—“Upon
the floor of the House he was a leading spirit; eloquent and
argumentative, a keen debater, and a master of sarcasm.” Judge
Wedderburn is married to Jeannie, daughter of the late C. C. Vaughan, of
St. John, New Brunswick.
* * * * *
=Steeves, James Thomas=, M.D., Superintendent of the Provincial Lunatic
Asylum, St. John, New Brunswick, was born at Hillsborough, Albert
county, N.B., on the 25th of January, 1828. He is a brother of the late
Hon. W. H. Steeves, senator, and one of the delegates or founders of
Canadian confederation; and is of German ancestry. His great-grandfather
was born in Osnaburgh, Germany, whence he removed to Philadelphia, and
his grandfather, the Rev. Henry Steeves, removed thence to Albert
county, N.B., about the beginning of the present century. Dr. Steeves is
a Baptist in religion, as all his fathers were; in fact “his fathers”
were the pioneers in disseminating Baptist doctrines over a large
portion of the province. His literary education was obtained at the
Grammar School at Hillsborough, at Sackville Academy, and finally at the
Baptist Seminary, Fredericton, under the late Dr. Spurden. After the
completion of his literary course, he entered upon the study of medicine
at the Pennsylvania Medical College,—attracted by the famous surgeon,
Valentine Mott,—the following year he matriculated at the University of
New York, and graduated in the class of 1853. From the medical faculty
of the university he received a certificate of honour for proficiency
and for having pursued a more extended course of instruction than that
required by the college curriculum. In June, 1854, the doctor
established himself in Portland, St. John, N.B., and entered upon the
practice of his profession. After the lapse of a few weeks Asiatic
cholera made its appearance there in all its terribleness, spreading
dismay and death on every hand. During the prevalence of this fearful
scourge, extending over a period upwards of four months, Dr. Steeves, by
his unswerving fidelity to his professional duties under every
circumstance, and his good measure of success, fairly placed himself
among the leading physicians of New Brunswick. In 1864 he removed to the
city of St. John and erected the fine block of four brick and stone
buildings situated on the corner of Wellington Row and Union street,
which escaped the great fire of 1877, and still stand as a monument to
his success and enterprise, and where he resided until 1875. On the
opening of the General Public Hospital in 1864, the doctor was appointed
upon the staff of visiting surgeons, and was the last of the original
staff retiring. When the late Dr. J. Waddell was about retiring from the
superintendency of the Provincial Lunatic Asylum, Dr. Steeves was
recommended by his professional brethren almost as a body, as a suitable
successor for the position. Under the management of Dr. Waddell the
asylum for the insane had attained a high position for successful work;
and since under the present administration it has not lost a whit, but
has kept fully abreast with the various modern improvements incident to
asylum treatment everywhere. Dr. Steeves is a strong advocate for
segregation, pavilion accommodation, and employment for the insane. By
means of his advocacy with pen and voice, he has induced the government
of New Brunswick to purchase a large farm, and to erect thereon a group
of pavilions for the care and employment of a suitable number and class
of the most healthy, indigent and pauper insane. The establishment is in
full working condition, and is regarded as a complete success, in that
it is far better than the old hospital system for this class of
patients, giving them more freedom and out-door work, and that it is far
more economical both in buildings and maintenance. Dr. Steeves was
elected a member of the first medical council of New Brunswick on the
introduction of the English Medical Registration Act in 1860. He has
occupied the position of vice-president of the Canada Medical
Association; he is an honorary member of the American Medical
Association; he was elected unanimously first president of the New
Brunswick Medical Society under the New Brunswick Medical Act of 1880;
and is past president of the New Brunswick Medical Council. The Dr. was
married to M. A. McMann, daughter of the late Captain L. McMann, of the
city of St. John, in May, 1856; by whom he had born nine children. The
eldest son, Frank H. Steeves, M.D., a very promising young man,
graduated in medicine at Bellevue Hospital College, N.Y., and soon after
went to St. Thomas Hospital College, London, England, in 1880, to
further pursue medical studies. There he contracted acute phthisis, to
which disease he succumbed in March, 1882. The second son, J. A. E.
Steeves, A.M., M.D., is the assistant physician in the Provincial
Lunatic Asylum, St. John, at the present time.
* * * * *
=Van Wyck, Rev. James=, Pastor of the Euclid Avenue Methodist Church,
Toronto, was born in Stamford village, in the county of Welland,
Ontario, on the 16th of May, 1846. He is descended on his father’s side
from an old Dutch family, who many centuries ago were seigniors of Wyck
in Holland, but through political intrigue lost their feudal rights. The
first Van Wyck in America emigrated from Holland in 1660, and he and his
son Theodoras took the oath of allegiance to the British government in
1681. Since then the family has multiplied considerably, and is now
scattered throughout the United States, many of them filling important
positions, both in church and state. Rev. Mr. Van Wyck’s grandfather was
the only one of this name who came to Canada, to make for himself a
home, and he settled in the Niagara peninsula, where Daniel Van Wyck,
the father of the subject of our sketch, was born, on the 7th of
October, 1812, his mother being Nancy Kilman. Daniel Van Wyck was a
farmer, a man of good judgment and sterling integrity, and was
invariably sought after in cases of arbitration. During the Mackenzie
rebellion, he stood by the “old flag.” He took a deep interest in
education—filling the position of school trustee for many years, and
was an ardent supporter of free schools. In politics he was a
Conservative. James Van Wyck, like a great many boys in their days, had
to help his father on the farm or in the workshop, and got very little
time to attend the public school after he was ten years of age, except a
few months in winter, and not even that after he was fifteen years of
age. Misfortune had befallen his father, and the son worked hard to help
him to regain his former position. When he had reached his nineteenth
year, having despaired of getting what his mind craved after, an
education, he apprenticed himself to an elder brother in the town of
Welland, to learn the carpenter trade, and having served the usual time,
he left Welland and went to Lockport, New York state, where he remained
for about eighteen months. During these years he had been improving his
mind, and had united himself with the Methodist Episcopal church. On his
return to Canada in 1869, he entered the ministry of that church, and
after preaching four years, and pursuing the required course of study,
he was ordained to the work of the ministry in 1873, by the late Bishop
Richardson. In the fall of that year he entered Albert College,
Belleville, where he remained for four years, and graduated in arts in
June, 1878. He was also valedictorian of the year, besides receiving the
silver medal. He was then invited to a church in Strathroy, where he
remained for nearly five years by special request (it being a privilege
at that time to those who were preferred). Next he went to Hamilton,
where he remained for three years, and in 1886 he was invited to take
charge of the church in Euclid avenue, in Toronto, the pastorate he now
fills, with honour to the Master and satisfaction to his people. Rev.
Mr. Van Wyck has always taken an active part in temperance work, and
from 1879 to 1882 occupied the office of president of the branch of the
Dominion Alliance, for the suppression of the liquor traffic in the
county of Middlesex. He is a member of the Independent Order of
Oddfellows, and he has also been connected with the Sons of Temperance,
and the Good Templars for a number of years. He is one of the board of
management of Alma College, St. Thomas, and also one of its board of
examiners. He occupied a seat on the board of examiners of the Albert
College, Belleville, from 1878 up to the time of the union of the
Methodist churches a few years ago. He has also been associated with the
board of examiners in the Annual Conference of the Methodist church
since 1878. Rev. Mr. Van Wyck has been repeatedly appointed a delegate
to the General Conference of the Methodist church, and when the question
of union was discussed, he supported the union with all his ability. He
has been very happy in his church relations, and in all his charges has
enjoyed great prosperity. In his earlier years, Mr. Van Wyck was
somewhat prejudiced in favour of the denomination in which he was
brought up, and thought John Wesley infallible, but Ephraim has now
somewhat modified his views. Although he is a firm Arminian, and
believes in the genuineness, authority and inspired character of the
divine revelation contained in the Bible, yet he sometimes wishes that
the creeds of the Evangelical church had more specified articles of
faith in them, and that they were more liberally interpreted. He was
married on the 24th of August, 1866, to Maria Fares, who was educated in
Toronto and Belleville, and is a daughter of Isaac Fares, of
Humberstone, Welland county, Ontario.
* * * * *
=Bronson, Erskine Henry=, M.P.P., for the city of Ottawa, was born on
the 12th of September, 1844, at Bolton, Warren county, New York state.
He is a son of Henry Franklin Bronson, and Edith E. Pierce, of Bolton,
and a member of the firm of Bronsons & Weston, lumber manufacturers,
Ottawa city. Mr. Bronson, senr., came to Canada in 1849, when Erskine
was a mere child, and visiting the Ottawa valley became greatly
impressed with the idea that the Chaudière Falls was a splendid place to
begin lumbering operations. The timber supply in the neighbourhood
seemed inexhaustible, and the water power magnificent. After a short
stay, however, he returned to his home in the state of New York, and
thought little more of the matter until 1852, when he persuaded J. J.
Harris, an extensive lumberman, with whom he was associated, to go with
him to Ottawa. Arrived at their destination, the river experts tried to
persuade them that the Ottawa river was not suitable for the safe
driving of saw logs. But Mr. Bronson thought differently, and persuaded
Mr. Harris to purchase certain water lots at the Chaudière Falls, which
he accordingly did, from the Crown, and here, under the personal
superintendence of Mr. Bronson, were erected mills, portions of which
still exist and form part of the splendid works since erected by
Bronsons & Weston. Shortly after the erection of the first mill, Mr.
Bronson removed his family to Canada, in the fall of 1853, and made his
permanent home at Ottawa. Erskine was brought up here, and received his
education in the best schools in the place, and at Sandy Hill, New York
state. After finishing his education, he took a position in the
business; and in 1864, on the retirement of Mr. Harris, he was admitted
a partner into the new firm, which was then established, and which
consisted of Henry Franklin Bronson, who with Mr. Harris originated the
business, Erskine H. Bronson and Abijah Weston, of Painted Post, New
York, and which has since traded under the name of Bronsons & Weston.
This firm owns two mills at Ottawa, running ten gates, with a capacity
of producing 60,000,000 feet of lumber during the season. They have also
close business relations with John W. Dunham, of Albany, New York, and
Herman K. Weaver, of Burlington, Vt., and have also a yard in Albany,
for the sale of lumber in the rough. Though in the building up of this
great concern, the Liberal member for Ottawa has played no
inconsiderable part, he has also done something to prove himself a good
and useful citizen. He has been a member of the School Board for the
last fourteen years, during the past four years of which he has been
chairman of the committee on school management. He was first elected to
the city council by acclamation in 1871, and served continuously until
the close of 1877. During the last year he was in the council he
prepared the act consolidating the city debt, and secured its passage in
the Ontario Legislature in the session of 1878. This act relieved the
city by the extension of the time of the payment of its bonds of a large
annual levy for a sinking fund, and fixed the maximum of taxation at one
and a half per cent., instead of two per cent. as before, under the
general municipal law. Mr. Bronson in politics is a Reformer, and in
religious matters an adherent of the Presbyterian church. He is one of
our rising men, and we feel that Ottawa in electing him as one of its
representatives in the Ontario Legislature, has done something that
shall redound to its credit. Mr. Bronson was married in 1874, to Miss
Webster, the only daughter of Professor Webster, a Southern gentleman,
at one time a resident of the capital, by whom he has two children.
* * * * *
=McPherson, R. B.=, Thorold, Ontario, was born in 1817, in Kingussie,
Inverness-shire, Scotland. His father was a merchant; and having a
family of twelve children, he considered it would be to their interest
if he emigrated to Canada. He therefore left his native country in 1822,
and located himself in Glengarry, about twenty miles east by north of
Cornwall. Here R. B. McPherson was brought up, and received the very
scant education given in the back township schools in those days, the
principal being the reading of the Bible and the committing to memory
the Shorter Catechism and the Paraphrases. At the age of thirteen he
left home, and found employment in a country store, the proprietor of
which was in the habit of purchasing timber for the Quebec market. Here
Mr. McPherson remained for some time, and frequently had to act in the
capacity of raftsman, and help bring his employer’s timber down to
Quebec. He often ran the risk of losing his life in the St. Lawrence
river rapids before the rafts were safely anchored in the timber coves
at Quebec. During the rebellion of 1837-8, Mr. McPherson took sides with
the loyalists, and had command at one time of a guard at the river
Beaudette bridge near Coteau Rapids, Province of Quebec, whose duty it
was to intercept rebels coming or going over it, more especially the
late Sir George E. Cartier, for whose head a large sum of money had been
offered, and who it was thought would endeavour to escape across the St.
Lawrence at this point. In 1840 Mr. McPherson left Lower Canada and came
to Toronto, where he remained a short time, and then crossed over to
Rochester. From this place he travelled through the Genesee country to
Buffalo and the Falls of Niagara, and when at the latter point, he saw
Mr. McLeod, of _Caroline_ steamer notoriety, a prisoner, surrounded by a
strong guard at the hotel. He again returned to Canada, and found
employment near the town of Simcoe. In this place he remained for a
short time, and then left for New York, intending to sail from that port
to Buenos Ayres, South America, and try his fortune there. On his
arrival at New York, he learned that Buenos Ayres was blockaded by a
French squadron, and being advised to abandon his southern trip, he
remained in New York until his means were exhausted, and then, in the
month of January, he left with the idea of tramping his way to New
Orleans by way of the Mississippi. On his route he passed through
Philadelphia and Baltimore. At Baltimore he took the turnpike road to
Pittsburg, but after a while got so tired and footsore with travelling
in the snow that he turned off the main road, and took the road right
across the state of Pennsylvania through the coal mines, making his way
towards Lake Erie. When he reached the Alleghany river he followed its
course for a long distance, and then struck off to Jamestown, just then
starting into existence, and then on to Buffalo. From this point he
walked across Lake Erie on the ice to Port Colborne and then on to St.
Catharines. Here he found employment as bookkeeper, paymaster, etc., in
the office of Thompson, Haggert & Burford, contractors engaged in
building the Welland canal. Frank Smith (now senator) was at this date
employed by this former firm and was in charge of a store that shipped
goods to the labourers’ employers on the works. After the completion of
this famous Welland canal contract Mr. McPherson went to Toronto, and
meeting a Mr. Logan, a then prominent merchant in that city, who
controlled about a dozen stores in various country parts north and east
of Toronto, he entered into an engagement with him to take charge of a
store at Oshawa; and while here Mr. Logan’s storekeeper in the village
of Markham was murdered (the murderer being afterwards executed in
Toronto), and Mr. McPherson was transferred to that village leaving the
employ of Mr. Logan, he went to the village of Bradford and took charge
of a store for Mr. Cameron, son of the late Colin Cameron, of
Hogshollow, Yonge street. In the spring of 1849 Mr. McPherson again got
restless and left Bradford with the intention of going to California,
but on his way, at Buffalo, he met the late Mr. Brown, who had a large
contract in the Welland canal, and abandoning his California trip, he
arranged with that gentleman to become his general manager, and once
more returned to Canada. Mr. Brown was a large contractor, and shortly
after Mr. McPherson joined him, he secured a contract amounting to about
two million dollars on the new canal; but before he had half completed
the work, he met with an accident which caused his death. Dying without
a will, Mr. Brown’s affairs were put into Chancery, and Mr. McPherson
was appointed administrator of the estate. He went to work and completed
Mr. Brown’s contracts. When the estate was wound up, it was found that
Mr. McPherson had faithfully done his duty, and that the sum of six
hundred and seventy-five thousand dollars had been realized for Mr.
Brown’s heirs. In 1869 Mr. McPherson built a grist flouring mill, and
another in 1878, to supply flour, etc., to the men building the canal,
both ventures turning out fairly. From 1856 to 1862 he was a member of
the town council, and for two years a member of the county council, and
when acting as county councillor he had the pleasure of taking part in
the reception given the Prince of Wales at Chippawa. Mr. McPherson was a
Liberal in politics ever since he knew the meaning of the term, and
always took a lively interest in political matters. In 1881, on the
death of his wife, he took a tour through the Southern States, and in
his rambles visited Maryland, Virginia, North and South Carolina,
Georgia, Alabama, Arkansas, Missouri, Tennessee and Kentucky, returning
through some of the Northern States; and came to the wise conclusion
that Ontario suited him best, and in this province he spent the
remainder of his days. Although Mr. McPherson’s parents were, in the old
country, Baptists, and in Canada attended the Presbyterian church, and
were very strict observers of Sunday and all the doctrines held by that
church, yet as a young man he began to wonder why God was so particular
about Sunday. Being of an inquiring turn of mind and not afraid to think
for himself, he began reading philosophical works, and works on the
religions of antiquity, and comparing them with the writings of the
Jews, he gradually relinquished the Christian dogmas, and became an
Agnostic. Mr. McPherson was married in 1855, to Miss Secord, whose
parents reside near St. David’s, a few miles from Queenston. Her
grandmother gained considerable renown during the war of 1812, having
walked from Queenston in the night through the enemy’s lines to give
important information to the British general stationed about twenty
miles west of that place. While on a visit to Buffalo, Mr. McPherson was
suddenly taken ill, and died on the 1st December, 1886, in that city,
aged sixty-nine years, leaving behind him an honourable record for
integrity and usefulness.
* * * * *
=Cameron, Sir Matthew=, Chief Justice of Ontario, who died at Toronto,
Ontario, on the 25th June, 1887, was a son of John McAlpine Cameron, a
descendant of the Camerons of Fassifern, Scotland, who emigrated from
Inverness-shire to Upper Canada in 1819, settling at Dundas, where he
engaged in business, and subsequently discharged the duties of deputy
postmaster under Thomas Allan Stayner, then the Imperial
Postmaster-General for Canada, at Hamilton. He also acted as deputy
clerk of the Crown for Gore district. Later, however, he was a student
at law with Sir Allan McNab, with whom he remained until he was
appointed to the first permanent clerkship of committees in the
parliament of Upper Canada, from which office he went to the Canada
Company’s office in Toronto, where he held an important position for
many years. Coming to this part of the country, as he did, when it was
yet undeveloped and sparsely settled, and engaging in active life, Mr.
Cameron became well and widely known. He died in Toronto in November,
1866, aged seventy-nine years. His mother was Nancy Foy, a native of
Northumberland, England. The deceased chief justice received his primary
education at a school in Hamilton, under a Mr. Randall, and afterwards
at the District School in Toronto, which he attended for a short time.
In 1838 he entered Upper Canada College, where he studied until 1840,
when, in consequence of an accident while out shooting, he had to
retire. Two years later he entered the office of Campbell & Boulton, of
Toronto, as a student-at-law, where he remained until Hilary term, 1849,
when he was called to the bar of the province of Ontario. He engaged in
Toronto in the practice of his profession, first with Mr. Boulton, his
former master. This firm continued until the law partnership of Cayley &
Cameron was formed, the senior member being the Hon. William Cayley, an
English barrister, and at one time inspector-general of the province,
afterwards registrar of the Surrogate Court. In 1859 Dr. McMichael
entered the firm, which then became Cayley, Cameron & McMichael. Later
Mr. Cayley retired, and E. Fitzgerald became a partner in the business,
and his name was added to the name and style of the firm, remaining so
for several years. Alfred Hoskin subsequently became a partner, and on
the retirement of Mr. Fitzgerald, the firm became Cameron, McMichael &
Hoskin, and remained so until the senior member’s elevation to the bench
in November, 1878. He was elected a Queen’s counsel in 1863, and elected
a bencher in November, 1878. He first came into public notice as a
counsel in the famous case of Anderson, the fugitive slave, the refusal
to surrender whom, on the part of the British government, nearly caused
war between that country and the United States. Mr. Cameron represented
Anderson in this case, and made a defence which for burning eloquence
and closely reasoned logic has scarcely ever been equalled at the bar in
this country. It was over the magnificence of this effort that he got
the title which he retained for some time of the silver-tongued orator
of the Ontario bar. Partly as a result of this case he obtained a very
large practice, and travelled from assize to assize, putting in an
immense amount of work, though nearly all the time enduring great
personal agony, as the result of an accident suffered some years before.
This accident occurred while he and another gentleman were shooting in
the marsh near this city. One of the guns went off prematurely, shooting
Mr. Cameron in the thigh. The wound took a bad turn, and the injured leg
had to be amputated. The stump never healed properly, and during the
remainder of his life he was almost continually in pain from this
accident. The physical suffering never prevented him from doing such a
day’s work that few men in the country would have performed in the same
time. In his early days, when he was a practising barrister, he would
work through one assize court, and then travel all night across country
roads thirty or forty miles, take up the business at another court and
after going through it travel to the next court, and so on. At the
assizes, as a judge, he would go to the bench early in the morning,
would sit there all afternoon, and would not adjourn till four or five
in the morning if necessary to get through with a case. He has worn out
three juries in a day. His legal acquirements and great talents caused
him to be looked up to with profound respect by the bar, the members of
which also entertained much personal affection for him. His summing up
of a case was a masterpiece of lucidity and force. The first public
office held by the late Sir Matthew Cameron was on a commission with
Colonel Coffin, appointed in 1852, to inquire into the causes of
accidents which had been of frequent occurrence on the Great Western
Railway. In 1859 he went into the City Council of Toronto, representing
St. James ward, and thenceforward he figured prominently in public life.
In 1861, and again a few years later, at the solicitation of many
citizens, he contested the mayoralty unsuccessfully. In 1861 he entered
the arena of national politics, and sat for North Ontario in the
Canadian Assembly from the general election of that year until the
general election in 1863, when he was defeated. But in July, 1864, he
was re-elected for the same seat, which he continued to hold until
confederation, when he was again unsuccessful. At the general Provincial
elections in 1867 he was returned to the Ontario legislature for East
Toronto, and re-elected in 1871 and 1875. He was a member of the
Executive Council in Ontario in the Sandfield Macdonald administration
from July 20, 1867, until the resignation of the ministry, December 19,
1871, and, with the exception of the last five months of this period,
when he was commissioner of Crown Lands, he held the offices of
Provincial Secretary and Registrar. He was also leader, and a very able
one, too, of the opposition, from the general elections in December,
1871, until appointed to the judgeship in the Queen’s Bench, in
November, 1878, which position he held until he rose to the chief
justiceship of the Common Pleas in 1884. He aided in forming the
Liberal-Conservative Association of Toronto, became its first president,
and held that office until his elevation to the bench. He was also
vice-president of the Liberal-Conservative convention which was
assembled in Toronto in 1874. He was a member of the Caledonian and St.
Andrew’s societies. He was created a Knight Bachelor on April 5th last,
at the same time Chief Justice Stuart, of Quebec, received a similar
honour. As a lawyer Sir Matthew had few equals either among his
predecessors or his contemporaries; and as a citizen he was generous
almost to excess. As a minister of the Crown, and as leader of the
opposition, he was a prodigious worker, an able tactician, and a most
formidable, though always courteous, enemy. As a judge he had the
confidence and respect of the bar to the utmost extent, while his
immense knowledge of law and the clearness of his decisions made him a
most valuable public servant. Chief Justice Cameron belonged to the
Episcopal denomination, and for about thirty years was a member of
Trinity Church, Toronto. In politics he was a Liberal-Conservative. On
December 1st, 1851, he was married in Toronto to Charlotte Ross,
daughter of William Wedd, who immediately prior to his death resided in
Hamilton, Ontario. Mrs. Cameron died January 14th, 1868. She was a
sister of William Wedd, first classical master at Upper Canada College,
and also of the late Mrs. Dr. McMichael, Mrs. Dr. Strathy, Toronto, and
Mrs. Scadding, of Orillia. Sir Matthew left three sons and three
daughters. His sons are, Dr. Irving H. Cameron, Ross McAlpine Cameron,
and Douglas W. Cameron. His daughters are Mrs. Darling, the widow of the
late son of the Rev. W. S. Darling, Mrs. A. Wright, and a young
unmarried daughter.
* * * * *
=Talbot, Hon. Thomas=, was born at Malahide, on the 17th July, 1771. His
father was Richard Talbot, of Malahide, and his mother, Margaret,
Baroness Talbot. The Talbots of Malahide trace their descent from the
same stock as the Talbots who have been earls of Shrewsbury, in the
peerage of Great Britain, since the middle of the fifteenth century. The
subject of our sketch spent some years at the Public Free School of
Manchester, and received a commission in the army in the year 1782, when
he was only eleven years of age. In 1787, when only sixteen, we find him
installed as _aide-de-camp_ to his relative, the Marquis of Buckingham,
who was then lord lieutenant of Ireland. His brother _aide_ was the
Arthur Wellesley, who afterwards became the illustrious Duke of
Wellington. The two boys were necessarily thrown much together, and each
of them formed a warm attachment for the other. Their future paths in
life lay far apart, but they never ceased to correspond, and to recall
the happy time they had spent together. In 1790 he joined the 24th
regiment, which was then stationed at Quebec, in the capacity of
lieutenant. Upon the arrival of Lieutenant-Governor Simcoe at Quebec, at
the end of May, 1792, Lieutenant Talbot, who had nearly completed his
twenty-first year, became attached to the governor’s suite in the
capacity of private secretary. Governor Simcoe, writing in 1803, says,
“he not only conducted many details and important duties incidental to
the original establishment of a colony, in matters of internal
regulation, to my entire satisfaction, but was employed in the most
confidential measures necessary to preserve the country in peace,
without violating, on the one hand, the relations of amity with the
United States, and on the other, alienating the affections of the Indian
nations, at that period in open war with them. In this very critical
situation, I principally made use of Mr. Talbot for the most
confidential intercourse with the several Indian tribes, and
occasionally with his Majesty’s minister at Philadelphia, and these
duties, without any salary or emolument, he executed to my perfect
satisfaction.” It seems to have been during his tenure of office as
secretary that the idea of embracing a pioneer’s life in Canada first
took possession of young Talbot’s mind. On the 4th of February, 1793, an
expedition which was destined to have an important bearing upon the
future life of Lieutenant Talbot, as well as upon the future history of
the province, set out from Newark, now Niagara village, to explore the
pathless wilds of Upper Canada. It consisted of Governor Simcoe himself
and several of his officers, and the subject of our present sketch. The
expedition occupied five weeks, and extended as far as Detroit. The
route was through Mohawk village, on the Grand River, where the party
were entertained by Joseph Brant; then westward to where Woodstock now
stands; and so on by a somewhat devious course to Detroit. On the return
journey the party camped on the present site of London, which Governor
Simcoe then pronounced to be an admirable position for the future
capital of the province. One important result of this long and toilsome
journey was the construction of Dundas Street, or as it is frequently
called, “the governor’s road.” Lieutenant Talbot was delighted with the
wild and primitive aspect of the country through which they passed, and
expressed a strong desire to explore the land farther to the south,
bordering on lake Erie. His desire was gratified in the course of the
following autumn, when Governor Simcoe indulged himself, and several
members of his suite, with another western excursion. During this
journey the party encamped on the present site of Port Talbot, which the
young lieutenant declared to be the loveliest situation for a dwelling
he had ever seen. “Here,” said he, “will I roost, and will soon make the
forest tremble under the wings of the flock I will invite, by my
warblings, around me.” Whether he was serious in this declaration at the
time may be doubted; but, as will presently be seen, he ultimately kept
his word. In 1793 young Talbot received his majority. In 1796 he became
lieutenant-colonel of the fifth regiment of foot. He returned to Europe
and joined his regiment, which was dispatched on active service to the
continent. He himself was busily employed during this period, and was
for some time in command of two battalions. Upon the conclusion of the
peace of Amiens, on the 27th March, 1802, he sold his commission,
retired from the service, and prepared to carry out the intention
expressed by him to Governor Simcoe nine years before, of pitching his
tent in the wilds of Canada. Why he adopted this course it is impossible
to do more than conjecture. He never married, but remained a bachelor to
the end of his days. The work of settlement cannot be said to have
commenced in earnest until 1809. It was no light thing in those days for
a man with a family dependent upon him to bury himself in the remote
wilderness of Western Canada. There was no flouring mill, for instance,
within sixty miles of his abode, which was known as Castle Malahide.
During the American invasion of 1812-13-14, Colonel Talbot commanded the
militia of the district, and was present at the battles of Lundy’s Lane
and Fort Erie. Marauding parties sometimes found their way to Castle
Malahide during this troubled period, and what few people there were in
the settlement suffered a good deal of annoyance. Within a day or two
after the battle of the Thames, where the brave Tecumseh met his doom, a
party of these marauders, consisting of Indians and scouts from the
American army, presented themselves at Fort Talbot, and summoned the
garrison to surrender. The place was not fortified, and the garrison
consisted merely of a few farmers, who had enrolled themselves in the
militia under the temporary command of a Captain Patterson. A successful
defence was out of the question, and Colonel Talbot, who would probably
have been deemed an important capture, quietly walked out of the back
door as the invaders entered at the front. Some of the Indians saw the
colonel, who was dressed in homely, everyday garb, walking off through
the woods, and were about to fire on him, when they were restrained by
Captain Patterson, who begged them not to hurt the poor old fellow, who,
he said, was the person who tended the sheep. The marauders rifled the
place, and carried off everything they could lay hands on, including
some valuable horses and cattle. Colonel Talbot’s gold, consisting of
about two quart pots full, and some valuable plate, concealed under the
front wing of the house, escaped notice. The invaders set fire to the
grist-mill that the colonel had built in the township of Dunwick, which
was totally consumed, and this was a serious loss to the settlement
generally. Mrs. Jameson, who travelled in Upper Canada in 1837-38, has
left us the following description of her visit to Port Talbot. Speaking
of the colonel, she says, “this remarkable man is now about sixty-five,
perhaps more, but he does not look so much. In spite of his rustic
dress, his good-humoured, jovial, weather-beaten face, and the primitive
simplicity, not to say rudeness, of his dwelling, he has in his
features, air, deportment, that _something_ which stamps him gentleman.
And that _something_, which thirty-four years of solitude has not
effaced, he derives, I suppose, from blood and birth, things of more
consequence, when philosophically and philanthropically considered, than
we are apt to allow. I had always heard and read of him as the
‘eccentric’ Colonel Talbot. Of his eccentricity I heard much more than
of his benevolence, his invincible courage, his enthusiasm, his
perseverance; but, perhaps, according to the worldly nomenclature, these
qualities come under the general head of ‘eccentricity’ when devotion to
a favourite object cannot possibly be referred to self-interest. Of the
life he led for the first sixteen years, and the difficulties and
obstacles he encountered, he drew, in his discourse with me, a strong, I
might say a _terrible_, picture; and observe that it was not a life of
wild, wandering freedom—the life of an Indian hunter, which is said to
be so fascinating that ‘no man who has ever followed it for any length
of time, ever voluntarily returns to civilized society!’ Colonel
Talbot’s life has been one of persevering, heroic self-devotion to the
completion of a magnificent plan, laid down in the first instance, and
followed up with unflinching tenacity of purpose. For sixteen years he
saw scarce a human being, except the few boors and blacks employed in
clearing and logging his land; he himself assumed the blanket coat and
axe, slept upon the bare earth, cooked three meals a day for twenty
woodsmen, cleaned his own boots, washed his own linen, milked his own
cows, churned the butter, and made and baked the bread. In this latter
branch of household economy he became very expert, and still piques
himself on it. To all these heterogenous functions of sowing and
reaping, felling and planting, frying, boiling, washing and wringing,
brewing and baking, he added another, even more extraordinary—for many
years he solemnized all the marriages in his district. Besides natural
obstacles, he met with others far more trying to his temper and
patience. ‘He had continual quarrels,’ says Dr. Dunlop, ‘with the
successive governors, who were jealous of the independent power he
exercised in his own territory, and every means were used to annoy him
here, and misrepresent his proceedings at home; but he stood firm, and
by an occasional visit to the colonial office in England, he opened the
eyes of ministers to the proceedings of both parties, and for a while
averted the danger. At length, some five years ago, finding the enemy
was getting too strong for him, he repaired once more to England, and
returned in triumph with an order from the colonial office, that nobody
was in any way to interfere with his proceedings; and he has now the
pleasure of contemplating some hundreds of miles of the best roads in
the province, closely settled on each side by the most prosperous
families within its bounds, who owe all they possess to his judgment,
enthusiasm, and perseverance, and who are grateful to him in proportion
to the benefits he has bestowed upon them, though in many instances
sorely against their will at the time.’ The original grant must have
been much extended; for the territory now under Colonel Talbot’s
management, and bearing the general name of the Talbot country,
contains, according to the list I have in his own hand-writing,
twenty-eight townships, and about 650,000 acres of land, of which 98,700
are cleared and cultivated. The inhabitants, including the population of
the towns, amounted to about 50,000. ‘You see,’ said he, gaily, ‘I may
boast, like the Irishman in the farce, of having peopled a whole country
with my own hands.’ He has built his tower, like the eagle his eyry, on
a bold cliff overhanging the lake. It is a long wooden building, chiefly
of rough logs, with a covered porch running along the south side. Here I
found suspended, among sundry implements of husbandry, one of those
ferocious animals of the feline kind, called here the cat-a-mountain,
and by some the American tiger, or panther, which it more resembles.
This one, which had been killed in its attack on the fold or
poultry-yard, was at least four feet in length, and glared at me from
the rafters above ghastly and horrible. The farm consists of six hundred
acres. He has sixteen acres of orchard-ground, and has a garden of more
than two acres, very neatly laid out and enclosed, and in which he
evidently took exceeding pride and pleasure. He described the appearance
of the spot when he first came here as contrasted with its present
appearance. I told him of the surmises of the people relative to his
early life and his motives for emigrating, at which he laughed.
‘Charlevoix,’ said he, ‘was, I believe, the true cause of my coming to
this place. You know he calls this the “Paradise of the Hurons.” Now I
was resolved to get to paradise by hook or by crook, and so I came
here.’ He added more seriously, ‘I have accomplished what I resolved to
do—it is done; but I would not, if any one was to offer me the
universe, go through again the _horrors_ I have undergone in forming
this settlement. But do not imagine I repent it; I like my retirement.’”
He lived long enough to see the prosperity of his settlement fully
assured. For many years prior to his death it appears to have been his
cherished desire to bequeath his large estate to one of the male
descendants of the Talbot family, and with this view he invited one of
his sister’s sons, Julius Airey, to come over from England and reside
with him at Port Talbot, which he did, but rusticating without
companions or equals in either birth or education did not suit him, so
he returned to England. Some years later a younger brother of Julius’,
Colonel Airey, military secretary at the Horse Guards, came out with his
family to reside at Port Talbot. The uncle and nephew could not get on
together, so the uncle determined to leave Canada, and to end his days
in the old world. He transferred the Port Talbot estate, valued at
£10,000, together with 13,000 acres of land in the adjoining township of
Aldborough, to Colonel Airey. Acting on his determination to leave
Canada, he started, in his eightieth year, for Europe. He was
accompanied on the voyage by George McBeth. Colonel Talbot remained in
London somewhat more than a year, but finding London life somewhat
distasteful to him, he once more bade adieu to society, and repaired to
Canada, where he died on the 6th, and was buried on the 9th of February,
1853, leaving his estate, valued at £50,000, to George McBeth, and an
annuity of £20 to Jeffrey Hunter’s widow. He was interred in the
churchyard at Tyrconnel. A plate on the oaken coffin bore the simple
inscription:
THOMAS TALBOT,
FOUNDER OF THE TALBOT SETTLEMENT,
_Died 6th February, 1853_.
We take leave of our worthy hero, in the words of an English
song-writer:—
“God speed the stalwart pioneer!
Give strength to thy strong right hand!
And aid thee in thy brave intent
To clear and till the land.
’Tis men like thee that make us proud
Of the stubborn Saxon race:
And while old England bears such fruit
We’ll pluck up heart of grace.”
* * * * *
=Barrett, M.=, B.A., M.D.—The late Dr. Barrett, who died on the 26th
February, 1887, at Toronto, was the son of an English barrister, and was
born in London, England, on 16th May, 1816. He was educated at Caen,
Normandy, France. Coming to Canada in 1833 he engaged in the fishery
business in the Georgian Bay, where he owned a fishing station and a
vessel. In the spring of 1837 he accepted a position in a school at
Newmarket. On the breaking out of the rebellion he joined the Queen’s
Rangers, in which he filled the post of quartermaster of the regiment.
Shortly after this he was married to Ellen McCallum, a sister of C.
McCallum, of London. When the Queen’s Rangers disbanded he went to the
Southern States, where he remained for three years. Returning to Toronto
he was offered and accepted the position of second English master in the
Upper Canada College, and was afterwards promoted to the position of
first English master in the same institution. While pursuing his
important duties in connection with the college, Dr. Barrett took a
double course in the University of Toronto, and succeeding in obtaining
the degrees of Bachelor of Arts and Doctor of Medicine. He was after
this added to the professoriate of Rolph’s Medical School, which was
subsequently merged into the Toronto School of Medicine. After being
connected with the college for over thirty years, he was pensioned by
the government. Up to the time of his death he was a lecturer in the
Toronto School of Medicine, the Veterinary College, and the Women’s
Medical School. His name is prominently connected with the latter school
as one of the principal promoters of its institution and most ardent and
active workers for its success. Dr. Barrett was a man of exceptional
intellectual attainments and occupied an eminent and enviable position
in his profession. He was highly esteemed by the members of the medical
profession, and loved and respected by many friends.
* * * * *
=Nettleton, John=, Mayor of Collingwood, Simcoe county, Ontario, was
born at Lofthouse, Yorkshire, England, on the 12th of November, 1832,
his father, William Nettleton, and grandfather before him, carrying on
the business of merchant tailors in that village. After learning the
business with his father, Mr. Nettleton, jr., worked at the trade in the
following places, viz.: Leeds, London, Manchester and Liverpool, and at
the latter place he was married to Elizabeth Boardman Womersley, on the
9th May, 1853, in St. Peter’s Church. On the 4th of April, 1857, he and
his wife and one child emigrated to Canada, arriving in Toronto on the
23rd of the same month. After staying there and at Markham village for a
short time, he finally settled down in Collingwood, then a town only in
its infancy. In 1859 he commenced business for himself, and has lived
there continuously ever since. In 1867 he was elected by acclamation as
town councillor for the Centre ward, and for sixteen years he has held
the position of either councillor or deputy reeve. He was elected to the
mayoralty in 1886, and re-elected in 1887. He has been connected with
and has taken an active part in almost everything that has been advanced
for the improvement of the town since the time he took up his abode in
it. In February, 1862, he was initiated into Free Masonry, in Manitou
lodge, No. 90, G.R.C., and after having passed through all the
subordinate offices, he was elected Master in 1867, which position he
held for two years. After being out for a short time, he subsequently
was re-elected, and held the office for three years more. In 1870 he was
appointed by the Grand Lodge of Canada a grand steward; in 1873 he was
elected grand registrar, and in 1879 district deputy grand master for
the Georgian district, which position he held for two years. He was also
the means of instituting Caledonia lodge, No. 249, Angus, and Granite
lodge, No. 352, Parry Sound. In both instances he was elected their
first master, and now holds the position of honorary member in each
lodge. He was also presented by these lodges with a full set of Grand
Lodge regalia, in recognition of his services. In Royal Arch masonry he
has taken the same interest as in the Blue lodge, having been elected
first principal Z in Manitou chapter, No. 27, which office he has held
for several years. He is also past eminent commander of Hurontario
Encampment of Knights Templars, and was elected honorary member of Mount
Calvary Preceptory, No. 12, G.R.C., Barrie. He has also taken an active
part in other benevolent societies as well as Masonic, and was mainly
instrumental in organizing the Ancient Order of United Workmen, the
Select Knights, and also the Sons of England Benevolent Society, in all
of which he was their first master. Mr. Nettleton has also taken an
active part in every political movement that has taken place in the
county during his residence in Collingwood, and has always worked for
and voted with the Liberal-Conservative party. He is a member of the
Church of England and has held the position of church warden in All
Saints’ Church. His family consists of eight children, six boys and two
girls, the former all being grown up and established in business.
* * * * *
=Fowler, Rev. Robert.=—Rev. Mr. Fowler was born in Chester, England, in
1823, and died in London, Ontario, on the 4th March, 1887. He first
acquired the training of an apothecary and then studied medicine,
graduating with the degree of M.R.C.S. Subsequently he became a
Methodist minister, and began to preach in 1853, filling many posts in
the Toronto Conference. Afterwards he was appointed to the Ingersoll
circuit in the London Conference, thence going to Clinton, Listowel, and
lastly to London West. Three years before his death he was superannuated
on account of ill-health, and took up his residence in London. Rev. Dr.
Fowler was a man of ability and originality, with a strong sense of duty
which he faithfully laboured to fulfil, and was highly respected by all
who had the pleasure of his acquaintance.
* * * * *
=McEachran, Professor Duncan McNab=, F.R.C.V.S., Principal of Montreal
Veterinary College, chief inspector of stock, &c., was born at
Campbeltown, Argyleshire, Scotland, on the 27th of October, 1841. He is
the oldest son of the late David McEachran, who for many years was a
member of the town council, and for five years preceding his death was
senior bailie of Campbeltown. The family is one of the oldest in
Kintyre, descended from McEachran of Killellan and Penygowan. The Ionic
cross of Campbeltown, one of the oldest in Scotland, bears the names of
Edward and Malcolm McEachran, and the family tombstones, which are found
within the ruins of the old church of St. Kiarian, date back as far as
the fourteenth century. David McEachran is also buried here. Duncan
received his earlier education in the schools of his native place, and
at the age of seventeen entered in his professional studies at
Edinburgh, under the late Professor Dick. In the autumn of 1862, he came
to Canada, and took up his abode in Woodstock, Ontario, where he
practised his profession for nearly three years with marked success, at
the same time being engaged during part of the winter in giving lectures
at Toronto, and by this means rendered valuable service in the
establishment of the Veterinary College in that city. During his
residence in Woodstock, he contributed in various ways to the
advancement of his profession, by lectures at farmers’ meetings, by
contributions to the agricultural press, and by the publication of a
manual of veterinary science. The work on the “Canadian Horse and his
Diseases,” under the joint editorship of himself and his friend,
Professor Andrew Smith, of the Toronto Veterinary College, soon ran
through two editions, and although a third edition is now called for,
Professor McEachran will not consent to its issue, as he fondly hopes to
find time in the near future, to publish a larger work on the same
subject. In 1866, he left Ontario and settled in Montreal, but before he
left for that city, the Board of Agriculture for Upper Canada passed a
very complimentary resolution, expressing regret at his departure, and
he was entertained by a large number of his friends at a public dinner
at Woodstock. On his arrival in Montreal, thanks to his good reputation
which had preceded him, and the influence of his numerous friends, his
success was speedily assured. Through the influence of the late Major
Campbell, president of the Board of Agriculture, aided by principal (now
Sir) J. W. Dawson, and the late G. W. Campbell, dean of the medical
faculty of McGill University, an arrangement was made for Professor
McEachran to deliver a course of lectures on veterinary science, in
connection with the medical school, which was the commencement of the
now widely-known Montreal Veterinary College. In 1875, the present
commodious college buildings were erected on Union Avenue, at the
expense of the founder and principal, the government guaranteeing $1,800
per annum toward its expenses for ten years, with the privilege of
sending to it thirteen French and seven English students annually free.
This college is now considered the first of its kind in America, and
justly ranks high, even when compared with many of the schools in
Europe, owing to the appreciation of its head for thorough education.
While the veterinary schools at Toronto and New York admitted students
without matriculation, and graduated them in two sessions, here a
matriculation is required, and the course extends over three sessions of
six months each. This plan was adopted by the Montreal College before
the English schools; even the Royal Veterinary College of England was
led by the Montreal school in this very important matter. Professor
McEachran has associated with him in teaching the learned Principal and
Professors of McGill University, whose classes his students attend for
collateral studies. Year by year since the establishment of this
college, its progress has been most marked in the number and educational
standing of the pupils, and students have been attracted to it from all
parts of the United States and Canada. A veterinary medical association
has been established in connection with the college, for the reading of
papers and the discussion of professional and kindred subjects, and a
well-furnished library, containing most of the old works, and all the
new ones, embraced in veterinary literature, has been added to the
college, mainly through the efforts of its energetic principal.
Professor McEachran, during the past few years, has contributed many
valuable articles to professional journals and the agricultural press as
well as by public lectures, on his favourite theme. In 1875, he
earnestly pressed upon the attention of the Dominion government, the
necessity for the establishment of a quarantine system, to prevent the
importation of certain cattle diseases from Europe, where they were then
prevailing to a deplorable extent. Acting on his advice, the government
created, in April, 1876, a quarantine station at Point Levis, Quebec,
and made the professor chief inspector for the Dominion, and this
position he still continues to occupy. In January, 1879, he was sent by
the Dominion government to the United States, to investigate the
lung-plague—pleuro-pneumonia—and visited New York, Long Island, New
Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, and the district of Columbia;
and on his return he reported the prevalence of this serious disease in
all the states he had visited. The result was that shortly afterwards an
embargo was placed on the importation of cattle from the United States
to Canada and Great Britain, requiring that they should be slaughtered
at the port of debarkation, within fourteen days after landing. This
action of the British government entailed a heavy loss on cattle
exported from the United States, but Canada, owing to her freedom from
the diseases, and the perfect condition of her quarantine system, became
a gainer in proportion to a large amount. Professor McEachran’s name
will ever be associated with the early history of the export cattle
trade of Canada, as one, who at the proper moment gave sound advice to
the government, which, being promptly acted upon, helped in these early
days to assist a trade that has since grown to vast proportions. The
efficiency of the quarantine for cattle under his management has been
thoroughly tested on two occasions, viz., 1885, when the contagious
disease, “foot and mouth,” or vessicular epizootic, was twice brought
into the quarantine from Great Britain, so thorough was the quarantine
that not only did it not extend beyond, but it did not even affect any
other cattle, of which there were several hundreds within the enclosure.
The prompt and effective manner in which pleuro-pneumonia was dealt with
in 1886, when that fell destroyer was imported in a herd of Galloways,
proved beyond doubt the efficiency of the quarantine, and the ability of
the inspectors to deal with contagious diseases. If Canada to-day is
free from contagious disease, it is due in a great measure to his energy
and knowledge of disease. In acknowledgment of his professional
attainments he was elected one of the original Fellows of the Royal
College of Veterinary Surgeons, on that body being raised to the rank of
a university in 1875, being the only one in Canada on whom that honour
was conferred. He has been intimately connected with the cattle ranching
business in the district of Alberta, Senator Cochrane and he being the
pioneers in that business on a large scale in Canada. Together they
visited Alberta in 1881, going _via_ the Missouri river to Fort Benton,
thence driving across the plains to where Calgary is now built. On his
return he published a series of interesting letters, being a narrative
of his trip, and description of the country. He was vice-president of
the Cochrane Ranche Co. till 1883, when he became general manager of the
Walrond Cattle Ranche Co., of which Sir John Walrond, Bart., is
president, and which is now the largest and one of the most successful
ranches in Canada. Professor McEachran was married on the 9th of June,
1868, to Esther, youngest daughter of the late Timothy Plaskett, Esq.,
St. Croix, West Indian Islands, to whom two children were born, viz.,
Evelyn Victoria, born 24th May, 1869, who died May, 1874, and Jeanie
Blackney, born 19th September, 1871. In politics, Professor McEachran is
a Conservative, but in consequence of his devotion to professional work
he has never taken a very active part in politics. He served in the
militia force for ten years as Veterinary Surgeon to the Montreal Field
Battery of Artillery. He became a justice of the peace in 1886, with
jurisdiction over the entire Province of Quebec.
* * * * *
=Holmes, Hon. Simon H.=, Prothonotary of the Supreme Court of Nova
Scotia, Halifax, was born near Springville, East River township, Pictou
county, N.S., on the 30th July, 1831. His father, Hon. John Holmes, came
from Ross-shire, Scotland, where he was born in 1783, to Nova Scotia,
and settled in the province in 1803, and represented Pictou county in
the Nova Scotia legislature, from 1839 to 1847, and from 1851 to 1855,
and was called to the Legislative Council in 1858. At the time of
Confederation in 1867 he was made a member of the Senate of the Dominion
of Canada. His mother, Catherine Fraser, was a native of Nova Scotia.
Simon H. Holmes received his educational training at the New Glasgow
Grammar School and at the Pictou Academy. He adopted law as a
profession, and studied in the office of the Hon. James McDonald, now
chief justice of Nova Scotia, and was called to the bar of Nova Scotia
in August, 1864. He practised for a number of years as a barrister in
Pictou, and during that time acquired the honourable distinction of
being a logical and able speaker, and one who always made a favourable
impression on a jury. Mr. Holmes entered political life in 1867, and yet
though he failed to carry Pictou county at the general election of that
year, he was successful in 1871; and in 1874 he was re-elected by
acclamation, and chosen leader of the opposition. After the contest in
1878, he was called upon to form an administration, of which he became
premier and provincial secretary, which position he occupied during the
four years following, when he accepted the office of prothonotary of the
Supreme Court for Halifax, which office he now holds. Hon. Mr. Holmes
was for twenty-four years editor and proprietor of the _Colonial
Standard_, Pictou, an outspoken Liberal-Conservative paper, which he
conducted with marked ability, and which exercised a great influence in
shaping the politics of the province. When quite a young man he took an
active interest in the volunteer movement, and rose to the rank of
captain; subsequently he held the same rank in the militia, and was,
before severing his connection with the corps on entering public life,
promoted to the rank of major.
* * * * *
=Archibald, Hon. Sir Adams Geo.=, K.C.M.G., D.C.L., P.C., Q.C.,
ex-Lieutenant-Governor of Nova Scotia. This illustrious statesman was
born at Truro, Nova Scotia, on the 18th May, 1814. His father was Samuel
Archibald, grandson of one of two brothers who came from the North of
Ireland, though of Scottish descent, settled at Truro, Colchester
county, N.S., in 1761, and both of whom married and had families, and
from these brothers sprung most of the families of that name now
scattered over the Maritime and other provinces of the Dominion, some of
whom honoured the liberal professions, and filled nearly every position
of responsibility and trust in the legislature and government of Nova
Scotia. His grandfather, James Archibald, was, on the 23rd June, 1796,
appointed judge of the Court of Common Pleas for Colchester, Nova
Scotia, and held this position till his death. The mother of Sir Adams
Archibald was Elizabeth, daughter of Matthew Archibald, who was
appointed coroner of Colchester in 1776, and represented Truro in the
local parliament for many years. Adams George Archibald was educated at
Pictou College under the late Dr. McCulloch, who had at that time the
training of many young men who now fill various high positions in public
life. He studied law in Halifax in the office of the late William
Sutherland, afterwards recorder of the city; was admitted in Nova Scotia
and Prince Edward Island as an attorney in 1838, and as barrister to the
bar of Nova Scotia in 1839; and for many years practised his profession
successfully both at Truro and Halifax, during which time he filled some
very important positions. In 1851 he entered public life, and was
elected to represent the county of Colchester in the Nova Scotia
assembly, and sat as such until 1859, when the county was divided, and
he was returned for South Colchester, which constituency he continued to
represent until Confederation in 1867. During three years he occupied
prominent positions in the government of Nova Scotia. In 1856 he was
appointed solicitor-general of his native province, and in 1857 was sent
as a delegate, in company with the late Hon. J. W. Johnstone, to England
to arrange the terms of settlement with the British government and the
General Mining Association, in regard to the mines of the province, and
to ascertain the views of that government on the question of the union
of the provinces. And one of the happy results of their labours was to
effect a settlement of a long standing dispute between the province and
the company, whereby certain collieries were allotted to the company on
their surrendering all other collieries and all mines and minerals to
the province, except the coal in the areas so allotted. In 1860 he was
made attorney-general, and the following year (1861), he was a delegate
to the Quebec Conference to discuss the question of an Intercolonial
Railway. In 1862 he was appointed advocate-general of the Vice-Admiralty
Court. Mr. Archibald being one of the foremost among the advocates of
Confederation, he attended as a delegate the Charlottetown Union
Conference in June, 1864; the Quebec Conference, held a few months later
in the same year, and the final conference held in London (England),
during the winter of 1866-7 to complete the terms of confederation. In
1867 he was made secretary of state for the provinces in the Dominion
government. In 1869 he was elected to a seat in the Dominion parliament
at Ottawa, by the county of Colchester, but resigned the next year
(1870), on his being appointed lieutenant-governor of Manitoba and the
North-West Territories. In 1872 he was created a companion of the Order
of St. Michael and St. George by her Majesty the Queen for his services
in Manitoba, and in 1886 was advanced a step in the order, being created
K.C.M.G. On his return from the North-West he was appointed, on the 24th
June, 1873, judge in equity for Nova Scotia; but only held the office
until the 4th of the next month, when, on the death of the late
lieutenant-governor, Joseph Howe, he was appointed lieutenant-governor
of Nova Scotia, and this high office he filled with great dignity and
satisfaction to all concerned from the 4th July, 1873, to 4th July,
1883, when he was succeeded by Mr. Matthew Henry Richey. Governor
Archibald was one of the directors of the Canadian Pacific Railway in
1873; and in 1884 he was chosen chairman of the Board of Governors of
Dalhousie College; and in 1885 he was elected president of the Nova
Scotia Historical Society, of which he has been an active member from
the time of its formation in 1878 to the present. In conclusion, we may
add that the Hon. Mr. Archibald is a man of broad views and generous
impulses, and a statesman whom the country is pleased to honour. In
religious matters he has followed in the footsteps of his ancestors, and
is a staunch Presbyterian. He was married on the 1st June, 1840, to
Elizabeth Archibald, daughter of the Rev. John Burnyeat, an able and
accomplished Anglican divine, the first clergyman of the Church of
England, in the parish of St. John, Colchester, whose wife was Livinia,
daughter of Charles Dickson, and sister of Elizabeth, wife of the late
Hon. S. G. W. Archibald, and mother of the late Sir Thomas and Sir
Edward Archibald.
* * * * *
=McCaul, Rev. John=, D.D., late President of University College,
Toronto, was born in Dublin, Ireland, in 1807, and died at Toronto, on
the 16th of April, 1887, in the eighty-first year of his age. He was
educated at Trinity College in his native city, and after a very
successful university career, graduated with the highest honours in
classics. At the request of the authorities of Trinity College, he for
some time filled the post of classical tutor and examiner in that
institution. While occupying this position, he devoted himself
passionately to the pursuit of classical literature, and edited several
editions of recognized value of various Greek and Latin texts. In 1838,
Dr. Harley, then archbishop of Canterbury, hearing of his repute as a
scholar, offered him the principalship of Upper Canada College, in
Toronto, and Mr. McCaul having accepted the office, entered upon its
duties the following year. In 1843, he became the president and
professor of classics, logic, rhetoric and belles-lettres in King’s
College, which by the Act of 1849, became the University of Toronto, and
was freed forever from sectarian control. From that time up to the date
of his retirement, some years ago, from all literary work, Dr. McCaul
uninterruptedly filled the chair of classics in the university, of which
for some years he was also the president. While zealously maintaining
the pre-eminence of his own department, he actively assisted in
introducing into the university curriculum the subjects of modern
languages and natural sciences. His individual work is seen on every
hand in the distinguished men who are to be found in every part of the
province, and who cheerfully acknowledge their indebtedness to the late
lamented president of University College, for the accuracy and
thoroughness of their academic training. Among the works which have been
issued from Dr. McCaul’s pen are exhaustive treatises on the Greek
Tragic Metres and the Horatian Metres; on the Scansion of the Hecuba and
Medea of Euripides; lectures on Homer and Virgil; an edition of
Longinus, of selections from Lucian and Thucydides. His edition of the
Satires and Epistles of Horace has long been looked upon as a standard
one of this favourite author. His researches in Greek and Roman
Epigraphy, and his work on “Britanno-Roman Inscriptions,” and “The
Christian Epitaphs of the First Six Centuries,” entitle him to take high
rank among the greatest classical scholars which the century has
produced. Dr. McCaul married in 1840, Emily, the second daughter of the
late Hon. Justice Jones. His wife, three sons and three daughters
survive him.
* * * * *
=Cross, Hon. Alexander=, Judge of the Court of Queen’s Bench, Montreal,
was born on a farm situated on the banks of the Clyde, in Lanarkshire,
Scotland, on the 22nd of March, 1821, and came to Montreal with his
parents when only a boy of five years of age. His father, Robert Cross,
was a gentleman farmer, and was a scion of the Cross family who for many
generations lived in Old Monklands, and were among the well-to-do
farmers in that part of Scotland. His mother, Janet Selkirk, was from an
adjoining parish. Mr. Cross, sr., died about a year after his arrival in
Canada, and this sad event rendered it necessary for the family to
remove to a farm on the Chateauguay river, the land on which the
celebrated battle of that name was fought between a handful of Canadian
militia and a strong force of United States troops—the Canadians coming
off victorious—during the war of 1812-14. Alexander, who was the
youngest son of the family, as he grew up to manhood, showed a strong
leaning towards literary pursuits instead of towards agriculture; and in
his laudable desire for knowledge he was encouraged by his elder
brother, who had been educated for the Scottish bar, and who, while he
lived, helped him in every way possible to gratify his literary
aspirations. In 1837, at the age of sixteen, he left the farm and went
to Montreal to study. Here he entered the Montreal College as a pupil,
but after being a short time in this institution he found the classes
did not progress fast enough to suit his restless craving for knowledge,
when he left and put himself under private tutors. He also entered the
office of John J. Day, of Montreal, to study law; and the rebellion at
this time breaking out, he enlisted as a volunteer in Colonel Maitland’s
battalion, and served in this corps until the close of the rebellion in
1838, retiring with the rank of sergeant. When the rebels were defeated
at Beauharnois, Sergeant Cross was among the first to enter the village.
And in this connection we may say that while a law student he was chosen
clerk of the first municipal council of the county of Beauharnois, then
embracing three or four times its present area, and so well did he
perform his duties at the first meeting of the council that he was
highly complimented for the ability he displayed, by such gentlemen as
Lord Selkirk and Edward Gibbon Wakefield, who were guests at the
Seigniory house, staying there to observe the working of the new
institution. Mr. Cross was called to the bar in 1844, and practised his
profession in Montreal more than thirty years, at first with the late
Duncan Fisher, Q.C., and subsequently with Attorney-General Smith (who
afterwards became the Hon. Judge Smith). During this long period Mr.
Cross had an extensive and remunerative practice, and on several
occasions he represented the Crown while connected with the
distinguished gentlemen mentioned above. During the administration of
Viscount Monck, in 1864, he was created a Queen’s counsel. On the 30th
of August, 1877, he was appointed one of the judges of the Queen’s Bench
for the province of Quebec, and took his seat the first of the following
month, at a session of the court held in the city of Quebec. Judge
Cross, while in practice at the bar, held a foremost position among the
legal fraternity. On the bench he has met the expectations of his many
admirers, and his judicial opinions have been received by the Supreme
Court and the Privy Council with marked consideration. He has been
identified with Montreal since his boyhood days, and has seen the great
progress that city has made since he first entered it at his mother’s
side. In 1837-8, as we have seen, he helped to quell the rebellion, and
in 1849 he was present at the burning of the parliament houses incident
on the passing of the Rebellion Losses Bill, and assisted the late Sir
Louis H. Lafontaine and some others of the notable politicians of that
day in making their escape from the burning building, escorting them
unmolested through the turbulent crowd of rioters, among whom he
exercised a certain amount of influence. Judge Cross seems always to
have had an aversion to public life, and even in his younger days when
he was offered political positions of honour, he always declined them.
In 1863 he was offered by the Liberal government then in power the
position of secretary to the commission for the codification of the laws
of Canada, and at a later date the office of attorney-general in the de
Boucherville administration, but he refused to accept either of these
important offices. He has, nevertheless, suggested and assisted in
framing legislative measures of general utility, among which may be
mentioned the first statute passed in Canada for the abolition of the
Usury laws. He is also the inventor of a new and ingenious method of
rotation of numbers. In politics the judge leans to the Liberal side,
and his ideas, as well on the subject of finance as on the theory of the
popular principle in the election of representatives, are noted for
their originality and depth of thought. In religion he is a member of
St. Andrew’s (Presbyterian) Church, and has been an office bearer in
that church. He is a man of good impulses, and is very generous to the
poor. In 1848 he married Julia, daughter of the late William Lunn, in
his day a prominent citizen of Montreal, and they have five sons and one
daughter living, and have buried three children, the last, an
exceedingly promising youth, in his sixteenth year.
* * * * *
=Baillairgé, Chevalier Chas. P. F.=, M.S., Quebec. The subject of this
who is a Chevalier of the Order of St. Sauveur de Monte Reale, Italy,
was born in September, 1827, and for the past forty years has been
practising his profession as an engineer, architect and surveyor, in the
city of Quebec. Since 1856 he has been a member of the Board of
Examiners of Land Surveyors for the province, and since 1875 its
chairman; he is an honorary member of the Society for the Generalization
of Education in France; and has been the recipient of thirteen medals of
honour and of seventeen diplomas, etc., from learned societies and
public bodies in France, Belgium, Italy, Russia, Japan, etc. Mr.
Baillairgé’s father, who died in 1865, at the age of sixty-eight, was
born in Quebec, and for over thirty years was road surveyor of that
city. His mother, Charlotte Janverin Horsley, who is still living, was
born in the Isle of Wight, England, and was a daughter of Lieutenant
Horsley, R.N. His grandfather on the paternal side, P. Florent
Baillairgé, is of French descent, and was connected, now nearly a
century ago, with the restoration of the Basilica, Quebec. The wife of
the latter was Cureux de St. Germain, also of French descent. Our
subject married, in 1845, Euphémie, daughter of Mr. Jean Duval, and
step-daughter of the Hon. John Duval, for many years chief justice of
Lower Canada, by whom he had eleven children, four of whom only survive.
His wife dying in February, 1878, he, in April of the following year,
married Anne, eldest daughter of Captain Benjamin Wilson, of the British
navy, by whom he has two sons and a daughter. Mr. Baillairgé was
educated at the Seminary of Quebec, but, finding the curriculum of
studies too lengthy, he left that institution some time before the
termination of the full course of ten years, and entered into a joint
apprenticeship as architect, engineer and surveyor. During this
apprenticeship he devoted himself to mathematical and natural science
studies, and received diplomas for his proficiency in 1848, when only
twenty-one years of age. At that period he entered upon his profession,
and for the last twenty years has filled the post of city engineer of
Quebec, manager of its water works, engineer of its new water works
under the Beemer contract of 1883; engineer, on the part of the city, in
and over the North Shore, Piles and Lake St. John railways during their
construction. Mr. Baillairgé has held successive commissions in the
militia, as ensign, lieutenant, and captain; and in 1860, and for
several years thereafter, was hydrographic surveyor to the Quebec Board
of Harbour Commissioners. In 1861 he was elected vice-president of the
Association of Architects and Civil Engineers of Canada. In 1858 he was
elected, and again in 1861 unanimously re-elected, to represent the St.
Louis ward in the City Council, Quebec. In 1863 he was called for two
years to Ottawa, to act as joint architect of the Parliament and
Departmental buildings then in course of erection. Interests of
considerable magnitude were then at stake between the government and the
contractors, claims amounting to nearly half a million of money having
to be adjusted. In connection with his employment by the government, Mr.
Baillairgé found that to continue his services he must be a party to
some sacrifice of principle, which, rather than consent to, he was
indiscreet enough to tell the authorities of the time. This excess of
virtue was too moral for the appointing power and more than it was
disposed to brook in an employé of the government. The difficulty was,
therefore, got over by giving Mr. Baillairgé his _feuille de route_, a
compliment to his integrity of which he has ever since been justly
proud. He shortly afterwards returned to Quebec. During his professional
career, Mr. Baillairgé designed and erected numerous private residences
in and around Quebec, as well as many public buildings, including the
Asylum and the Church of the Sisters of Charity, the Laval University
building, the new Gaol, Music Hall, several churches, both in the city
and in the adjoining parishes—that of Ste. Marie, Beauce, being much
admired on account of the beauty and regularity of its interior. The
“Monument des Braves de 1760” was erected in 1860, on the Ste. Foye
road, after a design by him and under his superintendence. The
government, the clergy and others have often availed themselves of his
services in arbitration on knotty questions of technology, disputed
boundaries, builders’ claims, surveys and reports on various subjects.
In 1872, Mr. Baillairgé suggested, and in 1878 designed and carried out
what is now known as the Dufferin Terrace, Quebec, a structure some
1,500 feet in length, overlooking the St. Lawrence from a height of 182
feet, and built along the face of the cliff under the Citadel. This
terrace was inaugurated in 1878 by their Excellencies the Marquis of
Lorne and H.R.H. the Princess Louise, who pronounced it a splendid
achievement. In 1873 Mr. Baillairgé designed and built the aqueduct
bridge over the St. Charles river, the peculiarity about which is that
the structure forms an arch as does the aqueduct pipe it encloses,
whereby, in case of the destruction of the surrounding wood-work by
fire, the pipe being self-supporting, the city may not be deprived of
water while re-constructing the frost-protecting tunnel enclosure. At
the age of seventeen the subject of our sketch built a double cylindered
steam carriage for traffic on ordinary roads. From 1848 to 1865 he
delivered a series of lectures, in the old Parliament buildings and
elsewhere, on astronomy, light, steam and the steam engine, pneumatics,
acoustics, geometry, the atmosphere, and other kindred subjects, under
the patronage of the Canadian and other institutes; and in 1872, in the
rooms of the Literary and Historical Society, Quebec, under the auspices
of that institution, he delivered an exhaustive lecture on geometry,
mensuration, and the stereometricon (a mode of cubing all solids by one
and the same rule, thus reducing the study and labour of a year to that
of a day or an hour), which he had then but recently invented, and for
which he was made honorary member of several learned societies, and
received the numerous medals and diplomas already alluded to. The
following letter from the Ministry of Public Instruction, Russia, is
worthy of insertion as explanatory of the advantages of the
stereometricon:
DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION,
St. Petersburg, Feb. 14th, 1877.
To M. BAILLAIRGÉ, architect, Quebec,
SIR,—The Committee on Science of the Department of Public
Instruction (of Russia) recognizing the unquestionable
usefulness of your “Tableau Stéréométrique,” for the teaching of
geometry in general, as well as its practical application to
other sciences, is particularly pleased to add its unrestricted
approbation to the testimony of the _savants_ of Europe and
America, by informing you that the above “Tableau,” with all its
appliances, will be recommended in the primary and middle
schools, in order to complete the cabinets and mathematical
collections, and inscribed in the catalogues of works approved
of by the Department of Public Instruction. Accept, sir, the
assurance of my high consideration.
E. DE BRADKER,
Chief of the Department of Public Instruction.
And the _Quebec Mercury_ of the 10th July, 1878, has the following in
relation to a second letter from the same source: “It will be remembered
that in February, 1877, Mr. Baillairgé received an official letter from
the Minister of Public Instruction, of St. Petersburg, Russia, informing
him that his new system of mensuration had been adopted in all the
primary and medium schools of that vast empire. After a lapse of
eighteen months, the system having been found to work well, Mr.
Baillairgé has received an additional testimonial from the same source,
informing him that the system is to be applied in all the polytechnic
schools of the Russian empire.” Mr. Baillairgé has since that time given
occasional lectures in both languages on industrial art and design, and
on other interesting and instructive topics, and is now engaged on a
dictionary or dictionaries of the consonances of both the French and
English languages. In 1866 he wrote his treatise on geometry and
trigonometry, plane and spherical, with mathematical tables—a volume of
some 900 pages octavo, and has since edited several works and pamphlets
on like subjects. In his work on geometry, which, by the way, is written
in the French language, Mr. Baillairgé has, by a process explained in
the preface, reduced to fully half their number the two hundred and odd
propositions of the first six books of Euclid, while deducing and
retaining all the conclusions arrived at by the great geometer. Mr.
Baillairgé, moreover, shows the practical use and adaptation of problems
and theorems which might otherwise appear to be of doubtful utility, as
of the ratio between the tangent, whole secant, and part of the secant
without the circle, in the laying out of railroad and other curves
running through given points, and numerous other examples. His treatment
of spherics and of the affections of the sides and angles is, in many
respects, novel, and more easy of apprehension by the general student.
In a note at foot of page 330, Mr. Baillairgé shows the fallacy of
Thorpe’s pretended solution of the trisection of an angle, at which the
poor man had laboured for thirty-four years, and takes the then
government to task for granting Mr. Thorpe a patent for the discovery.
In February, 1874, he visited Europe, and it was on the 15th of March of
that year that he received his first laurels at the “Grand Conservatoire
National des Arts et Métiers,” Paris. Some of Mr. Baillairgé’s annual
reports on civic affairs are very interesting and instructive; that of
1878, on “The Municipal Situation,” is particularly worthy of perusal.
His report of 1872 was more especially sought after by almost every city
engineer in Canada and the United States, on account of the varied
information it conveyed. It may also be remembered, as illustrative of
the versatility of his talent and of his humouristic turn of mind, that
a comedy, “Le Diable Devenu Cuisinier,” written by him in the French
language, was, in 1873, played in the Music Hall, Quebec, and again in
the Salle Jacques Cartier, Quebec, by the Maugard Company, then in the
city, to the great merriment of all present. Nor will the members of “Le
Club des 21,” composed as it is of the _literati_, scientists and
artists of Quebec, under the presidency of the Count of Premio Real,
consul-general of Spain for Canada, soon forget how, in March, 1879, Mr.
Baillairgé, in a paper read at one of the sittings of the club, around a
well-spread board, successively portrayed and hit off the peculiarities
of each and every member of the club, and of the count himself, while at
the same time doing full justice to the abilities of all. Mr. Baillairgé
is a close and industrious worker, devoting fourteen hours out of the
twenty-four to his professional calling, and again robbing the night for
the time to pursue his literary and scientific pursuits. In politics, if
he may be said to have any, he is inclined to liberalism, but he is of
too independent a character to be tied to a party, preferring to treat
each question on its merits, irrespective of its promoters. The subject
of this sketch is brother to G. F. Baillairgé, deputy minister of Public
Works of the Dominion, and grand nephew to François Baillairgé, an
eminent painter and sculptor “de l’Académie Royale de Peinture et
Sculpture, France,” who carved some of the statues in the Basilica, and
whose studio in St. Louis street, Quebec (the quaint old one-story
building, now Campbell’s livery stable), was at that time so often
visited by Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, father of Queen Victoria, during
his sojourn in Quebec. A portrait of Mr. Baillairgé, accompanied by a
brief biographical notice, appeared in “L’Opinion Publique,” of the 25th
April, 1878. The “Rivista Universale,” of Italy, also published his
portrait and a biographical sketch of Mr. Baillairgé’s career in
February of 1878. Since 1879 Mr. Baillairgé has been the recipient of
the following additional testimonials:
ROYAL CANADIAN ACADEMY OF ARTS,
Grenville St., Toronto, Jan. 7th, 1880.
DEAR SIR,—I am commanded by His Excellency the Governor-General
(Marquis of Lorne), to inform you that he has been pleased to
nominate you as an associate of the New Canadian Academy.
(Signed), L. N. O’BRIEN,
President.
* * * * *
ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA,
Montreal, March 7th, 1882.
SIR,—I have the honour to intimate to you by request of the
Governor-General (Marquis of Lorne), that His Excellency hopes
you will allow yourself to be named by him as one of the twenty
original members of the Mathematical, Physical, and Chemical
Section of the New Literary and Scientific Society of Canada,
the first meeting of which will be held at Ottawa on the 25th of
May. Should you accept be good enough to state what work you
wish associated with your name. I have the honour to be, sir,
your most obedient,
T. STERRY HUNT,
President of the Mathematical, Physical, and Chemical Section.
C. Baillairgé, Esq.
In July, 1882, Mr. Baillairgé was unanimously elected president of the
newly incorporated body of Land Surveyors and Engineers of the province
of Quebec, which position he continued to fill till 1885.
GOVERNMENT HOUSE,
Quebec, 18th June, 1877.
SIR,—As President of the Canadian Commission at Philadelphia, I
have had occasion to show your “Tableau Stéréométrique” to the
representatives of Great Britain, France, Germany, Russia,
Spain, and Portugal, and, with a single exception, it was known
and highly appreciated by all of them. Monsieur Lavoine,
engineer of roads and bridges, with whom I became acquainted in
Philadelphia, where he was in charge of the exposition of models
of the Public Works of France, spoke to me about it then, and
also during a visit he paid me in Ottawa last fall, in the most
flattering manner for you and for Canadians generally. I am
happy, sir, to hear of such a testimony which does you credit,
and also to know that your works, which have been crowned so
often, both in your own and foreign countries, have just been
duly appreciated at the Universal Exposition of 1876 at
Philadelphia. I remain, sir, your obedient servant,
L. Letellier,
Lieut.-Governor of the Province of Quebec
M. C. Baillairgé, C.E., Quebec.
* * * * *
GOVERNMENT HOUSE,
Quebec, June 18th, 1887.
MY DEAR SIR,—If you could possibly call at my office, I would
have the pleasure to know if you would consent to join the
Society of Canadian Authors, whom I should be pleased to see now
and then at Spencer Wood. Yours truly,
L. LETELLIER.
M. C. Baillairgé, Quebec.
* * * * *
=Gilpin, Rev. Edwin=, D.D., Senior Canon of St. Luke’s Cathedral and
Archdeacon of Nova Scotia, Halifax. This learned divine was born in
Aylesford, Nova Scotia, on the 10th of June, 1821. His parents were
Edwin and Eliza Gilpin. On his father’s side he is descended from a long
line of illustrious ancestors, among others Richard De Guylpyn, to whom
in 1206 the Baron of Kendal gave the manor of Kentmore, in Westmoreland,
England. There fourteen generations of the family lived, and there was
born, in 1517, Bernard Gilpin, well known as the “Apostle of the North.”
The manor was lost in consequence of the loyalty of the family to King
Charles the First. The Rev. Edwin Gilpin, the subject of our sketch, was
educated at King’s College, Windsor, N.S., and in 1847 received the
degree of B.A., in 1850 the degree of M.A., in 1853 that of B.D., and in
1863 the degree of D.D. was conferred upon him. In 1848 he received the
appointment of master of the Halifax Grammar School; then he was made
master of the Halifax High School, and then followed his promotion to
the principalship of the Halifax Academy. In 1864 he was inducted as
canon of St. Luke’s Cathedral (Episcopal); and in 1874 he was made
archdeacon. He has taken an active interest in education, and done a
good deal to place the public schools of his native province on a
satisfactory footing. Rev. Mr. Gilpin is a firm adherent of the Church
of England, and belongs to the so-called High Church party. He is
married to Amelia, daughter of the late Hon. Justice Haliburton, of
Windsor, N.S., who is well known as an author under the _nom de plume_
of “Sam Slick.” Rev. Mr. Gilpin’s eldest son is a gentleman of
considerable literary ability, and has prepared for and read before the
North British Society of Engineers and the Royal Society of Canada,
papers on the mining industries of the Dominion.
* * * * *
=Lambly, William Harwood=, Registrar of the County of Megantic,
Inverness, Province of Quebec, was born on the 1st December, 1839, at
Halifax, Megantic county, Quebec, and has resided in the same county
ever since. His parents were John Robert Lambly and Anne Mackie. Mr.
Lambly, senr., was for nearly twenty years registrar of deeds for the
county of Megantic, and his father, the grandfather of the subject of
our sketch, was for more than a quarter of a century harbour master of
the port of Quebec, and in his day published a complete guide, with
descriptive charts, of the river St. Lawrence, from Quebec to the Gulf.
The family removed, when William was a child, to Leeds, in which place
he lived until 1861, when the _chef-lieu_ of the county was established
at Inverness, whither he removed. He commenced his education in the
village school, then attended the seminary at Newport, Vermont, and
afterwards took a special course at Victoria College, Cobourg, Ontario,
including some branches of the higher mathematics, French, and the
classics. In 1862 he was appointed registrar of the county of Megantic
by the Hon. Charles Stanley, Viscount Monck, then governor-general of
Canada, and has held the office ever since. He has been returning
officer at every election in the county, local and federal, since that
time, and although many of the elections have been contested, no
complaint has ever been made of partiality or irregularity. He was
appointed a justice of the peace in 1863, and has held the appointment
ever since. Since that time he has tried over two hundred cases, many of
them being for infractions of the license law, and no judgment of his
has ever been set aside on certiorari or appeal. He is also a
commissioner of the Superior Court, and a commissioner _per dedimus
potestatem_. He was elected a municipal councillor for Inverness on an
anti-license ticket, in 1866, by a large majority, and was appointed
mayor of the township at the first meeting of the council thereafter,
and continued in the office of mayor during his term of office as
councillor. In 1868 he declined re-election, and was appointed
secretary-treasurer of the council, and also of the school commissioners
of Inverness, and has held these offices ever since. Under the Dominion
License Act of 1863, he was appointed first commissioner of the county
of Megantic, and then president of the license board and by his vote and
influence not a single license was issued in the county from the time he
became president of the board until the law was declared _ultra vires_,
and was abandoned. He is a member of the Association of Registrars of
the Province of Quebec, and in 1866 was unanimously elected president of
the association, and has been re-elected unanimously in 1887. He joined
the Sons of Temperance in 1855, and has held various offices in his
division, and the Good Templars in 1869, and was rapidly promoted in his
lodge. In 1878 he first attended the Grand Lodge of the Province of
Quebec, and was unanimously elected grand worthy councillor. In the
following year he was unanimously elected grand worthy chief templar of
the province, and held that office by unanimous elections for seven
consecutive years, declining the election for the eighth term. In 1879
he was elected representative to the Right Worthy Grand Lodge, and has
since attended every session of that body. In the Right Worthy Grand
Lodge he was appointed right worthy grand marshal in 1881, and again in
1882; right worthy grand messenger in 1883, and right worthy grand
councillor, being the second highest position in the body, in 1885, and
again in 1886, and which office he still holds, and he has this year
(1887) been appointed deputy right worthy grand templar for the Province
of Quebec. He was one of the representatives of the R. W. G. Lodge in
Boston, in 1886, at the conference on union of all Good Templars in the
world, and was one of the signers of the original basis of union. He has
organised a number of Good Templar lodges in the Provinces of Quebec and
Nova Scotia, and has given many lectures and addresses on temperance and
prohibition in various parts of the Dominion, and in New York,
Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, Richmond, Va.; Charlestown, S.C.,
Chicago and other places. He is a vice-president of the Quebec branch of
the Dominion Alliance for the total suppression of the liquor traffic,
and has successfully fought and stamped out every grog shop in
Inverness, although there were nearly a score of them in the place when
he came there to live in 1861. He is not a politician, and never takes
part in any political discussions. He has travelled considerably in
Canada, having visited the chief cities from Halifax, N.S., to Sarnia,
Ont., besides many of the great cities in the United States. He is a
Methodist with broad Armenian views, but claims every man as a brother,
no matter what church he belongs to, if he loves the Lord Jesus Christ.
It will be seen that Mr. Lambly is an enthusiastic temperance man. He
totally abstains from all intoxicants and narcotics, and has never
tasted any kind of spirituous liquors, wine, or cider. Consequently he
is an out and out prohibitionist, will never consent to license, in any
shape or form, for the sale of liquors. He has an undying hate to what
he calls the thrice accursed traffic in strong drink, and deals it
deadly blows on every opportune occasion. He hopes to see the bright and
glorious day dawn on this fair Dominion when we shall have prohibition
pure and simple from the Atlantic to the Pacific. On the 25th June,
1863, he was married at Lachute, P.Q., to Isabella D. Brown, daughter of
the Rev. W. D. Brown, a Methodist minister now in his 79th year, yet
actively engaged preaching the gospel. The fruit of this marriage has
been four sons and three daughters, one of whom died in infancy, and the
two eldest sons are now studying for the ministry of the Methodist
church.
* * * * *
=Jarvis, Frederick William=, late Sheriff of the county of York,
Ontario, was born at Oakville, on the 10th February, 1818. His
grandfather was a devoted U. E. loyalist, and after the American
revolution, left the state of Connecticut for New Brunswick, from which
province he afterwards moved with his family, then including as boys,
the late Sheriff W. B. Jarvis of Toronto, the late Judge Jarvis of
Cornwall, and the late Frederick Starr Jarvis, father of the sheriff now
deceased, to Toronto, in 1808. Frederick Starr Jarvis afterwards settled
at Oakville, then a wilderness, with no road through the bush, and with
few of the modern appliances for the ordinary pursuits of forest life.
Here William Frederick, the eldest of a family of eight sons and four
daughters, was born, and here he remained on the paternal farm until
1849, when he removed to Toronto to take charge of his uncle’s business
as deputy sheriff. In 1856, on the death of his uncle, he was appointed
sheriff of the counties of York and Peel, and when the sheriffdom was
divided he was made sheriff of York, and this office he held until his
death, in Toronto, on 16th of April, 1887. During the rebellion of 1837,
Sheriff Jarvis served in the Queen’s Rangers. Before coming to Toronto
he married a daughter of Captain John Skynner, R.N., who, with three
sons and one daughter, survive him. He was a much respected citizen, and
as highly esteemed as he was well known. He filled the position of
Sheriff of York—the richest shrievalty at the disposal of the Ontario
government—with dignity and ability. He was a member of St. Peter’s
Episcopal Church, Carlton street, in whose welfare he always took a deep
interest, as well as of the Industrial School at Mimico, and of a number
of city charities.
* * * * *
=Church, Hon. Charles Edward=, Commissioner of Public Works and Mines,
of Nova Scotia, Halifax, was born on Tancook Island, Lunenburg county,
Nova Scotia, on the 3rd of January, 1835. He is a son of Charles Lot
Anthony Church, whose ancestors came to America with the Pilgrim Fathers
in 1625. His great grandfather, Charles Church, was a United Empire
loyalist, who left New England on the breaking out of the rebellion, and
settled at Shelburne, Nova Scotia. His grandfather, Charles Lot Church,
who was only five years of age when he came to Nova Scotia with his
parents, on growing up into manhood, settled in Chester, Lunenburg
county, Nova Scotia, and afterwards represented that county for ten
years in the House of Assembly. This gentleman was one of the early
Reformers of the province. His mother, Sarah Hiltz, is of German
descent, her ancestors having emigrated from Germany to Lunenburg in
1753, and was amongst its first settlers. Their descendants are noted
for their mechanical skill, especially in shipbuilding. Charles Edward
Church, the subject of this sketch, received a fair English education at
the schools in Chester and Truro, and afterwards followed for about ten
years the profession of teacher. He then went into mercantile pursuits
at La Have River, and for several years was interested in the fisheries.
In 1871, Mr. Church was appointed a justice of the peace. He was, in
1872, elected to represent Lunenburg in the Liberal interest, in the
House of Commons, at Ottawa; and again at the general election in 1874,
he was returned by acclamation, and sat in the Dominion parliament until
1878. In 1882, Mr. Church was elected a member of the Nova Scotia
legislature, and again in 1886, he was returned to the same position by
a large majority. He was appointed provincial secretary in 1882, and
held the office until 1884, when he was appointed Commissioner of Public
Works and Mines, and this office he still holds. Mr. Church is a Liberal
in politics, and for the past twenty years, has taken an active interest
in both federal and provincial questions, and stands high as a
progressive statesman. He also takes an interest in all moral reforms,
and was formerly a member of the order of Sons of Temperance and of the
Good Templars, and held office in the Grand Division of Sons of
Temperance, of Nova Scotia, and also in the Grand Lodge of British
Templars of the same province. Though not taking as warm an interest in
the temperance movement as formerly, he is still a strict total
abstainer. Mr. Church has travelled over a considerable portion of the
Dominion of Canada, and through parts of the United States. He is a
Protestant, holding broad and liberal views respecting religion as well
as politics. On the 24th of June, 1884, he was married to Henrietta A.
Pugsley, of Halifax. Her father, Henry Pugsley, was a native of England,
and her mother a native of Halifax, Nova Scotia.
* * * * *
=Buller, Frank=, M.D., Professor of Ophthalmology and Otology in McGill
University, Montreal, was born near Cobourg, Ontario, on the 4th May,
1844. He is the fourth son of Charles G. Buller, of Campbellford,
Ontario, who was educated for the Church of England ministry, but,
declining holy orders, came to Canada in 1831, and settled near the town
of Cobourg, preferring agricultural life to any other means of earning a
livelihood. His mother, Frances Elizabeth Boucher, is the second
daughter of the late R. P. Boucher, of Campbellford; both his parents
are still living, and have attained an advanced age. We may say that the
Buller family has for centuries occupied a prominent position in the
south of England, and it is a well-known fact that many of its members
have distinguished themselves by their energy and ability in the service
of their country. Dr. Buller received the foundation of a liberal
education under the paternal roof, and subsequently continued his
studies in the High School at Peterborough. Having chosen medicine as a
profession, he entered the Victoria School of Medicine, of Toronto, and
graduated from that institution in 1869. Shortly afterwards he went to
England to perfect himself in his profession, where he soon won the
diploma of membership of the Royal College of Surgeons. While in London
he spent considerable time in the further study of general medicine and
surgery in St. Thomas’s Hospital, and satisfied himself that there was
no such thing possible as the attainment of perfection in all the
branches of a science so far-reaching as that of medicine. He resolved
to devote himself to the study of a specialty, having reason to believe
that the medical profession in Canada would be willing to sustain any
specialist who could bring evidence of having received a sufficiently
thorough training to merit public confidence. Keeping this idea steadily
in view, he spared no pains to become thoroughly proficient in the
specialty he had chosen. At that time the renowned Von Gräfe was still
living, and shedding the lustre of his great fame over the University of
Berlin; Helmholtze, too, the discoverer of the ophthalmoscope, honoured
the chair of physical science in the same place of learning. To receive
instruction from two such men was to drink from the very source of the
fountain of knowledge; and to Berlin Dr. Buller went in 1870; nor was he
disappointed in his anticipations of the benefit to be derived from the
instructions of these illustrious preceptors. About this time the
Franco-German war broke out, and the services of every available medical
man having been called for, Dr. Buller, like many other foreigners,
volunteered his services; and during eight months he acted as
assistant-surgeon in the military hospitals of North Germany. After the
termination of the war he continued his studies in Berlin, and served
for one year as assistant in the Gräfe-Ewers Ophthalmic Hospital of that
city. Early in 1872 he returned to England, and was appointed clinical
assistant to the Royal London Ophthalmic Hospital, from which position
he was promoted to the office of junior, and soon afterwards to that of
senior house surgeon, a situation which he held with credit to himself
and to the entire satisfaction of the governors and staff of that
institution for nearly three years. Having thus acquired, in a few
years, an amount of special knowledge and experience that under less
favourable circumstances could not have been gained in a lifetime, he
was prepared to take advantage of the first opportunity that offered for
establishing himself in the practice of his profession. He then returned
to Canada, and chose the city of Montreal as the field of his future
operations. Early in 1876 he commenced practice there, and, owing to the
cordial goodwill of his professional _confrères_, obtained a lucrative
practice from the very outset. In the month of May of the same year he
was appointed ophthalmic and aural surgeon to the Montreal General
Hospital, and lecturer on diseases of the eye and ear in McGill
University—positions which he still holds; and, judging from the past,
we anticipate for him a long career of honour and great usefulness to
suffering humanity. To his credit it should be said, that Dr. Buller has
been the arbitrator of his own fortune, he having in a great degree bore
his own expenses while securing his education. He is a good example to
our Canadian youth, and shews plainly what a young man can accomplish
though starting with a capital consisting only of determination and
pluck. Dr. Buller, in religious matters, is an adherent of the Episcopal
church, and in politics may be classed among the liberals. He married
Lillie Langlois, daughter of the late Peter Langlois, of Quebec, and has
a family of two children.
* * * * *
=Willmott, James Branston=, M.D.S., D.D.S., Toronto, is a native of the
province of Ontario, having been born in the county of Halton, on 15th
June, 1837. His parents, William and Ann Willmott, were both natives of
England, but came to this country when children. After a few years’
sojourn in Little York, now Toronto, they removed with their parents to
the very verge of settlement in the central part of Halton county, where
they did faithfully and well their part in converting the wilderness
into a fruitful field. Dr. Willmott’s early life was spent on the farm,
and his education was obtained mainly at the common school in the
neighbourhood. In 1854-5 he was a student in Victoria College, Cobourg,
intending to take a university course in arts, but was prevented by
failing health. Having determined to devote himself to the practice of
dentistry, he entered the office of W. C. Adams as a student in 1858. On
completing his pupilage in 1860, he commenced practice in the town of
Milton, near his birthplace. Allying himself with the Liberal party,
from a profound conviction that the principles advocated by it were best
calculated to advance the material and moral interests of the country,
he took an active interest in the affairs of the town, and was soon
called upon to occupy positions of trust. In 1863 he was appointed a
justice of the peace, and for several years had considerable experience
in that capacity. Besides minor offices, he served his fellow-townsmen
for three years in the municipal council, and for two years of that time
was chairman of the finance committee. In 1870 he entered the
Philadelphia Dental College, graduating doctor of dental surgery in
March, 1871. Although a foreigner, he was chosen by his classmates to
deliver the valedictory on commencement day. Desiring a wider field for
practice, he removed in July, 1871, to the city of Toronto, where by
diligence and skill he has built up an extensive and lucrative practice.
In the year 1866, Dr. Willmott was actively engaged in the movement to
place the dental profession of Ontario on a better footing, which
resulted in the incorporation of the profession as the Royal College of
Dental Surgeons by the legislature of the province in its first session,
the act being assented to March 3rd, 1868. From that date the doctor has
been very closely identified with the development of dentistry. In the
year 1870 he was elected by his fellow practitioners a member of the
Board of Examiners constituted under the provisions of the Dental Act,
and on the organization of the board he was chosen secretary. At each
succeeding biennial election he has been re-elected, and has also
continuously filled the position of secretary of the board. In 1875 the
dental practitioners of the province assembled in convention, adopted a
resolution requesting the board of examiners to establish a dental
college in Toronto. Acting upon this resolution the board requested Dr.
Willmott to undertake the organization of the college, associating with
him L. Teskey, M.D., M.R.C.S. The first session of the college opened in
November, 1875, with Dr. Willmot as senior professor occupying the chair
of operative and mechanical dentistry. This position he has continued to
hold to the present time. During the twelve years which have elapsed he
has been largely instrumental, in his capacity of teacher, in developing
the very creditable degree of skill which distinguishes the dental
profession of Ontario. Since his removal to Toronto the pressure of
practice and his duties in the college have prevented him from giving
much attention to public matters. What leisure he has been able to
command has been devoted mainly to church work. Born of Methodist
parents, in early youth he became a member of the Methodist church, and
has filled nearly every office open to a layman. Soon after settling in
Toronto he connected himself with the Metropolitan Church, and has been
deeply interested in its prosperity. He now discharges the duties of
Bible-class teacher, leader, trustee, and treasurer of the Trust Board,
besides being local treasurer of several important connexional funds. He
was a member of the Toronto Methodist Conferences of 1885 and 1886 and
of the General Conference of the Methodist church which met in Toronto
in September, 1886. Dr. Willmott married in September, 1864, Margaret
Taylor Bowes, niece of the late J. G. Bowes, ex-mayor of the city of
Toronto, a lady estimable in every relation of life, and his zealous
helpmate in every good work.
* * * * *
=Patton, Hon. James=, Q.C., LL.D., Collector H.M. Customs, Toronto, was
born at Prescott, Ontario, on the 10th of June, 1824. He is the fourth
son of the late Andrew Patton, of St. Andrews, Fifeshire, Scotland, and
formerly major of her Majesty’s 45th regiment of the line. Mr. Patton’s
eldest brother (for some years rector of Cornwall and Belleville and
archdeacon of the diocese of Ontario) died in Belleville in 1874. The
family having removed from Prescott to Toronto in 1830, James was sent
to Upper Canada College, where he received the rudiments of a sound
education; and in 1840, having resolved to follow the legal profession,
he entered the office of the late Hon. John Hillyard Cameron, who then
carried on business with the late Chancellor Spragge, to study law. In
1843, on the opening of King’s College (now the University of Toronto),
he matriculated in arts, and graduated in law, and in 1858 took the
degree of LL.D. In 1845 he was called to the bar, and took up his abode
in the town of Barrie, Simcoe county, where in a very few years he
acquired an extensive practice. At an early period of his career Mr.
Patton took a deep interest in politics. The agitation consequent upon
the passage of the Rebellion Losses Bill, and the burning of the
Parliament buildings in the city of Montreal, seem to have acted as a
stimulus to his conservative instincts. Therefore, in 1852, he started
the _Barrie Herald_ as the mouth-piece of his party, and conducted it
with great energy for several years. At this time there was only one
other paper published north of Toronto, whereas now there are nearly
forty. In the meanwhile he was also engaged in legal literature,—having
published the “Constable’s Assistant”—and in 1855 aided in the
establishment and publication of the “Upper Canada Law Journal.” In 1859
he was elected a bencher of the Law Society, and having afterwards been
a solicitor-general, is now a life bencher by statute. In 1862 he was
created a Queen’s counsel. In 1853 Mr. Patton took into partnership
Hewitt Bernard, and the year following the late Sidney Cosens, and in
1857 William D. Ardagh, the Barrie firm changing to Patton & Ardagh on
Mr. Bernard being appointed deputy Minister of Justice. In 1860 he
opened a branch office in Toronto, and the year following was joined by
a former pupil, Featherston Osler, now one of the hon. justices of the
Court of Appeal, and subsequently by the late Chief Justice Moss, the
firm being known as Patton, Osler & Moss, and soon obtained a prominent
position. In 1864 Mr. Patton having been invited by Sir John A.
Macdonald to take charge of his large business, left for Kingston, but
returned again to Toronto in 1872, on the removal of the Trust and Loan
Company’s office to that city, Macdonald and Patton being the company’s
solicitors. This partnership continued until 1878, when Mr. Patton
retired from the active practice of his profession, in which he had been
engaged for thirty-three years, and took charge of the English and
Scottish Investment Company of Canada. This important position he held
until 1881, when the Dominion government appointed him Collector of
Customs for Toronto. Since that period he has faithfully performed the
duties of this responsible trust, and has done a great deal to improve
and simplify this branch of the civil service. Although in his younger
days Mr. Patton was an active politician, yet he did not seem to aspire
to parliamentary honours though often asked to become a candidate.
However, when in 1856 the Legislative Council (now the Senate) was made
an elective body and Upper and Lower Canada were mapped out into
forty-eight electoral divisions, with twelve members to be elected every
two years, he presented himself as a candidate, and was one of the six
returned that year for what is now Ontario, for the group of counties
consisting of Grey, Bruce and North Simcoe, known as the Saugeen
Division. As a member of the Legislative Council Mr. Patton was a
staunch Conservative, and he, without consulting the government, moved
(seconded by the late Sir E. P. Taché) in 1858 in that body the
resolution condemning the Brown-Dorion government—the same being taken
up by Sir Hector Langevin, seconded by Hon. John Beverly Robinson, the
next day in the Legislative Assembly—and carried it by sixteen to
eight. In 1862 he became a member of the Cartier-Macdonald ministry,
with a seat in the Executive Council (now the Privy Council) as
solicitor-general for Upper Canada—Sir John A. Macdonald being
attorney-general—but was defeated when seeking re-election, and with
the fall of the government a few weeks later, he retired from public
life. While in parliament the Hon. Mr. Patton carried through among
other measures the Debentures Registration Act, and the act that has
elevated the _status_ of attorneys, by requiring the passage of
examinations in addition to the mere service under articles; also
amendments to the Grand Jury law, but was unsuccessful in his attempt to
introduce the Scotch system of doing away with the required unanimity of
twelve petit jurors—the bill, though passed by large majorities in the
Council in four consecutive sessions, was invariably thrown out by the
Legislative Assembly. The Hon. Mr. Patton assisted at the formation of
the University Association, and was its president for several years,
holding the office until his election as vice-chancellor of the
University of Toronto. This latter office he held from 1860 to 1864,
when he was succeeded by the late Hon. Adam Crooks, Minister of
Education. In 1861-2 he was chairman of the University Commission issued
by the Crown. In 1886 he occupied a seat in the council of the Board of
Trade of Toronto, and did good service as such in helping to prepare the
laws that govern that important and influential body. In 1853 he was
married to Martha Marietta, the eldest daughter of the late Alfred
Hooker, of Prescott.
* * * * *
=Harrison, Hon. Archibald=, Member of the Executive Council of New
Brunswick, Maugerville, New Brunswick, was born at Cambridge, Queens
County, New Brunswick, on the 27th May, 1834. He is a son of the Hon. C.
Harrison, at one time member of the Legislative Council of New
Brunswick, and Mary, daughter of Jeremiah Burpee, of Sheffield, one of
the first English inhabitants of the province. His grandfather, James
Harrison, was a United Empire loyalist. Archibald removed with his
parents from Cambridge to Maugerville, Sunbury county, in 1847, and here
the family has continued to reside ever since. He received his education
at Cambridge and Maugerville, and after leaving school adopted farming
as a profession. In 1868 he was elected a member of the Provincial Board
of Agriculture, and for the two following years occupied the same
position. At the bye-election in 1868, he contested Sunbury for a seat
in the legislature, but failed to secure a majority vote. In 1870 he was
chosen warden of his county, and at the general election held during
this year was elected to represent Sunbury county in the Legislative
Assembly of New Brunswick, and on the 8th April, 1874, he was called to
the Legislative Council; on the 3rd of March, 1883, he was made a member
of the Executive Council, and shortly afterwards was appointed a member
of the Lunatic Asylum Commission. In 1886 he was appointed a member of
the board of works. In 1873 he was made a member of the senate of the
University of New Brunswick, and on the expiry of his term of office, in
1885, he was re-appointed to the same position. Politically, Hon. Mr.
Harrison sides with the Liberals; while religiously he belongs to the
Congregational body of Christians. On the 5th November, 1862, he was
married to Amy, daughter of W. S. Barker, who at one time represented
Sunbury county in the New Brunswick legislature.
* * * * *
=Gilmour, John Taylor=, M.D., M.P.P. for West York, residence West
Toronto Junction, was born in the township of Clarke, county of Durham,
Ontario, on the 3rd March, 1855. His father was a farmer and
manufacturer of lumber, and his mother, was descended from the United
Empire loyalists. He received his education at Port Hope High School,
and after leaving this institution he practised the profession of
teaching for two years. Tiring of this, he resolved to adopt the medical
profession, and entered Trinity Medical College, Toronto, from which
college he graduated in 1878. He then opened an office in Durham county,
and continued his practice here until 1884, when he removed to West
Toronto Junction, county of York, and here he has since resided, and has
met with a fair measure of success. Early in 1886 Dr. Gilmour was chosen
by the Reformers of West York to become their candidate, and when the
general elections came on in December of that year he succeeded, with
the aid of his friends, in redeeming the riding for the Liberals. In
politics he is strongly democratic, and is destined to make his mark in
the political arena. He is an adherent of the Methodist church. He was
married on the 18th March, 1878, to Emma Hawkins, of Canton, Ontario;
but death claimed this estimable lady on the 18th March, 1886.
* * * * *
=Williams, Rev. William=, D.D., Pastor of the Division Street Methodist
Church Cobourg. The Rev. Mr. Williams is the eldest son of William and
Margaret P. Williams, and was born in Stonehouse, Devon, England,
January 23rd, 1836. His mother was a daughter of Robert Pearse, of
Camelford, Cornwall, England. In 1842 the subject of this notice removed
with his parents to Toronto. During the four years of his residence in
that city he attended school, and the latter part of the time he was
engaged in preparing to enter Upper Canada College. Before he had
completed his preparatory studies he removed with his parents to Weston,
and some time later to the township of Holland, where his father settled
upon a farm. Though removed from school at a comparatively early age, he
steadily pursued a carefully prepared course of reading and study, and
in his nineteenth year he entered the ministry of the Methodist New
Connexion church. His record in that community was that of a successful
minister of the gospel. Before the union he was during four years
chairman of a district; was one year president of the Methodist New
Connexion Conference, and was acting president during the greater part
of the following year, filling the place left vacant by the lamented
death of the president, the Rev. Samuel P. Gundy. The Rev. W. Williams
took an active part in promoting the union of the New Connexion and
Wesleyan Methodist churches in this country, being on both committees;
and in 1874 he was sent by his conference, with the late Robert Wilkes,
M.P. of Toronto, as a deputation to the New Connexion Conference of
England to obtain the consent of that body to the contemplated union in
Canada. In this he and his companion were completely successful. Not
only was the requested consent given, but Mr. Wilkes and Mr. Williams
were heartily thanked for the manner in which they had presented the
matter before the conference. In 1875, after this union had been
consummated, and while he was in charge of the church in Simcoe, Rev.
Mr. Williams was sent with W. H. Gibbs, of Oshawa, by the Central Board
of Missions as a deputation to attend the missionary services in the
leading Methodist Churches in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince
Edward Island. In 1876, in response to the special request of the
Centenary Church, Hamilton, Rev. Mr. Williams was sent to that charge,
then the largest and most influential in the London conference. He
remained there for the full term of three years. A leading member of
that church speaks of his ministry in that place:—“His discourses
showed him to be a man of culture, of extensive reading, of careful
thought, and of sound judgment. The Centenary Church never, I believe,
had a better expounder of the Word of God, or a more faithful preacher
of the gospel. Conscientious in the discharge of his duty, whatsoever he
seemed to feel should be said he spoke boldly whether it was likely to
please or displease. At the same time he evinced such qualities of
heart, such sympathy, such desire to do his people good, as secured for
him their affection, and made him very influential. As a man, Mr.
Williams was liked by all who knew him. He was pleasant and unassuming,
easy to approach, and was ready to lend a helping hand.” In 1879 Rev.
Mr. Williams became pastor of Norfolk Street Church, Guelph. He remained
there during the full term of three years, was acceptable and useful,
and during his ministry there the membership of the church and
congregation was largely increased; the debt upon the building in which
they worshipped reduced by several thousand dollars; and the financial
condition of the church greatly improved in other respects. He was also
chairman of the Guelph district during the three years of his pastorate
in that city. The following three years were spent by him in Woodstock,
where he ministered to a very large congregation in one of the finest
church edifices in the province. The first year of his pastorate in
Woodstock was marked by his elevation to the presidency of the London
Conference. This position he filled with acceptance and ability. He was
chairman of the Woodstock district during the full term of his ministry
in that rapidly rising town. At the request of the Cobourg (Division
street) Church Rev. Mr. Williams was, in 1885, transferred to the Bay of
Quinté conference, and appointed to Cobourg. There he preaches to a
large and intelligent congregation, comprising, in addition to the
general hearers, the principal, professors and students of Victoria
University. Mr. Williams is also chairman of the Cobourg district. In
May, 1887, the senate of Victoria University conferred upon him the
honorary degree of Doctor of Divinity.
* * * * *
=Glackmeyer, Charles=, City Clerk, Montreal, was born in Montreal on the
22nd June, 1820. He is of German extraction, and belongs to a family
noted for its longevity, his father, Frederick Glackmeyer, having died
in 1875, aged eighty-four years. His mother was Sophie Roy Portelance, a
French-Canadian lady, who died about 1854. His grandfather came to
Canada as bandmaster with one of the British regiments, and settled in
the city of Quebec, where he was a professor of and taught music for
many years, and died at an advanced age. Charles was educated at the
Montreal College, taking a full course, and afterwards studied law with
Peltier and Bourret. In 1843 he was admitted to the bar, and after
practising his profession for three years, entered the service of the
City Corporation as assistant city clerk. This position he held until
1859, when he was elected city clerk, and this office he still holds.
Mr. Glackmeyer is a model official, is rarely absent from his post, and
one in whom the citizens have the fullest confidence, and whom they
delight to honor. He is a member of the Roman Catholic church, and
people who know him best speak most highly of his moral and religious
character and the purity of the life he leads. On the 30th May, 1848, he
was married to M. R. Josephine Duvernay, of Montreal, eldest daughter of
Ludger Duvernay, founder of the _Minerve_ newspaper, and of the St. Jean
Baptiste Society of Montreal. The fruits of this marriage has been ten
children, only three of whom now survive.
* * * * *
=Gilpin, Edwin, jr.=, Deputy Commissioner of Public Works and Mines, and
Chief Inspector of Mines for the Province of Nova Scotia, Halifax, was
born at Halifax, Nova Scotia, on the 28th of October, 1850. His father,
the Rev. Edwin Gilpin, D.D., is the senior canon of St. Luke’s
Cathedral, and archdeacon of Nova Scotia (see sketch of Archdeacon
Gilpin in another part of this volume), and his mother is Amelia McKay,
daughter of the late Hon. Justice Haliburton. Edwin Gilpin received the
rudiments of his education at the Halifax Grammar School, and then
entered King’s College, Windsor, where he graduated A.B., in 1871. He
then took the arts course, with special courses in mining, geology, and
chemistry, and received the degree of A.M., in 1873, and at the same
time won the “Welsford,” “General Williams,” and “Alumni” prizes. After
leaving college he began the practical study of mining-engineering in
Nova Scotia, and especially in the Albion collieries of the General
Mining Association in Pictou county, and extended his observations in
the leading mining districts in Great Britain. On the 1st of March,
1874, he was elected a fellow of the Geological Society of London,
England; and in April, 1873, a member of the Nova Scotia Institute of
Natural History. On the 21st of April, 1879, he was appointed by the
government of Nova Scotia, inspector of mines for the province, which
position he now occupies. In September, 1881, he was appointed a member
and made secretary of the Board of Examiners of Colliery Officials; and
in September, 1885, was elected a member of the American Institute of
Mining Engineers. In October, 1886, he received the appointment of
deputy commissioner of Public Works and Mines for the province. Mr.
Gilpin is one of the original members of the Royal Society of Canada.
For a number of years he has acted in the capacity of consulting
engineer in the Maritime provinces, and has done good service to his
county in this direction. He is the author of a popular work on the
“Mines and Mineral Lands of Nova Scotia,” published in Halifax in 1883;
and has also contributed valuable papers on the “Sub-marine Coal Fields
of Cape Breton;” “Nova Scotia Iron Ores;” “The Manganese of Nova
Scotia;” “The Carboniferous and Gold Fields of Nova Scotia;” “The
Geology of Cape Breton;” and various other papers on the geology and
economic mineralogy of Nova Scotia, which have been published in the
Transactions of the following societies: The North of England Institute
of Mining Engineers; The Geological Society of London; The Nova Scotia
Natural History Institute; The Royal Society of Canada; and The American
Institute of Mining Engineers. He has also written several annual
reports to the government of Nova Scotia, on the progress and
development of the Crown minerals of the province. Mr. Gilpin takes no
particular part in politics; but in religious matters, he is a staunch
adherent of the Church of England. He was married on June 29th, 1875, to
Florence Ellen, daughter of Lewis Johnstone, surgeon, Albion Mines, Nova
Scotia. Mrs. Gilpin’s father is a nephew of the late Equity Judge
Johnstone, and provincial grand master of the Masonic order. Three
children have been born of this union.
* * * * *
=Bégin, Rev. Louis Nazaire=, D.D., Principal of the Laval Normal School,
Quebec, member of the Academy of the Arcades of Rome, and of the Royal
Society of Canada, was born at Levis, on the 10th January, 1840. His
father, Charles Bégin, farmer, died in August last, 1887, in his
ninety-first year; his mother, Luce Paradis, died about eighteen months
ago, in her eighty-second year. After attending the Levis Model School,
then under the direction of M. N. Lacasse, at present a professor at the
Laval Normal School, Rev. Abbé Bégin followed, for one year, the
mathematical course of the Commercial College of St. Michel
(Bellechasse). That course was ably given by Professor F. X. Toussaint.
His parents sent him, in 1857, to the Little Seminary of Quebec, to
follow the classical course of that institution. As he had already
commenced to study Latin with M. Lacasse, he was enabled to terminate
his course in five years, in 1862. He then obtained the degree of
Bachelor of Arts at Laval University, and was the first to carry off the
Prince of Wales prize. He resolved to adopt a religious life, and
entered the Grand Seminary of Quebec, in September, 1862, where he
studied theology, while teaching the class of syntax at the Little
Seminary. The Seminary of Quebec was at that time thinking seriously
about organizing a faculty of theology in connection with Laval
University, and it was the earnest desire of the authorities that all
the professors of that faculty should be educated in Rome itself. In
May, 1863, his Eminence Cardinal Taschereau, then superior of the
Seminary of Quebec, and rector of Laval University, proposed to Abbé
Bégin to go and pass a few years in Rome, in order to study theology,
take his degree, and then return to Quebec as professor of its
university. This proposition was accepted, and on the 4th September of
the same year, Abbé Bégin left Quebec to take his passage at Boston. He
had as travelling companions Abbés Louis Pâquet and Benjamin Pâquet (now
Domestic Prelate to his Holiness Leo XIII.), who were also sent to Rome
to study the sacred science. Abbé Bégin was absent five years and
returned to Quebec only in July, 1868. He followed the course of the
Gregorian University of the Roman College, including dogmatic and moral
theology, sacred scriptures, history of the church, canonic law, sacred
oratory, and the Hebraic language. His professors were the Rev. Fathers
Ballerini, Cardella, Sanguinetti, Patrizi, Angellini, Armellini,
Tarquini and Franzelin; the two last named became, a short time
afterwards, cardinals of the holy Roman Church, and died a short time
ago. He received all the minor and major orders in Rome, and was
ordained a priest in the Major Basilica of St. John de Latran on the
10th of June, 1865, by His Eminence Cardinal Vicar Patrizi. In the
following year (1866), he succeeded in obtaining the degree of Doctor in
Theology at the Gregorian University. The Seminary of Quebec granted the
request of Abbé Bégin, and gave him permission to remain some time
longer in Rome to make a special study of ecclesiastical history and
Oriental languages: the Hebrew, the Chaldean, the Syriac, and the
Arabic. The scholastic year 1866-67 was given to these interesting
occupations. While at Rome he resided at the French Seminary, _via Santa
Chiara_. After the great Roman festival in connection with the centenary
of the death of St. Peter and the canonization of the saints, in 1867,
he went to Innsbruck, in the Austrian Tyrol. During the summer holidays
of the preceding years he had visited Italy, Savoy, Switzerland,
Prussia, Belgium, and chiefly France, but he spent the summer of 1867 in
studying the German language, so rich in scientific works on history and
holy scripture. On the 30th September of the same year he started for
Palestine, in order to get thoroughly acquainted,—as he had long
desired,—with certain biblical and historical facts. He spent more than
five months in this trip through Austria, Hungary, Roumania, Servia,
Bulgaria, the two Turkeys, the islands of Tenedos, Lesbos, Rhodes and
Cyprus, Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon, Phœnicia, Palestine, Egypt, and
Sicily. He then returned to Innsbruck to continue his studies in history
and languages at the Catholic University, under the celebrated
Professors Wenig, Jungmann, Hurter, Kobler, Nilles. He left Tyrol on the
2nd July, 1868, crossed France and England, and arrived at Quebec on the
27th of the same month, by the steamer _Moravian_, of the Allan line. He
brought with him several Egyptian mummies and archæological curiosities
he had acquired for the museum of the Catholic University of Quebec. In
September he commenced to teach a portion of dogmatic theology and
ecclesiastical history, as professor of the Faculty of Theology of Laval
University. He taught from 1868 until 1884, having also, during the last
seven or eight years, charge of the pupils of the University, or of
those of the Little or Grand Seminary; he was also prefect of studies of
the Little Seminary. During four or five winters he gave numerous public
lectures at Laval University on the most controverted and interesting
questions of the history of the Church. A select gathering filled the
hall to hear these lectures given every week from the Christmas vacation
till Easter. The first year (1870) he spoke about the prerogatives of
Papacy, and refuted the objections raised, at the time of the Council of
the Vatican, against the infallibility of the Pope, considered from an
historical standpoint. These lectures were published in a volume of over
400 pages, entitled, “La Primauté et l’Infaillibilité des Souverains
Pontifes.” In 1874 he published a second work entitled “La Sainte
Ecriture et la Règle de Foi.” This work was translated into English:
“The Bible and the Rule of Faith,” in 1875, and printed in London by
Burns & Oates. In the same year (1874) an eulogy of Saint Thomas Aquinas
was published. Abbé Bégin had delivered it at Saint Hyacinthe, in the
church of the Rev. Dominican fathers, on the occasion of the sixth
centennial anniversary of the death of Dr. Angélique. In 1875 he
published another work entitled “Le Culte Catholique.” After passing six
months (October, 1883, to April, 1884) at Pont Rouge, Portneuf county,
to recruit his health, Abbé Bégin accompanied to Rome the Archbishop of
Quebec, who was going to sustain the rights of Laval University and the
division of the diocese of Three Rivers, before the Holy See. The voyage
was prosperous, and lasted over seven months. On his return from Rome,
on the first of Dec., 1884, he found his friend, Abbé Lagacé,
dangerously ill. Death carried away, five days later, this distinguished
priest, who had consecrated the best part of his sacerdotal career to
the education of youth. Abbé Bégin was chosen by the Catholic Committee
of the Council of Public Instruction to occupy the important post of
principal of the Normal School, hitherto filled by Abbé Lagacé, and this
choice was ratified by an order-in-council on the 22nd January, 1885.
Since that time Abbé Bégin has fulfilled the functions of principal of
the Normal School, comprising the department of male and female pupil
teachers. Last year (1886) he published a small “Aide-Mémoire,” or
“Chronologie de l’Histoire du Canada,” designed, as indicated by its
name, to help the memory of pupils and facilitate their preparations to
the examinations on the history of our country.
* * * * *
=Anderson, Capt. Edward Brown=, Sarnia, was born at Oakville, in the
county of Halton, Ontario, on the 24th January, 1838. His father, Edward
Anderson, was born at a farm known as “Stenrie’s Hill,” near the town of
Moffat, in Dumfriesshire, Scotland, and died at Oakville, in December,
1840. His mother, Sarah Ann Williams, was born at Port Dover, Lake Erie
shore, and died at Barrie, in January, 1878. Captain Anderson’s father
having died before his son had reached his third year, very little
schooling fell to his lot, as he was in consequence obliged to face the
world at a very early age. When only about ten years old he commenced
sailing on the lakes, and from that time to this he has steadily risen
in his profession, and has now the proud satisfaction of knowing that he
is considered second to none as an inland sea navigator and is in
command of one of the finest steamers—the _Alberta_—of the Canadian
Pacific Railway Company, on Lake Superior. Previous to his taking charge
of the _Alberta_ he commanded for seven years the steamer _Quebec_, of
the Beatty Sarnia & Lake Superior line, and for two years was captain of
the _Campana_, of the Collingwood line, and for the last four years he
has sailed the _Alberta_. Captain Anderson left Oakville in 1875, and
took up his residence in Sarnia, where he has made his home ever since.
In 1867 he joined the Freemasons, and since then has taken a deep
interest in that ancient organization. He crossed the Atlantic and spent
the winter of 1885-6 seeing the sights in Europe. The captain is a
Presbyterian, and is a firm supporter of his church; but in politics he
takes very little interest. In August, 1885 he was married to Lucretia
Waggoner, whose parents at that time resided in Oakville, but in 1860
they removed to Ballard, Kentucky, where they both died.
* * * * *
=Robb, Alexander=, Iron Founder, Amherst, Nova Scotia, was born at
Leicester, Cumberland county, Nova Scotia, on the 4th of March, 1827.
His parents, Alexander Robb and Annie Brown, were natives of Bangor,
Ireland, and settled in Nova Scotia a great many years ago. Alexander
was only about eight years of age when he came to Amherst, and received
his education in the public schools of the place. After leaving school
he acquired a knowledge of the tin and sheet metal business. In 1848 he
commenced business on his own account, and was among the first to
introduce cast-iron stoves into the country. In 1866 he built a foundry
and machine shops, and his business has grown steadily ever since, until
his works, including salesroom and offices, now cover a space of about
two acres. In outside industries, Mr. Robb has taken a great interest,
having assisted in the development of the Boot and Shoe Tanning Company,
which is now the most extensive manufactory of its kind in the province;
and previous to his health breaking down in 1872, he was an active
promoter of the Spring Hill collieries. Mr. Robb has always been a
strong advocate of total abstinence, and has the honour of being one of
the original members of the Amherst Division of the Sons of Temperance,
the pioneer temperance organization in Nova Scotia. He took an active
interest in the passage of the Free School Act for Nova Scotia, and was
also an advocate of the confederation of the provinces. He had strong
faith in the benefits to be derived from these measures for some years
previous to their enactment, arising from a conversation he had had with
the late Hon. Joseph Howe. Mr. Robb is a Presbyterian, and for the past
twenty-five years has been a consistent member of that church. In 1855
he married Emeline Logan, daughter of David D. Logan, of Amherst Point,
whose father, Hugh Logan, originally came from the North of Ireland, and
was one of the first settlers of the county. His surviving children
are:—David W. and Frederick B., who have managed the business of the
firm of A. Robb & Sons since the failure of their father’s health in
1872; Walter R., who is associated with his father in farming and other
private business; Maggie A. and Aubrey G., who are both at home, the
latter still pursuing his studies. Mr. Robb has won for himself the
character of being a man of perseverance and strict integrity, and is
greatly respected by all who have the pleasure of his acquaintance.
* * * * *
=McNeill, John Sears=, Barton, M.P.P. for Digby, Nova Scotia, was born
at St. Mary’s Bay (now called Barton), in the county of Digby, N.S., on
the 15th June, 1829. His parents were John McNeill and Freelove Sabean.
His great grandfather, Neil McNeill, emigrated from the north of Ireland
to New York, where he married a Miss Sears, an American lady, and
engaged in mercantile business. After the close of the revolutionary war
he and his family came, with other U. E. loyalists, and settled in Long
Island, then in the county of Annapolis, now in the county of Digby.
John Sears McNeill attended the public school in his native place, but
only at intervals, where he learned the rudiments of reading, writing,
arithmetic, and English grammar. He spent his youthful days on a farm,
and had, when a mere lad, to work in the fields with the farm labourers
and do his share of hard work. On his sixteenth birthday he gave up
farming, and entered the store of George Bragg, of Digby, as a clerk,
and in this situation he continued for three years, when he returned to
Barton, and commenced business on his own account. His capital was very
small, but he determined to succeed, and consequently worked hard to
increase his means. After a few years, having succeeded remarkably well,
he resolved to extend his operations, and in the fall of 1867 opened
another store at Maitland, Yarmouth county, in connection with Cyrus
Perry, to whom he sold out his share in the business a few years
afterwards. In 1871, in connection with several other gentlemen, he
engaged extensively in the tanning business, but this venture not
proving a success, in a few years it was abandoned. In 1875, in company
with some others, he engaged in the manufacture of shingles and lumber
at Berwick and Factorydale, in the county of King, N.S., but this, from
lack of personal oversight, proved unremunerative, and was given up. In
the fall of 1878 he handed over his business at home to his eldest son,
and since that time has devoted all his energies to public affairs. Mr.
McNeill was appointed a justice of the peace in May, 1864, and a
commissioner of schools in 1867. On the 17th January, 1873, he was made
a member of the Board of Health. He was clerk and treasurer of Poor
District No. 2, Weymouth, from its creation into a separate district in
1851 until 1865, and re-appointed in 1868, and still holds the position
(1887); and he has also been county treasurer for the years 1881, 1883,
and 1884. He took the temperance pledge in 1842, when he was only
thirteen years of age, and became a member of the Total Abstinence
Society. On the introduction of the order of the Sons of Temperance into
Nova Scotia, he joined Union Division, No. 6, Digby, on the 30th
January, 1848, and continued in this division several years, when he
transferred his membership to General Inglis Division, on its
institution at Barton, in March, 1859. He has held nearly all the
offices in the gift of his division. In 1860 he was initiated into the
Grand Division of Nova Scotia, at its session held at Yarmouth, in 1860,
and ever since then has been a faithful member of the order. Mr.
McNeill’s father was a staunch Conservative, and his son received his
political training in that school of politics. During the election
contests held in 1851 and 1855 he worked and voted with that party; but
in 1859 he gave his vote to the Liberals. He was opposed to the
confederation of the provinces, and disapproved of the manner in which
Nova Scotia was forced into the union, contending that a vote of the
people should have been taken before the compact was entered into. In
1867 he was urged to allow himself to be nominated as a candidate for
the Nova Scotia legislature, but declined the honour. He, however,
presented himself for parliamentary honours at the general election in
June, 1882, and was elected to a seat in the legislature of his native
province, and was again returned to the same house in 1886. Mr. McNeill
was brought up in the Episcopal church, and adhered to that church until
1862, when he united with the Methodist church, and has remained in that
communion ever since. In politics Mr. McNeill is a Liberal and a
Repealer, but, above both, a lover of his country, and a gentleman who
has done a good deal to foster its industries and improve the social
condition of its people. He was married, first at Barton, on 25th
December, 1852, to Ann Eliza, daughter of William Thomas. This estimable
lady died 1st October, 1869. His second marriage was solemnised at
Bloomfield, Digby county, 24th January, 1870, when he united with Alice
Maria, second daughter of Edwin Jones. His family consists of two sons
and two daughters living, all of whom are married, except the youngest
son, who is attending college at Sackville, New Brunswick.
* * * * *
=DesBrisay, Theophilus=, Q.C., Bathurst, New Brunswick. The subject of
this sketch is a son of the late Theophilus DesBrisay, naval officer of
Miramichi and the eastern ports of New Brunswick, and grandson of the
Rev. Theophilus DesBrisay, graduate of Magdalen College, Oxford, and the
first rector of Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, who died in 1824.
He is of Huguenot descent, his ancestors having fled from France to
Ireland at the time of the revocation of the Edict of Nantes; the
pioneer in the Dominion of Canada being Thomas DesBrisay, captain Royal
Artillery, who, was sent out as lieutenant-governor of Prince Edward
Island, in 1777. The mother of our subject, before her first marriage,
was Lucy Wright, daughter of the Hon. Thomas Wright, first
surveyor-general of Prince Edward Island, and was the widow of Captain
and Adjutant Colledge, who died in the first decade of this century
while in the service of the king at the fortress of Quebec. Mr.
DesBrisay was born at Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, on the 13th
of December, 1816, educated at the Grammar School, Miramichi, studied
law with the late Hon. John Ambrose Street, at Newcastle; was admitted
an attorney in 1839, and to the Charlottetown bar at Hilary term, 1841,
and has ever since been in practice in all the courts in New Brunswick
and also as barrister of the Supreme Court of Prince Edward Island. He
was appointed clerk of the peace for the county of Gloucester, N.B., in
1850; and is also clerk of the County Court and clerk of the Circuits.
He was created a Queen’s counsel by the Dominion government in 1881, and
appointed Judge of Probates for the county of Gloucester in 1883. Mr.
DesBrisay is a past master of St. John’s lodge of Freemasons, Bathurst.
He is a member of the Church of England, and has served as warden of St.
George’s Church, Bathurst, for many years, and also as delegate to the
Diocesan Synod. He is a lawyer of excellent moral character as well as
legal standing. He married, in 1851, Jemima Swayne, daughter of David
Swayne, of Dysart, Scotland, and has five children—four sons and one
daughter. Lestock, the eldest, is a clergyman and rector of Strathroy,
Ontario; Andrew Normand, is in mercantile business in Minneapolis; T.
Swayne, is an attorney and barrister practising with his father; Charles
Albert is a graduate of the Royal Military College, Kingston (class
1880, the first that graduated), and a civil engineer now practising his
profession in Minnesota, and Lucy Isabella is at home.
* * * * *
=Simcoe, John Graves=, Lieutenant-General, the first Governor of Upper
Canada, was born in the town of Cotterstock, Northamptonshire, England,
in 1752, and was the eldest son of Captain John Simcoe, commander of
H.M.S. _Pembroke_, who was killed at Quebec, in the execution of his
duty, in the year 1759, while assisting Wolfe in his siege of that city.
On young Simcoe first going to school, at Exeter, at a comparatively
early age, he attracted considerable notice from all with whom he came
in contact for his proficiency in everything that the school taught; and
he was, undoubtedly, the _dux_ of the school. At the age of fourteen he
was removed to Eton, where he acquired new honours. After remaining at
Eton a short time, he was removed to Mereton College, Oxford. From
college, in his nineteenth year, he entered the army, either he or his
guardians having selected that profession for him. He was appointed to
an ensigncy in the 35th regiment of the line; and as hostilities had
already commenced with the United States of America, he was despatched
to the seat of war to join his regiment. He arrived at Boston on the day
of the battle of Bunker Hill, and took an active part afterwards, as may
be seen, in the great American war, when the American colonists threw
off their allegiance to Great Britain, and declared themselves
independent. Ensign Simcoe, having served some time as adjutant to his
own regiment, purchased the command of a company in the 48th, with which
he fought at the battle of Brandywine, and where he displayed (although
very young) his courage and professional attainments by the active part
he took in the day’s proceedings. Unfortunately he was severely wounded
at this engagement. Captain Simcoe was always a soldier in his heart,
and attentive to every part of his duty. He already saw that regularity
in the interior economy of a soldier’s life contributed to his health,
and he estimated the attention of the inferior officers by the strength
of a company or a regiment in the field. His ambition invariably led him
to aspire to command; and even, when the army first landed at Staten
Island, he went to New York to request the command of the Queen’s
Rangers (a provincial corps then newly raised), though he did not obtain
his desire till after the battle of Brandywine, in October, 1777. The
Queen’s Rangers, under command of Simcoe, acquired new laurels, and were
justly celebrated, as was their leader, for their several gallant deeds
and exploits. During the rest of the American war, or until their
disbandment, they bore part in nearly every engagement which took place;
but, unfortunately, being situated at Gloucester Point, opposite
Yorktown, when the latter place was besieged by the allied French and
American army, the Rangers, as well as the other portions of the British
army under Lord Cornwallis’s command, were surrendered by that nobleman
to the victorious insurgents. With the surrender of Gloucester Point the
active existence of the Rangers terminated. The officers were afterwards
put upon half-pay, and their provincial rank retained to them in the
standing British army. The war for independence virtually ceased with
the capture of Yorktown, and Colonel Simcoe returned to England, greatly
fatigued by his late arduous duties, and greatly impaired in his
constitution. The king received him in a manner which plainly shewed how
grateful his Majesty was for the great services he had rendered; and all
classes of society received him with the most affectionate regard, and
shewed him every demonstration of their attachment. Not long after his
return he entered into the marriage state with Miss Guillim, a near
relation to Admiral Graves, a distinguished officer engaged in the
American war. He was elected to represent, in 1790, the borough of St.
Maw’s, Cornwall, in the House of Commons, which place he continued to
represent, with equal honour to himself and his county, until the
passing of the bill dividing the province of Quebec into two provinces,
to be called Upper and Lower Canada, when he was selected as the first
governor of Upper Canada, whither he proceeded, in 1791, with his wife
and family, and took up his quarters at Niagara, then called Newark,
where he held his first parliament in September, 1792. Upper Canada was
then in a comparative state of wilderness. We cannot picture to
ourselves a more dismal or a more thoroughly dejected colony than was
the province at the time of which we speak. Governor Simcoe, however,
entered upon his duty with a resolute heart. Newark, now Niagara, was
made the seat of government, which consisted of a Legislative Assembly
and Council, the former containing sixteen members only, while the
latter was still smaller; and a parliament was convened so early as the
17th September of the same year. He also appointed an Executive Council,
composed of gentlemen who had accompanied him out, and some who already
resided in the province. He had the whole country surveyed and laid out
into districts, and invited as much immigration as possible, in order to
swell the population. For this purpose, those parties who so nobly
adhered to the cause of Britain in the revolted colonies, and which are
chiefly known by the sobriquet of United Empire loyalists, removed to
Canada, and received a certain portion of land free. Also, discharged
officers and soldiers of the line received a certain portion of land
gratuitously; and all possible means were employed to further the
projects of the governor. A provincial corps was raised, by command of
the king, and Colonel Simcoe was appointed colonel of it. This corps he
called the “Queen’s Rangers,” after his old regiment. Becoming
dissatisfied with the position of Newark as the provincial capital, he
travelled westward as far as Detroit, and back, without having come to
any fixed conclusion. He resolved to inspect the northern shore of Lake
Ontario, and for that purpose set sail from Newark on Thursday, the 2nd
May, 1793, and on the morning of Saturday, the 4th, entered the harbour
of Toronto. A short distance from the entrance to the harbour were
several wigwams, inhabited by Mississaga Indians. This was the “town” of
Toronto, which Governor Simcoe determined was to be the future capital
of Upper Canada. He quartered a number of the Queen’s Rangers there, and
improved the site and vicinity of the projected city to a great extent.
Roads were constructed, so that a proper communication could be kept up
between town and country. A schooner ran weekly between Newark and York,
and couriers were sent, overland, monthly to Lower Canada. Of course the
population increased, and the young province began to consider itself
wealthy. In 1794, Simcoe was promoted to the rank of major-general; and
in 1796 he was appointed to be commandant and governor of the important
island of St. Domingo. Thither he, with his family, proceeded, and there
he held the local rank of lieutenant-general. Though he remained only a
few months, he greatly endeared himself by his kind and considerate
government of the island, not only to all the residents, but to the
natives themselves; and a contemporary justly remarks that, “short as
was his stay, he did more than any former general to conciliate the
native inhabitants to the British government.” In 1798 he was created a
lieutenant-general; and in 1801, when an invasion of England was
expected by the French, the command of the town of Plymouth was
entrusted to him. We do not hear of him again until 1806, when the last
scene in this great man’s life was to come to a close. France had long
been suspected of a design to invade Portugal, and, the affair being
apparent to England, public attention was called to the critical
situation of that country; and as Portugal was the only surviving ally
of Britain upon the continent, means must necessarily be employed to
assist her. In this critical juncture, Lieutenant-General Simcoe and the
Earl of Rosselyn, with a large staff, were immediately sent out to join
the Earl of St. Vincent, who, with his fleet, was in the Tagus; and they
were instructed to open, in concert with him, a communication with the
court, so that they would ascertain whether danger was very imminent,
and, if so, employ means to guard against it. But, alas, in such a
glorious undertaking, which probably would have crowned him with fame
and honours, Simcoe was never destined to participate to any extent. On
the voyage thither he was taken suddenly ill, and had to return to
England, where he had only landed when his eventful life was brought to
a close. He breathed his last at Torbay, in Devonshire, at the
comparatively early age of fifty-four, after having honourably served
his country during many years in a variety of occupations—regretted by
all, from the simple soldier whom he had commanded to the friend of his
heart and his boon companion.
* * * * *
=Robb, David W.=, Manager of the Foundry and Machine Shops of A. Robb
and Sons, Amherst, Nova Scotia, was born at Amherst on the 9th May,
1856. His father, Alexander Robb, the founder of the works he manages,
is a gentleman very much respected by his fellow citizens. His mother is
Emmeline Logan, daughter of David D. Logan, of Amherst Point. David
received his educational training at the County Academy at Amherst, and
had begun the study of mechanical engineering when his father’s health
gave way in 1872, in consequence of which he had to assume business
responsibilities, and since that time has been actively employed in the
foundry and machine business, which has now grown to large proportions
under his careful management. Mr. Robb is a member of the order of
Freemasons, having joined this organisation in 1882. In 1881 he
reorganized the fire department in his native town, and has been its
chief engineer ever since. He is a member of the Liberal-Conservative
Association of Amherst, and an active supporter of Sir Charles Tupper,
minister of finance, who represents the county in the Dominion
parliament. Mr. Robb, like his father, is a member of the Presbyterian
church, and, like him, a public spirited gentleman. He was married on
the 15th June, 1872, to Ida S., daughter of Dr. Nathan Tupper, and niece
of Sir Charles Tupper. The fruit of this marriage is three children—two
boys and a girl. Frederick B., second son of Alexander, we may add, is
the financial manager of the firm of A. Robb and Sons.
* * * * *
=Fraser, Hon. Judge John James=, Q.C., Fredericton, New Brunswick, was
born in Nelson, Northumberland county, N.B., on the 1st of August, 1829.
His father, John Fraser, was a native of Inverness, Scotland, who
emigrated to New Brunswick in 1803. He first settled in Halifax, Nova
Scotia, and remained there until 1812, when he moved to Miramichi, New
Brunswick, where he went into business as a lumber merchant and
shipbuilder on Beanbear’s Island, and carried on these branches of trade
for a number of years. He was also extensively engaged in the
exportation of salmon, which at that time was a very profitable
enterprise. John James Fraser received his early educational training at
the Newcastle Grammar School, and adopted law as his profession. In
October, 1845, he entered the office of the late Hon. John Ambroise
Street, and in 1850 passed his examination as an attorney. In January,
1851, on the appointment of the Hon. Mr. Street to the office of
attorney-general, Mr. Fraser removed to Fredericton, and remained with
that gentleman until 1854. He was admitted to the bar in 1852, and made
a Queen’s counsel in 1873. Mr. Fraser devoted his attention closely to
his profession until 1865, when he entered the political arena, and was
returned to the Provincial parliament as representative for York county,
in conjunction with Messrs. Allen, Hatheway, and Needham, as champions
of the anti-confederation movement, confederation being the then burning
question of the day. In 1866, the Smith government having been compelled
to resign, a general election ensued, and on Mr. Fraser presenting
himself for re-election, a strong feeling was manifested against him,
and at the close of the poll he found that his opponent had carried the
day. In June, 1871, he was appointed a member of the Legislative Council
and president of the Executive Council in the Hatheway-King
administration, and held both positions until the death of the Hon. Mr.
Hatheway in 1872, when he resigned. He was afterwards offered the
position of provincial secretary to the government led by the Hon. Mr.
King, and this he accepted. He then again appeared before his
constituents, and was re-elected by acclamation, and the county of York
he continued to represent until May, 1878, when the Hon. Mr. King
retired from provincial politics. Hon. Mr. Fraser then became
attorney-general and leader of the government, and this position he held
until the 24th May, 1882, when he resigned, and offered himself as a
candidate for the representation of York in the House of Commons, but
was defeated. In December, 1882, he was, on the decease of Mr. Justice
Duff, appointed a judge of the Supreme Court. He was married in
September, 1867, to Martha, eldest daughter of the late Alexander
Cumming, a merchant of Fredericton, and had by her two children, both of
whom are dead. Mrs. Fraser died in March, 1871. In May, 1884, he was
married to Jane M. P., daughter of the late Mr. Justice Fisher, of
Fredericton.
* * * * *
=Green, Harry Compton=, Postmaster, Summerside, Prince Edward Island,
was born at North Street, Eleanor, P.E.I., on the 30th April, 1817. He
is the second son of the Hon. Samuel Green, and Elizabeth, his wife, who
emigrated to Prince Edward Island from London, England, in 1808. Henry
received his first educational training in the village school, and
afterwards studied in the Charlottetown Academy, under Professor Brow
Waddle. After leaving school he devoted himself to farming, and from
1839 to 1856 he farmed extensively on his freehold estate on North
Street, Eleanor. In 1841 Mr. Green was appointed road commissioner and
commissioner of small debts, and in 1842 he was created a justice of the
peace. In 1851 he was appointed high sheriff of Prince county. In 1857
he went into mercantile business, and continued in this line until 1866,
when he was appointed collector of customs for the port of Summerside.
From 1858 to 1868 he occupied the honourable position of mayor of
Summerside; and in 1871 he was appointed postmaster, which position he
still holds. He joined the ancient and honourable order of Freemasons in
1858, and has been treasurer of his lodge, King Hiram, for nearly seven
years. He was brought up and has always continued to be an Episcopalian
in his religious views, and has frequently held the office of
churchwarden, both in St. John’s Church, Eleanor, and St. Mary’s Church,
Summerside. In March, 1850, he was married to Elizabeth C. Ellis,
daughter of Robert Ellis, formerly of Bideford, Devon, England.
* * * * *
=Fogo, Hon. James=, Pictou, Nova Scotia, Judge of Probate for the county
of Pictou, was born in Glasgow, Scotland, on the 30th June, 1811. His
father, James Fogo, senior, came to Pictou in 1817, and died there in
1868, aged eighty-one years. His mother was Elizabeth McClure, who was
born in Edinburgh, Scotland, and died in Pictou, in 1879, aged
eighty-nine years. Judge Fogo received his education at the Pictou
Academy, under the tuition of that celebrated teacher and educator, the
Rev. Thomas McCulloch, D.D., and was the classmate of Governor
Archibald, Sir William Ritchie, now chief justice of the Dominion of
Canada, and other gentlemen who have attained celebrity in different
walks of life. He studied law in the office of Jotham Blanchard, then
one of the most eminent practitioners at the bar in eastern Nova Scotia,
and was admitted as an attorney of the Supreme Court in May, 1837, along
with Charles Young, now the Hon. Dr. Young, LL.D., judge of the
Surrogate Court for the province of Prince Edward Island, both of whom
obtained _optimes_ on their examinations. This, therefore, is the year
of Judge Fogo’s professional jubilee. In 1838, according to the practice
then existing, he was admitted as a barrister of the Supreme Court.
Judge Fogo obtained the judicial appointment which he now holds on the
30th December, 1850, and has ever since, with the exception of a short
interregnum which took place on a change of government in 1864,
discharged the duties of his office with marked ability and satisfaction
to the public. He is well read in the learning of his profession, and
his judgments have almost invariably been sustained by the Supreme Court
in cases of appeals from his decisions. In 1851 he was offered the
solicitor-generalship of an adjoining colony, but an indisposition to
sever his connection with Nova Scotia induced him to decline the
acceptance of the offer. In his early years, before accepting his
judicial position, Judge Fogo was an active politician in the Liberal
interests, and on several occasions was urged by his friends to accept a
nomination as a candidate for the representative branch of the
legislature, but a regard to his personal interests prompted otherwise,
as he preferred the active duties of his profession to the turmoil and
uncertainty of political life. He was at one time connected with the
provincial militia, and on the 23rd July, 1864, obtained the commission
of major, having previously held the commission of first and second
lieutenants in the service. He was created a Queen’s counsel by the
Local government in 1878, his commission giving him precedence as such
in all courts of the province over all other Queen’s counsels appointed
after 23rd October, 1833. He was also, on the 27th July, 1879, appointed
a master in Chancery, now called a master in the Supreme Court. On the
11th October, 1880, he obtained the appointment of Queen’s counsel from
the Dominion government, when such appointments were ruled _ultra vires_
of the Provincial government, and since the date of his commission he
has been appointed by the presiding judge to conduct the criminal
business at each and every sitting of the Supreme Court at Pictou. Judge
Fogo was first married in December, 1846, to Jane, daughter of the late
Rev. John McKinlay, A.M., of Prince Street Presbyterian Church, Pictou,
who died in 1848, leaving one daughter, Charlotte Jane, who, on the 27th
of April, 1870, was united in marriage to the Hon. John F. Stairs, then
of Dartmouth, now of Halifax, and ex-M.P. of the House of Commons, and
who, to the great grief of her family and friends, died of that dreadful
malady, diphtheria, on the 28th May, 1886, leaving five children, her
son Walter, of the age of two and a half years, or thereabouts, having,
two days previously, fallen a victim to the same disease. This
dispensation of Providence naturally inflicted much mental suffering to
the subject of our sketch, as his daughter was an only child, gifted
with superior abilities, of a joyous and happy disposition, and
consequently a great favourite in the social circle wherever she moved,
and though the healing salve of time may cicatrize the wound occasioned
by her early and unexpected death, the scar will still remain. The judge
was married the second time to Elizabeth Ives, daughter of the late
James Ives, of the city of Halifax, architect. The judge has the
comforts of life in a liberal measure, and the mind and heart to enjoy
them. He is said by his friends to be a pleasant and effective speaker.
His mode of address is full of life and animation, and being gifted with
a luxuriant imagination and playful fancy, his public exhibitions afford
gratification to his auditors. He is a member of the Presbyterian
church. Though advanced in life, his age rests lightly upon him, and
none, to look at him and mark his quick and agile step, would dream that
he is now in the seventy-sixth year of his age. He has a delightful
residence at Belleville, opposite the railway station on the Pictou side
of the harbour, and which is thus described in “Meacham’s Illustrated
and Historical Atlas of the County of Pictou”:—“The building
represented to our view is a classical villa, after the Tuscan manner,
and was built by its proprietor in 1854. It is very beautifully
situated, and affords a most commanding view of the surrounding country.
The scene which is presented to the spectator on a summer day, when
shipping in the harbour is brisk, and vessels of all descriptions are
plying to and fro upon its waters, is one of an exceedingly pleasing and
animated character, and presents a panorama which is rarely equalled,
and difficult to surpass. The property is noted for the valuable free
stone in which it abounds, and which is now commanding an extensive sale
beyond the limits of the county, many thousands of tons having been
disposed of to rebuild the bridges on the Intercolonial Railway, by a
gentleman to whom the owner sold a few acres some years ago, leaving
untouched, however, extensive areas of superior stone for building
purposes, which brisker times would soon call into requisition.”
* * * * *
=Fothergill, Rev. Matthew Monkhouse=, Rector of St. Peter’s Church,
Quebec city, was born in Cefnrhychdir, Monmouthshire, Wales, England, on
the 11th November, 1834. His father was a leading agriculturist in South
Wales, and frequently carried off valuable prizes at Lord Tredegar’s
agricultural show for short-horns, thorough-bred horses, and mountain
sheep. Rev. M. Fothergill received his education at Ottery St. Mary,
Devonshire, King Edward’s Grammar School, Ely, and at St. Augustine’s
College, Canterbury, England. In 1857 he came to Canada, and made Quebec
his home, and here he was ordained by the late Bishop Mountain. He was
then appointed travelling missionary, and did good service for the cause
of the Master in this capacity. For twelve years he was a rural dean,
and was the first incumbent of the new mission of Danville. After having
built St. Augustine’s Church at Danville, he was called to Quebec city,
and made rector of St. Peter’s Church, which position he now occupies.
Rev. M. Fothergill is an active man, and outside his ministerial duties
he has found time to help in other directions. For fourteen years he has
held the position of secretary to the Church Society, is chaplain to the
Marine and Emigrant Hospital, and Government inspector of public
schools.
* * * * *
=Longley, Hon. James Wilberforce=, M.P.P., M.E.C., Attorney-General of
Nova Scotia, Halifax, was born on the 4th January, 1849, at Paradise,
Annapolis county, Nova Scotia. His father, Israel Longley, who was of
English descent, was grandson of James Longley, a United Empire
loyalist, who settled in Annapolis county at the end of the American
revolutionary war. This gentleman took an active part in all the
political questions of his day, and was twice a candidate in Annapolis
for parliamentary honours in the Liberal interest, but failed on both
occasions to secure his election. His mother, Frances Manning, was the
youngest daughter of the Rev. James Manning, a pioneer Baptist minister,
who came from the north of Ireland, and settled in Annapolis county, and
laboured there in the cause of his divine Master until his death.
Attorney-General Longley was educated at Acadia College, where, in June,
1871, he received the degree of B.A., and in 1875 the degree of M.A. In
1871 he began the study of law in Halifax, finished his law studies at
Osgoode Hall, Toronto, Ontario, and was admitted to the bar of Nova
Scotia 10th September, 1875. In 1875 he was appointed a commissioner of
the Supreme Court, and a notary public, and in 1878 he was chosen law
clerk of the House of Assembly of Nova Scotia. On the 20th June, 1882,
he was elected to represent Annapolis county in the House of Assembly of
Nova Scotia, and in October of the same year he was made a commissioner
for revising and consolidating the statutes of the province. In July,
1884, Mr. Longley was sworn in as a member of the Executive Council, and
on the 25th June, 1886, was appointed attorney-general for his native
province. On the 15th June, 1886, he again contested Annapolis county
for a seat in the legislature, and was re-elected. Attorney-General
Longley is a member of the Alumni of Acadia College, and an
ex-president; has been an active member of all the liberal organizations
in the province for the past fifteen years, and is ex-president of the
Young Men’s Liberal Club of Halifax. He takes a great interest in
literary matters, and since 1872 has been a regular contributor to the
editorial columns of the _Acadian Recorder_, a regular daily Halifax
paper, and also writes on political subjects in various magazines. In
politics he is an ardent Liberal, and an uncompromising opponent of the
government led by Sir John A. Macdonald. He believes in unrestricted
trade relations with the United States as a substitute for the national
policy; is opposed to Imperial federation for the reason that the
interests of Canada are more closely identified with this continent, and
is in favour of the complete abolition of the Senate and all second
chambers whatever. In religious matters, though brought up in the
Baptist faith, he prefers to give his adhesion to the Episcopal church,
with no very high denominational preference. He was married on the 3rd
September, 1877, to Annie Brown, of Paradise, and has issue four
children, two boys and two girls.
* * * * *
=Humphrey, John Albert=, M.P.P. for Westmoreland, New Brunswick,
Moncton, was born at Southampton, Nova Scotia, in 1823, and is the
second son of William and Mary Trueman Humphrey. The father and mother
of William Humphrey, the grandparents of the subject of this sketch,
came from Yorkshire, England, in 1775, to Halifax, and purchased a farm
at Falmouth, near Windsor, Nova Scotia, and remained there until 1797,
when William Humphrey died. Three years afterwards his widow and five
children removed to Sackville, New Brunswick, where William, her second
surviving son, married in 1821, Mary, daughter of William Trueman, who
emigrated from Yorkshire, England, in 1775, and settled at Pointe du
Bute. The young couple resided at Sackville after their marriage until
1822, when they removed to Southampton, Nova Scotia, and here John
Albert first saw the light. Here, and subsequently at Amherst, and at
the Mount Allison Wesleyan Academy, Sackville, he received his
education. After leaving school he went into business, and from 1845 to
1849 conducted a general milling business for his father, when he
purchased what is now known as the Humphrey’s Mills, at Moncton, and
removed there. In 1872 he was elected to represent Westmoreland county
in the legislature of New Brunswick, and again in 1874 he was returned
by the same constituency, but in 1878 he was defeated. He, however,
again presented himself for parliamentary honours in 1882, and was
elected, and at the general election in 1886 he was honoured once more
by being made a member of the Provincial parliament. Mr. Humphrey is
now, and from the inception has been, a director in and one of the
largest stockholders of the Moncton Gas Light and Water Company,
organized in 1878; is a director in and one of the largest stockholders
of the Moncton Sugar Refining Company, organized in 1880, and a director
and large shareholder in the Moncton Cotton Manufacturing Company,
organized in 1883. Mr. Humphrey is also the chief owner of the Moncton
woollen manufactory, at Humphrey’s Mills, started in 1884. In religion,
he is an adherent of the Methodist church, as nearly all his father’s
family have been for the past three generations. In politics he is a
Liberal-Conservative, and a strong supporter of the school system, of
the union of the provinces, and of the national policy. In 1855, Mr.
Humphrey married Sarah Jane, eldest daughter of Michael S. Harris,
shipbuilder and merchant, of Moncton.
* * * * *
=Garneau, Hon. Pierre=, Quebec, Member of the Executive Council, and
Commissioner of Crown Lands for the province of Quebec, was born at Cap
Santé, Quebec province, on the 8th May, 1823. His ancestors came from
France in 1636, and were a family held in high estimation. Hon. Mr.
Garneau received his education in his native parish, and shortly after
leaving school removed to Quebec city, where he entered into business,
and after some years became a leading merchant and public spirited
citizen. In 1870 he was elected mayor of the city, and performed the
high and important duties of the office so faithfully that on the
expiration of his two years’ term he was unanimously re-elected for
another two years. He was chief promoter, and became president, of the
Quebec and Gulf Ports Steamship Company (now the Quebec Steamship
Company); was president of the Quebec Street Railway for fifteen years,
when he resigned in 1878; was a government director of the North Shore
Railway for many years; and a member of the Canal Commission in 1870. He
is a director of the Quebec and Lake St. John Lumber and Trading
Company; of the Deléry Gold Mining Company; of La Banque Nationale; of
the Quebec Fire Assurance Company; vice-president of the Quebec and
Levis Electric Light Co.; and a member of the Quebec Board of Trade. In
September, 1874, Hon. Mr. Garneau was appointed a member of the
Executive Council, and became commissioner of Agriculture and Public
Works for Quebec province; and shortly afterwards held the portfolio of
Crown Lands. In March, 1878, the de Boucherville government, of which he
was a member, having been defeated, he resigned with his colleagues. He
was first elected to the Quebec legislature on the 11th March, 1873, for
the county of Quebec, on the resignation of the sitting member; and was
re-elected at the general election in 1875. He was an unsuccessful
candidate at the general election of 1878, and remained out until 1881,
when he was again returned by acclamation. At the general election, held
in 1886, he was again forced to retire; but in January, 1887, he was
appointed a member of the Legislative Council for De la Durantaye, and
became commissioner of Crown Lands in the Mercier administration. Hon.
Mr. Garneau was the head and only surviving partner of the well-known
wholesale dry goods firm of P. Garneau et Frère, a firm that has been
held in the highest repute for years throughout Canada and Europe, and
is now senior partner of the firm of P. Garneau, Fils & Cie. In politics
he is a Conservative, and in religion a member of the Roman Catholic
church. In September, 1857, he was married to Cecilia Burroughs,
daughter of the late Edward Burroughs, a well-known and highly respected
prothonotary of Quebec. Two sons have been the issue of this marriage.
* * * * *
=Beaton, Alexander H.=, Medical Superintendent of the Asylum for Idiots,
Orillia. The province of Ontario makes generous provision for the part
of its population that are unable to provide for themselves. The
provincial asylums for idiots, for the insane, the deaf, the dumb, and
the blind, are a credit to this young country. The proper management of
these institutions entails heavy responsibilities, not only upon the
government but upon the public servants who have them in charge. The
subject of this sketch, Dr. Alexander H. Beaton, has for ten years
occupied the position of superintendent of the Asylum for Idiots, at
Orillia, and deserves a full share of the credit due to our asylum
officials for the manner in which they discharge duties that are always
responsible and often trying and difficult. He was born on the 20th of
April, 1838, in the township of Pickering, county of Ontario, on the
farm on which the village of Whitevale now stands. His father, Colin
Beaton, emigrated from the Island of Mull, Scotland, in 1832, and was
one of the pioneer settlers of what is now the splendid county of
Ontario. His mother, Christina McKinnon, came from the same part of
Scotland in 1820. In those early days Canadian boys usually worked on
the farm during summer, and attended school in winter. Alexander H.
Beaton was no exception to this rule. His parents, like many of the
early settlers, could not afford to give their family a better education
than that which could be obtained in their own school section.
Fortunately for the Beaton family, the teacher in their section was
generally one of the best in the township. Alexander and his younger
brother, Donald, were among the best scholars in the school, and were
usually found in a prominent place when the teacher wished to “put his
best foot forward” on examination days. Both boys had resolved that
farming was not to be their life work. At the age of eighteen Alexander
obtained a second-class certificate and proceeded to take a place on
that “stepping stone” about which so much used to be said by those who
complained that many who are now among the most useful and prominent men
in the province, merely taught school as a way into some other vocation.
His first school was in the township of Vaughan, near Thornhill. In 1857
he taught at Duffin’s Creek, and in the following year entered the
office of Ross, Crawford & Crombie, barristers, Toronto, with the
intention of studying law. The way to the legal profession was, however,
soon blocked. He had not sufficient means to maintain himself in Toronto
for five years, and his father had suffered severely in the financial
storm which swept over the country at that time. It became necessary to
leave Toronto, mount the “stepping stone” again and earn more money. In
1860 and 1861 he taught in Claremont, in the township of Pickering, and
in the following year in Ashburn, township of Whitby. During these years
the intention of entering the legal profession was abandoned, and he
prepared himself for the study of medicine. In the session of 1862 and
1863 he entered the Toronto School of Medicine, and attended the Rolph
School in the summer of 1863, there being no summer session in the
Toronto School. Continuing his studies in the Rolph School, he was
graduated by that institution in April, 1864. Soon after graduation he
began the practice of his profession, and continued in practice for
twelve years. Nine years of the twelve were spent in Stayner, county of
Simcoe, where he enjoyed a large and lucrative practice, when appointed
by the Ontario government to his present position. By birth and choice
Dr. Beaton is a Presbyterian. Though in favour of wise progress in all
proper directions, he is at the same time wisely conservative in
ecclesiastical matters, and would readily be classed among the many
“solid men” of the Presbyterian family communion. He has for many years
been an office-bearer of his church, and takes a deep interest in all
matters affecting the welfare of Canadian Presbyterianism. He is liberal
in his support of the educational and other institutions of his church,
his contributions always ranking with the highest given in his locality.
In all his church relations Dr. Beaton is vigorously assisted by Mrs.
Beaton, who, along with the family to which she belongs, is devotedly
attached to Presbyterianism. Previous to his appointment to his present
position, Dr. Beaton took an active part in politics. By birth, training
and conviction he is a Liberal. Having a natural aptitude for public
speaking and no special dislike to the “roar around the hustings,” as
the late D’Arcy McGee once happily put it, his services were always in
demand at election times, and were freely given. He took an active part
in the exciting contests of 1872 and 1874, and whilst in political life
was always ready to do his full share of work and take his full share of
responsibility. In January, 1877, he was appointed to his present
position, the duties of which have been quietly but faithfully and
efficiently discharged. For the proper discharge of these duties Dr.
Beaton has many excellent qualifications. He is firm yet kind-hearted,
and has the faculty of seeing and appreciating honest worth and real
ability in his assistants. The success of an asylum superintendent often
depends as much on his tact in dealing with his assistants as on his
ability to care for the unfortunates placed under his charge. He readily
recognizes real worth, however humble the position of the employee who
manifests it, and nothing affords him more pleasure than to see
faithfulness and efficiency in his subordinates. In his dealings with
the patients under his care he is uniformly kind, his intercourse with
them savouring more of the paternal than of the official. He holds the
theory that almost any idiot can be educated, at least, to a certain
extent, and that it is the duty of the government, which in Ontario
simply means the people, to give the idiot population all the education
they are capable of receiving. It is assumed, Dr. Beaton argues, that
the province should provide a free education for the children that have
the proper use of their faculties of mind and body. How much more urgent
and binding is the duty of educating those who have impaired bodily
powers and the mere germ of an intellect? It is expected that in the new
asylum buildings now in course of erection at Orillia, ample provision
will be made not only for the care, but also for the training of the
patients. The superintendent will then have ample facilities for
carrying out his theory, and the unfortunates under his care will, in
addition to the comforts of a well-managed home, receive such an
education as their faculties permit. In 1870 Dr. Beaton was united in
marriage with Margaret Ann McNiven, daughter of Donald McNiven, then a
resident of Bradford, county of Simcoe, but at present residing in
Harriston, county of Wellington.
* * * * *
=Ross, Hon. William=, Collector of Customs, Halifax, was born at
Boulardarie, Victoria county, Cape Breton, on the 27th December, 1825.
His parents, John Ross and Robina Mackenzie, emigrated from
Sutherlandshire, Scotland, in 1816, and settled in Pictou, Nova Scotia,
and after remaining there five years removed to Boulardarie, Cape
Breton. William received his primary education in the public school of
his native place, and afterwards was sent to Halifax, where he completed
his studies in the Normal School of that city. In 1848 he began business
as a merchant in Englishtown, Cape Breton, and in this he continued
until 1874. During this period he was extensively engaged in prosecuting
the mackarel, herring, cod, and salmon fisheries, and also did a large
business in the cattle trade between Cape Breton and Newfoundland. For
several years he was postmaster of Englishtown. In 1861 he passed his
military examination, and was appointed colonel of the 30th regiment
Victoria Militia of Nova Scotia, and retired from active service in
1874. In 1859 Mr. Ross entered politics as a Liberal, and was returned,
under universal suffrage law, as a member of the Nova Scotian
legislature by a majority of 516. Again, in 1863, when the property
qualification law came into force, he was elected by a large majority,
and conscientiously opposed the Johnstone-Tupper government from that
time up to 1867, when he retired from local politics, and was elected by
acclamation for the county of Victoria, Cape Breton, to the House of
Commons at Ottawa, after having sat for eight years in the Nova Scotian
legislature. In 1872, on the occasion of a general election, he was
again returned by acclamation by his native county; and on the downfall
of the Sir John A. Macdonald administration in November, 1873, and on
the Hon. Alexander Mackenzie assuming the government, Mr. Ross was made
Minister of Militia. After his acceptance of this responsible office,
and on his presenting himself for re-election, he was stoutly opposed by
the Conservatives in his county, but, nevertheless, he was returned for
the third time, in February, 1874, to the Dominion parliament by
acclamation. Shortly afterwards the Hon. Mr. Ross retired from active
political life, and was appointed collector of customs for the port of
Halifax, and this important and responsible position he still continues
to fill. In 1852 he joined the Masonic fraternity, and for two years was
worshipful master of Virgin lodge, No. 3, Halifax; and was also twice in
succession elected high priest of Royal Union Chapter of Halifax. He is
now past deputy grand master of the Grand Lodge of Nova Scotia; and
although he has been repeatedly nominated as grand master, he has
refused the honour. He has occupied the position of vice-president and
president of the North British Society. He has travelled through
Newfoundland, part of the United States, and has visited every important
point in Canada as far west as Lake Harno. Hon. Mr. Ross is an adherent
of the Presbyterian church, and in politics is a Liberal. In March,
1855, he was married to Eliza H. Moore, daughter of P. H. Moore, of the
firm of Gammell and Moore, of North Sydney. The fruit of this marriage
was eight children, six of whom now survive.
* * * * *
=Labelle, Captain Jean Baptiste=, Montreal, M.P. for the county of
Richelieu, was born at Sorel, province of Quebec, on 27th May, 1836. He
is descended on the paternal side from a very old French-Canadian
family, the first of whom came from France as a soldier, and after
getting his discharge settled in the country. On the maternal side the
family also came from France, and has been many years in the country.
His father, Toussaint Labelle, was a navigator, and his mother was named
Marguerite Genton Dauphine. Captain Labelle received his education in
the parish school at Sorel; and as he grew up took to sailing craft on
the St. Lawrence river. He soon became an expert navigator, and for over
twenty-five years commanded one of the finest of the Richelieu and
Ontario Navigation Company’s passenger steamers, sailing between
Montreal and Quebec. In 1880 Captain Labelle gave up sailing, and
received the appointment of passenger agent at Montreal, of the Quebec,
Montreal, Ottawa and Occidental Railway Company; and in 1883 he was made
general manager of the Richelieu and Ontario Navigation Company, which
position he still holds. In 1868, at the general election then held, Mr.
Labelle presented himself as a candidate for the Quebec Legislature for
Richelieu county, but was defeated by the small majority of nine against
him. At the general election held in 1887, he again presented himself to
the same constituency, and was returned as a member of the House of
Commons at Ottawa. As a commander, Mr. Labelle was one of the most
popular who ever sailed the St. Lawrence. He was noted for his courtesy
and forbearance; his ability, and his coolness and intrepidity, which he
exhibited on several occasions, especially during the inundation of the
Island of Sorel in 1865, and on the occasion of the burning of the
steamer _Montreal_, in 1857. In politics, Captain Labelle is a
Conservative; and in religion, a member of the Roman Catholic church. In
1856, he was married to Delphine Crébassa, daughter of Narcisse
Crébassa, notary, of Sorel, a remote descendant of a Spanish family that
at first emigrated to Holland, and from thence came and settled in
Canada.
* * * * *
=MacCoy, William Frederick=, Q.C., Barrister, M.P.P. for Shelburne, Nova
Scotia, Halifax, is a native of Ireland, he having been born at Lysrian,
in the county of Longford, on the 15th May, 1840. His father, Thomas
MacCoy, emigrated to Nova Scotia when William was only eight years of
age. His mother, of whom he has no personal knowledge, died a few hours
after giving birth to her boy; and his father died about twenty-four
years ago. William Frederick MacCoy commenced his educational studies at
the National School in Halifax, and graduated at Sackville Academy, New
Brunswick. He adopted law as a profession, and was called to the bar of
Nova Scotia, in 1864. On the 11th October, 1880, he was appointed a
Queen’s counsel. He practised his profession in Shelburne for about nine
years, and then removed to Halifax, and is now the head of the firm of
MacCoy, Pearson, Morrison, and Forbes, barristers, notaries and
solicitors in Admiralty. The firm does a large and lucrative law
business. He was elected one of the aldermen of the city of Halifax, in
1881, and in 1882 was offered the position of attorney-general in the
Liberal government of that day, but declined the honour, considering
that his colleague had a prior claim. Mr. MacCoy was an unsuccessful
candidate for a seat in the Legislative Assembly of Nova Scotia at the
general election of 1878, but at the next general election, he succeeded
in securing his election by 247 of a majority, and in January, 1887, he
was again elected to his old seat. He is a Liberal in politics, and in
religion an adherent of the Methodist church. In 1864, he received a
commission as captain in the militia, and takes a lively interest in our
citizen soldiers. The year after he joined the Masonic order, and is now
a past master of St. Andrew’s lodge, Halifax. He, we are glad to say, is
a strong temperance man, and for years, has taken a deep interest in the
advancement of temperance legislature, and is the author of the present
Temperance Act of Nova Scotia. He is a member of the Independent Order
of Good Templars, and his eminent legal knowledge renders him a very
useful member of his lodge, when constitutional questions come up for
discussion. In the legislature he has won a position of prominence, and
has aided in shaping to a great extent the progressive measures
introduced of late years, and is one of the recognized leaders of his
party. On the 14th July, 1868, he was married to Maud L., daughter of
Robert P. Woodill, merchant, Shelburne, and has a family of two
children.
* * * * *
=Whidden, Charles Blanchard=, ex-M.P.P. for Antigonish, Nova Scotia, was
born at Antigonish, on the 5th June, 1831, and still resides in the
place of his birth. He is the youngest son of John Blair Whidden, who
was born in Stewiacke, Colchester county, N.S., in 1791, and great
grandson of James Whidden, who immigrated from New Hampshire and settled
in Truro in 1760. His mother, Harriet Elizabeth Symonds, was a daughter
of Nathaniel and Elizabeth Symonds, who came from New Hampshire in 1804,
and were among the first settlers in Antigonish. Mr. Whidden, sen., when
a lad of ten years of age, having lost his father, spent some years with
an elder sister in the district of St. Marys, and afterwards came to
Antigonish in 1807, where he purchased a small property in what is now
the town of Antigonish, and in December, 1816, married the mother of the
subject of this sketch, the lady alluded to above. C. B. Whidden’s
father was ordained to the Baptist ministry in 1834, and continued to
labour for that denomination in the destitute parts of Nova Scotia until
his death, which occurred on the 19th July, 1864. His wife survived him
a number of years, and passed away to the higher life in May, 1878,
wanting only two months of reaching her eightieth year. Charles was
educated at the Grammar School and at the Academy in Antigonish. After
leaving school, he continued on a farm for some time; but in 1863 he
began business on his own account on a small scale, and devoting all his
energies to what he had undertaken, soon became independent. He at one
time was largely interested in shipping, and is still to a limited
extent. In 1883 he retired from active business pursuits in favour of
his two sons, David Graham and Charles Edgar. Mr. Whidden is a member of
the Baptist church, and in politics a Liberal-Conservative. He ran as a
candidate for a seat in the House of Commons at Ottawa in 1878, but was
defeated by a small majority. Again, in June, 1882, he made another
attempt to gain a seat in the Commons, but met with defeat. However, in
September of the same year, he became a candidate in the local election,
and was chosen to represent his native county in the House of Assembly
of Nova Scotia. In this house he sat for four years, until the general
election in 1886, when he suffered defeat on presenting himself for
re-election, in consequence of the repeal cry, he being opposed to any
change in the political status of his province so far as the Dominion is
concerned. In 1866 and 1867 he showed himself strongly in favour of the
confederation of the provinces, and worked hard in its favour. He is a
strong believer in our common country, and predicts a great future for
it. He always places country above and beyond all minor interests. In
December, 1856, he was married to Eunice C. Graham, second daughter of
the late Captain David Graham, and Mary Bigelow, his wife. The fruit of
this marriage has been seven children, four of whom have been carried
away by death. Two of his sons, as will be seen above, have succeeded
their father in business, and his youngest son, Howard P., is now taking
a college course at Wolfville.
* * * * *
=Cuthbert, Edward Octavian J. A.=, Seignior of Berthier, ex-M.P. for the
county of Berthier, province of Quebec, was born at the Manor House,
Berthier (_en haut_), on the 3rd December, 1826. His father, the late
Hon. James Cuthbert, was a scion of the Cuthberts of Castle Hill,
Inverness-shire, Scotland; seignior of Berthier, province of Quebec; for
many years a member of the Special Council of Lower Canada; and in his
lifetime rendered valuable service to the state. His mother was Mary
Louise A. Cairns. His grandfather, the first Hon. James Cuthbert, was
seignior of the seigniories of Lanoraie, Berthier, and Maskinongé, and
in his early days served in the Royal navy as a lieutenant. He was on
board the flagship at the bombardment of Carthagena, and was selected to
carry home to Britain the tidings of the capture of that stronghold. On
his retirement from the navy he was appointed to the command of one of
the independent military companies formed in Inverness, which afterwards
was called the “Black Watch,” and is now known as the 42nd Highlanders,
and for some time served in that regiment. While in Inverness he was
presented with a handsome piece of plate by the citizens for special
services. He afterwards joined the 15th regiment of foot, and assisted
at the taking of Louisburg. He was also with General Wolfe at the battle
of the Plains of Abraham, and had the honour of being selected by
General Murray, to whom he acted as _aide-de-camp_, to carry to Britain
the news of the fall of Quebec. On his return to Canada he again joined
General Murray’s staff, and in this position he remained until peace was
fully restored, when he retired from the army. He was then appointed by
Lord Dorchester one of the members of the first Legislative Council
formed after the conquest, and became one of the first permanent British
settlers in Lower Canada. During the American revolutionary war he was
particularly active in suppressing insurrection, and instilling into the
minds of the Canadians sentiments of loyalty and attachment to the
British Crown. Edward, the subject of our sketch, received his first
education at the Berthier Academy, and then at Chambly College, at
Chambly. Soon after leaving college he began to take an interest in
public affairs, and was afterwards elected mayor of Berthier, and
president of the County Agricultural Society. In 1867 Mr. Cuthbert
entered the field of politics, and at the general election held in 1872
he ran in the Conservative interest, but was defeated. A few years
afterwards his political opponent, Mr. Pâquet, having been called to the
Senate, he again presented himself to the electors, and was returned by
them as their representative in the House of Commons at Ottawa. From
this time until the dissolution of the house in 1886 he occupied a
prominent position in the legislature, when he was forced, through
failing health, to abandon political life, and retire to his quiet home
at Berthier. Mr. Cuthbert took a lively interest in the construction of
the North Shore Railway; and has also done a good deal to improve the
live stock in his native county. In politics he always sided with the
Conservative party; and in religion is a member of the Roman Catholic
church. On the 1st December, 1853, he was married to Mary, eldest
daughter of Augustus Bostwick, who in his lifetime was an advocate and
Queen’s counsel at Three Rivers, province of Quebec, and Georgiana
Cuthbert (Mr. Cuthbert’s cousin), who was a daughter of the late Hon.
Ross Cuthbert, seignior of Lanoraie and Maskinongé. Mrs. Cuthbert died
in February, 1885, leaving two sons and twin daughters.
* * * * *
=Baby, Hon. Judge Louis François Georges=, Judge of the Court of Queen’s
Bench of the Province of Quebec, was born in the city of Montreal, on
the 26th August, 1834, and is descended from one of the oldest and most
respected families in Quebec province. The founder of the family in
Canada was Jacques Baby de Ranville, a nobleman from the south of
France, who was an officer of the celebrated regiment of
_Carignan-Salieres_, and arrived here in 1662. By the family records and
papers it can be traced up to 1375 without interruption. Representatives
of the family have distinguished themselves on the battle-field, as well
as in the councils of the state both here and in France. Several of them
have been knights of Malta and of St. John of Jerusalem. The last
governors under the French régime, had many a time occasion to call the
special attention of the king of France to the meritorious deeds and
gallant actions of members of this notable family. Several of the
distinguished men who bore this name were killed in these early days in
battle. The grandfather of Judge Baby was the Hon. François Baby, an
executive and legislative councillor of the province of Quebec, and in
1775, adjutant-general of the same province, who with his brother-in-law
Charles Tarieu de Lanaudière, then _aide-de-camp_ to Lord Dorchester,
took a very active part in the stirring events of the time. His
grandmother was Marie Anne de Lanaudière, a descendant of M. de
Lanaudière, governor of Montreal in 1664, and of Madelon de Verchères,
the heroine of “La Nouvelle France.” Judge Baby’s father was Joseph
Baby, a colonel in the militia and long a notary public and prominent
citizen of Joliette, where he died in 1871. His mother, Caroline Guy,
was a daughter of the Hon. Louis Guy, in his lifetime king’s notary, and
a member of the Legislative Council of the province of Quebec. The
subject of our sketch, Judge Baby, was educated in St. Sulpice College,
in his native city, and also at Joliette College. After leaving school,
where he had attained high distinctions, he chose the law as a
profession, and studied in the office of Drummond and Loranger, of
Montreal, both of whom became ministers of the Crown and were afterwards
made judges. However, previous to his admission to the bar, he entered
the civil service of Canada, in the attorney-general’s department for
Lower Canada and for several years occupied the position of clerk, under
the government, but was invited by the late Sir G. E. Cartier to
relinquish this position for a more extended field of usefulness. He was
a particular friend of the late Chief Justice Harrison, who was also a
clerk in the civil service at the same time as he. In 1857 he was called
to the bar, and practised his profession in Montreal, in partnership
with the Hon. Louis T. Drummond, when his health becoming impaired, he
removed to Joliette, where he continued his practice with considerable
success, in partnership with the late Hon. L. A. Oliver, who was
appointed a judge in the superior court, in 1875, having been previously
a legislative councillor and a senator, and was also mayor of that place
for four or five terms. Though long deeply interested in politics, Mr.
Baby did not enter public life until 1867, when he became a candidate
for Joliette in the Dominion parliament. At this time, however, through
the over confidence of his friends and supporters, he failed to be
elected. Five years later, at the general election of 1872, he was
returned by acclamation; was re-elected in 1874; unseated on petition on
the 28th October of that year; was re-elected on the 10th December
following, by a much larger majority; and again, at the general election
in September, 1878, he was returned by a still increased majority. On
the 26th of the next month, on the return of the Conservatives to power,
he entered the cabinet with his friend the Hon. L. R. Masson, and was
made minister of Inland Revenue. During the time he held this portfolio,
he displayed great tact and firmness, and gave great satisfaction to the
public. In 1875 he had the honour of introducing the bill for the
abolition of the death penalty in cases of assault with intent to commit
rape—a bill which was subsequently taken up by the Hon. Mr. Blake, the
then minister of Justice, and carried through parliament. During his
term of office, he successfully carried through the House of Commons
acts for the consolidation and amendment of the weights and measures,
the excise laws, stamp act, tobacco laws, etc., and took generally a
very active and patriotic part in the affairs of the nation; in 1880 he
retired from political life, and was made judge of the Superior Court of
Quebec, and subsequently, in September, 1881, promoted to the Court of
Queen’s Bench, which position he fills with dignity, and is very much
respected by his _confrères_ on the bench. Among the many praiseworthy
deeds of Judge Baby’s life is the valuable assistance he rendered in the
founding of the Montreal Historical Society, of which he has been an
efficient member since its formation. He is himself a historian of some
repute, having, like the late Chief Justice Lafontaine, devoted a good
deal of his time in researches of a historical character, particularly
with reference to Canada, and has brought together, not however without
considerable expense and trouble, one of the finest collections of
Canadian manuscripts in existence, and the historical department of his
extensive library is especially rich and attractive in Canadian
literature. He is an honorary member of the Institut-Canadien of Quebec,
and also of Ottawa, and a member and the president of the Antiquarian
and Numismatic Society of Montreal. For this last branch of study Judge
Baby seems to have a passion,—having devoted more or less time to it
for a number of years—and his collection of coins and medals, foreign
and domestic, is one of the best in Canada. He is a member of the Roman
Catholic church, a prominent and much respected citizen, and a notable
figure in literary and religious circles, and appears never to forget
his family motto, “_Dire vrai; faire bien_.” In July, 1873, he was
married to Maria Helene Adelaide, daughter of the late Dr. Berthelet of
Montreal (knight of the order of St. Sepulchre of France), and Dame
Helene Guy. They have no children.
* * * * *
=Ritchie, Hon. Joseph Norman=, Judge of the Supreme Court of Nova
Scotia, Halifax, was born on the 25th May, 1834, at Annapolis Royal,
Nova Scotia. His parents were Hon. Thomas Ritchie, judge of the Court of
Common Pleas of Nova Scotia, and Anne, daughter of I. N. Bond, M.D.,
Yarmouth, Nova Scotia. Judge Joseph Norman Ritchie was educated at
King’s College, Windsor, Nova Scotia, where he took the degree of M.A.
He afterwards studied law, and was called to the bar of Nova Scotia on
the 30th November, 1857; was made a Queen’s counsel on 26th September,
1872; and was raised to the bench as a judge of the Supreme Court on the
26th September, 1885. For several years previous to his elevation to the
bench he acted in the capacity of recorder for the city of Halifax. In
1859, on the organization of the volunteer militia in Nova Scotia, Judge
Ritchie joined the force and continued in it and the active militia of
Canada until 1879. He holds a lieutenant-colonel’s commission, bearing
date 17th March, 1876. For several years he was also one of the
directors of the Merchants Bank of Halifax. In religion the judge is and
always has been an adherent of the Church of England. He has for wife
Mary, daughter of John Cochran, of Newport, U.S.
* * * * *
=Lorrain, Right Reverend Narcisse Zephirin=, Bishop of Cythera and Vicar
Apostolic of Pontiac, with his residence at Pembroke, Ontario, was born
the 13th June, 1842, at St. Martin, county of Laval. His father,
Narcisse Lorrain, is a descendant of that sturdy stock of pioneers who
settled the northern district of the province of Quebec, and have
representatives in the counties of Terrebonne, Two Mountains,
Argenteuil, etc., and is considered one of the well to-do farmers of the
rich county of Laval. Mr. Lorrain, sr., was married to Sophia Goyer. In
1855 Mgr. Lorrain was sent to the seminary of Ste. Thérèse, in the
county of Terrebonne, where he commenced his classical studies. That
institution, which had been founded some forty years before by the Rev.
Messire Charles Ducharme, a venerable priest whose memory will for ever
live in the hearts of the people of that district, was then under the
direction of Messire Dagenais, superior, and Messire Nantel (an elder
brother of the M.P.P. for Terrebonne), as prefect of studies. Messire
Nantel is well known as a _littérateur_ of no mean order, one of his
principal works being a translation into French of Ollendorf’s English
Grammar. These gentlemen soon discovered that the youth was an unusually
bright pupil, and they resolved to spare no endeavour to further his
studies, thinking, and not without good grounds, that in the future he
would be an honour to the seminary. The career of Mgr. Lorrain has
proved that they were not wrong, as he has taken a prominent place among
the scores of other men of note who have graduated at that institution;
among others the Hon. Théodore Robitaille, ex-lieutenant-governor of the
province of Quebec; Hon. Gédéon Ouimet, superintendent of public
instruction, Quebec, and many members of parliament and senators,
besides many lawyers and doctors. To a quick and perceptive mind, Mgr.
Lorrain joined a sound judgment, with more than his share of energy, the
latter quality being in fact one of the distinguishing traits of his
character. It is to the knowledge of the writer of this sketch, who was
a school mate of Mgr. Lorrain, that at the end of each month, when the
notes were read by the director of the seminary, his conduct was always
marked down as “exemplary.” One year he carried eighteen prizes in his
class. He entered on the study of theology at the end of his classical
course, teaching a class at the same time, and was beloved by the pupils
under his charge on account of his kindly disposition and gentle
manners, which were not, however, without an admixture of firmness. He
knew how to instil the love of discipline which he himself possessed in
such an eminent degree. In 1864, Mgr. Lorrain graduated at Laval
University, where he received the degree of Bachelor of Sciences, and he
was ordained priest on the 4th of August, 1867, being then appointed
assistant director at the Seminary of Ste. Thérèse, which position he
filled until the 15th of August, 1869, when he was appointed pastor to
the congregation of Redford, Clinton county, in the state of New York.
On the 3rd of August, 1880, he was promoted and appointed vicar-general
of the diocese of Montreal. His appointment caused some surprise to a
great many people who did not know him intimately; but the ability he
displayed in the management of the affairs, and in the liquidation of
the debts of the episcopal corporation, then in financial troubles, soon
justified the choice the bishop of the diocese of Montreal had made of
his person for such an important position as that of vicar general. And
the surprise changed to wonder when two years later, being barely forty
years of age, on the 21st of September, 1882, he was consecrated
titulary bishop of Cythera and vicar apostolic of Pontiac, with place of
residence at Pembroke, he being the first bishop of that diocese. In
this new field of labour Mgr. Lorrain has distinguished himself, doing
his utmost to concentrate the scattered elements of his extended but
sparsely-settled diocese, and the energy and strong will which had
characterised his student life were displayed on a larger scale, an
instance of which may be cited from the fact of his having travelled, in
1884, a distance of 1,500 miles, in a bark canoe. And here we cannot do
better than reproduce the account of this trip, which appeared shortly
after his lordship’s return, in the Pembroke _Standard_, and is of great
interest:
His lordship’s tour has been an extended one of some sixty-four
days. His up voyage to Abbitibi has already been described in
our columns. The story of the trip from Abbitibi northwards will
be narrated in a series of articles containing, besides the
description itself, copious and reliable information on the
agricultural, mineral and timber interests of this vast expanse
of virgin soil. Suffice it to say now that the Temiscamingue
region is represented as waiting colonization; and that from the
height of land northwards, a stretch of 150 miles across,
extending indefinitely east and west, gains, by lowness of the
situation, a mildness of temperature that probably lasts long
enough to mature the luxuriant growth of early vegetation.
Around Hudson Bay and for a considerable distance southwards,
the land is low, swampy, and impoverished; the soil unproductive
and the timbers dwarfed. Geological specimens have been brought
back by the party, and sketches of the more picturesque points
have been taken by the master hand of Father Paradis. Travelling
through these northern wilds, while it may have its interest for
the geologist or the artist, is by no means the embodiment of
physical happiness. On water and on land the inconveniences are
many and annoying. To paddle over rough waves and through
beating rain, to portage a hundred rapids, some of them three
miles in length, over rocks and ravines and fallen trees,
through wet and tangled grass and brushwood; to camp in swarms
of mosquitoes and sand-flies, on swampy ground, where more than
once after the tents had been beaten through by nights of
falling rain, a half a foot of water has flooded the tent-floor,
branches and blankets; to wade knee deep for a mile or even two
miles through sharp cut stones and slough and water, in the
endeavour to reach the shore and wait the tide that alone can
give sufficient depth on certain parts of James Bay, to bear
along a laden canoe; to endure all this and more, is but a
specimen of the hardships gone through by travellers to these
northern districts. Though the Indians are cool intrepid guides,
the most provoking shortcomings have to be accepted from their
hands, no matter how reluctantly, still with silence and
patience. On the water they work well, but once on shore, to
camp for the night, or to get out of catching gales, or at the
posts where missions are given, it is almost impossible to get
them under way again; teasing disappointments and delay, an axe,
a blanket, a tin pan left behind prolong the stay, and time is
killed, and programmes spoiled, and patience tried. The fiercest
storm encountered, perhaps, was on the 24th of June, the day
after the party left Abbitibi, when the thermometer fell 43°,
and the north-western extremity of the lake rolled mountain high
before the sweeping hurricane. To advance was impossible; the
camp was pitched, and beneath the swaying trees, and storming
rain, the day was passed wretchedly beyond description.
Disappointments like this have often to be encountered on the
trip. They are annoying in more ways than one. Even the
provisions stand a chance of running short, the more so as the
Indians, during these delays, pass the time in gorging, being
content with nothing less than half a dozen meals each day. The
portages from Abbitibi to Moose Factory are twenty-one in
number; some of them may be run in a canoe, but the greater
number have to be footed. From the 25th to the 27th of June the
voyage was agreeable enough, excepting that at times, and for a
distance, during these days, of fifteen miles, the oft repeated
feat of wading waist deep through water and struggling along
rugged banks, had to be resorted to through sheer necessity of
making any headway. On the 28th the hair-breadth escape of the
journey occurred. It was the _Rapide de L’Île_. Ordinarily the
rapid is run without imminent risk by keeping aloof from the
whirling eddy half way down its course; but the bowsman did
slovenly work, and before the approach of danger was realized
the canoe was sucked into the engulfing seething pool, and was
spun twice around as on a pivot, in the very centre of the rapid
where the broken waves leaped high, and the foam splashed
fiercely, blinding the paddlers and filling the boat. Two feet
more and the canoe was beyond all rescue. It was a thrilling
moment. Death, swift and sure, was but the moiety of a minute
off; but the long-made resolves of coolness in case of such an
accident stood well to the occupants of the boat. The
steersman—the most intrepid perhaps on the northern
waters—muttered one short monosyllable, and in the twinkling of
an eye every paddle was in its position, and the canoe leaped
forward, rocked in the hollows of the waves and forced sideways
up the billows to be hurled down again below, till the main
current was reached, one stroke of the brave steersman swung it
half round and sent it dashing down to the more placid waters at
the foot of the rapids. “God be blessed,” went up from the
hearts of the bishop and his missionaries; and flowing bowls of
strong tea rewarded the proud Indians. On the 29th June the
party arrived at New-Post, a fort of the Hudson Bay Company,
some 150 miles from Abbitibi, and 120 from Moose Factory. Here a
mission was given during the day, and at evening the start was
made for Moose Factory. Four portages more are passed ere the
party reaches Moose Factory on the 2nd July. This fort is the
headquarters of the company, and is by far the most important on
the whole route. The following morning the canoe heads for
Albany, another post of the H. B. Company, situated on the river
Albany, which flows into James Bay. But neither the heavens nor
the sea was propitious, and nine miles from the Factory the
canoe was brought to a stand-still by a face-beating wind, and
by a low tide, whose influence is felt even twenty-five miles up
the Moose river. For three days the camp is pitched on the river
bank, the wind blows, the rain pours down, a tempest rages, it
hails and even snows; till a consultation being held, the whole
party picked up their effects and put back to Moose. This was on
Sunday, the 6th July. On Tuesday a new and more successful
departure is made for Albany, which is reached on the 11th of
the month. A mission, most gratifying in its results, was given
here till the 15th, when the home trip was begun. At Albany
there is a magnificent wooden church, 50 feet by 26;
tower-crowned, gothic style, and bell-decked. Some 500 Indians
are attached to this mission church. On the 18th July, Moose
Factory was reached on the home voyage. The next day the canoe
is off again for New-Post, but more disappointment is ahead. A
high tide coming in at night submerges the canoe and cargo lying
on the river shore; and for the following days so strong is the
current that 15 miles have to be tramped on foot before New-Post
comes in sight. To walk 15 miles is nothing in itself, but to
walk 15 miles, up to the waist in cold water, piercing one’s
feet with the sharp cornered pebbles of the river bottom, and to
drag along a boat and its effects through the opposing stream,
all this is something. New-Post is entered on the 25th, and is
left the next evening, a large number of Indians accompanying to
15 miles from the post, where, after a portage of three miles in
length has been made, mass is celebrated for the crowd on Sunday
morning. On the 2nd August the return party arrives at Abbitibi,
where a large congregation of Indians are assembled to attend
divine services on the following Sunday. On Monday, the 4th
August, the prow points towards Temiscamingue, which gives glad
welcome to the party on the 7th. The three following days are
devoted to the mission; and on Monday afternoon a start is made.
The next day, after running five rapids and portaging over
three, the party paddled into Mattawa at 8 o’clock in the
evening. The voyage home, and reception, we have referred to in
the beginning of this article. The trip has been fraught with
spiritual blessings for 1,400 Indians, that are proud to be the
subjects of the zealous and hard-working bishop of Pembroke.
_Non recuso laborem_, “I flee not work,” we read on his
coat-of-arms two years ago, when he took possession of his See
in this town. His heart, even then, when he devised this motto,
must have beat love for the poor Indians of Hudson Bay.
In 1887, Mgr. Lorrain travelled 1,700 miles on his pastoral visit to the
Indian missions on the Upper Ottawa, Rupert’s Land and the Upper St.
Maurice. His route was from Ottawa, _via_ Pembroke, to Lakes
Temiscamingue, Obaching, Kepewa, etc., thence to the source of the River
du Molhe; from here through a chain of lakes to the “Lac Barrière”
mission, now on Lake Wapous; thence to Lake Wassepatebi, lying between
the province of Quebec and Rupert’s Land; through Cypress Lake, River
Pekeskak, by a chain of five lakes, the Laloche river to Lake Waswanipi.
The return trip was made by the same route as far as Lake Waswanipi, to
the Mekiskan river and the upper waters of the St. Maurice; thence
through various lakes, Lake Long, Lake Coucoucache and others to the
Grand Piles. This involved a trip of 1,700 miles, mostly by water in
bark canoe, occupying two months and six days, and 1,172 miles being
travelled by canoe. The portages were from an arpent to four miles long,
and there were 157 of them. During the five years Bishop N. Z. Lorrain
has been in Pembroke he has paid an old debt of $11,000 on the church;
built a magnificent episcopal residence at a cost of $18,000, upon which
sum $8,000 has been paid; bought twenty-nine acres of land for a
graveyard; purchased plots of sixteen acres of ground in the most
beautiful part of the town, as sites for charitable institutions in the
future. Mgr. Lorrain is an eminent English scholar. There is no doubt he
is destined to do a great work for his country, and that his wise
counsel will always have weight in the periodical councils of his
church.
* * * * *
=Coleman, Arthur Philemon=, Ph.D., Professor of Geology and Natural
History, Victoria University, Cobourg, was born on the 4th of April,
1852, at Lachute, province of Quebec. His father was the Rev. Francis
Coleman, a minister of the Methodist Church of Canada, and his mother,
Emmeline Maria Adams, was a descendant of John Quincy Adams. His early
education was obtained in various public and high schools of Ontario,
according to the station occupied by his father, as an itinerant
Methodist minister; and this ended in a course of two years in Cobourg
Collegiate Institute. In 1872, he matriculated in Victoria University,
Cobourg, and after four years’ residence, graduated in 1876 as Bachelor
of Arts, taking honours and a gold medal. On the advice of Dr. Haanel,
whose eloquence and ability as a professor had inspired him to study
science, he sailed for Europe, and in 1880, matriculated in the
University of Breslau, in Prussia, Dr. Haanel’s _alma mater_. During
four semesters he studied geology, mineralogy, botany, histology,
chemistry, etc., under such distinguished men as Roemer, Cohn, Goeppert,
Dilthey, Poleck, Liebisch, and others. His dissertation which was on the
“Melaphyres of Lower Silesia,” and demanded hard work in microscopic
petrography, as well as some months geologizing in the Giant Mountains,
on the border between Silesia and Bohemia, was accepted, and after
examination he was admitted to the degree of Doctor Philosophiae (_cum
laude_) in 1882. While in Europe, Professor Coleman made numerous
geological expeditions in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy and
Scandinavia, and most of one summer he spent in Norway, wandering on
foot over the mountains and fields collecting specimens, and observing
the results of glacial action. The most notable points in this journey
were the ascent of Galdhoepig, the highest mountain in Norway, and a
voyage along the coast to Hammerfest and the North Cape, to see the
Lapps and the midnight sun. At Knivskjaerodden, a few miles from the
North Cape, the ship on board of which he was, _The Nordstjern_, went
ashore in a fog, and became wrecked on that bleak coast. The misfortune
occurred at about two o’clock in the morning, but aided by the perpetual
daylight, the passengers and crew succeeded in reaching shore, and
within twenty-four hours thereafter, they were rescued by another
steamer and landed at Hammerfest. After a short visit to France and
England, he returned to Ontario, and towards the end of 1882, was
inaugurated as professor of geology and natural history in Victoria
University, Cobourg. Since that date he has continued in the same
position, varying his life by journeys with geological ends in view; in
this way he visited the Rocky Mountains, the valley of the Columbia, and
the Selkirks, before the Canadian Pacific Railway was built, travelling
by pack pony, canoe or on foot. The professor belongs to the Methodist
church, and in politics is a Liberal.
* * * * *
=Macdonnell, Rev. Daniel James=, B.D., Pastor of West St. Andrew’s
(Presbyterian) Church, Toronto. This popular minister was born at
Bathurst, New Brunswick, on the 15th January, 1843. His father, the Rev.
George Macdonnell, who was born in Kirkcaldy, Fifeshire, Scotland, came
in childhood to Halifax, Nova Scotia, received his early educational
training in the schools at Halifax, and finished his course of studies
at the Edinburgh University. He afterwards was minister of St. Luke’s
Church, (Church of Scotland), at Bathurst, from 1840 to 1851; spent two
years in Scotland; came to Upper Canada in 1853, and was settled
successively in Nelson and Waterdown, Fergus and Milton, and died at the
latter place in 1871. His mother was Eleanor Milnes, who was born at
Pictou, Nova Scotia, and belonged to a branch of the family of Milnes,
of Derbyshire, England. Daniel James Macdonnell, the subject of our
sketch, began his education at Bathurst when but a lad of six years of
age,—the study of Latin being included in his course at this
unreasonably early age. He was afterwards sent to Scotland, and pursued
his studies for some time at Kilmarnock and Edinburgh, and on his return
to Canada, at Nelson, under the care of the late Dr. Robert Douglas, of
Port Elgin, who taught at “The Twelve,” while he was prosecuting his
studies. Mr. Macdonnell was then taken in hand by the late Dr. Tassie,
then head master of the Galt Grammar School, who prepared him for the
university. In October, 1855, when in his thirteenth year, he entered
Queen’s College, Kingston, and he held the first place in classics and
mathematics during his course there. In 1858 he graduated B.A., and two
years later M.A. Some time after he took a portion of his theological
course in the Queen’s Divinity Hall, Kingston, under Principal Leitch
and Professor Mowat, and spent the session of 1863-64 in Glasgow, where
Dr. Caird was professor of divinity. He completed his course in
Edinburgh, having attended the classes of the late Professor Crawford
and Robert Lee, and received the degree of Bachelor of Divinity. The
winter of 1865-66 he spent in Berlin in acquiring some knowledge of the
German language, and picking up whatever theological instruction he
could gather from the imperfectly understood lectures of Professors
Dörner and Hengstenberg. On the 14th June, 1866, he was ordained by the
Presbytery of Edinburgh (Church of Scotland); and returning to Canada he
was inducted to the charge of St. Andrew’s Church, Peterboro’, Ontario,
on the 20th November, 1866, where he spent four years. He was then
called to St. Andrew’s Church, Toronto, and inducted on the 22nd
December, 1870. The advent of Mr. Macdonnell was the signal for an
immediate revival of the condition of the church. He was young,
energetic, and more than all, earnest and original in his preaching.
Within a few years it was found that the old building was inadequate for
the purpose, and a new and imposing structure was built at the corner of
King and Simcoe streets, at the cost of $86,000 for building and $14,000
for additional ground. It is one of the finest and most complete in all
details of the many fine church edifices in Toronto, and is built of
stone in the Norman style, with a massive tower on the south-west angle.
Mr. Macdonnell’s popularity has steadily increased year by year since he
came to Toronto, and although some are inclined to consider him, from
“the Westminster Confession” standpoint, rather liberal in his
theological views, yet his large congregation listen with great
satisfaction to his gospel of common sense, and are most sincerely
attached to him. Rev. Mr. Macdonnell was one of the most cordial
supporters of Presbyterian union, and contributed largely to its
consummation in 1875. He is a member of the Senate of Toronto
University, having been appointed by the Ontario government. He also
takes an active part in works of charity, and indeed in everything that
has a tendency to help and elevate humanity. During his college career,
Rev. Mr. Macdonnell taught for about three years; was head master of
Vankleek Hill Grammar School for six months, when only seventeen years
of age; was assistant to Mr. Campbell (now Rev. Robert Campbell, D.D.,
minister of St. Gabriel street Church, Montreal) for a year in the
Queen’s College Preparatory School, and head master of the Wardsville
High School for a year and a half. While a student in Scotland, Mr.
Macdonnell, during vacation, took a couple of walking tours with fellow
students through Switzerland and parts of Germany, and since he settled
in Canada he has taken several trips to Great Britain. On the 2nd of
July, 1868, he was married to Elizabeth Logie Smellie, eldest daughter
of the Rev. George Smellie, D.D., of Fergus. Rev. Dr. Smellie was one of
the pioneer Presbyterian ministers of Western Ontario, and although now
in his seventy-sixth year, he still preaches every Sunday to the people
to whom he has ministered for forty-four years. There are four sons and
a daughter in St. Andrew’s manse. Mr. Macdonnell’s eldest boy, George
Frederick, aged fifteen, is attending Upper Canada College, and, taking
after his father, occupies the position of head boy in his form.
* * * * *
=Hunton, Sidney Walker=, M.A., Professor of Mathematics in the
University of Mount Allison College, Sackville, New Brunswick, was born
in the city of Ottawa, Ontario, on the 4th July, 1858. His father,
Thomas Hunton, was for a long time a leading merchant at the capital,
and died a few years ago. His mother, Amelia Hunton, is still alive and
resides at Ottawa. Professor Hunton was educated at the Collegiate
Institute, Ottawa, where, in 1875, he won the two medals offered by Lord
Dufferin for mathematics and classics. In September, 1876, he entered
McGill College, Montreal, where he studied for two years, and won first
scholarship in each year. In September, 1878, he won the Canadian
Gilchrist scholarship of the value of £100 stg. per annum, tenable for
three years, and then proceeded to London, England, where he studied at
University College, making a specialty of mathematics. In June, 1881, he
won the Rothschild scholarship of the value of £56, which was awarded
for the greatest proficiency in mathematics in University College. He
graduated at the University of London, in Oct., 1881, and was appointed
assistant to the professor of mathematics in University College, and
held the position for two years. In 1882 he became lecturer on
mathematics in the Electrical Engineering College, London, which
position he resigned in 1883, on being appointed to the professorship of
mathematics at Mount Allison College, N.B. During his stay in Europe he
also studied at Cambridge, England, and Heidelberg, Germany. He was
married on December 25th, 1884, to Annie Inch, daughter of J. R. Inch,
LL.D., president of Mount Allison College. Professor Hunton is a credit
to “Young Canada,” and we hope many will be found imitating his example.
* * * * *
=Kay, Rev. John=, Pastor of the First Methodist Church, Hamilton, was
born in the town of Napanee, Ontario, on the 20th of May, 1838. His
father was Enoch Kay, who was born in the county of Wicklow, Ireland, in
1812. His mother, Elizabeth Coulson, was a native of Stockton, near
Hull, England, and was born in 1815. His grandfather, Joshua Kaye (the
family name was originally spelled _Kaye_) emigrated with the family
from Ireland many years ago, and settled in the eastern part of Ontario,
where he followed the same occupation as he had done in his native
country, namely, that of wheelwright. He was a man of small stature, but
of marked intelligence and great amiability of character, and a leader
among the Methodists of his day. The wife of this worthy man was a
Fitzhenry, a name of some considerable note in Ireland. She was tall and
fine looking, and evidently had her early training in an advanced circle
of society. Both died in the village of Newburg, and their bodies rest
in the small rural cemetery near the village of Napanee Mills. His
maternal grandfather was a miller from his youth up, and for several
generations some of the Coulson family have been engaged in this
business, and in that of shipbuilding in England. The father and mother
were married in 1837, the year of the coronation of Queen Victoria, and
took up their residence on a farm a short distance north of Napanee
Mills. Here Mr. Kay, sen., farmed, and also carried on the trade of
carriage-building and blacksmithing, employing a number of workmen. The
farm he afterwards sold, and moved into the village of Newburg, where he
engaged in the lumber business. Here young Kay received the rudiments of
his education, first in a private school and afterwards in the Newburg
Academy. When he had scarcely reached his fourteenth year his father
died at the early age of thirty-nine, leaving a widow and three children
in poor circumstances, the subject of our sketch being the oldest. This
necessitated his giving up school and entering on the battle of life for
an existence, his mother with the other children returning to her
father’s home until he could provide for them elsewhere. After a hard
struggle of several years he succeeded so well as to be able to bring
the family again together, and he made a home for them at Cramborne, a
small village about five miles north of Cobourg. Here he was led to
think more seriously of religious matters, and made up his mind to
consecrate himself to the work of the church. He at once set about
preparing himself, and acted in the capacity of local preacher for some
time. Having been relieved soon afterwards of much business anxiety, he
gave himself up to labour and study. After a hard struggle he succeeded,
and to his surprise and satisfaction, in the spring of 1862, he was
informed by the officials of the Methodist New Connexion Church of
Baltimore, Ontario, with which he had connected himself a few months
before, that they would gladly recommend him to the work of the
ministry, and on his case being brought before the conference he was
appointed to assist the late Rev. S. B. Gundy, in the town of St.
Mary’s. This was a fortunate circumstance for the young preacher, for
the Rev. Mr. Gundy was a man of excellent ability and one of the finest
preachers in the denomination. The death of the superintendent some time
afterwards was a great loss to Mr. Kay. He then took up the course of
study prescribed for his work, which by no means was a light one. His
studies were now chiefly directed by the late Rev. William McClure, who
was appointed at that time to the chair of theology, philosophy and
literature, for the student probationers of the church, and under his
able tuition he succeeded in mastering the curriculum appointed by the
Board of Education of the conference. Since then he has been successful
in gaining some knowledge of Latin and Greek, with a little of German,
but still thirsts for more knowledge, as he considers all possible lines
of study are needed by the efficient and progressive Christian minister.
The Rev. Mr. Kay first began his ministry, as will have been observed,
at St. Mary’s, and here he spent one year; next he went to Manvers,
where he preached for two years; then he went to Ingersoll, and spent
two more years; in Milton he preached for three years; in Waterdown for
three years; Tilsonburg, two years; London, two years; then he again
spent two years in Ingersoll; and then moved to Waterford, where he
spent three years; in Thorold, three years, and for the last three years
he has been in Hamilton. In 1872, when the subject of Methodist union
was a live topic in the churches, Rev. Mr. Kay was secretary of
conference, and contributed by both voice and pen to bring about union,
and when this great movement was accomplished he was removed from
Tilsonburg to London by the conference of 1875, and during his stay
there he helped to build the Wellington Street Church and parsonage,
which is now one of the most prosperous churches in the denomination.
This reverend gentleman has been several times financial secretary of
the districts in which he has been stationed; and in 1886 he was a
representative at the General Conference which was held in Toronto. He
has found time, also, to attend to the temperance movement. From boyhood
he has been a teetotaller, having joined the Cadets of Temperance in
Newburg, and subsequently entered the orders of the Sons of Temperance
and Good Templars; and later held for two years the office of grand
counsellor, and for three years that of chaplain in the Supreme Lodge of
the Royal Templars,—which holds its annual sessions in the city of
Buffalo, where the order was first organized in 1870. As a natural
consequence he is a firm and uncompromising prohibitionist, holding that
the only way to elevate the masses and improve the financial condition
of the country is the entire abolition of the traffic in intoxicating
drinks. Mr. Kay also belongs to the United Order of Workmen, and did for
some time belong to the orders of Oddfellows and Foresters, but a few
years ago found it necessary to retire from them. As we have seen, the
subject of our sketch was brought up in the Methodist fold, and he has
seen no reason since to change his belief in the doctrines that were
taught him at his mother’s knee; but, nevertheless, he is not opposed to
a progressive theology, and can see no reason why a person should be
compelled to follow all the old methods of reasoning and forms of
expression. The words of modern use are often as expressive as those
used aforetime, and some of the old ones are none the worse for being
used before. The Augustinian school of theology finds no favour with
him. He believes in a free will—without the necessitarian adjuncts of
such limitations as affords it only to a few favoured persons—the free
and full salvation for all, and the kindest and most gracious invitation
to all to come to the fountain and drink. The gospel freely offered is
God’s expression of love. He has also devoted some time to literature,
and in 1871 published a very interesting “Biography of the Rev. William
Gundy,” his father-in-law. This volume was very favourably received, and
highly praised by the press. He is a diligent student, and has also on
several occasions contributed to the columns of our newspapers and
periodicals. On the 20th of October, 1864, he was married to Eliza,
second daughter of the Rev. William Gundy, who for more than half a
century was a preacher of the gospel, and though now dead for over
sixteen years, yet speaketh. Six of a family have been born of the
union, four of whom survive, two sons and two daughters.
* * * * *
=Macdonald, Rev. James Charles=, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, is
descended from an old Highland family, who emigrated to Prince Edward
Island in the last century. His ancestors formed part of the gallant
band brought out by the Laird of Glenaladale, in the _Alexander_ in
1772. His father, John Macdonald, of Allisary, and his mother, Ellen
Macdonald, of Garahelia, were natives of Prince Edward Island. Their son
was born at Allisary, in the parish of St. Andrew, in that province, on
the 15th July, 1840, and was baptised in the old St. Andrew’s Church,
built in that mission, by Bishop McEachern, in the early days of
Catholicity in Prince Edward Island. After preliminary studies in a
district school, Mr. Macdonald entered St. Dunstan’s College in 1866. He
remained there for four years, and in 1870, went up to the Grand
Seminary, at Montreal. After a three years’ course, he was ordained by
the Bishop of Charlottetown, and at once proceeded to St. Dunstan’s
College, to fill a vacant professorship in that institution. In 1875,
Mr. Macdonald was appointed to the missions of St. James, Georgetown,
and All Saints, Cardigan Bridge. In 1876, the mission of St. Theresa,
Baldwin’s Road, was added to these; but in 1878, it was placed in the
charge of another priest. In 1881, the late Very Rev. Dr. Macdonald was
associated with Father Charles Macdonald, in the care of the missions of
St. James and All Saints, to which was annexed St. Paul’s, Sturgeon. In
September, 1884, to the great regret of his parishioners, Father
Macdonald was removed from Georgetown, and installed as rector of St.
Dunstan’s College, Charlottetown. During the period in which he has
presided over that institution, St. Dunstan’s has prospered exceedingly,
and now boasts a staff of eight professors, three clerical and five lay,
and a roll of eighty-six students, several of whom give promise of doing
great credit to their _alma mater_.
* * * * *
=Macpherson, Henry=, Braeside, Owen Sound, Ontario, Judge of the County
Court of the county of Grey, Local Judge of the High Court of Justice,
Surrogate Judge of the Maritime Court, was born 17th August, 1832, at
Picton, county of Prince Edward, province of Ontario. He was son of
Lowther Pennington Macpherson, late of Picton, barrister-at-law, and of
Eliza Isabella Louisa McLean, his wife. Lowther was the son of
Lieut.-Colonel Donald Macpherson, of the 10th Royal Veteran Battalion,
who commanded at Kingston at the commencement of the war with the United
States in 1812; and was afterwards ordered to Quebec, where he remained
till the close of the war in 1814, when he returned to his property of
Cluny, near Kingston. Colonel Macpherson was the son of Evan Macpherson,
chief of the clan Macpherson, who joined the standard of Prince Charles
Edward Stuart at the time of the rebellion in Scotland in 1745. Lowther
was born on shipboard, in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, when his father was
coming out to Canada with his regiment, and died at sea near the West
India Islands, where he had gone for his health in 1836. Eliza
Macpherson was the youngest daughter of Lieut.-Colonel Allan N. McLean,
of “The Grove,” Kingston, and who practised law there. In 1812 he closed
his office, and was greatly instrumental in raising the Incorporated
Militia, which regiment he commanded until he was superseded by an
officer of the line. One of his sons was a lieutenant in the Glengarry
Fencibles, and was killed at Queenston Heights, and his son-in-law,
Captain Walker, commanded a company of the Incorporated Militia, and was
killed at Lundy’s Lane. Colonel McLean represented the county of
Frontenac in the Provincial parliament for many years, in the early part
of the present century, and was for sixteen years Speaker of the House
of Assembly. Eliza Macpherson died in 1885 in her eightieth year. Henry
Macpherson was educated at the Grammar School, Kingston, and afterwards
at Queen’s College, where he graduated as Bachelor of Arts in April,
1851. He studied law in the office of Thomas Kirkpatrick, Q.C., of
Kingston, who was afterwards M.P. for the county of Frontenac. He was
admitted as an attorney in Easter term in 1854, after which he entered
the law office of George A. Phillpotts, of Toronto, afterwards Junior
Judge of the county of York, where he remained until called to the bar,
in Hilary, term 1855. In March of that year, he commenced the practice
of his profession at Owen Sound, in the county of Grey, where he
continued until appointed judge of the County Court of that county in
January, 1865. Owen Sound was at that time a portion of the township of
Sydenham, but in 1856 it was incorporated as a town, having a population
of about 2,000. It was the county town of the county of Grey, which,
with the adjoining county of Bruce, was then comparatively a new
settlement, the population of Grey, according to the census of 1852,
being something over 13,000 and that of Bruce being between 2,000 and
3,000. The peninsula north of Owen Sound, between Georgian Bay and Lake
Huron, was then a wilderness and not yet surrendered by the Indians. The
roads through the counties were in a very bad condition, and until the
opening of the Northern Railway to Collingwood in the winter of 1854-5,
everything had to be brought to Owen Sound by vessel from Coldwater, or
teamed up from Guelph. A few years after this, the county of Grey
expended $200,000 in building about 180 miles of gravel roads through
the country, on which no toll gate was ever placed, and the county of
Bruce a few years after followed the example thus set of building a
number of leading gravel roads through the county without placing toll
gates on them. The population of the county of Grey at the last census,
in 1881, was over 75,000, and that of Bruce over 65,000. A number of
railways are now running through the counties, the Canadian Pacific
Railway having a lake terminus at Owen Sound, which has a population of
about 6,000, a dry dock capable of receiving very large steamers (the
first built in Canada above the Welland Canal), an excellent system of
waterworks, is lighted by electric lights, and to and from its harbour a
large fleet of steamers (including the Canadian Pacific Railway’s steel
steamships), and sailing vessels run to all the various ports on the
upper lakes. Besides the position of county judge to which Mr.
Macpherson was appointed in 1865, he holds the position of local judge
of the High Court of Justice, to which he was appointed in March, 1882;
of surrogate judge of the Maritime Court of Ontario, to which he was
appointed in February, 1879, and of revising officer of the North Riding
of Grey, to which he was appointed in October, 1885. Judge Macpherson
has long taken a great interest in Freemasonry, into which he was
initiated in June, 1857, in the city of Toronto, and in the fall of that
year, assisted by other brethren, he opened a lodge in Owen Sound under
a dispensation from Sir Allan Napier MacNab, grand master of the Ancient
Grand Lodge of Canada, and of which lodge he was the first worshipful
master. He is the only survivor of the original members of that lodge.
The Ancient Grand Lodge was in July of the following year merged in the
Grand Lodge of Canada. He has been a regular attendant at the meetings
of the Grand Lodge, and in 1863 was elected grand senior warden. He has
been, with the exception of two years, continuously a member of the
Board of General Purposes since its formation in 1861, has frequently
been and is at present vice-president of that board, and is also
chairman of the sub-committee on jurisprudence. He is also the
representative of the Grand Orient of Uruguay, and of the Grand Lodge of
Maryland, near the Grand Lodge of Canada. He has also taken an active
part in Capitular Masonry. He was exalted in February, 1858, and in
1866, assisted in the formation of a chapter in Collingwood, of which,
in 1867, he became first principal. In 1873, he assisted in the
formation of a chapter in Owen Sound, of which, at the commencement he
was first principal. In Grand Chapter, after filling the chairs of 3rd
and 2nd principal, he was, in 1883, elected grand first principal, which
office he held two years. He is also representative of the Grand Chapter
of California, near the Grand Chapter of Canada. He has also been
instrumental in the formation or carrying on of many local and other
societies. Judge Macpherson was the first secretary and afterwards
president of the Mechanics’ Institute. He has been president of the
North Riding of Grey Agricultural Society, and has been several times
and is now president of the Horticultural Society, and has been
vice-president of the Fruit Growers’ Association of Ontario. He was the
first captain and several years president of the Cricket Club, was
several years president and is now patron of the Curling Club, and has
been president of the Ontario branch of the Royal Caledonian Curling
Club. He also, in 1874, assisted in the formation of a joint stock
company to build a curling and skating rink, of which he was the first
president. This was the first company formed for this purpose under the
Ontario Act. He has also been president of the First Canada Rifle Club,
of the Gun Club, and of the Fish and Game Protection Society, and is now
chairman of the managing committee of the Owen Sound Club. In this age
of locomotion his travels can hardly be considered important, yet he has
travelled through Canada from Manitoba to Newfoundland, and through all
the great lakes. He has been through most of the states east of the
Mississippi from Minnesota to Florida; and has visited a number of
cities of the United States from St. Paul and Minneapolis to New
Orleans, and from the Atlantic coast to the Mississippi. He was at the
Paris Exhibition of 1867, the Centennial Exhibition held at Philadelphia
in 1876, the Colonial Exhibition at London, and the International
Exhibition at Liverpool in 1886. He has visited the Bahama Islands, and
last winter travelled by sea from New York to New Orleans, up the
Mississippi to Memphis, and across home by rail, paying visits to the
different cities on the way, and also visiting the mammoth cave of
Kentucky, his journey being nearly 5,000 miles. He has also visited most
of the important cities and other points of interest in England and
Scotland, including the islands of Skye, Staffa, Iona, Man, Wight, etc.
During last summer, he also visited Egypt, including the Suez Canal, the
Nile, Cairo, the Pyramids, the battle field of Tel-el-Kebir, etc., going
by way of the Mediterranean and calling at Gibraltar and Malta,
travelling in all nearly 15,000 miles. He is a member of the Church of
England. In May, 1875, he married Eliza McGill McLean, second daughter
of Allan N. McLean, formerly of Toronto, now of London, England, and
grand-daughter of the late John McLean, formerly sheriff at Kingston,
who was a brother of the late Hon. Chief Justice McLean, of Toronto;
Mrs. Macpherson died in April, 1880, leaving two children, only one of
whom still survives.
* * * * *
=Campbell, Rev. Kenneth A.=, Orillia, Ontario, was born in the township
of Thorah, Ontario county, on the 30th of November, 1837. His father,
Kenneth Campbell, was born in the county of Glengarry, Ontario, and was
one of the earliest settlers in the township of Thorah, and rendered
most valuable assistance to the Scottish immigrants, who afterwards
settled in that and neighbouring townships. Mr. Campbell was captain of
militia. Rev. Mr. Campbell received the rudimentary part of his
education in a public school of his native section, and afterwards made
a full course, preparatory to ordination, in St. Michael’s College,
Toronto, and was ordained to the priesthood by Archbishop Lynch, in St.
Joseph’s Church, Beaverton, on the 21st of September, 1854. He was
appointed assistant to the Very Rev. G. R. Northgroves, in the parish of
Barrie, and in April, 1856, he was appointed parish priest of Mara and
Orillia. In this charge he laboured with zeal for eight years. He built
a neat substantial brick church in the village of Brechin; attended to
the wants of the settlers of his faith in the district of Muskoka, and
discharged efficiently the duties of local superintendent of schools in
the townships of Mara and Rama. In June, 1872, he built the Church of
the Angels Guardian, in Orillia, a solid structure of fine architectural
design, and an ornament to the town. The interest of the congregation of
Orillia requiring a resident priest, the village was erected into a
separate parish, and Father Campbell was appointed to the charge in
1874. Upon his removal to Orillia, he set to work to erect the handsome
presbytery in which he now resides. Subsequently he built a solid,
well-planned, well-appointed separate school-house, and a tasteful brick
church in the village of Warminster. He not only attends to the
elementary instruction of the children under his care, but takes a deep
interest in higher education. Four years ago he was appointed by the
county council of Simcoe trustee of the High School Board, and on that
board he has held the position of chairman for the four years that he
has been a member thereof. Father Campbell has left his imprint for good
in the various important positions he has held, and we hope he may be
long spared to bless mankind.
* * * * *
=Bruce, Rev. George=, B.A., Pastor of St. David’s (Presbyterian) Church,
St. John, New Brunswick, is a Scotchman by birth, having been born near
Aberdeen, Scotland, on 6th of September, 1837. His parents were John
Bruce and Elspeth Cadger. The family is an old one and can be traced far
back in the annals of Scotland. The Simpsons (Sir George and Thomas), of
Hudson Bay notoriety, were relatives, and Mr. Bruce, sen., remembers
when young George Simpson came to bid them good-bye before leaving for
America. Alexander Bruce, the eldest brother of John Bruce, was educated
in King’s College, Aberdeen. When the Rev. George Bruce was only four
years of age he was brought to Canada. The family settled in Markham,
near Toronto, and there they have been extensively engaged in various
kinds of business ever since, chiefly, however, in farming and milling.
George, the subject of this sketch, after receiving the usual public
school training, attended the Normal School in Toronto for some time;
and in 1863 he went to Whitby, where, under Thomas Kirkland, now
principal of the Toronto Normal School, he prepared himself for the
university. In September, 1864, he matriculated in the University of
Toronto, and four years afterwards he graduated from the same
institution. While attending the university he devoted himself to
general study, principally, however, in the direction of mathematics,
metaphysics, political economy and natural science (especially in regard
to its more modern developments, in which he took an exceptional
interest). He then entered Knox College, in the same city, and from this
college he graduated in 1871. While a student, Mr. Bruce became deeply
impressed with the great loss sustained by the church through the
frequent removal of student missionaries from their fields, on account
of their return to college every winter to pursue their studies, leaving
the fields unsupplied to the manifest and serious loss of the interest
and organization which had resulted from the labours of the missionary
during the summer. As licentiates were almost always settled in
congregations at once upon the completion of their studies, the smaller
and more sparsely settled mission fields were left almost entirely to
the student supply in the summer vacation. It seemed to him that the
only relief for this lay in getting students to give from one to two or
more years of voluntary work to these fields after they were licensed,
so as to bring them up to a stable and self-sustaining position. He
wrote a considerable number of articles calling attention to this
matter, and brought it before the General Assembly. In order to make
practical trial and do, himself, what was recommended, he took such work
for four years after he was licensed, declining to be ordained, though
he is not sure of the wisdom of that part of his course now, as
ordination gives additional fitness for the work falling to the hand of
the missionary. The system, however, gradually gained favour, and is now
almost universally put in practice in such fields, as far as young men
can be found willing to undertake such work. Rev. Mr. Bruce’s field lay
in the region of Newmarket and Aurora, Ontario, which, though old and
prosperous settlements, had suffered very much so far as the
Presbyterian church was concerned, from the system he had spoken of. Two
brick churches were built during the four years he resided there, and
the congregations were separated soon after and are both prosperous. In
September, 1876, he was ordained over the First Presbyterian Church in
St. Catharines, Ontario, where he remained seven years. This charge had
been one of the congregations established by the American Church, and
retained its name as such and its connection with the Presbytery of
Buffalo till immediately before his ordination. He was, therefore, the
first minister in the new relation, although it was a very old
congregation. During his ministry a brick church, the one now in use,
was erected. Rev. Mr. Bruce was for six years convener of the Home
Mission Committee of the Presbytery of Hamilton, and member of the
General Home Mission Committee of the church. In 1881 he was sent out
with the Rev. Dr. Cochrane by the Home Mission Committee to visit the
churches in Manitoba, and to meet with the presbytery and arrange for
the designation of the Rev. James Robertson as superintendent of
missions, as well as for the settlement of various other questions which
had been before the committee. On his way up to fulfil this appointment
he was on the steamer _City of Winnipeg_ when she was burnt at Duluth.
The fire took place at night and five lives were lost, the others
escaping with difficulty. Besides church work he has always had a deep
interest in educational matters, and has written a good deal in
connection with our system from time to time. In January, 1883, he was
inducted into his present charge, St. David’s Church, St. John, New
Brunswick. The congregation was one formed at the disruption as the Free
Church, and is a large and active one. Here as formerly he has taken a
deep interest in home mission work. Within the bounds of the large
presbytery there is a vast field. He is convener of an “Augmentation
Committee” for enlarging the salary of ministers in weak charges. Rev.
Mr. Bruce’s travels have not been great, although somewhat extended on
this continent, and almost incessant at times in church work. His trip
in 1881 to the North-West was an interesting experience of the “trail
and tent” life, as the Canadian Pacific Railway was only commenced, and
he passed the men at work several times. They had then attained a rate
of one mile per day, which was considered a wonder, although this speed
of track-laying was afterwards increased to three or even four miles per
day. His religious views have continued much the same in general
principles. He is a Presbyterian, and therefore, of course, a Calvinist
in doctrine. He has gone over all the ground carefully in connection
with scientific difficulties and other new phases, and with a mind, so
far as he knows, open to receive impressions and conviction. He believes
much enlargement has come from the study of Science in connection with
Religion, but has seen nothing to cause him to change his faith in the
“old doctrines.” It has been, he thinks, man’s narrow, mistaken, and
prejudiced construction of Bible teaching which has been the source of
the weakness, wherever there has really been a weakness. What is needed
is practical adaptation of teaching, preaching, and modes of work to the
requirements of the age. Broad sympathy and charity is the very pith and
marrow of the Gospel, and unswerving loyalty to the truth where it is
perceived. He has read extensively in rationalistic literature, the “new
theology” and evolutionary theories of revelation and man. He admires
the scientific spirit and patient research, but is deeply impressed with
the rash and superficial nature of much of the theorising so confidently
asserted. It is unscientific and unreliable. On the 18th June, 1884,
Rev. Mr. Bruce was married to Catherine Emily, third daughter of the
late John R. Dickson, M.D., president of the Royal College of Physicians
and Surgeons, Kingston, Ontario, and medical superintendent of the
Asylum for the Insane there. Dr. Dickson’s name is widely known in the
medical profession. He was especially celebrated as a surgeon, and in
the midst of a very extensive practice he found time to keep himself
abreast of the scientific progress of the age, and to take an active
interest in many matters of moral beneficence and religion. He came from
Ireland when quite young, part of the family remaining at home.
* * * * *
=Stewart, John=, Superintendent of the Northern Division of the New
Brunswick Railway, Woodstock, New Brunswick, was born at St. Andrews,
N.B., on the 2nd February, 1845. His father, Duncan Stewart, was in
early life a colour-sergeant in the rifle brigade, and afterwards became
an officer in the Customs department, and served in that capacity at St.
John and at St. Stephen. John was educated at the St. Stephen and Calais
High schools. Some time after leaving school he entered the Customs
service, and acted as weigher and gauger at St. Stephen in 1864-5, when
he was appointed to the position of conductor on the New Brunswick and
Canada Railway, and acted as such until 1874, when he was promoted to a
superintendency. In 1882, after the consolidation of the line with the
New Brunswick Railway Company, he was appointed to and filled the office
of general superintendent until 1885, and then was made superintendent
of the Northern division, which office he now fills. Having a taste for
military affairs, he joined the volunteers when a mere youth, and held
the rank of captain in the St. Stephen Infantry School, and saw a good
deal of active service during the Fenian invasion of our frontiers. In
1872 he was made a Freemason, and has ever since taken an interest in
the order. Mr. Stewart is a member of the Presbyterian denomination. In
1874 he was married to Susan A. Haddock, daughter of J. Haddock, of St.
Andrews, and has a family consisting of three children.
* * * * *
=Workman, Joseph=, M.D., Toronto, was born in Ballymacash, near the town
of Lisburn, Ireland, on the 26th May, 1805. He is descended from an
illustrious ancestry, the first of whom is noticed by Neale in his
history of the Puritans, namely, the Rev. William Workman, who was
lecturer at St. Stephen’s Church, in Gloucester, England, from 1618 to
1633, and whom the historian describes as a man of great piety, wisdom
and moderation. About that time Archbishop Laud had assumed power, and
was addressing himself with great energy to stemming the tide of
reformation which had set in. The images and pictures were restored to
the churches, and the clergy had begun to array themselves in gorgeous
vestments, such as those used by the clergy of the Roman Catholic
church. The Rev. Mr. Workman could not brook this state of things; and
in one of his sermons stigmatized pictures and statues of the founders
of Christianity, the fathers, and other eminent persons, as unfit
ornaments for churches, and declared that to set up images of Christ or
of the saints in the private houses was according to the Homily unlawful
and tended to idolatry. This sermon having been reported to Laud, the
Rev. Mr. Workman was brought before the Court of High Commission, and
after a short trial was convicted of heresy, deposed and excommunicated.
He now opened a school in order to support his family, but as an
excommunicated person he was inhibited from teaching youth. He then
commenced the practice of medicine, in which he had some skill, but the
archbishop forbade, and the result was that not knowing where to turn to
support his family, he fell into a settled melancholy and died. These
circumstances eventually made a deep impression on his children; and
they eagerly joined the parliamentary army, in which William Workman,
from whom the Canadian Workmans spring, held a commission, and was one
of those who met the charge of Prince Rupert on the field of Naseby.
This William served until 1648, when he went over to Ireland with Oliver
Cromwell; and on the close of the Irish campaign he retired from
military life, receiving as a reward for his services a grant of the two
town lands of Merlacoo, and two sizeacks in the county of Armagh. Of
these lands the old soldier held possession for only a short time. He
was in the midst of a hostile population, different in race and
religion, with bitter memories of defeat, and a passionate hunger for
vengeance, born of what they considered great wrongs. During Tyrconnel’s
administration he removed to county Down, near Donaghadee, whence he was
obliged to flee and shelter his old age behind the walls of Derry, soon
to be invested by King James’ army. He must have succumbed to the
appalling privations of the siege, as his name does not appear in the
history of an event which is so familiar in all its details. When at
last the besieging army, a long column of pikes and standards, was seen
retreating up the left bank of the Foyle, William Workman’s two sons and
their wives emerged from the war-scarred walls of Derry and settled in
the county of Antrim. One of the brothers settled at Brookend Mills,
near Coagh, whence he removed to Monymore, to take charge of the mill
there, and for more than a century this mill remained in charge of
successive generations of Workmans. Joseph Workman, the father of the
subject of our sketch, was the last of the family who resided at the
Monymore mill. This gentleman having made a visit of three years to the
United States, returned to Ireland and took up his abode at Ballymacash,
near the town of Lisburn, where his family, nine in number, were born,
all of whom ultimately came to Canada, and have left their mark on its
history. As will be seen from the above, the father of Joseph Workman
was of English descent, but his mother, Catharine Gondy, was descended
from a Scottish family. Joseph received his English education from a Mr.
Shields, and he was taught classics by J. Nealy, in Lisburn, Ulster, and
studied medicine in McGill College, Montreal. In 1836 he came to
Toronto, where he successfully practised his profession until July,
1853, when he was appointed by the government as medical superintendent
of the Asylum for the Insane at Toronto. This position he filled with
entire satisfaction until July, 1875, when he asked to be relieved of
the responsibility. And here we may say, Dr. Workman deserves well of
his adopted country, for no one could possibly have done more to bring
the institution over which he presided for so many years to a
comparative state of perfection, and to make the unfortunates under his
care more comfortable and happy. Dr. Workman is of a literary turn of
mind, and has contributed largely to various journals in the United
States and Canada. He is an associate member of several scientific
societies in Britain, Italy, the United States and Canada. He was one of
the commissioners appointed by the government to enquire into the
affairs of King’s College and Upper Canada College in 1848-50. In
religion the doctor may be styled a progressive liberal, and is willing
that all should search out the truth for themselves. He has generously
supported the Unitarian Church in Toronto from its infancy. In
consequence of close devotion to duty he has not been able to travel
much, yet he is very familiar with all parts of Canada. On the 30th May,
1835, he was married to Elizabeth Wassridge, a native of Sheffield,
England. This estimable lady died 16th May, 1885. The fruit of this
union has been six children, of whom three sons and two daughters now
survive.
* * * * *
=Campbell, George W.=, A.M., M.D., LL.D.—The late Dr. Campbell was born
in Roseneath, Dumbartonshire, Scotland, in 1810. He entered early on his
medical studies, which he pursued in the Universities of Glasgow and
Dublin. After graduating with distinction he came to Canada in May,
1833, and settled in Montreal. His marked ability soon placed him in the
front ranks of his profession, and gave him a large share of city
practice. The success following him naturally led to his being very
frequently called in consultation by his _confrères_, and for many years
before his death very few cases of any importance were treated in
Montreal without the advice of Dr. Campbell having been obtained. His
sound knowledge of pathology, and naturally clear insight into the
varying shades of distinction between clinical conditions apt to
resemble each other, made him an expert in diagnosis. Surgery was always
his _forte_, and his great reputation chiefly made by many successful
achievements in operative work. In 1835 Dr. Campbell was appointed to
the chair of surgery in McGill University, which position he continued
to hold with credit to himself and great advantage to the school until
1875—exactly forty years—when, owing to failing health, he resigned.
He was made dean of the faculty in 1860, taking then the place of the
late Dr. Holmes. The duties of this office he fulfilled even after his
resignation of the chair of surgery, and it was only in March, 1882,
that Prof. Howard was appointed acting dean in order to relieve him of
some necessary work and supply his place during temporary absences. For
nearly half a century Dr. Campbell’s name was identified with the
medical faculty of McGill University, and it was largely due to his
ability as a teacher of surgery that this school attained the high
degree of popularity which it has so long enjoyed. As its dean, he
always possessed the fullest confidence of his colleagues, and under his
able management its policy was always dignified and liberal, whilst
internal dissensions were entirely unknown. Dr. Campbell did not write
much for the medical journals. “Deeds, not words,” was his motto. But
his work as a successful teacher, and as a member of the corporation of
the university, led to the appropriate bestowal of the honorary degree
of LL.D. His style of lecturing was free from all oratorical effort, but
it was clear, forcible and impressive. Hundreds of practitioners
throughout this continent and elsewhere owe the foundations of their
surgical knowledge to Dr. Campbell’s early teaching. As the acknowledged
head of the profession in Montreal, he was often called upon to
entertain strangers and professional visitors, and most worthily did he
perform this duty. His house always held for such a true-hearted Scotch
reception, for he was a warm-hearted host, and his pleasant, cheery
manner, his sparkling reminiscences, his stores of learning always
bright, his animated conversation, made an evening spent in his company
always something to be remembered. He took great pleasure in seeing his
friends around him, and all know well the kindly and generous
hospitality which for years has been dispensed from his house by himself
and his talented family. For some years previous to his death Dr.
Campbell suffered from bronchitis, and was obliged to retire from active
practice and give himself more rest. He had also suffered from slight
attacks of pneumonia, and when in London, in 1882, on a visit, pneumonia
again set in, but being somewhat better, he went to Edinburgh, where,
however, more serious symptoms showed themselves, and he expired on the
30th of May of that year. The example of such a man as Dr. Campbell
cannot fail to be productive of great good. An accomplished physician
and skilful surgeon, an upright, honourable citizen, a kind and
considerate friend to the poor, a loved and honoured counsellor of the
rich, zealous in business but scrupulously honourable, a firm protector
of the dignity of his profession, and, above all, a thoroughly
consistent Christian gentleman.
* * * * *
=Coburn, George Hayward=, M.D., Physician and Surgeon, Fredericton, New
Brunswick, was born at Sheffield, Sunbury county, N.B., on the 10th
March, 1855. His parents were Moses Henry Coburn and Hepzibah Coburn. He
received his literary education at the Sunbury Grammar School, and at
the University of New Brunswick. Having chosen medicine as a profession,
he spent some years at the University of Pennsylvania, United States, in
study, with that end in view, and graduated from that institution with
honours in 1875. On his return to his native province he began the
practice of his profession, and has succeeded in building up a large
business. In 1883 Dr. Coburn was appointed health officer in
Fredericton, and still retains the position. In 1885 he was chosen a
member of the Board of Health for the same city; and in 1887 he was
chosen chairman of the board. During the same year he was appointed a
member of the Provincial Board of Health. In religion he is an adherent
of the Methodist church; and in politics is a Liberal. On the 19th June,
1878, he was married to Mary Gamble, of Philadelphia, U.S. Their family
consists of two children.
* * * * *
=Foster, James Gilbert=, Q.C., Barrister, Halifax, was born on the 13th
of June, 1839, at Aylesford, Kings county, Nova Scotia. His father,
Rufus Foster, was descended from a family of the United Empire
loyalists, who took refuge in Nova Scotia at the time of the American
revolution; and his mother, Christina Foster, was of Scotch descent,
having come when about seven years of age with her parents from
Scotland, and the family settled in the same province. James Foster
received a common school education, and studied law with the Hon.
Alexander James. On the 10th of May, 1864, Mr. Foster was admitted an
attorney-at-law and barrister, of her Majesty’s Supreme Court of
Judicature; and the 20th of May, 1865, he became a partner with Mr.
James in his legal business, and this partnership continued until Mr.
James was elevated, in January, 1877, to the Supreme Court of Nova
Scotia, as judge in Equity, when a dissolution took place. Mr. Foster
then took his brother, William R. Foster, into partnership with him, and
now the old business is carried on by the new firm. On the 23rd
February, 1867, he was appointed a notary public; and on the 9th of
October, 1878, he was made a Queen’s counsel by the Nova Scotia
government. In September, 1863, Mr. Foster was appointed first
lieutenant of the 6th regiment, Halifax county militia; and on the 19th
of June, 1865, was promoted to the captaincy of the 5th company of the
same corps. He attended the Military School of Instruction at Halifax,
and passed an examination, taking a second-class certificate for
candidates for commissions in the active militia, November 12th, 1869.
In August, 1883, he was appointed major in the reserve militia, of the
Nova Scotia regimental division of the county of Halifax, from No. 7
company division. From May, 1879 to May 1882, he held the office of
recorder and stipendiary magistrate of Dartmouth; and on the 29th of
May, 1879, was appointed justice of the peace for the county of Halifax.
On the 6th of July, 1884, he was made a commissioner for arranging and
preparing for the press, and indexing the fifth series of the Revised
Statutes of Nova Scotia; and in August, 1886, was appointed registrar of
the Court of Probate for the county of Halifax. From June, 1877, to
March, 1886, Mr. Foster held the position of vice-consul for the
Netherlands, at Halifax. During the years 1880 and 1881, he negotiated
with several railway syndicates, for the purpose of carrying out the
scheme for the amalgamation and completion of the Nova Scotia railways,
proposed by the Local government of the time; and in 1881, he was
authorized by Cyrus W. Field and associates, who were large owners of
the Pictou coal mines, to negotiate proposals for that purpose with the
Local government and the late Sir Hugh Allan, then owner of the Eastern
Extension Railway in Nova Scotia—one of the railways in question. The
government was, however, pledged to what was known as the Plunkett
syndicate, which, finally fell through, and the government was defeated
in the general elections of the following year, 1882. The policy of the
succeeding government being averse to the scheme for railway
amalgamation, and railway interests becoming in the meantime much
depressed, Mr. Field and his friends did not care to renew their
proposals. Mr. Foster was brought up and has always been a member of the
Church of England. He has represented the parish of Dartmouth, as a lay
delegate in the Synod of the Diocese of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward
Island, since April 13th, 1874; and on the 23rd of April, 1879, was made
one of the executive committee of the Synod. During the years 1877,
1883, and 1886, he represented the same diocese, as one of its delegates
in the Provincial Synod of Canada. Mr. Foster is a Liberal in politics;
and at the general election in 1882, was a candidate for the House of
Assembly of Nova Scotia, but failed to secure his election, having been
defeated by a trifling majority.
* * * * *
=Barker, Frederic Eustace=, M.A., D.C.L., Q.C., M.P., St. John, New
Brunswick. F. E. Barker is a native of Sheffield, in the county of
Sunbury, in the province of New Brunswick, where he was born on the 27th
December, 1838. His father, the late Enoch Barker, has been dead for
some years. The family settled in Sheffield at the time of the American
revolution, having before that resided in Massachusetts. Mr. Barker,
jr., was educated at the Sunbury Grammar School, principally under the
tuition of the Rev. George S. Milligan, M.A., now superintendent of
Education in Newfoundland. He matriculated at King’s College,
Fredericton (now the University of New Brunswick), in June, 1853, and
graduated as B.A. in June, 1856. At his degree examination the examiners
voluntarily recommended him for honours, which the College Council
accordingly granted. He was admitted to the degree of M.A. in June,
1858; B.C.L. in December, 1861; and D.C.L. in June, 1866. He took all
these degrees in regular course from the University of New Brunswick, an
institution in which he has always taken an active interest. Mr. Barker
was principally instrumental in the formation of “The Associated Alumni
of the University of N.B.,” was for some time president of that body,
and one of its representatives in the University Senate. He is also one
of the Civil Law Examiners for this University. In June, 1856, Mr.
Barker was entered as a law student with the late Justice Fisher, then a
practising barrister at Fredericton. In June, 1860, he was admitted an
attorney of the Supreme Court, and a year later he was called to the
bar; and in April, 1873, he was appointed a Q.C. by the Dominion
government. Mr. Barker commenced practice at Grand Falls, in New
Brunswick, but only remained there a few months, when he removed to the
city of St. John, where he has since resided and practised. In 1863, he
formed a partnership with the present Justice Wetmore (then one of the
leaders of the N.B. bar), which continued until that gentleman went on
the bench in 1870. In 1875, Mr. Barker was appointed by the Provincial
government one of the commissioners for consolidating the Statutes of
New Brunswick. Mr. Barker at one time took an active interest in militia
matters. In May, 1864, he was gazetted ensign; in August of the same
year lieutenant; in February, 1865, captain, and in July, 1868, major in
the St. John city Light Infantry. He has been for many years one of the
benchers and a member of the council of the Barristers’ Society of N.B.,
and a member of the council of the St. John Law Society. He is now
vice-president of the Barristers’ Society; president of the St. John
Bridge and Railway Extension Company, and one of the directors of the
St. John Gas Company. Mr. Barker has always belonged to what is now
known as the Liberal-Conservative party in politics. When the retirement
of Sir Leonard Tilley, in October, 1885, caused a vacancy in the
representation for the city of St. John in the House of Commons, Mr.
Barker was almost unanimously elected as the Liberal-Conservative
candidate by a large and influential committee nominated to choose a
candidate; and at the election which took place on 24th November, 1885,
he was elected to the House of Commons by a majority of 112, about the
same as that usually obtained by Sir Leonard, his predecessor. Mr.
Barker is a member of the Church of England. He has at times visited the
chief cities in Great Britain, United States and Canada. He was married
(first) at St. John, in October, 1865, to Elizabeth Julia, daughter of
the late Edward Lloyd, of the R. E. civil staff, who died in January,
1874; and (second) to Mary Ann, daughter of the late B. E. Black, of
Halifax, and niece and adopted daughter of the late Justice Wilmot, who
was the first lieutenant-governor of New Brunswick after confederation.
By the first marriage Mr. Barker has one son and two daughters, and by
the latter two daughters.
* * * * *
=Murphy, Owen=, Quebec, M.P.P. for Quebec West, was born at Stoneham, in
the province of Quebec, on 9th December, 1829. He is descended from a
long line of illustrious ancestors, as may be seen on referring to the
“Chronicles of Leinster.” This authority says; “The O’Murphys, the
O’Murchoes, or Murphy, are descended from Henry Feling, chieftain of the
Murroes, now called Macamores, in the Barony of Ballaghkeen, in the
county of Wexford. They were in possession of it before the English
invasion. This Feling was son of Cuma-Kinsellagh, King of Leinster, in
the fifth century. The head of the family, in 1634, lived in
Tubberlimmach. He was Connell O’Murchoe, gentleman, the eldest son of
Donnell More, ‘The O’Murchoe,’ son of Art, son of Tiege. This Connell
died in 1634, and was buried in Castle Ellis [the burial-place of Mr.
Murphy’s family in the county of Wexford.—ED.]. He left five sons:
Tiege was the eldest, he remained in Wexford; also James, who possessed
an estate in Killincoolly, taken from him by Cromwell. Art went to
county Louth in 1641; his descendants remained in the north. Another,
named Laughlin, lived in Ballyoughna.” The Murphys of Ballainonlart
House, in Wexford, have been known for generations as one of the most
popular families in that district, and we believe we are correct in
affirming that Owen Murphy’s father was the only member of the family
who settled in this country, which he did in the early part of the
present century. Many people still living in the city of Quebec remember
well the generous and liberal spirit that at all times actuated him, and
this, combined with his peculiarly rich attainments and cultivated mind,
rendered him a highly popular citizen, and when death came, caused him
to be greatly regretted. None the less eminent were his three brothers,
all of whom attained for themselves very high ecclesiastical honors and
dignity, one of whom being for many years bishop of Ferns, in Ireland.
Owen Murphy was educated under Robert H. Scott, of Edinburgh, a
gentleman of high culture, with a reputation far above ordinary as a
tutor. His commercial training was received in the offices of Ross,
Shuter & Co., and H. J. Noad & Co., two of the most important lumber,
ship-owning, produce and milling firms then in the city or province of
Quebec. Mr. Murphy’s aptitude and zeal in his profession gained for him
the commendation of his employers, and the result was that he soon
became not only a favourite with them, but with the public generally. He
was elected to serve in the city council, as representative for St.
Paul’s ward, the most important business section of the city, and for
several years faithfully served the citizens in that capacity. In 1874,
as a mark of the high esteem in which he was held, he was chosen mayor
of the ancient capital; and as a further mark of esteem he was again, in
1876, elected for another term of two years. During the period he
occupied the position of chief magistrate he exhibited such zeal for the
city’s welfare that on his retirement from office he carried with him
the esteem and best wishes of his fellow citizens. And here we may say
that the improvements suggested by Lord Dufferin, when he was
governor-general of Canada, and which have made Quebec one of the most
beautiful places for the tourist in which to spend a few days, were
suggested when Mr. Murphy was mayor, and through combined efforts they
were carried out to a successful conclusion. In August, 1875, while Mr.
Murphy was mayor of Quebec, he paid a visit to Britain, and of course to
the land of his forefathers. The Wexford _Independent_ thus kindly
alludes to the event:
THE MAYOR OF QUEBEC AT WEXFORD.—This respected functionary,
accompanied by the mayoress of Quebec, arrived here on Saturday
last from Dublin. His worship is staying at the West Gate Hotel,
and is a nephew of the late Right Rev. Dr. Murphy, the estimable
and lamented bishop of the diocese, the truly apostolic divine,
the scholar, and in every sense the well-bred Irish gentleman.
He is also a nephew of the _ci-devant_ pastor of Castlecomer, in
the diocese of Ossary, the late Very Reverend Lawrence Murphy,
and of the late Rev. Michael Murphy, for many years the zealous
collaborateur of Father Corrin in the pastoral charge of
Wexford. Although born on a foreign soil, Mr. Murphy ardently
loves the land of his ancestors—not with wild and misdirected
enthusiasm, but like his estimable uncles, with judgment,
discretion and sincerity; and in saying that he has inherited
many of their distinguished characteristics, we pay him the
highest compliment in our power to bestow. At the great
international banquet given by the corporation of London
(England) lately to the great municipal chiefs of the whole
civilized world, the mayor of Quebec was chosen to return
thanks, not only for the Dominion of Canada, but for the
municipalities of the United States, and the other rising
nations of the western world.
Mr. Murphy is a justice of the peace for the city and district of
Quebec; a director of the Quebec Central Railroad; has been president of
the St. Patrick’s Society; president of St. Patrick’s Literary Society;
for four years president of the Quebec Turf Club, and was one of the
committee of management of St. Patrick’s Church, prior to the change
being made in the temporal administration of that church. In 1880 he was
elected president of the Quebec Board of Trade, and the following year
was again unanimously elected for another term. At the general election
held in 1866 he was elected to represent Quebec West in the local
legislature. In politics he is a Liberal, but is in favour of the
national policy. In religion he is an adherent of the Roman Catholic
church. He was married in 1857 to Elizabeth, daughter of the late James
Loughry.
* * * * *
=Smith, Rev. H. Percy W.=, Rector of St. Paul’s Church, Dunnville,
Ontario, was born at Islington, London, England, on the 13th September,
1837. His parents, William and Mary Smith, are both alive, and residing
in Canada. Rev. Mr. Smith received his early education at private
schools in his birthplace, and when thirteen years of age entered a
wholesale drapery establishment, where he continued for about seven
years. This business not being entirely in accordance with his taste, he
abandoned it, and entered St. Augustin’s College, Canterbury, to study
for the ministry. In February, 1864, he bade farewell to England, and
set sail on the _Bohemian_ steamship for Canada. When eighteen days out
the _Bohemian_ struck the rocks near Portland, and became a total wreck,
and through this mishap he unfortunately lost his library and outfit.
Shortly after reaching Canada, in 1864, he was ordained deacon by the
Bishop of Ontario, and two years afterwards, priest by the Bishop of
Montreal. For the past ten years he has been rector of St. Paul’s
Church, at Dunnville, and is very much respected by his parishioners. He
was married in 1866 to Lizzie, third daughter of the late Colonel
Edwards, of March, Ontario.
* * * * *
=Mackay, Alexander Howard=, B.A., B.Sc., F.S.Sc. (Lond.), Pictou, Nova
Scotia. Alexander Mackay, the paternal grandfather of the subject of
this sketch, and the progenitor of a numerous family, many of whom are
favourably known in Canada as members of the learned professions, was
born in Sutherlandshire, Scotland, in 1762. He emigrated to Mount
Dalhousie, in the county of Pictou, Nova Scotia, in 1822, took up
several hundred acres of land for farming, and in 1847 died, loved and
revered by a large community who looked up to him as a patriarchal
chief. His second son, John Mackay, was born in Sutherlandshire, in
1810, and emigrated with his father and the rest of the family in 1822.
In 1836 he travelled through a portion of the United States of America,
and Ontario, in Canada, where he took up some land; but finally settled
down on the old homestead. In 1847 he married Barbara Maclean, who was
born at Roger’s Hill, in the county of Pictou, in 1823. Her father, John
Maclean, was born in the west of Scotland, about 1758, and died at
Roger’s Hill in 1848. From this marriage came a family of seven boys and
three girls. The eldest, Alexander Howard Mackay, was born on the 19th
May, 1848. His father was a man of remarkable probity of character, of
very superior intellectual powers, and enthusiastically patriotic. In
addition to the farm, a mechanic’s shop, with a turner’s and
cabinetmaker’s tools and machinery, supplied the ways and means. There
was no luxury, however. Hard manual work, alternated with study, was
used in developing the various and versatile powers of the whole man.
The play of mechanical ingenuity, original constructive effort, and
acute investigation, filled the hours of recreation. This family
discipline was a perfect success. The father, John Mackay, died February
22nd, 1879. The mother is living in good health at the date of writing,
August, 1887. Young Alexander could read and write before he went to the
public school, which was two miles distant. The farm and the school
divided his time; but the leisure hour found him constructing a sextant,
theodolite, or transit instrument, which he never previously saw, and
with which he made remarkably accurate measurements; or making some
apparatus to demonstrate a law in physics or chemistry; or exploring the
natural history of the picturesque glen running through the homestead.
In 1865 the trustees of the school section pressed him to take charge of
their school. Although he had no license, never having thought of
becoming a teacher, he accepted the position. In 1866 he graduated at
the head of his class from the Provincial Normal School at Truro. In
1867 he attended the Pictou Academy, and at the provincial examination
of teachers following, won the first place. In the fall of 1869 he
matriculated in Dalhousie College, and for four years was a leading
prizeman in his classes. He graduated a B.A. in April, 1873, with
special honours in mathematics and physics. He was also the
valedictorian of his class, and was for the last three years of his
undergraduate course an editor of the college paper, _The Dalhousie
Gazette_. He also took classes in the School of Science in the
Provincial Museum, under the provincial geologist, Dr. Honeyman; and in
the Medical College, then affiliated with Dalhousie. After graduation he
was appointed principal of the County Academy at Annapolis Royal, and a
few months later received the unsolicited appointment to the
principalship of the Pictou Academy and public schools of Pictou, which
position he holds at present. He assumed charge of the Pictou Academy,
November 1st, 1873, since which time the staff and attendance of the
institution have been more than doubled. In 1874 he was elected
president of the Education Convention of Nova Scotia, a position to
which he was re-elected. From this time he has taken a very active and
forward part in promoting educational reform through the press and
otherwise. In 1876 he spent a portion of the year in studying the
educational appliances in the leading cities of the eastern United
States. His efforts culminated in 1881, in the erection of the present
Pictou Academy, one of the finest and best equipped academic buildings
in Canada. Its facilities for scientific teaching are greater than are
those of many colleges. In 1880 he graduated a B.Sc. from the University
of Halifax, with first class honours in biology. In addition to his
educational work, he has also found time to engage in original
scientific investigation. His papers or work may be found in the
“Proceedings” of several scientific societies. His popular scientific
writings have been numerous and widely diffused. In 1884 he was elected
a member of committee of the Biological section of the British
Association meeting in Montreal. In 1886 he was elected a fellow of the
Society of Science, Letters and Art, London. And the same year he was
elected president of the Alumni of Dalhousie College and University; and
also, president of the Nova Scotia Summer School of Science. He knows no
rest, for at the same time he is a member of a multitude of local
societies, and in every sense an active citizen. He is a member of the
Kirk Session of St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Pictou; but also
contributes to other denominations. He believes in a catholic union of
all Christian effort, and a scientific expansion of religious
philosophy. In local politics he independently supports educational
reform. In Dominion politics he avows a preference for the policy of the
Liberal-Conservative party. He is a Britisher, first, against the whole
world; and a Canadian all the time, and will fight. He has just started
the “Educational Review” (of which he is Nova Scotian editor), in
company with G. U. Hay, Ph.B., of St. John, New Brunswick, and Principal
Anderson, of the Prince of Wales College, Prince Edward Island. In 1882
he married Maude Augusta Johnstone, only daughter of Dr. George Moir
Johnstone, M.R.C.S., London, and his wife, _née_ Sarah Mortimer Smith,
of Pictou town.
* * * * *
=Archibald, Abram Newcomb=, was born in Stewiacke, Nova Scotia, June
2nd, 1849, and died in Halifax, November 27, 1883. He was the seventh
son of Daniel Archibald, J.P., and Rebecca Newcombe, his wife, both of
whom are still living (December, 1886). Daniel Archibald is a great
grandson of Samuel Archibald, the second of four brothers from
Londonderry, Ireland, who settled in Colchester county, in 1762. This
family has produced many distinguished men, including among others the
late S. G. W. Archibald, Master of the Rolls, and his two sons, Sir
Thomas D. and Sir Edward M. Archibald, Sir Adams G. Archibald and
Senator T. D. Archibald. Mr. Archibald attended the schools of his
native place in his boyhood, and subsequently pursued his classical
studies for a couple of years under the tuition of his brother, the Rev.
E. N. Archibald, M.A. In 1867 he took charge of the public school at
Musquodoboit, Halifax county; in May, 1876, he was appointed principal
of Richmond School, Halifax city; and in November, 1879, principal of
Albro School. He resigned this latter position in July, 1881, on his
appointment to the office of secretary and superintendent, of colportage
for the British American Book and Tract Society, with headquarters in
Halifax. In the discharge of his new duties, Mr. Archibald visited all
the centres of population in the lower provinces and addressed public
meetings. Early in 1883 he proceeded to Britain, on business connected
with the society, and to present its claims to the British public, being
accompanied on this tour by his wife and son. Mr. Archibald was invited
to speak in many of the principal churches in Edinburgh and Glasgow, as
well as before the United Presbyterian Synod and the Free Church
Assembly, which met in Edinburgh in May. He was also present by
invitation and spoke at the annual missionary breakfast of the Religious
Tract Society, held in the Cannon Street Hotel, London. The interest
awakened by Mr. Archibald’s addresses was very gratifying, and resulted
in his obtaining liberal subscriptions to the funds of the society. On
his return to Halifax in the autumn, Mr. Archibald was able to present a
most satisfactory report of his mission, and received the warmest thanks
of the committee. Shortly after resuming his work in Nova Scotia, he was
seized with typhoid fever, and although a very strong man, he finally
succumbed to the attack. Many public bodies, as well as private
individuals on both sides of the Atlantic, gave formal expression to
their deep sense of the loss sustained in his death. Mr. Archibald was a
ready and persuasive speaker and a good writer. Many of his essays and
addresses have been published. He always took a leading part in
educational, temperance, Sabbath-school and all religious work. As
president of the Halifax Sunday-school Union, he occupied the chair at
the great centenary meeting held in Halifax, July 3rd, 1880; and at the
time of his death he was a member of the executive committee of the
Young Men’s Christian Association of Halifax. Mr. Archibald married,
December 14th, 1874, Mary Mellish, third daughter of James L. Mellish,
of Pownal, P.E.I. They had one son, Raymond Clare, born October 8th,
1875. Mrs. Archibald was re-appointed chief preceptress of Mount Allison
Ladies’ College, Sackville, N.B., in 1885, having held that position
previous to her marriage.
* * * * *
=Grant, Rev. R. N.=, Pastor of the Presbyterian Church, Orillia, was
born in the neighbourhood of Peterborough, Ontario. His father,
Alexander Grant, was a native of Sutherlandshire, Scotland. He came to
Canada in 1832, and began his Canadian life in what was then called the
Newcastle district, where he taught school for about nine years. In 1840
he moved to that part of Western Ontario known in those days as the
Huron Tract, and settled in the township of North Easthope, now one of
the wealthiest townships in the county of Perth. Alexander Grant was a
man of much more than average ability and attainments. His services were
soon sought by the settlers around him, and he was elected to the
positions of township clerk and treasurer for several years. He
afterwards represented his township in the county council for twelve
successive years, and finished his long municipal career in the warden’s
chair in 1859. He was frequently urged to stand as a candidate for
parliamentary honours, and it was believed by his friends that he could
easily have carried his county in the Liberal interest at the general
election of 1854 had he entered upon the contest. Like many of his
countrymen, Alexander Grant had a fair share of the military spirit. He
was one of the oldest and most enthusiastic captains of his battalion,
and was the first to offer his services during the _Trent_ difficulty.
Though a decided economist in ordinary matters of public expenditure, he
was always in favour of giving liberally for the defence of the country.
He had several relatives and connections in the Highland regiments that
took part in the Crimean war, and his enthusiasm knew no bounds when
news came that the kilted soldiers had carried the old flag to victory.
He died in January, 1863, and his remains were followed to their last
resting place by large numbers of sorrowing friends, among whom were
representative men from all parts of the surrounding country. Mrs.
Alexander Grant, mother of the subject of the present sketch, was born
in Wick, Caithness-shire, Scotland. She was, though for many years an
invalid, a woman of strong character and high ambition, and nothing
gratified her so much as to see her family rise to positions of honour
and usefulness. Their other children were Alexander Grant, barrister,
late mayor of Stratford, who died about two years ago—Mrs. Hislop, wife
of the late Rev. J. K. Hislop, and Miss Grant. Both daughters are at
present residents of the young city of Stratford. Having received such
an education as the common schools of those days could afford, Robert
was sent to the Grammar School of the county—an institution which was
then in its infancy, but which has now become one of the leading
collegiate institutes of the province. The scholars met in a small room
in the north-eastern angle of the court house. Some of the boys who met
in that room have since made a fairly good mark in Canada. Among others
might be mentioned James P. Woods, the present county judge of Perth,
and James Fisher, the well known barrister of Winnipeg. The school was
then and for many years afterwards taught by C. J. McGregor, M.A., the
first mayor of the young city of Stratford. Following the usual line of
aspiring young men in those early days, young Grant left school when he
got a first-class certificate, and went into the teaching profession to
earn some money, his intention being to study law. One of the trustees
of the school he taught was James Trow, M.P., the present popular member
for South Perth, and one of the whips of the Liberal party in the House
of Commons. Having taught for a year, he entered the Georgetown
Collegiate Institute, in 1858, and continued his studies chiefly under
the Rev. Malcolm MacVicar, the present principal of McMaster Hall,
Toronto. In the following year he taught for a few months in the village
of Millbank, in his old county, and began the study of Greek under the
Rev. W. T. McMullen, then pastor of the Presbyterian congregation of
Millbank, and for the last twenty-seven years pastor of Knox Church,
Woodstock. For reasons which need not be given here, Mr. Grant had
abandoned his long cherished ambition to become a lawyer, and had
decided to enter the ministry of the Presbyterian church. Not the least
potent factor in bringing about the change was the earnest searching and
thoroughly evangelical preaching of the youthful Presbyterian pastor of
Millbank who was then beginning his long and honoured ministry. In 1859,
Mr. Grant entered Knox College, Toronto, and pursued his literary
studies under Prof. George Paxton Young, then of Knox College, and in
University College, Toronto. His theological teachers were Prof. Young,
and Drs. Burns and Willis, for all of whom he left the college
cherishing feelings of profound respect. Graduating in April, 1865, he
was soon afterwards licensed by the Presbytery of Paris. In the autumn
of that year he received calls from the Presbyterian congregations of
Markham, Picton, and the united congregations of Waterdown and
Wellington Square. The call from the last named congregation was
accepted, and the ordination and induction took place on the 23rd of
January, 1866. For five years and a half Mr. Grant laboured in this
field with a good measure of success, and did his full share of work for
his neighbours, especially in Hamilton where his services were often
sought on the platform. He was the greater part of the time a member of
the Board of Education for the county of Wentworth. Under his ministry
two young persons united with the church whose names are now well known
to the Presbyterians of Canada—the Rev. W. A. Wilson, M.A., one of the
missionaries in India, and Mrs. Builder, wife of the Rev. Mr. Builder,
another missionary in the same distant field. Owing to ill health caused
partly by driving between his congregations, Mr. Grant decided that he
must change his field of labour, and in July, 1871, accepted a call from
Knox Church, Ingersoll. Here he laboured for nearly eleven years,
identifying himself with all the interests of his town, and doing a
considerable amount of work in the pulpit and on the platform for his
neighbours. In 1877 he received a call from St. Andrew’s Church,
Chatham, offering some tempting inducements, among others a considerable
increase in salary. The congregation of Knox Church strongly resisted
the proposed translation, and in addition to the steps usually taken in
such matters, presented a petition to the presbytery, signed by the
whole congregation, asking that their pastor’s services be retained. Mr.
Grant declined the call, but afterwards had some grave doubts as to
whether he had taken the proper course. In the early part of 1882, some
informal steps were taken by a number of persons to unite the two
Presbyterian congregations of Ingersoll. Mr. Grant had no confidence in
the movement—a movement which afterwards turned out a disastrous
failure—but not wishing to oppose it, determined to remove to another
field of labour. In May he received a unanimous and enthusiastic call
from the Presbyterian congregation of Orillia, which he accepted, and
was inducted and warmly welcomed on the 19th of July. Previous to
leaving Ingersoll, a large and influential farewell meeting was held at
which all the religious denominations of the town were represented. Mr.
Grant was presented with three hundred and seventy-five dollars as a
farewell gift, and Mrs. Grant with a valuable silver service. In the
early part of 1880, Mr. Grant, believing that his _alma mater_ was
placed at a disadvantage on account of not having the power to confer
degrees in divinity, prepared an overture to the general assembly,
asking that this power be granted to Knox and the Presbyterian College
of Montreal. He supported the overture in the presbytery of Paris and in
the synod of Hamilton and London by both of which it was adopted, and
sent on to the supreme court. After a lively debate the prayer of the
overture was granted by the Assembly, and the necessary legislation by
the legislatures of Ontario and Quebec at their next session. On the 9th
of May, 1866, Mr. Grant was united in marriage with Marianne McMullen,
third daughter of the late A. McMullen, of Fergus, and sister of the
Rev. W. T. McMullen, of Woodstock, and James McMullen, M.P. for North
Wellington. Besides ministering to the large and influential
congregation of which he is pastor, Mr. Grant is a voluminous
contributor to the press. He has also written about a dozen popular
lectures, some of which have been frequently delivered.
* * * * *
=Chauveau, Hon. Justice Alexandre=, B.C.L., Q.C., Justice of the Court
of Quarter Sessions, Quebec, second son of Hon. P. J. O. Chauveau, Q.C.,
D.C.L., now sheriff of Montreal, and late prime minister of the Province
of Quebec, in 1867, first provincial government, and ex-speaker of the
Senate, was born on the 23rd day of February, 1847. He was educated at
the Jesuits’ and Montreal Colleges, at Laval and McGill Universities, at
which latter he took the degree of B.C.L. in 1867. He studied law with
S. Leliëvre, Q.C., in Quebec, and with the late Sir George Cartier, in
Montreal; and was admitted to the bar of his native province, on the 4th
of March, 1868, and practised in partnership with the late Hon. Justice
Alleyn up to the date of his appointment to his present position, viz.,
Justice of the Court of General Sessions. Mr. Chauveau entered the
political arena at the early age of twenty-four, and contested the
county of Rimouski, in April, 1872, against Dr. Fisét, and was elected
by a large majority, as the ministerial candidate. His father was then
premier of the province. During the sessions of 1872-73-74, Mr. Chauveau
gave an independent support to the Conservative government, although
often voting with the opposition during the last session of that
parliament. He was unanimously returned by the same constituency at the
general election of 1875 as an independent member, and continued during
the sessions of 1875-76-77 to judge political questions on their merits
when brought before the legislature. He was appointed solicitor-general
in the Joly administration, in March, 1878, after the _coup d’état_ of
Mr. Letellier, and was re-elected as such at the general election of the
same year. On the 19th of March, 1879, he was appointed provincial
secretary and registrar for the province of Quebec, which office he held
until the 12th of September in the same year, when, after the
adjournment of the house for the space of two months, during the
dead-lock caused by the refusal of the Legislative Council to pass the
supply bill, Mr. Chauveau sent in his resignation. The Joly government
was defeated on the 29th of October, 1879, Mr. Chauveau, with a number
of former supporters of the administration, voting with the majority on
a motion presented by Hon. Mr. Lynch, favouring a coalition as the only
remedy to settle the difficult position of the province brought about by
the fact that both parties were unable to obtain in the house sufficient
strength to form a strong administration. On the 15th of January, 1880,
Hon. Mr. Chauveau was appointed Judge of the Sessions for the province
of Quebec, and is also a commissioner of the provincial police force.
Hon. Mr. Chauveau was twice elected—1884-85—president of the Société
St. Jean Baptiste, the French-Canadian national society in Quebec. He is
also a commissioner to act judicially in extradition matters, under the
Extradition Act of Canada. He married on the 1st of August, 1871, Adèle,
eldest daughter of Hon. U. J. Tessier, judge of the Court of Queen’s
Bench.
* * * * *
=Keating, Edward Henry=, Civil Engineer, Halifax, Nova Scotia, the
fourth son of William H. Keating, barrister-at-law, was born at Halifax,
N.S., on the 7th August, 1844. He is a twin, his twin brother dying in
childhood. His father when a child, in company with his parents, left
Nottingham, England, in 1812, with the intention of settling in
Pennsylvania, North America, but learning while on the passage out that
war had been declared between Great Britain and the United States, the
family changed their plans, and went to Surinam, in South America, where
shortly afterwards Mr. Keating, sen. (grandfather), died. William H.
Keating then went to England to receive his education, and having
accomplished this object, recrossed the Atlantic, and made his home in
Nova Scotia, where for many years, he filled the important office of
deputy provincial secretary of the province. Edward Henry Keating, the
subject of our sketch, was educated in his native town, at the Free
Church Academy, under George Munroe, subsequently the great New York
publisher, and afterwards at Dalhousie College; on leaving college,
early in life, he went into the employ of an architect and builder, with
the view of following architecture as a profession. For three or four
years he was engaged in architectural pursuits, and was concerned in
preparing the drawings and specifications for several public and private
buildings in Halifax and elsewhere under different architects. During
this period he devoted the greater part of his evenings and leisure to
the study of mathematics and in improving himself in other branches. In
1863 he obtained an appointment as rodman on the Nova Scotian government
railways, and from that time devoted his attention exclusively to
engineering pursuits. He was engaged on the surveys and construction of
the Pictou Railway, under Geo. Wightman, C.E., and afterwards under
Sandford Fleming, C.E., C.M.G, from the commencement to its completion,
and in consequence of his studious and painstaking habits, he rapidly
rose in the estimation of his superior officers and the government, and
in less than three years from the time of his appointment was called
upon to exercise the duties of assistant engineer. In the early part of
1867 he was appointed in charge of the draughting office on the Windsor
and Annapolis Railway by the English company who were then building the
line, and designed many of the works and structures on that road, but
finding the work of too sedentary a nature, he resigned that position in
less than a year to take part in the surveys and construction of the
Intercolonial Railway, on which he was engaged for several years in
laying out the line in the provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia,
and in the execution of the heaviest and most difficult works on that
railway in the province of Nova Scotia. In 1871 he left the
Intercolonial Railway on the general reduction of the engineering staff,
and opened an office in Halifax for the private practice of his
profession, but being solicited by the government to undertake the
charge of an exploration survey for the then proposed Canadian Pacific
Railway, he abandoned his practice and undertook that service. After
spending the greater part of the year 1872 in this work, he returned on
a visit to Halifax to find that the civic authorities during his absence
had elected him to the office of city engineer and engineer of the water
works. Believing that the federation of the provinces and the completion
of the Intercolonial Railway would have the effect of building up his
native place and making it of the first commercial importance to Canada,
he decided to throw up his connection with the government works, and
accept the position offered him. He at once devoted himself to improving
the public works of the city and the various services which then came
under his control. Besides preparing and perfecting a plan for a general
scheme of sewerage for the town, he effected large alterations and
improvements in the water works, and was the first engineer in America
to introduce and apply successfully self-acting scraping machines in
removing, by means of hydraulic power, deposits and iron rust from the
interior of water mains and pipes. The machines he used for this purpose
were made under his own directions and from his own designs, which he
had patented both in the United States and Canada. Besides attending to
his official duties, Mr. Keating has acted as engineer to other
corporations on special occasions, and has designed and constructed
sewerage and water works in some of the neighbouring towns in his own
and the adjoining province. Amid these labours he continued to take a
deep and practical interest in the great public works of the country,
especially those affecting the welfare or interests of the Maritime
provinces and the city to which he belonged. In 1885, at the time of the
agitation over the route for the proposed so-called “Short Line Railway”
connecting the Canadian Pacific Railway at Montreal with the principal
Atlantic seaports of the Dominion, Mr. Keating, at the request of the
Halifax Chamber of Commerce, investigated and reported to that body upon
the respective merits of the different rival routes. He earnestly
advocated the construction of a railway bridge across the river St.
Lawrence at Cap Rouge, near Quebec, and the adoption of a line by way of
that city as by far the best commercial route, in the interests of the
Maritime provinces, that had so far been brought under consideration. In
this view he received the unanimous support of the Chamber as well as of
the Board of Trade of Quebec. Although unsuccessful in obtaining the
adoption of the line he advocated, he offered, as his contribution to
the undertaking, to conduct the necessary connecting surveys through the
state of Maine free of charge, in order to prove the correctness of his
assertions, and his able reports and arguments on the whole question
have not yet been successfully met or answered. It might also be
mentioned that the city of Quebec offered to grant a sum of money
towards completing the surveys on the route advocated, but, for reasons
which it would be impolitic to enter upon here, the project fell
through, and a more southerly route was selected, although protested
against by the commercial community both in Halifax and Quebec. Mr.
Keating was also prominently concerned in securing a graving dock for
the port of Halifax, strongly advocating native granite as the best
material for its construction. He visited, inspected, and reported upon
all the graving docks along the Atlantic coast of America, including the
docks at Quebec and St. John’s, Newfoundland. Recently he has been
offered by the Halifax Graving Dock Company, Limited (of London), the
position of resident engineer for the new dock and coaling station now
under construction at Halifax. This office he has accepted and holds in
combination with his civic offices. In 1875 he procured leave of absence
from his civic duties, and went on a professional tour through England,
France, and Italy, visiting and inspecting many of the principal
engineering works in those countries. He has been for many years
connected with several scientific societies, and is a member of the
Institution of Civil Engineers of London; a member of the American
Society of Civil Engineers, New York; and a member of the American Water
Works Association of Cincinnati, to each of which bodies he has
contributed professional papers for study and discussion. In 1869 Mr.
Keating married Mary Little, eldest daughter of James Fleming Blanchard,
of Truro, N.S.
* * * * *
=McRitchie, Rev. George=, Minister of the Methodist Church, Prescott,
Ontario, was born in Dundee, Scotland, in 1827. His parents, James
McRitchie and Elizabeth Miller, with their family of three children,
came to Canada in 1844. The Rev. Mr. McRitchie received his primary
education in Mr. Gilbert’s academy in Dundee; and after coming to this
country entered Victoria College, Cobourg, where he studied literature
and theology, and laid a foundation for future usefulness. He received
his early religious training in connection with the Presbyterian church,
until he reached his sixteenth year, when he began to change his
theological views, and in September, 1847, joined the Methodist
denomination, shortly after coming to this country. In 1850 he entered
the ministry of the Methodist church as a probationer, and was ordained
in Belleville, in 1854, since which time he has worked hard in the
Lord’s vineyard. He has been chairman of the Kingston, Brantford,
Brockville and Perth districts successively; and is now superintendent
of Prescott circuit and chairman of the Brockville district. The Rev.
Mr. McRitchie was a member of the committees on union in the years 1874
and 1883; in 1879 he was president of the Montreal Conference; and he
has been a delegate to each general conference since he entered the
ministry. In 1855 he was married to Eliza Eakins, of Newburg; she died
in Brockville in 1876. He was again married in 1877, to Jamesena Dunlap,
widow of the late C. D. French, of Pembroke, Ontario.
* * * * *
=Graveley, Lieut.-Colonel John Vance=, Fortieth Regiment of Canadian
Militia, Cobourg, is a Canadian by birth, having been born at Cobourg,
on the 17th December, 1840. He is the eldest son of William and Margaret
Christiana Graveley. The former was born at Knasboro’, Yorkshire,
England, and was the son of John Graveley, a celebrated surgeon, who was
mainly instrumental in the discovery of the murder of Daniel Clark by
Eugene Aram, and on which Lord Lytton’s celebrated novel was founded.
His grandmother was a Locock, and closely related to Sir Charles Locock,
physician to Queen Victoria. His mother was the youngest daughter of the
late Hon. Captain Walter Boswell, R.N., one of the first settlers in
Cobourg, and who named the place. Lieut.-Colonel Graveley was educated
at Upper Canada College, entering in the first and going out in the
sixth form; and studied law, first in the office of the Hon. Sidney
Smith, Cobourg, and next in the office of Cameron and Moss, Toronto, the
firm at that time consisting of Hector Cameron, Q.C., and the late Chief
Justice Moss. He afterwards practised his profession in Cobourg for many
years. Having a strong liking for a military life, he first served as a
trooper in Colonel D’Arcy Boulton’s troop of dragoons, where he soon
rose to the rank of sergeant-major, and was then given an ensign’s
commission in the Cobourg Rifles in 1864, having held from the sixteenth
year of his age command as an ensign in the sedentary militia. In 1866
he entered the Military School at Toronto, and was attached to her
Majesty’s 47th regiment, under Colonel Lowrey, and received a second
class certificate the same year. His corps having been called on for
active service in consequence of the Fenian invasion in June of that
year, he served during the whole campaign, and earned his promotion to a
lieutenancy. On the formation of the fortieth regiment of infantry, he
was gazetted captain No. 1 company, and on the 14th November, 1876, was
made the brevet lieutenant-colonel of the regiment. During the Fenian
raid in 1870 he was again on active service. He has always taken a deep
interest in rifle-shooting, and has served on various occasions as
brigade musketry instructor for the 3rd district; and at present he is a
member of the Council of the Dominion Rifle Association, and is
president of the Cobourg Rifle Association. He was elected to the town
council of Cobourg for the years 1876-7; mayor, by acclamation, in 1880,
and held the office for six consecutive terms until 1885, when he
retired, although urged to occupy the position for a longer period; and
for these years he was also commissioner of the Cobourg town trust. He
was nominated by the Conservative party for the Ontario legislature, but
failed to secure his election in the contest that took place in
December, 1886. Lieut.-Colonel Graveley has always been a
Liberal-Conservative in politics, is an earnest supporter of all
measures having for their object union and progress, and as a native
Canadian is thoroughly loyal to his country, and expects a great future
for her. He is a Master mason, a member of St. John lodge, No. 13, and
takes a lively interest in Masonic work. He has travelled a good deal in
his day, and spent some time in England, Ireland, and France. He was
married in 1870 to Mary Jane Angell Campbell, eldest daughter of Thomas
Clifford Angell, of London, England, and his wife, Charlotte Elson, of
Hertfordshire, England, and adopted daughter of the late Major David
Campbell, of her Majesty’s 63rd regiment, who was for many years on the
staff. He with his brother, Lieut.-Colonel Robert Campbell, of H.M. 52nd
regiment, were the first settlers in Seymour, and founded what is now
the flourishing town of Campbellford, taking its name from its founder.
They both had high records for military service, but the latter Colonel
Campbell was famous as the leader of the forlorn hope at the storming of
San Sebastian in the Peninsular war, for which, and other brilliant
services during the campaign recorded in Napier’s History, he was
mentioned in Lord Wellington’s despatches, and received a gold medal and
clasp and his majority. Only three such medals were ever issued, and
were only given for special service. Colonel Campbell died of his wounds
at Campbellford; his brother, the major, survived him many years, dying
in 1881 at the advanced age of ninety-seven. Four bullets received at
San Sebastian, and taken from the colonel’s body after death, are
preserved with the gold medal and clasp, sabre and epaulets, with highly
commendatory and friendly letters from the Duke of Kent, the Duke of
York, the Duke of Richmond, Lord Palmerston, and the Prince Regent, are
preserved as sacred relics, and afford interesting study of departed
greatness. “_Sic gloria transit mundi._”
* * * * *
=Roche, William=, jr., M.P.P., Coal and Commission Merchant, Halifax,
Nova Scotia, was born in Halifax in 1842. His father, William Roche, is
a merchant in Halifax, and his mother was named Susan M. Roche. His
uncle, Charles Roche, represented Shelburne, N.S., in the Provincial
Assembly from 1830 to 1835. The grandparents of Mr. Roche were
loyalists, and moved from the state of New York in 1783 to Nova Scotia,
and settled in Shelburne. The family is of Irish descent. William
received his education at the Halifax, Dalhousie, and Free Church
academies, and on leaving school selected commerce as a profession. He
now carries on a large coal and commission business, and is agent for
several steamship companies. For some years he was a member of the
school board, and in 1886 occupied the position of chairman of that
body. In politics Mr. Roche is a Liberal, and at the general elections
held in 1886 was chosen, by a majority of 950, to represent Halifax in
the Provincial Assembly, and is a firm supporter of the present
government. He is a director of the Union Bank of Halifax. Mr. Roche is
an adherent of the Episcopal church.
* * * * *
=Mitchell, Samuel E.=, Bookseller and Publisher, Pembroke, Ontario, was
born on the 8th of December, 1836, at Bury, Lancashire, England. He is a
son of John Mitchell, J.P., formerly of Bury, but now of Clitheroe,
Lancashire, England, senior member of the firm of John Mitchell and
Sons, paper manufacturers, Primrose Paper Mills, Clitheroe. Samuel was
educated at the Bury private and grammar schools. He came to Canada in
1858, and settled in Pembroke, where he has ever since resided. He
commenced business in 1863, in company with John G. Cormack, as
druggists, booksellers and stationers, which business partnership was
dissolved in 1866, Mr. Cormack taking the drug, and he the books and
stationery, and the latter he has carried on continuously to this time.
Mr. Mitchell was appointed clerk of the county council of the county of
Renfrew, in January, 1869, and has continued to hold this office ever
since. He has never missed a meeting of council since his appointment,
from illness or other cause. He was high and public school trustee of
the town for several years, until his appointment to the above clerkship
brought him under that law which says that no municipal officer shall be
a school trustee. He was made a justice of the peace for the county of
Renfrew in June, 1876; police magistrate in and for the town of Pembroke
on the 17th April, 1884, and police magistrate in and for the county of
Renfrew, on 1st June, 1887. As a magistrate Mr. Mitchell has been very
successful, and has received high commendations from both political
local newspapers. The Pembroke _Standard_ (Conservative) of the 20th
November, 1886, thus spoke kindly of him:
The charge of murdering her husband brought against Mary Dunlop,
of Mink Lake, was investigated last week before S. E. Mitchell,
Esq., police magistrate, at great length, occupying five days
and the half of the intervening nights. Many questions of an
important nature had to be decided by his worship, and the
ability and learning with which he disposed of them are shown by
the fact that at the close of the evidence the counsel on both
sides expressed their entire satisfaction and appreciation of
the fairness shown to each by the bench. It is almost needless
to say that no other justice of the peace for the county could
have displayed as much ability and skill in the hearing of this
important case. At the close his worship delivered a most
eloquent and instructive address on the gradual development of
our criminal law and the duties of the court on such a case
arising. There was no evidence brought out that would point to
the guilt of the prisoner. She was consequently discharged, and
the matter remains as great a mystery as ever.
The same paper again, in its edition of the 25th January, 1887, thus
alludes to Mr. Mitchell:—
There is an agitation on foot at present to get the county
council . . . . to recommend the appointment of Mr. S. E.
Mitchell as police magistrate for the county of Renfrew, with a
view to the better enforcement of the Scott Act. Mr. Mitchell
has made it a special study, and, so far as we have been able to
learn, the decisions rendered by him since he has occupied the
position of town police magistrate have not only been in
accordance with the facts of the cases in question, but from a
legal point of view have been eminently satisfactory to those
who are versed in the law and understand its meaning. He is also
a pronounced temperance advocate, and would no doubt render
valuable assistance to the temperance people, who are anxious to
see the Scott Act properly enforced.
The Pembroke _Observer_ (Liberal) of 28th January, 1887, has also a good
word to say in favour of Mr. Mitchell:—
The question of recommending the Ontario Government to appoint
S. E. Mitchell, Esq., police magistrate for the county of
Renfrew, will come before the county council now in session
here. Every member of the council will, of course, admit that
Mr. Mitchell is a gentleman in every way fitted for the position
of county police magistrate. He is scholarly, and well versed in
the law; and his appointment would be a gratification to the
supporters of the Scott Act. It is said, however, that many of
the councillors are opposed to the appointment, on the ground
that it would entail considerable expense on the county. The
committee will probably report on the matter to-day, and then we
shall see how the matter stands. One thing is certain—Mr.
Mitchell will bring eloquence, ability, and good judgment to the
bench, should he receive the appointment.
Although the council, being decidedly anti-Scott Act, failed to
recommend Mr. Mitchell for the office, nevertheless the Ontario
government, to its credit, on the recommendation of the License Board
and the county branch of the Dominion Alliance for the suppression of
the liquor traffic, appointed him to the office. Mr. Mitchell has had a
hand in almost every public and private movement inaugurated in Pembroke
during his long residence of about thirty years. Among others, the
establishment of the Pembroke Philharmonic Society; the building up of
the Pembroke lodge, No. 128, G.R.C. Free and Accepted Masons, the
mastership of which he held during the years 1870 and 1871; the Pembroke
lodge of the Independent Order of Oddfellows, and temperance societies
in general. He delivered an address on “Oddfellowship” at the
anniversary celebration of the Renfrew lodge, which at the time was
characterised by the Noble Grand as the finest presentation of objects
of the order he had ever listened to, and after hearing Mr. Mitchell
give a song, the same high dignitary said “Mr. Mitchell had proved
himself as good a singer as he was an orator.” Mr. Mitchell is a staunch
Reformer, and was for many years president of the Pembroke Reform
Association, up until 1886, when he found the position somewhat
incompatible with that of police magistrate, and resigned. He has always
occupied a foremost place in the councils of his party in his district,
and has on some occasions been spoken of as the coming man for
legislative honours, but various considerations have prevented him from
complying with the kind solicitations of his political friends. He was
brought up in the Church of England, but in 1859 he joined the Methodist
church of Canada, and has continued to be a member of that church over
since. He has served on some of the most important of the church
committees for about a quarter of a century, and was a member of the
General Conference of 1878. Mr. Mitchell has been twice married. First,
in 1860, to Mary Ann, daughter of D. B. Warren, of Allumettes Island,
county of Pontiac, Quebec province, who died in 1868, leaving three
children, who still survive. Second, in 1869, to Ellen Jane, daughter of
John Deacon, J.P., of South Sherbrooke, county Lanark, Ontario, and
sister of John Deacon, county judge of Renfrew, by whom he has two
surviving children.
* * * * *
=Beek, James Scott=, Auditor-General of the Province of New Brunswick,
Fredericton, is an Irishman by birth, having been born in Bandon, county
of Cork, on the 1st June, 1814. His parents, Joseph and Mary Beek, both
natives of the same county, were born in Cork city. James came with his
father, his mother having died in Ireland, to New Brunswick in 1823, and
settled in Fredericton, where Mr. Beek, senr., held the office of
registrar of deeds and wills at the time of his death. James Scott Beek
attended for some time the public school at Fredericton, but most of his
education was obtained by private study, he acting as his own tutor,
both before and while serving as a merchant’s clerk. After this he went
into business for himself in Fredericton, and for about twenty years he
dealt in general merchandise, retiring in 1856. For the past thirty
years or more Mr. Beek has been constantly in one or more offices
connected with the municipality of the city of Fredericton, or of the
province of New Brunswick. He was alderman for about a dozen years,
mayor for three consecutive terms, commencing in 1859; judge of the
Court of Common Pleas for several years; has been a justice of the peace
for a long period; was librarian for the Legislative Assembly from 1864
to 1867, and from the latter year has acted in the capacity of
auditor-general for the province. In this latter position he has proved
himself a most painstaking official, as the reports he issues annually
amply prove. His motto seems to be: “Whatever is worth doing is worth
doing well.” Mr. Beek is a Liberal-Conservative in politics, and in his
younger days was an energetic worker for his party. He is a member of
the Masonic fraternity, and occupies the position in the order of master
mason. In religious matters he is an adherent of the Church of England,
and has on several occasions been a delegate from the Cathedral to the
Church Society. He is a firm believer in total abstinence from the use
of intoxicants as a drink, and of late years has done good service to
the cause of temperance by working hard as a prohibitionist, and as the
president of the United Temperance Association of New Brunswick, to
suppress the liquor traffic, and as a Son of Temperance. He is a man of
warm feelings and a true friend to his brother man. Mr. Beek has been
three times married; first, to Margaret Barker, of Mangerville; second,
to Mary Elizabeth Garrison, of St. John, both deceased; and then to Emma
R. daughter of the Hon. John K. Partelow, of Fredericton. He has one
child living by the first wife and one daughter by the second, and has
lost children by both wives.
* * * * *
=Lord, Major Artemas=, Agent of the Marine Department, Charlottetown.
Prince Edward Island, was born at Tryon, P.E.I., on the 10th May, 1835.
His father, James Lord, and his mother, Lydia Lea, were both of English
descent. His paternal grandfather was among the number of loyal
Englishmen who, at the outbreak of the American revolutionary war, gave
up all their worldly possessions, refused to fight against their
rightful sovereign, left the state of Massachusetts and moved to Prince
Edward Island, where they found a home more congenial to their tastes.
Artemas Lord, having been deprived of the tender care of his mother, who
died when he was only sixteen months old, was adopted by his uncle, W.
W. Lord, who afterwards provided for all his wants and set him afloat in
the world. When he was five years old his uncle and aunt removed to
Charlottetown and took the boy with them. And here they sent him to a
private school; next to the Central Academy (now the Prince of Wales’
College), and then to the academy at Sackville, New Brunswick, where he
received a thorough mercantile training. At eighteen he left school, but
finding his health considerably impaired through confinement and close
study, he resolved to take a few sea voyages with the object of
restoring his health, and for three years thereafter he sailed in one of
his uncle’s ships trading between Charlottetown and England. In 1856 he
entered into partnership with his uncle, under the firm name of W. W.
Lord & Co., general merchants and shipowners, and this partnership
lasted until 1864, during which time they built and owned ships which
traded to the West Indies, to the southern cotton ports, to the River
Plata, to Great Britain, and to the East Indies, when his uncle retired,
and he continued the business under the old name, until 1878. In 1864
Mr. Lord joined the first battery of volunteer artillery, and in 1868 he
was appointed to the command of the second battery, which position he
held until 1873, when Prince Edward Island became part of the Dominion
of Canada, at which time he applied to be, and was placed on the retired
list, with the rank of major. When the question of providing Prince
Edward Island with a railway was before the public Mr. Lord took a very
active part in the agitation, and helped to carry the measure. He, too,
was found among the ranks of those who went in for confederation; and
when the people agreed to throw in their lot with the other provinces,
he chose the party led by Sir John A. Macdonald, and has ever since
supported it on patriotic grounds. In 1859 Mr. Lord joined St. John’s
lodge, and has continued to keep up his connection with the Masonic
order ever since. In 1881 he was appointed agent of the Marine
department for the province, and retired from active mercantile life to
attend to the duties of the office. His connection with the shipping
business enabled him in his younger days to see a good part of the
world; and he made no less than nineteen round trips across the
Atlantic. He spent three winters in London, Liverpool, and other towns
in England, and also visited the Highlands of Scotland, part of Ireland,
and other places in the old land, combining business with pleasure. In
political matters, as we have seen, he is a Liberal-Conservative; and in
religious matters, though brought up in the Wesleyan Methodist fold, he
saw fit, in 1876, to change to that of the Presbyterian church. In 1859,
he was married to Carrie M. Rich, daughter of Lathley Rich, of
Frankfort, Maine, who died in 1864, leaving a little boy who survived
his mother only seventeen months. Four years after, in 1869, he married
Margaret P. S. Gray, daughter of colonel the Hon. John Hamilton Gray,
chairman of the first convention called in Prince Edward Island to
consider the question of confederation. This gentleman, in 1869, held
the position of adjutant-general for the province of Prince Edward
Island, and at the time was well known throughout the Dominion as a
large hearted, prominent public man. A few years ago he retired into
private life. Mr. Lord has a family of three boys and two girls alive,
and three boys dead. His uncle and aunt are still alive—his uncle being
now (1887) eighty-nine years and his aunt eighty-seven years of age—and
having been married over sixty years. This venerable couple are now
enjoying the fruits of a happy life spent in each other’s society. They
are highly respected by all in the city in which they have spent the
greater part of their useful lives. They never had any children of their
own, but many nevertheless bless them this day for assistance and
counsel given them in the past. Hon. W. W. Lord, we may add, was for
more than thirty years an active politician, and sat in the local
legislature as representative for his native county, and took an active
part in council with such leaders as Coles, Pope, Whelan, Mooney and
others in all measures that had for their object the good of his
country. Mrs. Lord is an active worker in the church, and prominent in
all works of charity and mercy.
* * * * *
=McLeod, Hon. Neil=, M.A., Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Member
of the Executive Council, M.P.P. for Charlottetown and Royalty, is of
Scotch descent, and was born on the 15th December, 1842, at Uigg, Queens
county, Prince Edward Island. His parents were Roderick McLeod and Flora
McDonald. He was educated at Acadia University, Wolfville, Nova Scotia,
and received from that institution the degrees of B.A. and M.A. He chose
law as a profession, and was called to the bar of Prince Edward Island
in 1872. He is now a member of the well known firm of McLeod, Morson,
and McQuarrie, with offices at Charlottetown and Summerside, P.E.I. Mr.
McLeod was first elected to the House of Assembly at the general
election in 1879; was sworn in a member of the Executive Council, and on
the 11th March, of the same year, appointed provincial secretary and
treasurer. This office he held until March, 1880, when he resigned, with
the object of applying himself more closely to his professional duties,
but still remained a member of the government without a portfolio. He
was re-elected to the Assembly at the general election of 1882, and
again at the last general election, and is now a member of the
government. Hon. Mr. McLeod holds the position of chairman of the
Poorhouse Commissioners, and is also a trustee of the Provincial Lunatic
Asylum. In politics he is a Liberal-Conservative, and in religious
matters he has, from youth up, been a member of the Baptist
denomination. He stands high among his fellow citizens as a man of
probity, intelligence and culture. In June, 1877, he was married to
Adelia, only daughter of James Hayden, of Vernon River, Prince Edward
Island.
* * * * *
=Le May, Léon Pamphile=, _Homme de Lettres_, Quebec, Chief Librarian of
the Legislative Assembly of Quebec, was born at Lotbinière, on the 5th
of January, 1837. His ancestor was Michel Le May, or Le Mée, who came to
Canada more than two centuries ago, from the diocese of Angers, France.
He settled, in 1666, at Three Rivers, where he was a farmer, and in
1681, removed to Lotbinière. Some members of the family are still
residing in the latter place. He had thirteen children, whose
descendants are scattered over the Dominion and the United States. The
father of our subject was Léon Le May, farmer and merchant; and his
mother, Louise Anger. They had a family of fourteen children. Léon
Pamphile Le May received his education at the Quebec Seminary, studied
law for some time, and then went to the United States, in search of a
fortune. At the end of two years he returned to Canada, and engaged
himself as a clerk in a mercantile house, in Sherbrooke, Quebec
province. He soon discovered that he had no taste for mercantile
pursuits, and soon after we find him in Ottawa, invested with the
cassock, and studying theology. In 1861, dyspepsia compelled him to
leave the cloister. In 1862, he was given employment as a French
translator in the Legislative Assembly, Quebec, at the same time
resuming his legal studies. He was admitted to practice in 1865, and
went to reside in his native place, Lotbinière. In 1872, he returned to
Quebec, and took the position he occupies at the present time—chief
librarian of the Legislative Assembly. As Mr. Le May is a “book-worm,”
the employment is congenial to him. When a young man, he commenced
writing for the press, and his writings at once attracted the notice of
the _littérateurs_ of Canada, the United States and France. In 1865, he
published his first work, “Essais Poétiques,” a volume of over 300
pages, which was cordially received, and placed him in the first rank.
In 1870 appeared a translation of Longfellow’s “Evangeline,” which
raised Mr. Le May to a high position among the Canadian poets.
Longfellow sent a congratulatory letter to the poet, and ever afterwards
treated him as a friend. The translation is looked upon as Mr. Le May’s
master-piece, and he can safely rest his reputation on it. The pathetic
story of the Acadian exiles is admirably told; the poet’s soul seems to
have been invaded by the sorrow he is describing; in fact, he _lives_
his subject, while the harmony and flexibility of the verse leave
nothing to be desired. There have appeared since that time, in the order
mentioned: “Deux poèmes couronnés,” Quebec, 1870, for which the author
received two gold medals; “Les Vengeances,” Poème, Quebec; “Les
Vengeances,” drama in six acts; “Le Pèlerin de Sainte-Anne,” a novel, 2
vols., Quebec, 1877; “Picounoc, le Maudit,” a novel, 2 vols., Quebec,
1878; “Une Gerbe,” miscellaneous poetry, Quebec, 1879; “Fables
Canadiennes,” 1 vol., Quebec, 1882; “L’affaire Sougraine,” novel, 1
vol., Quebec, 1884. The following criticism is from the pen of Louis
Honoré Fréchette, the poet-laureate, whose works “Les Fleurs Boréales et
les Oiseaux de Neige,” have been crowned by the French Academy. Mr.
Fréchette, as is well known, is not tender, as a rule, to his brother
poets and _confrères_: “It has not the booming of the mad torrent: it is
the purling of a fountain on a mossy bed; it has not the roaring of the
lion: it is the cooing of the dove; it has not the bold swoop of the
eagle: it is the timid undulation of the cygnet.” Mr. Le May married, in
1863, Selima Robitaille, of Quebec, and they have twelve children, five
sons and seven daughters.
* * * * *
=Murchie, James=, St. Stephen, ex-M.P.P. for Charlotte county, New
Brunswick, and one of the leading merchants, lumber manufacturers, and
ship owners of that county, is a native of St. Stephen, having been born
on the 16th of August, 1813. His father, Andrew Murchie, was from
Paisley, Scotland, and his mother, Janet Campbell, was a native of New
Brunswick, and a daughter of Colin Campbell. James Murchie was educated
at St. Stephen, and remained on his father’s farm until he became of
age, and since that period has been engaged in manufacturing lumber on
the St. Croix river, merchandising, and shipping, being one of the most
extensive operators in those branches of industry in this valley. The
firm of James Murchie and Sons has mills at Benton, Deer Lake, and
Edmundston, on the New Brunswick Railway, as well as at Calais, Maine,
and are cutting about 20,000,000 feet per annum. This firm also owns
200,000 acres of timber land, nearly half of it being in the province of
Quebec, and about 38,000 in Maine, and the balance in New Brunswick. Mr.
Murchie, who was a captain of militia in his younger days, is one of the
oldest magistrates in this part of the country. He served for some years
as school trustee, and has held, in fact, nearly all the local offices
in the gift of the people, being painstaking and efficient in
discharging the duties which he assumes. He represented Charlotte county
in the House of Assembly from 1874 to 1878, being sent there by his
Liberal-Conservative friends, and while in that legislative body secured
the repeal of the Wild Land Tax Act, which had been attempted in vain by
previous representatives from his county. He also carried other bills
regarded as very important, and proved himself a diligent law as well as
a lumber maker. He is one of the directors of the St. Stephen Bank; of
two bridge corporations; the Calais Tug Boat Company, and other
incorporated companies; vice-president of the New Brunswick and Canada
Railway; president of the Frontier Steamboat Company; St. Croix Lloyds
Insurance Company, and the St. Croix Cotton Mill Company. He was a
leading force in engineering this last enterprise, giving several weeks’
time to getting the company organised, its capital ($500,000) taken, the
site secured for the mill, the corner stone laid, &c. The last act
mentioned was done by the Masonic order on the 24th June, 1881, and
marked an epoch in the history of the town of Milltown, in which our
subject resides, being the owner of the finest house in the place. This
cotton mill is 517 feet long, 98 feet wide, and four stories above the
basement, in addition to which are dye house, &c., which cover nearly
two-thirds as much ground as the main building. The erection of this
mill has converted one of the most squalid parts of the town into the
most thrifty and industrious, and added from 800 to 1,000 inhabitants to
the place. Mr. Murchie has done, and is doing, a great deal to encourage
home industry, knowing that all such enterprises tend to increase the
value of his own property as well as the prosperity of the country. It
is a few such men as he—men of energy, push, and pluck—found in St.
Stephen, Calais, and Milltown, that have built up this trinity of towns,
and given them their present air of thriftiness. Milltown, the smallest
of all, is just now probably the liveliest of the three. Mr. Murchie was
also a leading stockholder and organiser in the Calais Shoe Factory,
which employs 300 or 400 hands. He is a member and trustee of the
Congregational Church, Milltown, which body has a house of worship which
is a gem of architecture; and it is the impression of the community that
no such elegant and costly structure could have been reared in the
little town without both the shaping and the plethoric pocket of Mr.
Murchie. He was first married, in 1836, to Mary Ann Grimmer, daughter of
John Grimmer, late collector of customs, at St. Stephen. She died in
1857, leaving ten children. He was married the second time, in 1860, to
Margaret Thorpe, daughter of Jackson Thorpe, of St. George, Charlotte
county, having by her three children. She died in 1872. All of the
children excepting one boy, who is at school, are settled in life. Five
of the sons—John G., William A., James S., George A., and Henry S.—are
in business with their father. The first, John G., ex-mayor of the city
of Calais, is director of the Calais Tug Boat Company, and St. Croix
Lloyds Insurance Company; the second, William A., is treasurer of the
Calais Tug Boat Company, director of the Calais Shoe Factory and
vice-consul of Brazil and the Argentine Republic. Two other sons,
Charles F. and Horace B., are in the commission business on Wall Street,
New York. His daughters are all married.
* * * * *
=Morse, Hon. William Agnew Denny=, Amherst, Judge of Probate for
Cumberland, Marshal in Court of Vice-Admiralty, Halifax, Chairman of the
Liquor Licence Board, Judge of the County Courts of Pictou and
Cumberland, and Revising Barrister, Halifax, was born on the 13th
January, 1837, at Amherst, county of Cumberland, N.S. His father, the
Hon. Shannon Morse, studied law with the Hon. Ames Botsford, of
Westmoreland, who was one of the most distinguished men of his day in
the Maritime provinces. He afterwards entered public life, and from 1819
to 1842 took a most active part in all the leading questions of these
times, and for several years of this period he represented the town of
Amherst in the local legislature. In 1842 he resigned his position in
the Legislative Council, and retired into private life and devoted his
time to the reclaiming and draining a large tract of marsh land, which
operation, his son, Judge Morse, is now carrying on and completing.
Judge Morse’s grandfather, A. Morse, settled on a tract of land granted
by the Crown to his father (the judge’s great-grandfather). This
gentleman had been an officer in the British army, serving under Lord
Amherst (then Sir Jeffrey Amherst) during the French and Indian wars,
which closed by Britain becoming possessed of the North American
provinces, and in connection with Colonel F. W. Desbarres, Colonel
Franklyn, Captains Gmelin and Gorham settled that beautiful and fertile
tract of country situated at the head of the Bay of Fundy, and known by
the French as Beaubassin. In an old document in the possession of Judge
Morse, we find the following interesting record: “At the close of the
war which accomplished the conquest of all the territories occupied by
the French in North America, six individuals proposed, in concurrence
with the intentions of his Majesty’s government, to carry on settlements
in the then infant colony of Nova Scotia, praying suitable tracts of
land for that purpose, and thereupon orders were passed which obtained
for Joseph Morse and his associates 34,000 acres of land, in the town of
Cumberland, 23rd day of November, 1763.” And under this grant Mr. Morse,
and the four gentlemen alluded to above, laid the foundation of the
first English settlement, formed after the expulsion of the French,
which has grown in wealth and prosperity ever since. In the biography of
Jos. Morse, written by his kinsman, the Rev. Dr. Morse, this tract of
land is spoken of as having been granted him, to compensate him for his
services and losses in the French and Indian wars. He died at Fort
Lawrence, in Cumberland, and his cousin, Colonel Robert Morse, who, as
colonel of the Engineers under Sir Guy Carleton, was the author of the
“Report on Fortifications and Defences of Nova Scotia,” a document now
deservedly ranked among the most interesting of the historical documents
of our archives. Judge Morse’s mother, Augusta Agnew Kinnear was the
grand-daughter of Andrew Kinnear, who commanded at Fort Cumberland in
1808, and was with Ames Botsford, the first members for the county of
Westmoreland, who sat in the New Brunswick legislature after that
province was separated from Nova Scotia. Judge Morse received his
education at the private school taught by Dr. Hea, and at Sackville
Academy, where he received a sound English and classical education. He
afterwards studied law, and for years successfully practised his
profession. He was then called to the bench, and appointed judge of
Probate for Cumberland, and subsequently marshal in the Vice-Admiralty
Court at Halifax, chairman of the Liquor Licence board, judge of the
County Courts of Pictou and Cumberland, and revising barrister under the
Dominion election law. Since his elevation to the bench, Judge Morse has
ceased to hold the offices of marshall in the Vice-Admiralty Court and
judge of Probates. Judge Morse takes quite an interest in agricultural
matters, and has succeeded in reclaiming by ditching and draining large
tracts of marsh land and adding haygrounds and increasing the taxable
property of Cumberland, and is removing the obstructions from the River
La Blanche, by which the tide waters of the Bay of Fundy are permitted
to run up the marshes of Cumberland, and thereby convert, by drainage,
bog lands into solid hay yielding lands, some of which are now producing
two to three tons to the acre. In religious matters, Judge Morse is an
adherent of the Church of England, and in politics leans to Reform
principles. He was married on the 16th December, 1873, to Ella Frances
Rebecca Boggs, whose family were among the first of the old Halifax U.
E. loyalists who came from the United States, in 1780, on account of the
rebellion.
* * * * *
=Morrow, John=, Toronto, Inspector of Inland Revenue for the District of
Toronto, was born in the county of York, near Toronto, Ontario, in 1832.
His father, James Morrow, came to Canada from the county of Cavan,
Ireland, in 1819, and his mother, Miss McNeil, came from the same
district in Ireland in 1824. The vessel in which she, her mother, and
brother, embarked for America, suffered shipwreck on St. Paul’s island,
at the mouth of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, when nearly all on board
perished, including Mrs. McNeil. John Morrow was brought up on the farm
possessed by his parents in York county, and received his primary
education in the public school of the district, but when he was about
sixteen years of age was induced by the late Dr. Ryerson to go to the
Normal School in Toronto, and he attended its sessions during
1849-50-51, and then graduated. He took up teaching as a profession, and
successfully taught school for about twelve years. In 1866 he was
appointed by the Dominion government deputy collector of inland revenue
for the Toronto division; in 1873 he was promoted to the collectorship;
and in 1881 was appointed inspector of the Toronto district, which
office he now satisfactorily fills. Mr. Morrow is an adherent of the
Methodist church. He was married in 1855 to Miss Sankey, the eldest
daughter of the late John Sankey, builder, of York county.
* * * * *
=Meredith, Sir William Collis=, K.B., D.C.L., LL.D., Quebec, who for a
great number of years occupied the position of Chief Justice of the
Superior Court of the province of Quebec, was born in the city of
Dublin, on 23rd May, 1812. His father was the Rev. Dr. Thomas Meredith,
rector of Ardtrea, in the county of Tyrone, Ireland; and his mother,
Eliza, daughter of the Very Rev. Richard Graves, D.D., dean of Ardagh.
Rev. Dr. Thomas Meredith having died, his widow in 1824 married the Rev.
Edward Burton, and came out to Canada with that gentleman, bringing with
her four of her children by her first marriage, the eldest being William
Collis, the subject of our sketch. The family settled at Rawdon, north
of Montreal, where the Rev. Mr. Burton had a mission under the Society
for the Propagation of the Gospel. Before leaving Ireland William had
passed some years at Dr. Behan’s school in Wexford, and after his
arrival in Canada his education was continued under the care of his
step-father, who was a graduate of Trinity College, Dublin. He was also
greatly aided and encouraged in his studies at this time by his mother,
who was a woman of great culture and refinement, and possessed of great
energy and force of character. Mr. Meredith’s legal studies were
commenced in 1831, in the office of S. de Bleury, and continued in that
of J. C. Grant, Q.C., Montreal, both advocates of eminence. He was
admitted to the bar in December, 1836, and was made a Queen’s counsel in
1844. In the same year he was offered and declined the office of
solicitor-general, and subsequently that of attorney-general; and in
1847, having been again offered the position of attorney-general, he
once more declined that high position in the Draper administration. In
December, 1849, Mr. Meredith was appointed a judge of the Superior Court
of the Province of Quebec by the Lafontaine-Baldwin administration, and
abandoned with some regret the practice of a profession to which he was
greatly attached, leaving to his partner, Strachan Bethune, Q.C., and
the late Hon. Judge Dunkin, we believe, the largest legal business which
at that time had been brought together by a single professional firm in
the Province of Quebec. At the earnest solicitation of the government of
Canada (Sir George E. Cartier being then attorney-general), and in
compliance with the wishes of the leading members of the Montreal bar,
Judge Meredith consented to be removed from the Superior Court to the
Court of Queen’s Bench—that being the Court of Appeal for the
province—and this appointment was approved of by a unanimous resolution
of the Quebec bar. While a member of this court, several of his
judgments were highly spoken of by the lords of the Privy Council in
England. Judge Meredith continued to occupy a seat in the Queen’s Bench
until the death of the Hon. Edward Bowen, chief justice of the Superior
Court in 1866, when he was appointed to that high office, which he held
until 1884, when failing health forced him to resign the position which
for so many years he had held, and the duties of which he discharged
with his characteristic energy and ability to the entire satisfaction of
the profession and the public. As far back as 1844 Judge Meredith was
requested to accept the professorship of law in the University of McGill
College, in Montreal, by the then principal, Chief Justice Vallières,
but the pressure of his professional duties compelled him to refuse the
proffered honour. In 1844 he received the honorary degree of D.C.L. from
Lennoxville University, and eleven years afterwards (6th September,
1865), upon the nomination of the Lord Bishop of Quebec, he was
unanimously elected chancellor of that university—but his judicial
duties were such that he could not assume the responsibility of the
office. In 1880 he received the honorary degree of LL.D. from Laval
University, Quebec; and in the month of June, 1886, her most Gracious
Majesty Queen Victoria conferred upon him the honour of knighthood. In
1847 Judge Meredith was married to Sophia Naters, youngest daughter of
the late Dr. W. E. Holmes, of Quebec, and the union has been blessed
with a numerous family, of whom three sons and four daughters are still
living.
* * * * *
=Harris, Very Rev. William Richard=, B.D., Dean of St. Catharines, in
the Roman Catholic Arch-Diocese of Toronto.—Among the clergy of the
Roman Catholic arch-diocese of Toronto, there are many learned, earnest,
and pious priests, but among them all we doubt if there is one of his
age who ranks higher in the estimation of his fellow priests and all
those of the laity who have had the privilege of his acquaintance than
does the Very Rev. William Richard Harris, parish priest of the city of
St. Catharines, and dean of that portion of the Roman Catholic
arch-diocese of Toronto known as the Niagara peninsula. Dean Harris can
hardly yet be said to have reached the prime of life, yet so mature is
his mind and well disciplined are his faculties that it is not
surprising to those who know him that he has so suddenly and prominently
come to the front in his church. For a young man he is remarkable for
vigour, both of mind and body—a vigour which is always wisely and well
directed in the discharge of whatever duties he undertakes. The church
has in him, if he is spared, the staff which must place him in a high
and useful position in its service. There is before him a bright and
brilliant career, or else we are much mistaken. The very reverend
gentleman was born on the 3rd of March, 1847, in the city of Cork,
Ireland, the birthplace of many of the most distinguished sons of the
Green Isle. At an early age he came to this country with his parents,
entered St. Michael’s College, Toronto, and having finished his
classical course in this well-known institution of learning, went to
Ste. Anne’s Seminary, Quebec, to complete a course of metaphysics and
philosophy. In 1869 he was appointed secretary to his Grace the
Archbishop of Toronto, and accompanied that distinguished prelate to
Rome when summoned by Papal brief to attend the Œcumenical Council.
Immediately after the opening of this memorable council, our subject
entered the famous College of the Propaganda, where he finished his
course of theology, and took his degree of Bachelor of Divinity. On the
21st June, 1870, he was ordained priest by Cardinal Patrizzi, in the
historic church of St. Mary Major. The venerable Archbishop of Toronto
and he left Rome on the first day of July of that year, and visited the
principal cities of the continent of Europe. On his return to Canada he
continued to fill for some time the responsible position of secretary to
his grace, when, in recognition of his services and abilities, he was
appointed to the rectorship of Adjala, at that time the most important
rural parish in the diocese. Here he continued to labour for five years,
having during that time faithfully discharged the onerous and
responsible duties associated with that position. Under his pastorship
was erected St. Mary’s Church, West Adjala, and improvements to the
amount of $7,000 dollars were made in that parish. In 1875 he was
summoned to the rectorship of St. Michael’s Cathedral, Toronto, bearing
with him to that very responsible position the best wishes of the people
of Adjala, and a substantial recognition of his labours and services
among them. We may here remark, that he did very much to create and
perpetuate that friendly feeling of toleration and liberality which is
so characteristic of the people of that section of the country. In fact,
it is said of him that in whatever position he has been placed he has
shed around him a kindly influence, which has been instrumental in
removing the asperities of religious rancour, and bringing into more
friendly association the members of the various religious denominations.
In his position of rector of St. Michael’s Cathedral, a large field for
the exercise of his conspicuous administrative abilities lay open before
him. The pressure of hard work gradually told on his constitution, and
in consequence he resigned the rectorship of the cathedral, and sought
the seclusion which the smaller parish of Newmarket afforded him. Here
he continued to labour for eight years, during which time he completed
the church in that town, erected the fine modern presbytery, and built
the large brick school house adjoining the church. His improvements in
this parish during those eight years represented an expenditure of over
$12,000. His health having improved, he was again selected to fill one
of the most responsible positions in the arch-diocese, and was appointed
to the important and influential parish of St. Catharines, and dean of
the Niagara peninsula, which position he holds with great credit to
himself and advantage, both spiritual and temporal, to those over whom
his ecclesiastical superior has wisely placed him. During his short
administration of his present parish he has shown a wonderful amount of
administrative ability, and up to the present writing has wiped out a
debt of $8,000. Showing his deep interest in the education of his
people, he has just begun the important work of erecting for the Roman
Catholic separate schools the finest school building on the Niagara
peninsula, in which are introduced all modern improvements calculated to
add to the health and comfort of both teachers and pupils. In all
probability before the expiration of two years he will have completed
buildings costing in the aggregate $30,000. While devoting much time and
great energy to the work peculiar to his priestly office, he finds time
for close and careful study, which is evidenced by the manner and matter
of his sermons and pulpit discourses. He also takes a deep interest in
popular education, and has lost no opportunity of pushing on the
education and improvement of the masses, irrespective of creed or
nationality. As an evidence of this, we may mention that for many years
he was prominently identified with the Mechanics’ Institute, an
association of which he was twice chosen vice-president. Indeed, such
was his standing among the delegates that when, in 1882, his name was
put in nomination for the presidency he was elected by acclamation. This
honour was conferred upon him by a convention of eighty-four
representatives, all of whom were Protestants. When the control of the
association passed into the hands of the Minister of Education, the
reverend gentleman was presented by the members of the executive board
with an embossed address and a handsome testimonial. While on the
executive board of the Mechanics’ Institute Association, he was selected
to represent the society on the executive committee of the Industrial
Exhibition Association. Before his departure from Newmarket, the
inhabitants of that town, irrespective of creed or nationality, heartily
joined in congratulating him on his promotion, and in a public meeting,
presided over by the reeve of the town, presented him with a most
flattering address, accompanied with a valuable testimonial. With such a
record did the Very Reverend Dean Harris come to the city of St.
Catharines, and we are in a position, from close observation of his
actions since he came, to assert that he is as useful and popular here
as he was in Newmarket, and if his health holds out for a few years he
will leave the impress of his enlightenment and manly character on the
inhabitants of that city.
* * * * *
=Hearn, David A.=, Barrister, Arichat, M.P.P. for Richmond county, Nova
Scotia, was born in Arichat, N.S., on the 14th of February, 1853. His
parents were James Hearn and Isabella Campbell. His paternal grandfather
came from Waterford, Ireland, and settled in Newfoundland, in 1817, and
removed to Arichat, in 1822. His mother was a descendant of the
Campbells, of the Island of Coll, Scotland. David received his education
in the academy at Arichat, and studied law, first in the office of his
brother, James H. Hearn, at Sydney, and afterwards with the Hon. Senator
William Miller. He read up at the Law Library of Halifax for four months
previous to his final examination, and was admitted to the bar of Nova
Scotia, in 1878; and has successfully carried on his profession at
Arichat ever since. In 1879 he was appointed a school commissioner, and
still occupies the same position. In 1881 he was made a census
commissioner; and in 1883 he was chief inspector of licenses for
Richmond county under the Liquor License Act passed that year. In 1882-3
he filled the office of county solicitor, and in the following year was
elected a member of the municipal council of Richmond county, and was
re-elected in 1886. He was chiefly instrumental in the council in having
steam communication renewed at Lennox Passage. He also succeeded in
changing the system of assessment, so as to equalise the burthen of
taxation on the ratepayers; and also inaugurated retrenchment and reform
in the council. In 1878 he was chief organiser for the Conservative
party in Richmond; but refused to recognise H. Paint as the Conservative
candidate in 1882; and again in 1887 he supported E. P. Flynn, the
Liberal candidate for the House of Commons at Ottawa, in preference to
Mr. Paint. At the general election of 1886 Mr. Hearn was elected to
represent the county of Richmond in the Legislative Assembly of Nova
Scotia. His position in the house is thoroughly independent of party,
and he thinks there should be no party politics in the local
legislature. He, however, believes in the fiscal and general policy of
the Dominion government. He is opposed to the repeal agitation in Nova
Scotia; is in favour of a legislative union of the Maritime provinces;
abolition of the Legislative Council, and approves of manhood suffrage.
In politics Mr. Hearn may be classed as a supporter of the Conservative
party, though holding advanced views on certain questions of great
public moment. In religion he is an adherent of the Roman Catholic
church. He was married on the 18th August, 1879, to Elizabeth Ida,
eldest daughter of Francis Quinan, of Sydney, and niece of the Rev.
James Quinan, of Sydney, John Quinan of Mainadieu, and the Hon. Senator
Miller, of Arichat. The fruit of this marriage has been one child.
* * * * *
=Girouard, Désiré=, Q.C., D.C.L., M.P. for Jacques Cartier, residence
Quatre Vents, Dorval, Quebec province, was born at St. Timothy, county
of Beauharnois, on the 7th July, 1836. From l’Abbé Tanguay’s
“Dictionnaire Généalogique,” it is learned that he is a descendant of
Antoine Girouard, a native of Riom, Auvergne, France, who emigrated to
Canada about 1720, and was private secretary to Chevalier de Ramezay,
the then governor of Montreal. Mr. Girouard received his education at
the Montreal College, and graduated in law at McGill University, where
he obtained the degrees of B.C.L. and D.C.L. On the 1st of October,
1860, he was called to the bar, and in 1876 was made a Q.C. As a law
writer, Mr. Girouard enjoys a well-earned reputation, his first work
being an “Essai sur les Lettres de Change et Billets Promissoires,”
which appeared in 1860, before he was admitted to the practice of his
profession. Of this production Chief Justice La Fontaine said: “I have
read attentively your Essay on Bills of Exchange, etc., and I take
pleasure in acknowledging that you have, with very rare talent,
collected all that could possibly be written on this subject which could
interest Lower Canada. The opinions you express on the laws relating to
the subject and on the decisions of the tribunals, show that your essay
is the result of profound study on your part. Your book should be in the
hands of every trade and business man. It would certainly be of great
benefit to them. It will also be very useful to lawyers and judges.
Permit me to hope that your book may prove to you a sure and certain
guarantee of an honourable and brilliant career at the bar.” In 1865,
Mr. Girouard published an “Etude sur l’Acte concernant la Faillite,”
which he afterwards translated into English with many additions; and in
1868 he published another work entitled “Considérations sur les lois
civiles du Mariage.” He was also a contributor to many publications; and
in conjunction with W. H. Kerr, another leading barrister, founded _La
Revue Critique_. _La Revue Critique_ was founded at the time of the
great judicial crisis of 1873-4, the members of the Montreal bar having
refused to appear any longer before the Court of Appeal, so great was
the dissatisfaction against that bench, when it was reconstituted in
1874 by Justices Cross, Tessier, and Ramsay, under the presidency of
Chief Justice Dorion; and _La Revue Critique_ was then allowed to drop
out of existence. Mr. Girouard’s articles on the “Treaty of Washington,”
“The Indirect _Alabama_ Claims,” “Conflict of Commercial Prescriptions,”
etc., all written in English, attracted the attention of the press both
on this continent and in Europe. From 1858 to 1860, while a law student,
Mr. Girouard was actively connected with L’Institut Canadien-Français,
and delivered many lectures at the hall of the institute, and also at
the Cabinet de Lecture Paroissial. These lectures were published in the
French daily press of Montreal at the time, and highly praised. Among
these may be particularly mentioned two papers—“La Philosophie du
Droit,” and “L’Excellence des Mathématiques.” While spending the winter
in the south, in 1870, he contributed many letters on Louisiana and New
Orleans to _La Minerve_. In 1882 the same paper also published several
letters of Mr. Girouard on the North-West, and very recently, 9th July,
1887, an extensive study of the Fishery question. Mr. Girouard has
always maintained a high position as an intelligent and learned
advocate; hence he has often been retained in some of the most important
suits which have been brought before the courts of the country during
the past few years. Among politicians, Mr. Girouard is known as an able
debater. He first entered the political arena in 1872, when, at the
solicitation of the late Sir George Etienne Cartier, he presented
himself in the Conservative interest in the county of Jacques Cartier
against no less an adversary than Rodolphe Laflamme, Q.C., who enjoyed
consideration, prestige, and influence, and was defeated by forty-eight
votes. In 1874 the latter was returned by acclamation, Mr. Girouard
having been nominated for Beauharnois, in which county he was defeated
through the nomination of a third candidate. In 1876, he was requested
to oppose the Hon. Mr. Laflamme, minister of Inland Revenue, in Jacques
Cartier, and was defeated by twenty-eight votes. In 1878 he was again
solicited to present himself against his old opponent; and it was at
first reported that he had been defeated by fourteen votes, but on a
recount by Justice Mackay, he was declared elected by two votes,
although his majority was really over one hundred, as it was afterwards
shown in the celebrated St. Anne’s ballot-box case. He was again
returned for Jacques Cartier in 1882, and at the last general election,
22nd February, 1887. Mr. Girouard introduced in the House of Commons the
Deceased Wife’s Sister bill, which was carried in 1882 after a prolonged
debate and a strenuous opposition, especially from certain adherents to
the Church of England. He has been chairman of the Committee on
Privileges and Elections during the last and present parliaments.
Although one of the staunchest supporters of Sir John A. Macdonald, he
took a leading part in the movement against the execution of Riel, on
the ground of insanity, and with ten or twelve other French Conservative
members constituted for a time a separate group of the Conservative
party, known as the “Bolters.” His letter published November, 1885, in
answer to the defence of the government by Sir Alexander Campbell, was
published by all the newspapers in Canada. Mr. Girouard was married for
the first time to Mathilde, a daughter of the well-known and much
respected merchant, John Pratt. This lady having died, he again married,
in 1865, this time an American lady, Essie Cranwill, sister of Samuel
Cranwill, cotton merchant, New Orleans and St. Louis. She died in
Montreal, on the 30th June, 1879, leaving five children. Mr. Cranwill
was the agent in Montreal for the Confederate states during the civil
war. The eldest of Mr. Girouard’s sons, Emile, resides in Paris, France,
where he is the administrator of the newspaper, _Paris-Canada_; the
second, Percy, a graduate of the Royal Military College, Kingston, is an
engineer; another, Désiré, B.A. of Laval University, has just been
admitted to the study of law in Montreal. Mr. Girouard married a third
time, on the 6th October, 1881, Edith Bertha Beatty, youngest daughter
of Dr. Beatty, of Cobourg, Ont., and has two sons of this marriage.
* * * * *
=Stewart, Geo., jr.,= D.C.L., F.R.G.S., F.R.S.C., Editor _Morning
Chronicle_, Quebec. Among Canadian litterateurs, Geo. Stewart, jr., has
fairly won for himself the distinguished position and reputation he
enjoys, both in England and Canada, as a man of letters, and one of the
brilliant literary lights of which our dominion is so justly proud. Dr.
Stewart was born November 26th, 1848, in New York city, and at an early
age removed, with his parents, to St. John, New Brunswick, where he was
educated. He is, comparatively speaking, a young man, to be the
recipient of so many favoured marks of recognition by societies of
learning for his valuable contributions. At the early age of sixteen
years he edited a little journal, _The Stamp Collector’s Gazette_, and
two years later published _Stewart’s Quarterly Magazine_, to whose
support he brought the pens of all the leading writers in Canada. In
1878 Dr. Stewart accepted the editorship of the _Rose-Belford’s Canadian
Monthly_, and a year later that of the _Quebec Morning Chronicle_, which
latter position he still holds. It is owing to his ability and talents
that this paper has become an authority on all leading Canadian
questions of the day. He was elected, in 1879, a member of the
International Literary Congress of Europe—an honour conferred on no
other Canadian,—and having the celebrated French veteran writer, Victor
Hugo, for president. The few Americans similarly distinguished were
Longfellow, Bancroft, Holmes, Emerson and Whittier. The Royal
Geographical Society has bestowed its degree of Fellow upon Dr. Stewart,
and King’s University of Nova Scotia was proud to grant him a D.C.L. The
Royal Society of Canada elected him, at its inauguration, secretary for
the English section, which important trust he still retains; while the
time-honoured Literary and Historical Society of Quebec has three times
called him to the presidency. He has been a member also of the Council
of the Royal Society since its second year. The exclusive literary club
of London, the Athæneum, admitted him an honorary member, his sponsors
being Matthew Arnold and Lord Tennyson. His principal works are
“Evenings in the Library,” “Canada under the Administration of the Earl
of Dufferin,” nine leading papers in the “Encyclopædia Britannica,” and
this high authority names Dr. Stewart among its strongest and most
brilliant contributors amid a galaxy of learned and world-renowned
names; “Frontenac and his times,” in Justin Winsor’s “Analytical and
Critical History of America,” and “The Story of the Great Fire in St.
John, N.B.” He is also the author of several articles in “Appleton’s
Cyclopædia of American Biography,” and a contributor to the _Scottish
Review_, London; Toronto _Week_, etc., etc. In May of 1878 the
Independent Order of Odd Fellows of St. John, N.B., presented him with a
handsome and very valuable gold watch and illuminated address, and a
public dinner was given him by the citizens in 1872, upon his retirement
from the editorship of _Stewart’s Quarterly_. In style of composition
Dr. Stewart is graceful and dignified. His historical works bear the
imprint of deep research and careful summarizing. Leading English and
American magazines are frequently enriched by his articles, which are
eagerly perused by the reading and deep-thinking _savants_ of our day.
Canada is proud of such a worthy literary representative, whose genius
and versatile abilities make him the rival and equal of the best writers
the old world can produce. He was married on the 28th of April, 1875, to
Maggie M., niece of the late E. D. Jewett, of Lancaster Heights, St.
John, N.B.
* * * * *
=Ruel, James Rhodes=, Collector of Customs and Registrar of Shipping at
the Port of St. John, New Brunswick, was born at Pembridge House, Welsh
Newton, Herefordshire, England, on the 22nd of October, 1820. His father
was John Godfrey Ruel, a lineal descendant of the famous Dr. Johann
Rühl, chancellor of the Cardinal Archbishop of Mayntz, the Elector
Albert of Brandenberg, and also the favoured councillor and
representative of Count Mannsfield in 1540 at the Diet of Nuremberg, and
at other similar assemblies. Dr. Rühl was the brother-in-law of Luther,
and stood boldly at his side in the great historic interview with
Cardinal Cajetan at Augsburg. His devotion on this occasion drew from
Luther the promise that he would never fail to reciprocate it to himself
and to his children. He was one of the chief and most honoured guests at
the great Reformer’s wedding, and was never addressed by him but with
the profoundest expressions of official respect and brotherly affection.
They appear to have lived together in the closest friendship. The family
was of senatorial rank in the city of Heilbronn, and was related to the
Counts Fugger of Kirchberg and Weissonhorn, the head of which at the
present time is the Prince of Babenhausen, who is related to Queen
Victoria through the house of Hohenlohe Langenburg. By a curious
coincidence the Counts Fugger acted as the bankers of the Pope for the
sale of those very indulgences against which Luther had opened the
greatest crusade which was ever fought in Christendom. Gottfried Rüehl,
a rich and distinguished member of the family, settled in London about
one hundred and seventy years ago, and his grandson, John Godfrey Ruel,
was born there; educated at Harrow, and served as an officer in the
Royal marines in H.M.S. _Thetis_ and other ships with considerable
distinction until the peace in 1815. He married, in 1817, Catherine B.
Cléry, a daughter of a descendant of a French count of that name, and
came to New Brunswick in 1833 with his family of six sons and three
daughters. He returned to England in 1849, and died there in 1852, and
his wife in April, 1887, aged 98 years. James R. Ruel, his second son,
was educated at the High School in Monmouth, England, and at the Grammar
School in St. John, N.B. He entered the service of the city corporation
in the common clerk’s office in July, 1839, and became successively
deputy common clerk and clerk of the peace, auditor of county and city
accounts, chamberlain of the city, and on 1st November, 1870, was
appointed by the Canadian government to the offices he now holds. In
September, 1850, he was associated with the Rev. Dr. I. W. D. Gray in
the editorial management of the _Church Witness_, a newspaper
established to counteract the teaching of the High Church party, and in
1855 took the sole management of the paper until its publication was
closed in 1864. Previous to 1845 he had espoused the views of the
Tractarian school, and was an ardent supporter of them, but finding
about that time that they were not in accord either with the scriptures,
or the doctrines of the great teachers in the Church of England of the
Reformation era, he abandoned them, and has held ever since with a firm
grasp the doctrines of grace as taught in the Evangelical school. He has
been connected with St. John’s Church since October, 1833, and on its
erection into a separate parish in 1853, he was elected a vestryman and
vestry clerk, and has been one of the wardens of it for the last twenty
years. On the occasion of the movement for the confederation of the
provinces, he was chairman of the British American Association, which
was formed at that time to promote it. And in all questions or projects
to advance the welfare of the city of St. John he ever took a deep
interest. He married in 1854 Harriet, a daughter of John Kinnear, who
died in 1859, leaving no issue; and in 1861, Sophia M., daughter of the
Hon. Hugh Johnston, by whom he has three sons and one daughter now
living.
* * * * *
=Earle, Sylvester Zobieski=, M.D., St. John, New Brunswick, was born at
Kingston, Kings county, New Brunswick, on the 7th August, 1822. His
parents were Sylvester and Maria Earle. His paternal grandfather served
as a captain in the royal army, during the American revolution, and on
the proclamation of peace his company being disbanded, he came to New
Brunswick where he settled. On the paternal side Dr. Earle is descended
from John Zobieski, King of Poland. He received his education at the
Kingston Grammar School, and then studied medicine under the celebrated
Doctors Valentine Mott and Gunnay L. Bedford. He graduated from the
University of New York, in 1844, and afterwards visited the several
medical schools of Great Britain and the continent of Europe. He removed
to St. John, in 1864, and began practice, and shortly afterwards was
appointed surgeon to the 62nd St. John volunteer battalion, now the 62nd
Royal Fusiliers. In 1845 he was made surgeon to the Kings county
militia; and in 1846, in company with the late Colonel Saunders, raised
the A troop of cavalry, which formed the nucleus of the present 8th
cavalry, “Princess Louise Hussars.” During the Fenian raid in 1866, he
was on active service with his regiment, the Fusiliers, at St. Andrews
and at Campo Bello, and retired from the service in 1875, holding the
rank of major. In 1867 he was appointed coroner for the city and county
of St. John, and this office he still holds. In 1877 Dr. Earle was
elected mayor of the city of St. John, the year of the great fire, and
as a reward for the services he rendered on that trying occasion, was
re-elected for another term by acclamation. He occupied the position of
warden of the city and county during the same period; and in 1878 he was
made a justice of the peace. He is a commissioner of the General Public
Hospital, and a member of the St. John Board of Health. He has been a
member of the Canada Medical Association since its formation, and is now
its vice-president; is a past president of the New Brunswick Medical
Association; is president of the New Brunswick Medical Council, and
consulting physician to the General Public Hospital. He belongs to both
the Masonic and Oddfellows’ orders, and occupies high positions in both
organizations. The doctor has travelled a good deal, and is familiar
with the leading cities in Europe and America. In politics he is
Liberal-Conservative; and in religion is an adherent of the Episcopal
form of worship. In 1847 he was married to Catherine McGill, daughter of
Captain Allen Otty, R.N., and has issue four sons and two daughters.
Thomas J. O. Earle, M.D., is practising medicine at Young’s Cove, Queens
county; Allan O. A., barrister, practising in St. John; William Z.,
divisional engineer, Canadian Pacific Railroad; S. Z. Earle, also an
engineer, Canadian Pacific Railway; two daughters, Eliza Crookshank and
Marie.
* * * * *
=Kennedy, George Thomas=, M.A., B.A.Sc., F.G.S., Professor of Chemistry,
Geology and Mining, in King’s College, Windsor, Nova Scotia, was born on
the 4th January, 1845, in the city of Montreal, Quebec province. His
father was the late William Kennedy, builder, who was born in York,
Yorkshire, England, on May 21, 1790, and died in Montreal, October 22,
1855. His mother, Ann Evans, was a native of Shrewsbury, Shropshire,
England, born 3rd April, 1800, and died in Montreal, 13th August, 1870.
This couple were brought up as members of the Church of England, and
were married by the late Dean Bethune, of Montreal, and their children
christened by the same clergyman; but they afterwards joined the
Congregational body, and the family were brought up in that church. This
worthy couple had a large family, five of whom still survive, two
sisters and three brothers. The sons are, George Thomas, the subject of
our sketch; William, a retired builder, who from 1873 to 1876 sat as
alderman in the city council of Montreal, and is at present (1887) a
member of the same body, and also holds a commission as
lieutenant-colonel of the Montreal Engineers; and Richard A., M.A.,
M.D.C.M., who is a practising physician in Montreal. He is also emeritus
professor of obstetrics and diseases of children in Bishop’s College,
Lennoxville, and consulting physician to the Montreal Dispensary,
physician to the Western Hospital, etc., Montreal. Professor Kennedy was
educated in Montreal, first at a private school, then at the Church
Colonial School, and at the McGill Model and High schools. He then
entered the arts department of McGill University, in September, 1864,
and graduated B.A., with first rank honours in geology and natural
science, in May, 1868. During the winter of 1869-70 he attended the
Sheffield Scientific School, in connection with Yale College, New Haven,
U.S., and whilst in New Haven he took a select course of post graduate
studies, including practical chemistry, mineralogy, mining, assaying,
German, etc. After his return home in the winter of 1870-71 he became
assistant to Sir J. William Dawson, LL.D., F.R.S., in the chemical
laboratory and museum of McGill College. In the fall of 1871, Mr.
Kennedy entered as a graduate student in the applied science department
of McGill, and in May following received the degree of M.A. (in course).
In May, 1873, he graduated B.A.Sc. in civil and mechanical engineering
in the same college. In the summer of 1873 he was elected professor of
chemistry and natural science by the governors of Acadia College,
Wolfville, N.S., and in October of the following year entered upon these
duties. In 1881 he resigned the chair of chemistry in Acadia College;
and in the fall of 1882, the chair of chemistry and geology in King’s
College, Windsor, Nova Scotia, becoming vacant, he was offered the
position by the late Dr. Binney, bishop of Nova Scotia, president of the
Board of Governors, which he accepted, and entered upon his duties in
January, 1883. In the spring of 1885, when the teaching staff of the
college was re-organized, Mr. Kennedy was re-appointed to the same
professorship. On the 29th June, 1887, the governors of the college
elected him vice-president of the institution. In 1883 he was appointed
librarian and scientific curator of the college museum, both of which
positions he still holds. In November, 1876, Professor Kennedy was
elected an associate member of the Nova Scotia Institute of Natural
Science; in August, 1880, a member of the American Association for the
Advancement of Science; in December, 1883, a Fellow of the Geological
Society of London, Britain; in August, 1884, a member of the British
Association for the Advancement of Science, and before leaving Montreal
he was a member of both the Natural History and the Microscopical
Societies of that city. In the summer of 1869, Dr. G. M. Dawson, F.G.S.,
of the Canadian Geological Survey, and Professor Kennedy assisted Sir J.
W. Dawson in the geological examination of the Devonian rocks of Gaspé
Bay. And during a portion of the summer of 1871, in company with J. F.
Whiteaves, F.R.S., palæontologist of the Canadian Government Survey, the
professor also assisted in dredging, in the Canadian government
schooner, for marine life in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. During the summer
of 1832, Professor Kennedy commenced dredging the Basin of Minas, Nova
Scotia, with the view of studying the marine life in that basin; and the
work he is still carrying on. For several years past, as time permits,
he has been examining the geology of Nova Scotia, and has also found
time to contribute a series of articles to our scientific papers and
magazines. He is an adherent of the Episcopal church. On the 17th July,
1878, he was married to Emma, daughter of John D. Longard, of Halifax,
Nova Scotia.
* * * * *
=Adams, Hon. Michael=, Barrister, Newcastle, New Brunswick, was born at
Douglastown, Northumberland county, N.B., on the 13th August, 1845. His
parents were Samuel Adams and Mary Ann Adams, who were both natives of
Cork, Ireland, and emigrated to this country. Mr. Adams received his
education in the common school of the place of his birth. Having chosen
law as a profession, he entered the law office of Hon. E. Williston in
1864, and continued to study under this gentleman until 1867, when he
entered with the Hon. Allan A. Dawson, and in 1869 he was admitted to
the bar of New Brunswick. The following year, 1870, he presented himself
as a candidate for parliamentary honours, and was elected to represent
Northumberland in the New Brunswick legislature. At the next general
election he again offered himself for election, but the education
question being before the county, and he being a strong supporter of the
separate school system, he was defeated by about two hundred votes.
Again, in 1878, he came before the electorate, and was returned by his
old constituency; and in June of the same year he was made a member of
the government, with the portfolio of surveyor-general. This
necessitated another appeal to his constituents, when he was elected by
acclamation. This office he held until 1882, when a general election
took place and he was once more returned to parliament. In 1883, the
government, of which he was a member, having suffered a defeat on a non
confidence motion, he and his friends retired from office. At the
general election held in 1886, the Hon. Mr. Adams was again returned;
and in 1887 he resigned his seat in the local assembly to contest the
county of Northumberland, in the interests of the Liberal-Conservative
party, against the Hon. Peter Mitchell, an Independent Liberal, and was
defeated. Since then Mr. Adams has been attending to his professional
business, which is large and claims nearly all his attention. Hon. Mr.
Adams visited Leadville, Colorado, some years ago, in the interest of a
silver mining property partly owned by his brother, Samuel Adams, who is
now State Senator for Colorado, and another, John J. Adams, United
States Congressman for the city of New York, and who has a large
interest in the Adams Manufacturing Company. As will be seen, Hon. Mr.
Adams is a Liberal-Conservative in politics, has worked hard for his
party, and we have no doubt that at no distant day he will be found in
the House of Commons at Ottawa. He is an adherent of the Roman Catholic
church. He was married in 1869 to Catherine L. Patterson, who died in
1881. He was married again on 29th November to Miss Nealis, daughter of
Simon Nealis, Fredericton, New Brunswick.
* * * * *
=Stephen, Sir George=, Baronet, Montreal, President of the Canadian
Pacific Railway of Canada, was born at Dufftown, Banff, Scotland, on the
5th of June, 1829, and received his education in the parish school of
his native place. On leaving school at the age of fourteen, he was
apprenticed to the late Alexander Sinclair, draper and dealer in dry
goods in Aberdeen. After serving the usual apprenticeship of four years,
he entered the service of the well-known wholesale and shipping house of
J. F. Pawson & Co., of St. Paul’s Church Yard, London, where his
business education was completed. In 1850 he came to Canada, and entered
the service of his cousin, the late William Stephen, of Montreal, with
whom, in 1853, he formed a partnership under the style of William
Stephen & Co. Mr. Stephen having died in 1862, George purchased his late
friend’s interest in the business, and at once entered largely into the
manufacture of cloth. This venture having proved highly remunerative, he
withdrew from the wholesale trade, and devoted his attention exclusively
to this branch of business. He was elected a director of the Bank of
Montreal, the largest banking institution in Canada; and in 1876, on the
retirement of Mr. King from the presidency, he was chosen
vice-president. On the death of the late David Torrance he was elected
president. Sir George Stephen’s first connection with railway
enterprises, and with which his name will always be connected in the
annals of our country, was his joining a syndicate for the purchase of
the interests of the Dutch holders of the bonds of the St. Paul and
Pacific Railway, which gave them control of this partially constructed
line. Realising the importance of this road as a link in the chain of
railway communication with the North-West _via_ the Pembina branch of
the Canadian Pacific Railway, they carried the work of construction
rapidly forward, and soon found themselves in possession of an
exceedingly profitable line. They were in a position to control not only
the entire traffic of the Canadian North-West, but to render tributary a
large part of Minnesota and Dakota. The large profits made from this
monopoly they devoted to extending the sphere of their operations by
constructing lines in various directions, making St. Paul the focal
point of this system, and re-naming their line the St. Paul and Manitoba
Railway. This led to Sir George’s connection with our great national
line, the Canadian Pacific Railway, and in 1881 he was elected its
president. In 1885, in conjunction with his cousin, Sir Donald A. Smith,
he founded the “Montreal Scholarship,” tenable for three years, and open
to the residents of Montreal and its neighbourhood, in the Royal College
of Music of London; and again in 1887 he joined his cousin in presenting
the munificent sum of $1,000,000 ($500,000 each) to build a new
hospital, to be called the Victoria Hospital, at the present time (1887)
in course of erection. In 1885 the government of Canada presented him
with the Confederation medal, and in 1886 Her Majesty the Queen created
him a baronet, in recognition of his great services in connection with
the Canadian Pacific Railway. Though married, he has no family of his
own to inherit his great wealth and honours. A few years ago his adopted
daughter was united in marriage to the son of Sir Stafford Northcote,
and resides in England. Sir George is one of the most popular,
charitable and kind-hearted men in the dominion.
* * * * *
=Harper, J. M.=, M.A., Ph.D., F.E.I.S., Quebec, the subject of the
following biographical sketch, was born on the 10th February, 1845, at
Johnstone, in Renfrewshire, Scotland. Dr. Harper is the son of the late
Robert M. Harper, printer, bookseller and publisher, of Johnstone, and
founder of the first weekly newspaper printed in that place. On the
maternal side, he is of Celtic origin. His granduncle, the late Robert
Montgomery, was for many years a prominent manufacturer in Johnstone,
where he was held in high esteem by his fellow citizens. Johnstone forms
part of the Paisley Abbey parish, a district famous for its schools, and
it was at one of the best of those that the subject of our sketch
received the rudiments of his education. From the parish school he went
to the Glasgow E. C. Training College, an institution founded by Stowe,
and one from which America has drawn several prominent educationists. He
entered college as a Queen’s scholar of the first rank, and after
completing the full course of study, retired with the highest
certificates granted by the lords of committee of Council on Education,
and with special certificates from the science and art department,
Kensington. After coming to this country, he became a graduate of
Queen’s University, Kingston, and some years ago he received the degree
of Doctor of Philosophy from the Illinois University, after completing
the three years post graduate course in the section of metaphysical
science. In 1881 he was unanimously elected a fellow of the Educational
Institute of Scotland, an honour seldom conferred upon teachers
labouring outside of Britain, and only upon those of advanced
experience. Before leaving Scotland he had received an appointment to an
academy in New Brunswick, where he laboured successfully for the full
term of his engagement. After several years residence in the Maritime
provinces, he was eventually appointed principal of the Victoria and
High Schools, St. John, N.B., the largest institution of the kind in
that section of Canada. Here, as elsewhere, he laboured to raise the
teaching profession in the estimation of the public, and endeavoured to
foster an _esprit de corps_ among the teachers themselves. He succeeded
in introducing many of the improved methods of imparting instruction by
holding meetings with the teachers, and otherwise followed up his
efforts in this direction by giving instruction in drawing, chemistry,
botany, and kindred subjects. In 1877 the Hon. L. H. Davies, premier of
Prince Edward Island, visited the educational institutions of St. John,
and meeting with the principal of the Victoria School, was not slow in
recognizing his worth as an educationist. After carefully examining the
system under which the St. John schools were being conducted, and no
doubt anxious to introduce such a system in his own province, he invited
Dr. Harper to accept the position of superintendent of Education in
Prince Edward Island. This generous offer, however, was declined, as the
head master of the Victoria School had no desire to leave his adopted
province. But not long after, the Victoria School building was destroyed
in the great fire of St. John, and, on hearing of the calamity, Mr.
Davies followed up his previous offer by asking Dr. Harper to assume the
principalship of the Provincial Normal School in Charlottetown. This the
latter did, but only on the understanding that he would be free to
return to St. John as soon as the Victoria School was rebuilt. While on
the island the value of his work was at once keenly appreciated. In a
letter written by the premier, in which he gives expression to the
general sentiment of the public in regard to educational progress on the
island, he says: “As a matter of fact, Mr. Harper organized the whole
school. What existed under the name of Normal School was merely a name.
He infused life and vitality into it. The bitterness of religious strife
was such when he took charge as to defy all attempts to make the school
in any sense a provincial one. By tact and judicious management, he
succeeded in overcoming all that, and under his rule the school has been
a great success. Intimately connected with him as I was for nearly two
years, I can speak of his ability, tact, and administrative power,
because he was, in addition to being principal of the Normal School,
also superintendent of the city schools. He succeeded in carrying out
the difficult task of grading Protestant and Catholic children in the
schools, so that entire satisfaction was given to the citizens. I
consider the province owes him a debt of gratitude for his successful
labours.” Nor is the testimony of others less explicit. “Mr. Harper,”
says the Rev. Mr. McLennan, “has occupied for some time the position of
principal of the Normal School of this province, and of superintendent
of the city schools, having been invited to occupy these offices by the
government for the purpose of establishing a system of training,
organization and equipment suitable to give effect to a Public School
Act, passed by the legislature in 1877. The high reputation which he
enjoyed as a teacher and writer on school affairs—the influential
situation he was filling at the time as principal of the Victoria
School, St. John, New Brunswick, and the recommendation of prominent
educationists who were acquainted with his career, pointed him out as
eminently fitted for the position offered to him in Prince Edward
Island. The heavy task which he undertook was performed with vigour,
ability, and acknowledged success. The condition of the city schools, in
point of organization and methods of instruction, was soon brought into
conformity with that which characterizes the best public schools in
other provinces. A superior public edifice was constructed at a cost of
$30,000; while in the Normal School the work of instruction and
training, conducted more immediately by himself, gave indications of the
value of that special work, virtually new in this province.” At the end
of a year or more, when Dr. Harper proposed to return to St. John, the
government of Prince Edward Island, being anxious to continue the work
of educational progress so successfully inaugurated, put forth every
effort to induce him to resign his position in New Brunswick, and to
take up his abode permanently in Charlottetown. After some delay they
succeeded, and for three years the subject of our sketch became a
resident of the island, holding during the last year of his residence,
when a change of government, in 1879, brought about the amalgamation of
the Normal School and the Prince of Wales College, the position of
professor in the amalgamated institution, with special supervision of
the department for the training of teachers. Beyond his professional
reputation, however, Dr. Harper has not failed to make his mark as a
gentleman of matured literary tastes. From his earliest years he has
taken a deep interest in literature and literary pursuits. In Nova
Scotia he took an active part in establishing a literary periodical,
devoted at its inception to the cultivation of Canadian literature, and
has continued more or less frequently to contribute to our periodical
literature in prose and verse. Many of his lyrics have been highly
praised, while some of his poems in the Scottish dialect merit a
prominent place in the literature of his native country. He also enjoys
a reputation of some distinction as a writer and compiler of school
text-books, and is the author of several excellent lectures, including
“Plato,” “The New Education,” “Cause and Effect in School Work,” and
others. The Literary and Historical Society of Quebec is indebted to him
for two valuable papers, published in the Transactions, and entitled,
“The Maritime Provinces,” and “The Development of the Greek Drama.” He
is also a contributor to the Transactions of the Royal Society of
Canada. For many years Dr. Harper was rector of the Quebec High School,
and for a season was also professor of mathematics in Morin College. At
present he holds the position of inspector of Superior schools for the
province of Quebec, being, besides, editor of the _Educational Record_,
examiner for teachers’ licenses, and secretary-treasurer of the
Protestant Board of School Commissioners. He is also president of the
teachers’ local association; vice-president of the Provincial
Association of Teachers; vice-president of the Quebec Literary and
Historical Society, and president of the St. Andrew’s Society. In the
rank of progressive educationists, Dr. Harper occupies a prominent
place. Few can show a fuller record of honest work done in the interests
of education in Canada. Indeed, he has always been most ready to lend
his experience, professional training, and literary ability to advance
the interests of a calling which is now being universally recognized as
second in importance to no other. He was married to Agnes, daughter of
William Kirkwood, of Stanley Muir, Paisley, by whom he has had two sons
and five daughters. Mrs. Harper died in 1883.
* * * * *
=Lyall, Rev. William=, LL.D., Professor of Logic and Psychology in
Dalhousie University, Halifax, is a Scotchman by birth, having been born
in Paisley, on the 11th of June, 1811. He received his primary education
in the Paisley Academy, then studied in the Glasgow College, and
afterwards spent two years in the Edinburgh University. He adopted the
ministerial profession, and was minister for some time of the Free
Church (Presbyterian), Uphall, Linlithgow. He came to Toronto, Ontario,
in 1848, and took a position as tutor in Knox College of that city. Two
years afterwards, in 1850, he removed to Halifax, Nova Scotia, receiving
the appointment of professor of classics and mental philosophy in the
Free Church College there. In 1860, on the union of the Free and United
Presbyterian churches in Nova Scotia, he held the same office in the
united colleges at Truro. In 1863, when the Collegiate Institution was
amalgamated with Dalhousie College, he was appointed to the
professorship of Logic and Psychology in the Dalhousie University,
Halifax, and this position he has continued to fill ever since.
Professor Lyall has contributed several papers on theological and
philosophical subjects to Canadian and foreign reviews. In 1855, he
published a volume on philosophy entitled “Intellect, the Emotions, and
the Moral Nature,” which was very favourably noticed by the reviewers at
the time, and which he has used as a text-book in his prelections ever
since. In 1864 he received the degree of LL.D. from McGill University,
Montreal. He is evangelical in his religious views.
* * * * *
=Johnston, Chas. Hazen Levinge=, M.D., L.R.C.S., Edinburgh, St. John,
New Brunswick, was born at St. John on the 21st December, 1843. He is
the youngest and only surviving son of the late John Johnston, who was a
graduate of King’s college, Windsor, Nova Scotia, barrister-at-law,
member of parliament for the city of St. John, and for many years police
magistrate for the same place; and grandson of Hugh Johnston, sr., who
settled in New Brunswick, in 1783, became one of the leading merchants
of St. John, and for seventeen years consecutively represented that city
and county in the legislature. This gentleman was married to Margaret
Thurburn, a Scotch lady, and a member of a very old family in
Roxburgshire. Charles H. L. Johnston, the subject of this sketch,
received his education at the Grammar School in St. John, New Brunswick,
King’s College, Aberdeen, and at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland.
After his return to St. John he began the practice of his profession,
and during the Fenian disturbance on the border, acted as assistant
surgeon to the militia forces. During 1876 he occupied the position of
surgeon to the Marine Hospital. Dr. Johnston joined the order of Masons
in 1872, and became worshipful master of Leinster lodge, No. 19, in
1876. He has travelled a good deal in Britain and on the continent of
Europe, and has profited professionally a good deal thereby. He has
always belonged to the Episcopal church. On June 30th, 1886 he married
Julia Augusta Barrett.
* * * * *
=Mercier, Hon. Honoré=, Premier of the Province of Quebec.—Among
contemporary Canadian statesmen, a foremost place must be assigned to
the present premier of the province of Quebec. The Hon. Honoré Mercier
is not only a man of mark by reason of his position at the head of the
government of one of the most important provinces of the Canadian
confederation, but he is a remarkable man in every sense of the term.
Speaking of him some years ago, while he was yet in opposition and
little known beyond the limits of his own province, an eminent public
writer said:—“He is certainly a man of much promise on whom this
country, quite as much as any party, can build hopes of great
usefulness.” This estimate is being daily realized. The great central
figure in a new _régime_ which commands the confidence and sympathy of
an ever increasing parliamentary and popular majority in the province of
Quebec, Mr. Mercier already fills a great space also in the eyes and
hopes of the Canadian people as a whole. His fame as a popular leader,
as a man of rare energy and ability, and as an exceptionally bold and
successful political tactician, is no longer merely local. Within a
remarkably brief period, it has extended all over the dominion, and his
name is now almost as familiar from Halifax to Vancouver as that of Sir
John A. Macdonald, whom he is said to resemble in many respects as a
strategist and a parliamentary athlete of the first rank. From
comparative provincial obscurity, he has sprung into a general
prominence and importance with a rapidity almost without parallel in
Canadian history. This circumstance is not so much due to his surprising
success as the head and front of the great so-called national movement
in the province of Quebec which followed the execution of Riel, and
obliterated to a large extent much of the old party lines there, as to
the bold and original stand which he has taken in defence of provincial
rights and interests; and which has identified him, so to speak, with
the cause of all the provinces of the Canadian confederation, against
what are termed the encroachments and centralizing tendencies of the
federal power. The subject of our sketch is a striking example of what
can be achieved by natural talent, indomitable energy and force of
character, coupled with political sagacity of a high order, and a ready
appreciation of men and opportunity. After the provincial elections of
1881, it seemed as if the Liberal party in Quebec had been irretrievably
beaten. They had been literally swept from the polls throughout the
entire province, and mustered only fifteen representatives in the House
of Assembly. It is beyond our purview to discuss the means by which this
result, as well as the party’s disaster at the federal elections in the
following year, came about. Suffice it to say that the cause seemed
hopelessly lost, and that the Conservatives appeared to have tightened
their hold more firmly than ever on the province of Quebec, which had so
long been the sheet-anchor of Toryism in Canada. Even the most ardent
Liberals, the most persevering champions of the party, were discouraged,
and if they continued the fight, it was more out of a sense of
patriotism and for the honour of the old flag than with any hope of
victory, near or remote. There was one of the number, however, who did
not despair at this dark hour of the party’s fortunes. This man was the
Hon. Honoré Mercier. With undaunted courage, with wondrous tenacity of
purpose and implicit confidence in the future, he began the work of
reorganization on the very morrow of defeat. The task of collecting the
scattered elements of the party and of leading them to victory seemed a
herculean if not an impossible one to accomplish. But Mr. Mercier did
not falter in it, and in the short space of four years he successfully
achieved what, under other circumstances, would have taken at least a
quarter of a century. Under his skilful leadership the vanquished of
1879 and 1881 have become the victors, and Mr. Mercier now reigns
supreme in the province of Quebec. Throughout his whole career he seems
to have been actuated by two grand ideas, one of which was to enlarge
his policy and the basis of his party, to close up the breaches in it,
to gather around him patriotic men without distinction of origin or
party, and to throw open to all a broad ground of conciliation; and the
other, which has been perhaps the most fruitful, to conquer the hearts
of the people and to make his cause a popular one in the fullest sense
of the term. Few public men have been better endowed by nature for the
purpose. Still in the hey-day of life and manly vigour, Mr. Mercier
combines great physical gifts with large magnetic personal influence.
His face is of the Napoleonic type, and suggestive of extraordinary
mental power and force of character. He looks in every sense of the
words a man born to command; but, behind the mask of imperiousness, lies
a fund of geniality and good nature which has earned for him the respect
of his adversaries and the undying devotion of his friends through good
and evil fortune. Much of his popularity no doubt is due to his
political capacity, but still more of it may be ascribed to the
generosity of his character and the fidelity of his personal and party
friendships. From his very first appearance in the public arena, it was
clear to every one that he was essentially a popular leader; but recent
events have proved that he possesses in an eminent degree also all the
qualities of a successful political leader,—ability, tact, diplomacy,
decision of character, foresight, the statesmanlike breadth of view
which soars beyond the triumphs of the hour to grasp the necessities of
the morrow, and that loyalty which inspires confidence and renders
alliances durable. As an orator, it may be fairly said that he has few
equals. Few public speakers of his day excel him in the art of swaying
an audience, whether cultured or illiterate. He touches their feelings
or appeals to their reason with a force and a logic that always tell. A
brilliant lawyer and a perfect master of parliamentary fence, he has
also been described as belonging to that class of men who are always
ready for duty, always equipped for a fight, and his blows invariably
tell with sledge-hammer force. At the same time it must be conceded that
he is a manly fighter, never taking an unfair advantage of an adversary,
and always showing the courteous and polished Frenchman’s aversion to
unnecessarily wound the feelings of others. His astonishing industry
also constitutes one of his chief claims to the admiration of his
friends, coupled with the courage and pluck which has carried him to
victory against what at one time appeared the most desperate odds. He
has lived a busy life, divided between journalism, law and politics; but
it is mainly in his public capacity that his assiduity and powers of
application have come to be most known and appreciated. Whether as
leader of the Opposition or of the Government, he has been and is an
indefatigable worker, always at his post and accomplishing more in a day
than other public men usually do in weeks. Another secret of his great
prestige among his fellow countrymen is to be found in his acute and
rapid perception of the drift of popular opinion in his province, and
the people’s growing confidence in the earnestness of his patriotism. As
already stated, Mr. Premier Mercier is still in the full prime and
vigour of life, his age being only forty-seven. He first saw the light
in Iberville county, in the year 1840. He comes of a family of simple
farmers, or _habitants_, as they are styled in Lower Canada, originally
from Old France, but settled for several generations in the county of
Montmagny, below the city of Quebec. His father was not wealthy, and had
to provide for the wants of a large household; but he was a man of
energy and foresight, and thought no sacrifice too great to arm his
children for the battle of life by means of a liberal education. At the
age of fourteen years, young Mercier was sent to the Jesuits’ College in
Montreal to complete his education, which he finally did after a
brilliant course of study; and, even to the present day, the premier of
Quebec reverts with pleasurable recollection to his early struggles
after knowledge, and loses no occasion to testify his affectionate and
grateful regard for the masters who first taught his “young idea how to
shoot.” The ardour with which he took up the cause of the Jesuits during
last session of the Quebec legislature, and championed it to victory in
the passing of their charter bill, is largely explained by this feeling,
strengthened by the conviction that the legislature had no warrant to
refuse to one religious order the ordinary privilege of civil rights
which it had so freely granted to others. Like the vast majority of his
French Canadian fellow countrymen, the premier of Quebec is, of course,
a Roman Catholic, and imbibed a lively faith in the doctrines of that
church from his parents and the teachers of his youth. That faith has
not diminished, but increased with his maturer years. Still there was a
time, and not yet very remote either, when, on account of his political
liberalism and alliances, his orthodoxy was more than once seriously
questioned by his political foes to his personal and party detriment.
However, this has all passed away. It is now conceded by Papal authority
that a man may be a Liberal in politics and yet a good Catholic; and the
Lower Canadian clergy have come to understand that Mr. Mercier is not
only a sincere Catholic in theory and practice, but that the interests
of their church are as safe in his hands as in those of the
self-constituted champions who proclaim their zeal for the faith from
the housetops. At the same time, he is no narrow-minded bigot. There is
probably no public man in the dominion free from religious or sectional
bias. He never asks “the brave soldier who fights by his side in the
cause of mankind, if their creeds agree.” A French Canadian in heart and
soul, and a thorough son of the soil, still strict and impartial justice
to all classes, races and creeds; undue favour to none, seems to be the
motto upon which he has always acted in the past and desires to act in
the future. Now, to return to the career of our subject. Some time after
leaving college, young Mercier decided to make the law his profession.
He accordingly entered the office of Laframboise & Papineau, at St.
Hyacinthe, and was admitted to practice in 1865. But, three years before
this event, he may be said to have entered public life, towards which
the ardent young man felt himself irresistibly attracted. In 1862, at
the age of twenty-two years, he became editor-in-chief of the _Courrier
de St. Hyacinthe_, and made his mark as a vigorous and trenchant
political writer. This was before confederation, during the Sandfield
Macdonald-Sicotte administration. To that government, with its liberal
and moderate policy, and its programme of conciliation between Upper and
Lower Canada, the young journalist gave a warm support. But in the
excited state of public opinion in the two provinces at the time, the
task of pacification which it had undertaken was beyond its strength,
and after a short and stormy existence, it succumbed. At this stage in
Canadian history the political situation was exceedingly strained. Not
only were parties in the legislature about evenly balanced, but Canadian
politics were complicated by such burning and difficult questions as the
Separate Schools, Representation by Population, and the construction of
the Intercolonial Railway. Finally, despairing of reducing this apparent
chaos to order, Mr. Sicotte retired, and Sandfield Macdonald
reconstructed the cabinet by taking in from Lower Canada Mr. Dorion, now
Sir A. A. Dorion, chief-justice of the Court of Queen’s Bench of the
province of Quebec, and by openly repudiating the principle until then
recognized of the double majority. Mr. Mercier who, in the _Courrier de
St. Hyacinthe_, had sustained the Sicotte administration, went over to
the opposition with his leader. He continued, with Cartier and a group
of moderate liberals, to form part of the opposition, which he then
regarded as a national opposition, and his powerful pen in the _Courrier
de St. Hyacinthe_ contributed immeasurably to the defeat of the
ministerial candidate when the seat for St. Hyacinthe became vacant by
Mr. Sicotte’s elevation to the bench. When the confederation scheme was
broached in 1864 as the only means of cutting the Gordian knot of the
political deadlock between the united provinces of Upper and Lower
Canada, Mr. Mercier, who had supported Cartier in his opposition to the
Macdonald-Dorion ministry, felt himself unable to approve his alliance
with George Brown for the establishment of confederation, believing that
the realization of the latter would be the death-warrant of the French
Canadian influence, that the project was only another expedient to
retain power in Tory hands, and that behind it, in the mind of Sir John
A. Macdonald, lurked a long-meditated design to force a legislative
union upon the provinces. His views, however, in this respect, were
shared only by a small minority, and he resigned in consequence the
editorial chair of the _Courrier de St. Hyacinthe_. But, later on, in
1865, when the project was regularly discussed in parliament, Mr.
Mercier’s objections to it found expression through an opposition on the
floor of the house; weak in numbers, it is true, but resolute and
untiring in their efforts to render it less obnoxious to the French
Canadians, and more favourable to the rights of the provinces. All or
nearly all of the causes of friction which have since developed between
the central and the local governments in the working of the new
constitution, were then exhaustively ventilated by the liberals. They
demanded, with Mr. Holton, that the Federal Act should expressly
recognise the sovereignty of the provinces, and that only restricted and
delegated powers should be conferred on the central government. They
protested against the mode of constituting the Senate, the principle of
the nomination of the lieutenant-governors by the federal ministry, and
the right of veto upon the acts of the Provincial legislatures. To every
assault upon the integrity of the scheme, Cartier invariably opposed the
stereotyped reply that the Federal Act was a “sacred compact,” and that
not one line of it could be altered without provoking a breach with the
other provinces. This _non possumus_ style of argument was successful in
procuring the rejection of all the amendments proposed in the parliament
of united Canada. But it found no echo in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia,
whose legislatures, while approving the confederation principle, refused
to ratify the scheme in all its details. The whole question, with the
right of amendment, seemed to be thus thrown open anew, and the hopes of
the Lower Canadians, who looked to extract the most protection for their
province from the project, once more revived. Meanwhile, while these
events had been transpiring, Mr. Mercier had resumed the editorial
direction of the _Courrier de St. Hyacinthe_ in the month of January,
1866, having formed with Mr. de la Bruère, now speaker of the Quebec
Legislative Council, Mr. Bernier, now superintendent of Education in
Manitoba, and Paul de Cazes, his brother-in-law, a syndicate whose
programme, in view of the adoption of the new constitution, was to give
it _fair play_ and to endeavour to make the most of it, after
Lafontaine’s example in 1840. The opposition of the Maritime provinces
having re-opened, _de jure_, the right of amendment, Mr. Mercier and his
colleagues hailed the event with gratification; but, to their surprise,
in February, 1866, _La Minerve_, of Montreal, and other newspapers,
began to spread the rumour that the question would not be again
submitted to the Canadian legislature, and that Cartier had consented to
refer the settlement of the difficulties to Imperial arbitration.
Thereupon, the managers of the _Courrier de St. Hyacinthe_ published an
article in which they distinctly declared that, if the principle of
arbitration was accepted, they would go into opposition. A fortnight
later, Cartier proposed to refer the pending difficulties to Imperial
arbitration, and there was nothing left to Mr. Mercier and his
colleagues of the _Courrier_ but to execute their threat and transfer
their talents and influence to the opposition. They were unanimous on
the subject, and the article announcing their determination was prepared
by Mr. de la Bruère. But, before it could be published next morning,
Messrs. de la Bruère and Bernier, who have ever since remained
Conservatives and attached to the fortunes of Sir John A. Macdonald,
suddenly changed their views and refused to allow it to appear. A
rupture ensued between the partners, and Mr. Mercier and Mr. de Cazes
withdrew from the _Courrier de St. Hyacinthe_, this time for good. There
is reason to believe that the turn of events at this stage so disgusted
Mr. Mercier with politics that he resolved to abandon them altogether.
At all events he retired from public life, and during the next five
years devoted himself exclusively to the practice of his profession as a
lawyer, only reappearing on the scene in 1871, after confederation, on
the formation of the _Parti National_. As the occasion and objects of
this movement in the province of Quebec may be either forgotten or not
well understood at the present day, it may be useful to recall that the
attitude of the Conservative government of Sir John A. Macdonald on the
New Brunswick Separate School question in 1871, as later on the Riel
question in 1886, provoked a split among his Conservative following from
Lower Canada. A number of bold and ardent French Canadian spirits
conceived that the opportunity was a favourable one to make another
effort for the triumph of the principles for which they had so long and
unsuccessfully battled, to set aside all party divisions and to rally
under one standard all patriotic souls, Liberal and Conservative, in
order to secure the predominance of the provincial influence over the
hybrid alliances by which a majority was constituted and maintained in
the Federal parliament. In other words, the promoters of the national
movement held that in a confederation honestly and properly worked, the
representatives of the people should above all regard themselves as
plenipotentiaries of the provinces, and that instead of dividing into
conservatives and liberals, it was their first duty to group themselves
by provinces for the common defence of their provincial or national
interests. At the head of the new party were such men as Messrs. Holton,
Dorion, Loranger, Laframboise, Jetté, Mercier, F. Cassidy, L. O. David,
and Béique, in the Montreal district, and Messrs. Letellier de St. Just,
Joly, Thibaudeau, Langelier, Pelletier, and Shehyn, in the district of
Quebec. Their platform included protection, complete provincial
autonomy, and decentralization, vote by ballot, the trial of election
contestations by the law courts, the abolition of dual representation,
suppression of the Legislative Council, economy in the public
expenditure, and the suspension of the construction of the Canadian
Pacific Railway until the resources of the country warranted the
completion of that great work without saddling the people with the
burthens of a ruinous debt. Mr. Mercier threw himself heart and soul
into this movement, which promised to realize his dearest aspirations.
He lent powerful assistance to the election of his friend, Hon. F.
Langelier, for Bagot county, and in the following year, at the general
elections of 1872, he was himself returned as the federal member for
Rouville. On the meeting of the Dominion parliament in 1873, he took an
active and leading part in the exciting debate on the New Brunswick
Separate Schools question, and, with Hon. John Costigan from that
province, then plain Mr. Costigan, he also eloquently defended Rev.
Father Michot, a Catholic priest, whose goods had been destrained, and
person imprisoned for debt by the authorities of New Brunswick, because
of his refusal to pay tax towards the support of the Protestant schools.
The result was that the government was beaten by a majority of
thirty-five through the French Canadian vote, supported by the Liberals
of Ontario; but Sir John A. Macdonald refused to recognize this adverse
decision as a ministerial defeat, and announced his intention of
referring the question of the New Brunswick schools to the Imperial
government. A cabinet crisis was thus averted for the moment, but it was
destined to be not long delayed. The last echoes of the fierce debate on
the school question had hardly died away, when suddenly and almost
without a note of warning, the astounding revelations which have since
passed into history under the title of “The Pacific Scandal,” were
sprung upon the parliament and country. In the midst of the most intense
excitement all over the dominion, parliament adjourned in May, 1873, and
between that date and the following August, when it was to meet again,
Mr. Mercier was one of the most active in stumping the province of
Quebec against the government, and in promoting the petition to the
governor-general against the alleged intention to prorogue the house. To
the prayer of this petition, however, Lord Dufferin did not deem it
advisable to assent, and parliament was prorogued on the very day of its
reassembling in August. But it was called again towards the end of
October, and, after a seven days’ debate, which will remain forever
memorable in Canadian annals, Sir John A. Macdonald announced that he
had placed his resignation in the hands of his excellency. Two days
later, the Liberal government of Mr. Mackenzie was formed, followed two
months later, in January, 1874, by a dissolution of the Dominion
parliament. At the general elections which ensued, Mr. Mercier had
intended to again offer as a candidate for the county of Rouville in the
interest of the new Liberal ministry; but, as another Liberal candidate
of much local influence, Mr. Cheval, also proposed to run, he withdrew
from the field rather than create a division, which might throw the
constituency into Tory hands. In 1875 he once more reappeared on the
scene in Bagot, which he stumped in favour of Mr. Bourgeois, now a judge
of the Superior Court, with whom he had formed in 1873 one of the
strongest law partnerships in the country. In 1878, when Mr. Delorme,
the Liberal member for St. Hyacinthe, and now clerk of the Quebec
Legislative Assembly, retired from the representation of that county,
Mr. Mercier manned the breach in the Liberal interest; but was defeated
by Mr. Tellier, the Conservative candidate, who carried the seat by the
narrow majority of six votes. But for that disappointment he was
consoled in the very following year by the brilliant victory on the same
ground, which ratified his entry into the provincial government, and was
the prelude to a new and more important phase of his public life. In
March, 1879, when Hon. Mr. Joly, the then Liberal premier of Quebec,
invited Mr. Mercier to fill the cabinet vacancy created by the death of
Mr. Bachand, his ministry was virtually in a moribund condition. It did
not command a large enough majority, and above all one sufficiently
solid to survive the restoration of Sir John A. Macdonald to power at
Ottawa, after the fall of the Mackenzie government. Coming events were
already casting their shadows before; the Letellier question, as it was
called, had waxed in bitterness; and there is little doubt that Mr. Joly
and his colleagues foresaw clearly the near approach of their own
official death. But they had resolved, for the honour of the cause and
its future interests, to fight it out bravely and worthily to the end.
They needed the help of a sturdy and experienced spirit for the purpose,
and Mr. Mercier, who did not hesitate a moment about undertaking the
task, was a few days afterwards elected to the Quebec legislature for
St. Hyacinthe by the large majority of 307 votes. As solicitor-general
in Mr. Joly’s cabinet, Mr. Mercier’s official career was too brief to
permit of his displaying more than the qualities of an admirable law
officer of the Crown; but, on the floor of the Quebec Assembly, he at
once took a foremost place as an orator, debater and legislator. After
the fall of the Joly cabinet, Mr. Mercier momentarily entertained the
idea of retiring from public life for good and all, not that he
despaired of the righteousness in his own mind of the cause which he
supported, but more probably because this last attempt of the Liberals
to capture and hold Quebec province, in which he had been called to take
a too tardy part, had strengthened his long rooted conviction, that that
party as then constituted in Lower Canada, were acting on too narrow and
defective a basis to make successful headway against the existing
combination of Tory interests and prejudices. Accordingly, having in the
meantime removed in March, 1881, from St. Hyacinthe to Montreal, where
he had formed a new law partnership with Messrs. Beausoleil & Martineau,
he announced his intention to not come forward at the general elections
of that year. This announcement produced a most powerful sensation
throughout the province, but especially among his constituents of St.
Hyacinthe, who, regardless of their party divisions, rose as one man to
beg of him to reconsider his decision, which he finally did after long
and earnest reflection, when he was returned once more to the
legislature by acclamation. About this period of his career, or shortly
afterwards, occurred the incident of the coalition, which came very
nearly splitting up the Liberal party. Enlightened men in the ranks of
both parties in the province felt that the existing state of things
could not continue much longer; that their public men were wasting their
energies in fruitless contention; and that ruin, political and
financial, stared Quebec in the face unless the politicians on both
sides clasped hands to forget old feuds and to form a strong coalition
government on the broad national ground which might fearlessly apply the
heroic remedies demanded by the critical nature of the situation. Mr.
Mercier was all the more open to the advances made him from the other
side, both during the administrations of Mr. Chapleau and his successor,
the late Mr. Mousseau, in favour of this new departure, that he had
strenuously advocated a policy of conciliation and union for the
national good throughout his whole public life. He probably made a
mistake in supposing that the hour was ripe for the fruition of such a
policy, and that nothing more was needed to a general conviction of its
necessity. But even so, the error was a generous one, prompted by
patriotism. The proposals for a coalition, however, did not emanate from
Mr. Mercier, but from his adversaries, that he only consented to
entertain them upon certain well defined and strictly honourable
conditions, and that in the entire business he was true to the
controlling idea of his career as to the absolute necessity of union for
the salvation of his native province. In the beginning of the session of
1883, Hon. Mr. Joly resigned the direction of the provincial Liberal
party, and Mr. Mercier was unanimously chosen to succeed him, on Mr.
Joly’s own motion, as the leader of the opposition. In this new and
important role he at once found fitting opportunity and scope to display
the great qualities which in so brief a period have placed him in the
foremost ranks of French Canadian statesmen. Within the short space of
three years he successively showed what an able and intrepid leader can
do with the support of a small but disciplined and trusty band of
parliamentary followers, to retrieve the fallen fortunes of his party,
and to defend and lead to victory a popular cause the moment
circumstances placed it in his hands. During the first portion of his
task, Mr. Mercier maintained a struggle which cannot be otherwise
characterized than as heroic. With a following in the House of Assembly
reduced to fifteen members against fifty, he kept in check three
successive governments of his adversaries, and if he did not succeed in
defeating the two first by a vote, he at least forced them to take
flight. One after the other, Messrs. Chapleau and Mousseau were
compelled to retire from the field, admitting themselves to be too
grievously stricken to continue the fight any longer against so sturdy
an opponent, whose scathing denunciations of their policy and
administrative methods were gradually arousing public opinion from its
apathy with regard to the financial and political dangers that seemed to
threaten the safety of the province. During this period, too, as well as
during the rule of the succeeding Ross administration, Mr. Mercier not
only exerted a mighty influence on current legislation, but proved
himself the fearless and ardent defender of provincial rights, and lost
no occasion to condemn in forcible terms what he had characterized as
the grovelling and ruinous subserviency of the provincial conservatives
to the overshadowing influence of Ottawa. His sympathy with the cause of
constitutional liberty also found strong expression on more than one
occasion in support of the Irish Home Rule movement and against
coercion, and the various resolutions of the Quebec legislature on the
subject either owed their paternity to him or in a large measure their
adoption. From the session of 1886, the last of that parliament, the
Ross ministry emerged woefully crippled by the sustained vigour of Mr.
Mercier’s assaults, and with the outlook for the general elections
complicated and darkened for the success of the Tory cause by the Riel
affair. Still, even under the circumstances, it is doubtful whether,
with the influence and active assistance of the Ottawa government, and
in the usual way, Mr. Ross would not have carried a majority of the
constituencies but for the split in the conservative ranks and the
astounding energy and ability thrown by Mr. Mercier into the campaign,
which preceded the general elections, and which was probably the most
anxious and exciting ever fought in Lower Canada. As the accepted leader
of the new National party formed in that province out of a combination
of the liberals and conservative bolters, he not only directed the whole
movement, but personally traversed the province almost from end to end,
addressing as many as one hundred and sixty public meetings, and
everywhere making his influence felt for the promotion of the cause. The
elections came on in October, 1886, and resulted in a victory for the
Nationals. But for several months afterwards the country was kept in a
painful state of ferment by the refusal of the Ross government to
recognize their defeat or to call the legislature. It has been charged
that they spent the interval in endeavouring to seduce the few National
Conservatives elected from their allegiance to Mr. Mercier; but, if so,
they failed, and the circumstance only tends to further attest his tact
and skill as a political manager and strategist. Finally they were
compelled by the force of public opinion to meet the representatives of
the people in January, 1887, when Mr. Mercier and his supporters met
with a triumphal reception at the provincial capital, and the popular
verdict rendered against the Tories at the polls in October was ratified
by a majority of nine in the House of Assembly on the first vote for the
election of the speaker. Still the Ross ministry would not resign until
Mr. Mercier rendered their humiliation more complete by taking the
control of the house out of their hands, and carrying the adjournment
against their will, amid one of the most exciting scenes ever witnessed
in legislative halls. In a few more hours the Ross administration had
ceased to exist. Mr. Mercier was called upon by the lieutenant-governor
to form a new cabinet, and in less than twenty-four hours more, with his
usual decision and promptitude, he had made his choice of his
colleagues, and announced it to the legislature and the country, both of
which received it with marked satisfaction. He also demanded and
obtained an adjournment of both houses until the following March, in
order to allow of his own re-election and that of his colleagues (which
took place in each case by acclamation), and to get time to prepare his
programme for the regular work of the session, when the speech from the
throne was delivered, and he publicly appeared for the first time as
leader of the Government and the Assembly. Considering the shortness of
the time at their disposal for preparation, the policy formulated by the
new government constituted a very satisfactory instalment of the reforms
which Mr. Mercier and his friends had advocated while in opposition. Its
principal planks were the restoration of the finances to a sound basis,
the readjustment of the representation, and the better protection of
provincial rights and autonomy. The measures proposed for the purpose by
ministers, with the exception of that relating to the readjustment of
the representation which was held over for more exhaustive study until
another session, were all sanctioned by the house, and by the end of the
session the government’s majority had materially increased in the
Assembly, while in the Crown-nominated branch, the Legislative Council,
much less partisan obstruction was encountered than had been
anticipated. Its close left him more firmly seated in the saddle than
ever, and with an addition to his prestige and popularity, which has
been since largely increased by the marvellous success of his
administration as evidenced in the settlement of the long pending
dispute with Ontario, respecting the division of the Common School Fund,
and the unusually advantageous negotiation of the new provincial loan of
three and a half millions. These and a number of other happy incidents
of his official career thus far have been attributed by his adversaries
to good luck; but there is far more reason to think that they are
ascribable to good management. In his profession, Mr. Mercier has risen
to the highest honours. He is actually the attorney-general as well as
the premier of Quebec. He has been twice _bâtonnier_ of the bar of the
Montreal district, and the respect entertained for him by his legal
colleagues is so great that they unanimously elevated him not long since
to the still more distinguished eminence of _bâtonnier-général_ of the
bar of the province. It is not given to man to pierce the veil that
conceals the future from human ken, but, judging of Mr. Mercier’s future
by his past, there is reason to confidently hope for much solid and
lasting good to the province of Quebec and indirectly to the Dominion,
from his continuation at the head of the public administration of that
important member of the Canadian confederation where his presence has
already worked a marked change for the better. That he has been the
object of serious misrepresentation in the past there can be no manner
of doubt. Heralded to the world as the apostle of an advanced radicalism
which in reality has no representative in this country, he has not only
preached, but practised a different gospel, and in office has proved
himself to be unusually moderate and conciliatory, as well as a man of
broad and generous views, free from sectionalism, and exceedingly
anxious to do justice to all races, classes and creeds, yet fully
determined to work out the regeneration of his native province on the
great lines of reform which he has ever regarded as essential to that
desirable end. Alarmists, for partisan purposes, may affect to believe
that he is unfriendly to the rights and privileges of the English
speaking minority in the province of Quebec; but he has done nothing yet
to warrant that impression, and in the speech which he delivered at St.
Hyacinthe, on the 16th June last (1887), during the great demonstration
there in his honour, he emitted no uncertain sound on the subject. On
that occasion he made use of the following language, which should, it
seems, dissipate the last remnant of apprehension, if any be
entertained, as to the fair-minded spirit by which he is actuated:—
We have endeavoured during the last session to remove the
regrettable prejudices which our enemies have succeeded in
creating in the hearts of the Protestant minority against us,
and especially against myself. We did not concern ourselves with
the injustice of which we have been the victims, and we have
always been just and sometimes very liberal towards Protestants.
We were determined to revenge acts of injustice by acts of
justice, and to answer injuries by acts of kindness and words of
courtesy. All the English Protestant members of the legislature,
with the exception of one, have systematically and invariably
voted against us, and have refused to grant us that “British
fair play” of which Englishmen so much boast. This conduct on
the part of the minority has not made us deviate from the right
path—the path of justice; we have been just towards the
minority as if it had been likewise just towards us, and we will
continue to give it that “British fair play” which its
representatives in the legislature have so constantly refused to
accord to us. But let the Protestant minority permit me to say
now, before this immense audience, composed for three-fourths of
French Canadians and Catholics, that the National Party will
respect and cause to be respected the rights of that minority;
that the National Party desires to live in peace and harmony
with all races and creeds; and that it intends to render justice
to all, even to those who refuse to render it in return.
In private life the premier of Quebec is a charming conversationalist,
and one of the most genial of companions. He has been twice married,
firstly, to Léopoldine Boivin, of St. Hyacinthe, who died leaving one
daughter; and lastly, to Virginie St. Denis, also of St. Hyacinthe.
Madame Mercier is one of the most distinguished members of French
Canadian society, and fittingly adorns the prominent position to which
she has been called by the side of her eminent husband.
* * * * *
=Chamberlain, David Cleveland=, Insurance and General Agent, Pembroke,
Ontario, was born at Point Fortune, province of Quebec, on the 22nd
July, 1838. His father was Hiram Chamberlain, and his mother, Elizabeth
Minerva Hayes. The family removed from Point Fortune in 1842, to a place
on the Ottawa river, a new settlement in the township of Westmeath, in
Renfrew county, then known as the Head of Paquett’s Rapids. Though at
the time the place was little better than a wilderness, Mr. Chamberlain,
sen., began to manufacture lumber, and successfully carried on this
business until his death, which occurred in Quebec city in 1854, from
cholera. He left a family consisting of a widow and six children, the
subject of our sketch being the eldest. After securing some education at
the public school, David engaged himself as clerk with Alexander Fraser,
a lumber merchant, who, by the way, subsequently married his sister, and
with this gentleman he remained until 1868, when he removed to Pembroke,
and began business on his own account as a merchant. He continued to
trade until 1876, and then gave up mercantile pursuits, adopting in lieu
thereof a general insurance agency. Since then he has worked hard, and
has succeeded in building up a profitable business in that line. He now
represents in that district of country twelve of the principal English
and Canadian fire insurance companies, and the Standard Life Insurance
Company of Scotland, doing business in Canada. Outside of business, Mr.
Chamberlain has taken a part in the world’s work. He is a member of the
Oddfellows’ organization; has been a school trustee; was for twelve
years a member of the High School board; treasurer of the township of
Westmeath; and at present is treasurer of the school moneys of the town
of Pembroke. He belongs to the Methodist denomination; and in politics
is a Liberal-Conservative. On January 10, 1860, he married Martha Maria
Huntington, daughter of Erastus Huntington, and has a family of five
children living.
* * * * *
=Angers, Hon. Auguste Réal=, Judge of the Superior Court, Quebec, was
born in the city of Quebec on the 4th of October, 1838. His father, F.
R. Angers, was a lawyer who occupied a distinguished position at the
Quebec bar. Justice Angers studied at Nicolet College, in the province
of Quebec, and entered his father’s office to study law. He was admitted
to the bar in 1860, and practised his profession with marked success in
the law firm of Casault, Langlois and Angers. In 1874, he was made a
Queen’s counsel. When the Hon. J. E. Cauchon resigned his seat in 1874,
the electors of the county of Montmorency elected him to represent them
in the provincial parliament. In the same year the Hon. M. de
Boucherville was called upon to form a new cabinet, and he offered the
portfolio of solicitor general to Mr. Angers, whose brilliant reputation
had marked him as a future minister. He accepted, taking the oath on the
22nd of September, and therefore becoming a minister without ever having
occupied a seat in parliament. In 1875 Mr. de Boucherville taking a seat
in the Legislative Council, the leadership of the Assembly fell into the
hands of Mr. Angers, who became attorney-general on the 26th January,
1876. Messrs. Angers and de Boucherville worked harmoniously together,
both being scrupulously honest and equally devoted to the public
interests. At that time the North Shore Railway, which had been talked
about for thirty years, was yet in an embryo state, private enterprise
having failed to carry out the scheme; they resolved to build the road
as a government work, with the help of the municipalities which had
voted liberal grants towards the construction of the road, Montreal and
Quebec having given $1,000,000 each. The wonderful debating powers of
Mr. Angers, and his keen foresight in looking upon this railway as the
future link of the Canadian Pacific Railway, and probably of a direct
route to the seaboard, helped to carry the measure. Thanks to the
construction of the North Shore Railway, Montreal, the metropolis of
Canada, and Quebec became _de facto_ the terminal points of the Canadian
Pacific Railway, and since the completion of this gigantic national
highway, Montreal has added 40,000 to her population. As a legislator,
Mr. Angers ranks among the foremost representative men of the Dominion;
the Electoral Act and the Controverted Elections Act bear testimony to
his intimate knowledge of law. The former act has been universally
admitted by the courts to be superior to the Dominion act, while the
latter ranks equally high. The _enquête_ is made before one judge only,
and the case is pleaded before three judges, whose decision is final,
whereas in the case of the Federal law, a controverted election case
that can be carried in appeal to the Supreme Court is distasteful to the
people of the province of Quebec, and an appeal invariably entails long
delays and enormous costs. The Superannuated Fund law, providing for the
widows and orphans of civil servants, is also due to Mr. Angers. This
law is now in force, and gives satisfaction to all the parties
concerned. Not the least important of the laws introduced by Mr. Angers,
and carried through the Lower House, in 1876, was the act framed by the
government concerning education, and giving control to both Catholics
and Protestants over their respective educational matters. It was mainly
due to his efforts that the new departmental buildings were erected in
Quebec, this being a guarantee that the historic city and the capital of
letters of the Dominion will permanently retain the seat of provincial
government. Montreal and many other municipalities having failed to meet
their obligations with respect to the grants they had voted to the North
Shore Railway, a measure was introduced during the session of 1877-8, to
compel these municipalities to hand over the amounts they owed to the
provincial treasury. Great importance was attached to this measure,
inasmuch as the province would have had to pay the large amounts
subscribed by the municipalities if the latter were allowed to evade
their just liabilities. This bill, however, as well as another
government measure having for its object an increase of revenue, created
some agitation in political circles. The lieutenant-governor, Mr.
Letellier de Saint-Just, a strong Liberal partisan, who had been a
bitter enemy of the Conservative party during twenty years, dismissed
the de Boucherville administration from power on divers pretexts, proved
groundless since, alleging among other pretences, that the premier had
not obtained the consent of the Crown before introducing the two
measures above mentioned. It was shown afterwards that Mr. de
Boucherville had obtained from the lieutenant-governor a blank form for
the introduction of the government’s financial measures. On the
dismissal of Mr. de Boucherville, the subject of our sketch took the
leadership of the Conservative opposition, and caused the legislature to
adopt several votes of want of confidence in the Liberal government,
with Mr. Joly as premier. The latter appealed to the electorate, and at
the general election held on the 28th of May, 1878, Mr. Angers was
defeated in his constituency (Montmorency) by a vote of twelve. His
defeat was due partly to the united energies of the Liberal party, and
partly to the influence of the city of Quebec, whose million Mr. Angers
had endeavoured to obtain for the province, were thrown in the balance
against him. Thoroughly convinced that the conduct of the
lieutenant-governor was contrary to the usages of responsible
government, and that such a precedent would prove dangerous to
provincial rights, Mr. Angers determined to bend his energies towards
procuring the dismissal of Mr. Letellier, and when Sir John A. Macdonald
came into power at Ottawa, at the general elections of 1878, he (Mr.
Angers), together with Hon. J. A. Ouimet (now Speaker, 1887), and the
late Hon. Justice Mousseau, took steps to attain that object, and their
efforts were crowned with success. In 1880, Mr. Angers was elected a
member of the House of Commons for the county of Montmorency by an
enormous majority, and after sitting one session, was elevated to the
bench, to the great regret of his friends who had every reason to
believe that a brilliant political career was still in store for him.
After the election of 1886, the provincial premiership was offered to
Mr. Angers, but as his acceptance of the post involved a question of
principle, he did not feel inclined to accept it, and on the Hon. L. O.
Taillon’s resignation, Mr. Mercier was offered the position, which he
accepted. The parliamentary career of Mr. Angers showed that as a
debater he had no superior, and few equals in the country. A generous
heart, a manly, straightforward character, an unblemished reputation,
profound legal learning, such are the sterling qualities that will make
of Mr. Angers an honour and an ornament to the Canadian bench. It may be
added that he is a Canadian, in the sense it is understood by the men
who intend to make this Dominion a great country.
* * * * *
=Wood, Robert Edwin=, Barrister, Peterboro’, Ontario, was born on the
31st of August, 1847, in the township of South Monaghan, county of
Northumberland. His father, Robert Wood, emigrated from Yorkshire,
England, and settled in South Monaghan, in 1833, and died in 1857. His
mother was Sarah Armstrong, of Monaghan, Ireland. Robert was educated at
the Cobourg Grammar School and Victoria College. He graduated in arts in
1873, and immediately afterwards entered the law office of the late John
Coyne, then M.P.P. for the county of Peel. Upon this gentleman’s death,
he entered the office of the late W. H. Scott, M.P.P., Peterboro’, and
afterwards studied with Edward Martin, Q.C., Hamilton. He passed his
final examination in Trinity term, 1876, but owing to the fact that only
two years and nine months had elapsed between his primary and final
examination, he could not be called to the bar until Michaelmas term of
the same year. He then commenced the practice of law in Peterboro’, in
September, 1876, and has so continued to the present. He has a large and
increasing practice, and owes his present position mainly to his own
energy and exertions. In March, 1886, upon the elevation of C. A. Weller
to the bench, he received from the Ontario government the appointment of
county crown attorney, and clerk of the peace for the county of
Peterboro’ (on the 31st of March, 1886.) Mr. Wood takes a deep interest
in Masonry, and is master of Corinthian lodge, No. 101, A. F. and A. M.
He was master of the same lodge in 1883. Prior to his present
appointment to office, he took a leading part in all parliamentary
contests, on the Reform side, principally in advocating the principles
of this party from the platform. Mr. Wood is an adherent of the
Presbyterian church. He was married on the 17th of February, 1881, to
Henrietta Frances, daughter of the late Philip Roblin, of Rednersville,
Prince Edward county, Ontario.
* * * * *
=Flynn, Hon. Edmund James=, Q.C., LL.D., Quebec, M.P.P. for Gaspé
county, is a native of the county he so ably represents in the Quebec
legislature, having been born at Percé, on the 16th of November, 1847.
His father, the late James Flynn, who was of Irish descent, was during
his lifetime a trader and farmer in Percé, the place of his birth. His
mother, Elizabeth Tostevin, was also a native of Percé, though her
father was from the island of Guernsey, one of the English channel
islands in Europe. The Hon. Mr. Flynn was educated at the Quebec
Seminary, and at the Laval University, Quebec, graduating with honours,
having taken at Laval the degree of master-in-law (LL.L.), in July,
1873. And Laval again, in 1878, presented him with the degree of LL.D.
He adopted law as a profession, and in September, 1873, he was called to
the bar of Quebec, and has ever since continued to practice as
barrister, etc., in the ancient capital. Previous to this time, he, from
1867 to 1869, held the positions of deputy-registrar,
deputy-prothonotary, deputy-clerk of the Circuit Court of the Crown and
of the Peace, for the county of Gaspé, conjointly with that of
secretary-treasurer of Percé municipality. He has been a professor of
Roman law in Laval University since 1874. From the 29th of October,
1879, to the 31st of July, 1882, he was commissioner of Crown Lands for
the province of Quebec; commissioner of Railways, from the 11th of
February, 1884, till July, 1885, and solicitor-general from 12th May,
1885, till the 20th of January, 1887. The Hon. Mr. Flynn was made a
Queen’s counsel in 1887. He has taken an active part in political
affairs for the past fourteen years, and has been a candidate at eight
different elections for Gaspé county. First in 1874, when he presented
himself as a candidate for a seat in the House of Commons at Ottawa, but
afterwards withdrew from the field when he was made a professor in Laval
University, considering it incompatible to hold both offices. Again in
1875 and 1877, for the Quebec legislature, when he was defeated after a
very severe contest, there being only small majorities against him,
especially in 1877. This election he contested, and unseated his
opponent; and the following year, on the 29th of April, he was elected
by acclamation. On his entering the Chapleau cabinet in the fall of
1879, as commissioner of Crown Lands, he was again elected by
acclamation. At the general election held in 1881, Mr. Flynn was once
more elected by acclamation. On his accepting office in the Ross cabinet
in 1884, which necessitated an appeal to the electorate, he was stoutly
opposed by Major John Slous, but he beat this gentleman by a majority of
988 votes. At the general election held in October, 1886, he once more
presented himself for election, and was returned by acclamation by his
old friends at Gaspé. The Hon. Mr. Flynn has always been in principle a
Liberal-Conservative. By his struggles in the county of Gaspé, he has
succeeded in securing for the electors complete freedom and independence
in the exercise of their franchise, which had been affected by the
interference of certain large commercial firms. In the legislature the
part played by Hon. Mr. Flynn has been most prominent as regards
constitutional questions in particular. He has won for himself the
well-deserved reputation of being a strong and energetic upholder of
constitutional liberty; in proof of this it will suffice to refer to his
noble and manly defence of the liberty of the press in the case of the
_Nouvelliste_, in 1885, and his most eloquent speech on the question of
Home Rule for Ireland, etc. His attention has been given to many other
subjects of importance, such as that of colonization, which he has
always and ever endeavoured to promote. He is the author of a homestead
law for the benefit of settlers. His administration of the crown lands
was marked with an increase in the revenue, increase in the value of
timber limits, mineral lands,—and by many useful rules and regulations,
calculated to promote colonization and the welfare of the many persons
in the province who are occupiers of crown lands. Many other important
measures were framed by him and carried through the legislature through
him, namely: The Quebec General Mining Act of 1880; several acts
concerning the crown lands, railways, the protection of forests, and
encouragement of planting of trees, etc. He has also always taken a most
lively interest in the question of the construction of a railway from
Metapedia, on the Intercolonial Railway to Paspébiac and Gaspé Basin.
Grants in land were secured in 1882, whilst he was commissioner of Crown
Lands, and the same were converted into money grants under his auspices
as commissioner of railways. He believes that in the construction of
this line rests the future welfare of the population of the Gaspé
peninsula. His travels have been always directed towards the acquisition
of a complete knowledge of Canada, and the different parts thereof. In
religion he is a Roman Catholic. He was married on the 11th May, 1875,
to Maria Mathilde Augustine, daughter of Augustin Coté, editor of _Le
Journal de Québec_, and niece to the late Hon. Joseph Cauchon,
heretofore lieutenant-governor of Manitoba, etc. He has had eight
children, of whom six are still living. He resides in Quebec city.
* * * * *
=Hanington, Hon. Daniel L.=, Q.C., M.P.P. for the county of
Westmoreland, residence, Dorchester, New Brunswick, was born at Shediac,
N.B., on the 27th June, 1835. His father, Colonel Hanington, was for
long years a member of the Assembly and Legislative Council of New
Brunswick; and his mother Margaret Peters, a daughter of William Peters,
a U. E. loyalist, who for years represented Queens county in the New
Brunswick legislature. Daniel, the subject of this sketch, received a
Grammar School and academic education at Shediac and Sackville, in his
native county. After leaving school he commenced the study of law with
Charles Fisher, attorney-general, of Fredericton, and finished with
Judge A. L. Palmer, of Dorchester; was called to the bar of New
Brunswick in 1861; and on the 11th November, 1881, was appointed a
Queen’s counsel. Mr. Hanington has been very successful in his
profession, and has a large practice in the courts of his native
province, and as counsel in Nova Scotia and in the Supreme Court of the
Dominion. From 1867 to 1870 he occupied the position of clerk of
circuits and clerk of the county court of Westmoreland, when he resigned
those offices to contest the election of that year, and was chosen to
represent the county of Westmoreland in the New Brunswick House of
Assembly. He sat therein until the summer of 1874, when on again
appealing for re-election, he was defeated on the “Bible and religious
instruction in the Common Schools” question, which he advocated.
However, he was again chosen at the general elections of 1878, 1882, and
1886, to represent his old constituency. In July, 1878, he was appointed
a member of the Executive Council; and on the 25th May, of the year
1882, he became premier. In February, 1883, he resigned office with his
colleagues. Mr. Hanington has always taken a deep interest in
educational matters, and for about seventeen years was a school trustee.
In politics he is a Liberal of the old New Brunswick school of
politicians; is a supporter of the Liberal-Conservative government at
Ottawa, and took an active part in the last Dominion election. He is an
adherent of the Episcopal church, which he represents in the Diocesan
and also the Provincial Synod. In October, 1861, Hon. Mr. Hanington was
married to Emily Myers, daughter of Thomas Robert Wetmore,
barrister-at-law, and judge of probate, Gagetown, N.B. The fruits of
this marriage have been seven children, three sons and four daughters.
* * * * *
=Mellish, John Thomas=, M.A., Halifax, Nova Scotia, was born at Pownal,
Prince Edward Island, on January 26th, 1841. He is the eldest son of the
late James Lewis Mellish, of the same place, and Margaret Sophia, his
wife, daughter of John Murray, formerly of Tullamore, Ireland; grandson
of Thomas Mellish, known in his day as “a most loyal British subject,
and a devoted adherent of the Church of England;” and great grandson of
Thomas Mellish, an officer of the British army, and member of an old and
highly respectable English family, who settled on Prince Edward Island
in 1770. Captain Mellish was for many years provost marshal or sheriff
of the island, collector of customs, and a member of the Legislative
Assembly. An interesting trial took place at Charlottetown, in the early
part of 1779, arising from his seizure of the convoy ship _Duchess of
Gordon_, for smuggling. He took an active interest in the defence of the
colony during the American war, and was on military duty, assisting in
raising troops at Halifax and Fort Cumberland, during the winter of
1779-80, returning to the island in the following spring. James Lewis
Mellish, the father of John Thomas Mellish, died on the 14th June, 1886,
in the seventy-ninth year of his age. His mother, a native of New York,
was a daughter of the late James Lewis Hayden, J.P., a loyalist, who
removed from Shelburne, N.S., to the island in 1785, having left New
York in 1783. A newspaper extract says: “We have to record the death of
one of our oldest and most highly respected citizens. James L. Mellish,
Esq., late of Pownal, departed this life on the 14th inst., at the
residence of his son, Stewiacke, N.S., whither he had gone a short time
before on a visit. His remains were brought home for interment. In his
death the community loses a most worthy and upright citizen. Energy,
strength and integrity were united in his character. From his youth up
he was a devoted and active member and office-holder of the Methodist
church. He spent his life for the most part on his farm at the place of
his birth. Mr. Mellish married, March 25th, 1840, Miss Margaret Sophia
Murray, a lady of strong mind and superior attainments, of whose
companionship he was deprived by death about ten years ago. Their
married life was blessed with ten children, each one of whom is to-day
occupying a position of usefulness and responsibility.” John Thomas
Mellish, the subject of our sketch, was educated at Prince of Wales
College, Charlottetown, and Mount Allison College, Sackville, New
Brunswick, and holds from the latter the degrees of B.A. and M.A. On the
opening of Cumberland County Academy, Amherst, Nova Scotia, in 1865, Mr.
Mellish, who had been teaching at Guysborough, was selected to fill the
position of head master, but resigned in 1870, in order to accept a
situation in Mount Allison College and Male Academy, and was head master
of this academy from 1871 to 1874. In the latter year, he was appointed
on his own terms to the principalship of Albro Street School, Halifax,
the largest school in the province. At the close of 1880, the strain of
constant school work on Mr. Mellish’s health compelled him to place his
resignation in the hands of the Halifax school commissioners, although
that body the year before had raised his salary for the third time, and
designated him to the position in the High School, vacated by the late
Dr. H. A. Bayne, on his appointment to the Royal Military College,
Kingston. Official records and reports testify to the great value of Mr.
Mellish’s services in the cause of education. The Superior School grant
was awarded to him when at Guysborough, his school being ranked as best
in the county. While in charge of the academy at Amherst, he prepared a
large number of students to matriculate in the different colleges, and a
still larger number to pass the examinations for teachers’ licenses,
from the academy or grade A license down. The last year he was at Mount
Allison, it was found necessary to add six additional dormitories, in
order to accommodate the increased number of boarders in the academy.
Mr. Mellish has in his possession not less than a dozen complimentary
addresses and quite a number of pieces of plate, books, &c., presented
to him by his pupils, on anniversary and other occasions. In the summer
of 1874, he made the tour of Great Britain and Ireland, and has since
delivered on many occasions a lecture entitled, “My Visit to Scotland.”
He frequently lectures on different subjects, and contributes to the
newspaper press; is the author of various papers and pamphlets on
educational and kindred topics, and of several papers on scientific
subjects, published in the Transactions of the Nova Scotia Institute of
Natural Science; is a member of the institute, and was associate
secretary with the Rev. D. Honeyman, D.C.L., in 1875-80; has been
president of the Teachers’ Institutes, at different places; is a
magistrate, and a local examiner of the University of London; was for
several years a vice-president of the Halifax Young Men’s Christian
Association; and is a lay preacher of the Methodist church. Mr. Mellish
married, July 18th, 1867, Martha Jane, only surviving daughter of the
late Benjamin Chappell, of Charlottetown. They have six children
living,—Arthur, Alfred Ernest, Mary Sophia, Anne Elizabeth, Martha
Louise, and Frances, and one, John Thomas, died in infancy. All the
children old enough are going to school. Arthur belongs to No. 3 Co.,
82nd battalion militia, and with his company was called out and ordered
to proceed to the front during the North-West rebellion. Every
preparation was made to start, but after the company had been in
barracks about a fortnight, the order was countermanded on account of
the capture of Riel. Mr. Mellish has four brothers and five sisters:
Rev. I. M. Mellish, Methodist minister, Nova Scotia conference, formerly
captain in reserve militia; H. Pope, farmer, Stewiacke; James Roland,
chief agent British American Book and Tract Society, Halifax; Humphrey,
mathematical master, Pictou Academy, B.A., of Dalhousie College,
matriculated with honours, first division in London University; Anne,
wife of J. L. Archibald, J.P., of Halifax; Catharine Douglas, wife of
Philip Large, Charlottetown; Mary (widow of the late A. N. Archibald, of
Halifax), chief preceptress Mount Allison Ladies’ College, Sackville,
New Brunswick; Martha Janet, and Margaret Elizabeth, unmarried.
* * * * *
=Moody, Rev. John Thomas Tidmarsh=, D.D., Rector of Yarmouth, Nova
Scotia. This deceased divine was born at Halifax, Nova Scotia, on the
25th of March, 1804. His father, John Moody, who was one of the earliest
merchants of Halifax, was born in New York, June 19th, 1779. His great
grandfather, John Moody, was born in London, and also his grandfather,
Thomas Moody, were loyalists. The family came to Nova Scotia about the
year 1783. His mother was Mary R. Tidmarsh, of Halifax. His parents were
married in 1800, and both lived to a great age, Mr. Moody to his 92nd
and Mrs. Moody to her 86th year. The Rev. Dr. Moody received his
education at King’s College, Windsor; took his B.A. degree in 1824; M.A.
in 1833, and had the degree of D.D. (hon.) conferred, at the Encœnia of
1883, only a few months before his death. He was ordained deacon by the
Rt. Rev. John Inglis, D.D., bishop of Nova Scotia, who also ordained him
priest in the following year. Immediately after his ordination as
deacon, he was appointed to the rectorship of Liverpool, N.S., where he
succeeded the Rev. W. Twining, the first rector, and had charge of this
parish for nearly twenty years. His work was largely of a missionary
character throughout the county of Queens; and he was also chairman of
the board of school commissioners during that time. Before leaving
Liverpool he had the satisfaction of seeing his parish church much
enlarged, two chapels and several school-houses erected in the rural
districts, and the communicants increased from 19 to 200. Rev. Dr.
Moody’s second appointment was that of rector of Yarmouth, in 1846. This
position he held to the time of his death, which took place, suddenly,
of apoplexy, on the morning of the 18th of October, 1883. During this
period he saw the number of communicants in his parish more than
trebled, and baptized, during his ministry of fifty-one years,
considerably over 2,000 persons. The present parish church, which bears
the name of Holy Trinity, was consecrated in 1872 by the late Rt. Rev.
Hibbert Binney, D.D., bishop of Nova Scotia. It is a very handsome brick
structure, in the early English period of architecture, and will seat
about 700 persons. There are also two handsome school-houses in this
parish. The church property is valued at about $40,000. One of the most
pleasing events of his later years was the celebration of his golden
wedding, on Tuesday, 14th of September, 1880. His surviving children
were all present on that occasion. His parishioners and other friends
took that opportunity of presenting him and his estimable wife with a
cordial address, accompanied with a valuable present, as a slight token
of their affectionate respect. We quote the following from his obituary
notice, which appeared in the Yarmouth _Herald_ of Oct. 25th, 1883:—
Surrounded by his sorrowing family, his sainted spirit passed
into the eternal sunlight before sickness had weakened his
frame, or age had dimmed his faculties. He died in the eightieth
year of his age, beloved and honored not merely in the church of
which, for thirty-seven years continuously, he had been pastor,
not in the wide family circle with which he was connected, but
universally wherever he was known, by people of all ages,
classes, and creeds. A well-rounded, complete, and in many
respects beautiful life had come to its close. Nothing was
lacking to the completion of his work. Dr. Moody was, in many
respects, a unique and singularly attractive character. As a
preacher his manner was expressive of sincerity of thought, love
for his people, and a deep desire to do good, which impressed
alike the thoughtless and the reverend. His discourses were
simple in outline, clear and unambiguous in expression, and
pervaded with the profoundest piety and love for souls. His
manner was singularly benignant and attractive, and his presence
amid scenes of sorrow and suffering was always effective and
consoling. His rendering of the noble ritual of the church has
ever been marked for its power and pathos, his voice being rich,
full, harmonious, and exquisitely modulated, without the least
appearance of study or affectation. There seemed very little
alloy of human passion in his humanity; the closer the
acquaintance the more complete, happy and more fully
satisfactory appeared the soul of the man as thus revealed to
the observer. He was firm in his adherence to the rules and
principles of his own communion, and conscientious to a degree,
in insisting upon their observance by all who sought his advice
or his sympathy, but he was broad in his sympathies and generous
in his charities, as well. Among all denominations he was
beloved and reverenced for his high-mindedness, his courtesy,
his unvarying avoidance of all unseemly controversies, and his
evident anxiety to promote affection and harmony among men of
all creeds. His manner was dignified, but winning; old and young
alike were attracted to him, recognizing instinctively, that he
was a Christian and a gentleman, and that his kindly interest in
them came from the sincere depths of a genuinely good nature.
He joined
Each office of the social hour
To noble manners, as the flower
And native growth of noble mind.
Dr. Moody was married on the 14th of September, 1830, to Sarah Bond,
eldest daughter of the late Henry G. Farish, M.D., of Yarmouth. His
widow survived him, but entered into her rest on the 20th of May, 1887,
universally beloved and revered. They had a family of nine children,
only four of whom; three daughters and one son, survive them. Their
eldest son, John T., rector of Tusket, N.S., died on the 4th of October,
1864, leaving a widow and three children. Their second son, Henry G.,
was a graduate of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of New York,
and died on the 30th of July, 1873, leaving a widow. James C., the only
surviving son, is a graduate of the University of New York, and is
engaged in the practice of medicine and surgery at Windsor, Nova Scotia.
* * * * *
=Crinion, Rev. James Eugene=, Pastor of the Roman Catholic Church,
Dunnville, Ontario, was born on the 13th of April, 1859, in the parish
of Slane, county of Meath, Ireland, and came to Canada in 1874. He
received his primary education in St. Finian’s Academy, Navan, Meath
county, Ireland, and continued his studies at St. Michael’s College,
Toronto, completing his theological course at the Grand Seminary, at
Montreal. The Rev. Father Crinion was the youngest of the thirteen
students brought over from Ireland in 1874, by the late Bishop Crinnon,
the year that right rev. prelate was consecrated bishop. After leaving
Montreal, Mr. Crinion went to Hamilton, and was ordained a priest by
Bishop Crinnon on the 30th June, 1881, in St. Mary’s Cathedral, who then
appointed him assistant priest of the parish of Arthur, Wellington
county, Ontario. In this charge he remained two years, and then
revisited the scenes of his youth, in Ireland. On his return to Canada,
he was appointed curate of St. Basil’s Church, Brantford. From this
place, on the 8th September, 1886, he was transferred to Dunnville, and
made first resident pastor of that parish. Here he has done good work,
and succeeded in erecting a handsome new church, which is a credit to
him and his congregation, and an ornament to the village. Its foundation
or corner stone was blessed and laid on July 1st, 1886, by the Right
Rev. Dr. Carbary. The style of architecture is Italian. The building
consists of a nave seventy feet long by thirty-five feet wide, with
chancel eighteen feet deep by twenty-one feet wide, having on the east
side a beautiful Lady chapel, and on the west side a commodious
sacristy. The chancel arch is ornamented with pilasters, surmounted by a
rich classic moulding. The Lady chapel and entrance to sacristy have a
similar finish. The ceiling is covered with rich mouldings. Over the
front entrance is a good-sized gallery, calculated to accommodate over
one hundred persons, and exquisitely finished in front. The high altar,
the gift of Bishop Carbary to the church, is a splendid specimen of
classic design which adds a grace and beauty to the entire structure. It
consists of the altar proper, with super altar and tabernacle. The
reredos presents a large ope, with circular top, for picture of the
crucifixion. It is supported by two Corinthian pilasters, with
richly-carved capitals, supporting a frieze and entablature. On the
frieze is the inscription, “Gloria in excelsis Deo,” and in the pediment
of entablature is a dove, emblem of the Holy Ghost, surrounded by rays.
Then the entire altar is surmounted by a floriated cross. The altar was
painted by Mr. James, of Dunnville, in a flat white, with the carvings
and enrichments richly gilded. The work was executed by Cruickshank, of
Hamilton, and reflects great credit on the skill and taste of the
artificers. The pews, designed by R. Clohecy, the architect of the
building, were made by Messrs. Bennett, of London, and finished in their
usual careful manner. The entire appearance of the interior of this
church has a finished and pleasing effect. The front of the church has a
large circular window, with smaller windows at each side, and a great
door for principal entrance. On the east angle of the front is a
beautiful campanile rising to the height of seventy feet. In this
companile, or tower, is another entrance to the church for winter use.
It also contains a solid stairway to the gallery. The sides of the
church are pierced with windows, filled with ornamental glass. Between
the windows are buttresses, which give an air of strength and
massiveness to the structure. The greatest credit is due to the
accomplished architect, R. Clohecy, who has thus given a solid proof of
his high culture and good taste, and has produced a monumental work for
the good catholics of Dunnville mission. The entire cost is about
$8,000. The building was taken up by Father Crinion in September, 1885.
The care and watchfulness he bestowed on the work is now amply rewarded
by having one of the most beautiful churches of its size in the province
of Ontario in which to administer to the spiritual wants of his faithful
and devoted people. A new presbytery is now in course of construction,
which will be ready for occupation during the winter of 1888.
* * * * *
=King, Edwin David=, M.A., Q.C., Barrister, Halifax, was born at Onslow,
Colchester county, Nova Scotia, on the 26th of December, 1841. His
father, John King, was a Scotchman by birth and parentage, and, on his
mother’s side, was first cousin of the distinguished Scotch philosopher,
Thomas Carlyle. When an infant, he removed with his parents to Nova
Scotia, where he continued to reside until his death in June, 1887, in
the eighty-second year of his age. For a long period he had been an
active justice of the peace, having at one time, for some ten years,
filled the office of stipendiary magistrate, for the town of Truro,
where he resided at the time of his decease. In November, 1828, he
married Sarah Ann, only daughter of the late Nathaniel Marsters, of
Onslow, and the mother of the subject of our sketch. She is still living
at Truro. Mr. Marsters was a loyalist of English descent, and with his
parents removed to Nova Scotia at the time of the rebellion of the New
England colonies. He represented the township of Onslow for some years
in the House of Assembly of Nova Scotia. Edwin David King early
manifested a fondness for study, and could read very well (so we have
been told) when four years of age. He attended such schools as Onslow
provided, until the summer of the year 1856, when, being in feeble
health, he was sent to be a clerk in a store at Antigonish, with the
promise, however, that if at the end of two years his health improved,
and he still desired it, he should receive a legal education. He
accordingly left Antigonish in 1858, and took the high school course at
the Provincial Model School, Truro. Subsequently he studied at Acadia
College, Wolfville, where, in 1863, he graduated, taking the B.A. degree
in course, and in 1866, on submitting a thesis, he received the degree
of M.A. In September, 1863, he entered upon the study of the law, and
removed to Wallace, Nova Scotia, where he was articled as a law student
with Henry Oldright, barrister. He studied with Mr. Oldright two years,
during which time having acquired a knowledge of phonography, he spent
the winters in Halifax, as assistant reporter to the Legislative
Council, Mr. Oldright being the official phonographic reporter for that
body. In 1865, his articles of clerkship were transferred to James Royer
Smith, Q.C., an English barrister, registrar of the Court of
Vice-Admiralty, and practising at Halifax. He was admitted to the bar of
Nova Scotia in December, 1867, since which time he has practised his
profession at Halifax, and has also been a member of the Barristers’
Society, of Nova Scotia. He is now the senior member of the firm of King
& Barss—W. L. Barss, LL.B. (Harvard), having been admitted a partner
with him in January, 1877. In October, 1875, he visited Bermuda, on a
special retainer, as leading counsel for defendant in the celebrated
burial case of James _vs._ Cassidy. (This was an action of trespass
brought by Rev. Mr. James, rector of the parish of Hamilton, against
Rev. John Cassidy, then pastor of the Methodist Church there, for
reading the Methodist burial service, and officiating at the burial of
one of his own congregation, in the parish church yard, and, at the
time, was the occasion of intense excitement throughout the island). In
1884, he was called within the bar, and received letters patent,
appointing him a Queen’s counsel. Since 1875, he has been retained as
counsel in many important cases growing out of the Liverpool Bank
failure; insurances cases; actions involving the title to the
Shubenacadie Canal, etc. He has a large practice in the Supreme and
County Courts of Nova Scotia. Mr. King became actively associated with
the Nova Scotia militia in 1863, and in 1864 was commissioned as
adjutant of the 4th Cumberland regiment, with the rank of captain. On
removing to Halifax in 1865, he took command of a company in the 11th
Halifax regiment, and remained actively connected with that corps until
the re-organization of the militia, under the Dominion statutes and
regulations. He is a member of the Senate of the University of Acadia,
having been elected in 1882, and he is also a governor of Acadia
College, to which position he was elected in 1883. In 1876, he was
appointed one of the directors of the Halifax School for the Blind, and
held the office for one year. In 1872, the Halifax School Association
for promoting the efficiency of the public schools was formed, and he
was its first secretary, occupying that office for three years. He has
always been a total abstainer from alcoholic drinks, having joined the
cold water army when a child. In 1863, he first became a member of the
order of Sons of Temperance, and in 1865, was initiated into the Grand
Division of Nova Scotia. For some time past he has, however, ceased to
be an active member of this organization, owing to the pressure of other
duties. He is a prominent member of the Halifax Young Men’s Christian
Association, and is one of the six trustees in whom its property is
vested, having been first elected to that office in 1875. He has also
been a member of its executive committee for many years. In 1871, the
Sunday School Association of the Maritime provinces was formed, and he
has ever since been an active promoter of that work, and has thrice
filled the office of president of the association. He was also chairman
of its executive committee from 1872 until 1885, when separate
associations for the several provinces were organized. Since 1885, he
has been chairman of the executive committee of the Sunday School
Association of Nova Scotia. He is a Liberal-Conservative in politics,
and helped to kill repeal in February, 1887. He takes an active part in
elections, both Dominion and local. On the college question he is
opposed to “consolidation,” and in favour of placing higher education
outside the pale of state support or control. He believes that the
smaller, fairly well equipped colleges in our country, managed and
sustained by denominations or other independent agencies, can better
secure the guards and checks, and afford facilities for the mental,
moral, and Christian culture, demanded of the youth of our country. On
several occasions he has publicly supported these views. He is a
Baptist, as were his parents. He united with the Baptist Church at
Wolfville, in 1861, and since 1868, he has been a member of the first
Baptist Church in Halifax. He is one of its deacons, superintendent of
its Sunday school, and chairman of its finance committee. On the 6th of
February, 1869, he was married to Minnie S., eldest daughter of John W.
Barss, who is a banker and justice of the peace, residing at Wolfville,
Nova Scotia. This gentleman is well known in the Maritime provinces, by
his generous benefactions for benevolent purposes. Acadia College,
Wolfville, has been, perhaps, foremost among the objects of his bounty,
having received donations from him amounting in the aggregate to $10,000
and upwards. Mrs. King, who is a native of Halifax, received her
education there and at the Ladies’ Seminary, Warren, Rhode Island,
United States. They have no children of their own, but have adopted as
their daughter, a niece of Mrs. King’s, who lives with them at Halifax.
* * * * *
=Antliff, Rev. J. Cooper=, M.A., D.D., Montreal, was born at
Huddersfield, England, on the 1st February, 1844. He is the eldest son
of the late Rev. W. Antliff, D.D., who for fifty years enjoyed the
distinction of being one of the bright and shining lights of Methodism
in England. In 1862 he was made editor of the _Connexional Magazine_,
and for five successive years held that post; he was then called to take
charge of the Theological Institute opened at Sunderland, and for
thirteen years he acted as its principal. Rev. Dr. W. Antliff, we may
here add, held during his lifetime nearly all the positions of honour in
the power of his denomination to bestow. He was a forcible and effective
preacher, possessed of great natural force of character, of unbending
integrity, good literary ability, and possessed of administrative
talents of a high order. The Rev. J. Cooper Antliff, the subject of our
sketch, received his educational training in Haslingden Wesleyan School,
and at Edinburgh University. When only eighteen years of age he became
his father’s colleague to whose counsel and example he owes much of the
success that has so far attended his life work. After spending sixteen
years in the ministry in the British conference, in 1878 he was sent out
from England to take charge of the Primitive Methodist Church, Carlton
street, Toronto, for five years, when according to the arrangement of
the Conference he was to return to England. But owing to the union of
the Methodist bodies in Canada in 1883, he abandoned his home-going, and
was appointed to the office of secretary of the General Conference by
the united bodies, and thereby became custodian of the public documents
of the church and keeper of its records, an honour that has been highly
appreciated by his numerous friends. After a ministry of six years in
the Carlton street church, Dr. Antliff removed to Montreal to take
charge of the Methodist Church on Dominion square, where he is now doing
good work for the Master. While in Toronto he took part in every social
and moral reform, and was generally a favourite among all who had the
good of humanity at heart. For four years, from 1879 to 1883, he was
editor of the _Christian Journal_, the denominational paper of the
Primitive Methodist church in Canada. He was one of the founders of the
Ministerial Association, and was its secretary for two years, and
afterwards its president for one year. He had the degrees of M.A. and
B.D. in course conferred upon him by the University of Edinburgh, and in
1887 Victoria University conferred upon him the honorary degree of D.D.
He is a member of the Board of Regents of Victoria University, and of
the Senate of the Wesleyan Theological College at Montreal; and is also
a member of the court of appeal of the Methodist church, which consists
of six clergymen and six laymen. The Rev. Dr. Antliff is possessed of
good natural abilities, and has a highly cultivated mind, brimful of
knowledge. As a preacher and a lecturer he is highly popular, being
blessed with good oratorical powers, and a voice both sweet and
powerful. Matter, however, is of greater importance than even voice, and
of this he has an abundance. It is varied in character, being both
secular and sacred, ancient and modern, scientific and scriptural, and
he deals it out with no sparing hand. The style of his sermon varies: he
can handle a subject well, either textually or topically, while as an
expository preacher—perhaps partly the result of his five years
residence in Scotland—he shines with considerable lustre. His platform
utterances are generally excellent, and at times powerful, especially
when dealing with the cause of temperance. In politics he advocates
Liberal measures; but owing to his ministerial duties he does not give
prominence to his political views. Dr. Antliff has been twice married;
first, in Derby, England, to Fanny Holden, daughter of John Holden, of
Dalbury Lees, Derby. She died in Toronto in February, 1880, leaving
three children, two boys and a girl. Second, in Toronto, 1882, to Mrs.
Ray, widow of Dr. Ray, and daughter of the Rev. E. Gooderham.
* * * * *
=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,
Your very devoted servant,
E. A., CARDINAL TASCHEREAU,
_Archbishop of Quebec._
To L. G. Baillairgé, Esq., Advocate.
The Hon. Mr. Fabre, who published this letter in the _Paris-Canada_, a
newspaper which is printed at Paris, adds:
Mr. Baillairgé belongs to one of the most genuine French
families of Canada. The high distinction by which he has just
been honoured is the worthy reward of his generous act, and an
acknowledgement of the exalted sentiments by which he has been
guided.
Cardinal Taschereau’s letter was followed by his “Pastoral Letter” of
the 8th of December, 1886, respecting the Laval University, and alluding
to the chair founded in that institution by Mr. Baillairgé. On the 18th
of May, 1887, his Holiness the Pope Leo XIII., nominates Mr. Baillairgé
“Chevalier-Commandeur of the illustrious order of St. Gregory the
Great,” by Apostolical Letters-patent of the same date. These
Letters-patent were presented by order of his Eminence Cardinal
Taschereau to Mr. Baillairgé, by Monseigneur Légaré, the Grand Vicaire,
and by Monseigneur Marois, secretary of his eminence, acting as his
special delegates on this occasion. His Eminence Cardinal Simeoni, chief
of the Propaganda, is said to have contributed to this nomination. The
uniform and insignia of a Chevalier-Commandeur is as
follows:—Uniform—A dark blue, long-tailed dress-coat, with silver
embroidery of laurel leaves, and silver buttons on the front; collar,
facings, and the lower portion on the back, also embroidered with
silver; long white chamois pantaloons, with a silver band on the sides;
small black boots; black cocked hat with short black spiral plumes and
silver clasp. INSIGNIA:—Maltese cross of gold with a circular medallion
at the centre, containing the miniature of Gregory the Great;
gold-hilted sword at the side, etc. In 1887 a statue of the Saviour was
presented by Mr. Baillairgé to the Grey Nuns of Quebec. It was blessed
by his Eminence Cardinal Taschereau, and placed on the summit of the
tower above the main entrance of the Grey Nuns’ Church, on the 18th of
September of the same year. The statue is about fifteen feet in height,
is plated on the outside with gilded sheet lead, and weighs about 4,000
lbs. It was sculptured by Mr. Jobin, an artist of the old capital.
* * * * *
=Dionne, Narcisse Eutrope=, S.B., M.D., Quebec, Co-Editor of _Le
Courrier du Canada_, was born at St. Denis, county of Kamouraska,
province of Quebec, on the 18th of May, 1848, from the marriage of
Narcisse Dionne and Elizabeth Bouchard. Dr. Dionne received his
education at the College of Ste. Anne de Lapocatière, and after
completing his classical course, studied theology two years at the Grand
Seminary of Quebec, returned to Ste. Anne for another year, and
completed his theological studies at Levis College. He then chose the
medical profession, and for that purpose entered Laval University, where
he graduated M.D., in 1873, and removed to Stanfold, county of
Arthabaska, and practised his profession in that place until 1875. Then
he removed to Quebec, where he found a wider field, not only in regard
to his profession, but to follow his inclinations to literary pursuits.
He has lived in that city ever since. In 1876, the Cercle Catholique, of
which he was one of the founders, was established in the city of Quebec,
and he was elected on the board of directors and librarian, a position
he held until the year 1883; he was then elected vice-president, and
still holds that position. He was also one of the founders of the
“Presse Associée de la province de Quebec,” with other journalists of
the city of Quebec. This association was incorporated by an act of the
legislature of Quebec, in 1883. Dr. Dionne has been acting secretary of
the society since its foundation, and took a most prominent part in the
reception accorded the Canadian Press Association, on the occasion of
the latter body’s excursion to the Saguenay in 1883. In token of their
gratitude, the Ontario pressmen gave him a splendid gift in recognition
of the courtesies extended them. In August, 1886, he was also elected
secretary to the Quebec Conservative Club, and in January, 1887, was
appointed to the same position, which he filled during the Federal
elections of the 22nd of February, of the same year. Dr. Dionne holds a
high rank among the _littérateurs_ of his native province, the first
work which brought him to prominence being a pamphlet, published in
1880, intituled, “Le Tombeau de Champlain.” The year previous, his
Excellency the Count de Premio-Real, consul-general of Spain in Canada,
had offered two prizes for the best essay on a series of questions
relating to Canadian history, and Mr. Dionne was the winner of both. In
1881, he published a pamphlet on agricultural societies, and then-value
to the farmers, intituled, “Les Cercles Agricoles dans la Province de
Québec,” and delivered many lectures throughout the province on that
important subject. In 1882 appeared the report of the excursion of the
Canadian Press Association to the United States, Manitoba, and the
North-West, also due to Dr. Dionne’s pen; and still later, in 1883 he
published the report of the French-Canadian convention, held at Windsor,
county of Essex. As a political writer, the doctor is in the foremost
rank of the Conservative journalists of the province, having been
editor-in-chief of _Le Courier du Canada_, a daily paper published in
Quebec, from April, 1880, until the 1st of February, 1884. He also
filled the same position on the staff of _Le Journal de Québec_, from
February to May, 1886. On the 22nd of February, 1887, he resumed the
duties of co-editor to _Le Courier du Canada_, a position which he still
holds. The first editors of the latter newspaper had been Dr. J. C.
Taché, deputy minister to the department of Agriculture, and Sir Hector
Langevin. In addition to his medical practice and journalistic duties,
Dr. Dionne was chief license inspector under the Federal Act of
parliament, from the 19th February, 1884, until December, 1885; and
visiting physician to the Quebec Marine Hospital since the 17th
February, 1882. In 1885, he visited New Orleans, during the World’s
Exposition. He is corresponding member of the Institut-Canadien, of
Ottawa; L’Union Catholique, Mauritius Island; and titulary member of the
Académie des Muses Santonnes, France. He was married on the 13th of
October, 1873, to Marie Laure Bouchard, second daughter of the late
Pierre Victor Bouchard, of her Majesty’s customs, Quebec, and Julie
Huot. He has issue ten children, five sons and five daughters.
* * * * *
=Archibald, Peter S.=, Moncton, New Brunswick, Chief Engineer of the
Intercolonial Railway, was born at Truro, Nova Scotia, on the 21st
March, 1848. His parents were William and Elizabeth Archibald, and were
both natives of Nova Scotia. Peter S. Archibald received his education
at the Truro Model and Normal schools, and joined the railway service in
1867, when scarcely out of his teens. Since then he has gradually risen,
through all the grades from rodman, until he now occupies the position
of chief engineer. He joined the volunteers as a private, and served in
that capacity for three years, and was afterwards promoted to a
lieutenancy in the 73rd battalion. Mr. Archibald is a member of the
American Institute of Civil Engineers. As a living example of what can
be done by a young man who sets his mind on rising in his profession, he
is a good example, and deserves a great deal of praise for his pluck and
perseverance, and his example is well worthy of imitation by our young
men who wish to get on in the world. In April, 1874, Mr. Archibald was
married to Clara G. Lindsay, daughter of T. S. Lindsay, of Rockland,
Maine, U.S.
* * * * *
=Mathews, Rev. George D.=, D.D., Pastor of Chalmer’s (Presbyterian)
Church, Quebec, one of the best known of our Presbyterian divines in the
old as well as the new world, was born in the town of Kilkenny, Ireland,
in 1828. As in the case of others of our distinguished men in America,
the three nationalities of the motherland are to be found represented in
him, for, though born in Ireland, he had for his father a true-hearted
Scotchman, while his mother was a native of England. The subject of our
sketch spent his earliest years in the city of Dublin, where he received
his education at the hands of private tutors who prepared him for
entering Trinity College as an undergraduate in arts. His career at this
celebrated seat of learning was in every sense a most satisfactory one,
so that he took his degree in 1848. It is needless to say that the
classical and literary tastes which he acquired at college have never
left him, as those who have had the pleasure of his acquaintance, or who
have had the opportunity of sitting under his ministrations as a pastor,
can readily bear witness. After leaving college he devoted himself for a
time to the study of law, but that profession becoming more and more
distasteful to the young student, as his mind matured on social
questions and the solemn responsibilities of life, he subsequently
forsook the pathways which Coke, Blackstone and Hale have in vain
endeavoured to make smooth, for a more peaceful retreat with the school
of the prophets. Entering the United Presbyterian Hall of Divinity at
Edinburgh, he there had the privilege of receiving instruction from such
distinguished theologians as Dr. John Brown, Dr. Eadie, and a number of
other teachers, whose lives and characters have moulded the history and
polity of the U. P. Church in Scotland. Under such men Rev. Dr. Mathews
felt more and more the serious mission he had to perform in life. With
zeal he entered upon the examination of the theology of the times,
fortifying himself with the most careful study of mental science, and
obtaining for himself the credit of being a devoted investigator in the
realms of thought, and a keen observer of the many paths into which
advanced thinkers are ever leading their fellowmen. Yet, never for a
moment did the young student deviate from the faith; and never,
throughout his long career as a minister has he had to endure the scorn
of those whose chief delight it often is to rail at the ministers of
advanced opinions. His preaching has ever been thoroughly orthodox,
notwithstanding the wide scope of his knowledge and scientific
attainments. Possessed of a remarkable fluency of speech, his discourses
are generally given _extempore_, being marked at the same time with an
eloquence which is all the more attractive from the simplicity of the
language he employs. In December, 1853, he was licensed to preach by the
Presbytery of Glasgow, and immediately thereafter was ordained at
Stranraer, a town of about eight thousand inhabitants, in Wigtonshire,
Scotland. No more delightful locality could have been selected for a man
of such tastes and predispositions as the subject of our sketch. The
town of Stranraer, as is well-known, stands upon an arm of the sea at
the head of Loch Ryan, and for the beauty and natural sweetness of its
surroundings is all but unequalled by the other towns in the south of
Scotland. Here the young preacher found his first charge among a people
kindly disposed and hospitable, and here his efforts to do good were
well received, not only by those of his own congregation, but by the
whole community. No duty was overlooked, public or pastoral; and yet
amidst the pressure of work which always falls to the lot of a young and
conscientious pastor, the literary spirit did not forsake the youthful
clergyman during his spare moments from pulpit work and pastoral
ministrations, as many of the old numbers of the “Dublin University
Magazine” can bear witness. For several years he continued to contribute
to this and other periodicals, and it need hardly be said that his
contributions even then gave promise of the literary and administrative
abilities which have brought the Rev. Dr. Mathews’ name so prominently
before the denomination of which he is a minister. At length, in 1868,
while on a visit to the United States, the U. P. minister at Stranraer
received a call to one of the city charges in New York. In the following
year he reluctantly gave up his charge in Scotland, and to the universal
regret of his people and fellow townsmen, set sail for America. Nor did
the feeling in his favour fail to show itself in a tangible form. A
beautiful testimonial was presented by the community to the retiring
pastor with many and valuable accompanying presents. Shortly after his
arrival in New York, Dr. Mathews undertook the editorship of “The
Christian Worker,” a monthly magazine devoted mainly to religious
topics. This duty he performed in addition to his pastoral work. Under
his management the periodical rose into favour until at length its
circulation brought the editor into prominence all over the continent.
The editor of the “Worker” also took an active part in all church
affairs, expressing an influence in the church courts and on church
problems which has always been respected. As an evidence of this growing
influence, in 1873, when the proposal was mooted by Rev. Dr. McCosh, of
Princeton, and Rev. Dr. Schaff, that the various Presbyterian Churches
throughout the world should come into close relationship with one
another, Dr. Mathews was chosen secretary of the first committee formed
for the carrying out of definite plans to promote such brotherly
alliance. Two years later, he was sent to London by the Presbyterian
Church in the Northern States as one of its commissioners to confer with
the representatives from other Churches as to the feasibility of a union
of Presbyterianism throughout the world. This was the origin of the
Presbyterian Alliance, which has since become a household word in the
Presbyterian church. The first important conference was held in London,
England, where it was agreed to form an “Alliance of the Reformed
Churches holding the Presbyterian system,” and at the first meeting of
this new association of Presbyterians, Dr. Mathews was appointed
American secretary—a position which he has held for many years, and
which through his energy and administrative skill has become one of the
most influential in the Presbyterian church of to-day. While performing
the duties of this office, Dr. Mathews has been engaged from time to
time in preparing many new and reliable tables of statistics together
with a series of concise and tabular sketches of the Presbyterian
Churches of the world. In 1879 he became associate editor of the
_Catholic Presbyterian_, the organ of the Alliance, and a periodical of
the highest literary dignity and style. At the meeting of the Alliance
in 1884, at Belfast, he was further appointed by its general council to
edit the record of its proceedings, filling a volume of no less than
seven hundred pages. Included within this volume, there is to be found a
very valuable and exhaustive statistical report, or rather series of
reports, compiled by the painstaking secretary, a work for which he has
received the highest commendation from his brethren and others who have
carefully examined it. As the fruit of prolonged labour and original
enquiry, it carries within it information of the most interesting kind,
not only to Presbyterians but to all Protestant churches. In recognition
of Dr. Mathews’ great services to the Presbyterian cause, and the
prominent position he had attained to in church affairs, the Western
University of Pennsylvania conferred upon him the degree of Doctor of
Divinity. At the present writing, the secretary of the Pan-Presbyterian
Council is pastor of Chalmers Church, Quebec. Some years ago he was
chosen one of the governors of Morrin College, being at the same time
professor of systematic theology in that institution. Since 1883 he has
also taken charge of the classes in moral philosophy. In ordinary
educational affairs he has always taken a deep interest, having been for
years a member of the Council of Public Instruction for the Province of
Quebec. As with many other men of business habits, Rev. Dr. Mathews has
a favourite recreation. His is in numismatic research, and possessing a
very valuable collection of coins: he published, in 1876, a volume on
the “Coinages of the World,” which has had a large circulation. He was
married, in 1856, to Maria F. Irvine, of Dublin, by whom he has had a
family of two sons and a daughter, all of whom survive their mother, who
died in 1880.
* * * * *
=Bentley, Hon. George Whitefield Wheelock=, Kensington, Commissioner of
Public Works for Prince Edward Island, was born at Margate, Prince
county, P.E.I., on the 21st December, 1842. He is the youngest son of
Thomas Bentley and Hannah Smith. His father, Mr. Bentley, sen.,
emigrated from Yorkshire, England, to Prince Edward Island, in 1817; and
his mother, Hannah Smith, came to the same island in 1800 with her
parents, she having been born on the passage out from England. The
father of this lady was the youngest son of a family of twenty-two
children. The Bentley family first settled in Cavendish, one of the
oldest settlements on the island, and afterwards removed to Prince
county, and took up their abode at a place they named Margate, after the
celebrated watering-place in England. George, the subject of our sketch,
received an ordinary English education in his native place. After
leaving school he devoted himself to agricultural pursuits, and in 1874
removed to Kensington, his present residence, where he has since carried
on business as a merchant and as a farmer. In 1879 he was elected to the
House of Assembly of P.E.I., by the electors of the 4th electoral
district of Prince county; again at the general election in 1882, and
again in 1886, he was each time returned at the head of the poll. In
January, 1887, he was appointed a member of the Executive Council, and
in the following month was chosen commissioner of Public Works. This
appointment necessitated another appeal to the electors, and he was
again returned in spite of determined opposition. Mr. Bentley has been a
life-long advocate of temperance, and has for the last twenty-five years
been connected with the order of the Sons of Temperance. He has held the
office of grand worthy patriarch of the Grand Division of Prince Edward
Island, and is now a member of the National Division of the Sons of
Temperance of North America. He has travelled through all the provinces
of British North America, and many of the states of the neighbouring
republic. Politically Mr. Bentley belongs to the ranks of the
Conservative party; and in religious matters he is an adherent of the
Methodist church. On the 9th February, 1870, he was married to Emma
Jane, daughter of William Dennis, of Margate, P.E.I.
* * * * *
=Jack, William Brydone=, M.A., D.C.L. The deceased Dr. William Brydone
Jack was born in the parish of Tinwald, Dumfriesshire, Scotland, on the
23rd November, 1819. He received his elementary education at the schools
of the parish, and was afterwards sent to the academy of Hutton Hall,
Caerlaverock, where he was prepared for entering college. In 1835 he
went to St. Andrews, and became a student in the United College of St.
Salvador and St. Leonard’s. During his course he was distinguished for
proficiency in mathematics and physics, carrying off the highest prizes
in these departments of study. Shortly after graduating with the degree
of M.A. in 1840, he was offered the professorship of physics in the
Manchester New College, in succession to the celebrated Dr. Dalton, and
about the same time the position of professorship of mathematics,
natural philosophy and astronomy in King’s College, Fredericton (now the
University of New Brunswick), was tendered to his acceptance. Sir David
Brewster, who was then principal of the college at St. Andrews, and with
whom Dr. Jack had been a favourite pupil, thought that the duties and
responsibilities of the situation at Manchester would, at the first
outset in life, be rather hazardous and trying for one so young and
inexperienced. Accordingly, in deference to Sir David’s advice and that
of other friends, Dr. Jack accepted the professorship in New Brunswick,
and assumed its duties in September, 1840. As King’s College was at
first under the management of the Church of England, it failed to
command the confidence and sympathy of the general public, and
consequently it was never so prosperous as it should have been. Many and
violent attacks were therefore made upon it both in and out of the
legislature, till after much worry and struggle it was, in 1860,
re-modelled and named the University of New Brunswick, over which all
denominations were admitted to an equal control. In 1861 Dr. Jack was
appointed president of the university, and for many years he laboured
and laboured successfully in bringing the college into repute, and
securing the general acceptance and confidence of the public. He spent
his vacations largely in travelling about the province, and by public
addresses making the college known and the benefits of the higher
education appreciated. On the inauguration of the Free School system he
was made, _ex-officio_, a member of the Board of Education. In 1885,
after a service of forty-five years as professor and president, failing
health induced him to resign his appointments, and seek the ease and
quiet of private life. In 1886 the government was pleased to appoint him
a member of the Senate of the University, in whose progress and
prosperity he continued to take the warmest interest. Dr. Jack was
always a devoted student of astronomy, and after the establishment of
lines of telegraph communication, he was among the first to make use of
them, determining distances of longitude. By connection with Harvard
Observatory, Mass., the true longitude of Fredericton was ascertained.
Taking Fredericton as the starting point, he obtained, at the instance
and expense of the local government, the longitude of St. John, and
afterwards of some places on the boundary survey of the province. The
determinations were of service to Sir William Logan in the construction
of his geological map of Canada. Dr. Jack died at Fredericton, New
Brunswick, on the 23rd day of November, 1886, on his sixty-sixth
birthday.
* * * * *
=Cowperthwaite, Rev. Humphrey Pickard=, A.M., Pastor of the Queen Square
Methodist Church, St. John, New Brunswick, was born in Sheffield, New
Brunswick, on the 30th of November, 1838. His father was Hugh
Cowperthwaite, and his mother, Elizabeth Ann Hunter; she was of Scotch
descent. His grandfather, on his father’s side, was a United Empire
loyalist, and came from New Jersey in 1783. His great-grandfather was an
officer in the British army, during the American revolutionary war of
independence. Humphrey received his education in the parish school, and
afterwards at Sackville College, where he graduated in arts in 1867. He
adopted the clerical profession, and is now an active minister of the
Methodist church, in connection with the New Brunswick and Prince Edward
Island conference. For several years he was chairman of the Prince
Edward Island district, and secretary of the conference for two terms.
On two occasions he visited the province of Ontario, on matters
connected with his church, and attended as a delegate the conferences
which met at Hamilton and Belleville a few years ago. On the 19th of
July, 1867, he was married to Annie S. Buchanan, of Glasgow, Scotland,
youngest daughter of W. M. Buchanan, editor of the “Practical Mechanics’
and Engineers’ Magazine,” and for some time lecturer on geology in the
Glasgow University.
* * * * *
=Lachapelle, Emmanuel Persillier=, M.D., Montreal, was born on the 21st
December, 1845, at Sault-au-Récollet, province of Quebec. His parents
were Pierre Persillier-Lachapelle, and Marie Zoé Toupin. Dr. Lachapelle
received a classical education at the Montreal College, and took a
course in medicine and surgery at the Montreal Medical and Surgical
School, and after passing very brilliantly his examination, was admitted
to the practice of medicine in 1869. In 1872 he was appointed surgeon to
the 65th battalion, and held that position until 1886. In 1876 he was
elected, and is still, a governor and treasurer of the College of
Physicians and Surgeons of the province of Quebec; and in 1885, during
the small-pox epidemic, he took a leading part in the working of the
Central Board of Health, and was appointed president of the first
Provincial Board of Health recently organised. Dr. Lachapelle was the
promoter and one of the founders of Notre Dame Hospital, one of the most
useful charitable institutions of Montreal to-day. In 1884, wishing to
free the hospital from debt, he, together with friends and the board of
management, organized a grand _kermesse_ which netted about $15,000 in
one week. When the establishment of the branch of Laval University in
Montreal was decided upon, he became one of its most ardent supporters
and contributed in a great measure to its formation. He was elected
general president of the Saint Jean Baptiste Society in 1876. As a
journalist, Dr. Lachapelle is favourably known, having been the
proprietor and editor of _L’Union Médicale_ from 1876 to 1882. He is
doctor in medicine of Laval and Victoria Universities, secretary of the
Medical Faculty of Laval University, professor of general Pathology and
Medical Jurisprudence, and an associate member of the “Société Française
d’Hygiène,” Paris. He commenced practising in Montreal in 1869, and took
a foremost rank in the galaxy of young men who about that time were
entering on their professional life, and have since risen to high
positions in Canadian society. Dr. Lachapelle enjoys the confidence of
the general public, and through his genial disposition, has made a host
of friends. He has been closely identified with all the scientific,
national and political movements of the day, and his influence and
advice have great weight and are highly appreciated.
* * * * *
=Allen, Hon. John C.=, Fredericton, Chief Justice of New Brunswick, was
born in the parish of Kingsclear, county of York, N.B., on the first of
October, 1817. His grandfather, Isaac Allen, was a United Empire
loyalist, and resided in Trenton, New Jersey, where he practised law.
During the revolutionary war, which broke out in 1776, he was appointed
lieutenant-colonel of the second battalion of New Jersey Volunteers, one
of the provincial regiments raised during the war. At the peace in 1783,
he settled in Nova Scotia, and when the province of New Brunswick was
established, he was appointed one of the judges of the Supreme Court, a
position he held until his death, in October, 1806. His wife was Sarah
Campbell, of Philadelphia. His son, the father of the present chief
justice, was John Allen, formerly a captain in the New Brunswick
Fencibles, a corps raised in New Brunswick during the war of 1812, and
commanded by General John Coffin. This regiment was disbanded in 1817,
and Captain Allen was subsequently appointed lieutenant-colonel and
inspecting field officer of the militia of New Brunswick, and when that
office was abolished, was appointed quarter-master-general of the
militia. He represented the county of York in the House of Assembly from
1809 to 1847. He died in April, 1875, aged ninety-one years, and his
wife died in 1822. Chief Justice Allen was educated at the Fredericton
Grammar School; studied law with the Hon. John Simcoe Saunders, son of
the then chief justice in Fredericton; was admitted as an attorney in
October, 1838; and to the bar in Michaelmas term, 1840. In 1845 he was
appointed one of the commissioners for settling the claims to lands,
under the fourth article of the treaty of Washington, 1842. While the
boundary between the province of New Brunswick and the United States was
in dispute, the portion of the country known as “the disputed
territory,” extending from near the Grand Falls of the river St. John to
the head of the river, and including the whole Madawaska settlement on
both sides of the river, was being occupied by settlers, principally
Acadian French, who held by possession only, the government refusing to
make any grants of the land. By the treaty, the channel of the river,
from a point about three miles above the Grand Falls to the mouth of the
river St. Francis, a tributary of the St. John, about seventy miles
above the falls, was fixed as the boundary between the two countries,
and the fourth article of the treaty provided that all equitable
possessory claims, arising from a possession and improvement of any land
for more than six years before the date of the treaty, should be deemed
valid, and be confirmed to the persons so in possession. The commission
was appointed to investigate and settle the claims of the persons in
possession of that portion of the lands in dispute, which fell within
the dominion of Great Britain. During the years 1845 and 1847, they
heard and determined the claims of all the settlers between the Grand
Falls and the St. Francis, and grants of the lands were afterwards
issued by the government to the respective parties, in accordance with
the report of the commissioners. The other commissioner was the late
James A. Maclauchlan, who was formerly an officer in the 104th regiment,
and served in Canada between 1813-15, and who had for many years acted
as warden of the disputed territory, by appointment of the British
government, for the purpose of preventing the cutting of timber upon it.
The most valuable part of the “disputed territory,” the fertile valley
of the Aroostook, was awarded to the United States by the treaty. Hon.
Mr. Allen was appointed clerk of the Executive Council of New Brunswick
in November, 1851, and held that office till January, 1856, when he
resigned it, and in February following was elected a member of the House
of Assembly for York county. In May following, was appointed
solicitor-general, which position he held until May, 1857, when the
government resigned, having been defeated at the general election of
that year. In 1852 was elected mayor of Fredericton and continued to
hold the office till 1855, when he resigned. In 1860 he was offered the
position of Queen’s counsel, but declined. He was speaker of the New
Brunswick Assembly from 1862 until that house was dissolved, in 1865,
for the purpose of ascertaining the opinion of the people upon the
question of confederation, as agreed upon by the delegates assembled at
Quebec, in September previous. Having been again elected as a
representative opposed to confederation, in April, 1865, he was
appointed attorney-general, which office he held until the 21st
September following. In June of that year he was sent by the Provincial
government, with the Hon. Albert J. Smith (afterwards Sir Albert), as a
delegate to the British government, for the purpose of urging the
objections of New Brunswick to the confederation of the provinces. Soon
after his return from England, on the 21st of September, 1865, he was
appointed a puisné judge of the Supreme Court of New Brunswick, a
vacancy having been caused by the resignation of Sir James Carter, and
on the 8th of October, 1875, he was made chief justice of New Brunswick,
as successor to the Hon. William Johnston Ritchie, who at that time was
appointed a puisné judge of the Supreme Court of Canada. On the 8th of
October, 1866, he was appointed vice-president of the Court of Governor
and Council, for determining suits relating to marriage and divorce. By
an act of the Legislative Assembly, passed in 1791, a court was
constituted, consisting of the lieutenant-governor of the province and
his Majesty’s council, for the determination of suits and questions
concerning marriage and divorce and alimony, the governor to be
president of the court. The governor was also authorized to appoint the
chief justice, or one of the judges of the Supreme Court, or the Master
of the Rolls, to be vice-president of the court, and to act in his
place. In 1860, a new court for the trial of matrimonial causes was
created by the Act 23 Vic., c. 37, and all suits pending in the court
before the Governor and Council, except those in which evidence had been
examined, which were to be proceeded with as before, were transferred to
the new court. Justice Neville Parker was appointed the judge under this
act, and we therefore presume Mr. Allen’s appointment as vice-president
of the Court of Governor and Council was for the purpose of hearing some
case commenced under the old law, in which evidence had been examined;
but, so far as we can learn, he has never acted under his commission. In
June, 1878, he was appointed, in the place of the late Governor Wilmot,
one of the arbitrators for settling the North-West boundary of the
province of Ontario. The other arbitrators were Sir Edward Thornton, the
British Minister at Washington, and Chief Justice Harrison, of Ontario.
The time appointed for the meeting of the arbitrators having been fixed
for the early part of July, and difficulties existing in the way of a
postponement, Chief Justice Allen was obliged to resign the appointment,
as his judicial duties prevented him from attending to it, the trial of
the Osborne family for the alleged murder of Timothy McCarthy, coming on
at the Circuit Court then about to open, at which he was to preside.
Among the most notable criminal cases which Chief Justice Allen has
tried may be mentioned that of John A. Munroe, in 1869, for the murder
of Sarah Margaret Vail and her child, at St. John; and in 1875, of a
number of persons at Bathurst, in the county of Gloucester, who
participated in the Carraquet riots, which originated in resisting the
enforcement of the Common Schools Act; also that of Chasson and ten
others, for the murder of one Gifford, who had aided the sheriff’s
officers in arresting the Carraquet rioters mentioned above. He also
tried the Osborne family twice for the alleged murder of Timothy
McCarthy, at Shediac, in the county of Westmoreland. The first trial, in
July and August, 1878, occupied six weeks. The jury having disagreed,
the prisoners were again tried in November and December of the same
year, the trial occupying nearly six weeks, and, as before, the jury
failed to agree. In 1847 Hon. Mr. Allen published a book of the Rules of
the Supreme Court of New Brunswick, and the Acts of Assembly relating to
the practice of the courts. He has also rendered much valuable service
to the legal profession, in the compilation and publication of six
volumes of law reports, embodying the decisions of the court extending
over a number of years. In his younger days the Chief Justice took an
active interest in the militia of the province. About the year 1835 he
joined a volunteer company of artillery, in Fredericton. In 1838 the
several companies of artillery in the province, viz., at Fredericton,
St. John, St. Andrews, and St. Stephens, were formed into a regiment
called “The New Brunswick Regiment of Artillery,” under the command of
Lieutenant-Colonel Richard Hayne, formerly of the Royal artillery, and
in 1838 Mr. Allen was appointed second lieutenant in the regiment;
afterwards first lieutenant and adjutant, and captain, in July, 1841.
The militia law having been materially altered in 1865, he has not since
that had any active connection with the force. In 1844 he was appointed
Provincial _aide-de-camp_ to Sir William Colbrooke, the
lieutenant-governor of the province, and continued so till he resigned
the government, in 1848. In 1882 the honorary degree of LL.D. was
conferred on Chief Justice Allen by the University of New Brunswick.
Chief Justice Allen is a member of the Church of England, and for nearly
forty years has been a member of the church corporation in Fredericton.
He has also held the position of churchwarden in the parish church for
over twenty-five years, and on several occasions has been elected
delegate to the provincial synod at Montreal. In 1845 he married
Margaret A. Drury, daughter of the late Captain Charles Drury, 29th
Regiment of foot, who died at St. John in 1835. He has five children
living—William, Thomas Carleton (the prothonotary of the Supreme
Court), Edmund H., George W., and Henry.
* * * * *
=Chapman, Robert Andrew=, Dorchester, New Brunswick, was born in
Dorchester, county of Westmoreland, New Brunswick, on the 2nd of
February, 1835, where he has resided ever since. His father was Robert
B. Chapman, and his mother, Margaret Weldon. Both Mr. Chapman’s
great-grandfather and grandfather emigrated from Yorkshire, England, in
1775, and both represented the county of Westmoreland in the New
Brunswick legislature. The wife of the latter was Sarah Black, sister to
William Black, commonly known as “Bishop Black,” the father of Methodism
in the Maritime provinces. Margaret Weldon’s grandfather on the paternal
side, came to America from North Allerton, Yorkshire, in 1770, and her
ancestors on the maternal side—the Killams—were United Empire
loyalists. Robert A. Chapman received his primary education in the
public schools, and afterwards studied under an Irish teacher, who was
noted as a mathematician. When he grew up to manhood, he adopted
mechanical pursuits, went largely into ship building, and from 1860 to
1878 built upwards of thirty vessels, principally barques and ships,
varying from 600 to 1,500 tons burthen. Mr. Chapman holds a captain’s
commission in the reserve militia. He has been a justice of the peace
for a long time; and was high sheriff of the county of Westmoreland from
1879 to 1886. On the organization of the municipal council for
Westmoreland county, he was, along with Hon. P. A. Landry, elected a
member by acclamation for Dorchester parish, and continued to sit in
this body until he was made high sheriff; and again, in 1886, he was
elected to this council. He was an unsuccessful candidate in his county
for a seat in the New Brunswick legislature in 1872; and again in 1878,
against Sir A. J. Smith, for a seat in the House of Commons, at Ottawa.
On both occasions, however, he polled a large vote. In politics, Mr.
Chapman is a Conservative; and in religion, is an adherent of the
Methodist church. He was married on the 18th of October, 1859, to Mary
E. Frost, daughter of Stephen Frost, late of Chatham, New Brunswick.
* * * * *
=Steele, Rev. D. A.=, A.M., Baptist Minister, Amherst, Nova Scotia, was
born in the village of Barewood, Herefordshire, England, on the 17th
September, 1838, and came to America in 1845. His ancestry on the
paternal side came from Annandale, Scotland. He was educated at Acadia
College, Wolfville, Nova Scotia, from which institution he graduated
with the degree of A.M. He was ordained to the ministry there, on the
20th June, 1865. He took charge of the Baptist Church in Canso for two
years; and then, in 1867, removed to Amherst and took the pastorate of
the church which had for many years been presided over by the late Rev.
Charles Tupper, D.D., father of Sir Charles Tupper, finance minister of
Canada. The Rev. Mr. Steele was one of the promoters of the independent
foreign missions of the Baptist church in the Maritime provinces, and is
a member of the Foreign Mission Board. He is a member of the Senate of
Acadia College, and also chairman of the Board of School Commissioners
for Cumberland county. Rev. Mr. Steele has been an active worker ever
since he assumed the pastoral office, and has left his mark for good on
his adopted county. In 1865 he was married to Sarah Hart, the only
surviving daughter of Spinney Whitman, whose ancestors came from New
England to Annapolis on the expulsion of the Acadians.
* * * * *
=Flint, Thomas Barnard=, M.A., LL.B., Yarmouth, Barrister, and Assistant
Clerk to the House of Assembly of Nova Scotia, was born on the 28th
April, 1847, at Yarmouth, N.S. His parents were John Flint and Ann S.
Barnard, who were married in 1834, and were respectively descended from
Thomas Flint, of Marblehead, Massachusetts, and of Benjamin Barnard, of
Salem, in the same state. Thomas Flint, the ancestor of all the family
of that name in the western portion of Nova Scotia, came to Yarmouth, in
1771, and his descendants are very numerous in that part of the country.
Benjamin Barnard, of Salem, came to the same part of Nova Scotia, in
1770, and although his descendants in Yarmouth are numerous, yet the
family name has completely died out. It is however perpetuated in the
names of Barnard street and Barnard lane in the town of Yarmouth. Both
these families were, of course, thoroughly identified with the history
of Yarmouth town and county, which were mainly settled from New England,
and which still retain many of the New England characteristics. Thomas
B. Flint, the subject of our sketch, received his early education at
Yarmouth, and subsequently went to Wesley College, Sackville, New
Brunswick, where he took the degree of B.A. in 1867; and of M.A. in
1875; and in the same year he carried off the “Moore” prize for the best
essay on “John Milton.” He also took a course at the Harvard Law School,
Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 1872, and received the degree of LL.B. from
that university. He adopted law as a profession, and studied in the
office of Senator (now ex-judge) Ritchie, and on being admitted to the
bar he began the practice of his profession in 1872. For years Mr. Flint
has taken an active interest in educational matters, and in the
temperance reform movement. For a long period he held office as a school
trustee, and was secretary of the High School committee several years.
He is a member and secretary of the Board of Governors of the Yarmouth
Seminary. He was appointed high sheriff of the county of Yarmouth in the
autumn of 1883, but resigned the same at the end of the year 1886. At
the opening of the session of 1887 he was elected assistant clerk of the
House of Assembly of Nova Scotia, in the place of the late assistant
clerk, who was promoted to the chief clerkship. Mr. Flint, a Liberal and
anti-Confederate in politics, was defeated as a candidate for the local
legislature in 1873, when he contested the county against a former
representative, who was declared returned by a majority of two votes.
Although the return was contested by Mr. Flint, his opponent was
confirmed in his seat. He was also a candidate for the House of Commons
in 1878, in opposition to Frank Killam. Mr. Killam was elected by a
substantial majority. As both gentlemen were supporters of the Liberal
party, merely personal and local issues were involved in the contest. He
was again a candidate for the local legislature in 1882 on the Liberal
ticket, but was unsuccessful, having been defeated by a small majority.
Mr. Flint was for many years engaged in shipbuilding; the management of
shipping and various public enterprises; a stockholder in the Western
Counties Railway Company, and other corporations. He is prominent in the
Masonic fraternity, and is a past master of Scotia lodge, No. 31,
R.N.S.; past district deputy grand master of District No. 3, and
secretary of Scotia lodge. Since 1872 he has taken an active part, in
the Liberal interest, in political discussions through the press and on
the platform, particularly on occasions of general elections, and
assisted in obtaining the Liberal repeal victory in Yarmouth county in
February, 1887, when, however, the province generally returned a
majority of representatives in opposition to the further continuance of
the repeal agitation. He married, on October 14th, 1874, Mary Ella,
daughter of Thomas B. Dane, of Yarmouth, who was also a descendant of a
New England family that settled in Yarmouth county in 1789.
* * * * *
=Wickwire, William Nathan=, M.D., Halifax, Nova Scotia, was born at
Cornwallis, Kings county, N.S., on the 18th November, 1839. His parents
were Peter and Eliza Wickwire. Dr. Wickwire received his education,
chiefly at Horton Academy and Acadia College, Wolfville, N.S., and
graduated at the latter in 1860, taking the degree of B.A. In 1863
Acadia College also conferred upon him the degree of M.A. He studied
medicine at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, from 1860 to 1864,
and there received the degree of M.D. In the autumn of 1864 he formed a
medical co-partnership with Dr. Tupper (now Sir Charles), at Halifax,
which partnership existed till Dr. Tupper took up his residence at
Ottawa, in 1870. For several years he was surgeon to a volunteer
company; from 1867 to 1872 he held the office of assistant inspecting
physician for the port of Halifax, and since that date to the present
time has held the position of inspecting physician for the same port.
For several years the doctor has been vice-consul for the Netherlands at
Halifax. He enjoys a good practice. In politics Dr. Wickwire is a
Liberal-Conservative; and in religion an adherent of the Episcopal
church. He was married in 1870 to Margaret Louisa, daughter of the late
Hon. Alexander Keith, of Halifax.
* * * * *
=Mathieu, Hon. Michel=, Judge of the Superior Court, Montreal, was born
at Sorel, Richelieu county, on the 20th December, 1838, from the union
of Joseph Mathieu, farmer, and justice of the peace, residing at Sorel,
and Edwidge Vandal. Mr. Mathieu the elder was a farmer of little means,
but had his son educated under the care of the Rev. Messire Augustin
Lemay, formerly curé of the parish of Ste. Victoire (which was founded
by the dismemberment of the old parish of St. Pierre de Sorel), where
Mr. Mathieu had resided. His ancestors were of an ancient French family.
The subject of our sketch completed his course of classical studies at
the college of St. Hyacinthe. Leaving that institution in 1860, he
matriculated, and was admitted to the study of the profession of a
notary in the office of Jean George Crébassa, notary public, of the town
of Sorel, and was admitted to practice on the 20th of January, 1864. In
1861 he had been also admitted to the study of law. He practised as a
notary for a year, when he was admitted to the bar of the province of
Quebec, and abandoned his former profession to engage exclusively in law
practice. On the 11th of June, 1866, he was appointed sheriff of the
district of Richelieu, in the place of Pierre Rémi Chevalier, who had
resigned in his favour, and held that position until the 14th of August,
1872. The entrance of Mr. Mathieu into political life dates from that
period, when he entered the lists and was elected to the House of
Commons over his opponent, George Isidore Barthe, who, in turn, defeated
him in 1874. In the following year he was elected by acclamation member
of the Legislative Assembly of the province of Quebec for Richelieu
county; and again, on the 1st of May, 1878, by a majority of 186 over
Pierre Bergeron, a physician of St. Aimé. Mr. Mathieu always wielded a
powerful influence in his county, and was mainly instrumental in
securing the election of L. H. Massue to the House of Commons at Ottawa
in the election of the 1st of September, 1878. In politics he is a
Conservative, and has always been a faithful adherent and a strong
supporter of the late Sir George Etienne Cartier and Sir John A.
Macdonald. On the 11th of October, 1880, he was made a Queen’s counsel,
and on 3rd October, 1881, he accepted the position of justice of the
Superior Court of the province of Quebec, and removed to Montreal, where
he resides at the present time. Until his elevation to the judicial
bench, he was one of the directors of the Montreal, Portland and Boston
and of the South-Eastern Railway Companies. He also published _La Revue
Légale_ for many years. Of undaunted energy, and possessed of sterling
capacities, Hon. Mr. Mathieu always took a deep interest in the
advancement of his native town, and occupied its civic chair during
seven years, from 1875 to 1881. He was also one of the founders of the
College of Sorel. As a private citizen he is esteemed for his affability
and kindness of manners to all who require his advice, or have business
to transact with him, and his courteousness has made him hosts of
friends everywhere. Justice Mathieu was twice married—the first time,
on the 22nd of June, 1863, to Marie Rose Délima Thirza, a daughter of
the late Captain St. Louis, of Sorel; she died on the 23rd of March,
1870. By his first marriage he has three children, one son and two
daughters, living. On the 30th October, 1881, he married Marie Amélie
Antoinette, a daughter of the Hon. David Armstrong, member of the
Legislative Council of the province of Quebec, and of Léocadie de Ligny.
The fruit of his second union was one son, living. Madame Mathieu’s name
is always to be found among the charity workers of the city of Montreal,
and she is blessed by the poor.
* * * * *
=Johnston, Hon. James William=, Judge in Equity, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia.
The late Judge Johnston was by descent a Scotchman, and by birth a West
Indian. His grandfather, Dr. Lewis Johnston, was born in Scotland, and
claimed to be entitled to the now long dormant title of Marquis of
Annandale, but never pressed his claim in the courts. He married Laleah
Peyton, a lady of Huguenot descent, and settled in Savannah, Georgia,
then a British colony, where he owned an estate called Annandale.
Previous to the rebellion, Dr. Johnston filled the office of president
of the council and treasurer of the colony of Georgia. On the breaking
out of the revolutionary war his sons all entered the British army and
fought on the side of the king. His eldest son, William Martin Johnston,
the father of Judge Johnston, held the rank of captain of the New York
volunteers in the year 1775. He was engaged in the defence of Savannah,
was at the capture of Fort Montgomery on the Hudson, and took part in
various other engagements during the war. At its close Dr. Johnston
returned to Scotland, and Captain Johnston, who had lost all his
property in consequence of espousing the cause of Britain, studied
medicine, and graduated in the University of Edinburgh. He married
Elizabeth Lichtenstein, the only daughter of Captain John Lichtenstein,
of the noble and ancient Austrian family of that name. Captain Johnston
subsequently removed to Kingston in the island of Jamaica, where his son
James was born on the 29th of August, 1792. He was early sent to
Scotland for his education, and was placed under the care of the late
Rev. Dr. Duncan, of Ruthwell. The family afterwards settled permanently
in Nova Scotia. James William Johnston studied law in Annapolis in the
office of Thomas Ritchie, afterwards one of the judges of the Common
Pleas, and was admitted to the bar in 1815. He commenced the practice of
his profession in Kentville, the shire town of Kings county, but shortly
after removed to Halifax and entered into partnership with Simon
Bradstreet Robie, at that time the leading practitioner in the province.
Mr. Johnston rose rapidly in his profession, and soon attained the
highest rank, which he continued to hold unchallenged until his
elevation to the bench of the Supreme Court. In cross-examination he
displayed peculiar tact and skill, extracting from the most reluctant
and perverse witness the minutest facts within his knowledge. Among the
intellectual features that marked his professional career may be noted a
strong and comprehensive grasp, a memory that seemed ever obedient to
his will, together with a rapidity of perception, that gave wonderful
readiness at repartee, seizing like lightning on the mistakes or unwise
or weak arguments of an opponent, and turning them to the disadvantage
of the opposite side, and to the manifest advantage of his own. This
mental superiority, aided as it was by untiring perseverance and
industry, was alone sufficient to win the highest honours of the bar.
Few, if any, of Mr. Johnston’s forensic efforts have been preserved; but
in cases where the battle was to be fought against wrong and oppression,
he was especially powerful; rising to the occasion his bursts of
impassioned eloquence swept with the force of a tornado carrying all
before it. In the year 1835 Mr. Johnston was appointed solicitor-general
of the province, which office was then non-political; but in the year
1838, at the earnest solicitation of Sir Colin Campbell, then
lieutenant-governor of Nova Scotia, he entered the Legislative Council
and commenced his political life, and at once became the acknowledged
leader of the Conservative party. On the elevation of the Hon. S. G. W.
Archibald to the Court of Chancery as master of the rolls in 1843, Mr.
Johnston was appointed attorney-general, and at the general election
held in that year, resigned his seat in the Legislative Council, and
stood for the important county of Annapolis, for which he was returned
by a large majority, and which constituency he continued uninterruptedly
to represent in the House of Assembly until 1863, when he took his seat
on the bench. One of the first acts he placed on the statute book was
the Simultaneous Polling Act, which provided for the holding of
elections throughout the province on one and the same day, instead of
being as theretofore held at different times, and the polls moved round
in different places in each constituency, entailing large additional
expense and much loss of time. He also successfully advocated the
introduction of denominational colleges, and their partial endowment by
the state. Hon. Mr. Johnston was one of the delegates selected to meet
Lord Durham, the high commissioner for settling the difficulties in
Canada, and to confer with him on the contemplated changes in colonial
government. Hon. Mr. Johnston might justly have claimed the honour of
being the first statesman who in the halls of legislature advocated the
union or confederation of the North American colonies. In the year 1854,
on the floor of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly, in a speech which for
breadth of conception, deep research, fervent patriotism, and glowing
eloquence, has rarely been equalled, and which by many has been
considered his greatest effort, Hon. Mr. Johnston moved:—
That the union of the British North American provinces on just
principles, while calculated to perpetuate their connection with
the parent state, would promote their advancement and
prosperity, increase their strength and influence, and elevate
their position.
And though before the union was consummated he had retired from public
life, and was therefore in no way responsible for the details of the
scheme, yet his advocacy of the measure on its broad basis tended in no
slight degree to create and educate public opinion, and smoothed the way
for those who eventually succeeded in effecting the important change in
the constitution he was the first to advocate. In the year 1857 Hon. Mr.
Johnston, then attorney-general and leader of the government, pursuant
to a resolution passed in the House of Assembly, proceeded to England to
adjust the differences that for years existed between the province and
the General Mining Association, who, as assignees of the Duke of York,
to whom they had been granted, claimed the exclusive right to the mines
and minerals of Nova Scotia, and who, by virtue thereof, possessed a
practical monopoly of the coal trade. After a protracted negotiation, a
compromise was effected and an agreement entered into by which the
General Mining Association ceded to the government all their right and
title to, and over, all the unworked mines and minerals. Thus was a
grievance of long standing amicably settled, and their right to the
great wealth hidden in the bowels of the earth secured to the people of
Nova Scotia. In the year 1863, after a labourious and active
professional life, and a somewhat turbulent political career, Hon. Mr.
Johnston accepted a seat on the bench as judge in Equity and judge of
the Supreme Court. The duties of his office were discharged with
assiduity and the strictest integrity, and his decisions were received
by the bar as clear, logical, and exhaustive expositions of the law. In
the summer of 1872, Hon. Mr. Johnston obtained leave of absence, and
proceeded to the south of France in the hopes that a milder and more
genial climate might remove a bronchial affection from which he was
suffering, but the beneficial results anticipated did not follow. He was
offered in the following year the lieutenant-governorship of his adopted
country, vacant by the demise of the late Hon. Joseph Howe, but this
position the state of his health compelled him to decline. Early in life
Mr. Johnston connected himself with the Baptist Church, and to the end
continued a member of that communion. For years he devoted his time,
energies and talents to the advancement of that body, socially,
politically and educationally. The Baptist Academy at Wolfville, as well
as Acadia College, owe their existence in a large measure to his
personal labours, influence, and untiring exertions both in parliament
and out. Of the latter institution he was one of the first governors,
and continued to hold the office uninterruptedly, by repeated
re-elections, to the time of his death. He was several times elected
president of the Baptist Convention of the Maritime provinces, who, on
his leaving the country, marked their great appreciation of his
character and their sense of their lasting obligations to him by the
unanimous adoption of the following resolution:—
This convention, having learnt that the health of our esteemed
brother, Hon. Judge Johnston, a member of the Board of Governors
of Acadia College, has induced him to seek a residence in
Europe, _Therefore resolve_ that we take this opportunity to
tender to him the tribute which his high character, and long
continued and important services in the cause of education seem
to demand, by thus recording the sense we entertain of the value
of those services, his devoted and consecrated talents, and of
his great worth as a man, as a Christian gentleman, and
especially as a Christian legislator and judge, the influence
and grateful memory of which we trust will not be effaced; and
although at his advanced age it may almost seem to be hoping
against hope, yet this convention would still trust that a
perfect restoration to health and strength may yet, in the good
providence of God, return our valued brother, as well as his
excellent lady, to their former position and relations in this
country.
Hon. Mr. Johnston was twice married. His first wife was Amelia
Elizabeth, daughter of the late William James Almon, surgeon, who was
assistant surgeon to the Royal Artillery in New York, in June, 1776, and
Rebecca Byles, granddaughter of the Rev. Dr. Byles, of Boston,
Massachusetts. By her he had three sons, the eldest of whom is now the
judge of the County Court for the metropolitan city and county of
Halifax, and three daughters. Of these, two sons and one daughter are
alive. His second wife was Louise, widow of the late Captain Wentworth,
of the Royal Artillery, by whom he had one daughter and three sons; the
daughter and two sons are living. Mr. Johnston’s physicians advised that
his state of health would not permit of his return to Nova Scotia, and
he determined to pass the winter of 1873 at Cheltenham, England, where,
on the 21st day of November, in that year, at the ripe age of eighty-one
years, and in the full possession of his mental faculties, he died, full
of honours, leaving behind him a name untarnished, a character above
reproach, and a reputation as a statesman, jurist and judge worthy of
emulation by those who shall hereafter fill the places vacated by him.
* * * * *
=Macdonald, Charles John=, Post Office Inspector for the Province of
Nova Scotia, Halifax. Lieut.-Colonel Macdonald, the subject of this
sketch, is of Scotch descent, his father, the late Robert Macdonald,
having been a native of Dornoch, Sutherlandshire, Scotland, and for many
years a resident of Halifax. Charles was born at Halifax, Nova Scotia,
on the 4th April, 1841, and received his education at Dalhousie College.
He studied law in the office of the Hon. J. S. D. Thompson (now minister
of justice at Ottawa), and was called to the bar in 1872. In 1878 he
presented himself for parliamentary honours, and was returned a member
of the Nova Scotia legislature as representative of the city and county
of Halifax, and occupied the position of member of the Executive Council
in 1878 and 1879 without portfolio. Lieut.-Colonel Macdonald, commander
of the 66th battalion Princess Louise Fusiliers, served as major in the
Halifax Provincial battalion during the North-West rebellion, having had
under his command a detachment of one hundred and eighty men from the
63rd Rifles and Halifax Garrison Artillery. He occupied the position of
paymaster for the volunteers from 1872 to 1878; and has been an alderman
of the city of Halifax; president of the North British Society; deputy
grandmaster of the Grand Lodge of Freemasons; grand high priest of the
Grand Chapter, and representative of the Grand Lodge of Ohio. In 1879 he
was appointed to the office of inspector of post offices for the
province of Nova Scotia, and this position he still occupies. In
politics he leans towards Liberal-Conservatism, and in religion he is a
Presbyterian. The colonel has been twice married—first to Mary Tamson,
daughter of William Evans, and second to Annie, daughter of James
McLearn.
* * * * *
=Berryman, Daniel Edgar=, M.D. C.M., and A.R.S. (Edin.), is a native of
New Brunswick, having been born in the city of St. John, on the 16th of
August, 1848. His father, John Berryman, sen., was born in 1798, in the
parish of Castle Dowson, Antrim county, Ireland, where his ancestors,
who came from Devonshire, England, with the army of Oliver Cromwell,
settled in the seventeenth century. He emigrated to this country about
the year 1816, and settled in St. John, and died on the 2nd January,
1880. His wife, the mother of the subject of this sketch, whom he
married in February, 1826, was Maria Wade, grand-daughter of Colonel
Ansley. Her father was a merchant in St. John, and her mother came as a
child with her parents, who were U. E. loyalists when St. John was first
settled. The dates and particulars of the family history were destroyed
in the great fire of 1877. To this worthy couple were born a family of
thirteen children, eight sons and five daughters, and of those nine
still survive, and are filling important positions in various parts of
the world. Daniel E., who was the youngest son, was educated at the High
School of Edinburgh, under Drs. Bryce and Smidtz, and also at Acadia
College, Wolfville, Nova Scotia, where he attended the art classes. In
1868 he again went to Edinburgh, and entered the university of that city
as a medical student, and during the curriculum he took honours in
several classes, besides receiving a special honorary diploma from the
professor of midwifery and diseases of children (Simpson). Dr. Berryman
was then appointed house surgeon to the Royal Infirmary, and also acted
as private assistant for over a year to Sir Robert Christison, baronet,
D.C.L., professor of materia medica, Sir Robert having at that time been
physician to H.M. the Queen, for Scotland. He also acted as, and held
the position of, hospital surgeon and physician, assistant to Dr. Joseph
Bell, surgeon to the Eye and Ear Hospital, and was besides surgeon to
the Edinburgh Maternity Hospital for nine months, and Hospital for
Children, and held temporary appointments under Sir Joseph Lester and
Doctors Gillespie, Saunders, and John H. Bennett; and also occupied the
position of class assistant to Professor A. R. Simpson, professor of
midwifery and diseases of children. On his return to his native city he
began the practice of his profession, and has succeeded in building up a
lucrative business. In 1880 he was appointed police surgeon for the
city; in 1883 he was gazetted coroner; and in 1886 he was made a justice
of the peace. Outside the practice of his profession, Dr. Berryman has
devoted considerable time to other matters, and we find him occupying
the position of member of the Canada Medical Society; St. John Medical
Society; treasurer of the New Brunswick Medical Society; a provincial
Medical Examiner; a member of the executive of the Society for the
Prevention of Cruelty to Animals; the corresponding secretary of the St.
John Agricultural Society; a member of the St. John Historical Society;
a member of the order of Oddfellows, and a member of the Masonic
fraternity. The doctor is a Liberal in politics, being corresponding
secretary of the St. John Liberal Society, and in religious matters is
an adherent of the Baptist church.
* * * * *
=Bell, John Howatt=, M.A., Barrister, M.P.P. for the Fourth District of
Prince, Summerside, Prince Edward Island, was born at Cape Traverse,
Prince Edward Island, on the 13th December, 1846. His father, Walter
Bell, emigrated from Dumfries, Scotland, in 1820, and settled at Cape
Traverse. His mother was Elizabeth Howatt, daughter of Adam Howatt. Mr.
Bell received his education at the Prince of Wales College,
Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, and at Albert University,
Belleville, Ontario, at which latter institution he took the degrees of
B.A. and M.A. He studied law as a profession with Thomas Ferguson, Q.C.,
Toronto, and was called to the bar of Ontario in 1874. He then went to
Ottawa, and in partnership with R. A. Bradley, practised his profession
for eight years in that city. In 1882 Mr. Bell removed to Emerson,
Manitoba, and was admitted a member of the bar of Manitoba, in 1882, and
practised in Emerson for two years. In 1884 he went to Prince Edward
Island, and having passed the necessary examination, he became a member
of the bar of that island, and has since resided at Summerside
successfully engaged in his profession. At the last general election
held in Prince Edward Island Mr. Bell was returned to represent the
fourth electoral district of Prince in the island House of Assembly. In
politics he is a Liberal, and in religion he belongs to the Presbyterian
church. On the 7th July, 1882, he was married to Helen, daughter of
Cornelius Howatt, of Summerside, P.E.I.
* * * * *
=Mackay, Norman E.=, M.D., C.M., M.R.C.S., Eng., etc., Surgeon Victoria
General Hospital, Halifax, Nova Scotia, was born in Upper Settlement,
Baddeck, Victoria county, Cape Breton, in March, 1851. His father was
Neil Mackay, and mother Catharine McMillan. The family were among the
first settlers in the district, and farmed a considerable portion of
land. Dr. Mackay received his primary education in the Baddeck and
Pictou academies, and for some time taught school. He then chose the
medical profession, and in the winter of 1875-6 began to study with this
end in view. He applied himself diligently to his allotted tasks, and in
the second year was chosen prosector for his class. At the end of his
third year he was awarded the prize for passing the best primary
examination. In April, 1879, the Halifax Medical College conferred upon
him the degree of M.D., C.M., and the University of Halifax, that of
B.M. in May of the same year. After graduating, he began the practice of
his profession with success at North Sydney, Cape Breton, and after
residing in this place for a year, he removed to Charlottetown, Prince
Edward Island, where he remained for three years. In April, 1884, he was
appointed surgeon to the Prince Edward Island Hospital. In 1883-4 he
took a post graduate course in the London (England) hospitals and
medical schools, and was admitted a member of the Royal College of
Surgeons in January, 1884. He began to practice medicine in Halifax,
N.S., in January, 1885, and was appointed surgeon to the Victoria
General Hospital of that city in October of the same year. In January,
1886, he received the appointment of physician to the Halifax
Dispensary; and in October following was elected a member of the
Provincial Medical Board. In politics Dr. Mackay is a Liberal, and in
religion a Presbyterian. He was married on the 9th July, 1884, to
Isabella, eldest daughter of Lemuel Miller, principal of West Kent
School, Charlottetown, P.E.I.
* * * * *
=Proudfoot, Hon. William=, Justice of the Chancery Division of High
Court of Justice of Ontario, Toronto, was born near Errol, a village in
Perthshire, Scotland, on the 9th of November, 1823. He is the son of the
late Rev. William Proudfoot, who for many years was superintendent of
the Theological Institute of the United Presbyterian church, at London,
Ontario. The Rev. Mr. Proudfoot was one of the earliest missionaries
sent out to this country by the United Secession Church of Scotland, as
it was then called, and reached Canada with his family in 1832, and
after a few months spent in Toronto (then Little York), he removed to
London, where he organized a church, in which he officiated until his
death, in January, 1851. This old secession minister was a staunch
Reformer, and naturally came under suspicion, when almost everybody who
dared to differ from the dominant party during the troubles of 1837 was
suspected. He, however, boldly met the aspersions of his political
enemies, and secured himself from molestation. The subject of our
sketch, the Hon. Vice-Chancellor Proudfoot, is the third son of this
venerable minister, and he received his educational training under the
paternal roof, never having entered a public institution of learning.
Having resolved to adopt law as a profession, and having passed his
preliminary examination before the Law Society of Upper Canada, Mr.
Proudfoot entered the office of Blake & Morrison, barristers, Toronto,
Mr. Blake afterwards becoming chancellor of Upper Canada, and Mr.
Morrison a justice of the Court of Appeal, both now deceased, where he
remained the five years prescribed as the period of study for an
articled clerk, and during the Michaelmas term in 1849, he was called to
the bar of Upper Canada. He then entered into partnership with the late
Charles Jones, and practised his profession with this gentleman in
Toronto until 1851, when he was appointed the first chancery-master and
deputy-registrar at Hamilton. This appointment was rendered necessary by
the thorough re-organization of the Equity Court, accomplished on the
representation of chancellor W. H. Blake. After retaining this position
for three years, Mr. Proudfoot, preferring to return to the active work
of his profession, resigned his office, and entered into partnership
with Freeman & Craigie, under the style of Freeman, Craigie & Proudfoot,
barristers. This firm stood at the head of the Hamilton bar, and Mr.
Proudfoot had charge of the equity practice. In 1862, he left the firm
and practised with other partners until 1874, when he succeeded
Vice-Chancellor Strong (who had been promoted to the Supreme Court) upon
the bench. In 1872, he was appointed a Queen’s counsel by the Ontario
government. Prior to his elevation to the bench, he was an active
Reformer in politics; and he still remains true to the church of his
fathers, as a member of a Presbyterian Church in Toronto. As a lawyer
and judge, Hon. Mr. Proudfoot is deeply read, and continues still to be
a devoted student of the great authorities on equity. Being very
conversant with the Latin and French languages, he is well-grounded in
the Roman and civil law, and his judgments are models of lucid
expression and technical accuracy. He is, what is supposed still better,
thoroughly judicial in the extent of his mind, and has proved himself a
distinguished ornament to the Ontario bench. In 1853, Judge Proudfoot
married Miss Thomson, a daughter of the late John Thomson, of Toronto,
and by this lady he had a family of six children. She died in 1871. He
married his second wife in 1875. She was Miss Cook, daughter of the late
Adam Cook, of Hamilton, and she died in 1878, leaving one son.
* * * * *
=Wilkinson, William=, of Bushville, Chatham, New Brunswick, the present
judge of the County Courts of Northumberland, Gloucester, and
Restigouche, son of John and Catherine Wilkinson, both now deceased, was
born at Liverpool, England, on the 11th February, 1826. He came out to
New Brunswick in 1840, arriving at Chatham on the 11th September, after
a long passage of forty-nine days, by the encouragement of, and to be
with his half-brother, the late James Johnson, who had arrived in the
country about six years before, and who had then lately entered into
business as a merchant on his own account. He remained with his brother
as apprentice clerk for two years, and then with the sanction and good
will of all friends, he entered the law office of the late Hon. John M.
Johnson, jun., as a law student, and was entered as such in Michaelmas
term, 1842. In the same term of 1847, having satisfactorily passed the
necessary examinations as to his fitness, he was duly sworn in and
enrolled as an attorney of the Supreme Court of New Brunswick, and also
received his commission to act as notary public. In Michaelmas term,
1849, he was duly called to the bar. For a few years after his admission
he practised alone, but on the 20th December, 1852, he entered into
partnership with the late Hon. John M. Johnson, jun., which partnership
continued up to the time of Mr. Johnson’s death, November, 1868. During
its continuance they were engaged in many very important and interesting
causes, and always had the reputation of being very careful, successful,
practitioners. The first governmental office Mr. Wilkinson received was
that of surrogate and judge of Probates for the county of
Northumberland, which was on the resignation of the office by the late
Hon. Thomas H. Peters, on the 8th July, 1851. This office he resigned in
the spring or summer of 1870, with the view of becoming a candidate for
the New Brunswick legislature. And it may be mentioned that during all
the time Mr. Wilkinson held the office, no appeal was ever made from any
decision or judgment made by him in any cause before him. In the spring
or summer of 1852, Mr. Wilkinson was appointed (under the first
Education Act of New Brunswick authorising inspectors, passed in the
previous winter) inspector of schools for his county, Northumberland,
which office he held for several years, until, fearing that the
increasing professional demands on his time and attention might induce a
less careful and thorough performance of his duties as inspector, or
interfere with professional duties, he resigned the office into the
hands of the government, stating these reasons. But his resignation was
much to the regret of the then superintendent, Marshal D’Avary, who was
most desirous that he should continue in office and become a district
inspector under the new act then, or about to be, passed. On the 8th
November, 1870, he was appointed by the commissioners of the
Intercolonial Railway for examining and reporting upon the titles of
lands taken for railway purposes through the county of Northumberland,
and later by the railway authorities to perform a similar duty in regard
to many unsettled and disputed cases in the adjoining counties of
Gloucester and Restigouche. And at intervals for several years after his
first appointment as railway solicitor, he was appointed one of the
appraisers with one or other of the paymasters of the Intercolonial
Railway, for the time being, to appraise and (after the preparation and
execution of the proper transfer of title) pay the land damages for
rights of way, water courses, and conduits taken for the railway
purposes through all these counties. In the fall of 1872 he was
appointed by the Dominion government immigrant agent for Northumberland,
on the resignation by John G. G. Layton. This office he held for a few
years, when, on a change of government, a new policy in regard to
immigration was inaugurated. But on the cessation of the office,
courteous and full acknowledgment was made by the then government of the
ability and zeal with which the duties had been performed. On the 2nd
April, 1873, he was appointed by the Dominion government one of Her
Majesty’s Counsel Learned in the Law. On the 6th March, 1877, he was
appointed surrogate of the Vice-Admiralty Court of New Brunswick, by the
Vice-Admiralty Court, and on the 11th March, 1881, on the resignation of
Judge Williston, he received the appointment of judge of the County
Courts of Northumberland, Gloucester, and Restigouche, and on the next
day was duly sworn in and held his first county court at Bathurst,
Gloucester county. On the 12th February, 1884, he was _ex-officio_
appointed first commissioner under the Liquor License Act of 1883, for
the several license districts of Northumberland, Gloucester, and
Restigouche, and held the same till the decision of the Privy Council
declared the act _ultra vires_. On the 26th October, 1885, he was
appointed under separate commissions the revising officer of the
electoral districts of the counties of Northumberland and Restigouche
respectively, under the Electoral Franchise Act, passed in 1884. Judge
Wilkinson is a member of the Church of England, adhering strongly to the
views developed by the Oxford movement. For thirty years, and without a
break, he was the vestry clerk of the church corporation in Chatham,
where he has always lived, and only resigned the office a few years ago,
because of his necessary frequent absence from home, to fill judicial
appointments. For a like period, with very rare exceptions, he has been
a delegate to the Diocesan Church Society, and to the Diocesan Synod at,
and ever since its formation, and on several occasions has been elected
by the Diocesan to the Provincial Synod. At the formation of the
Diocesan, he strongly espoused the right of concurrence of the bishop in
all acts of the synod, so in the Provincial he was with those who held
and voted that the House of Bishops should have a veto power on all
nominations to the episcopate, both of which views, though not without
much opposition, ultimately carried. On St. James’ day, 1850, he was
married to Eliza Lovibond, only child of the Rev. Samuel Bacon, D.R.
(the first rector of Chatham, and who continued such for the long period
of forty-seven years, dying at his post on the 16th February, 1869), and
granddaughter of the celebrated sculptor, the elder John Bacon, by whom
he has had six children, only three of whom are now living: namely,
Eliza Bacon, wife of John P. Burchill, M.P.P.; the Rev. William James,
rector of Bay du Vin; and Mary Edith, the wife of William R. Butler,
B.E., professor of mathematics at, and vice-president of, King’s
College, Windsor, Nova Scotia. It is said that after the marriage of the
latter, it was observed by the Bishop of Fredericton, the present
Metropolitan of Canada, that he could say in this instance what,
perhaps, could not be said by any other in Canada of any one else, that
it had been his great happiness to marry the mother as well as her two
daughters.
* * * * *
=Cargill, Henry=, Manufacturer of Lumber, Cargill, Ontario, M.P. for
East Bruce, was born in the township of Nassagaweya, Halton county, on
the 13th August, 1838. His father, David Cargill, and mother, Anne
Cargill, were natives of the county of Antrim, Ireland, and having
emigrated to Canada in 1824, settled in the county of Halton, Ontario,
over sixty years ago. Henry received his primary education at the
schools in his native county, and afterwards took a course at Queen’s
College, Kingston. He commenced the lumber business in 1861; and in 1878
removed from Nassagaweya to Guelph, and in April of the following year
to Greenock township, east riding of Bruce county, where he still
resides. Although the manufacture of lumber has been Mr. Cargill’s chief
business, he has engaged, to a limited extent, in mercantile pursuits,
and has done some farming. He has also a flour mill and a sash and door
factory, and on the whole has succeeded very well in all he has
undertaken. He was for some time the postmaster at Cargill; and for the
last three years has been the reeve of the township of Greenock. Mr.
Cargill has been an active politician for many years; and in 1887, on
presenting himself for parliamentary honors, was elected to represent
East Bruce in the Dominion parliament. In 1879 he generously gave to the
Wellington, Grey & Bruce (now the Grand Trunk) Railway a piece of land
on which he built a station, and this was the starting of the village of
Cargill, which is named after him. In politics he is a Conservative; and
in religion he belongs to the Presbyterian denomination. On the 11th
March, 1864, he was married to Margaret Davidson, daughter of William
and Anne Davidson, of Halton, and has a family of four children.
* * * * *
=Stennett, Rev. Canon Walter=, Cobourg, Ontario, was born in Kingston,
Ontario, in 1821, of English parents, who had emigrated, in 1811, to the
West Indies, and in 1817, at the close of the American war, passed
through the United States and settled in Kingston. His father was a
typical Englishman, whose politics were never swayed by considerations
of advantage to himself; hence, though always a staunch Conservative, he
neither sought nor received any government office or emolument, but
through a long life continued true to his principles of loyalty and
integrity, unrewarded. In 1837, when the “American sympathizers” (as
they were then called) aided the rebellion of Mackenzie, he commanded a
body of provincial artillery opposite Navy Island, and he will be
remembered by many still living as president of the officers’ mess of
the militia on the Canadian shore. His son, the subject of this sketch,
a boy of sixteen, was just ending a successful career at Upper Canada
College, where he won many prizes, both in classics and mathematics. On
the opening of King’s College University, young Stennett was one of the
first to matriculate, and soon proved that his early promise in Upper
Canada College would not disappoint those who expected somewhat from
him. Amongst these was the Rev. Dr. McCaul, with whom young Stennett
soon became a great favorite, and who especially recognized his talent
for Latin and English verse. It was in mathematics, however, that his
highest development showed itself, so much so that the then professor of
mathematics, on leaving for England, wished young Stennett to enter
Cambridge, in which English university he assured him of a high
wranglership. While still pursuing his student career in King’s College,
the vacancy of third classical master in Upper Canada College occurred,
and Mr. Stennett was immediately chosen as one very fit to fill it.
Hence he commenced his course as master in the institution in which he
had received his earliest classical training. After a few years, and
while still completing with _éclat_ his course at King’s College, and
reading in divinity under the late Rev. Dr. Beaven and Professor
Hirschfelder, he received his degrees of B.A. and M.A.; but was
prevented from proceeding to B.D. and D.D. by the abolition of the chair
of divinity, and with it the power of King’s College to confer degrees
in that faculty. Meanwhile, by the lamented death of the Rev. W. H.
Ripley, Mr. Stennett was made second classical master in Upper Canada
College, and afterwards, by a series of events which caused the
retirement of the then principal—the late F. W. Barron, M.A.—Mr.
Stennett was, without the least solicitation on his own part, promoted
to the vacant post, as one fitted in every way, by his talents,
disposition, and acquirements, adequately to fill the position of
principal of the Eton of Canada. A few years before, in 1852, Mr.
Stennett had married the daughter of the then Ven. Archdeacon of York,
and, on returning from his marriage tour, was, while in London,
commissioned to obtain from Downing Street, and to bring out with him,
the Royal Charter of Trinity College, Toronto. Though always by his
feelings naturally inclined to the Church University, Mr. Stennett has
never taken an _ad eundem_ degree in Trinity College, but his name still
continues on the roll of what has ever been to him the rightful
representative of his own university. Thus has the onward tide of things
not increased his academic honors. While principal of Upper Canada
College, Mr. Stennett had the honor of personally presenting the address
of that institution to his Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, then on a
visit to this country. About the sixth year of Mr. Stennett’s prosperous
conduct of Upper Canada College, contentions unhappily arose with the
Senate of the University of Toronto, the leading spirits of which
desired alterations in the classical scheme of teaching, and changes in
the mode of discipline, of which changes Mr. Stennett, from his
experience, did not approve. Under the worry produced by conscientiously
resisting these changes, and honestly upholding a system under which
some of the finest minds in the country had had their training, Mr.
Stennett’s health broke down. His honest efforts to resist what he
regarded as a _mongrel and lowering_ system brought on a serious brain
affection, which demanded his resignation in self-defence, and this
resignation was, greatly to the indignation of Sir Edmund Head, the then
governor-general (himself a scholar and a gentleman), accepted, though
he offered Mr. Stennett a special Royal commission. To recover from this
affection of the brain (the effects of which have never entirely left
him), Mr. Stennett retired to a small property on Lake Simcoe, where,
after an interval of needful rest, he built, and for some time conducted
successfully, the private school known as “Beechcroft.” From this Mr.
Stennett was, in 1866, at the especial desire of Bishop Strachan,
promoted to the important rectory of Cobourg, then about to become
vacant by the election of its rector to the dignity of coadjutor bishop
of Niagara. For now over twenty years Mr. Stennett has ably and
successfully conducted the affairs of the parish of Cobourg; but for
some time a return of some of the symptoms which caused his retirement
from Upper Canada College, has prevented him from actively discharging
parish duties, which he has been obliged largely to delegate to his
assistant, the Rev. Dr. Roy. It must not be supposed, however, that Mr.
Stennett, while principally engaged in teaching, neglected the higher
duties of a Christian clergyman. Called to the diaconate in 1847, and to
the priesthood in the year following, he was immediately appointed
assistant minister in the church of the Holy Trinity, Toronto, the
congregation of which church he worked hard in building up, and for five
years he served that congregation without fee or reward. He was
afterwards chiefly instrumental in building, and in collecting the
congregation for, the church at Carlton, near Toronto. He served for
long periods, in the absence of their own clergy, the church at Norway,
and the three churches of the Rev. Mr. Darling, in the township of
Scarboro’, all this without compensation of any kind. Finally, on his
retirement to Lake Simcoe, he built, and served gratuitously for several
years, the beautiful little stone church of Christ’s Church, Keswick. In
fact, until he was inducted into the rectory of Cobourg, Mr. Stennett
had never received a penny in the way of stipend. To the efficient
manner in which the affairs of his parish in Cobourg have been managed,
the records of the church can testify. Large returns have been regularly
made for all the purposes for which the synod required collections. A
beautiful chancel has been added to St. Peter’s Church; one of the best
organs in the diocese has been placed therein, and many other
improvements are in course of being made. Canon Stennett having had the
great misfortune to lose his estimable wife by a lingering illness, was,
early in 1882, married by the Bishop of Toronto to Julia Veronica,
daughter of the late Norman Bethune, of Montreal, and niece of the late
Dean Bethune, of Christ’s Church Cathedral in that city. Her tact,
energy and ability have been prominently shown in those parts of
parochial work which need the skilled guidance of an accomplished lady.
This slight sketch would be left imperfect, did we fail to mention that
Canon Stennett’s labors were not confined altogether to the routine
duties of his own parish, but that under three successive bishops his
scholarly and theological attainments were utilized to the benefit of
the diocese at large, in his conducting, periodically, the examinations
for holy orders, until the brain malady, from which he still suffers,
obliged him to resign this portion of his duties into the hands of his
bishop.
* * * * *
=Bélanger, Rev. François Honoré=, Curé of the Parish of St. Roch,
Quebec, was born at Montreal on the 26th April, 1850. He is the son of
François Bélanger, who was manager of the Queen’s printer’s
establishment during many years, and Elmire Chalut, a member of a family
having numerous representatives in all parts of the province of Quebec.
Mr. Bélanger, sen., died in September, 1857, and Mrs. Bélanger, in
September, 1859. Having completed a course of classical and theological
studies at the Seminary of Quebec, he determined to enter holy orders.
He was ordained priest on the 28th of May, 1876, and was appointed vicar
at the Basilica, Quebec city, on 29th of May of the same year, a
position he held for nine years and a half. On the 4th of October, 1885,
he was given the charge of the important parish of St. Roch, succeeding
the Rev. Mr. Gosselin, and the Rev. Mr. Charest, whose memory will
forever survive, chiefly in connection with the signal services he
rendered his flock on the occasions of the disastrous conflagrations
Quebec has so often been visited with, and also of the riots, when his
presence and his voice quelled the most turbulent as by magic. Rev. Mr.
Bélanger has built the St. Roch’s School, probably the finest building
held by the Christian Brothers in the Dominion. This school is the
property of the parish of St. Roch.
* * * * *
=Joseph, Abraham=,—The late Abraham Joseph, Merchant, of Quebec, was
born on the 14th of November, 1815, at Berthier, near Montreal. He was
the son of Henry Joseph and Rachel Solomon. After the death of his
father, who succumbed to the cholera plague of 1832, he removed to
Quebec, where he continued to reside up to his death, which occurred on
the 20th of March, 1886. The other branches of the family have all
settled in Montreal. Mr. Joseph married in 1846 Sophia David, daughter
of Samuel David and Sarah Hart, of Montreal, and she died in 1866,
leaving a family of eleven children, four sons and seven daughters. Of
these all but one have survived their father. Mr. Joseph was a
successful man of business throughout his long career; his name was
identified with almost every commercial enterprise of his time, and in
most instances appeared among their active directors. As president of
the Quebec Board of Trade, he appeared for several years at the head of
the business community, and in his turn presided over the then
flourishing Dominion Board of Trade. He was one of the original
directors of the Banque Nationale, where was seen the unusual spectacle
of eight men, all middle-aged or more, sitting at the same board for
over eleven years without change. The first break in the board (since,
however, much changed), was made when Mr. Joseph resigned his position,
to take the presidency of the Stadacona Bank, then being established.
This institution had a fairly successful career, but after passing
through the greater part of a period of commercial depression, was put
into liquidation by a vote of the shareholders. The president himself
never lost faith in the institution, and his assertions of its complete
soundness were amply proved by the fact, that in spite of the losses and
expenses incidental to liquidation, the shareholders received back the
whole of their capital. Mr. Joseph’s public services, however, were not
confined strictly to commercial life. Proud of his English descent, he
was a life member of the St. George’s Society, and more than once its
president. He sat in the city council, and once stood for the mayoralty,
being only defeated by a small and very questionable majority. He took a
lively interest, but no prominent part, in politics. He served in the
Quebec light infantry, during the rebellion of 1837-8, and in time
attained the rank of major in the militia. He held the position of
vice-consul for Belgium for over thirty years. A Jew by birth and
conviction, he brought up his large family, with the assistance of his
revered wife, as long as she lived, in all the teachings of their
religion, both ceremonial and moral—a task of no slight difficulty in
the absence of anything like an organized community. Though truly
religious, however, he was as far removed as possible from any taint of
bigotry, and his integrity, kind-heartedness and intelligent sympathy,
made him the friend alike of Catholic and Protestant, rich and poor,
English and French. It is doubtful, indeed, whether in his long career
he made any enemies. It is very characteristic of the man’s liberal
views, that of the only two public legacies left by his will, one was
for a Christian object, the other for a Jewish. His habits were
thoroughly domestic and sociable, and his residence, Kincardine Place,
was long known as one of the most hospitable residences in Quebec city.
He was never happier than when surrounded by the young friends of the
family, or by his grandchildren, eight of whom he lived to see.
* * * * *
=Pelletier, Hon. Honoré Cyrias=, Puisné Judge of the Superior Court of
the province of Quebec, with place of residence at Rimouski, was born at
Cacouna, in the county of Kamouraska, on the 28th November, 1840, from
the marriage of François Pelletier, farmer, and Françoise Caron, who
lived in Cacouna, and removed later on to St. Arsène, county of
Temiscouata. Justice Pelletier was educated at the Seminary of Quebec,
and graduated _bachelier-ès-lettres et ès-sciences_ at Laval University,
where he also followed the law course for three years. He then entered
the law office of L. G. Baillairgé, in Quebec, and was called to the bar
of the province on the 8th of October, 1866. He practised his profession
in Quebec, forming partnerships successively with A. Benoit, H. J. J.
Duchesnay, and J. E. Bédard. In 1879 he was made a Queen’s counsel; and
was elevated to the bench on the 12th of April, 1886, on the death of
the late Judge Mousseau. Judge Pelletier was married twice, the first
time to Tharsile Gourdeau, a daughter of F. Gourdeau, who was harbor
master of Quebec, in 1869; and the second time to Célina Moraud, a
daughter of J. B. Moraud, N.P., of Lotbinière, in 1877.
* * * * *
=Fizét, Louis Joseph Cyprien.=—This well known French Canadian poet was
born in Quebec, on the 3rd October, 1825. His mother was Mary Powers, of
London, England, daughter of an officer of the Royal navy; and his
father the Hon. Louis Fizét,—descended from an old French family which
left Dieppe, in Normandy, in 1656, and settled in Canada,—held several
important official positions, including that of district judge for the
district of Gaspé, and took an active and influential part in the
political events that occurred in the district of Quebec anterior to the
year 1840. He died in January, 1867. At a meeting of the bar of Lower
Canada, held in the city of Quebec, on the 8th of that month, Hon.
Charles Alleyn being in the chair, the following resolution, amongst
others, was unanimously adopted: “Proposed by the Hon. J. N. Bossé,
seconded by Charles J. Holt, Esq., Q.C., and resolved, that this section
of the bar believes it to be its duty to render homage publicly to the
memory of the deeply lamented Hon. Louis Fizét, to his virtues as a
citizen, upright and honorable, who has given universal satisfaction in
the fulfilment of the duties of the various public offices which he has
filled, and who has deserved from all the highest testimonials of esteem
in his public and private life by his constant affability, courtesy, and
kindness of heart.” Louis Joseph C. Fizét, the subject of our sketch,
received his education at the private school of the celebrated Doctor
Wilkie, and subsequently at the Seminary of Quebec, where he had for
professors, among others, the Rev. Alexandre Taschereau, who is now his
Eminence Cardinal Taschereau; the Rev. Jean Langevin, now his Grace the
Bishop of Rimouski; and the Rev. M. Bouchy, a distinguished French
professor of rhetoric. At this latter institution he exhibited a more
than ordinary aptitude and taste for literature, which evinced at this
early period, that he was likely to shine as a literary man of ability
later on, and which expectation has since been fully justified. As an
instance of his early taste for literature, at the age of twelve years
he wrote a story entitled “Vincent, le Naufragé,” the fruit of his young
imagination, though distantly connected with Robinson Crusoe. When the
manuscript was concluded, he would not be satisfied until he had
illustrated it with colored designs, showing his hero in various
adventures, and then bound it with his own hands. This early effort,
though far from being a masterpiece, showed the bent of his mind at that
early age. Mr. Fizét has travelled through Europe, and is well
acquainted with all its more important cities, hence his natural talents
have had the advantage of development through observation of the habits
and customs of peoples of many different nationalities. While in Dieppe,
in Normandy, France, he called on the mayor of that city, who
courteously gave him an opportunity of consulting its archives. He there
found the certificate of birth of the founder of his family in Canada,
to whom he had traced his origin by means of certain documents and the
registers of births deposited in the archives of Quebec. The certificate
of birth of his ancestor, found at Dieppe, is in the following terms:
“Le 31 août, 1635, est né dans cette ville Abraham, fils d’Abraham Fizét
et de Catherine de la Brecque, nommé par Jacques de la Brecque et
Catherine de Caux, lesquels ont signé.” This certificate satisfied him
that his family name ought to be spelled thus: “Fizét,” and not Fiset.
He studied law under the Hon. Ed. Bacquet, who was later appointed one
of the justices of the Superior Court, and the Hon. Charles Alleyn,
Q.C., and at one time provincial secretary of the united provinces of
Upper and Lower Canada, and was duly admitted to the bar on the 24th of
November, 1848. In 1849, like many of the young men of that time, he
took an interest in politics, and was an ardent admirer of the late Sir
L. H. Lafontaine, then at the head of the Lafontaine-Baldwin
administration. On the day following the burning of the parliamentary
buildings at Montreal, by an infuriated mob, he took passage for that
city, then in the greatest agitation, and with many others, offered his
services to the government to assist in the maintenance of order; but
Lord Elgin, at that time governor-general of Canada, being averse to the
arming of the citizens, his offer was not accepted. On that memorable
occasion he wrote the following extemporaneous song which has remained
in the possession of one of his then youthful friends, and which
indicates the excitement prevailing at that period:
I.
Voyez venir la horde meurtrière . . .
Voyez venir les bourreaux de trente-huit!
Ils ont lancé la torche incendiaire
Contre nos toîts dans l’ombre de la nuit!
CHŒUR.
Serrons nos rangs, luttons contre l’orage . . .
Soyons unis, vaillants comme autrefois!
Courons, courons arracher à l’outrage
Nos saints autels, notre langue et nos lois!
II.
O Liberté qu’insulte leur audace!
C’est en ton nom qu’on veut nous égorger! . . .
Fille du ciel, protège notre race . . .
Accorde-nous l’honneur de te venger!
Serrons nos rangs, etc., etc.
III.
Vaincre ou mourir! fut le grand cri de guerre
Que nos aïeux ont cent fois répété . . .
Vaincre ou mourir! . . . Au sein de l’Angleterre
Qu’il retentisse! . . . il sera respecté!
Serrons nos rangs, etc., etc.
Later on, when the war feeling was at its height in Canada, and when
hostilities were expected to break out between England and the United
States on account of the _Trent_ affair, he contributed to form a drill
association, for the purpose of raising volunteer regiments, to assist
the regulars in defending the country. One of the associations was
called “Les Chasseurs de Québec,” and he wrote for them the following
song, so far inedited:
LE CHANT DES CHASSEURS.
I.
Entendez-vous ces cris de rage?
L’aigle du nord, vainqueur là-bas,
Vient assouvir sur ce rivage
La mort qui le pousse aux combats!
Marchons! sa haine héréditaire
Nous vaudra de nouveaux lauriers . . .
Pour nos autels, pour nos foyers
Soyons un peuple militaire!
CHŒUR.
Ce bruit sourd qu’apporte le vent,
C’est la voix du canon qui tonne! . . .
A la baïonnette . . en avant!
Pressons le pas; la charge sonne!
Pour chasser les envahisseurs
Soyons chasseurs! Soyons chasseurs!
II.
Dans la paix vous trouviez des charmes,
O vous, qui révez le bonheur!
Mais, Dieu le veut! l’appel aux armes
Nous guide au sentier de l’honneur . . .
Amis, nous sommes de ces races
Que la peur ne flétrit jamais!
Anglo-Saxons, Normands Français,
De nos aïeux suivons les traces!
CHŒUR.
Ce bruit sourd, etc., etc.
III.
Gloire à toi, jeunesse intrépide,
A toi le poste du danger;
Déjà ton cœur bat, plus rapide,
Du noble espoir de nous venger!
La paix énervait ton courage . . .
Méprisant un lâche repos,
Tu l’as compris, les vrais héros,
Eclairs, jaillissent de l’orage!
CHŒUR.
Ce bruit sourd, etc., etc.
IV.
L’Américain ne fera guère
Dans nos hameaux un long séjour;
Nos pères l’ont vaincu naguère
Leurs enfants le battront un jour!
Fils d’Albion, fils de la France,
On veut en vain vous asservir!
Soyons soldats! plutôt mourir
Que de perdre l’indépendance!
CHŒUR.
Ce bruit sourd, etc., etc.
Some time after, he was appointed lieutenant-colonel of the reserve
militia. His intention had been to devote his life to politics, and the
practice of his profession, having adhered for some time in politics, to
the views of the late Hon. Joseph Cauchon, subsequently
lieutenant-governor of Manitoba; but in 1861, he was offered, by the
administration of Sir George Cartier, and accepted the office of joint
prothonotary of the Superior Court, and still retains the position.
Having exhibited such a taste for literature in his early youth, it is
not surprising to find him with a strong tendency to poetry, which was
developed so far that he is familiarly known as one of the poets of
Lower Canada, for he has written some of the most graceful poems and
lyrics published in this country. Upon the occasion of the visit of his
Royal Highness the Prince of Wales to Canada in 1860, M. Fizét was
invited by Sir Hector Langevin, at that time mayor of Quebec, to compose
the ode of welcome for that city to the young prince, which was much
admired, and for which he was complimented and received the thanks of
our good Queen’s son. Mr. Fizét was jointly with the Hon. M. A.
Plamondon, the founder of the Canadian Institute of Quebec (“l’Institut
Canadien de Québec”) of which he afterwards became president, and for
several terms subsequently held, and still holds, the office of honorary
president. In 1856, while holding this office, he offered thirty pounds
for the best essay on the subject: “Quels seraient les moyens à adopter
pour créer en Canada une littérature nationale.” In 1878, he also put up
to competition a prize of twenty-five pounds, to be adjudged by the said
institute for the best essay on the following subject: “Eloge de
l’agriculture; de l’état de l’agriculture dans la province de Québec;
des moyens à prendre pour en activer le progrès.” Hon. Senator Fabre, at
present Canadian agent in Paris, France, in a public lecture delivered
in Quebec, said, regarding the subject of this sketch, Mr. L. G. C.
Fizét, “Imagination charmante, au vol gracieux; poète délicat, au vers
élégant.” Most of his published poems have appeared in _La Ruche
Littéraire_, _Les Soirées Canadiennes_, _La Littérature Canadienne_, _Le
Foyer Canadien_, _Le journal de l’Education_, and some of the leading
French journals. The following extracts from “L’Histoire de la
Littérature Canadienne,” by Lareau, of Montreal, may possibly tend to
show the high repute in which M. Fizét is held in that city. In 1867,
Mr. Fizét obtained the silver medal, at a poetical competition, opened
to all comers, by the Laval University, on the following subject, viz.,
“The Discovery of Canada.” The competitors were numerous, and the report
of the jury, speaking of his poem, read as follows; “A happy variety of
rhythm, adapted with great art to the different parts of the subject, a
great elevation of style and ideas, life and brilliancy, real lyrical
inspiration which sustains itself nearly from one end of the poem to the
other. The first two chants have merited a very particular mention for
their loftiness of ideas, and the sustained beauty of the
versification.” In 1873, M. Fizét was preparing a complete edition of
his poems and lyrics, most of which were unpublished when his
manuscripts were burnt and lost in the Court house of Quebec, which was
destroyed by fire on the 1st of February, of that year. Ever since, his
numerous official and other occupations have prevented him from devoting
any of his time to the restoration of his lost manuscripts, and the
further culture of literature, but with the high commendation he has so
deservedly received, emanating from the source it does, it may well be
remarked, that Quebec, with honest pride, gratulates itself that she
possesses such a poet and scholar in one of her sons, as we find the
subject of our sketch, who in various situations, some of them very
trying, as we are told, has always shown a kindly disposition, a high
sense of honor, a remarkable combination of powers, great sagacity,
integrity of motive, energy of character and undaunted will-power as
testified by general report. His motto is, “Fais ce que dois, advienne
que pourra.”
* * * * *
=Kilgour, Robert=, Paper Bag Manufacturer, Toronto, was born at
Beauharnois, province of Quebec, on the 29th April, 1847. His father,
William Kilgour, was a native of Edinburgh; and his mother, Ann Wilson,
a native of Loch Winnoch, in Scotland. Both came to Canada while young,
and after marrying settled in Beauharnois, where Mr. Kilgour carried on
the carpenter and building trade. Robert received his education at the
public school of his native town, and when a lad entered the office of
Messrs. Molson, of Montreal, where he remained for some time. He then
came to Toronto, and became book-keeper for Livingston, Johnson and Co.,
wholesale clothiers, and here remained until 1870. He then returned to
Montreal, and went into the paper bag business in partnership with J. C.
Wilson, and on the expiration of this partnership, in 1874, returned to
Toronto and established, with his brother, Joseph Kilgour, the business
of Kilgour Brothers, paper bag manufacturers, who are now carrying on
the largest business of its kind in Canada. Mr. Kilgour is a very active
citizen, and takes part in everything tending to elevate the race. For a
number of years he has been treasurer for the Young Men’s Christian
Association, and is also connected with several other benevolent
institutions. In politics he is a Reformer; and in religion a member of
the Presbyterian church. On the 15th July, 1886, he was married to
Clara, daughter of the late William Govan, manufacturer, who for a
number of years was one of Glasgow’s (Scotland) greatly respected
magistrates.
* * * * *
=Casgrain, Thomas Chase=, Q.C., LL.D., M.P.P., Advocate and Professor of
Criminal Law at Laval University, Quebec, was born in Detroit, Michigan,
on the 28th of July, 1852. He is descendant from one of the oldest
French families in Canada. His paternal ancestors belonged to an ancient
family at Ervault, in Poitou, France. The first who came to Canada was
Jean Baptiste Casgrain, an officer in the French army, who landed about
1750. His son, Pierre, was lord of the Seigniories of Rivière Ouelle and
L’Islet. Maternally he is descended from Jacques Babie, an officer of
the Regiment of Carignan-Salières, who landed in Quebec in 1665, and
whose descendants of that name have occupied high and responsible
positions in the country. His grandfather was the late Hon. Charles
Eusèbe Casgrain, lieutenant-colonel, unattached, who sat for Cornwallis
in the Lower Canada Assembly from 1830 to 1834, was a member of the
Special Council of Lower Canada from 1838 to 1840, and at his death held
the office of assistant commissioner of Public Works of Canada. His
father, the Hon. Charles Eugène Casgrain, C.M., M.D., is one of the
senators of the Dominion. He was educated in Quebec, and studied
medicine in McGill College, Montreal. He began the practice of his
profession in Detroit, U.S., in 1851, but removed to Sandwich in 1856,
and now resides at Windsor. He has held various prominent positions in
his country; and was created a knight of the order of the Holy Sepulchre
in 1884. He was called to the Senate in 1887. His mother is Charlotte
Mary Chase, a daughter of the late Thomas Chase, of Detroit, Michigan,
and Catherine Caroline Adelaide Bailli de Messein, of Quebec. Thomas,
the subject of our sketch, is the eldest son of this union. He was
educated in classics at the Quebec Seminary, in Quebec, where he
graduated with high honors in 1872, having stood at the head of his
class for five years. In mathematics, sciences, moral philosophy, at
Laval University, Quebec, and law, also at Laval, where he graduated a
master-in-law (licencié en droit), _summa cum laude_ in June, 1877,
carrying off the Dufferin medal for that year. He was called to the bar
in August, 1877, and settled in Quebec, where he began the practice of
law in partnership with Col. Guillaume Amyot, M.P., whom he left in 1881
to join the extensive law firm of Langlois, Larue, Angers & Casgrain.
Mr. Langlois having died, and Mr. Larue having been appointed a judge of
the Superior Court, Mr. Casgrain, in 1887, on his appointment as a
Queen’s counsel, became the senior partner of the firm of Casgrain,
Angers & Hamel, which has one of the most extensive practices in the
district of Quebec. He was appointed a member of the Law Faculty of
Laval University in October, 1878, and its secretary in November of the
same year. He was also appointed professor of Criminal Law in the same
institution, and granted the degree of Doctor of Civil Law in October,
1883. He represented the Crown in Quebec with the late Judge Alleyn, at
two terms of the Court of Queen’s Bench, criminal side, in 1882, and was
deprived of the office by Attorney-General Loranger, because his views
did not agree with those of the government on the sale of the North
Shore Railway to Mr. Sénécal. He was junior counsel for the Crown at the
trial of Louis Riel and other rebel leaders, at Regina, in July and
August, 1885. Mr. Casgrain was chairman in 1879 and 1880 of the Cartier
Club, a political organization; and is now one of the directors of the
Conservative Club of Quebec. He was elected a member of the Legislative
Assembly of the province of Quebec in October, 1886, by 196 of a
majority, after a severe contest in which the Riel cry was worked to its
utmost. His opponent was the Hon. Pierre Garneau, the leader of the
_Parti National_. He is a strong Conservative. He was offered the
position of stipendiary magistrate for Alberta, when it became necessary
to appoint a French magistrate, but he declined the honor. Mr. Casgrain
is a nephew of the Abbé H. R. Casgrain, a celebrated French Canadian
writer, and of P. B. Casgrain, Q.C., member of the House of Commons for
l’Islet. He married, in Quebec, on the 15th May, 1878, Marie Louise,
eldest daughter of the late Alex. LeMoine.
* * * * *
=McDonald, Alexander Roderick=, River du Loup (_en bas_), province of
Quebec, Superintendent of the Quebec and St. Flavie District of the
Intercolonial Railway, and President of the Temiscouata Railway Company,
River du Loup (_en bas_), Quebec, was born on the 9th of August, 1846,
at Montreal. His parents were James Ronald McDonald, and Adèle
Quevillon. He was educated at St. Hyacinthe College, and went through
the classical course. Mr. McDonald entered the railway service, April,
1864, as station master on the Grand Trunk Railway, from which position
he retired in October, 1871, to enter mercantile business in Kamouraska,
Quebec province; but in January, 1880, he again entered the railway
service as assistant superintendent of the Intercolonial Railway. In
October, 1881, he was promoted to be the district superintendent of the
same road, which position he now holds. In January, 1885, he formed a
company for the construction of a line from River du Loup, Quebec, to
Edmundston, in New Brunswick, under the name of the Temiscouata Railway
Company, of which he was elected president, and which office he has held
since. This line is now in an advanced state of construction, and will
be completed in the fall of 1887. In politics, Mr. McDonald is a
Liberal-Conservative, and in religion, a member of the Roman Catholic
church. He has been twice married. First on September 14th, 1866, to A.
Blondeau, of St. Paschal, who died 10th of February, 1873; and secondly,
on May 16th, 1881, to Marie Langevin, of Quebec, sister of Sir Hector L.
Langevin, minister of Public Works of Canada, and of his Lordship the
bishop of Rimouski.
* * * * *
=Clark, Rev. W. B.=, Quebec.—This worthy divine was born at Biggar,
Lanarkshire, Scotland, on January 27th, 1805. His father was William
Clark, a respectable country merchant, who died when his son was only
two years old. Thus in the providence of God the charge of a family of
six devolved on his widow, Janet Brown, who did her best to bring them
up in the fear of the Lord, to provide for their wants, and give them a
good education. William was educated chiefly at the parish school of
Biggar, where he obtained a knowledge of the elements of Greek, with a
pretty accurate and extensive knowledge of Latin. But when he was ready
to go to college, in consequence of family reverses he could not be
sent. He remained some time at home therefore, and got a still more
extensive acquaintance with the Latin classics. But he was anxious to do
something for his own support, and betook himself to teaching. By the
assistance of James Hogg, the “Ettrick Shepherd,” he was enabled to open
a small school in the parish of Yarrow. Mr. Hogg kindly provided a
school-room, with an apartment and free board for the teacher in the
farm house of Mont Benger. This farm was rented by the poet, and was
situated about a mile from the cottage of Altrive Luke, where he
resided, and the house was occupied only by a servant, who looked after
the cattle, etc. At that time Mr. Hogg had no children of his own old
enough to be instructed, but he interested himself in this school partly
for the accommodation of the neighbors, and partly, perhaps, from
kindness to the young teacher, who had been introduced to him the year
before by Henry Scott Riddell, who afterwards married his sister—the
Eliza of one of his popular songs. During his leisure hours, Mr. Clark
wrote a tale, which he showed to the shepherd, who made a large addition
to it, and published it in _Constable’s Magazine_, and generously gave
the money paid for it to the young teacher. At the close of April, when
some of the young people had to resume field work, the school at Mont
Benger had to be broken up; but Mr. Clark found employment at Manor, in
Peeblesshire, where two farmers, for their own children’s sake,
organised a school, in the house of one of whom—Mr. Murray, of
Cademuir—the teacher was kindly and freely boarded. In the beginning of
November, 1822, Mr. Clark entered the University of Edinburgh, having
saved money enough to pay all personal and college expenses during the
session. On going to Edinburgh, Mr. Hogg furnished him with a letter of
introduction to Professor Pillans, who treated him very kindly and
presented him with a free ticket to his class. In this class he gained
two prizes, one on the direct and indirect forms of speech, and another
for superiority in private studies. At the close of the session he
returned to his old employment at Manor, where he remained till the
following November, when he went home to Biggar, where he taught a short
time, and then accepted a school at Roberton, in Lanarkshire. About this
time his mother died, and shortly afterwards, his own health failing, he
returned to Biggar, and spent the summer and fall in teaching a son of
Mr. Gillespie, Biggar Park. At the opening of the college session of
1824, he had not saved money enough to support himself and pay the
necessary college expenses; but an old lady, a friend of the family,
lent what was necessary to make up the deficiency. During this session,
he seems to have devoted his energies chiefly to Latin, and gained a
prize for an essay on the eighth satire of Juvenal. At the close of this
session he received an appointment as tutor in a large boarding school
at Eddleston, in Peeblesshire, where he remained for eighteen months. It
was here that a favorable change took place in his spiritual condition.
He had for a long time had doubts and difficulties on the subject of
religion; but at this time, after a careful study of “Chalmers’
Evidences of Christianity,” his doubts were removed, his difficulties
solved, and he became a believer in revealed truth, so far as the
exercise of the intellectual faculties could make him so. From this time
he had a deep conviction that the reading of the heathen classics had
deeply injured his moral and spiritual condition. The contempt which an
intelligent mind cannot but feel for the heathen mythology, seems to
have confirmed his doubts in regard to religion altogether. And it is
indeed surprising that Christian people should encourage the study of
the heathen classics to the neglect of the ancient Christian classics.
In this way we believe that unspeakable mischief is done. And there is
no excuse for it; for some of the ancient Christian classics wrote
sufficiently pure Greek and Latin. We have often been surprised that the
dialogue entitled Octavius, of Minutius Felix, and the letters of
Cyprian, bishop of Carthage, should not have been generally introduced
into our schools and colleges. Their latinity is beautiful, and their
religious and moral teaching such as cannot fail to exercise a
beneficial influence on all who read them with attention. The same thing
may be said in regard to the writings of Justin Martyr, whose Greek, if
not so pure as that of Xenophon or Plato, is sufficiently good for all
practical purposes. His first Apology, addressed to the emperor
Antoninus Pius, is especially valuable, and ought to be read by all
students of divinity. On leaving Eddleston, at the end of October, 1826,
he had saved money enough to pay the little debt which he had contracted
the year before, and to meet all his expenses during the ensuing session
at college. But before returning to Edinburgh, a friend had procured for
him abundance of private teaching, so that he had now money enough and
to spare. From this time he had private teaching enough, so that he no
more required to lose a session at college. But what was of more
importance, his faith in the glorious truths of the gospel was now
confirmed, and he was growing slowly in grace and Christian experience.
In 1828, Mr. Clark entered the Divinity Hall the same year in which Dr.
Chalmers came to the University of Edinburgh as professor of divinity.
It is needless to say that he profited greatly by the teaching of that
devout and extraordinary man, who not only communicated instruction in
the most effective and memorable manner, but infused somewhat of the
fire of his own soul into the minds of his students. Mr. Clark not only
made great progress in the systematic knowledge of divine truth, but
imbibed something of the spirit of his master. One of the exercises
prescribed to Mr. Clark was an exegesis on the subject, “An Christus sit
colendus summo cultu deo patri debito?” that is, “Ought Christ to be
worshipped with the supreme worship due to God the Father?” This led him
to an investigation, on biblical principles, of the grand fundamental
truths of the gospel, which resulted in a firm conviction in his mind of
the truth of the grand evangelical principles embodied in the
Westminster Confession of Faith. The preparation of this discourse
produced a most salutary effect on his mental character; but it did
more, it deepened his religious convictions, and called forth in his
soul more lively emotions of gratitude and love to the God of salvation.
Soon after this, Dr. Chalmers recommended Mr. Clark for one of the
government bursaries, and it was conferred upon him. The bursary was one
of ten pounds a year; but it had been vacant for a year, so that he got
twenty pounds sterling the first year and ten pounds a year for the two
succeeding years. With his revenue from private teaching, this placed
him in very comfortable circumstances. And as he succeeded about this
time to a small property left him by his father, he had now more than
sufficient for all his wants. In the summer of 1832, Mr. Clark was
licensed to preach the gospel by the presbytery of Biggar, but as there
was at that time a superabundance of preachers in connection with the
Established Church, no opening appeared for him in that line, so he
continued his labors as a private teacher. His work now consisted almost
exclusively in assisting in their studies young gentlemen attending the
Edinburgh Academy. About this time a society was formed by the preachers
of the Establishment in Edinburgh for voluntary missionary labors among
the poor in the most destitute parts of the city. Mr. Clark was chosen
by the venerable Dr. Inglis to labor in his parish of Old Greyfriars,
and the scene of his operations was the Cowgate, with the closes
extending from it to the Lawn market and High street. Dr. Inglis soon
after this died, and was succeeded by the Rev. John Sym, a young man of
fine talents, very popular as a preacher, and of genuine Christian
character. Mr. Clark was soon after his appointment introduced to Mr.
Sym, when he engaged him at a respectable salary as his assistant, to
labor among the poor of the parish. As Old Greyfriars was a collegiate
charge, his services were not required in the parish church; but he
preached regularly in an old church in the Cowgate, whose spire is still
visible from the South Bridge. At that time it had passed out of the
hands of the church, and was the property of the Society of Hammermen,
who kindly gave the use of it for missionary meetings. It was in this
church that the first General Assembly of the Church of Scotland was
held, and it has now happily passed into the possession of the Free
Church. The scenes of poverty and wretchedness and vice which Mr. Clark
had to encounter in his visits among this people were often
heartrending. On one occasion, when urging a poor woman to attend the
church, he was met by the reply, “Oh, sir, our thoughts are mainly taken
up about how we are to get the next meal of meat.” It was not uncommon
to find houses in which there was no bed, and only some litters of
straw, or even shavings, as a substitute. This was afterwards the scene
of Dr. Guthrie’s labors when he became colleague to Mr. Sym, in the
parish of Old Greyfriars, and no doubt furnished the materials for his
book on the sins and sorrows and sufferings of the great cities of the
old world. When Mr. Clark’s health was beginning to fail, he was
relieved from the severe and often painful work which he had to perform
in the Cowgate and its closes. In 1835 he was recommended by Dr.
Chalmers to Lady Maxwell, of Springkell, who had requested him to send a
young man to take charge of the parish of Half-Morton. This parish was
then in a peculiar condition. It was still a distinct parish _quo ad
civilia_, but was united, _quo ad sacra_ to the parish of Langholm, of
which the minister was a Pluralist, having to preach three Sabbaths in
the month at Langholm and one at Half-Morton. A suit was afterwards
instituted in the Court of Tiends for the separation of the two
parishes, which was successful; and in 1839 Mr. Clark was presented by
the Crown to the resuscitated parish of Half-Morton. Meanwhile he had
been married to a distant relation of his own, Jane Brown, a daughter of
James Brown, of Edmonston, but as there was no suitable residence for
them in the parish, they had to reside at Longtown, a village of
Cumberland, on the English side of the border, till a manse was built at
Half-Morton. Here they spent four years in comfort and happiness, till
the disruption took place, when they had to leave their pleasant home.
They found a temporary residence at Annan, a town ten miles from the
church of Half-Morton. This distance from the scene of his labors
occasioned great additional labor and hardship to Mr. Clark, more
especially as he had often to preach in the adjoining parishes of
Canonbie and Langholm, where a strong feeling in behalf of Free Church
principles had been excited. During the summer of 1843, the preaching in
country places had to be done chiefly in the open air; but at Canonbie a
marqué, capable of sheltering several hundred people, was erected in a
pasture field near the road-side. Mr. Clark had officiated only two
Sabbaths in this place when he was interdicted by the Duke of Buccleugh,
who was the sole proprietor of the parish. The duke’s interdict was
obeyed, but preaching was immediately begun on the road-side, where
increasing numbers attended. A preacher was immediately procured for
Canonbie, and when Mr. Clark appeared after a few Sabbaths’ absence, he
chose for his text, Philippians i., 12: “I would ye should understand,
brethren, that the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather
unto the furtherance of the gospel.” The opposition of the duke only
intensified the determination of the people. It is only justice,
however, to his grace to add, that some time afterwards he granted a
site for a church and manse with a piece of land on easy terms. Towards
the close of 1843, Mr. Clark was called to Maxwelltown, a suburb of
Dumfries, but the presbytery refused to release him from Half-Morton. In
the spring of 1844, however, difficulties having arisen in the
congregation of Maxwelltown, the call to him was renewed. This time the
presbytery withdrew their opposition to his removal, and he was
transferred to Maxwelltown in the spring of 1844. With a good manse and
large and beautiful garden which he had planted with the choicest fruit
trees, and in the midst of a satisfied and increasing congregation, here
Mr. Clark lived with his family in great happiness and comfort till the
spring of 1853, when, under the impression that he was called of God, he
removed to Canada. This was a great trial to him, more especially as his
wife, who was in delicate health, was unwilling to go. She was too good
a woman, however, to resist what her husband believed to be a call from
God, and, trusting in the Lord, consented to go. In February, 1853, Mr.
Clark sailed for New York alone, thinking it better to leave his family
to come out the following summer. On reaching New York, he proceeded
immediately to Quebec, which he reached on the 1st of March, and
immediately entered upon his labors there. He was treated with great
kindness by the late James Gibb, of Woodfield, who very handsomely kept
him in his house till the arrival of his family in September. Mrs. Clark
was very feeble when she arrived at Quebec; the sea voyage appeared to
have weakened her, and she did not improve much by the change of air and
rest which she now enjoyed. And when the cold weather set in, she began
gradually to sink. But she had perfect faith in Jesus, no complaint
escaped her lips, and in February, 1854, she died in the full assurance
of a blessed resurrection. Instead of enlarging on her beautiful
character now, it will answer the purpose better to insert a poem which
Mr. Clark wrote on the occasion of her death:—
With a sorrowful heart,
She prepared to depart
From dear old Scotland’s shore;
For well she knew,
That its mountains blue,
Her eyes should behold no more.
But when duty called,
No danger appalled
That heart so devoted and true.
She had left, for the truth,
The sweet manse of her youth,
And now bade her country adieu.
In weakness and pain,
O’er the dark, stormy main,
She came to this old fortress town;
Where, in slow decay,
She wasted away,
My faithful Jeanie Brown.
But severe though her pain,
She did not complain;
For it taught her, she told us, to see
More clearly the woe,
In the regions below,
From which the redeemed are set free.
By St. Lawrence’s side,
As he rolls, in his pride,
To the great Atlantic down,
By a walnut’s shade,
The dear dust we laid
Of my sweet Jeanie Brown.
And now she sleeps,
Where the green wave sweeps
Past the ocean’s river’s shore;
But I’ll meet her again,
In that blessed domain,
Where the weary part no more.
Mr. Clark remained unmarried for sixteen years, when he was united in
marriage to Amelia Torrance, widow of Thomas Gibb, of Quebec. She has
been to him a wise counsellor, a true and affectionate wife, and while
she was able, a help meet for him in his great work. After some time,
however, she was seized with rheumatism, which at first gave little
inconvenience; but it gradually increased in severity, till at last, in
the winter of 1872, it completely prostrated her. Towards the summer of
1873 she recovered a little, and it was thought advisable to try the
effect of a sea voyage upon her. Mr. Clark, also feeling his strength
giving way, after having labored in Quebec for upwards of twenty years,
thought himself justified in resigning that important and laborious
charge. Accordingly they sailed for the old country in the autumn of
1873; and Mrs. Clark felt more benefit from the sea voyage than from all
the medical treatment which she had received. After visiting Mr. Clark’s
sister, the widow of Henry Scott Riddell, at Tiviot Head, they spent the
winter partly at a hydropathic establishment, near Melrose; partly in
Edinburgh, and partly in Dumfries. They then started for the south,
spending a short time in London, a week in Paris, and then started for
Aix-les-Bains, in Savoy, famous for its hot sulphur springs. After
spending some time there they returned to Scotland, through Switzerland
and France, arriving in Edinburgh near the end of May, a little before
the closing of the Free Church General Assembly. They spent the
remainder of the summer very pleasantly among their friends in the rural
parts of the counties of Roxburgh, Peebles, and Dumfries, and in the
neighborhood of Glasgow, from which port they sailed, and reached Quebec
in safety in September, 1874. Mr. Clark was now too old to think of
looking after another ministerial charge, but preached occasionally at
Quebec and elsewhere as circumstances required till 1880, when he was
called to be professor of Church History in Morin College, Quebec, which
situation he still holds. While in Half-Morton he prepared a book for
family worship, which was published by T. Nelson & Sons, Edinburgh, and
obtained a large circulation. While in Maxwelltown, after the death of
his only son, he wrote a little volume entitled, “Asleep in Jesus,”
which was also published by the Nelsons, and extensively circulated.
This little book was afterwards published in Philadelphia without the
author’s knowledge. Mr. Clark produced another little work, entitled
“The Promise of the Spirit,” which was published by Robert Kennedy, at
Prescott. This book did not attract much attention, and was never
republished.
* * * * *
=Thompson, Hon. John Sparrow David=, Q.C., Minister of Justice and
Attorney-General of the Dominion of Canada, Ottawa, was born at Halifax,
on the 10th of November, 1844. He is a son of John Sparrow Thompson, a
native of Waterford, Ireland, who, after coming to this country, was for
a time Queen’s printer, and afterwards superintendent of the money order
system of Nova Scotia. Hon. Mr. Thompson chose law as a profession, and
was called to the bar of Nova Scotia, in July, 1865, and appointed a
Queen’s counsel in May, 1879. He was for six years alderman of the city
of Halifax, and for five years a member of the Board of School
Commissioners, being for some time chairman of the board. He was also a
member of the Senate of the University of Halifax. He was for the last
two years of his residence in Halifax honorary lecturer in the Halifax
Law School, on evidence and the construction of statutes. He entered the
political arena in 1877, and was elected for Antigonish county a member
of the Nova Scotia legislature, by a majority of 517. He was returned by
the same constituency at the general election of 1878, and was appointed
attorney-general in 1878, and was again elected by acclamation. In 1882,
on the retirement of the Hon. Mr. Holmes, he was chosen premier and
attorney-general; and at the election that followed that year, he was
returned by a majority of over five hundred. In July, 1882, he resigned
office, and was appointed one of the judges of the Supreme Court of Nova
Scotia. This office he held until the 25th of September, 1885, when he
resigned, and was chosen by Sir John A. Macdonald to fill the important
offices of minister of justice and attorney-general for the Dominion of
Canada. He sat in the House of Assembly of Nova Scotia from December,
1877, until his elevation to the bench in 1882; and was first elected to
the House of Commons, at Ottawa, in October, 1885, and re-elected at the
general election of 1887, for Antigonish. Hon. Mr. Thompson in politics
is a Liberal-Conservative, and in religion is a member of the Roman
Catholic church. In 1870, he was married to Annie E. Affleck, daughter
of Captain Affleck, of Halifax, and has a family of five children.
* * * * *
=MacLean, Alexander=, Parliamentary Printer, Ottawa, was born on the 9th
December, 1834, in the township of Dumfries, county of Brant, Ontario.
His parents were John MacLean and Isabella McRae, both natives of
Inverness, Scotland, from which country they emigrated, and settled in
Canada. Alexander received his education in the public and grammar
schools, and remained at home, his father being a farmer, taking a share
of the farm work, until he was twenty years of age. He subsequently
taught school for a while, and also served for some years as a
mercantile clerk. He abandoned these pursuits for the newspaper press,
to which he had become a casual contributor, and became the publisher,
in 1865, of the Cornwall _Freeholder_, then the home organ of the late
Hon. Sandfield Macdonald, and continued its publisher until shortly
after that gentleman’s death, in 1872. He then joined the staff of the
Toronto _Globe_, as its Ottawa correspondent, and this position he held
for several years, until he became (with Mr. Roger) one of the
contractors for the printing of the Senate and House of Commons, and of
the government at Ottawa, and such he has been for the last fourteen
years. Mr. MacLean is a justice of the peace for the united counties of
Stormont, Dundas, and Glengarry; a director of the Metropolitan Street
Railway Company; of the Canadian Granite Company, both of Ottawa; and of
the Cornwall Gas Company. He is also interested in several other public
enterprises. He early joined the Masonic order, and is now a past
worshipful master. He is a Liberal in politics, and in religion, belongs
to the Presbyterian denomination. On November 20th, 1863, he was married
to Sarah, daughter of John Smith, St. George, county of Brant.
* * * * *
=Perrigo, James=, M.A., M.D., M.R.C.S., (Eng.), Montreal, was born in
the city of Montreal in 1846. His parents were John Perrigo and Eleanor
Reeves. The doctor’s family have always been Conservative in politics,
and we find that in the war of 1812 his grandfather served against the
Americans; and it was in consequence of his patriotic services on this
occasion that he escaped being expelled from the country during the
troublesome times of 1837, he having commanded the rebels in the
skirmish that took place near Beauharnois in that year. He received his
education at McGill University, and afterwards went to England, where he
further prosecuted his medical studies, and while there he was elected
honorary secretary of the Obstetrical Society of London. Returning to
Montreal in 1872, he began the practice of his profession, and now
occupies a front rank as a medical practitioner in that city. He is a
professor of surgery in Bishop’s College Medical School. In religion Dr.
Perrigo is an adherent of the Episcopal form of worship; and in politics
is a Liberal-Conservative. In 1885 he was married to Marion G., daughter
of the late H. Chandler, who, during his lifetime, was a merchant in
Montreal.
* * * * *
=Medley, Rev. Charles Steinkopff=, B.A., Rector of Sussex, New
Brunswick, is of English birth, having been born in Truro, Cornwall, on
the 16th September, 1835. He is a son of the Right Rev. John Medley,
D.D., bishop of Fredericton, and Christiana Bacon, a granddaughter of
the great English sculptor of that name. The Rev. Mr. Medley received
his early education in the classics and mathematics at Marlborough
College, Wiltshire, England, and came out to New Brunswick in 1855, his
father having preceded him. Shortly after his arrival he entered King’s
College, Fredericton, where he took the arts course. He studied theology
under his father. In June, 1859, he was ordained deacon by his father,
and the following year priest. He was first sent to the mission of
Douglas, York county, New Brunswick, where he labored fifteen months,
serving meanwhile as a school trustee, and doing good religious and
literary work. At the end of this period Rev. Mr. Medley returned to
Fredericton to assist his father in the Cathedral. After a short
residence in Fredericton he removed to St. John’s, Newfoundland, where
he was incumbent of St. Mary’s Church for three years, and then returned
to New Brunswick in 1867, to become rector of Sussex. Since his
settlement here he has done good work for the Master. A neat and tasty
church edifice has been erected, with black ash and pine sheathing, one
of the finest houses of worship of its kind in the province. The old
church whose place it took was one of the earliest built in this part of
New Brunswick, Sussex having been settled by U. E. loyalists. It is
situated about half a mile from the village, and, like the residence of
the rector a few rods from it, has beautiful rural surroundings, and is
a most inviting place for man to worship God. Rev. Mr. Medley was
appointed canon to the cathedral at Fredericton in 1869; and rural dean
in July, 1880. He is an excellent scholar, a polished writer, a sound
theologian, and has a pleasant delivery in the pulpit. Canon Medley was
married on the 21st April, 1864, to Charlotte, daughter of Robert Bird,
of Birdtown, York county, New Brunswick.
* * * * *
=Macdonald, Charles De Wolf=, B.A., Barrister, Pictou, Nova Scotia, was
born on the 23rd October, 1854, at Pictou, N.S. His father was the late
Alexander Cameron Macdonald, Q.C., barrister, who, during his lifetime,
represented the county of Pictou in the Nova Scotia legislature for
eight years, and occupied the position of speaker in the House of
Assembly, previous to the confederation of the provinces. His mother,
who still survives, Sarah Amelia De Wolf, is a descendant of a
well-known loyalist family, of German noble origin. Charles received his
primary education at Pictou Academy; matriculated in 1869 at Dalhousie
College, Halifax, when fifteen years of age, taking the first provincial
scholarship, and, making the highest aggregate each year; graduated in
1873. He took first prizes throughout his course for Latin, Greek,
French and German. Since leaving college he has made a special study of
modern languages, and is now widely known as a linguist. He adopted law
as a profession, and was admitted to the bar of Nova Scotia in 1875,
when only twenty-one years of age. For the past twelve years he has
practised in Pictou, and is now one of the leading barristers in the
county. Mr. Macdonald has always taken a deep interest in military
affairs, and is a lieutenant in the 78th Highlanders, Colchester, Hants
and Pictou volunteers. He is a Liberal in politics, and is an active
politician. From 1882 to 1885, in addition to his usual law practice, he
edited the Pictou _News_, which was the first paper to advocate the
repeal of the federal compact, and ranks among the best conducted
weeklies in the Maritime provinces. He is a member of the Presbyterian
church.
* * * * *
=Bethune, John Lemuel=, M.D.C.M., M.P.P. for the county of Victoria,
Baddeck, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, was born at Loch Lomond, Richmond
county, N.S., in 1850. His parents were Roderick Bethune, postmaster,
and Mary Bethune, who came from the Highlands of Scotland to Cape Breton
about fifty years ago. The Rev. Thomas McLauchlin, F.S.A.S., in his
“Celtic Gleanings,” says that the descendants of the Beatons, or
Bethunes, or as they styled themselves, McVeaghs (McBeths), in a family
tree contained in an old manuscript of theirs still in existence, trace
themselves up to Nial of the Nine Hostages, King of Ireland. One Ferchar
Bethune came into prominence by being the means of curing King Robert
II. of Scotland of a painful and dangerous disease, and there is among
the Scottish registers of charters a copy of a charter from that king
conveying to Bethune, as an expression of his gratitude, possession of
all the islands on the west coast of Scotland from the Point Store in
Assynt to that of Armidale in Farr. How long Ferchar’s descendants were
physicians is not known, but they can be traced back as such by means of
existing documents for three hundred and fifty years from the middle of
last century. However, the great progenitor of the race would seem to be
a certain Fergus the Fair, probably the Fergus Bethune who lived in the
year 1408, and was then physician to McDonald of the Isles of Islay.
There are several MSS. belonging to this family in existence. One is a
small quarto in vellum, now in possession of David Laing, of the
Edinburgh Signet Library. It was written by John Beaton, who flourished
in 1530. It is full of comments on the writings of Constantius and other
medical continental writers of that period. It also contains a long
treatise on astrology, and another on the phenomena of color as an
indication of health or disease. This and other writings of theirs
indicate an amount of cultivation in the Gaelic to qualify it for being
the language of science from which it has sadly declined. Dr. Bethune,
the subject of our sketch, was educated at the Normal School in Truro,
and in Dalhousie University, where he took the degree of M.D.C.M. in
1875, and then began the practice of his profession. In 1881 he was
appointed paymaster, with the honorary rank of captain, in the 94th
battalion Argyll Highlanders, and the same year was made census
commissioner. He is a justice of the peace, coroner, commissioner of
schools, and is a commissioner for taking affidavits, etc., in the
Supreme and County courts of Victoria county. He takes an interest in
all movements for the good of his fellow men. He is a past master of St.
Mark’s lodge of the Masonic brotherhood; and is also a member of the
Grand Division of the Sons of Temperance of Nova Scotia. He occupied a
seat in the municipal council from 1879 till 1886, when he resigned; and
for three years from June, 1880, he was warden of the county. The doctor
was for three years secretary of the Liberal-Conservative Association of
Victoria county; and at the general election held in 1886 he was
selected to represent his adopted county, as an Independent, in the
House of Assembly of Nova Scotia. His religious views are in accordance
with the teachings of the Presbyterian Church of Canada. He was married
January 20th, 1885, to Mary C., only daughter of the late Robert A.
Jones, registrar of deeds for Victoria county, who was a descendant of a
Jones, a loyalist, who came to Cape Breton at the time of the American
rebellion, and to whom was granted large tracts of land at Big Baddeck,
Washabuck and other places in Cape Breton.
* * * * *
=Hatt, Samuel Staunton=, Quebec, Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod,
Legislative Council, province of Quebec, was born at Chambly, Quebec
province, on the 18th February, 1844. He is the eldest son of the late
Augustus Hatt, and of Charlotte Emelie de Salaberry, of Chambly. He is
also a grandson of Colonel de Salaberry, the hero of Chateauguay, and of
the Hon. Samuel Hatt, of Chambly. Mr. Hatt received his education at the
High School of St. Johns, and at St. Hyacinthe College. He received his
civil service certificate when only about sixteen years of age, and in
1861 entered the Militia department. He served on the frontier at St.
Albans during the time of the Fenian raids, with the rank of captain and
adjutant; and also commanded a detachment, at Huntingdon, of the 3rd
Administration battalion, under command of Lieut.-Colonel Taylor. While
Captain Hatt was stationed at Laprairie, he and the men under him
rendered great service in subduing a fire which endangered the whole
town, and were afterwards publicly thanked by the municipal council for
the important service rendered on the occasion. Mr. Hatt was appointed
under Royal commission Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod for the Province
of Quebec, on the 23rd December, 1867, and still holds this office. He
was married in 1883, to Mrs. N. F. Hoole, of Philadelphia, United
States.
* * * * *
=McMaster, Hon. William.=—Senator McMaster, who died in Toronto, on the
morning of Friday, 23rd September, 1887, was a good representative of
that class on whom we bestow the title of merchant princes. He was born
in 1811, in the county of Tyrone, Ireland, and his father was the late
William McMaster, a linen merchant, who did business for many years in
the county where the subject of our sketch was born. His son’s early
education was a very careful one, he having attended a private school,
the best in the parish, presided over by Mr. Halcro, one of the most
eminent teachers in the north of Ireland. In 1833, Mr. McMaster left
Ireland, and on the 9th of August of the same year he came to Toronto.
Since then the town of seven thousand people, with only two brick houses
in it, has become the flourishing metropolis, with a population of over
one hundred thousand, and the social and commercial centre of the
leading province of a great dominion. In that time the young immigrant,
with his capital of only brains, energy, and good habits, had become one
of Canada’s most noted citizens, an object of emulation to all young
men, and of gratitude to the many who have been benefited by his
practical kindness. Landing in New York at the age of twenty-two, he was
advised to proceed to Canada to enter into business with a son of the
British consul, who had established himself in a trading business west
of Toronto. Proceeding by the old-time flying express route along the
canal, the young fortune-seeker found himself in Oswego, whence a trip
across the lake in a steamer brought him to Toronto. Life in Canada West
at that time was not altogether attractive to a young man conscious of
his ability to fill a large sphere, and it did not take young McMaster
long to decide that in Toronto, if anywhere in the province, he must
look for success. He entered the service of Mr. Cathcart, who at that
time kept a dry-goods establishment on King street, opposite the old
Court-house, now York Chambers. Before two years had passed his
assistant had grown so valuable to him, that Mr. Cathcart could not
afford to run any risk of losing him, so offered him a partnership. This
was accepted, and for ten years the firm went on prospering well. At the
end of that time the senior partner retired, leaving the whole business
in Mr. McMaster’s hands. The concern up to this time had been doing a
wholesale and retail business, but shortly after assuming control, Mr.
McMaster resolved to confine his attention solely to wholesale. New
premises were opened on Yonge street, below King, and here the success
which had attended the young merchant continued and increased.
Subsequently a handsome building was erected, adjoining the Montreal
Bank, on Yonge street. But other business connections which he had
formed demanded his whole attention, and in 1865 he sold out his
interest to his two nephews, who had been associated with him. These
continued the business until the death of A. R. McMaster and the
retirement of W. F. McMaster, when the firm was re-organised with the
accession to its ranks of H. W. Darling, under the title of McMaster,
Darling & Co. This was about eighteen months ago. The present firm
occupy handsome warerooms on Front street near Yonge. The causes which
contributed to the great success which Mr. McMaster met with in this
business are those which characterize the career of almost every
successful business man. Even during those times when there was the
greatest temptation to “display” and to bid for a large business, Mr.
McMaster steadily refused to allow his business to grow beyond the basis
of his own capital. His caution in this respect enabled him to tide over
the hard times of 1857 and other bad years, and even during the depth of
the hard times to do a profitable trade. Rivals overtaken by the
financial storm, with all canvas spread, were wrecked. Yet while
pursuing this cautious policy he showed, by the way in which he enlarged
his establishment, that there was nothing niggardly about his
management. Whenever he deemed the circumstances favorable for the use
of his capital he used it freely, and thus added yearly to the magnitude
of his returns. He left commercial life in order that he might make the
greater success of the financial operations in which he had become
interested. He had been for some time director of the Montreal Bank and
of the Ontario Bank, and now he purposed throwing himself, with all his
customary energy, into the organization of a new concern. The charter
was procured and the company organized on a sound basis, and Mr.
McMaster was chosen the first president of the new Bank of Commerce,
which was the title chosen. That was about twenty years ago, and the
position of honor and trust which he then achieved he retained until
about a year ago, when advancing years compelled him to relinquish the
presidency and simply to give to the bank as a director the benefit of
his immense business experience. He was succeeded in the presidency by
Henry W. Darling above mentioned. During all the time of Mr. McMaster’s
Canadian life, Toronto has been making, year by year, a strange
history-record. Four years after Mr. McMaster’s arrival came the
rebellion under William Lyon Mackenzie, which, with the tremendous
agitation leading up to and following it, naturally interfered very much
with the operations of peace-loving merchants. Immense political changes
took place, changing the province from a mere crown colony, with
practically no such thing as political freedom, to a self-governing
country with representative institutions, and manhood suffrage in the
near distance. The city itself had to expand north, east, west, and even
south, for the Esplanade works redeemed in all a great tract of land
from the bay, and made sites for some of the largest buildings in the
city to-day. Railway communication, then unknown, had to be made to all
parts of the province, and the city had to bear its share of the expense
of the facilities thus afforded. Though never afraid to express his
opinions in favor of a liberal policy, Mr. McMaster kept out of active
political life long after his friends would have had him a
representative of the people, had he agreed to put himself up for
election. At length, however, the crisis came which brought him out.
North York and South Simcoe were at that time united for the purpose of
elections to the Legislative Council of the province. There was a
vacancy in the constituency, and John D. Gamble became the Conservative
candidate. He was a strong man, and although it was known that York
would give a majority against him, it was fully believed that unless he
was opposed by the very strongest man who could be put up against him,
Tory South Simcoe would far more than neutralise this vote. In their
dilemma the Liberals applied to Mr. McMaster to act as their
standard-bearer. At first he strenuously opposed the idea, but seeing
that it was to the interest of what he believed to be true that he
should accede to their wishes, he finally did so. Though he prosecuted
his canvass with his characteristic energy, the Liberal candidate set an
example of moderation and forbearance in conducting the campaign utterly
unknown in those days, and (more’s the pity) very little practised
since. Though not pretending to any talent of oratory, Mr. McMaster
conducted himself while on the platform with such transparent honesty
that even the Tory stronghold was captured, and beside a majority of
1,100 in York, he came out with a majority of about 300 in Simcoe,
giving him such a sweeping victory that even his friends were astonished
and his opponents confounded. The elections for the Council then took
place once every eight years, and Mr. McMaster would doubtless have
stood for re-election, but that in the meantime confederation took
place, and under the new order of things he was called upon to take his
seat in the Senate. During the whole of his political life he gave close
attention to the duties devolving upon him. He never sought to move the
house by eloquence, but in committee, where measures are really
elaborated, and where most of the work, except the talking, is done, he
was found keenly alive to all that passed, and ever exerting an
influence in favor of liberal and progressive measures. But however
great his commercial success, Mr. McMaster’s name will be best
remembered on account of the many generous acts which have been
associated with it. For many years he has been the pillar and mainstay
of the Baptist denomination in Toronto. His own congregation—that now
worshipping in the beautiful building on the corner of Jarvis and
Gerrard streets—owes much to his vigorous initiative and substantial
pecuniary aid. Mr. McMaster and his present wife, contributed $50,000
toward the fund for building the church, and in addition to this, Mrs.
McMaster paid for the organ, one of the finest instruments in the
country; and about four years ago the worthy Senator surprised his
co-trustees, at a meeting called for the purpose of considering the best
means of providing for the church debt, by pulling out of his pocket a
deed, showing that a few hours before the meeting he had discharged all
the debt. The Baptist book-room and _The Canadian Baptist_ were
purchased mainly with his money, and put in such a form that the
enterprises now practically belong to the denomination. To his
munificence is due the successful condition of the Superannuated
Ministers’ Society of the Baptist Church. Upper Canada Bible Society, a
non-sectarian institution, owes much to him. To add to all these
instances there could be brought forward a long list of public and
private benefactions, but the whole of them are overshadowed by the
magnificent gift which he has presented to his fellow-Christians in the
Baptist College, now one of the chief ornaments of Toronto. During the
last years of his life Mr. McMaster devoted much attention to the
development of his plans for the advancement of education. When he
founded Toronto Baptist College, at a cost of $100,000 paid to the
Toronto University authorities for the ground, and $90,000 for
furnishing the building, he only thought of putting up a structure at
his own expense, and endowing the presidency, looking to the
denomination to provide the means, through annual collections, for the
support of two other chairs. But with the development of the college and
its increasing prosperity from year to year, he saw the necessity of
adding two more professors to the staff, and subsequently two additional
professors, making a staff of six besides the president. Seeing that the
denomination was sufficiently burdened with its large home and foreign
work, he relieved it of all responsibility for the support of the entire
staff, whose aggregate salaries amount to $14,500 annually; and by his
will it is provided that McMaster University will ultimately receive,
subject to the payment to the Home Missionary Society of $2,000, about
$800,000, in addition to what the testator gave for the same object
during his lifetime. At the beginning of the discussion of the
university confederation question, on the recommendation of some of the
educational leaders in the Baptist denomination, Mr. McMaster proposed
to found an arts college in Toronto, in affiliation with Toronto
University, on condition that the denomination would raise the amount of
$88,000 for the more thorough endowment and equipment of Woodstock
college, which was to continue as a preparatory school. Of this sum he
himself proposed to contribute $32,000. After considerable effort had
been made to secure the sum proposed, it was found that the denomination
was not in hearty sympathy with the scheme, for very little of the
necessary amount was ever subscribed. However, in the spring of 1886, at
a time when, to all appearances, the confederation scheme had failed
through the refusal of several of the more prominent colleges of Ontario
to enter confederation, it was proposed to Mr. McMaster that he should
transfer to Woodstock college the amount which he had intended for the
establishment of an arts college in Toronto. After mature consideration
he cheerfully acceded to the proposal, believing that the preservation
and enlargement of Woodstock college, with its traditions and
associations, were of more importance to the welfare of his people than
the establishment of the arts college in Toronto. Within a few weeks of
the announcement of Mr. McMaster’s donation, nearly $50,000 was secured
by the Rev. Drs. Rand and MacVicar for new buildings and equipment at
Woodstock, from members of the denomination. It was then felt by the
leaders of the denomination that Woodstock had the prospect of
sufficient funds in the near future to warrant the development of its
curriculum into a full university course. Accordingly a committee was
appointed to obtain the charter, which was granted by the Ontario
Legislature at its session in 1887, and in accordance with a universal
feeling amongst the Baptists of the country, the name of McMaster
University was given to the new institution. This charter embraces both
Woodstock and Toronto Baptist colleges. The Hon. Mr. McMaster during his
lifetime held several important financial and other offices. As well as
being a director of the Bank of Commerce, he was a member of the
University Senate, president of the Freehold Permanent Building and
Savings Society, vice-president of the Confederation Life Association,
director of the Toronto General Trusts Company; of the Wellington, Grey
and Bruce Railway Company, etc. His whole estate is valued at
$1,200,000. He had been twice married—first, in 1851, to Miss
Henderson, of Hew York, who died in 1868; secondly, in 1871, to his
present wife, Susan Molton, widow of James Fraser, of
Newburgh-on-the-Hudson, N.Y. He had no children.
* * * * *
=Rutherford, John=, Justice of the Peace for the County of Grey, Owen
Sound, Ontario, was born at Toronto, on the 9th February, 1839. His
parents were Peter Rutherford and Martha Henderson, who died when he was
a mere lad—the mother in 1844 and the father in 1846. The late James
Lesslie, who then published the Toronto _Examiner_, adopted the orphan
and educated him in the Toronto Academy. In this benevolent gentleman’s
family he remained until 1851. During this year he was bound out as an
apprentice to Christie & Corbet to learn the trade of iron moulder at
Owen Sound, and at this trade he worked for six years. In 1857, business
becoming very depressed throughout the country, especially that in iron,
Mr. Rutherford was forced to look for some other means to earn a
livelihood. Having fortunately learned during his boyhood, in the
_Examiner_ office, the art of setting type, he found temporary
employment as a compositor on the old _Comet_ newspaper; and some time
afterwards got on the staff of _The Times_. A few years later on, he, in
conjunction with David Creighton, now M.P.P. for North Grey, bought out
this paper, which was conducted by them, under the firm name of
Rutherford & Creighton, until 1868, when the partnership was dissolved
and the plant divided, Mr. Creighton retaining _The Times_ and Mr.
Rutherford the job department. Since then his business has steadily
grown, bookbinding has been added, and his office is now one of the
institutions of the thriving town of Owen Sound. He was a member of the
town council in 1875, ’76, ’77 and ’79; High School trustee in 1884,
’85, and ’86, and has been re-appointed to fill the office for another
term. He was chosen by acclamation to fill the office of mayor for 1885
and 1886, and faithfully served the people during his term. In August,
1866, he joined the Masonic brotherhood, and is now a past master of St.
George’s lodge. He is also second principal of Georgian Chapter, No. 56,
R.A.M. He takes a deep interest in the Ancient Order of United Workmen,
and is one of its past district deputy masters of the Georgian district.
Mr. Rutherford is an adherent of the Methodist church; and in politics
is a Liberal-Conservative. He has been twice married, and has had a
family of ten children, nine sons and one daughter; two of his sons have
died.
* * * * *
=Kerr, William=, M.A., Q.C., LL.D., Barrister, Cobourg, Ontario, was
born in the township of Ameliasburg, in the county of Prince Edward. He
is a son of the late Francis Kerr, formerly of Enniskillen, in the
county of Fermanagh, Ireland, who for some years taught school in Prince
Edward, and afterwards removed to the county of Hastings. After the
death of his father and mother, which occurred when he was a child, Mr.
Kerr removed with his half-sister and her husband to the township of
Clarke, where he worked on their farm and went to school. He prepared
for college under Dr. William Ormiston, now of the Collegiate Reformed
(Dutch) Church, New York, who at that time was the Presbyterian minister
at Newtonville, and kept a private academy. He entered Victoria College
at Cobourg as a senior matriculant in 1852, and graduated in the arts
department in 1855. The class consisted of four, all now living, viz.,
Dr. Carman, senior superintendent of the Methodist church; Dr. Moses
Aikins, the well-known physician in the county of Peel; Dr. E. B.
Ryckman, ex-president of the London Conference; and the subject of this
sketch. He studied law in the office of Smith and Armour at Cobourg, and
began the practice of his profession in the town of Cobourg, September,
1858. His brother, John W. Kerr, who was appointed county attorney and
clerk of the peace in 1877, on the elevation of Mr. Armour to the bench,
joined him in 1860. They have the largest practice in the united
counties of Northumberland and Durham. He entered the town council in
1862, and served as a councillor for five years. In 1867 he was elected
mayor, and was elected five times in succession by acclamation to the
same office. On presenting himself for the sixth time he was opposed,
but, after a hot contest, in which he was supported by the leaders of
both political parties, he was re-elected by 175 majority. Although
frequently urged to enter into political life, it was not until 1874, on
Mr. Armour’s (now Mr. Justice Armour) refusing the Liberal nomination
for the House of Commons, that he consented to do so, when he entered
the field about three weeks before the election, and defeated the Hon.
James Cockburn, the Speaker of the House of Commons, by 231 majority. He
was unseated, however, on petition, but was re-elected over the Hon.
Sidney Smith, ex-postmaster-general, by 155 majority. He was an
unsuccessful candidate in 1878, 1882, and 1885, being defeated by narrow
majorities, owing to the influence of the so-called national policy and
the opportune building of government works in his constituency, in the
years 1882 and 1885. In politics he is a strong Liberal, and a warm
admirer of the Hon. Edward Blake. For many years past he has been one of
the most active Liberals in the united counties of Northumberland and
Durham, taking part in all election contests in West Northumberland, and
lending a helping hand whenever occasion required in the neighboring
ridings. He was president of the Liberal Association of West
Northumberland from 1878 to 1882, and is vice-chancellor of Victoria
University, to which position he has been twice elected by the almost
unanimous vote of the graduates. He married Myra, third daughter of the
late John Field, a well known and highly respected merchant of Cobourg,
and sister of John C. Field, ex-M.P.P., and C. C. Field, M.P.P. Has
seven children, four sons and three daughters.
* * * * *
=David, Laurent Olivier=, Barrister, Montreal, M.P.P. for Montreal East,
was born at Sault-au-Récollet, county of Hochelaga, near Montreal, on
the 24th of March, 1840. His father was Major Stanislas David, of
Sault-au-Récollet. Young David was educated at the Seminary of Ste.
Thérèse, in which institution he underwent a thorough course of
classical studies. On his leaving college he entered the law office of
Mousseau & Labelle, and was admitted to practice at the bar of the
province of Quebec, in August, 1864. Like the majority of the French
Canadian youths who leave college possessing high class and interesting
lore, but totally unfit for the battle of life, Mr. David had to fight
his way through the world without help. As he had a natural _penchant_
for writing, and a facile pen, he soon made his way to the press and was
an able and welcome contributor to the daily newspapers and periodicals
of the time. In 1870, when George E. Desbarats, a son of the Queen’s
printer, founded _L’Opinion Publique_, a twelve-page pictorial weekly,
he was chosen as chief editor of the publication, and a better choice
could hardly be made. The paper was published until 1884, when it
collapsed, owing to various causes, after having reached a subscription
list of over fifteen thousand. It may be said that the newspaper failed
on account of having received too much encouragement, because in the
province of Quebec as elsewhere, a great number seem to think that when
they have subscribed for a newspaper, it does not matter much to the
publisher and editor whether the subscription is paid or not. Among the
_collaborateurs_ to _L’Opinion Publique_ may be more especially
mentioned the Hon. J. A. Chapleau, the late Hon. Justice Mousseau, A. C.
DeCelles, the present chief librarian of parliament, C. A. Dansereau,
the brilliant and gifted editor of _La Presse_, and many others. In
1874, Mr. David, in conjunction with Mr. Beausoleil, founded _Le Bien
Public_, a daily paper published in the interests of the Liberal party,
taking the place of _Le Pays_, the organ of the advanced liberals of the
province of Quebec, which had been founded on the ruins of _L’Avenir_,
the first Liberal paper of note in Canada, published by Messrs. Dorion,
and having on its staff at different periods, N. Aubin, L. A.
Dessaulles, Joseph Doutre, and a score of other Liberal writers. _Le
Bien Public_ was in turn superseded by _Le National_, founded by the
late Hon. M. Laframboise, who lost both his money and his health in the
enterprise, and was finally rewarded by his party with an appointment to
the bench a few years before his death. _La Patrie_ was the next
journalistic Liberal venture, in 1879, and, for a wonder, it proved a
financial success under the energetic and able management of Honoré
Beaugrand. _Le Temps_ also came out as an exponent of liberal views in
1881, but the shareholders having fallen into the same error as their
predecessors, placed a man totally unfit for the position at its head;
and as a natural consequence the paper lived only a few months. A
fearless exponent of the Liberal programme, _La Patrie_ probably did
more to advance the cause of liberalism in the province of Quebec than
any other newspaper. Mr. Beaugrand, who is not only an able financier,
but also a judge of literary merits, grouped together the young writers
of the new school, led by Buies and Fréchette. In their ranks were found
Arthur Globensky, the graceful poet; the late T. H. Bienvenu, the
profound political writer; Ernest Tremblay (now editor of _L’Union_, St.
Hyacinthe); J. E. Robidoux, M.P.P. for Chateauguay, and a score of
others. Mr. David, who is an uncompromising Liberal, and who never
faltered in his political principles, was a more or less frequent
contributor to most of these newspapers. Besides his contributions to
the press he found time to publish a volume entitled “Biographies et
Portraits de nos principaux Canadiens-Français,” and another entitled
“Patriotes de 1837-38.” The mantle of the greatest and most popular
tribune whom French Canada will forever honor and remember, Papineau,
who contributed more than any other to preserve intact the rights and
privileges guaranteed to the conquered race by the Treaty of Utrecht,
may be said to have fallen on the shoulders of Mr. David; no national
fête, no popular demonstration is complete without him; and since 1864
he has taken an active part in all the national movements. He is
considered in the province of Quebec as the standard-bearer of national
ideas; yet he is ever willing and ready to grant to other races the
rights he asks for his own race. His pen and voice (he is a fluent and
agreeable speaker) have always been employed in the defence of right and
to elevate the standard of public opinion among his countrymen, and to
convince them that true and effective patriotism, national and religious
strength consist more of deeds than of words and noisy affirmations and
declarations, and he often said boldly on public platforms that he would
not encourage injustice towards other nationalities to please his
countrymen, even should the madness of a few irresponsible
penny-a-liners, who are paid to carry on their nefarious work, goad them
to reprisals. In 1886, Mr. David presented himself to the suffrages of
the voters of Montreal East, and carried the day against two formidable
opponents, the Hon. L. O. Taillon, premier of the province, probably the
most influential man the Conservatives could bring forward, and Adélard
Gravel, the nominee of the Labor party, who polled the entire labor vote
of the constituency. The Reformers, however, rallied around their
standard-bearer, and by presenting a united front, succeeded in electing
him by a handsome majority. Mr. David was a partner in the law firm of
Longpré and David. Mr. Longpré was appointed September, 1887,
prothonotary of the Superior Court for the district of Montreal by the
Mercier administration. In religion he is a Roman Catholic of broad
views. He married, in 1868, Albina Chenet, a daughter of Pierre Chenet.
She died in August, 1887. He is the father of eleven children, one son
and ten daughters.
* * * * *
=Mountcastle, Clara H.= (“Caris Sima”), Clinton, Ontario, is the third
surviving daughter, and seventh child of the late Sydney Harman
Mountcastle, and Frances Laura, his wife, and was born in Clinton,
Ontario, on the 26th of November, 1837. She is descended on her father’s
side from James, eldest son of Lord Claude Hamilton, who was created
Baron of Mountcastle and Kilpatrick on the 10th July, 1606; and on her
mother’s side from an eminent civil engineer, who died in the year 1811,
aged 92, and was buried at Preston, East Lothian, Scotland, where the
following lines are inscribed on his tombstone:—“To the memory of
Andrew Meikle, who steadily pursued the example of his ancestors, and by
inventing and bringing to perfection a machine for separating corn from
straw, constructed on the principle of velocity, rendered to the
agriculturists of Britain and other nations a more beneficial service
than any hitherto recorded in the annals of ancient or modern science.”
Her maternal grandfather, James Meikle, held a prominent position in his
Majesty’s Ordnance Department, with headquarters in the Tower of London,
and was frequently consulted by the Duke of Wellington upon the defences
of the country during the Peninsular campaign. And we can well imagine,
from the massive intellect displayed in a portrait of this gentleman now
in possession of Miss Mountcastle, that the “Iron Duke” had no mean
adviser. Mr. Mountcastle, father of the subject of our sketch, was born
in London, England, on the 12th of January, 1803, and came to Canada in
1832, bringing with him his wife, who still survives, and two children,
who died shortly after his arrival. Having a small capital he purchased
land on the Huron Road, county of Huron, Ontario, and erected two
dwellings, at different periods, on the same. The latest of these is the
childhood’s home of “Caris Sima,” a small picture of which, executed in
oil, now hangs on the wall of her studio in Clinton, and represents a
low hewn log dwelling, with gables to the road, as described in her
poem, “Lost,” and literally embowered in trees and flowers. We clip the
following from an obituary notice that appeared in a local paper at the
time of her father’s death. Alluding to him, the writer says, “He made a
good clearing on his land, and erected a comfortable dwelling, which in
later years, as his young family grew up, became a seat of refined and
cordial hospitality, the remembrance of which will be long retained by
the many friends who were privileged to enjoy it.” Miss Mountcastle
received the chief portion of her education at home, under the direct
supervision of her parents. When a child she was dreamy and reflective,
rarely rousing from a state of abstraction unless to defend anyone whom
she thought injured or oppressed, or to comfort her pets when in pain or
trouble. Her sympathy with the dumb creatures of the universe was
intense. If she discovered a caterpillar on her clothes, she would try
to think where it came from, and would walk a long distance to restore
it to its “afflicted family.” Oftentimes would she carry tiny toads in
her little pinafore, and would take them in her hands to warm them,
saying “They were so cold, poor things.” And when a trap was set to
catch mice, she would listen for the click, then silently release the
little prisoner. In winter her chief pleasure seemed to be found in
gazing at the glowing embers in the wide, open fireplace, and she seldom
joined in the romps of the other children. She did not care for study in
these days. At twelve years of age she knew little more than her
letters, and was dubbed “the dunce of the family.” This roused in her a
desire to excel, and from that time she acquired the rudiments of
knowledge with remarkable rapidity. Long ere this she showed a decided
talent for drawing, which was carefully fostered by her father and
mother, both of whom possessed considerable artistic taste—her mother
being a good amateur artist, and her father an excellent judge of a
picture. Yet they were not qualified to bring forth the latent powers of
their child, else her name had been known long before 1870, when she
exhibited at the Provincial Exhibition at Toronto, carrying off five
prizes for paintings in water colors. From this time she made art her
profession, being utterly unconscious of a still greater talent yet to
be developed, and which her devotion to art as a means of livelihood
seems for a time to have entirely obscured. Though her father knew her
ability, and tried to induce her to write, yet her natural diffidence
prevented her, and it was not until 1879 that, through the urgent
entreaties of her sister Ellen, she turned her attention to literature.
Miss Mountcastle is, in every sense, what is termed “a late ripe.” Not
only was she backward in her studies as a child, but she remained a
child for an unprecedentedly long period of time. At the age of twenty
she was an unformed girl, and continued growing in stature for some
years afterwards. As an artist, we would say that her sketches are
masterly, and embrace almost every conceivable subject, but she has not
yet attained that high finish which only study under the best masters
can give. It is in the field of letters where she excels. The power, the
pathos, and passion of her writings bespeak for her a high place in the
literature of this and the future ages. Her first work, “The Mission of
Love,” published by Hunter, Rose and Co., Toronto, is well described by
J. E. Collins, in “The Life and Times of Sir John A. Macdonald,” as “a
garden in which there are several unseemly weeds growing side by side
with a number of delightful flowers.” These weeds were an error in
judgment. Many poets have erred in the same way, and afterwards tried to
suppress their early work, but the flowers are imperishable. As in art,
so also in literature, Miss Mountcastle’s genius is peculiarly
versatile. No poet living or dead ever wrote in such varied style. Hear
the music in “The Voice of the Waters.” Mark the light debonair tone in
“See that he be virtuously brought up,” and yet how full of feeling and
reverence; while the airy grace of her lyrics (valentines), combined
with rare delicacy of feeling, is inimitable, and shows the writer
entertains higher views of love than are likely ever to be realized in
this mundane sphere. And what exquisite delicacy of thought is apparent
in “Reflections on a Faded Rose,” “At the Falling of the Leaf,” “Day
Dreaming,” “Art Thou Thinking of Me?” etc. While what depth of pathos is
felt in the wailing of “Hope Deferred.” But it is in her unpublished
work, some of which we have seen, that her genius becomes more apparent.
Unsurpassed by modern poet is the verse wherein she reproaches the sea
for causing the death of Sappho, the celebrated Greek poetess:
Oh, sea, had’st thou no power to save,
Could’st thou not raise that glorious face;
Nor let thy suffocating breath,
That heaven-born life of song erase;
Nor calm that wild heart unto death.
And grand enough for Milton are the concluding lines:
Oh, cold, cold wave, that pressed her cheek,
I hear thy murmuring undertone.
For ages wilt thou sob and moan,
In vain repentance o’er thy deed:
The howling winds shall lash thy breast,
And zephyrs mourn around thy shore,
And murmur all thy rocks along;
And thou, who stilled the voice of song,
Thy deep great heart shall know no rest—
Shall know no peace for evermore.
Of Miss Mountcastle’s prose writing, we would say, that her novelette,
“A Mystery,” lately published by Hunter, Rose & Co., Toronto, shows, as
a first work, great ability. It is written in a pleasing, vivacious
style. We take the following extract from a local paper, which does it
no more than justice: “The plot is good, the moral inculcated equally
so. The characters are well sustained. There is much wit and dry humor
in their development, and the sketches of character and scenes show a
close observation of nature; and without being in any way sensational,
the interest in the story is well sustained to the end.” We would here
remark, that the beautiful lines that appear in this volume, under the
title of “Only a Little While,” emanate from the pen of the author’s
sister, Ellen, who has written several short poems of much merit. Miss
Mountcastle has written three essays on questions of the day, showing
great power and originality of thought, and is now engaged on a tale of
Canadian life, entitled, “Crow’s Hollow,” which we hope soon to see in
print. To sum up the whole, we feel assured that, though now
comparatively unknown, “Caris Sima” will ere long be recognized as one
of the greatest poets of her time, and likewise rank as one of the most
brilliant writers of fiction, on account of the vivid life, and intense
human feeling, that is evinced in all her writings, whether in prose or
verse. “Carissima,” that well-known Italian term of endearment, from
which she derives her _nom de plume_, was an appellation conferred upon
her in early girlhood by her father’s friend, the late Henry William
Cole, M.D., a physician of great ability, to whom she was much attached,
and is well adapted to the sweet, tender, womanly style of her writings,
which show that, though in childhood she dwelt in a wilderness, she was
reared in the lap of refinement. As a girl, “Caris Sima” was peculiarly
simple and unsophisticated, and these traits of character still cling to
her, as she, even now, gives little attention to the conventionalities
of life. In stature, she is tall and commanding. Her features, which are
irregular, are marked, when in repose, by an expression that might be
termed sad, severe or stern; but when she speaks or smiles, her whole
face illuminates like the sun breaking through a cloud, and she keeps on
illuminating with expressions as versatile as her genius. In conclusion,
we may say Miss Mountcastle is one of a family of twelve children, seven
of whom died in infancy and early childhood. Of her sisters, Ellen, the
eldest surviving, is, as we have already mentioned, a clever writer of
fugitive verse. Eliza, the second daughter, is an amateur artist, and we
may likewise say an amateur physician, as she studied medicine for six
years under the late Dr. Cole, and practises among her own family with
great success. The youngest, Alice, is married, and has one child, a
bright boy, who seems likely to follow in the footsteps of his mother’s
race. While her only surviving brother, Edmund Mountcastle, is a
practical engineer of rare abilities, and, as we have seen, a descendant
of the Andrew Meikle before mentioned, who was the first inventor of the
threshing machine now in use.
* * * * *
=Williams, Rev. John Æthuruld=, D.D., Toronto, a General Superintendent
of the Methodist church.—Dr. Williams is one of the most notable
figures in the history of Canadian Methodism. For over forty years he
has been intimately identified with its progress, and has deservedly,
and with universal acceptance, attained the highest position in the gift
of that church. Dr. Williams is a man who would anywhere command
attention. He bears his seventy years with wonderful vigor. His fresh
complexion, keen bright eyes, and remarkable alertness and energy, both
of body and mind, seem to belong to a much younger man. He comes of
sturdy Welsh stock, as his name—John Æthuruld Williams—indicates. He
was born at Caermarthen, in South Wales, December 19th, 1817. He early
lost his father, and was deprived of his only remaining parent at the
age of twelve. He was thrown into the world of London, and there learned
to develop that independence and energy of character by which he is
marked. He received a good education at the Academy of Hoxton, near
London. He came to Canada in his seventeenth year, and found a home in
the town of Prescott, where the early years of his Canadian life were
spent. He united with the Wesleyan Methodist church two years later, and
for some time was engaged in secular business. His talents and religious
zeal led to his entering the Methodist ministry in the year 1846, and to
his ordination in 1850. He soon reached a leading position in the
ministry, and in 1859 was elected chairman of the Owen Sound district.
Such was the fitness which he evinced for that office that he has
generally been elected chairman of the districts in which his pastoral
charge has been situated. He has occupied several of the leading pulpits
of the Methodist church: in Toronto, London, Port Hope, Brockville,
Milton, Simcoe, St. Thomas, Goderich, St. Catharines, etc. When the
London conference was organized in 1874, he was appointed its first
president, in which office he was continued for a second term. He was a
delegate to the general conference of the Methodist Episcopal church of
the United States in 1876. In 1878 he received from Victoria University,
in recognition of his wide reading, his general culture, and his
distinguished ability, the degree of D.D. At the general conference of
1882 he was elected vice-president of that body; and at the united
general conference of 1883, at which arrangements for the unification of
Canadian Methodism were completed, he was unanimously elected president.
The duties of this delicate and difficult position, at an important
crisis in the history of the church, he discharged with such ability and
impartiality as to command the admiration of the entire body. At the
Centennial Conference of American Methodism, which met in Baltimore, in
1884, Rev. Dr. Williams and the Rev. Dr. Gardiner were the Canadian
delegates. On that occasion Dr. Williams read an able paper, which
commanded much attention, on the rise and progress of Canadian
Methodism. On the lamented death of Rev. Dr. Rice, in 1885, it was the
Rev. Dr. Williams whom the executive committee of the general conference
selected as his successor in the office of general superintendent till
the ensuing general conference. So ably did he discharge the important
duties of that office that the general conference of 1886, by an almost
unanimous vote, re-elected him to that position. In association with his
colleague, the Rev. Dr. Carman, he has travelled with indefatigable
energy throughout the length and breadth of the Dominion in promotion of
the varied interests of the church of which he is a general
superintendent.
* * * * *
=Ker, Rev. Robert=, Rector of Trinity Church, Mitchell, Ontario.—The
subject of this brief biographical notice was born in the North of
Ireland, some time about the year 1842 or ’43, and is the eldest son of
the late Robert Ker, of Newbliss, county Monaghan. Having received an
excellent common school education, and being very zealous in
Sunday-school and other Christian work in his native place, it was
intended that he should enter the ministry of the Church of England; but
circumstances for the moment turned his thoughts in another direction.
So early as 1857, Mr. Ker organized a Young Men’s Christian Association
in his native town, and although quite unaware of the ultimate
development of the movement, or of the parties even then working in it,
the rules he drew up for the management of the association would be
found to be not much dissimilar from the leading features of Young Men’s
Christian Association work at the present. At a very early period Mr.
Ker evinced a marked taste for newspaper writing, and took an active
part in the controversy respecting the more general adoption of the
National School system of education by the Protestants of Ireland. He
vigorously denounced the system as an unworthy attempt to displace the
Bible in the public schools, and succeeded in arousing a good deal of
local hostility to the movement. About 1862 Mr. Ker entered the Normal
Training College in Dublin, where his abilities as a thoughtful
educationist attracted considerable attention, and he was awarded one of
the four scholarships at the disposal of the committee, and on
graduating from the institution he was one of three placed in the
coveted rank of first class. Mr. Ker was promptly appointed to Lord
Powerscourt’s chief school, which he taught with distinguished success
for several years, and was awarded four honorary certificates from the
Incorporated Society for the success of his pupils. Mr. Ker finally
resigned the position, and at the invitation of the late Major Knox,
proprietor of the _Irish Times_, Dublin, he became the special
correspondent for that journal in Belfast. Those were exciting days on
the Irish press, and very often the collecting of news involved a good
many personal risks, and the subject of this sketch had his full share
of them. Few of the leading public men of those days were unknown to Mr.
Ker, and many are the incidents which he relates of the events of that
stormy period, culminating, as it did, in the disestablishment of the
Irish Church. It was Mr. Ker who reported the famous speech made by the
Rev. John Flanagan respecting the kicking of the Queen’s crown into the
Boyne, and which aroused the wrath of the London _Times_, and set the
country in a blaze. Mr. Ker has occupied, at one time or another a
position on every leading Irish paper. Late in 1872 he came to Canada,
and was immediately engaged on the Toronto _Leader_, then an influential
factor in Canadian politics. He remained on the staff of the _Leader_
for some time, and while there edited the _Patriot_, well known for its
sterling defence of Protestant principles. In 1874, circumstances
appeared favorable for carrying out the never wholly-abandoned idea of
entering the ministry of the church, and after due matriculation Mr. Ker
entered Trinity College, Toronto, under Provost Whitaker, and
subsequently took charge of St. John’s High School, province of Quebec,
as principal, and it was while occupying that position that he was, in
1877, ordained to the diaconate by the Right Rev. Dr. Oxenden,
Metropolitan, who forthwith appointed him to the mission of Chelsea,
Templeton and Portland. This was a very trying district, entailing long
drives over bad roads, but Mr. Ker soon became a prime favorite, and was
greatly missed upon leaving. During his incumbency he had the debt paid
off the Chelsea church and a new one consecrated at Portland. The
following year he was advanced to the priesthood, and appointed to
succeed the late Rev. Dr. Clarke, as incumbent of St. Stephen’s Church,
Buckingham, province of Quebec. From there he was transferred to St.
Paul’s Church, Mansonville, and while there he was called, in 1880, to
the rectorship of Trinity Church, Quebec city. Rev. Mr. Ker labored in
the ancient capital for nearly seven years. Trinity congregation was by
no means wealthy, but he succeeded in gathering around him an earnest
body of workers, to whom he became greatly attached, and the
congregation returned the feeling very heartily. He purchased the church
building from the Sewell family at $8,300, and paid off $4,300 of the
amount within the year, leaving the balance as a mortgage upon the
building. During the seven years of the Rev. Mr. Ker’s pastorate in
Trinity Church, it was a great centre of attraction for the young, and
when he decided upon accepting a charge in Ontario, the feeling of
regret was wide-spread and profound. For about four years of his
residence in Quebec, Rev. Mr. Ker, in addition to his other duties,
filled the position of vice-rector in the Boys’ High School. He was also
appointed by the Lieutenant-governor-in-Council a member of the Board of
Protestant Examiners, and that body subsequently elected him their
secretary. Rev. Mr. Ker was also for a time inspector of the schools for
the Colonial Church Society in the district of Quebec, and
vice-president of the Quebec Teachers’ Association; so that, altogether
he has rendered good service to the country of his adoption. As to his
theological views, he wishes to be described simply as “a churchman,”
irrespective of party distinctions, which he looks upon as injurious and
uncalled for. In 1863 he was initiated into the Masonic order; and since
then has held a leading position in its ranks, having been elected
worshipful master of Albion lodge, and subsequently, in 1885, he was
elected to the position of grand chaplain of the Grand Lodge of Quebec,
and re-elected again in 1886. The Rev. Mr. Ker has been a constant
contributor to leading periodicals, and is an editorial writer of
recognized ability; in fact, in every sense he has been one of our hard
workers. As a preacher he is held in high esteem, for, while avoiding
sensationalism on the one hand and the dry conventionalities of ordinary
preaching on the other, he addresses himself in plain and forcible
language to the wants of his hearers, and denounces in vigorous terms
the prevailing hollowness of religious professors. He participated to
some extent in the controversies carried on by churchmen a few years
ago, but this he very sincerely regrets, believing as he does that
unquestioning loyalty to the Church and Christian forbearance to the
brethren are clear and imperative duties. On the 23rd August, 1874, he
was married at New Brighton, S. I., to Lizzie, youngest daughter of the
late Thomas Wilkin. Their family consists of three sons and two
daughters. The Rev. Mr. Ker is at present rector of Trinity church,
Mitchell, in the diocese of Huron; and his brother, the Rev. John Ker,
is rector of All Saints Church, Dunham, province of Quebec, in the
diocese of Montreal, and is esteemed by Bishop Bond as one of the most
active and most successful missionaries.
* * * * *
=Pelton, Sandford Harrington=, Q.C., Barrister, Yarmouth, Nova Scotia,
was born in New York, on the 28th September, 1845. His father was Milo
Sandford Pelton, who was of English descent, and his mother, Louisa
Maria Harrington, was a Nova Scotian. Sandford received his early
educational training at the public school of Antigonish, Nova Scotia,
and studied classics, mathematics, and the higher branches under the
Rev. R. F. Brine, Episcopal minister at Arichat, Cape Breton. He studied
law with the late Charles F. Harrington Q.C., of Arichat, who for some
time represented Richmond county in the Nova Scotia legislature, and
also with the Hon. Daniel Macdonald, formerly M.P.P. for Antigonish
county, and attorney-general for Nova Scotia. On the 22nd October, 1867,
he was admitted to the bar of Nova Scotia as a barrister and attorney,
and commenced business in Yarmouth, on the 20th November, 1867, and here
he has resided since, and has built up an extensive practice. He was
appointed by the Nova Scotia government, on May 27th, 1876, a Queen’s
counsel. Mr. Pelton is an active Mason, and occupies a prominent
position in the order; is a past district deputy grand master, and a
past junior grand warden of the Grand Lodge of Nova Scotia. In
temperance work, too, he has taken a hand, and is a member of several
societies. In politics, he is a Liberal, and worked actively for his
party during the last elections. He is an adherent of the Presbyterian
church. On the 16th November, 1869, he was married to Mary Georgina
Darby, youngest daughter of the late Captain Jos. W. E. Darby (who was
for some years employed by the Nova Scotia government in the fishery
protection service as commander of the cutter _Daring_, and died on
board that vessel in 1851; he made quite a name for himself by his skill
and ability in the discharge of his duties), and granddaughter of the
late Superintendent Darby, of Sable Island.
* * * * *
=Shakespeare, Noah=, General Agent, Victoria, British Columbia, M.P.,
for Victoria, was born at Brierley Hill, Staffordshire, England, on the
26th of January, 1839. His parents were Noah and Hannah Shakespeare. The
father was a distant relation of William Shakespeare, the bard of Avon.
Mr. Shakespeare received his education in the public schools of his
native place. He left school at an early age, and being of an
independent turn of mind, and anxious to get on in the world, he worked
as hard and as long hours, as any lad in England. Having heard of
British Columbia as a field in which a young man might get on, he
determined to try his fortune in that far-off land, and accordingly left
England, and landed in Victoria, on the 10th of January, 1863, and has
since that time been a resident of the province. Arriving like many
another poor lad in Canada, without scarcely a penny in his pocket, he
availed himself of the first job that offered, namely, that of a place
in the Vancouver collieries. Here he faithfully performed the duties
assigned to him for some years, until he saw an opportunity of bettering
his condition. He then moved to Victoria city, and began to climb the
path which has since led to distinction. His first public position was
that of councillor, and being a workingman himself, his efforts during
the four years he was in the council, were always directed in favour of
the workingman. In 1882, he was elected mayor of the city, by a large
majority of the ratepayers, and never, it may be said, had Victoria a
better chief magistrate, and its affairs better managed than under his
administration. This same year he was elected president of the
Mechanics’ Institute; and at the general election of 1882, he was sent
to Ottawa, to represent Victoria in the House of Commons; and again
re-elected to the same position at the general election in the spring of
1887. In 1885, Mr. Shakespeare was elected to the presidency of the
British Columbia Agricultural Association; and in 1886, he was also made
president of the British Columbia Mutual Fire Insurance Company, of
which he was the principal organizer in Victoria. He is a friend of all
movements adopted for the good of his race. He was president of the
Anti-Chinese Association of Victoria, in 1879; was elected grand worthy
chief of the Grand Lodge of Good Templars of Washington Territory and
British Columbia, in 1877; again elected to the same position in 1878;
and in 1886, he filled the honourable office of president of the Young
Men’s Christian Association of Victoria. In 1884 he introduced and
succeeded in getting carried a resolution in favor of restricting
Chinese immigration into the Dominion of Canada. He is a justice of
peace for the Province of British Columbia. In politics, he is a
Liberal-Conservative; and in religion, an adherent of the Methodist
church. On December 26th, 1869, he was married to Eliza Jane Pearson.
* * * * *
=Fielding, Hon. William Stevens=, Premier of Nova Scotia, and M.P.P. for
the city and county of Halifax, was born at Halifax, on the 24th of
November, 1848, and is of English descent. He was educated in his native
city, and has devoted the greater part of his life to journalism. At the
age of sixteen he entered the office of the _Morning Chronicle_, in
Halifax, the leading Liberal paper in Nova Scotia, as a clerk, and
gradually worked through the reportorial and editorial departments to
the position of managing editor, which office he resigned in 1884, when
called upon to fill a high position in the government of his native
province. During these twenty years, he did not confine his writing
exclusively to his own province, but contributed to various journals
abroad. For fourteen years he was connected with the Toronto _Globe_, as
Nova Scotia correspondent. In 1882, at a convention of the Liberal party
held at Halifax, after the resignation of the Thompson government, the
positions of premier and provincial secretary were offered to Mr.
Fielding, but he declined the honor. He, however, entered the
administration of the Hon. W. T. Pipes, on the 22nd of December, of the
same year, without a portfolio, having previously declined the offer of
a seat in it. In May, 1884, he resigned. On the retirement of the Hon.
W. T. Pipes, on the 15th of July following, he was called upon to
reorganize the cabinet, which he succeeded in doing, and became premier
and provincial secretary, on the 28th of July, 1884, and this position
he still holds. He was first returned to the House of Assembly at the
general election held in 1882, re-elected on his accepting office, 20th
of August, 1884, and again at the last general election in 1886. The
Hon. Mr. Fielding is a Liberal in politics, and favors the withdrawal of
the Maritime provinces from the Canadian confederation, and the
formation of a Maritime union. As will be seen, he has for the past five
years played an important part in the politics of his country, and being
yet a comparatively young man, there is yet a brilliant future before
him. In religion, he is attached to the Baptist church. On the 7th of
September, 1876, he was married to Hester, daughter of Thomas A.
Rankine, of St. John, New Brunswick.
* * * * *
=Hetherington, George A.=, M.D., L.M. (Dublin), St. John, New Brunswick,
was born at Johnston, New Brunswick, on the 17th March, 1851. His
father, James Grierson Hetherington, was of English descent, his father
(the grandfather of the subject of our sketch) having been born in
England, and came out to St. John, N.B., about seventy years ago, and
established a merchant tailoring business there, which was one of the
first in that then very young and small city. Mary Jane Clark, his
mother, was a native of New Brunswick, and of U. E. loyalist descent.
George A. Hetherington received the rudiments of his education at the
place of his birth; then he went to the Normal School at St. John, N.B.,
where he took a teacher’s certificate in 1860, and taught school for a
short time. Subsequently, for two years, he attended the Baptist
Seminary at Fredericton, N.B., and then spent a year in the medical
department of the University of Michigan, United States. He then
received an appointment in the Washtenaw Almshouse Hospital and Insane
Asylum, as resident physician, and this office he held for a year,
during which period he took a partial course, after the first year’s
full course, in the same university. He then went to Cincinnati, where
he further prosecuted his studies in medicine and surgery in the General
Hospital and in the Cincinnati College, and graduated M.D., in 1875.
Returning to his native country he successfully practised his profession
for nearly five years, and then went to Great Britain. Here he spent a
short period in the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary, and then went to Dublin,
where he took the full qualification of Rotunda Hospital for Women
(_Lic.Mid._); also a special course certificate for diseases of women
and children. After this Dr. Hetherington received an appointment in the
same hospital as assistant clinical instructor and clerk, having charge
of an extensive maternity department. At the close of his engagement he
returned to St. John, N.B., in 1882, and began a general practice, and
is now one of the leading practitioners of that city. He is a licentiate
of the Council of Physicians and Surgeons of New Brunswick; and a member
of the British Medical Association. In 1871 he attended the Military
School at Fredericton, N.B., and was the recipient of a second-class
certificate. In 1877 he was appointed coroner for the county of Queens,
and, after removing to St. John, surgeon to the St. John Firemen’s
Mutual Relief Association in 1885. The doctor is also a past chancellor
of the Knights of Pythias; supreme vice-chief ranger of the Independent
Order of Foresters, and past high physician of the same order, and a
member of the brotherhood of Freemasons. He has travelled considerably,
having visited all the important points in the Maritime provinces,
Quebec, Ontario, the Eastern States, New York, Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky,
and Great Britain and Ireland. In politics he is a Liberal; and in
religion a Baptist. He was married on 5th September, 1876, to Sybil
McIntyre, of Sussex, New Brunswick.
* * * * *
=Wallace, Joseph James=, Truro, Nova Scotia, Superintendent of the
Halifax and St. John District of the Intercolonial Railway, was born in
Albert county, New Brunswick, on the 20th of April, 1847. His parents
were David and Mary Wallace. Mr. Wallace received his education in the
High School, Hillsboro’, New Brunswick. He entered the service of the
European and North-American Railway Company, on the 25th of May, 1865,
and continued in its service until November, 1872, during which period
he filled the various positions of telegraph operator at Salisbury, New
Brunswick; clerk and telegraph operator in the superintendent’s office,
at St. John, New Brunswick; station master, telegraph operator, and
postmaster, at Salisbury, New Brunswick; assistant accountant in the
superintendent’s office, at St. John, New Brunswick; and in November,
1872, and on the absorption of the above railway by the Intercolonial
Railway Company, he was made auditor of the latter company. This office
he held until May, 1883, when he was appointed to the more important
position of superintendent of the Halifax and St. John district, which
office he holds to-day. Mr. Wallace has shewn by his integrity,
industry, and perseverance, what a young man can do when he once
determines to rise in his profession. In 1870, he joined the Masonic
brotherhood, and is now a past master of his parent lodge. In May 26th,
1868, he was married to Ruth M. Hopper, and the fruit of this union has
been five children, three of whom survive.
* * * * *
=Loranger, Hon. Louis Onesime=, one of the judges of the Superior Court
of the province of Quebec, with place of residence in Montreal, was born
at Ste. Anne d’Yamachiche, on the 10th April, 1837. He is the son of
Joseph Loranger and Marie Louise Dugal, and a brother to the late Hon.
Justice T. J. J. Loranger, commandeur of the Order of Pius IX., who died
in 1885; to the late Rev. C. A. Loranger, and to J. M. Loranger, Queen’s
counsel, now practising at the bar of Montreal. Justice Loranger was
educated at the College of Montreal, where he went through a brilliant
course of classical studies, and was admitted to the bar of the province
of Quebec on the 3rd of May, 1858. He at once entered into partnership
with his two brothers, the late Hon. T. J. J. Loranger, who was then a
member of the Macdonald-Cartier administration, and J. M. Loranger, Q.C.
He continued in active practice of the law until the 5th of August,
1882, when he was appointed to the puisné judgeship of the Superior
Court of Quebec, the position he now holds. In February, 1868, Judge
Loranger was elected an alderman of the city of Montreal, and twice
re-elected by acclamation. In 1874, the citizens of Montreal, wishing to
recognize the important services he had rendered the city, elected him
vice-president of the St. Jean Baptiste Society, and president of the
committee entrusted with the organization of the celebration of the
_Fête Nationale_ of that year. The sister societies had been invited to
co-operate, and the invitation met with a hearty response from all parts
of the American union and the Dominion of Canada, delegates being sent
from every society on the continent, and in some cases societies
themselves coming to Montreal with their full membership. The idea of
the St. Jean Baptiste Society, as founded by the late Ludger Duvernay,
in 1834, had been to form a tie of cohesion among the diverse groups of
French Canadians who were divided among themselves, and bring them all
under one banner, with “Our Religion and Our Language” as motto. Mr.
Duvernay, the first journalist of note among the French, was the first
to understand that if the systematic course of petty persecution which
obtained in his days were not stopped, the French Canadian element would
soon be lost in the flood of British emigration then setting in towards
this fair country. The Briton, with his keen commercial insight and his
eminent qualities as a colonist, had discovered that the land which
Voltaire had described as “a few acres of snow-covered ground” had a
future before it, and he at once resolved to make the country what it is
to-day. The St. Jean Baptiste Society struggled on for several years
with a slight membership and scanty financial resources until 1860, when
a determined effort was made to place it on an efficient footing. Then
with the help of such men as Cartier, Langevin, L. O. David, the
Lorangers, and scores of others who were carried forward by the
enthusiasm and patriotic fire of their leaders, it took gigantic
strides, and to-day it numbers over one hundred thousand members. In
1874, Mr. L. O. Loranger, as a member of the executive committee of the
society, rendered great services. In July, 1875, Judge Loranger
presented himself for the first time to the electorate of the county of
Laval, and was sent to the Legislative Assembly as a supporter of the de
Boucherville administration. An unswerving adherent of the Conservative
party, he was soon recognized as one of its leaders, and considered one
of the strongest debaters in the Assembly. He took a leading part in the
discussion on the Letellier _coup d’état_. He was re-elected three times
consecutively by acclamation in his county. After the defeat of the Joly
administration he was offered the portfolio of attorney-general, which
he accepted (November, 1879), and retained until his elevation to the
bench in 1882. The codification of the Provincial statutes and the
judicial reforms now being completed (1887), were commenced when he was
attorney-general under the Chapleau-Loranger administration. Judge
Loranger is a hard worker, having in the midst of his parliamentary
duties attended to the needs of an extensive _clientèle_, and he was
considered one of the most noted lawyers of the Montreal bar. He is a
fluent and graceful speaker; he is also distinguished for his practical
mind, sound judgment, and impressive, though cautious, disposition. He
married, on the 3rd October, 1867, Marie Rosalie, daughter of the late
Hon. M. Laframboise, founder of _Le National_, who afterwards was
appointed one of the judges of the Superior Court for the province of
Quebec, and Rosalie Dessaulles, a niece of the late Hon. Louis Joseph
Papineau. Mrs. Loranger died in 1883, leaving seven children, three sons
and four daughters.
* * * * *
=Alexander, Rev. Finlow=, M.R.C.S., (England), and L.S.A., sub-Dean of
Christ Church Cathedral, Fredericton, New Brunswick, was born on the
17th April, 1834, at Walkhampton, near Tavistock, Devonshire, England.
He is a son of the late Rev. Daniel Alexander, M.A., vicar of Bickleigh,
near Plymouth, England. The Rev. F. Alexander received his educational
training at Mount Pleasant House Academy, Milbay Road, Plymouth, and
subsequently at Marlborough College, in Wiltshire. After leaving school,
in 1850, he entered on the study of medicine at the Middlesex Hospital,
London; and in 1855 received the diploma of the Royal College of
Surgeons, adding in 1857 that also of the Society of Apothecaries,
Blackfriars Bridge, London. After visiting the East, in the employ, as a
surgeon, of the Peninsular and Oriental Company, Mr. Alexander, in 1860,
came to Canada, and engaged for three years in the practice of his
profession, at Gore’s Landing, Ontario. In 1863 he married Anna Cecille,
daughter of Thomas S. Gore, of Gore Mount, county Antrim, Ireland; and
determining on taking holy orders, removed to Cobourg, Ontario, where he
pursued the studies necessary to that end, under the direction of the
Venerable Archdeacon Bethune, afterwards Bishop of Toronto. In February,
1866, Mr. Alexander was admitted to the diaconate by the Right Rev.
Bishop Strachan; and in May, 1867 was ordained to the priesthood. He was
appointed in the first place to the curacy of Port Hope, Ontario, in
1866; and in the following year was transferred, on the death of the
rector, the Rev. Jonathan Shortt, D.D., to the curacy of Guelph,
Ontario. This appointment he held until the resignation of the rector,
the Venerable Archdeacon Palmer, in 1875. In the autumn of that year the
offer was made to him by the bishop of the diocese of Fredericton, New
Brunswick, now Metropolitan of Canada, of the position of sub-dean in
his cathedral; this office he accepted and still (1887) retains.
* * * * *
=Ross, Hon. David Alexander=, Q.C., Barrister, “Westfield,” St. Foye
Road, Quebec city, member of the Legislative Council of the province of
Quebec, was born at Quebec, on the 12th March, 1819. His father was the
late John Ross, who for many years filled the position of joint
prothonotary of the King’s Bench, at Quebec. His mother, Margaret Ross,
was a native of Prince Edward Island. His paternal grandfather, John
Ross, who was born in Tain, Ross-shire, Scotland, with a number of other
Highlanders, formed themselves into a volunteer company to fight during
the French war only, and having been attached to the 78th Highland
regiment, were among the brave men who in the pitchy darkness of the
early morn of the 13th September, 1759, climbed, with the immortal
Wolfe, the cliffs near Cape Diamond, Quebec, and won for Great Britain,
on the Plains of Abraham, one of the finest possessions of the British
Crown. Mr. Ross was severely wounded in the engagement; and after the
conquest he became a citizen of Quebec, and commanded a company of
militia in 1776, when Montgomery and Arnold attempted to retake Quebec,
and did good service for the Crown. The Hon. Mr. Ross received a
classical education in the school taught by the late Dr. Daniel Wilkie,
and at the Seminary of Quebec, and then followed a course of civil and
Roman law at the University of Laval. He is conversant with both
languages. He adopted law as a profession; was called to the bar of
Lower Canada in 1848, and appointed a Queen’s counsel in 1873. Being
fully imbued with the spirit of his ancestors, he entered the Military
College, and obtained a first-class certificate for company and
battalion drill; and during the first Fenian invasion raised a company
of fifty men, fully equipped, and ready to march to the frontier when
called upon. He is now a lieutenant-colonel in the militia. He entered
political life in 1878, and was returned to the Quebec legislature, at
the general election of that year, for the county of Quebec, and sat for
that constituency until the general election of 1881, when he withdrew
from politics for a time. On the 8th March, 1878, he was sworn in a
member of the Executive Council, and became attorney-general in the Joly
administration, and held office until the 30th of October, 1879, when he
resigned with his colleagues. In 1887 he was called to the Legislative
Council of his native province, and was appointed a member of the Hon.
Mr. Mercier’s cabinet, without a portfolio. The Hon. Mr. Ross is a
director of the Lake St. John Railway. For several years he was
president of the St. Andrew’s Society; of the Quebec Literary and
Historical Society; of the Quebec Auxiliary Bible Society; and has been
twice elected _bâtonnier_ (president) of the Quebec bar. He has made
himself very familiar with the Dominion of Canada, and has found time
from his numerous duties to visit the United States of America, England,
Scotland, France, Italy, Spain, Gibraltar, Sicily and Egypt, and upwards
of fifty cities and towns. In politics Mr. Ross is a Liberal; and in
religion an adherent of the Presbyterian church. He was married in
March, 1872, to Harriet Ann Valentine, widow of the late James Gibb, in
his lifetime one of the leading merchants of Quebec.
* * * * *
=Ingram, Andrew B.=, St. Thomas, M.P.P. for West Elgin, was born on 23rd
April, 1851, at Strabane, county of Wentworth, Ontario, and is the
second son of Thomas and Mary Ann Ingram, of that place. His paternal
grandfather, Andrew Ingram, was a native of the county Tyrone, Ireland,
and served his country for nineteen years under Lord Wellington,
participating in the Peninsular campaign, as well as Quatre Bras and
Waterloo. The subject of our sketch received a common school education
at Morristown, Ontario, and his early youth was passed in agricultural
pursuits. Becoming dissatisfied with a rural life, he bade adieu to the
farm and proceeded to London, where his uncle, who was a resident of
that city, prevailed upon him to learn a trade. Having selected that of
a collarmaker, he served the usual apprenticeship, and in 1870 was duly
accredited a journeyman. For some years he labored at the occupation of
his choice. In August, 1879, he connected himself with the Canada
Southern Railway, commencing at the foot of the ladder as brakeman, and
by strict attention to the duties of that position, soon won the
confidence of the officials, and was promoted to a conductorship. A
place was then offered to him on the Wisconsin Central in a similar
capacity, which he accepted, but owing to unforeseen circumstances, he
resigned and returned to St. Thomas, when he entered the employ of the
Grand Trunk Company, and faithfully performed the duties assigned him
for about three years, when he was elected standard-bearer by the
Conservatives of West Elgin, on the 15th July, 1886. When it came to the
knowledge of his employers that he had been selected to contest West
Elgin, they notified him to decline the honor or leave the service.
After consulting his friends, he decided on the latter course, and
entered into active politics. When the general elections were held on
the 28th December, 1886, he was declared elected to represent West Elgin
in the Ontario legislature, and has since served in the capacity of
representative. Mr. Ingram took an active part in the formation of the
St. Thomas Feather Bone Company, in which he is a stockholder, and which
promises to become one of the leading enterprises in the city of his
adoption. He joined Forest City lodge, I.O.O.F., London, on the 21st
August, 1871, and remained an active worker in the same until the 5th
November, 1877, when he took his withdrawal card. In 1881 he joined the
Brakemen’s Benevolent Association of Canada and the United States,
served as president one term, and was elected grand vice-president at a
convention held in Brockville in March, 1882. On the 25th June, 1885, he
joined Local Assembly Knights of Labor, St. Thomas; and in July of the
same year attached himself to Headlight Assembly, No. 4,069. He served
as master workman of the same for two terms; and was elected a member of
District Assembly, No. 138, in which he holds the position of
statistician. He was a delegate to the General Assembly convened at
Richmond, Va., U.S., on 8th October, 1886. He originated the St. Thomas
Trades and Labor Council in January, 1886, and was elected its first
vice-president for the first term, president for the second term, and
now fills the position of honorary president. He is also a member of the
Independent Order of Foresters. Mr. Ingram has taken an active part in
provincial, federal and municipal politics since confederation, in the
counties of Wellington, Perth, Huron, Essex, and Elgin, and been a hard
worker in various Conservative associations. He held a position of trust
under the Clarke administration in Manitoba, and was one of the
sheriff’s _posse_ who arrested Andrew Nault and others for complicity in
the murder of Thomas Scott. Although returned to parliament as a
Liberal-Conservative, Mr. Ingram has ever in view and will support any
measure brought forward that will advance the true interests of the
toiling masses, who in him have an able and conscientious advocate, and
who from actual experience is conversant with the disadvantages under
which they labor. In religious matters he is an adherent of the
Episcopal church. And to sum him up in a few words, is an able, honest
man, who commands the respect of the community which he so ably
represents. In 1882 he married Elizabeth, eldest daughter of Allen
McIntyre, of Aberfoyle, whose great grandfather was the Earl of Home, a
Scottish nobleman.
* * * * *
=McGee, Hon. Thomas D’Arcy=, B.C.L., M.R.I.A., was born on the 13th of
April, 1825, at Carlingford, Ireland. His father, James McGee, was in
the coast-guard service, and his mother was Dorcas Catharine Morgan, a
daughter of a Dublin bookseller, who had been imprisoned and financially
ruined by his participation in the conspiracy of 1798. Both on his
father’s and his mother’s side he was descended from families remarkable
for their devotion to the cause of Ireland. When he was eight years of
age his family removed to Wexford, and shortly afterwards he suffered a
heavy blow in the death of his mother. Of his father he was wont to
speak as an honest, upright, religious man; but his mother he loved to
describe as a woman of extraordinary elevation of mind, an enthusiastic
lover of her country, its music, its legends, and its wealth of ancient
lore. Herself a good musician and a fine singer, it was to the songs of
her ancient race she rocked her children’s cradle, and from her dear
voice her favorite son, the subject of our sketch, drank in his music.
His passionate and inextinguishable love for the land of his birth, her
story and her song, may be traced to the same source. He attended a day
school in Wexford, obtaining there the only formal education he ever
received. But the boyish years of the future statesman and historian
were not passed in mean or frivolous pursuits. His love for poetry and
for old-world lore grew with his growth, and by the age of seventeen he
had read all that had come within his reach relating to the history of
his own and other lands. He was a little over seventeen, and seeing
little prospect of advancement at home, he, with one of his sisters,
emigrated to America. After a short visit to his aunt in Providence,
Rhode Island, he arrived in Boston, just at the time the “repeal
movement” was in full strength amongst the Irish population of that
city, warmly aided by some of the prominent public men of America of
that day. He arrived in Boston in June, 1842, and on the 4th July he
addressed the people. The eloquence of the boy-orator enchained the
multitudes who heard him then, as the more finished speeches of his
later years were wont “the applause of list’ning senates to command.” A
day or two later he was offered and accepted a situation on the _Boston
Pilot_, and became chief editor two years later. It was a critical
period in the history of the Irish race in America; they were proscribed
and persecuted on American soil, disgraceful riots occurring in
Philadelphia, which resulted in the sacking and burning of two Catholic
churches. With all the might of his eloquence, young McGee advocated the
cause of his countrymen and coreligionists against the hostile party,
the “Native Americans,” as they were called. This outburst of fanaticism
soon subsided, but the popularity which the young Irish editor gained
during the struggle continued to grow and flourish until O’Connell
himself referred to his splendid editorials as the “inspired writings of
a young exiled Irish boy in America.” He was invited by the proprietor
of the Dublin _Freeman’s Journal_, the leading Irish paper, to become
its editor. So at the age of twenty he took his place in the front rank
of the Irish press. But the _Freeman_ was too moderate in its tone, so
he accepted an offer from his friend, Charles Gavin Duffy, to assist him
in editing _The Nation_, in conjunction with Thomas Davis, John
Mitchell, and Thomas Devin Reilly. In such hands _The Nation_ became the
organ of the “Young Ireland” party. The immediate result was the
secession of the war party from the ranks of the National or Old Ireland
party led by O’Connell. But the end came, and a sad end it was. The
great “Liberator” died, while on foreign travel, a broken-hearted man.
Famine had stricken the land, and the “Young Irelanders” were ripe for
rebellion. McGee was one of those deputed to rouse the people to action,
and after the delivery of a speech at Roundwood he was arrested, but
soon after obtained his release. Nothing daunted by his first mishap, he
agreed to go to Scotland, for the purpose of enlisting the sympathy of
the Irish in the manufacturing towns, and obtaining their co-operation
in the contemplated insurrection. He was in Scotland when the news
reached him that the “rising” had been attempted in Ireland, and had
signally failed—that some of the leaders had been arrested, and a
reward offered for the apprehension of himself, and others who had
effected their escape. He had been married less than a year before, and
a fair young wife anxiously awaited his return. He succeeded in crossing
in safety to Ireland, and in the far north was sheltered by Dr. Maginn,
the bishop of Derry. Here he was visited by his wife, as he would not
leave Ireland without seeing and bidding her farewell. He left Ireland
in the disguise of a priest, and landed in Philadelphia on the 10th
October, 1848, and on the 26th day of the same month appeared the first
number of his New York _Nation_. Feeling sore at the utter failure of
his party in Ireland, Mr. McGee threw the blame of the failure on the
priesthood, which brought him in conflict with Bishop Hughes, who
defended the Irish clergy, and as a consequence the New York _Nation_
never recovered the effect of this controversy. In 1850 he removed to
Boston, and commenced the publication of the _American Celt_. During the
first two years of the _Celt’s_ existence, it was characterized by
nearly the same revolutionary ardor, but there came a time when the
great strong mind of its editor began to soar above the clouds of
passion and prejudice into the region of eternal truth. He began to see
that the best way of raising his countrymen was not by impracticable
utopian schemes of revolution, but by teaching them the best of their
possibilities, to cultivate among them the acts of peace, and to raise
themselves, by the ways of peaceful industry and enlightenment to the
level of their more prosperous sister island. Some years after Mr. McGee
transferred his publication office to Buffalo. Besides his editorial
duties, he delivered lectures throughout the cities of the United States
and Canada to crowded audiences. At a convention of leading Irishmen,
convened in Buffalo by Mr. McGee, for the purpose of considering the
subject of colonization on the broad prairies for his countrymen,
instead of herding together in “tenement houses,” he was strongly urged
by Canadian delegates to take up his abode in Montreal. After some
negotiation on the subject, he sold out his interest in the _American
Celt_, and removed with his family to Montreal, where he at once
commenced the publication of a journal called _The New Era_. Before the
end of his first year in Montreal he was elected as one of three members
for Montreal, although his election had been warmly contested. It was
not long before he began to make his mark in the legislative halls of
his new country, and before the close of his first session, the Irish
member for Montreal was recognized as one of the most popular men in
Canada. Yet, at times, his early connection with the revolutionary party
was made the subject of biting sarcasm. On one of these occasions, when
being twitted with having been a “rebel” in former years, he replied:
“It is true, I was a rebel in Ireland in 1848. I rebelled against the
mis-government of my country by Russell and his school. I rebelled
because I saw my countrymen starving before my eyes, while my country
had her trade and commerce stolen from her. I rebelled against the
Church establishment in Ireland; and there is not a liberal man in the
community who would not have done as I did, if he were placed in my
position, and followed the dictates of humanity.” About the year 1865 he
was presented by his friends in Montreal and other cities with a
handsome residence in one of the best localities in that city, as a mark
of their esteem. In 1862 he accepted the office of president of the
Executive Council, and also filled the office of provincial secretary.
It was during this active time that he completed his “History of
Ireland,” in two 12mo volumes. In 1865 Mr. McGee visited his native
land, and while staying with his father in Wexford delivered a speech in
that city on the condition of the Irish in America, which gave offence
to his countrymen in the United States, as he took pains to show that a
larger proportion of them became more demoralised and degraded in that
country than in Canada. In 1867 he was sent to Paris by the Canadian
Government as one of the commissioners from Canada to the great
Exposition held in Paris. From there he went to Rome as one of a
deputation from the Irish inhabitants of Montreal, on a question
concerning the affairs of St. Patrick’s congregation in that city. In
London he met, by previous appointment, some of his colleagues in the
Canadian Cabinet, who had gone to England to lay before the imperial
government the plan of the proposed union of the British provinces. In
the important deliberation which followed he took a leading part. He was
then minister of agriculture and emigration, which office he continued
to hold up to the time when, in the summer of 1867, the confederation
was at last effected. But with all his great and well deserved
popularity, and the high position he had attained amongst the statesmen
of the Dominion, he had made for himself bitter enemies by his open and
consistent opposition to the Fenian movement, in which he saw no
prospect of permanent good for Ireland. But it was in regard to Canada
and their avowed intention of invading that country that he most
severely denounced them. He rightly considered that it was a grievous
wrong to invade a peaceful country like Canada, only nominally dependent
on Great Britain, and where so many thousands of Irishmen were living
happily and contentedly under just and equitable laws of the people’s
own making. At the general election of 1867 he secured his seat, but
only after a severe struggle, the Fenian element of his countrymen doing
all in their power to secure his defeat. The victory, however, cost him
dear, for the evil passions of the basest and most degraded of his
countrymen had been excited against him, and he was thenceforth a doomed
man. On the very night preceding his cruel murder he delivered one of
the noblest speeches ever heard within the walls of a Canadian
parliament on the subject of cementing the lately formed union of the
provinces by bonds of mutual kindness and good-will. He had reached the
door of his temporary home, when a lurking assassin stole from his place
of concealment, and coming close behind, shot him through the head,
causing instantaneous death. This was on the morning of April 7th, 1868.
His body was removed to Montreal, where a public funeral was held, the
streets along the procession being lined by regiments of the British
army. St. Patrick’s Church, in which his obsequies were solemnised, was
crowded with Protestants and other leading citizens to mourn over the
great loss the country sustained by his death. McGee had outgrown long
before his death the antipathy that many had to him on his arrival in
Montreal. With the Montreal Caledonian Society especially he was a great
favorite, and his orations at their concerts were the special feature of
the evening. At their annual celebration of “Hallowe’en,” when it is
customary to read prize poems on that old Scotch festival, of forty-six
poems sent in competition on the Hallowe’en following his death,
_thirty-seven_ contained some touching allusion to that sad event. From
one of the poems to which prizes were awarded, we quote the following
stanzas:—
Ah! wad that he was here the nicht,
Whase tongue was like a faerie lute!
But vain the wish: McGee! thy might
Lies low in death—thy voice is mute.
He’s gane, the noblest o’ us a’—
Aboon a’ care o’ warldly fame;
An’ wha se proud as he to ca’
Our Canada his hame?
The gentle maple weeps an’ waves
Aboon our patriot-statesman’s heed;
But if we prize the licht he gave,
We’ll bury feuds of race and creed.
For this he wrocht, for this he died;
An’ for the luve we bear his name,
Let’s live as brithers, side by side,
In Canada, our hame.
* * * * *
=Dunnet, Thomas=, Hat and Fur Manufacturer, Toronto, was born in the
Royal burgh of Wick, Caithness-shire, Scotland, on the 21st April, 1847.
His parents were William Dunnet and Janet Black, both natives of
Caithness; and Mr. Dunnet carried on the saddling business for many
years in Wick. He died about twelve years ago, and his widow is now a
resident of Portobello, near Edinburgh. Young Dunnet received his
education at the Free Church School in Wick, where he graduated. He then
for a number of years acted as one of the teachers in the same school,
and subsequently removed to the city of Aberdeen. Here he remained for
about nine months as organization master in Charlotte street school.
Feeling dissatisfied with the prospects in his native country, he
determined to leave for America, and reached Kingston in Canada, in
1866. In the Limestone City he found employment as a teacher, and for
about eighteen months he taught young Canada in Barriefield school. A
more lucrative situation offering as purser on board a steamer plying
between Kingston and Cape Vincent, Mr. Dunnet bade farewell to the
scholastic profession, and since then has devoted his attention to
mercantile pursuits. He began business in Toronto as “Briggs & Dunnet,”
in 1880, and six years afterwards Mr. Briggs retired, leaving Mr. Dunnet
sole partner. Since then the business has steadily increased, so much so
that in February, 1887, he took into partnership Malcolm McPherson, and
these two are now the members forming the firm of Dunnet, McPherson &
Co., hat and fur manufacturers, Front street, Toronto. Mr. Dunnet is in
politics a staunch Reformer, and in religion may be classed among the
Liberal-Christians. He was married in June, 1875, to Jessie McCammon,
daughter of Robert McCammon, of Kingston, Ontario.
* * * * *
=Doutre, Joseph=, Q.C., Montreal.—The late Mr. Doutre was born at
Beauharnois, in 1825, educated at Montreal College, and admitted to the
bar in 1847. The history of his life is that of the struggles of his
countrymen for civil and religious liberty, and is therefore of more
than personal interest. His ancestors were from the old province of
Roussillon, in the department of Pyrenées-Orientales. His grandfather
came from the immediate neighborhood of Perpignan, and had hardly
arrived in Canada when the country passed under the dominion of England.
In 1844, at the age of eighteen, his first work, a romance of five
hundred pages, entitled “Les Fiancés de 1812” (The Betrothed of 1812),
was published. He was an early adherent of the Institut Canadien, and
ever since the warm friend of that institution, which obtained its
charter under his presidency. As soon as _L’Avenir_ newspaper had taken
a fair start, in 1848, Mr. Doutre became one of its contributors. He was
a liberal contributor to the press, and most of the journals of the
province have at times published contributions from him. In 1848 he
published “Le Frère et la Sœur,” which was afterwards republished in
Paris. In 1851 he was the author of the laureate essay paid for by the
late Hon. Mr. de Boucherville, on “The Best Means of Spending Time in
the Interests of the Family and the Country.” In 1852 was published “Le
Sauvage du Canada.” To these should be added a series of biographical
essays on the most prominent political men of that date, which appeared
in _L’Avenir_. As one of the secretaries of the association formed in
1849 for the colonisation of the townships, he was instrumental in
starting the first settlements of Roxton and its vicinity. In 1853 Mr.
Doutre took the direction of the great struggle for the abolition of the
feudal tenure, and by means of meetings held throughout the country, and
diligence and care in the preparation of practical measures, the
agitation came to a crisis at the general election of 1854, when the
parliament, filled with moderate abolitionists, passed a law which did
away with this mediæval system of land tenure, to the mutual
satisfaction both of the seigneurs and tenants. Another campaign began
immediately after, for making the legislative council elective, instead
of being nominated by the Crown, and a law was passed to this effect in
1856, at which time Mr. Doutre was requested to stand as candidate for
the division of Salaberry, but he was defeated. In 1858 there commenced,
in a decided manner on the part of the Roman Catholic bishop of
Montreal, the long looming work of destruction against everything which
gave manifestation of life in the minds of educated Catholics. Mr.
Doutre stood foremost in the hand-to-hand battle which followed, and the
victory was a painful one, being achieved in the face of the
conscientious opposition of many friends. In 1861 he accepted, under
party pressure, the candidature of Laprairie, which resulted in another
defeat. This election, however, had the good effect of drawing attention
to the evil system of two days polling, as it was evident that his first
day’s majority had been upset by large sums of money being brought into
play upon the second day. This is the last time we find the subject of
our remarks in the arena of politics. He subsequently devoted himself
entirely to his profession. In 1863 he became Queen’s counsel. In 1866
he delivered a lecture before the Institut Canadien, on “The Charters of
Canada,” a remarkably concise and complete synopsis of the political
constitution of the country under the French government. In the same
year he was entrusted with the defence of Lamirande, the French banking
defaulter, whose extradition was sought for before our courts. After the
kidnapping of the man, when he was about to be released, he followed up
the demand for his restoration to the jurisdiction of our courts,
through the Foreign Office, in London, to a point when the British and
French governments were very seriously out of harmony, when Lamirande
solved the difficulty by surrendering all claims to further
negotiations. In 1869, the refusal of the Roman Catholic authorities to
bury Guibord, because he was a member of the Institut Canadien, brought
Mr. Doutre face to face with the necessity of choosing between a direct
contest with the authorities of his church or renouncing his right to
belong to a literary society, which implied the right of any personal
liberty of action. His choice in this matter entailed political
ostracism, and imposed upon him the most arduous task of following the
case in question from court to court, through all the degrees of
jurisdiction in Canada, in order to obtain the burial of Guibord, and of
continuing the same in England, where he went to argue before the Privy
Council, not only without fee, but at daily expense, finally winning the
case; and Guibord was buried in Côte des Neiges Cemetery by order of the
Queen’s mandate. The Institut Canadien handed over its valuable library
of eight thousand volumes to the Frazer Institute, and is now open
gratuitously to the public. Mr. Doutre died on the 3rd of February,
1886, and was buried, at his own request, in Mount Royal Cemetery
(Protestant), his remains being followed to the grave by the leading
citizens of all denominations and nationalities.
* * * * *
=Thorne, William Henry=, Hardware Merchant, St. John, New Brunswick, was
born on the 12th September, 1844, in St. John, N.B. His father, Edward
L. Thorne, came from Granville, Nova Scotia, settled in St. John, in
1814, and was for many years one of the leading business men of that
city. The members of the Thorne family who first settled in Granville,
N.S., were of the old loyalist stock who left New York on the close of
the revolutionary war and came over to the Maritime provinces. The
mother of the subject of our sketch was Susan Scovil, and her parents
settled in New Brunswick about the same time as the Thornes did in Nova
Scotia, and belonged to the same body of loyalists who refused to sever
their allegiance with the mother country. W. H. Thorne was educated at
the Grammar School in St. John, and afterwards adopted the mercantile
profession. He had several years’ experience as clerk with the firm of
J. & F. Burpee & Co.; and commenced the hardware and metal business on
his own account, in 1867. In 1873 he admitted R. O. Scovil as a partner.
This gentleman having died in 1884, Mr. Thorne continued the business,
taking into partnership, in 1885, two young men who had been in his
employ for several years—namely, Arthur T. Thorne and T. Carlton Lee,
and who are still members of the firm, and actively engaged in the
business, under the style of W. H. Thorne & Co. The business of this
firm has steadily grown until it is now amongst the largest in the
Maritime provinces. The stock kept by it is the largest and best
selected of its kind in the province, and their travellers may be daily
met with in Quebec, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, and Nova
Scotia. Mr. Thorne, the head of the firm, takes a deep interest in
everything that tends to advance the interests of his native city. He is
a vice-president of the Board of Trade, and is connected with several
other useful institutions. He is a progressive man, and may be classed
among the Liberals; and in religious matters he is an adherent of the
Episcopal church.
* * * * *
=Creelman, Hon. Samuel=, Round Bank, Upper Stewiacke, member of the
Legislative Council of Nova Scotia, was born at Upper Stewiacke,
Colchester county, Nova Scotia, 19th November, 1808. He is a son of
William and Hannah (Tupper) Creelman, his father being the grandson of
Samuel Creelman, who with his family emigrated from Newton Limavady,
county of Londonderry, Ireland, in 1760. After residing for a time in
Lunenburg and Halifax, he settled in Amherst, and at the time of the
taking the census in 1872, was possessed of the largest stock of cattle
owned in the township. Thence he removed to the locality now known as
Princeport, Truro. His eldest son, Samuel, was one of the original
grantees of the Upper Stewiacke grant, where he settled with his family
in 1784, and where he died in 1834, aged 84 years. He became the
possessor of sufficient land to furnish each of his six sons with a good
sized farm on the river. Hannah Tupper, the mother of the subject of
this sketch, was the great granddaughter of the late David Archibald,
the eldest of the four Archibald brothers who emigrated to Truro from
Londonderry, Ireland, by the way of New Hampshire, U.S. He was the first
representative for Truro in the House of Assembly of Nova Scotia, and
the first justice of the peace appointed in Truro. His name also stood
at the head of the first list of Presbyterian elders in the Truro
congregation. Her grandfathers, Colonel Robert Archibald and Eliakim
Tupper, and Samuel Tupper, her father, all held the office of justice of
the peace, and of elders in the Presbyterian Church. The Hon. Mr.
Creelman received a common school education in Stewiacke, and studied
for one winter under the late James Ross, D.D., Dalhousie College, at
West River. He resided with his father and labored on the farm until of
age, when, owing to delicacy of health, he spent a winter, as above
stated, and in the spring followed teaching for a time, when he then
engaged in trade, in which he was moderately successful. After his
marriage he engaged in agricultural pursuits, which he has since
followed. In 1842 he was appointed a justice of the peace, and a trustee
of Truro Academy. Shortly after entering political life, he was elected
in 1847 to represent the county of Colchester in the Legislative
Assembly of Nova Scotia and represented this constituency until 1851,
when he was chosen for South Colchester, and from that year until 1855
he represented it, when he was defeated at the polls. He was financial
secretary of the government from 1851 to 1856; and was appointed a
member of the Legislative Council in 1860. He was leader of the
opposition in the Assembly until the resignation of the Hill
administration in 1878, when he accepted the portfolio of commissioner
of public works and mines in the Thompson administration that followed.
This office he held until the fall of the administration, which took
place in 1882. At this time the Hon. Mr. Creelman was in London,
England, as a delegate on behalf of his government, whose object was the
carrying out an arrangement with a syndicate for consolidating the
railways of Nova Scotia. The new government recalled him and appointed
another delegate in his place, but shortly afterwards the scheme was
abandoned. He was reappointed to the Legislative Council, in 1867. Hon.
Mr. Creelman has been very active in promoting all measures for the
advancement of education and temperance. He introduced the bill for the
establishment of a Provincial Normal School; and was the chairman of the
commission appointed by the government for the erection of the first
Normal School building in Truro, in 1854. When financial secretary he
supported the bill for the prohibition of the sale of intoxicating
liquors, which was carried through the House of Assembly, but defeated
in the Legislative Council. Here we may say that the Hon. Mr. Creelman
is the oldest member of the Nova Scotia legislature, and that the Hon.
Judge Henry is the only one now living (besides himself) who held a seat
in it when he first entered it. He is a large shareholder in the
Hopewell Woollen Mills Company, and was formerly the principal
shareholder in the Mulgrave Woollen Company, Upper Stewiacke. In 1830 he
joined a Temperance society, and has been a total abstainer ever since,
and an earnest and efficient worker in the cause. In 1849 he became a
Son of Temperance, and in 1868 was elected grand worthy patriarch of the
Grand Division of Nova Scotia. He has been president of the Nova Scotia
Alliance, and is a vice-president at present and a member of the
National Division of the Sons of Temperance of North America, having
been initiated in that body in 1871. In 1878 he occupied the position of
president of the Sunday-school Convention for the Maritime Provinces,
held at Truro. He is a life member of the Nova Scotia Bible Society, and
a member of the Young Men’s Christian Association, Halifax. He has also
been a member of the Historical Society of Halifax for some years past.
In 1882 he visited London, Liverpool, and several cities in England;
Edinburgh and Glasgow, in Scotland; Paris, in France; and Belfast,
Newton Limavady and Derry, in Ireland. He and his father were both
elected elders in the Presbyterian church in 1851. On several occasions
Mr. Creelman has been sent as a delegate to the General Assembly of that
church, and attended its meetings at Montreal, Ottawa, and Halifax; and
he has also attended meetings of the Synod of the Maritime provinces in
connection with the same religious body. He has been a Sabbath school
teacher for over fifty years. Previous to confederation Hon. Mr.
Creelman worked in union with the Liberal party, having for his
associates Hon. Messrs. Howe, the Youngs, Archibald, Uniacke, etc., but
since then he has become a Liberal-Conservative. Owing to the
infirmities of age, especially defective hearing, he is now unable to
take the very active part in the legislature and in other public bodies
which he previously did. Round Bank, the farm on which he now resides,
is within a mile of his birth place. When in government offices his
residence was in Halifax. On the 11th February, 1834, he married
Elizabeth Elliot Ellis, who still survives. She is the eldest daughter
of the late John Ellis, whose father emigrated from the North of Ireland
nearly 100 years ago. Her mother was the daughter of the late James
Dechman, of Halifax, who came from Scotland many years ago.
* * * * *
=Hind, Professor Henry Youle=, M.A., Windsor, Nova Scotia, was born in
Nottingham, England, on the 1st of June, 1823, and came to Canada in
1846. The family, on the paternal side, came originally from the county
of Cumberland, England, where some of the old stock still remain on
lands which have been in the family for several centuries. On the
mother’s side (who was a Miss Youle), they came from Scotland, a portion
of the Youle family having settled in Newark, Nottinghamshire, in 1680.
Until the age of fourteen years, Henry was educated as a private pupil,
jointly with his cousin, J. R. Hind, now the astronomer, by the Rev. W.
Butler, head master of the Nottinghamshire Grammar School, then he was
sent to Leipsic to the Handel Schule, where he remained two years. After
two years further study in England, under the Rev. W. Butler, he went to
Cambridge, where he resided several terms, but did not graduate, going
to France for further proficiency in the French language. In 1846 he
returned to England, and soon after sailed for America. In 1848 he was
appointed mathematical master and lecturer in chemistry of the
Provincial Normal School, Toronto, where he remained about five years,
or until he accepted the chair of chemistry and geology, in the
University of Trinity College, Toronto, and this chair he filled for
thirteen years. In 1857, while still a professor in Trinity College, he
was named by the Canadian government as geologist to the first Red River
expedition. In 1858 he was placed in command of the Assiniboine and
Saskatchewan exploring expedition. In 1860 the Imperial government
published his reports on these expeditions; and in these blue books we
find the first map of the now celebrated “fertile belt” of the
North-West, as described and delineated by Professor Hind. In 1861,
assisted by the Canadian government, he explored a portion of the
interior of the Labrador peninsula, reaching, by Moisie river, the
sources of the rivers which flow from the great Labrador plateau to
Hudson Bay, the north-east Atlantic, and the Gulf of St. Lawrence. In
his account of these explorations, published by Longmans, in 1863,
Professor Hind first describes the then known extent and character of
the Canadian fisheries. In 1864 he resigned his professorship in Trinity
College to undertake a preliminary geological survey of New Brunswick,
for the government of that province. Up to this date the literary work
accomplished by the subject of this notice is as follows:—“The Canadian
Journal;” a repertory of Industry, Science and Art. Edited 1852-1855.
Three vols., quarto. Toronto: Maclear & Co. “Prize Report on the
Improvement and Preservation of Toronto Harbor, 1854.” Published
separately, also in “Canadian Journal” for 1855, with maps and plans.
“Prize Essay on the Insects and Diseases injurious to the Wheat Crops,”
pp. 139. Toronto: Lovell & Gibson, 1857. “Narrative of the Canadian Red
River Exploring Expedition of 1857, and of the Assiniboine and
Saskatchewan Exploring Expedition of 1858.” Two vols., with maps, wood
cuts, and chromoxylographs. London: Longmans, 1860. “The Journal of the
Board of Arts and Manufactures for Upper Canada.” Vols. I., II., III.
Edited 1861-1863. Toronto: W. C. Chewitt & Co. “The British American
Magazine.” Vols. I. and II. Edited 1863. Toronto: Rollo & Adam.
“Explorations in the Interior of the Labrador Peninsula.” Two vols.,
with maps, wood cuts and chromo-lithographs. London: Longmans, 1863.
“Eighty Years’ Progress of British North America.” Articles—“Physical
Features of Canada;” “The North-West Territory,” &c., &c. Toronto, 1863.
In 1866, his family growing up, Professor Hind purchased a property near
Windsor, Nova Scotia, to facilitate the education of his sons, first at
the Collegiate School, then at King’s College, the oldest Protestant
chartered institution of learning in the provinces. In the years 1869,
1870, and 1871, under the instructions of the government of the Province
of Nova Scotia, he conducted geological explorations to a considerable
extent of the gold districts of that province. These are hereafter
enumerated. In 1876 professional engagements led him to the mineral
field of the north-eastern part of the Island of Newfoundland, and
thence on the Atlantic coast of Labrador, nearly as far north as the
town of Nain, or about 350 miles north of the Straits of Belle Isle. On
this voyage of exploration Professor Hind discovered and mapped an
extensive series of cod banks stretching for several hundred miles
north-west of Belle Isle, and about twenty or thirty miles from the
coast line. These are described in a paper addressed to the Hon. F. B.
T. Carter, attorney-general of Newfoundland. This paper is also
published in Part II., page 68, of the work on the Canadian fisheries,
hereafter referred to. At the close of 1876 the Newfoundland government
secured the services of Professor Hind for the year 1877 to examine and
report on the newly-discovered cod banks, as far as Hudson’s Straits,
but just as the Professor was starting from St. John’s, in May, 1877, on
his northern exploration, a telegram from the government at Ottawa to
the Newfoundland authorities was received which urged the necessity of
his presence at the city of Halifax to assist in the scientific portion
of the Canadian case in the fisheries contention then about to open. He
was consequently compelled to relinquish his scientific investigations,
and proceed forthwith to Ottawa. From Ottawa he went to Halifax, and
remained there during the continuance of the arbitration. At its close,
all the documents and records of proceedings on both sides were placed
in his hands for analysis and indexing. The Analytical Index forms a
quarto volume of sixty closely printed pages, and supplies the guide to
the answers submitted during the examination of witnesses to a vast
amount of matter connected with the six months fisheries inquiry at
Halifax, Nova Scotia. In 1878 Professor Hind prepared for the Paris
Exhibition a series of charts illustrating the movements of fish in the
North Atlantic waters during summer and winter, together with the spring
and fall spawning grounds of the herring, the coastal movements of the
cod, the seasonal movements of the halibut, the summer and winter
migrations and movements of the harp seal, &c. For this novel series the
jury of “Class XVI.” awarded the professor a gold medal and a diploma.
The present whereabouts of these fish charts is not known. They
disappeared after the Paris exhibition, not having been returned to the
author. The following are his further publications since 1863:—“Reports
on the Waverley Gold District,” with geological maps and sections, 1869.
Halifax, N.S.: Charles Annand. “Report on the Sherbrooke Gold District,
together with a paper on the Gneisses of Nova Scotia,” with maps, 1870.
Halifax, N.S.: Charles Annand. “Report on the Mount Uniacke, Oldham and
Renfrew Gold Mining Districts,” with plans and sections, 1872. Halifax,
N.S.: Charles Annand. “Notes on the Northern Labrador Fishing Ground.”
Blue book. St. John’s, Newfoundland, 1876. Also page 68, Part II., of
“The effect of the Fishery clauses of the Treaty of Washington on the
Fisheries and Fishermen of British North America.” Halifax, N.S.:
Charles Annand. “On the Influence of Anchor Ice in relation to Fish
Offal and the Newfoundland Fisheries.” Parts I. and II. Official papers.
St. John’s, Newfoundland, 1877. “The effect of the Fishery Clauses of
the Treaty of Washington on the Fisheries and Fishermen of British North
America.” Parts I. and II., imperial oct. With maps, sections, and
diagrams. Part I., pp. 169; Part II., pp. 74. Halifax: Charles Annand,
1877. This work has been exhaustively and very favorably reviewed by Dr.
Carpenter of the London University. See _Nature_, June 13th and 27th,
1878. This enumeration does not include various papers published in the
journals of the Royal Geographical Society, London, of the Geological
Society, the Society of Arts, and the Statistical Society, London,
England. Professor Hind was married at York Mills, near Toronto, on
February 7th, 1850, to Katharine, the second daughter of the late
Lieutenant-Colonel Duncan Cameron, C.B., of the 79th Highlanders, who
commanded the light companies of the Highland Brigade during the passage
of the Nive and the Nivelle in the Peninsula campaign, and was wounded
at Quatre Bras on the eve of Waterloo. Two of Professor Hind’s sons are
clergymen of the Church of England; one, the Rev. Duncan Henry Hind, is
rector of Sandwich, Province of Ontario; the other, the Rev. Kenneth
Cameron Hind, M.A., is rector of Newport, near Windsor, Province of Nova
Scotia.
* * * * *
=Knowles, Charles Williams=, Publisher, Windsor, Nova Scotia, was born
in Newport, Nova Scotia, on July 3rd, 1849, and came with his family to
Windsor when he was about five years of age, and here he has resided
ever since. His father, Charles W. Knowles, who died at Windsor on the
15th of December, 1886, at the advanced age of eighty-one years, was one
of the oldest inhabitants of Hants county, widely known in the district,
and universally respected as an industrious, honest man, and a good
citizen. His mother, Eliza Bacon, died in 1854. The Knowles family came
originally from England, and are closely associated with the early
history of Hants county. The founder of it was Captain Henry Knowles, a
merchant, great grandfather of Charles Williams Knowles, the subject of
our sketch. In 1756 he, with others, came from Newport, Rhode Island,
and took up their abode at a place in Hants county, Nova Scotia, and
bestowed on it the name of their old residence, and it is known by the
name of Newport to the present day. There is a tradition in the family
that the vessel in which the worthy captain came, in sailing up the St.
Croix river with the tide, grounded on the flats opposite an island,
which afterwards came into his possession, and is now called Knowles’
Island; and the farm Captain Henry Knowles owned, with this island, is
still in the possession of the Knowles family, its present owner being
W. H. Knowles, municipal councillor for Avondale. The captain was a
widower, and had on board with him an infant son, named Jonathan. There
was also on board his vessel, as a passenger, a Miss Williams, said to
have been a near relative of the celebrated Roger Williams, the founder
of Providence, Rhode Island. The captain and Miss Williams were both
members of the Baptist denomination, which at that time was being
cruelly persecuted in some of the New England states, and were in search
of a place where they could worship God in accordance with their
religious convictions. They naturally felt a deep interest in each
other, and a mutual affection sprang up between them, which subsequently
ended in marriage, and the fruit of the union was three sons, Nathan,
Henry, and William, and two daughters, William becoming the grandfather
of the subject of our sketch. The bodies of the brave captain and his
devoted wife, and those of all the older members of his family, have for
long years been mouldering to dust in their graves in the burying-ground
on the old homestead property. Jonathan and his family are buried in
Rawdon. Upon his tombstone there is the following rather quaint
inscription: “Here rests the body of Jonathan Knowles, who gradually
sank into the arms of death, falling asleep in the Redeemer, November
9th, 1821, in the 65th year of his age.” Branches of the Knowles family
are resident in Rawdon, in Hants county, in Yarmouth county, and in New
Brunswick, in the city of St. John, and in a village called by their
name, Knowlesville. Charles received his education in the public schools
in Windsor, and when about eighteen years of age became connected with
journalism, and managed the _Saturday Mail_, a weekly local paper, then
owned by M. A. Buckley. After a few years Mr. Knowles succeeded in
purchasing this property, and having thrown more life into it, made it
one of the best weekly papers in Nova Scotia. In 1883 he sold out the
_Mail_, and for three years subsequently engaged in other pursuits; but
in 1886 he again embarked in journalism, having purchased the Windsor
_Tribune_, the paper he is now publishing. He has also an interest in
the book and stationery business in Halifax; and elsewhere, and is the
patentee of a valuable invention in connection with the manufacture of
paper, which is used extensively in Great Britain. Mr. Knowles has
proved himself an active and enterprising citizen, being a member of the
town council of Windsor, and is also closely identified with various
public and private undertakings. He was married in 1871, to Lydia
Lockhart, of Falmouth, and has a family of five children.
* * * * *
=Woodland, Rev. Jas. Barnaby=, Pastor of “The Temple” Baptist church,
Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, was born at Wallace, Nova Scotia, on the 13th of
August, 1840. He is a son of the late Richard Woodland, who came from
Ireland to America with his wife, Annie Coulter, shortly after their
marriage. The grandfather of the subject of this sketch was an officer
in the Home Guards during the Irish rebellion, and, on account of his
loyalty to the Crown, suffered much in property and estate. Rev. Mr.
Woodland was educated for the ministry at the Baptist Institutions at
Wolfville, but failing health compelled him to retire before he
completed the course. Being shut out from study, he started the
_Maritime Sentinel_, a weekly newspaper, which he successfully conducted
for several years, first at Oxford, and afterwards at Amherst, N.S.
During this time he was twice nominated and several times solicited to
become a candidate to represent the interests of Cumberland county in
both the Local and Dominion parliaments, but always having in view a
return to the ministry, he invariably declined. After quietly pursuing
literary work and studies for some years, and regaining vigour, he sold
out his newspaper, and re-entered the ministry. His first pastorate was
in Cavendish, Prince Edward Island, where he was ordained in 1878, and
laboured for about seven years. He then removed to Yarmouth, Nova
Scotia, and accepted the pastorate of “The Temple,” one of the three
Baptist churches in that city, which position he occupies at the present
time. He held, during the period previous to his ordination to the
ministry, several positions of trust indicative of public confidence.
For years he acted as justice of the peace in the towns where he
resided, and for four or five years was grand provincial secretary of
the old order of British Templars. He was one of the committee who
drafted the original constitution of the Dominion Alliance, and assisted
to institute it at Montreal years ago, and has continued ever since to
be a prominent advocate of temperance and prohibition, whose assistance
in temperance campaign work is widely sought for over the Maritime
provinces. He was for a long time one of the active leaders in the
Independent Order of Good Templars, and resigned the office of grand
chief in 1886. For several years he has been a member of the Baptist
Home Mission Board, and is at present vice-president of that
institution. He is a master Mason, and at the present time senior warden
of Hiram lodge, No. 12, at Yarmouth, N.S. On the 28th of December, 1865,
Rev. Mr. Woodland was united in marriage to Marie Julia Livingstone,
eldest daughter of Angus Livingstone, a native of Scotland, and a
relative of the late Dr. Livingstone, the African explorer.
* * * * *
=Drummond, Andrew Thomas=, B.A., LL.B., was born on the 18th of July,
1844, at Kingston, Ontario. His father, Andrew Drummond, was a native of
Edinburgh, Scotland, being born there in 1811. He received a university
education, and intended adopting the profession of writer to the Signet,
but in 1833, he was invited to remove to Canada by his uncle, Robert
Drummond, who was then executing extensive works on the Rideau Canal. A
few months after his arrival in Canada, his uncle died from the Asiatic
cholera of 1834, and he was then compelled to close up his uncle’s
business. After accomplishing this, he entered the service of the
Commercial Bank of Canada, at Kingston, and has occupied a prominent
position in that and the Bank of Montreal, as manager in a number of the
cities of Canada, for a period of fifty years. He retired in 1885, on a
well earned competence, and is this year (1887) still in the enjoyment,
at the age of seventy-six, of every faculty, having just completed, with
his wife, a three months trip across the continent. In 1838, he married
Margaret Sinclair, an adopted daughter and niece of the father of the
Hon. O. Mowat. Miss Sinclair was born at Peterhead, Scotland, in 1816,
where her father was a Custom-house officer, but he dying when she was a
child, it fell to her lot to be provided for in Canada. Although
seventy, she is still hale and healthy, and both, with their nine
children still form a family unbroken by a death. Andrew Thomas
Drummond, the subject of this sketch, was their third child, and when a
few months old he removed to Bytown (now Ottawa), where his father was
appointed manager of the Commercial Bank. Here he received his
elementary education, and, at the age of nine, when his father was
appointed manager of the Bank of Montreal at Kingston, he was sent to
Queen’s College school, and began the study of Latin. In 1857, when he
was scarce thirteen, he entered Queen’s College, after passing a
successful entrance examination, and is believed to have been the
youngest student to enter the college before, and perhaps since. He was
always noted as extremely studious, and at the age of sixteen had taken
his degree of B.A. at the university. During his university studies
which he still continued, he developed a strong desire for the
acquisition of a knowledge of geology and botany, and was a large
collector of specimens, which in later years he presented to the
college. In 1868, he received his degree of LL.B., and on leaving his
college life, he decided upon the profession of a barrister. With this
in view he entered the law office of Sir Alexander Campbell, at
Kingston, and in 1866, passed his examination for barrister with much
credit at Toronto. He practised in London, Ontario, with Mr. Abbott, and
later on originated the law firm of Campbell & Drummond, at Ottawa.
About 1869, an opportunity opened in Montreal for his engaging in
commercial pursuits, and he removed thither, where he has since been
largely interested in this line, much of it being in the development of
the North-West. In this class of business he has been very successful,
as he leans rather to the side of cautiousness than otherwise. He is a
director in the Manitoba and North-Western Railway; a director in the
Montreal and Western Land Company; trustee of Queen’s University, at
Kingston; trustee of Trafalgar Institute, Montreal; and one of the
editors of the _Record of Science_. He is author of the following
articles:—In “Canadian Monthly,” “Imperial and Colonial Confederation,
Our Public Indebtedness.” In “Canadian Naturalist,” “Observations on
Canadian Geographical Botany;” “Catalogue of Canadian Lichens;”
“Distribution of Plants in Canada, in some of its relations to Physical
and Past Geological Conditions;” “Statistical Features of the Flora of
Canada;” “Introduced and Spreading Plants of Canada;” “Botanical and
Geological Notes.” In Montreal Horticultural Society’s Reports,
“Canadian Timber Trees;” “Forestry in Canada.” In “Magazine of Science,”
“Note on Canadian Forests.” In British Association Reports,
“Distribution of Canadian Forest Trees in its relations to Climate.” In
“Handbook for Canada,” published for British Association meeting, the
article on “Forestry and Lower St. Lawrence Flora.” In “Record of
Science,” “Our North-West Prairies, their Origin and Forests,” “The
Distribution and Climatic Relations of British North American Plants;”
“Affinities of the Tendrils in the Virginian Creeper.” In 1881, he
married Florence Wonham, the eldest daughter of a well-known Montreal
wholesale merchant, and has a family of two children.
* * * * *
=Hewson, Charles Wentworth Upham=, M.D., L.R.C.P., and L.M. (Edinburgh),
Amherst, Nova Scotia, was born in Jolicure, New Brunswick, on the 28th
February, 1844. His parents were William A. Hewson and Elizabeth
Chandler. He received his education at the Sackville, Mount Allison, and
St. Joseph colleges, New Brunswick, and adopted medicine as a
profession. He began his practice in River Herbert, in Nova Scotia, and
for eleven years carried it on very successfully. Then, in 1883, he went
to Scotland, and for some time attended the Royal Infirmary of
Edinburgh, where he took the degrees of L.R.C.P. and L.M. On his return
he settled in Amherst, Nova Scotia, in May, 1884, where he has since
enjoyed a lucrative practice. Dr. Hewson is coroner for the county of
Cumberland. Some years ago he joined the Masonic fraternity, and takes
an active interest in this ancient order of brotherhood. In politics the
doctor is a Liberal, and in religion is an adherent of the Presbyterian
church. He was married on the 29th of December, 1874, to Mary E.
Hapgood, a native of Calais, Maine. The fruit of this marriage has been
four children, only two of whom survive, namely, Florence R. and Charles
E.
* * * * *
=Allison, Charles=, Inspector of Weights and Measures, Yarmouth, Nova
Scotia, was born at Kentville, Kings county, Nova Scotia, on the 22nd of
September, 1821. His father was Samuel Leonard Allison, prothonotary of
Kings county, who was grandson of Joseph Allison, who emigrated from
Newton Limavady, a town on Lough Foyle, near Londonderry, Ireland, and
settled in Horton, Kings county, Nova Scotia, in 1774. Joseph Allison,
the great grandfather of the subject of our sketch, had four sons,
namely: John, William, James and Joseph, and all the old stock of the
Allisons in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia are descended from them. Many
of this family have attained marked prominence, as witness: David
Allison, LL.D., is the present Superintendent of Education of Nova
Scotia; Charles Allison, the founder of Mount Allison University; Henry
Allison, ex-M.P., and others that will occur to Maritime province
readers. Of Joseph’s sons, Israel (deceased), was sheriff of Colchester,
for some years; Jonathan (deceased), who was one of Halifax’s most
successful business men; Edward (deceased), who removed to St. John, New
Brunswick, and entered mercantile life. The latter gentleman was the
father of Dr. Allison, and J. C. Allison, C.E., of St. John. Two other
sons of Joseph, Henry and Joseph, died at an early age. Charles
Allison’s mother was Sophia Barss, of Liverpool. Deacon Samuel Barss,
the founder of the Barss family, was of English origin, settling in
Connecticut, where he married a daughter of the celebrated John Alden, a
contemporary and friend of Miles Standish. In the latter part of the
last century, the family emigrated to Nova Scotia, and settled in
Annapolis. Joseph Barss settled in Liverpool, and was the founder of the
Queen’s county branch of the Barss family. At one time, while away with
his vessel, he was captured by a French privateer and taken to France,
where he was kept prisoner until exchanged. Charles Allison was first
sent to the school at Kentville, in his native county, and afterwards
attended for a time the academy at Liverpool, in Queens county, and
picked up such an education as could be procured in these institutions
in those early days. On leaving school he was sent to Halifax, where he
became a clerk in a dry goods store, and served four years in this
place. He then left Halifax, and joining his father and the rest of the
family at Kentville, they shortly afterwards removed to Kempt, in Queens
county, and bought a farm with some improvements. Here Mr. Allison
resided for forty years. He took an active interest in military affairs,
and in 1864, when the provincial militia was organized, he was appointed
lieutenant-colonel of the 3rd Queens county regiment, and retired a few
years ago, retaining his rank. He has held a number of public offices
during his active life time. In 1858, he was appointed a justice of the
peace; and in 1863, he entered the field of politics, was elected to a
seat in the Provincial Legislature, for Queens county, and was one of
the number who helped to carry the free school bill in 1866, and the
following year the act for the confederation of the provinces. On the
dissolution of the House of Assembly, and the formation of the new
government, Mr. Allison was chosen commissioner of Mines and Works. In
September, 1867, an appeal was made to the country, with the result that
the whole “Union party” were defeated, Mr. Allison being among the
number, with the exception of Sir Charles Tupper, in Cumberland, and
Hon. Hiram Blanchard, the attorney-general, in Inverness. Mr. Allison
has once since presented himself for legislative favours, but was
defeated; he nevertheless continues to take an interest in all the
measures that come up in the local and Dominion parliaments. In
politics, he is a Liberal-Conservative, and in religion an adherent of
the Baptist church. He was married at Caledonia, Queens county, on the
19th July, 1847, to Lavinia Freeman, whose grandfather, Simeon Freeman,
of English Puritan descent, was the first male child born in Queens
county. The fruit of this union has been nine children, seven of whom
are living,—two boys, Henry and Charles Edward, and five daughters,
four of whom are married, one a resident of Liverpool, Nova Scotia, and
three residing with their husbands in Boston.
* * * * *
=Lyman, Frederick Styles=, B.A., B.C.L., Barrister, Montreal, was born
in that city on the 6th of January, 1844. He is a son of Henry Lyman,
senior partner of the firm of Lyman, Sons & Co., of Montreal, and Lyman
Brothers & Co., of Toronto, president of the Citizens’ Insurance
Company, and one of the directors of the Canada Shipping Company, etc.
The Lymans came originally from Kent, in England, and were among the
early settlers of Massachusetts, where a number of them still reside.
Frederick received his primary education at the High School and McGill
University, Montreal, and then went to England, and studied at St.
John’s College, Cambridge, where he took the degree of B.A., in 1867. On
his return to Montreal he received the degree of B.C.L. from McGill
University. He selected law as a profession, and after having passed a
creditable examination, travelled for a year in Europe, visiting the
chief cities of Britain and the continent with great pleasure and profit
to himself. On his return he entered into a law partnership with John
Dunlop, under the style of Dunlop & Lyman, as advocates and solicitors,
commissioners for Ontario and Nova Scotia, etc., and has proved himself
a successful legal practitioner. Mr. Lyman, in politics, is a Liberal;
and in religion, is an adherent of the Church of England. He was married
on the 15th August, 1871, to Louisa Lyman, and has a family of two
children.
* * * * *
=Robertson, Andrew=, Chairman of the Board of Harbor Commissioners,
Montreal, is a Scotchman by birth, having been born in Paisley, in
Scotland, on the 18th June, 1827. He is the eldest and only son of the
late Alexander Robertson, of Paisley, by his first wife, Grant Stuart
Macdonald. Mr. Robertson received his education at the Paisley Grammar
School, going through the usual curriculum of English, Latin and Greek.
Shortly after leaving school, like the majority of Scotch boys, he
learned a trade, that of weaving. He went, in 1840, to Glasgow to push
his fortune. Here he served for four years in a dry goods store, and
then took a position in a manufacturer’s establishment. In this new
position he worked hard, and having gained the confidence of his
employers, he was four years afterwards, in 1848, admitted a partner in
the business. A few years later on, his health having given way, he was
admonished by his medical adviser to leave Glasgow, and try the effects
of either the climate of Australia or Canada on his enfeebled
constitution. He decided on the latter country, and along with his wife
and two sons came to Montreal in 1853. Shortly after his arrival he went
into the dry goods business, and soon became one of the leading men in
the trade, as senior partner in the firm of Robertsons, Linton and Co.,
of that city. Business having succeeded, Mr. Robertson was enabled to
retire from it in 1885, and he is now enjoying other and perhaps more
congenial pursuits. Being a public spirited gentleman, he never shirked
his responsibilities as a citizen. In 1868 and 1869 he accepted the
position of president of St. Andrew’s Society of Montreal; in 1876 he
was president of the Dominion Board of Trade; in 1876 and 1877 he was
president of the Montreal Board of Trade; was the first president of the
Dominion Travellers’ Association; has been the president of the Royal
Canadian Insurance Company since 1876; and president of the Bell
Telephone Company of Canada since its organization in 1880. In 1872 Mr.
Robertson became one of the governors of the Montreal General Hospital,
and since that period has filled the offices of treasurer,
vice-president, and is now president. In 1879 he was elected chairman of
the Board of Harbor Commissioners for Montreal, and he has occupied this
position ever since. He has also taken an interest in military affairs,
and in 1861, during the _Trent_ excitement, he was first lieutenant and
quartermaster of the Montreal Light Infantry Company. Mr. Robertson is
an adherent of the Presbyterian church; and as for politics, we think he
would rather act the part of the Good Samaritan than indulge in
political discussions. He was married on the 19th April, 1850, to Agnes,
youngest daughter of the late Alexander Bow, of Glasgow, and has had a
family of four sons and six daughters, two of the latter are dead.
* * * * *
=Rosebrugh, John Wellington=, M.D., Hamilton, Ontario, President of the
Ontario Medical Association, 1887, and member of the Council of the
College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario. This distinguished
medical gentleman was born near Galt, in the county of Waterloo,
Ontario, on the 5th November, 1828. His father was the late Thomas
Rosebrugh, of Dumfries, who, when a lad of sixteen, took up his gun,
went to the frontier, and fought for his young country at the battles of
Lundy’s Lane and Queenston Heights. His grandfather was a U. E.
loyalist. Dr. Rosebrugh received his early education at the schools of
his neighborhood, the Galt High School and Victoria College. In 1850 he
commenced the study of medicine under the Hon. Dr. Rolph, Dr. Joseph
Workman, and others, afterwards called the Toronto School of Medicine;
and later on the Medical department of the University of Victoria
College. At the end of two years he passed his examination, and received
his licence to practice from the Medical Board of Canada in 1852. He
then went on to New York, attended an additional course of lectures at
the University of New York city, from which institution he received the
degree of doctor of medicine, in 1853. During his sojourn in New York,
he faithfully followed up all the great advantages derivable from the
lectures and clinics, and witnessed a large number of surgical
operations in the hospitals of that city. Having a natural inclination
for surgery, he cultivated his bent in that direction, and thus laid the
foundation for his great success in after life. His career is an
excellent example of what can be gained by one who sets before himself a
high ideal of life, and the steadfast purpose and determination to rise
to a useful and exalted position in his profession. Only force of
character, unusual energy, and strenuous devotion to his high purpose
could win such signal success as he has attained without the
adventitious aids of an artificial society, professorships, or hospital
appointments. Success is always a relative term, and is used
appropriately only when employed to describe conditions in which effort
guided by intelligence and skill to definite purpose accomplishes its
aims. If this be true, then no physician in Canada to-day has a stronger
claim to this distinction than the subject of this sketch, for his
effort and perseverance have placed him in the front rank of his
profession. He is a licentiate of the Canada Medical Board, 1852; M.D.,
University of New York city, 1853; M.D., University Victoria College,
1855; member of the Council of the College of Physicians and Surgeons,
Ontario; member of the Ontario Medical Association; member of the Canada
Medical Association; member of the British Medical Association; member
of the International Medical Congress; honorary member of the American
Medical Association; fellow of the British Gynecological Society;
corresponding member of the Boston Gynecological Society, etc. It will
thus be seen that he has already reached a higher degree of prominence
in the medical profession of the country than has been the fortune of
but few disciples of Æsculapius to enjoy. His success as a physician and
surgeon is the fruit of hard work, persevering research and natural
adaptability to his chosen profession. His cheerful presence is a
blessing to any sick chamber, and his mild and gentle manners bring
cheer and comfort to the suffering and desponding ones, while his quiet
though earnest assurances of recovery infuse hope and joy into the
desponding heart. He always had a _penchant_ for surgery, and, besides
his hospital practice during the time the railways were being
constructed about Hamilton and Dundas, had quite a large experience in
surgical operations, so that before he took up his specialty, he had the
reputation of being an excellent general surgeon. His practice, however,
during the last few years has gradually drifted more and more into
gynecology and abdominal surgery. His great skill and wonderful success
as an ovariotomist and abdominal surgeon, soon attracted the attention
of his medical brethren, and they sent him the difficult cases which
they did not wish to undertake themselves. In order to improve his
knowledge as an abdominal surgeon, he has made frequent visits to the
United States, Great Britain, and the continent of Europe. In this way
he became practically acquainted with the methods of the most celebrated
abdominal surgeons in the world, including Sir Spencer Wells, Thomas
Keith, Lawson Tait, Granville Bantock, Knowsly Thornton, Carl Schrœder,
and A. Martin. Dr. Rosebrugh commenced the practice of his profession in
the town of Dundas, where he resided for a period of three years, and
then accepted a partnership with Dr. Billings, of Hamilton. This
co-partnership at the end of three years was dissolved by mutual
consent, and Dr. Rosebrugh since that time has practised by himself.
While residing in Dundas he was appointed coroner for the county of
Wentworth, and after removing to Hamilton he was appointed coroner for
the city, and, associated with the late Hon. H. B. Bull, he presided
with noted ability and dignity at the celebrated inquest concerning the
Desjardins Bridge accident, where about sixty persons were killed and a
large number wounded. In 1858 he was appointed president of the
Mechanics’ Institute, at that time and for some years subsequently a
flourishing institution of the city. In the year 1860 he was elected a
member of the city council, and immediately gave his particular
attention to the reorganization of the city hospital system, which was
at that time more a hole-and-corner concern, or a house of refuge, than
a hospital. At first he met with a formidable opposition to all efforts
at reform, but his personal popularity and influence gradually won over
a majority of the friends of the old _régime_, and towards the end of
his second year in the council he carried his by-law of reform. This
by-law was so perfect in all its details that it stands to-day at the
end of a quarter of a century, with scarcely an alteration. After
carrying through his scheme, he remained in the council another year as
chairman of the hospital committee, in order to get the new by-law into
good working order. In educational matters he has always taken a deep
interest, and for a number of years was a member of the Grammar and
Public School Board. He was also one of the promoters, and is still a
director of the Ladies’ College. He has always taken a lively interest
and an active part in the great temperance movement, and is a liberal
supporter of that cause. He was born and brought up in the Methodist
Church, and has never left its fold. He was one of the promoters of the
Centenary Church, and has held the office of trustee and steward from
the time that church was erected. Dr. Rosebrugh is an active and
enterprising member of the medical profession, determined from the
beginning to keep fully abreast with the literature and knowledge of the
times, taking the best medical journals and purchasing the newest books.
He was one of the first elected under the new by-law as attending
physician to the hospital, which he held as long as he wished, and was
then chosen one of the consulting physicians. During the time of his
service he was for some years chairman of the staff. He was one of the
active founders of the Hamilton Medical and Surgical Society, which is
still in a flourishing condition, and was president of the same. To him
more than any one else belongs the honor of the formation of the Ontario
Medical Association, as he was the first to urge the medical journals to
write the matter up; and he attended the preliminary meeting in Toronto
for the purpose of drafting the by-laws for the management of the same.
This growing and flourishing association has now been in existence about
seven years, and this year chose Dr. Rosebrugh president for 1887-8.
* * * * *
=Lewis, William James=, M.D., Hillsborough, M.P.P. for Albert county,
New Brunswick, was born in 1830, in Hillsborough, N.B. He is the eldest
son of the Hon. John Lewis, member of the Legislative Council of New
Brunswick, and Lavinia Lewis. His father’s ancestors emigrated from
Wales about 1750, and settled in New York. Being United Empire
loyalists, they left the United States at the close of the revolutionary
war in 1783, and took up their abode in Moncton, New Brunswick, where a
good many of their descendants are still to be found. His mother’s
ancestors came from Londonderry, Ireland, over a hundred years ago and
settled in the Maritime provinces. Mr. Lewis was first educated in the
common schools of the parish where he was born, and afterwards at
Sackville Academy, Westmoreland county, New Brunswick. Having chosen the
medical profession, he went over to Scotland and studied medicine at the
Glasgow University, where he graduated with honors in 1855, and also at
the College of Surgeons in Edinburgh in May of the same year. On his
return to Hillsborough he began the practice of his profession, and has
continued there ever since, having built up a lucrative business. For
the last twenty-five years he has held the position of coroner for
Albert county. In 1878 he entered political life, and was at the general
election of that year returned as a member of the House of Assembly of
New Brunswick; re-elected at the general election of 1882, and again at
the general election of 1886. In 1882 he was sworn in a member of the
Executive Council, and took office without a portfolio in the
Harrington-Landry administration, but resigned with his colleagues in
February, 1883. In politics, Dr. Lewis is a Liberal-Conservative; and in
religion, following in the footsteps of his parents, his sympathies are
with the Baptist church. He has been twice married; first, in 1877, to
Melissa, daughter of Richard E. Steever, postmaster of Hillsborough. She
died in October, 1882, without issue. He was again married in August,
1885, to Catharine Duffy, daughter of the late John Duffy, of
Hillsborough, N.B., and has issue a daughter.
* * * * *
=Daly, Thomas Mayne=, M.P., Barrister, Brandon, Manitoba, was born on
the 16th August, 1852, at Stratford, Ontario. He is the second son of
the late Thomas Mayne Daly, by his wife Helen McLaren Ferguson, a native
of Crieff, Perthshire, Scotland, who came to Canada in 1844 with her
father, the late Peter Ferguson, of Stratford, architect. He is a
grandson of the late Lieut.-Colonel I. C. W. Daly, who settled in
Stratford in 1832, and who was for many years after agent of the Canada
Company, and also of the Bank of Upper Canada in Stratford. He was a
member of the first council of the district of Huron in 1842, and he was
also the first mayor of Stratford (1858). He died on the 1st April,
1878, in the eighty-third year of his age, being at the time of his
death the oldest militia officer, magistrate and coroner in the whole of
the country formerly comprising the old Huron district, and now
comprising the counties of Huron, Perth and Bruce. The history of the
last half century of his life is very intimately connected with the
history of the old “Huron Tract.” Thomas Mayne Daly, the father of the
subject of our sketch, was born at Hamilton, Ontario, in 1827, and died
at Stratford 5th March, 1885. He was educated at Upper Canada College,
Toronto. He entered public life in 1848, being elected in that year as a
district councillor from Downie, in the Huron district. In 1850 he was
elected first reeve of North East Hope, and was mayor of Stratford
during the years 1869, and 1876-77 and ’78. He was the first
representative sent to the Legislative Assembly of Canada from the
county of Perth after its organization as a separate county in 1854. He
was again elected in 1857, over the Hon. Wm. McDougall. He was defeated
at the general election, 1861, by the Hon. M. H. Foley, but that
gentleman having been also elected for South Waterloo, he resigned his
seat for Perth, and at the election which followed Mr. Daly was returned
in opposition to the late Robert Macfarlane, who, however, defeated him
at the next general election. At the first election after confederation,
the county being then divided into two ridings, Mr. Daly unsuccessfully
opposed James Redford for North Perth; but at the general election in
1872 he defeated Mr. Redford, and was government “whip” during the
celebrated “Pacific Scandal” session at Ottawa, and the mover of the
adjournment of the debate the night previous to the resignation of the
Macdonald-Cartier administration. Mr. Daly in 1874 was elected for North
Perth to the Ontario legislature, and sat out the term of the second
parliament. Having been defeated for the local legislature at the
general provincial elections of 1875, he was tendered the Conservative
nomination for North Perth at the general Dominion election in 1878, but
declined for private reasons, and then retired from public life. Thomas
Mayne Daly, the subject of our sketch, received his education at the
Upper Canada College in Toronto. Having adopted law as a profession he
was admitted to the Ontario bar in Michaelmas term, 1876, and began
practice in the city of Stratford, Ontario, on 10th January, 1877, and
continued until May, 1881, when he removed to Manitoba, and took up his
residence in Brandon in that province, on the 18th July, 1881. Here he
has resided ever since, and is now the senior member of the firm of Daly
& Coldwell, barristers, etc. Mr. Daly was among the pioneer settlers of
Brandon; and was the returning officer at the first general election
held in the district for the local legislature in October, 1881, and was
also returning officer for the first municipal election in the county of
Brandon in December of the same year. In 1882 he was elected the first
mayor of the city of Brandon; and was re-elected to the same office in
1884. He was chairman of the Western Judicial District Board of
Manitoba, 1884. He is a bencher of the Law Society of Manitoba, and a
member of the Protestant Board of Education of that province. He was
president of the first Conservative Association formed in Brandon in
July, 1882; is now vice-president for Selkirk of the Conservative Union
of Manitoba, and president of the Liberal-Conservative Association of
the county of Brandon. During Mr. Daly’s residence in Ontario he took an
active part in public affairs, and was for several years quartermaster
of the 28th Perth battalion of militia, and retired from the service in
1881 with the rank of captain. He occupied the office of president of
the Young Men’s Conservative Association, which was formed in Stratford
in 1878, and during the years 1880-81 he held a seat in the town council
of Stratford; and was a member of, and subsequently became the chairman
of, the school board of that place. In politics Mr. Daly is a
Liberal-Conservative, and in religion an adherent of the Church of
England. He was married on the 4th of June, 1879, at Stratford, Ontario,
to Margaret Annabella, eldest daughter of P. R. Jarvis.
* * * * *
=Borden, Frederick William=, B.A., M.D., M.P., Canning, Nova Scotia, was
born on the 14th May, 1847, at Canard, Kings county, N.S. His father,
Jonathan Borden, M.D. (whose great grandfather, Samuel Borden, was one
of the original grantees of the township of Cornwallis, in the reign of
King George III., A.D. 1764), practised medicine at Canard for thirty
years. Maria Frances Brown, his mother, was a descendant on the maternal
side from the family of Major Dennison, one of the agents from
Connecticut who in May, 1759, visited the districts of Grand Pré and
Canard, in Kings county, from which the Acadians had been expatriated,
with a view to re-settling the said districts with a colony from that
state. Her brother, Dr. E. L. Brown, sat in the legislature of Nova
Scotia from 1847 till 1859, and from 1863 till 1871, having been
defeated in 1859 by another brother, J. L. Brown, who held the seat
until 1863. Both parents are dead. Mr. Borden graduated in arts at the
University of King’s College, Windsor, N.S., in June, 1866, and at
Harvard University in medicine in July, 1868. He was a member of King’s
College University Rifle Corps; was appointed assistant surgeon of the
68th battalion active militia 22nd October, 1869, surgeon on the 22nd
October, 1879, and principal medical officer of the brigade camp at
Aldershot in September, 1887. Dr. Borden has been agent of the Bank of
Nova Scotia at Canning since September, 1882. He was elected to
represent Kings county in the House of Commons at Ottawa in February,
1874; and re-elected in September, 1875. He was an unsuccessful
candidate in June, 1882, but was again elected in February, 1887, by a
majority of 448 votes. The doctor has practised his profession
(medicine) continuously at Canning since September, 1869, whither he had
removed from Canard (the old homestead), about four miles distant. He
married, first, Julia Maude Clarke, on 1st October, 1873. She died April
2nd, 1880. He married again, on June 12th, 1884, Bessie Blanche Clarke,
daughter of John H. Clarke, of Canning, N.S. Her mother’s maiden name
was Elizabeth Tupper, and she was a daughter of Augustus Tupper, who
contested Kings county several times unsuccessfully for a seat in the
Nova Scotian Assembly, and who was an uncle of Sir Charles Tupper.
* * * * *
=Silver, William Chamberlain=, President of the Chamber of Commerce,
Halifax, Nova Scotia, was born at Halifax, Nova Scotia, on December 3rd,
1814. He is a son of William Nyren Silver, of Port Lee, Hampshire, of
the Silvers of Ropley, Whitechurch, Southampton, England; and of
Elizabeth Chamberlain, whose family left New England at the close of the
revolutionary war. Mr. Silver received his education at the Halifax
Academy. When only twenty years of age he served as a colour sergeant in
the Light Infantry volunteers, and participated in the military display
held in honour of the coronation of Her Majesty, Queen Victoria, in
1838. He went early into business, and only of late years relaxed his
habit of constant application, so far as to spend the summer months with
his family, at a beautiful spot about six miles from Halifax, known as
River Bank, overlooking a long reach of Little Salmon River, a stream
well stocked with sea trout and salmon. This place was for a long time
the country seat of his father, and here Mr. Silver, when young,
naturally developed a strong _penchant_ for the “gentle art,” and became
a devoted disciple of Izaak Walton. Although he has taken a close
interest in politics, and been repeatedly pressed to accept nominations
for the Local and Dominion legislatures, as well as for the mayoralty of
his native city, yet, in consequence of lack of robust health, and the
heavy demands on his time of other public and private duties, he has
invariably declined. Mr. Silver, throughout the whole course of his
life, has incessantly laboured in the ranks of the temperance reformers,
and his name has stood prominent in every fresh effort to advance a
cause he has so much at heart. He joined the order of the Sons of
Temperance soon after its introduction into Nova Scotia, and in 1882 the
brotherhood conferred upon him the office of grand worthy patriarch of
the Grand Division of Nova Scotia. He has served as president of the
Halifax School Association, an association which carried to a successful
issue the object for which it was formed, viz., the establishment of a
public high school, the elevation of the standard of education in the
city schools, and the securing of equal rights to all in the educational
system. For many years he was vice-president of the Halifax Chamber of
Commerce, and as chairman of the Internal Trade Committee, he, with
others, took an active part in urging the government to base the tariff
of the Intercolonial Railway Company on principles adapted to national
development, as distinguished from trade principles. Mr. Silver also
served as chairman of the Joint Committee of Citizens and the Chamber of
Commerce, whose urgent representations to the government of the great
importance of extending the Intercolonial Railway to a more central
point of the city than the Richmond terminus, of the necessity for
building a deep water terminus and grain elevator, and of landing the
British mails at Halifax instead of Portland, contributed largely to the
accomplishment of these objects. Since 1884 Mr. Silver has been
president of the Chamber of Commerce. For many years he acted as
treasurer, and is now president of the Halifax Western Agricultural
Society, and was always an active promoter of the industrial and
agricultural exhibitions held in Halifax from time to time. For about
twenty years he has been treasurer of the Institute of Natural Science,
a society whose useful work is well known, and whose valued publications
are widely distributed through the scientific world. He has also filled
the office of president of the St. George’s Society, and for some years
was vice-president of the Halifax Library (eventually transferred to the
city). For many years he has been president of the Halifax Medical
Dispensary, and vice-president of the School for the Blind of the
Maritime provinces. In politics he was a Conservative up to the time of
confederation, when he joined the Liberals in opposing it. After the
Hon. Joseph Howe’s return from England, when it became clear that repeal
was impossible, he accepted the situation, and returned to the ranks of
the Conservatives, but on the unearthing of the Pacific scandal he again
changed sides. He took no part in the recent attempts to separate Nova
Scotia from the confederation. Mr. Silver has travelled a good deal. In
January, 1840, he sailed from Halifax for Liverpool in the barque
_Corsair_, steam navigation at that date being still in its infancy.
After a succession of heavy gales the ship was cast away near the mouth
of the Mersey river, when Mr. Silver and the other passengers were saved
by a lifeboat. On other occasions he has visited Europe with Mrs.
Silver, and in 1879 spent part of the summer in that garden of England,
the Isle of Wight. He has been a member of the Church of England from
childhood, but has always been found working shoulder to shoulder for
the common good with members of other religious bodies. He has acted as
representative of the church, first in the Diocesan Church Society, and
in later years both in the local and provincial synods, the latter of
which holds its sessions in Montreal. Among other offices connected with
church work, he filled the post of vice-president of the British and
Foreign Bible Society; president of the Halifax Church Institute;
vice-president of the Young Men’s Christian Association; chairman of the
Church Endowment Fund; vice-president of the Alumni of King’s College;
and governor of the same university. In 1885 he took part in an effort
to confederate the colleges of Nova Scotia, which, however, failed to
effect the object aimed at. Mr. Silver was married on the 2nd September,
1840, to Margaret Ann, daughter of Benjamin Etter, of “Bellevue,”
Halifax, N.S. Mrs. Silver’s mother was the daughter of a loyalist (and
also Mr. Silver’s mother). They left fortune and position in New England
at the close of the war of independence to follow the British standard
to Nova Scotia. Eight sons and five daughters were the fruit of this
union, all of whom are still living save two. Three of his sons are
associated with him in business; one, a graduate of Kings College and a
LL.B. of Harvard University Law Faculty, is practising law in Halifax;
and another is preparing for the medical profession at the University of
Edinburgh. One of his daughters is the wife of John Y. Payzant,
solicitor; another is married to Rev. John Morton, organizer of a most
extensive and successful missionary enterprise in the island of
Trinidad, British West Indies.
* * * * *
=Murphy, Martin=, Civil Engineer, Halifax, Nova Scotia, second son of
Thomas Murphy, contractor, was born at Ballindaggin, near Enniscorthy,
county Wexford, Ireland, on the 11th November, 1832. He received his
education at the best schools in his native county; and having selected
engineering as a profession, he has been employed without intermission
as a civil engineer and contractor from 1852 to the present time. When
only nineteen years, of age he joined the engineering staff of the late
William Dargan, and continued in the same employment for eleven years.
During this period his practice extended over the various public works
of the time constructed by Mr. Dargan throughout Ireland. At the age of
twenty-four he was engineer and manager of railway construction, and at
thirty was resident engineer of the Dublin, Wicklow and Wexford Railway,
then in operation to Enniscorthy, in which position he continued until
he came to America in 1868. He was employed during 1869 and 1870 as
engineer for extension of streets and sewerage in the city of Halifax;
then for the next two years in making surveys for the extension of
railways in Nova Scotia. For the next four years he was contractor on
the Intercolonial Railway of Canada. He was appointed provincial
government engineer for the province of Nova Scotia in 1876, a position
which he still holds. In Nova Scotia he exercised supervision over the
construction of the Western Counties, the Eastern Extension, and the
Spring Hill and Parrsboro’ railways, now in operation, and the Nova
Scotia Central and Maccan and Joggins railways, now being constructed.
He was consulted by the colonial government of Newfoundland respecting
railways. He has replaced nearly all the old wooden bridges of the
province of Nova Scotia with permanent structures of stone, concrete and
iron, and is now urging a system of road-making and maintenance. Mr.
Murphy is a member of the Canadian Society of Civil Engineers; a member
of the council of the Institute of Natural Science of Nova Scotia; and
also the author of several engineering papers. In 1861 he married Maria
Agnes Buckley, youngest daughter of Cornelius Buckley, of Banteer,
county Cork, Ireland.
* * * * *
=Barclay, Rev. John=, D.D., Presbyterian Minister, and honorary Chaplain
of the St. Andrew’s Society of Toronto, was born in Ayrshire, Scotland,
and died at Toronto on the 27th September, 1887, in his seventy-fifth
year. He came to Canada in 1842, and in December of the same year was
inducted pastor of the St. Andrew’s Church, then on the corner of Church
and Adelaide streets, Toronto. He retained the pastorate of this church
until 1870, when he was succeeded by the Rev. D. J. Macdonnell. Shortly
after this event the congregation divided, the majority going west to
the new church erected on the corner of King and Simcoe streets; and the
remainder, after a few more years occupation of the venerable church
edifice, also removed to a handsome church erected on the corner of
Jarvis and Carlton streets, the old pile being then removed to give
place to a block of new buildings. During his lifetime Rev. Dr. Barclay
was one of the business men of the church, and for some years clerk of
the presbytery; a member of the Temporalities Board; a trustee of
Queen’s College; and withal an ardent curler. In 1855 the University of
Glasgow conferred upon him the degree of D.D. He was not in good health
for some time previous to his death. The deceased gentleman began
immediately after his arrival in this country to take an active interest
in curling, and many of his friends remonstrated with him at that time,
considering it unbecoming a clergyman to indulge in such recreation; but
he maintained that the mind and body were only strengthened by such
invigorating exercise as the participation in this sport afforded, and
now-a-days there are many enthusiastic curlers in the ministry. About
seven years ago a controversy arose in the Ontario branch of the Royal
Caledonian Curling Club, as to whether the Ontario branch should cut
loose altogether from the older institution. James Russell proposed that
the Ontario branch should retain its connection with the R.C.C.C., on
condition that it be permitted to make its own laws and regulations, and
spend its money in the way best calculated to promote curling in
Ontario. Dr. Barclay strongly opposed any change from the original
arrangement, by which the Ontario branch was subservient to the
R.C.C.C., but after a struggle, Mr. Russell’s idea was adopted. Dr.
Barclay was chaplain of the Toronto Club for many years, and of the
Ontario branch since its formation. He made many friends in the city of
his adoption during his long and useful career, and his remains were
conveyed to their last resting place accompanied by a large concourse of
his acquaintances.
* * * * *
=Laviolette, Hon. Joseph Gaspard=, Montreal, M.L.C. for the Division of
De Lorimier, is a son of the late Lieut.-Colonel Laviolette, of St.
Eustache, county of Two Mountains, and Madame Adelaide Lemaire, St.
Germain, and was born at St. Eustache, on the 2nd March, 1812. After
attending the primary schools of his native town, he was sent to the
College of Montreal to complete his education, and went through a
thorough course of classical studies. He is seignior of the seigniory of
Sherrington, county of Napierville, and holds a commission of
lieutenant-colonel in the militia. He was appointed census commissioner
by the government of Canada in 1860, and again in 1870 by the same
government. He has occupied the post of warden of the county of
Napierville, and was also elected mayor of the town, and held a
commission of justice of the peace and commissioner for the summary
trial of small causes. Hon. Mr. Laviolette has always been an active
politician and a supporter of the Conservative party. He was appointed
to the Legislative Council of the province of Quebec, in 1876, for the
division of De Lorimier. For several years he was a director of the
Montreal and Champlain Railway. He was married twice, the first time to
Célanire, a daughter of the late Lieut.-Colonel Portelance, M.P.P.; the
second time to Corine, a daughter of André Bédard, N.P., brother to
Justice Bédard. He has a family of six children, two sons and four
daughters; one son is a merchant in San Francisco, Cal., the other a
druggist and M.D., in Montreal; three sons-in-law: A. Bélaire, merchant,
of St. Eustache, J. Girouard, M.D., of Longueuil, A. Marsolais, M.D., of
Montreal, and the late L. N. Duverger, merchant, of Montreal.
* * * * *
=Campbell, Francis Wayland=, M.A. (Bishop’s College), M.D. (McGill),
L.R.C.P. (London, England), was born in the city of Montreal, where he
still resides, on the 5th November, 1837. His father, the deceased Rollo
Campbell, for many years carried on the business of printer and
publisher, and was the proprietor of _The Pilot_, a political newspaper
that exerted a great influence in its day. This gentleman was born at
Dunning, Perthshire, Scotland, and settled in Canada many years ago. He
could trace his descent as far back as 1670, there being in the village
in which he was born a stone cottage, with a slab over the doorway with
the initials engraven thereon of “R. C. and J. F., 1670,” these letters
standing for “Rollo Campbell” and “Janet Fenton,” and from this pair Dr.
Campbell has sprung. On the maternal side, Dr. Campbell’s mother was
Elizabeth Steel, who was a native of Kilwinning, Scotland. He received
his general education at the Baptist College, Montreal; his medical
education he received at McGill University, in the same city, graduating
in 1860, and subsequently at the universities of Edinburgh and Glasgow,
and finally at London, where he took the English qualification of
licentiate of the Royal College of Physicians. On his return to Montreal
he commenced practice, and has succeeded in building up a lucrative
business. In 1872 Dr. Campbell joined with the late Drs. David and
Smallwood, and Drs. Hingston and Trenholme, in organizing the present
medical faculty of Bishop’s College in Montreal, and he was appointed
professor of physiology, and registrar. These offices he filled till
1882, when, on the death of Dr. David, he was chosen to fill the chair
of practice of medicine, and elected dean of the faculty, both of which
positions he still fills. Dr. Campbell represents Bishop’s College in
the College of Physicians and Surgeons of the province of Quebec; and
for the last seven years has been the secretary of this—the licensing
board of that province. He is a physician to the Montreal General
Hospital, and to the Western Hospital. This latter is at present the
only hospital in Canada devoted to the diseases of women. Although
others were connected with him in the early organization of this
hospital corporation, its equipment, and its actual commencement of
work, was due to Dr. Campbell, who assumed its rental, organized its
committee, and, till self-sustaining, supplied for two years a
considerable amount of money to sustain it. He is a consulting physician
to the Montreal Dispensary. Dr. Campbell is known as one of the best
life insurance medical men in the Dominion. Since 1868 he has been an
examiner for the New York Life, and two years ago was given charge, by
this company, of all its medical matters in Canada. His work with this
company occupies much of his time. He is also the chief medical officer
of the Citizens’ Life and Accident Company of Montreal; this he has held
for over eight years. Dr. Campbell takes a deep interest in the
volunteer movement, and his record as a volunteer is one of which any
man might be proud. He is surgeon of B. company Infantry School Corps,
permanent militia, and was lately promoted surgeon-major after twenty
years service as surgeon. He joined No. 2 company of Montreal
Independent Rifles as a private in the summer of 1855, at the age of
sixteen years. In 1858, when it formed No. 2 company of the 1st
Battalion Volunteer Militia Rifles of Canada, he became hospital
sergeant of the battalion. In May, 1860, on his graduation as M.D., he
was gazetted its assistant surgeon, and in 1866 served with it (then
become the 1st Prince of Wales Rifles) on the eastern frontier during
the Fenian raid. On the 6th October, 1866, he was gazetted surgeon of
the regiment, and again served with it at Pigeon Hill and St. John’s,
Quebec, during the Fenian raid of 1870. He continued as surgeon of the
Prince of Wales Rifles till the 21st December, 1883, when he was
transferred to the permanent force as surgeon of Infantry School Corps.
On leaving the Prince of Wales Rifles, with which he had been connected
for twenty-eight years, Dr. Campbell addressed a letter to his brother
officers, in which he made a statement such as few men in the force
could make, viz.: that up to that date, during his entire connection
with it, the regiment had never turned out, either for active service or
holiday parade, that he had not been with them. What this means can only
be fully appreciated by those who know the large amount of varied
service which the Prince of Wales Rifles have performed. Dr. Campbell is
a past master of Victoria lodge, late C.R., A. F. and A. M., and now an
active member of Royal Albert lodge. He is president of the Upsalquitch
Salmon Club, holding a lease on the Restigouche river, in New Brunswick,
and is an enthusiastic salmon fisherman. In politics he is a
Liberal-Conservative, and a member of the Junior Conservative
Association of Montreal. He has travelled a good deal, having crossed
the Atlantic twelve times, and been over most of the European continent.
In religious matters he is a Baptist. He was married in October, 1861,
in Greenock, Scotland, to Agnes Stuart Rodger, of the same town. Her
maternal grandfather, Walter Washington Buchanan, was born at
Morristown, New Jersey, U.S.A., and was christened in General
Washington’s arms, Kosciusko and Lafayette being his godfathers. On
Washington’s death, he bequeathed to him his camp knives and forks,
which are now in possession of Mrs. Campbell’s brother, Walter
Washington Buchanan Rodger, of Bagatelle, Greenock. In Dr. Buchanan’s
early life he was an intimate playmate of Washington Irving, and the two
have often rolled hoops around New York city. He subsequently entered
the American navy, and was afterwards professor of midwifery in Columbia
College, New York. While in the navy he served under Commodore Sands,
and was on Lake Ontario during the war of 1812. He subsequently
inherited property in Scotland, and removed thither, where he died.
* * * * *
=Park, William A.=, Newcastle, M.P.P. for the County of Northumberland,
New Brunswick, was born at Douglastown, Miramichi, N.B. on the 27th
June, 1853. His father, William Park, a merchant in Newcastle, N.B., is
a native of Dumfries, Scotland, who settled in Miramichi about five
years before the great fire of 1825, and engaged extensively in the
milling and lumbering business. His mother, Margaret McLaggan, is a
native of New Brunswick, and is a daughter of the late Alexander
McLaggan, of Blackville, Northumberland, N.B. William A. Park, the
subject of our sketch, received his education at the Presbyterian
Academy, Chatham, and at Harkin’s Seminary in Newcastle. He studied law
as a profession; was admitted as an attorney for New Brunswick in April,
1875, and called to the bar of the same province in April, 1876. He
carries on his practice in Newcastle, and does a good business. For some
time Mr. Park was connected with the volunteer militia, but of late
years his numerous other engagements have precluded him from taking an
active interest in the force. From 1876 to 1879 he was a municipal
councillor for Newcastle; and was warden of the county of Northumberland
in 1877. In 1882, at the general election held that year, he was elected
to the New Brunswick legislature for Northumberland county, and was
again returned at the general election in 1886. Mr. Park is a
Liberal-Conservative in politics, and has always supported the policy of
the Dominion government, led by Sir John A. Macdonald. In religion he is
an adherent of the Presbyterian church.
* * * * *
=Inch, James R.=, M.A., LL.D., Sackville, New Brunswick, President of
the University of Mount Allison College, Sackville, is one of the
veteran educationists of Canada, having been engaged in the work of
teaching for the last thirty-seven years. He is of Scotch-Irish descent.
His parents, Nathaniel Inch and Anne Armstrong, emigrated from the
neighbourhood of Enniskillen to New Brunswick in 1824, and settled in
Petersville, Queens county, where the subject of this sketch, the
youngest of eight children, was born on the 29th of April, 1835. His
early education was in the district school of his native place and at
the High School of Gagetown, the county town. In 1850, after attendance
at the St. John Training School, he received the license of a
first-class teacher. After spending three years in the Public school
service, he accepted in 1854 a situation at Mount Allison Academy, an
institution founded by the late C. F. Allison, at Sackville, and then
under the principalship of the Rev. H. Pickard, D.D. In 1862 Mount
Allison College was organized with university powers. Mr. Inch entered
the junior-class, and took his B.A. degree in 1864, and M.A. three years
later. Upon receiving the baccalaureate degree in 1864, he was called to
the charge of the Ladies’ Academy, at that time without financial
resources, heavily burdened with debt, and having but a slight hold upon
public confidence. In the arduous and important work of building up this
branch of the Mount Allison institutions he laboured for fourteen years,
and not without marked success; for when in 1878 he was elected to the
presidency of the college, he left the Ladies’ Academy in a high state
of efficiency, the buildings having been renovated, greatly enlarged and
refurnished, the debt paid, and the public confidence and patronage
fully secured. Before entering upon the duties of the presidency and of
the chair of philosophy and logic, he was honoured by his _alma mater_
with the degree of LL.D. As president of the college, Dr. Inch has been
obliged, in addition to his professional duties, to devote much of his
time and energy to the work of extending and strengthening the material
resources of the institution. Under his _régime_, besides many general
improvements, the endowment fund has been increased, by about one
hundred thousand dollars, and a handsome stone university building
erected at a cost of thirty-five thousand dollars. In 1876 the
government of Nova Scotia appointed Dr. Inch a Fellow of the University
of Halifax, a degree-conferring university, modelled after the
University of London, and intended to consolidate university education
in the province of Nova Scotia. The University of Halifax, from causes
which need not be here mentioned, had but a brief existence; yet during
its organization and its subsequent history, Dr. Inch, as a member of
the Senate and examiner in mental science and logic, rendered it loyal
and valuable service. In 1880, accompanied by his daughter, Dr. Inch
spent three months in Europe, travelling extensively in England,
Scotland, Ireland, Holland, Germany, France, and Switzerland. In
crossing the Atlantic the steamship _Anchoria_, in which he had taken
passage, when about three hundred miles from Sandy Hook, came into
collision, during a dense fog, with the steamship _Queen_, both vessels
being under full headway. The _Anchoria_ was struck abaft the foremast
and cut down nearly to the keel; the _Queen_, though not so badly
damaged as the _Anchoria_, had her bow completely demolished and her
forward compartment opened to the waves. The _Anchoria’s_ passengers
hastily took to the boats, were transferred to the _Queen_, and brought
in safety back to New York. More than a thousand human beings, many of
them women and children, were by this accident placed for hours in
deadly peril, and yet, through the mercy of Providence, not a life was
lost. It is doubtful whether the records of ocean disaster furnish a
parallel case. Dr. Inch is an active member of the Methodist church, and
a member of the General Conference Special Committee, to whose care the
general interests of the denomination are entrusted during the interim
between the conference sessions. As representative of his district he
has attended all the general conferences except the first—at Montreal
in 1878, at Hamilton in 1882, at Belleville in 1883, and at Toronto in
1886. He is also a member of the Board of Management of the Church
Educational Society, and lay treasurer of the fund for supernumerary
ministers. In 1886 he was elected vice-president for the province of New
Brunswick of the American Institute of Christian Philosophy. Dr. Inch
was married in 1854 to Mary Alice Dunn, of Keswick, York county, and has
one daughter, now the wife of Prof. Sidney W. Hunton, of Mount Allison
University.
* * * * *
=Evanturel, Francis Eugene Alfred=, LL.B., St. Victor d’Alfred, M.P.P.
for Prescott, was born at Quebec, on 31st August, 1849. He is the eldest
son of the Hon. Francis Evanturel, who was minister of agriculture in
the Macdonald-Sicotte administration in 1862. His grandfather, François
Evanturel, after serving in the French army under Napoleon Bonaparte,
when he took part in some of his great battles, emigrated to Canada and
settled in Quebec, where he died. Mr. Evanturel received his education
at the Seminary of Quebec, and after completing his classical studies at
that institution, followed the law course of Laval University, graduated
B.A. and LL.B. in 1870, and was admitted to the bar of the province of
Quebec in January, 1872. He then entered into partnership with the late
Judge McCord, and they practised for a year under the firm name of
McCord & Evanturel. At that period he was offered a position in the
civil service at Ottawa; he accepted and removed to the latter city,
where he remained for several years. During his residence in Ottawa he
took a prominent part in the organization of the Institut-Canadien and
St. Jean Baptiste Society. He was elected school trustee in 1874, for
the most important ward—Wellington—of Ottawa, and held the position
for two years. In 1878 he resigned his position in the civil service and
removed to Prescott county, where the French population was fast coming
to the front, and had no interpreter before the public and the courts.
In 1883 he presented himself to the electorate of the county of
Prescott, for the Provincial legislature, against Mr. Hagar, the old
member, and was defeated by a few votes. At the last general election,
however (December, 1886), he again entered the field against James
Molloy, and was elected by a majority of 200, as a supporter of the
Mowat administration. Mr. Evanturel had always been a supporter of the
Tory party until that period, but the savage attacks of the _Mail_ upon
the French Canadians and the Catholics of the country, coupled with the
intolerance and bigotry displayed by a certain portion of the population
of Ontario, caused him to sever his connection with the Conservatives,
and become an out-and-out Liberal. He did effective work in the county
of Ottawa during the by-election held in that county in September, 1887,
and it was largely due to his exertions that Mr. Rochon, mayor of Hull,
was elected to the legislature of Quebec by an immense majority (over
1,200), as a supporter of the Mercier cabinet. Mr. Evanturel, who is a
distinguished English scholar, and an eloquent and forcible speaker, had
the honor to be chosen by the Hon. Mr. Mowat to second the address in
reply to the speech from the Throne, at the opening of the session of
1887, of the Ontario legislature. The speech he delivered on this
occasion was highly praised, even by the newspapers which are the
bitterest foes of the race he so ably represents in the legislature. A
couple of obscure sheets tried to cast aspersions on his able effort,
and yet the manly and independent stand he took forced the admiration of
all, and he was accorded “British fair play,” in the broadest sense of
the term, by almost the entire community of Ontario. He was also greatly
admired for his attitude on the _home rule_ question when it was brought
up in the legislature during the same session. Having inherited the
chivalrous nature of his ancestors, he could not see a people oppressed
without raising his voice on their behalf. Mr. Evanturel has a bright
future before him, and the capabilities he displayed on the threshold of
his parliamentary career will soon bring him to the front rank of the
able politicians of the country, and he will thus enjoy the pre-eminence
attained by his father in Canadian politics. He was invited by the
French societies of the counties of Essex, Russell, Glengarry, etc., to
deliver orations on important occasions. As a writer, Mr. Evanturel is
well known, having contributed several articles on political topics to
the English and French press, and at the present time he is
editor-in-chief of _L’Interpréte_, a newspaper published at Alfred,
Ontario, in the interests of the French population of Eastern Ontario.
In 1873 he married Louisa Lee, granddaughter of the late Justice Van
Felson, judge of the Superior Court for the district of Montreal, by
whom he has issue two children, one son and one daughter.
* * * * *
=Jolliffe, Rev. William John=, B.C.L., Methodist Minister, Quebec city,
was born in Liskeard, Cornwall, England, on the 22nd December, 1846. His
father, John Jolliffe, who was born in Liskeard, was reared in the
Church of England, but when a young man joined the Methodist
denomination. His mother, Ann Berbeck Vyvyan, was a native of Plymouth,
in Devonshire, England. She died in 1873. The Rev. Mr. Jolliffe’s
father, intending his son to follow business, educated him in the public
and private schools of his native place, the former of which he left
when thirteen years of age. But young Jolliffe, having a strong
impression that he would some day enter the ministry, and, being very
fond of reading, his further studies were pursued with that end in view.
On his eighteenth birthday he preached his first sermon. While preparing
to enter the ministry in England he was induced by the late Rev. Mr.
Saunders, then of Oshawa, Ontario, who was at that time on a visit to
Britain, to come out to Canada. Accordingly he left his native land, and
landed in Quebec in November, 1868. Proceeding west he was appointed a
junior preacher in the Bowmanville circuit, the Rev. Richard Whiting,
now an ex-president of the Montreal Conference, being his first
superintendent. He was ordained in London, Ontario, in June, 1873, the
Rev. Dr. Rice being the president of the conference. While stationed in
Montreal the Rev. Mr. Jolliffe entered McGill University as a law
student, and graduated in 1882 with the degree of B.C.L. For some time
he was stationed at Coaticooke, a growing town in the Eastern Townships,
province of Quebec; and is now pastor of the Methodist Church in the
ancient capital. He is also chairman of the Quebec district. The Rev.
Mr. Jolliffe, we have no hesitation in saying, is a minister of very
superior abilities, “rightly dividing” and clearly expounding the Word
of God. He has been highly esteemed in every station he has occupied,
and may be considered in every respect a fine example of what a
Christian minister should be—faithful to duty, and most courteous in
his intercourse with all classes of the community. He has been active in
all good works, especially in the temperance movement, and been
connected with the Sons of Temperance and the Good Templars. In politics
he has always voted for the _man_ and not the _party_. While in England
he was allied with the Liberal party, and would still be if he were
residing there, but in Canada his sympathies incline to the Conservative
party. Rev. Mr. Jolliffe has two brothers in the Methodist ministry: the
Rev. C. E. Jolliffe, now stationed in England, and the Rev. E. Jolliffe,
a missionary in British Honduras. While a strong believer in the
doctrines of the Methodist church, the Rev. Mr. Jolliffe is in favor of
the extension of the pastoral term, and believes, as many others also
do, that it would be in the interests of the church as a whole if the
time-honored system of frequent changes were abolished. He was married
on the 8th of July, 1874, to Clara Robinson, fifth daughter of Isaac
Robinson, of Toronto.
* * * * *
=Armstrong, Hon. James=, Q.C., C.M.G., Sorel, province of Quebec, son of
Charles Logie Armstrong, descendant of a United Empire loyalist, and of
Marjory Ferguson, daughter of Alexander Ferguson, of Restigouche,
district of Gaspé, was born at Berthier, province of Quebec, in 1821. He
was educated at Berthier and Sorel academies, and called to the Quebec
bar, 1844. Mr. Armstrong was appointed Crown prosecutor for the district
of Richelieu in 1864, and as such conducted the trial of Provencher, for
the murder of Joutras, poisoned by strychnine, being the first case
actually tried for such an offence in Canada, and when the “color test”
of Messrs. Girdwood & Rogers was established. The _Evening Telegraph_ of
the 15th April, 1867, referring to the celebrated trial, said: “The
crime was clearly proved on a trial of unusual length. We mention the
matter particularly now to express in a marked manner our appreciation
of the way in which the case was got up and conducted throughout for the
Crown. Having followed it day by day, and carefully gone over the
evidence since, we feel justified in saying that there has not been
these twenty years in Lower Canada a criminal case of the magnitude and
difficulty so carefully and thoroughly prepared, and so completely and
convincingly placed before the jury. If it lacked the fire-work flashes
of eloquence, to which too many criminal lawyers trust, it showed at
every step of its long course the true genius, intelligence directing
patient labor in mastering every difficulty, seeking for, finding, and
welding into one chain the many far scattered and deep hidden links of
evidence.” He was appointed chief justice of St. Lucia, West Indies,
1871, where the old French law was in force, and in 1880 to the chief
justiceship of Tobago, which he held, conjointly with that of St. Lucia.
He was created a companion of the most distinguished order of Saint
Michael and Saint George in 1879. He is author of a “Treatise on the Law
of Marriage of the Province of Quebec,” and of the “Law of Intestacy of
the Dominion” (1886). In conjunction with Sir George William Desveaux,
then governor, he prepared the civil code of St. Lucia, based in a great
measure upon that of Quebec in civil matters, and succeeded in having
laws passed by the legislature, enacting that the laws of England should
prevail in commercial and criminal matters. He afterwards prepared a
code of civil procedure. He received the thanks of the Legislative
Council of St. Lucia “for the great service rendered by him in the
preparation of the codes.” He resigned office in December, 1881. The
governor, in announcing this to the Legislature, said: “He regretted to
have to inform the Council that he had received a despatch from the
Secretary of State, notifying him of the retirement of Chief Justice
Armstrong, which he considered would be a serious loss to the colony.”
The Legislature passed a vote of thanks embodying the opinion of the
governor. In a despatch to the Earl of Kimberley, the governor wrote: “I
cannot close this despatch without placing on record my appreciation of
the invaluable services rendered to the colony by Mr. Armstrong during
his term of office of chief justice,” and after mentioning Mr.
Armstrong’s labors on the code and revision of the statutes, added:
“Measures such as these will stamp Mr. Armstrong’s term of office as one
which, whilst reflecting the greatest credit upon himself, will be
remembered in this island as the inauguration of a new and more simple
machinery for the administration of law and justice.” Mr. Armstrong was
appointed, in 1886, by the Dominion government, a member of the
commission for the purpose, among others, of inquiring into and
reporting upon the subject of labor, its relation to capital, and to
inquire into and report on the practical operations of courts of
arbitration and conciliation in the settlement of disputes between
employers and employees, and the best mode of settling disputes. He is
married to Charlotte, daughter of the late Major Hercule Olivier, who
was wounded in the engagement at Plattsburg, in 1812.
* * * * *
=Steeves, Chipman Archibald=, Barrister, Moncton, New Brunswick, was
born at Hillsborough, N.B., on the 28th of January, 1880. His father,
Joseph A. Steeves, was descended from a German family, formerly called
“Steiff,” a common name in Germany, who, after leaving Fatherland,
resided for some time in Pennsylvania, and then made their home in New
Brunswick a few years before the arrival of the U. E. loyalists. His
mother, Rebecca Taylor, is of Irish descent, her people having come from
the north of Ireland. Mr. Steeves was educated at the public schools in
Albert county, and at the Baptist Seminary in Fredericton; and studied
law with the present Judge Palmer, at St. John, N.B. He was admitted an
attorney on the 21st October, 1876. In September, 1878, Mr. Steeves was
appointed by the Mackenzie government official assignee under the
Insolvency Act of 1875, for the county of Westmoreland, and this office
he held until the repeal of the law. At present he is one of the school
trustees for the town of Moncton, and is also a member of the Moncton
town council. From early youth he has been connected with the temperance
movement, though at this moment he is not a member of any of the
existing temperance organizations. Mr. Steeves has travelled,
accompanied by his wife, through portions of the United States and
Europe, and has visited Rome and Naples, and been up Vesuvius and down
into the Catacombs. He was brought up in the Baptist faith, and is a
member of the Baptist church. On the 15th November, 1877, he was
married, at St. John, N.B., to a daughter of Dr. W. Y. Theal, formerly
of that city. This lady has a number of brothers and sisters, one of
whom, George M. Theal, resides in, and fills a government position at,
Cape Town, South Africa, and has written and published several works on
the history, geography, and folk-lore of Africa, which have been adopted
and used in public schools. Mr. Steeves has two brothers, who are
masters of British iron steamers, and one sister, who is married, and
resides in St. John, N.B.
* * * * *
=Bourinot, John George=, LL.D., Ottawa, Honorary Secretary of the Royal
Society of Canada, Fellow of the Statistical Society of London, Honorary
Corresponding Secretary of the Royal Colonial Institute, Clerk of the
House of Commons, Canada, and author of several important works and
essays, was born at Sydney, Nova Scotia, on the 24th of October, 1836.
He is a son of the late Hon. J. Bourinot, senator of the Dominion, and
grandson of Judge Marshall, of Nova Scotia. His mother was a daughter of
the late Judge Marshall, well-known as an advocate of temperance, and
for his works on religious and social topics. His father’s family came
originally from Normandy, were Huguenots, and settled in the Island of
Jersey. The Marshalls were Irish originally. The father of Judge
Marshall was a captain in the British army, and a loyalist. In his early
days Mr. Bourinot received his intellectual training under the tutorship
of the Rev. W. Y. Porter, at Sydney. The preceptor saw much promise in
the lad, and often spoke highly of his quickness and perception, and of
the strength of his intellectual grasp. When this period of tutorship
was over, his father conceived the idea of sending him to the University
of Trinity College, Toronto. At college young Bourinot distinguished
himself, and he always was a prominent figure in his class. His industry
frequently called forth admiration; and he secured the Wellington and
other scholarships. When he left college he could not easily decide upon
a calling. It was with the young graduate as it has been with all men
possessed of a pervading literary instinct. He was restive, and looked
with dissatisfaction at any course of life that promised only a drudgery
and a routine, removed from the dear aspiration that was in him. The
newspaper press has always afforded a sort of escapement for literary
yearning; and as was quite natural to expect, to the newspaper press the
young man attached himself in the meantime. He became parliamentary
reporter and editor, continuing in such position for some time.
Subsequently, in 1860, he established the Halifax _Reporter_, and was
chief editor of that journal for a number of years. From 1861 to the
year of confederation, Mr. Bourinot was likewise chief official reporter
of the Nova Scotia Assembly. In 1863 he was appointed to the Senate as
shorthand writer, and this office he retained until appointed second
clerk assistant of the House of Commons, in April, 1873. In February,
1879, he was appointed first clerk assistant, and on the 18th of
December, 1880, he became chief clerk of the House of Commons. Through
the greater part of his life Mr. Bourinot has been a tireless literary
worker, and his articles are remembered by all who take an interest in
the discussion of important public questions. His essay on the
“Intellectual Development of Canada,” which appeared in the pages of the
“Canadian Monthly,” was a careful, elaborate and valuable treatise on
the intellectual development of the colonies as an unwedded brotherhood,
and of Canada subsequent to the union. He has contributed to many
leading papers of this continent, to the Toronto _Mail_ in its
inception, and to the New York _World_. He was for years one of the best
known contributors to the “Canadian Monthly.” His desire has always been
to create a love for Canadian subjects. He has contributed papers to the
Royal Colonial Institute, which have attracted much attention. One of
these papers, which referred to the federation of the empire, was deemed
so important that Justin McCarthy devoted a whole chapter of his
“History of our Times” to its consideration. An article in “Blackwood”
(to which he has been one of the very few Canadian contributors), on the
“Progress of the New Dominion,” was reviewed by the London _Times_ as
“the best article that has yet appeared on the subject in a British
periodical.” He has also written other papers in the “Westminster
Review,” the “London Quarterly,” the “Scottish Review,” and other
leading British periodicals, with the view of making Canada better known
to the British world. A monograph on “Local Government in Canada,” which
appeared in 1886, attracted much attention in England and Canada, and
was reprinted in the series of historical and political science, which
is published by the Johns Hopkins University, Maryland. Of late years he
has devoted his leisure time for the most part to constitutional and
parliamentary studies, and has written a large work on “The Practice and
Procedure of Parliament, with a review of the origin and growth of
parliamentary institutions in the Dominion of Canada,” which has been
most favorably reviewed in England and Canada, and has already been
accepted as a constitutional authority in every dependency of the Crown.
The London _Times_, in a three-column review, wrote most approvingly of
the work, and the Australian press has also noticed it in very
eulogistic terms. Mr. Bourinot is an advocate of the grand idea of
Imperial Federation, and a member of the executive committee appointed
at a public meeting in Montreal, in May, 1885, with the object of
promoting the scheme. In April, 1887, Mr. Bourinot received the honorary
degree of LL.D. from Queen’s University, Kingston. Mr. Bourinot was
married in October, 1865, to Emily Alden Pilsbury, daughter of the
American consul at Halifax, who was distinguished for her remarkable
beauty and many accomplishments. She died in September, 1887, amid the
regrets of a very large circle of friends. She belonged to a well-known
family of Maine, which is connected with that of the famous Governor
Endicott, who played so important a part in the annals of the old
colonial times of New England.
* * * * *
=Moles, Robert George=, Arnprior, Ontario, was born in the township of
Yonge, county of Leeds, on the 7th October, 1845. He is the youngest son
of the late Edward Moles, Leeds county. Mr. Moles received his education
in the public school of his township; and in 1866 he began business as a
photographer in the city of Hamilton, and remained there until 1868,
when he removed to Arnprior, in which place he has since resided and
built up a good business. In 1873 he established the Art Union Copying
Company, of which he was manager for several years; and did a large
business throughout Canada in copying and enlarging portraits for the
trade. In 1874 Mr. Moles took an active part in the establishment of
Vivian lodge, No. 146, Independent Order of Oddfellows, of which he was
a charter member, and was four times elected to represent it in the
Grand Lodge of Ontario. He is also an active Freemason, and for several
years held the position of master in Madawaska lodge, No. 196. Mr. Moles
has been a member of the Arnprior Board of Education for the past
fifteen years; and in 1884 and 1885 occupied a seat in the municipal
council. In January, 1886, he was chosen reeve of Arnprior, and occupied
the position with honour to himself and credit to the town. He has
always been closely identified with every enterprise which has had for
its object the improvement and advancement of the place in which he
resides, and his fellow-citizens duly appreciate his work. In politics
Mr. Moles is a Conservative, and is secretary of the South Renfrew
Conservative Association. On the 20th March, 1866, he was married to
Mary, youngest daughter of John Burgess, Hamilton, and has a family of
six children, four daughters and two sons.
* * * * *
=Doney, Charles=, Merchant, Ottawa, province of Ontario, was born at
Lannevet, in Cornwall, England, on the 10th March, 1854. His father,
William Doney, was one of the earliest railway contractors in Great
Britain, and aided in the construction of most of the trunk lines in the
west of England. He is at present one of the twenty-five individuals who
receive a life pension from the Railway Association of Officers in Great
Britain as a reward for distinguished railway services. This pension is
granted by a majority of votes from the railway officers throughout the
kingdom. His mother, Elizabeth Hawke, is descended from one of the
oldest families and landed proprietors of Cornwall; her father being
Thomas Hawke, of Tintagel, whose father was Thomas Hawke, of St. Kew.
They owned estates in different parts of the county, and carried on
business at (1) the Pollard Tucking Mills, weaving blankets; (2) the St.
Tudy flouring mills; (3) the Polrade farms and the Soloden’s farm in the
parish of St. Tudy; (4) the Trevilla farm in the parish of St. Teath;
(5) the Fenteonadel farm, in the parish of St. Brewevard; (6) the Tippen
farm, in the parish of Tintagel, near King Arthur’s castle; and (7) the
Beslow farm, in the parish of Tintagel. Mr. Doney’s parents now reside
in Plymouth, England. Charles Doney, the subject of our sketch, being of
an adventurous and speculative turn of mind, decided against his
parents’ wishes, to leave his native land, and sailed for America.
Arriving in Canada on the 2nd of February, 1874, he went direct to the
city of Ottawa, where he filled a humble position until November of the
same year, when he decided to prepare himself for a commercial career.
Entering the Ottawa Business College, after three months’ study, the
shortest on record, he graduated, receiving a diploma. He then received
the position of book-keeper and assistant manager of the Clarendon
Hotel, Ottawa. He remained here nine months, and then was appointed,
through the introduction of the late Hon. James Skead, caterer to the
Senate of Canada. At the same time he received the appointment of
steward of the steamer _Queen Victoria_, of the Ottawa River Navigation
Company, which gave him employment during the summer months. Two years
after the _Queen Victoria_ was destroyed by fire, and then he made use
of his time by travelling through the Western States and Canada, and
spent some months studying the French language in the College of Ste.
Thérèse, in the province of Quebec. In 1881 he resigned his position as
caterer to the Senate for the purpose of entering into business as a
retail shoe merchant, and opened a store at 65 Sparks street, Ottawa,
where after three years he removed to his new and handsome store in the
Scottish Ontario Chambers, 52 Sparks street. Within six years after this
he placed himself at the head of the shoe business in Ottawa, being now
president of the Ottawa Shoe Company, and proprietor of the store in the
Scottish Ontario Chambers, which is recognized as being the leading shoe
establishment in Ottawa. As a merchant, for his years, and without any
other aid or capital to start him in his Canadian career, save youth and
energy, he has certainly been remarkably successful; but as a writer he
stands out unique. The talents which make a successful trader and those
which tend to success in the field of literature are generally supposed
to be diametrically opposed to each other, and they really are; yet he
has demonstrated beyond dispute that he is possessed of both. In 1881 he
started out in his career as a trader; in 1887 he is the recognized
leader in his city of his particular line of trade. In May, 1886, he
entered the field of “trade” literature in the United States. To-day,
1887, he is recognized and has fairly earned the recognition of being
the first and best writer throughout the continent of America among shoe
merchants. In the early part of 1886 the publishers of the _Boot and
Shoe Recorder_, of Boston, the leading shoe paper of the United States,
offered three prizes, first, second, and third, for the best essays from
shoe merchants, on “How to Manage a Retail Shoe Store.” Mr. Doney was
the first to reply, sending in his essay within four days after the
prizes were offered. The _Recorder_ acknowledged the receipt of the
essay with many compliments, and decided to publish it in their next
issue, May 19, 1886. From this day it can be fairly claimed that Mr.
Doney has been famous throughout America as a writer upon shoe topics,
and his name is continually in the ascendency. This competition went on
for over five months, and although all the other writers had the
advantage of reading Mr. Doney’s essay, and the president of the Shoe
Dealers’ Association of the United States was among the competitors, yet
by vote throughout the United States and Canada, the shoe merchants
awarded Mr. Doney the first prize, giving to their president the second.
The _Boot and Shoe Recorder_ on June 8, 1887, forwarded to him a
beautiful silver tea and coffee service of six pieces in recognition of
first prize. Inscribed on the coffee pot are the words, “Presented to C.
Doney for Prize Essay, 1886.” Mr. Doney is the only known shoe merchant
holding a prize for a similar effort or for any other production in the
field of literature throughout America. In his youth he always found
pleasure in writing upon subjects beyond his years. When a boy of
fourteen he wrote for self-amusement an essay upon the “Lord’s Supper,”
which obtained quite a circulation among his private circle. During the
time he held the position of caterer to the Senate, about 1877, he wrote
a small temperance novel of one hundred pages, and published it some
five years after it was written, its title being “John the Flunky.” This
little work has many faults, some of them slightly ridiculous; but the
book, as a boy’s mere free will effort, shows the bent of the author’s
mind and undoubted mental capacity. He has completed a second novel
which he intends to publish in 1888, and as G. W. Bengough has consented
to illustrate it, we may infer that it is at least creditable. It will
make a book of 244 pages, and with illustrations by Mr. Bengough, will
become a volume of 275 pages. Its title is “David Morrice; or the
Reunion of the Races.” Mr. Doney is a constant contributor to the _Boot
and Shoe Recorder_, of Boston; the _Shoe and Leather Review_, of
Chicago, and occasionally to _The Merchant_, of Toronto, and _Leather
Gazette_, of St. Louis. The _Review_, of Chicago, pays him regularly for
editorials for its shoe dealers’ department. As an inventor he is the
possessor of two patents; one for a plate for the heel of a rubber shoe
which it is generally conceded will bring him good returns. It is a
simple device, but being a universal want in a climate such as Canada
possesses, it has the merit of being an excellent commercial idea. The
other is a plate for the heel of a leather boot or shoe. This plate will
also in all probability become much used, as it is decidedly the best of
its kind ever invented. We think it is not too much to predict for Mr.
Doney a successful career.
* * * * *
=Longworth, Hon. John=, Q.C., Prothonotary of the Supreme Court of
Prince Edward Island. The Hon. Mr. Longworth, who died at Charlottetown,
on the 11th of April, 1885, in the seventy-first year of his age, was
born in Charlottetown, on the 19th September, 1814, and was a son of
Francis Longworth, who came to the island when a young man, and during
his residence there held many important and responsible offices. He was
a member of a highly respectable Irish family, and married Agnes Auld, a
native of Prince Edward Island, her parents being from Ayrshire,
Scotland. Hon. Mr. Longworth received his education at the old Central
Academy, Charlottetown, and studied law with Sir Robert Hodgson, when he
was attorney-general of the province. He was admitted as an attorney of
the Supreme Court in the autumn of 1837, and was called to the bar in
the autumn of the next year. He went to England for a year, and
returning to Charlottetown, opened a law office there in 1840, and was
created a Queen’s counsel on the 23rd of May, 1863. He served as a
deputy judge of the Vice-Admiralty Court of the province, a member of
the legislature for twelve years, a member of the government for eight
years, at various times, as Queen’s counsel, and as attorney-general,
with credit to himself and advantage to the country. The administration
of which he was an influential member, first led by the Hon. Edward
Palmer, now chief justice of the province, afterwards by the Hon.
Colonel Gray, C.M.G., was a strong and able one, and during its
existence many measures of great importance to the well being of the
province were carried into effect. Amongst them was the purchase by the
government of the Selkirk and Cunard estates, two of the largest and
most valuable estates in the province, made upon terms highly favourable
to the interests of the government and tenantry; and as a mark of the
Queen’s approval of the general policy of the administration, Mr.
Longworth and his colleagues, on their retirement in May, 1867, received
Her Majesty’s special sanction and authority to retain the rank and
title which they held as members of Her Executive Council. Mr.
Longworth’s politics were Conservative, but it is well known that the
acts and legislation of the present Dominion government, especially in
connection with the Pacific Railway, and its trade or national policy,
did not meet his approval, this policy being especially, in Mr.
Longworth’s opinion, highly detrimental to the most vital interests of
Prince Edward Island and the other Maritime provinces. The deceased
gentleman was well known as a consistent and devoted member of St.
Paul’s, Church of England. He was a man of sound Christian character,
generous impulses, a kind friend to the unfortunate, and his career as a
public and private member to the community, won for him the warm respect
of all who had the pleasure of being intimately acquainted with him. He
married in March, 1847, Elizabeth W. Tremaine, daughter of Richard
Tremaine, of Halifax, Nova Scotia, and by her had six children, of whom
three died. He left a widow, two sons and one daughter to mourn his
loss.
* * * * *
=Hossack, William=, of Mount Pleasant, Quebec, was born in the ancient
capital, on the 12th January, 1814, and has continued to reside there
ever since. He is the eldest of twelve children of the late William
Hossack, who for so many years was engaged in the grocery trade in
Quebec. The Hossacks came to Quebec from Morayshire, Scotland, about the
middle of last century, though their origin is Danish. For several
generations the name has been a prominent one in Quebec in connection
with the grocery trade, the family business being still in the hands of
a member of the family, George Hossack, of Garden street. The subject of
our sketch, after receiving a good English and commercial education at
old Mr. Thom’s Academy, became associated with his father in business,
and continued with him until he was in a position to start in life for
himself. His first venture was in the leather trade, but the great fire
of Quebec in 1845, which destroyed millions worth of property, destroyed
Hossack’s tannery and warehouse, involving the young and enterprising
owner of it in what seemed at one time the commercial ruin of the city.
Nothing daunted, however, the young merchant set to work to recruit his
fallen fortunes. A short time after the terrible calamity which befell
his native city, he once more took to his father’s line of business, and
soon forgot his first commercial drawback in the prosperity which began
to smile on his new enterprise. After many years of close attention to
his business, he eventually found himself in a position to retire on a
competency. His inclinations had always been those of a careful reader
of books and events, and now, when he found leisure on his hands, even
while he had but yet attained to the prime of life, he determined to
travel in Europe and Egypt, where for months he passed from city to
city, visiting the scenes of historic interest, and deepening the
impressions gained of such by desultory study. Even while busily engaged
with his daily occupations as a business man, he was known to be one who
was fond of what people call heavy reading; and he was now able to
mature his native intelligence within the broader and deeper light of a
personal experience with the scenes of which he had read. On his return
to Quebec he began to take an active part in public affairs. For eight
years he represented St. Louis ward in the city council, and was at the
end of that period chosen mayor of Quebec, an office, however, which he
held only for a short period, on account of some legal technicality in
connection with his residing beyond the city limits. In addition to this
high honor conferred upon him by his fellow councillors, he was for some
time president of the St. Andrew’s Society, president of the Eastern
Townships Colonization Society, and vice-president of the Society for
the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Few men have been more highly
respected as a public man. Straightforward in his dealings, he has
easily won and retained the confidence of those associated with him in
conducting public business. At present he is president of the Quebec
City Mission; vice-president of the Literary and Historical Society, and
chairman of the Protestant Board of School Commissioners. These offices
he has held for a long period of years. For fifteen years he fulfilled
the duties of treasurer of Chalmers’ Church, Quebec, a congregation in
which he is one of the most highly-respected members and adherents.
Indeed, in every good work Mr. Hossack is always to be depended upon to
take his share. In 1868 he married Helen, daughter of the late Philip
Peebles, of Quebec. His youngest sister is married to William Cassils,
one of Montreal’s most prominent citizens.
* * * * *
=Smith, Robert Barry=, Barrister, Moncton, New Brunswick, was born at
Portland, St. John, N.B., on the 15th May, 1852. His father was the Rev.
William Smith, Wesleyan minister, who came to Nova Scotia from
Nottingham, England, as a missionary, in 1827, and who died at St.
Andrew’s, N.B., in 1862. His mother, Ellen Barry, was the fourth
daughter of Robert Barry, who went to Virginia in one of the king’s
ships, and having procured his discharge, settled there, and when the
revolutionary war began left a very valuable property and emigrated to
Nova Scotia, settling near Shelburne, and afterwards removing to
Liverpool, N.S., where he died in 1839, greatly esteemed. Mr. Smith was
educated at Mount Allison College, Sackville, N.B., and went through the
arts course, but left without taking any degree. He studied law with A.
A. Stockton, LL.D., now member of the New Brunswick legislature for St.
John city and county. He was admitted an attorney in 1874, and called to
the bar in 1875. In 1880 he removed to Dorchester, and practised in
partnership with J. B. Beck, then clerk of the courts. In 1881 he,
however, returned to Moncton, and has since been engaged in nearly every
important case tried in the county. In 1885 he argued the “Scott Act
Scrutiny” case before the Supreme Court of Canada at Ottawa, in the
interests of the liquor dealers, in which, after six months’
consideration, a majority of the court gave an adverse opinion. In 1886
he argued before the same court against an appeal taken by the town of
Moncton from the Supreme Court of New Brunswick, which had decided that
the mode in which the town carried on its tax-sales of land was illegal,
and was successful. He was counsel in the Cadby extradition case, in the
interest of the United States, and succeeded in obtaining the prisoner’s
extradition after much delay and argument. In this case he was
associated with W. F. MacCoy, Q.C., of Halifax, and C. A. Palmer, of St.
John, leading on the arguments. Mr. Smith is thought to be successful in
criminal trials, and is generally employed for the defence. In 1884 he
was appointed clerk of the circuits for Westmoreland county, and in the
same year a police judge for Moncton, and holds these offices still. In
1886 he entered into a professional partnership with James Kay, and the
firm is now doing a large business. Mr. Smith is a strong Liberal in
Dominion politics, and supporter of the present local government. He has
taken an active part in politics, both in canvassing and speaking
throughout the constituency. In municipal politics he offered, in March,
1887, as a candidate for councillor in the 2nd ward, but was defeated by
a small majority, on account of his opposition to the Scott Act. In
religious matters he inclines to Methodism in most points, but is
generally opposed to creeds and dogmas. He was married on the 29th June,
1875, to Miss T. W. Knapp, daughter of Charles E. Knapp, clerk of the
peace for Westmoreland county, and a great-granddaughter of Major
Dickson, who was a sturdy Indian fighter, and who commanded Fort
Beauséjour (Cumberland) for some time. She was also a direct descendant
of U. E. loyalists who settled near the fort.
* * * * *
=Kennedy, James Thomas=, Contractor and Builder, Indiantown, St. John,
New Brunswick, was born in 1809, at Westfield, Kings county, New
Brunswick. The paternal grandfather of Mr. Kennedy was born at Covent
Garden, London, Eng., and before he attained his majority sailed for
America in the frigate _Cumden_, which was laden with supplies for the
loyalists during the American revolution. This vessel was cast away on
the east end of Long Island, but the crew and passengers escaped with
their lives. Soon after this, James Kennedy joined one of his Majesty’s
foot regiments stationed near Boston, in which he served until the close
of the war, and was afterwards removed to Fredericton, where he got his
discharge. Here he married Elizabeth Belmain, who was born in
Londonderry, Ireland, May 27th, 1750, and settled in Westfield, Kings
county, where he died, leaving four children—James, Anne, John and
Joseph, all of whom are now dead. John Kennedy, the father of James
Thomas, was born at Westfield, June 27th, 1788, and was married to Mary
Trott in 1810, by Parson Scoville, rector of the Episcopal Church, at
Kingston, Kings county, by whom he had a family of twelve
children—John, James T., Elizabeth, Mary B., Joseph E., Kate A.,
William D., Polly S., Samuel P., Sophia R., Sarah C., and Moses R.,
seven of whom are now residing in California. On 1st November, 1819,
John Kennedy removed with his family from Westfield to the United
States, James T. being at this time about ten years of age. They set
sail from St. John in the fishing schooner _Bunk_, but as the war of
1812 had not yet been brought to a close, they were landed in a small
boat at the mouth of the Penobscot river, and shipped in the coasting
schooner _Seven Brothers_. The weather was cold and stormy, and on the
1st of December they were wrecked during a snowstorm on Cranberry
Island. Here they remained on the beach from eight o’clock in the
evening until two o’clock the following day. Mrs. Kennedy and the
children suffered great hardships, the passengers having been brought to
land by boats attached to a line. After a short delay on the island they
sailed for Castine in a fishing schooner, and on their arrival at this
place the unfortunate castaways were treated with great kindness by the
inhabitants. The family remained in Maine until 1822, when they returned
to New Brunswick and settled in Carleton county. James Thomas Kennedy,
the subject of this sketch, received his education in Westfield, and was
married on the 4th July, 1838, to Cynthia Waters, of Westfield, who was
of loyalist descent. This lady died on the 17th July, 1839; and on the
27th November, 1845, he married Eliza Lingley, also of Westfield. Miss
Lingley was a daughter of Abraham Lingley, a grandson of Jane Astor, a
sister of the late John Jacob Astor, of New York, who came with a party
of U. E. loyalists to New Brunswick in 1773. Her grandfather bore arms
through the revolutionary war, and at its close settled at Nerepis
Creek, Kings county, where he died in 1861, at the age of ninety-one
years, and was buried on the anniversary of his birth. His wife died
three weeks after him in the same place at the age of eighty-six years.
Early in life Mr. Kennedy displayed that aptitude in business which has
made nearly every enterprise in which he has engaged a success. In 1842
and 1843, we find him sailing a passenger steamer, and also in command
of a boat, towing logs from Fredericton to St. John. And about the same
time he erected two sawmills which he worked successfully. In 1841 he
removed his family from Westfield to Indiantown, St. John, where he took
up his residence. In 1843 he transported in boats from Spoon Island the
granite that was used in the construction of the North Wharf buildings
in St. John; and also conveyed from the same quarries the granite used
in the building of the custom-house on Prince William street, destroyed
by the great fire in 1877. This was one of the most imposing buildings
erected in the Maritime provinces previous to confederation. He also
transported the stones used in the fortifications about St. John,
including those at Partridge Island, the Hampton Jail, and for the
capital of the province at Fredericton. During the years 1878, ’79, ’80
Mr. Kennedy was engaged in the construction of the deep-water terminus
of the Intercolonial Railway at Lower Cove, St. John, which is one of
the most substantial structures of the kind on the coast of the
Dominion; and in 1882 he completed the St. Peter’s canal at St. Peter’s,
Cape Breton. It is half a mile in length, fifty-eight feet in breadth,
eighteen feet in depth, and has a lock two hundred feet long and
forty-eight wide. This canal—its usefulness being of great value—will
stand for centuries as a monument to its builder. He took a great
interest in the centennial celebration of the landing of the U. E.
loyalists in St. John, which was held on the 17th May, 1873; and on the
occasion presented to Portland an elegant freestone drinking fountain
for man and beast, in commemoration of the day, and in memory of his
only son, born 24th November, 1854, and who died on the 30th October,
1877. Mr. Kennedy was made a freeman of the city of St. John in 1839,
and was appointed a magistrate in 1873. Although his business life has
been a most active one, yet he has found time to travel through several
of the states of the neighbouring Republic and in the provinces of
Canada. During these rambles he has been a keen observer, and never
failed to store his mind with facts likely to prove useful to him in the
prosecution of his business. He has never been an aspirant for official
honours, the only office he ever accepted being a seat in the Portland
town council in 1874 and 1875. He has always been a constant advocate of
temperance, and is a member of several temperance societies. In
religious matters he is an adherent of the Episcopal church. Active in
all movements calculated to improve the condition of the poor and to
elevate the masses to a better appreciation of the duties and
responsibilities of life. Five children have been born to Mr. Kennedy,
one son and four daughters. Mr. Kennedy, we may add, is a Conservative
in politics.
* * * * *
=Cameron, Charles=, Manager of the Great Northern Transit Company,
Collingwood, Ontario, was born on the 24th February, 1835, in
Aberdeenshire, Scotland. He is the son of Donald Cameron, of Appin,
Argyleshire, one of the clan of Lochiel, and a slate manufacturer. His
mother was Isabella Harper, and belonged to the parish of Marnoch, in
Banffshire, Scotland. Mr. Cameron received a liberal education at the
public schools of his native town, and was apprenticed to the joiner and
millwright trade, and came to America in 1853. After spending one season
in Cleveland, Ohio, and a second in Toronto, he went north to
Collingwood, arriving in that place on the 7th February, 1855. After
working at his trade for about two years, on the fine railway station,
which is so conspicuous an ornament of the town of Collingwood, he went
into the hotel-keeping, combining therewith livery stables, and
controlling the principal mail stage routes of the vicinity, until 1871,
when he retired from this business, and since that time has devoted his
time mostly to the shipping enterprises with which he has since become
identified. Mr. Cameron has ever been in the front with any and every
undertaking calculated to benefit the town he has chosen as his home. He
built the first schooner ever launched in the port, and was the primary
promoter of the Collingwood Tug and Wrecking Co., the Georgian Bay
Transportation Co., the Great Northern Transit Co., and the Collingwood
Iron Foundry—all of them pioneer enterprises. Mr. Cameron is also an
active member of the Agricultural and Horticultural societies in the
county of Simcoe, and has been of great service to the farming community
of this part of the province. He has aided greatly in the importation of
valuable draught stallions, and thus gave an early impulse to the
improvement of the breed of horses, now so noticeable in the local fall
shows. Mr. Cameron held the offices of a councillor, reeve, and
deputy-reeve for nine years, closing with the office of warden, to which
he was elected by a unanimous vote of the county council of Simcoe,
which at that time numbered fifty-four members, and ranked the fourth
largest legislative body in the dominion. Although declining all
municipal honours since 1881, he still enjoys the esteem of his former
colleagues by representing them on the Collegiate Institute board, and
this position he has held for the past fourteen years consecutively. Mr.
Cameron is also vice-president of the Farmers’ North-West Land and
Colonization Co., a director of the Collingwood Horticultural Society,
treasurer of the North Simcoe Conservative Association, and manager of
the Great Northern Transit Co. He is the largest property-owner in the
town of Collingwood, and one of the largest in the county of Simcoe. Mr.
Cameron is a Knight Templar of the Masonic order, in which he has held
the office of eminent preceptor. He is a strong Conservative in
politics, and in his religious opinions adheres to the Presbyterian
church of his ancestors. He was married, in February, 1860, to Margaret
Barron, daughter of George Lunan, formerly of Lower Canada, by whom he
has had seven children. Four are living, viz., Isabella H. (married to
Chas. E. Holmes, of Toronto), Alexander B., Chestena C., and Charles H.
M. Mrs. Cameron died 12th April, 1885.
* * * * *
=Cameron, William=, Farmer, Sutherland River, Pictou, M.P.P. for Pictou
county, Nova Scotia, was born at Sutherland River, Pictou, N.S., on the
25th September, 1847. His parents were Alexander Cameron and Margaret
McKay, of New Glasgow. His paternal grandfather emigrated from
Inverness, Scotland, and settled in Pictou about 1801, and his maternal
grandmother came from the same place about 1790, and her parents were
among the earliest settlers in New Glasgow. Mr. Cameron received his
education at Dalhousie College, Halifax, and graduated from that
institution in 1873 with the degree of B.A. He taught school for some
years before going to college, and afterwards during college recess. He
was for a time principal of the high schools of Westville, River John,
and Bridgewater, and closed his teaching career in the mathematical
department of the New Glasgow High School. For two years Mr. Cameron
studied medicine at the Medical School at Halifax, but his health
failing, and on account of the death of his brother, which took place in
1877, he abandoned his medical studies, and returned home to assist his
father, who was now growing old, and his mother very infirm, both of
whom demanded his company as well as his care. He has been auditor of
the municipality of Pictou since 1884. In 1873 he joined the Masonic
brotherhood, and has ever since taken an interest in the order. On the
8th March, 1887, a vacancy having occurred in Pictou county, in
consequence of the resignation of A. C. Bell, the sitting member, Mr.
Cameron offered himself as a candidate, and was elected for his native
county to a seat in the House of Assembly of Nova Scotia. In politics he
is a Conservative, of the independent type, and is a thoroughly
practical man. In religion he is an adherent of the Presbyterian church.
In 1882 he was married to Mary Catherine Dawson, of Little Harbor,
Pictou county, N.S.
* * * * *
=Strothard, Rev. James=, Pastor of Grafton Street Methodist Church,
Halifax, Nova Scotia, was born at Tadcaster, a small market town in
Yorkshire, England, on the 5th August, 1847. His parents were Joseph and
Mary Strothard. His father held a position of trust under the first Lord
Londesborough, of Grimston Park, Yorkshire; and his maternal grandfather
was a person of considerable wealth and importance, and for many years
was a surveyor of highways. As a lad the Rev. Mr. Strothard attended the
National Grammar School in the village of Ulleskelf, and from a very
early age developed a love for books, often pursuing his studies long
after the rest of the family had retired to rest. He won his first prize
at school when only seven years of age, and a few years later received
as a prize a fine Reference Bible. After leaving the Grammar School he
spent two years in study at two first class boarding schools, and by
this means he secured a good English education. He was religiously
brought up in the Episcopal church, but having been converted in his
fourteenth year, joined the Wesleyan Methodist Church in his native
town. After attending the Sabbath-school as a scholar and teacher for
four years, he was sent out as a local preacher when eighteen years of
age. For several years he continued his theological studies under the
guidance and with the assistance of the several ministers who
successively occupied the circuit. Moving to Barnsley in 1868, he had
also the advantage for two years of listening to the theological
lectures from the Rev. Thos. H. Leal, at that time stationed there.
While pursuing his theological studies with a view of offering himself
to the English Wesleyan Conference for the West African mission field,
he received in November, 1870, a letter from the Rev. Humphrey Pickard,
D.D., who was then president of the Conference of Eastern British
America, informing him that he had been chosen for the ministry in the
Maritime provinces, and urging him to come out and accept an appointment
at once. Believing this to be a call of Providence, he responded by
embarking at Liverpool for Halifax on the 17th of December, 1870. His
clerical companions were the Rev. Caleb Parker, now at Souris River,
Manitoba, and the Rev. W. H. Emsley, of the Toronto Conference. After a
stormy voyage of sixteen days, the _City of Limerick_ steamed up Halifax
harbor on Monday morning, 2nd January, 1871. His destination was
Miramichi, New Brunswick. He labored on that circuit under the
superintendence of the late Rev. Ingham Sutcliffe, until the conference
of 1872; and was then appointed to take charge of the Charles Street
Church in the city of Halifax, this being a small mission church at that
time, and he was its first pastor. During his three years incumbency,
the congregation and Sunday-school grew so rapidly as to necessitate an
enlargement of the building. At the last session of the Conference of
Eastern British America, held at Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, in
1874, presided over by the Rev. John McMurray, D.D., he was ordained to
the Methodist ministry, together with twelve other candidates, among
whom were Rev. W. W. Brewer, of Centenary Church, St. John; Rev. W.
Dobson, of Fredericton, and the Rev. Ralph Brecken, of Sackville, New
Brunswick. From the conference of 1875 to 1878 he was stationed at
Avondale, Hants county. During this period the circuit was visited with
a gracious revival, and a large number was added to the church. The next
three years were spent in Canning, Kings county. From thence he removed
to Granville Ferry, Annapolis county, where he remained the full term.
In 1884 he was invited to take charge of Providence Church, Yarmouth;
and after three years of successful work in Yarmouth, he is now back in
Halifax, having received an invitation to the Grafton Street Church, of
which he is now pastor and doing good work in the Master’s vineyard. As
a youth the Rev. Mr. Strothard served seven years in the First West York
Battalion of Rifle Volunteers. He was admitted when only fourteen years
of age (the regulation age being seventeen), being exceptionally tall
for his age. He is associated with the Independent Order of Oddfellows;
with the Independent Order of Good Templars; and with the order of Sons
of Temperance, and for two years filled the office of Grand Chaplain of
the Grand Division of the Sons of Temperance of Nova Scotia. He has
travelled a good deal, and has twice visited Great Britain and France
_via_ Boston and New York. He was married on the 8th of July, 1874, in
the old Centenary Methodist Church at St. John, N.B., by the Rev. Henry
Pope, D.D., to Alice Eliza, second daughter of Henry S. Beek, bookseller
and bookbinder. Mr. Beek was born in Cork; Ireland, but came to New
Brunswick early in life, his father being connected with the Crown Lands
office in the city of Fredericton. He was married to Olivia, the
daughter of Dr. Smith, of the Royal navy, by whom he had five sons and
two daughters.
* * * * *
=Trueman, Harmon Silas=, M.D., Sackville, New Brunswick, was born on the
20th August, 1858, at Point de Bute, Westmoreland county, N.B. His
father, Martin Bent Trueman (now, 1887, aged seventy-four years) was a
son of Harmon Trueman, whose father, William Trueman, came to
Westmoreland, then part of Cumberland, Nova Scotia, in 1775, from
Yorkshire, England. He came in company with his parents, his father
being also named William, and he William, junior, the only son. He, the
younger William, left, however, a large family, and those descended from
him now number over six hundred. Dr. Trueman’s mother, who is also still
living, and aged sixty-nine years, is Bethia Purdy, daughter of Samuel
Purdy, and grand-daughter of the late Colonel Gilbert Purdy. This
gentleman served in the British forces during the American revolutionary
war. For his bravery he was promoted to the rank of colonel, and on the
declaration of peace received a life pension. His home was for many
years in New York state, where he married one Phœbe Wood, and from which
place he with his wife and two of his brothers removed to Cumberland,
Nova Scotia, at the close of the war, they being of the true loyalist
stock. Dr. Trueman received his primary education in his native parish,
and afterwards carried to partial conclusion a course in arts at Mount
Allison Academy and College. He took the regular medical course at the
University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, during the years 1877-1880
inclusive. In the autumn of 1880 he settled in Sackville, and having
purchased the premises of Dr. A. Fleming, who was leaving for Manitoba,
he began the practice of his profession, and has ever since carried on
practice without any interruption. He belongs to the Royal Arcanum. In
politics he is a moderate Conservative, but takes no active part in
political movements. He was brought up in the Methodist church, and
still adheres to the same denomination. In 1880 he visited Europe, and
travelled considerably in England and France. He has also visited most
of the New England cities. The doctor takes an interest in military
affairs, and has been a surgeon for two years in the 74th battalion of
Canadian infantry. On the 22nd June, 1881, he was married to Priscilla
Carlisle Bliss, daughter of the late A. A. Bliss, of Halifax, and
closely connected with the Bliss family now largely distributed
throughout America.
* * * * *
=Dobson, Rev. William=, Methodist Minister, Fredericton, New Brunswick,
was born at Bedeque, Prince Edward Island. His father, William Dobson,
was a native of Yorkshire, and came to America in 1821, and settled in
Prince Edward Island, where he began farming. In 1823 he married Ann
Moys, the eldest daughter of Captain Thomas Moys, of Bedeque, and the
subject of our sketch is the second son of this union. Rev. Mr. Dobson
received his primary education at the public schools of his native
place, and when about eighteen years of age entered the Grammar School,
where he remained two years. He then went to Mount Allison College,
where for a time he studied Greek, Latin, German, and theology. After
leaving school he entered the ministry of the Methodist church, and
since then he has occupied churches in Guysborough and Digby, in Nova
Scotia; and Jacksonville, Sheffield, Albert, Potton, St. John, and
Fredericton, in New Brunswick. He entered his present charge in
Fredericton in 1886, and is very much respected by his congregation.
Rev. Mr. Dobson takes an active interest in any movement calculated to
advance the Redeemer’s kingdom on earth. On the 11th of August, 1874, he
was married to Ella A. Morehouse, of Digby, N.S. Her parents were of the
old loyalist stock, who settled in Nova Scotia during the American
rebellion.
* * * * *
=Robertson, George=, Merchant, St. John, New Brunswick, was born on the
30th January, 1844, at Kingston, Kent county, N.B. His father, the late
Duncan Robertson, ship-builder, was a native of Aberdeen, Scotland,
whose forefathers had come from Perthshire and settled in Aberdeen. The
mother of the subject of our sketch was Georgina Jardine, a native of
Wamphray, Dumfriesshire, Scotland. Both parents first settled in
Kingston, about the year 1834. Mrs. Robertson’s brothers, J. & T.
Jardine have had a long and successful career as ship-builders and ship
owners in Kingston; and her mother, Janet Paterson, came of a family
which has provided some men of historical note: among others, William
Paterson, the founder of the Bank of England, one of the promoters of
the disastrous Darien scheme, etc., and Sir Walter Scott’s “Old
Mortality,” etc. Mr. Robertson was educated in the English branches at
the public schools, and at Sackville Academy, and spent the greater part
of his boyhood in Moncton and Cocagne. He acquired some general
knowledge of ship-building, shop-keeping, and farming; and in 1858-9
lumbered in a small way on his own account. The family having returned
to Moncton in 1860, he shortly afterwards left for St. John in search of
employment, and to make his way in the world. On his arrival in that
city he found an opening in the establishment of James Macfarlane, then
a leading grocer, and this gentleman he served in the capacity of clerk
for seven years. In 1868, Mr. Robertson having saved some money, he
began business on his own account, and continued to prosper until 1877,
when the great fire occurred in St. John, and swept away a considerable
portion of his property. He then retired from active business for about
a year, in the meantime putting his affairs in order. In 1878 he made a
fresh start, and since that period the world has gone well with him. He
is now at the head of the firm of George Robertson & Co.,—having taken
S. A. Corbitt, a few years ago, into partnership,—carrying on a large
wholesale and retail business in groceries, and as importers of West
India and Mediterranean produce. Their office is at 50 King street, and
their warehouse at 17 Water street. Like all men in business, Mr.
Robertson has had the usual amount of losses and worries, but has now
the satisfaction of feeling that he has nevertheless succeeded, and also
gained the esteem and respect of his fellow-citizens, and others, who
have done business with him for many years past. Mr. Robertson was a
captain in the St. John city light infantry militia. He is also a member
of the St. Andrew’s Society of St. John; the Board of Trade, and a
director of the Maritime Warehousing and Dock Company. He has taken part
in various political discussions, and has strongly advocated trade
reciprocity with the United States; St. John as a winter port for the
Dominion; the short line railway with Montreal; St. John Harbor
Commission, etc. In religion he is in accord with the Presbyterian form
of worship, and is an elder in St. Andrew’s Church. In politics he is a
Liberal-Conservative. He was married to Agnes Turner, a lady of Scotch
descent, on the 18th June, 1873, and has a family of six children.
* * * * *
=Hopper, Rev. John Elisha=, M.A., D.D., Pastor of the Brussels Street
Baptist Church, St. John, New Brunswick, is a native Canadian, having
been born in Salisbury, Westmoreland county, N.B., on 18th December,
1841. He is son of Robert Hopper, whose father came from Hamilton,
Yorkshire, England, among the earliest settlers in New Brunswick. He
married Sarah Peck, a descendant of Joseph Peck, of Hingham, Norfolk
county, England, who, with his brother, Rev. Robert Peck, in 1636, fled
from persecution with other Puritans to New England, and settled in
Hingham, Massachusetts, where, in addition to being a representative of
the general court, he held other important offices. John Elisha Hopper
completed his academic studies in the Baptist Seminary, Fredericton,
N.B., and matriculated in Acadia College, Wolfville, N.S., taking its
course of study, save that of the junior year, which he spent at Madison
University, New York, and graduating A.B. in June, 1862. His theological
studies were pursued in part under the direction of the Rev. Dr. Cramp,
of Acadia College, and in part at Regent’s Park College, London,
England, with Rev. Dr. Angus and Rev. Dr. Ben. Davis, the celebrated
Hebraist. Here we may say Dr. Hopper comes of Baptist parentage, and was
baptized by the Rev. W. A. Coleman, at Harvey, Albert county, N.B., in
December, 1858, and preached his first sermon, 29th April, 1860, in
Greenfield, N.S. In 1865, after completing his theological studies, he
for a short time preached at Shediac, Petitcodiac, and Sussex Vale. At
the latter place the first regular services in connection with the
Baptist denomination were held by him, and resulted in the establishment
of one of the strongest churches in the place. In the same year he
accepted an invitation to become associate principal with Rev. Dr.
Spurden, of the Baptist Seminary, Fredericton, and the following year he
succeeded him as principal. In September, 1868, Dr. Hopper was ordained
a minister at Fredericton. In 1869 he resigned the principalship of the
Baptist Seminary, and on the invitation of the Baptists of St. Stephen,
began there the work of organizing a Baptist church. A handsome church
edifice and parsonage were erected, and a good congregation and
Sabbath-school gathered; and then in 1872 he accepted the pastorate of
the First Baptist Church, Burlington, Iowa, and remained there six
years, receiving into the fellowship of the church in that time over two
hundred persons. In April, 1878, Dr. Hopper having purchased a half
interest in the _Christian Visitor_ newspaper, published in St. John,
N.B., returned to Canada, Rev. Dr. George Armstrong becoming associated
with him. In 1879 he bought the other half of the paper, and enlarged
the printing, publishing and book business, editing and publishing the
_Christian Visitor_, _Canadian Record_, _Youth’s Visitor_, _Gem_, and
International Sunday school lessons. This business he carried on until
1885, when he sold it out, and assumed the pastoral charge of the
Brussels Street Baptist Church. His relationship with this church began
in 1880, and is still continued. He, however, still edits and publishes
the _Canadian Record_ and Sunday school papers. In 1870 Rev. Mr. Hopper
received the degree of M.A. from Acadia College; and in 1882 that of
D.D., from Morgan Park Theological Seminary, Chicago. In August, 1867,
he married Emma, daughter of Deacon John Smith, of St. John.
* * * * *
=Irvine, Matthew Bell=, C.B., C.M.G., Commissary-General, Quebec, was
born on the 7th January, 1832, in Quebec city. He is descended from an
ancestry that have left their mark on Canada. Adam Irvine, son of Adam
and grandson of Peter Irvine (spelt Irving in the Orcadian records of
1730), of Garson, in the Orkney islands, North of Scotland, came to
Canada soon after the conquest, and was accidentally killed at Quebec,
on the 7th May, 1776. His son, James Irvine, born in England in 1766,
was a member of the mercantile firm of Irvine, McNaught & Co., of
Quebec, and for a number of years was a member of both the Executive and
Legislative councils of Lower Canada. In 1822 this gentleman was
commissioned president of the Court of Appeal of the Executive Council
in the absence of the chief justices of Montreal and Quebec; and in 1824
was nominated by letters-patent under the Great Seal, arbitrator for
Lower Canada to adjust the duties between Upper and Lower Canada. He
served in the militia of the province from 1803 until 1822, when he
retired with the rank of lieutenant-colonel. James Irvine married on the
13th July, 1801, Anne, eldest daughter of John George Pyke, of Halifax,
Nova Scotia, and had issue two sons, John George and James. The latter
died young; and the Hon. James Irvine died at Quebec on the 27th
September, 1829. John George Irvine, the father of the subject of our
sketch, was born at Quebec on the 31st December, 1802, and passed his
early life in the firm of Irvine, McNaught & Co. In 1837, on the
outbreak of the rebellion, he was appointed a captain in the Royal
Quebec Volunteers. In 1838 he was gazetted a lieutenant-colonel and
deputy-quartermaster-general of militia; and on the 5th November of the
same year was commissioned major of the Queen’s Volunteers, a regiment
raised for active service. He was appointed extra Provincial A.D.C. to
the governor-general of Canada on the 14th November, 1851; Provincial
A.D.C. on the 1st November, 1852; and principal A.D.C. on the 2nd
October, 1868. On the occasion of the visit of the Prince of Wales in
1860, Colonel Irvine was nominated acting adjutant-general to attend on
his Royal Highness during his official tour in Canada. He married, on
the 4th February, 1826, Anne, third daughter of the Hon. Matthew Bell,
of Three Rivers, and had issue four sons and four daughters. He died at
Quebec on the 1st November, 1871, in the sixty-ninth year of his age. Of
this family three sons and two daughters still survive; namely, Hon.
George Irvine, judge of the Vice-Admiralty Court, Quebec; Acheson
Gosford Irvine, lieutenant-colonel and late chief Commissioner of the
North-West Mounted Police; Matthew Bell Irvine, commissary-general,
Quebec; Eliza Inglis Irvine, and Frances Isabella Irvine.
Commissary-General Irvine was educated at the High School of Quebec. On
the 30th March, 1848, when a mere lad, he joined her Majesty’s
Commissariat department of the army, and in this branch of the service
he remained until the 1st of April, 1881, when he retired with the
honorary rank of commissary-general. During this period he served in
Europe, Asia, Africa, North and South America, and Australia. He was
present in Turkey and the Crimea during the latter part of the Eastern
campaign, in 1855-56. He was created a companion of the Most
Distinguished Order of St. Michael and St. George, for services as
senior control officer on the Red River expedition of 1870, under
Colonel (now Lord) Wolseley; and was also created a companion of the
Most Honorable Order of the Bath in 1874, for services as senior control
officer during the Ashantee campaign under Major-General Sir Garnet
Joseph (now Lord) Wolseley, K.C.M.G., C.B. In religion he is an adherent
of the Church of England. He was married at Bayswater, London, England,
on the 2nd June, 1875, to Charlotte Feodore Louisa Augusta, only child
of the Rev. N. Guerout, of Berthier, _en haut_, Quebec, and widow of
George A. L. Wood, of Quebec.
* * * * *
=Wilson, Daniel=, LL.D., F.R.S., President of the University of Toronto,
was born in the city of Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1816. His father,
Archibald Wilson had a large family. One of his sons, Dr. George Wilson,
well known as an eminent chemist, was for some time professor of
technology in the University of Edinburgh, and died in 1859. Dr. Daniel
Wilson, the subject of our sketch, after passing through the High
School, entered the University of his native city; and when he had
reached his twenty-first year, went to London, England, to push his
fortune. After a residence there of several years, during which he
relied for support chiefly on the reward of his literary labors, he
again turned north, and continued to wield his pen in Edinburgh, where
he soon became distinguished for his ardent love for archæological
studies. In his twenty-seventh year he came to Canada, at the insistance
of the historian Hallam, who, with Lord Elgin, the then governor-general
of Canada, warmly recommended the appointment of the young _littérateur_
and zealous secretary of the Scottish Society of Antiquaries to the
chair of history and English literature in University College, Toronto.
The removal to Canada was a grave step in itself. But it was more than
this when it broke in, as it did, upon serious studies pursued with
great ardor, severed the dearest ties, social and professional, and
withdrew from a promising field of labor one who was not only fast
making his way to the front, but whose genuine abilities and true
scientific devotion, had he remained in it, would doubtless have gained
him rich pecuniary rewards, with many accompanying honors. However, to
Canada he came, and one of the interesting as well as valuable
_souvenirs_ of his parting with his Scottish friends and scientific
associates is a costly service of silver in the learned doctor’s
possession, the inscription on which bears the testimony of his
associates in the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, “To Dr. Wilson’s
intelligent and faithful labors as secretary, and to their admiration of
his great learning and genius so successfully devoted to the
investigation of the archæology of Scotland.” Devoted student as he was
of archæology, and much as he had done in Scotland to enrich the subject
by laborious local research, Dr. Wilson, in coming to Canada, found a
wide field for its pursuit on the American continent; and much has he
assiduously gathered in the interval to add to the stores of information
and reasonable conjecture in this interesting branch of science. The
fruit of this is abundantly found in important treatises on the subject
which have come from his pen, as well as in the many occasional papers
contributed to the scientific journals and transactions of learned
societies in both hemispheres. The number and bulk of the latter would
fill many portly volumes, and are in themselves a monument of
intellectual labor. In the brief space at our disposal we can give but a
bald enumeration of the more important works which have come from Dr.
Wilson’s pen. The first of these was “Memorials of Edinburgh in the
Olden Time,” a work in two volumes, published in 1847, with
illustrations from the author’s facile pencil. This interesting work,
with his “Reminiscences of Old Edinburgh,” published in 1878, reveal Dr.
Wilson’s tastes as an antiquary and his varied accomplishments in
undertaking the work of tracing the history, antiquities and local
traditions of the Scottish metropolis. A contemporary critic affirms of
the first of these books, that “these volumes will do the author honor
in his native city so long as the ancient capital of Scotland stands.”
In 1851 appeared a kindred but more ambitious work in the wider field of
Scottish antiquities, entitled “The Archæology and Prehistoric Annals of
Scotland.” This scholarly and elaborate production drew from the
historian Hallam the criticism that it was the most scientific treatment
of the archæological evidences of primitive history which had ever been
written. The reviewers were also equally laudatory, a high authority
saying that the work was “full of original views, bearing everywhere the
stamp of independent investigation and of an independent judgment,” and
calculated “to form an epoch in the study of the earlier antiquities of
Scotland and of Britain at large.” Another competent authority speaks of
this work as “one of extraordinary merit, particularly in the lucidity
of its scientific combinations and inductions, the charm of its style,
and the perfect fidelity of its many pictorial illustrations.” A second
edition being called for, the author in 1863 republished the work, with
large additions and a careful revision, under the shorter title of
“Prehistoric Annals of Scotland.” The term “Prehistoric” in its earlier
use, in 1851, it may be worth noting, was, we believe, a coinage of the
author’s; he, at least, was the first to bring the word into vogue. In
1863 also appeared what may be considered the author’s _magnum opus_, a
work embodying the results of researches in archæology and ethnology in
both hemispheres, and of which two subsequent editions, considerably
re-written, have appeared. Of this production, which bears the title of
“Prehistoric Man: Researches into the Origin of Civilisation in the Old
and the New Worlds,” the Edinburgh _Witness_ at the time under the
editorship of the geologist, Hugh Miller, remarks that “the topic is not
only vast in range, complex in material, and difficult from its nature,
but brings the man who ventures to discuss it into contact with
momentous and perplexing questions touching the origin of civilisation,
the unity of the human race, and the time during which man has been a
denizen of this planet. Dr. Wilson proves himself at all points equal to
his task.” This emphatic verdict has been endorsed in other eminent
quarters, and high commendation passed upon the book, not only for its
scientific value, but for the attractiveness of its literary style. To
these works have to be added three volumes, which, though notable in
themselves, by no means represent the bulk of Dr. Wilson’s purely
literary labors. They are respectively entitled “Chatterton: a
Biographical Study” (1869); “Caliban, the Missing Link” (1873); and
“Spring Wild Flowers,” a volume of graceful verse. In the Chatterton
biography, the author has lovingly gathered all that is worthy of record
in the career of the ill-fated Bristol dreamer; and the volume is the
best tribute known to us to the young poet’s genius. “Caliban” is an
interesting Shakespearian study, combining great imaginative power with
a strong critical faculty, and giving the reader much curious
information, with not a little fanciful disquisition, on the Evolution
theory. The little volume dedicated to the Muses, of which two editions
have appeared, emphasises the twin sisterhood of Science and Poetry, and
enshrines some thoughtful lines on religious and moral subjects, with
several happy examples of lighter verse. In addition to these published
works, a whole library of contributions from the author’s pen is
scattered through the “Proceedings” of the Society of Antiquaries of
Scotland, the London Anthropological Institute, the Edinburgh
Philosophical Institution, the British and American Associations for the
Advancement of Science; the “Journal” of the Canadian Institute (for
some years edited by Dr. Wilson); and the “Transactions” of the Royal
Society of Canada. Of this latter society, to the vice-presidency of the
literature section of which Dr. Wilson was nominated by its founder, the
Marquis of Lorne: the doctor has been the chief working supporter, and
to it has contributed many valuable papers, both in literature and
science. To the present (ninth), as well as to the earlier (eighth),
edition of the “Encyclopædia Britannica,” Dr. Wilson has also been an
extensive contributor. In the current edition, the articles on “Canada,”
“Confederation,” and “Toronto” are from his pen, as are the biographical
articles on “Ferguson” and “Chatterton”; while the article on
“Edinburgh,” it is understood, was written by him, and, oddly enough,
was sent to Scotland from Toronto. Besides this mass of literary work, a
number of contributions from the same source, on literary and historical
subjects, with a good many reviews, art critiques, and academical
addresses, have from time to time appeared in the pages of the “Canadian
Monthly,” the “Canada Educational Monthly,” _The Week_, and other native
journals. These, with other important philanthropic and Christian labors
in Toronto, covering the period of half a lifetime, bear witness to Dr.
Wilson’s untiring industry, and the force and range of his mental
powers, as well as mark the nobleness of his personal character. A
sketch, however brief, of the life and work of Dr. Wilson would be
singularly incomplete which contained no reference to his labors as an
educationist, and to his onerous duties in University College, both as
professor and since 1881, when he succeeded Dr. McCaul, as its executive
head. In some respects, and perhaps with truth, it may be said that Dr.
Wilson would have done more justice to himself if he had made a choice
in his life’s work between literature and science rather than, as he has
done, given the prose side of his mind to archæological studies, and
reserved its poetical side for literature. But the financial
circumstances of the institution with which he has been so long
connected, made this from the first impossible, and compelled him,
laboriously and ardently, to toil on in dual and somewhat incongruous
fields of work. With the result, however, no one can reasonably quarrel,
for in both fields it must be said he has acquitted himself well and won
merited fame. He who would trace Dr. Wilson’s life in the sphere of his
academic labors must do so with real enthusiasm, with loving sympathy,
and with hearty admiration for the scholar and the man. His lifelong
interest in Toronto University, the many sacrifices he has made for it,
his devotion to the subjects he has so ably taught in the college, and
his inspiring and elevating influence upon the students who have
successively come under his care, are matters that require little
dwelling upon by any local pen. Nor is there need to say a word to any
graduate, of the college at any rate, of the learned doctor’s ever ready
courtesy, of his kindness of heart, of his simplicity of character, or
of his high moral worth. Testimony to these and other lovable qualities
in the president of University College is, we are sure, as abundant as
testimony is emphatic to the learning and genius of their gifted
possessor. If the state, strangely enough, has done little to mark Dr.
Wilson’s services, both to science and education, throughout a long and
unwearying life, he has at least this consolation, that, among those who
have had the honor of personally knowing him, appreciation of their
number and worth lies deep in every breast. The passing years have dealt
kindly with the subject of this brief sketch; the figure, always spare,
is still erect, and the step has lost little in the march of time of its
early elasticity. The eyes look at you with the old-time keen, rapid
glance; and there is the same kindly note in the voice, which rises and
falls with that familiar, soft, measured cadence, which belongs
distinctively to those who hail from the Scottish metropolis. For
thirty-five years President Wilson has been connected with the
University and College of Toronto, and has given to that institution the
abundant fruitage of a rich, matured, and industrious life. During that
long period, though he has daily gone in and out among almost all
classes of the people of Toronto, and in many ways has contributed to
the intellectual life and to the enriching of the scientific thought of
Canada, and, indeed, of the continent, there are not many, we fear,
outside of academic circles who recognise the genius, the learning, and
the pre-eminent abilities of Dr. Wilson, or who appreciate him as a man
at his true worth. In a general way the few in Toronto may know him as a
learned scientist, and perhaps as an accomplished _littérateur_; but to
the mass of his fellow-citizens he is little more than a prominent
educationist, and the head of the national university. If this statement
seems unfair, let us ask, how many know of his great reputation and high
recognised status in the first scientific circles of the Old World, or
who think of him in the light of his deserts—as one of the foremost men
of the age in his own special departments of archæological and
ethnological science? Canada as yet has not been fertile in great men;
but here doubtless is one, if we are to take the measure of his worth
not only from his books, though these undoubtedly are an author’s best
and truest memorial, but from the estimation in which he is held in high
scientific circles abroad, and the unsought honors conferred upon him by
many of the learned societies of Europe. Only eminent services to
science could have secured him the recognition of crowned heads and the
issue of royal diplomas setting forth these services, with enrolment
among the distinguished honorary members of the great scientific
societies and learned institutions of the mother land, and of France,
Italy, and Denmark. Dr. Wilson has now reached the evening of his days,
and as the lengthening shadows fall athwart him and his labors, the
writer of this, with many who love him, may well wish that a life so
singularly pure and worthy may be prolonged and continued for many years
yet at the service of his adopted country. But when the line of the
allotted span has been crossed, wishes we know must be vain; and the
granite shaft in yonder cemetery, with its touchingly beautiful tribute
“to the wife of his youth,” who “was the bright sunshine of a long and
happy life,” is a monition which neither he nor any wise friend can
disregard, however distant all may wish the day when the Master’s
summons shall come to one who has been eminently faithful, and the
sombre curtain shall drop for ever upon his work.
* * * * *
=Miller, John Stewart=, Centreville, Ontario, Treasurer of the Township
of Camden, M.P.P. for Addington, was born on the 17th September, 1844,
in the township of Camden, county of Addington. He is the only son of
Thomas Miller and Christina Madden. The family came originally from
Ireland and settled in New England. During the revolutionary war they
left that country and moved to Three Rivers, and subsequently, in 1790,
took up their abode in the Bay of Quinté. He received his primary
education in the schools of his native place, and then entered the
Commercial College at Belleville, where he graduated in 1871. He then
began farming on the homestead, lot No. 30, seventh concession of
Camden, and here he continued his agricultural pursuits until 1886. In
1883 Mr. Miller began with a partner, business as a general merchant in
the village of Centreville, and is still engaged in mercantile pursuits.
He has taken a deep interest in military affairs, and in 1879 held the
rank of lieutenant in the 48th battalion, and on the disbandment of this
corps became attached to the 47th battalion. In 1875 he was appointed
clerk of Camden township, and on resigning this office in 1886, received
the appointment of treasurer of the same township, and this office he
still holds. He joined the Orange Association in 1864, and served as
county master in 1878-9. He became a member of Prince of Wales lodge,
No. 146, of the Free and Accepted Masons in 1869; assisted in organizing
Victoria lodge, No. 229, and was its master in 1870-71; and in 1883 he
helped to organize Lorne lodge, No. 404, and was elected its first
master, holding the office for three years. Mr. Miller has always taken
an active interest in politics, and in 1880 was elected
secretary-treasurer of the Liberal-Conservative Association of
Addington. He presented himself in 1886 for parliamentary honors, and in
December of the same year was elected to represent his native county in
the Ontario legislature by a handsome majority over his opponent. In
politics, as will be seen above, Mr. Miller is a Liberal-Conservative.
His mother joined the Methodist church in 1828—who, by the way, is
still alive, and a member of the same church—and the son is connected
with the same religious body. He has been twice married; first, in 1871,
to Carrie, second daughter of James Hawley. She died on the 24th
February, 1874. He married, the second time, in 1877, Anne, eldest
daughter of the late Robert Robertson, of Kingston.
* * * * *
=Choquette, Philippe Auguste=, LL.B., Advocate, Montmagny, Quebec
province, M.P. for the county of Montmagny, was born on the 6th January,
1854, at Belœil, county of Verchères. His ancestors came from Amiens,
Picardie, France, in 1643, and settled in Varennes, in the county where
the subject of our sketch was born. His parents were Joseph Choquette,
farmer, and Marie Thaïs Audet. He received his education at St.
Hyacinthe College, and at Laval University, Quebec, and graduated B.C.L.
from the latter institution in 1880, having previously taken the silver
medal given by the governor-general, Lord Lorne. While he was
prosecuting his studies at Laval, he acted as private secretary to the
Hon. Honoré Mercier, then solicitor-general in the Joly administration,
and now premier of Quebec province. He held, for about three years and a
half, the position of book-keeper in a wholesale boot and shoe
establishment in St. Hyacinthe before he began to study law. He then
returned to Quebec in 1877, and entered the office of the Hon. François
Langelier, M.P., and mayor of Quebec, to study law. After being admitted
to the bar of Lower Canada in 1880, he removed to Montmagny, where he
successfully practised his profession. Since 1877 he has been a
contributor to _L’Union_, of St. Hyacinthe, and _L’Electeur_, of Quebec;
and was publisher of _La Sentinelle_, a weekly paper at Montmagny,
during the years 1883 and 1884. In 1878 he began to take an active part
in politics; and in 1882 he ran for a seat in the House of Commons at
Ottawa against A. C. P. R. Landry, the Conservative candidate, but was
defeated by a majority of 120 votes. At the general election held in
1887 he again presented himself in opposition to Mr. Landry, and this
time carried his election by a majority of 193 votes. Mr. Choquette has
travelled through the principal parts of the United States. He has been
secretary of the Reform Club of the county of Montmagny since 1881. In
politics he is a strong Liberal, a free trader, in favor of commercial
union, and would not object to annexation to the United States. He is an
adherent of the Roman Catholic church, but objects to the clergy
interfering and mixing in political contests. On the 29th August, 1883,
he was married to Marie, daughter of A. Bender, prothonotary of the
Superior Court, and granddaughter of the late Sir E. P. Taché baronet,
A.D.C. to her Majesty the Queen, and one of the promoters of
confederation.
* * * * *
=Méthot, Right Rev. Michel Edouard=, A.M., D.D., Quebec, Domestic
Prelate of his Holiness, also Professor of Literature at Laval
University, and of Moral Theology at the Grand Seminary of Quebec,
member of the Archiepiscopal Curia of Quebec, was born on the 28th July,
1826, in the parish of Ste. Croix, county of Lotbinière, province of
Quebec. His parents were Joseph Méthot, farmer, and Marie Xavier
Desrochers. In 1839 he entered the Little Seminary of Quebec, where he
followed the literary and scientific course of that institution. In
1847, having completed a classical course of instruction, he entered the
Grand Seminary of Quebec, and went through a course of theology, being
admitted to the holy orders in 1849. It may truly be said that Monsignor
Méthot has devoted his entire life to the education of the youth of his
country, teaching at first in the Little Seminary of Quebec, and then
successively at the Grand Seminary and at Laval University, where he
gave a public course of literature. He was also prefect of studies for
ten years at the Little Seminary, twice director of the Grand Seminary,
librarian of Laval University, and lastly, superior of the Seminary and
rector of the University for seven years. He was the first vice-rector
of the branch of Laval University in Montreal, which positions he
resigned at the end of the academic year 1886-7 owing to ill-health. He
visited Europe twice, the first time in 1860, when he went to England,
France, and Italy. Our readers need not be surprised if we tell them
that Monsignor Méthot visited the principal institutions of learning,
colleges, museums, the most celebrated libraries, and monuments of arts
of those countries, his taste and eagerness for learning leading him to
choose those attractions in preference to all others. In 1866, having
obtained leave of absence to recuperate from the exhausting labor of
teaching, he crossed the Atlantic a second time and passed a whole year
in Belgium. Rest, however, consisted in further studies. On his arrival
in Belgium he went to the Catholic University of Louvain and applied
himself to the study of theology, scriptures, and ecclesiastical history
in that celebrated institution of learning. He has contributed to the
newspaper and periodical press of the Province of Quebec several
articles, biographical sketches and literary essays, which will help the
historian of the future to write accurately the history of our Dominion.
Mgr. Méthot was elevated to the dignity of domestic prelate by his
Holiness Pope Leo XIII. in 1887.
* * * * *
=Cloran, Henry Joseph=, B.C.L., Barrister, Montreal, was born in that
city on the 8th May, 1855. His father and mother are both Irish. The
former, Joseph Cloran, is a native of county Galway, and the latter, Ann
Kennedy, is from county Limerick. Having received his primary education
in the Christian Brothers’ School at home, and passed a year in the
public schools of New York, he entered the Montreal College in 1868,
where he made a complete and successful course of classical studies. On
graduating from college in 1875, he left for Europe, where during three
years he prosecuted a course of scientific, philosophical and
theological studies in the celebrated college of St. Sulpice, in Paris.
During his sojourn in Europe he visited Italy, Switzerland, France,
England and Ireland, and returned to Canada strongly equipped for the
combats of the future with an extensive stock of knowledge, and a
precious _ensemble_ of information on the Irish question and general
European politics. On his return home, Mr. Cloran filled for a year a
professorship of English literature in his _alma mater_, the Montreal
College. He then took a course of law in the Universities of Laval and
McGill, and graduated from the latter with the degree of B.C.L. He
studied in the offices of the eminent legal firm of the late Edward
Carter, Q.C.; Hon. R. Church, now judge of the Court of Queen’s Bench;
and of Hon. J. A. Chapleau, ex-premier of Quebec, and now Secretary of
State. At the close of his law studies, the editorship of the Montreal
_Post_ and of the _True Witness_ became vacant in 1882 by the
resignation of J. C. Fleming. This responsible and important position
was offered to Mr. Cloran, who accepted, and then commenced a
journalistic career which has been crowned with marked success. We have
no need to dwell upon the cleverness, judgment and ability displayed by
Mr. Cloran in the functions of editor, nor upon the success he achieved.
The _Post_ is the only Irish daily paper in America, and he made it the
organ of Irish Canadian opinion, esteemed by friends and feared by foes.
The articles from Mr. Cloran’s pen have been widely reproduced and
commented on by the leading papers in Canada and the United States, and
even in the European press. In 1886 when the board of directors wished
to give the support of the _Post_ to certain Tory candidates in the
general provincial elections of that year, the young editor declined to
obey their mandate, and rather than write a single line inconsistent
with his convictions, he threw up the editorship of the paper. Mr.
Cloran is a man of principle, and has on all occasions the courage of
his convictions. There is no hypocrisy in his nature; he is at all times
manly and straightforward. Animated by no prejudice, he bends and yields
to none. His public opinions are also his private ones—a trait which is
not always to be discovered in the character of public men. He is an
ardent lover of fair play, and finds his pleasure in championing the
cause of the weak and the wronged. An Irish Canadian, and an
uncompromising Home Ruler, like all patriotic Irishmen, he ranks among
the number of those broad and liberal minds who do not shut themselves
up in the narrow circle of an exclusive programme. The cause of the half
breeds of the North-West—which is, after all, the same in many respects
as that of the Irish people—naturally found in Mr. Cloran a willing and
earnest advocate. His attitude on the North-West and Riel questions was
inspired by the purest and most patriotic of motives. Living in the
midst of French Canadians, whose friend he is, and a patriot from a
Canadian as well as an Irish standpoint, Mr. Cloran rightly believed he
was consistent with himself in joining with them in the province of
Quebec to defend provincial rights and autonomy. He finds, with much
reason, that Home Rule, if it is good for Ireland, is equally good for
Canada; and he has in consequence labored with all liberal minds for the
cause of provincial autonomy, which is, in Canada, the condition
necessary to ensure union and harmony among the different races, and
consequently the condition essential to the future grandeur and
prosperity of our country. Mr. Cloran’s public and political career
began on the 16th November, 1885, when he was unanimously chosen at a
meeting of citizens, jointly with George H. Duhamel, now the
solicitor-general of the province, to fill the position of secretary to
the national movement that was inaugurated to secure the defeat and
overthrow of Sir John A. Macdonald’s government, for the
mal-administration of the North-West Territories, and the execution of
the leader of the half breeds. He took a prominent part in the historic
mass meeting of fifty thousand people assembled, from all parts of the
province, on the Champ de Mars, Montreal, where he distinguished himself
at one bound as an orator capable of speaking in both the French and
English languages. He went through the famous winter campaign of 1886,
and during the late provincial elections he fought a brilliant and
victorious battle in company with Messrs. Laurier, Mercier, Bellerose,
Duhamel and Bergeron, which resulted in the final overthrow of the old
Conservative government, and the general break-up of the Tory and “Bleu”
party which had controlled the destinies of Quebec almost
uninterruptedly since confederation. No one contributed more to the
establishment of the National administration of Hon. Honoré Mercier in
Quebec than Mr. Cloran. There was not a National candidate who made a
vain appeal to him for assistance. Always in the breach, and always at
the disposal of his friends, Mr. Cloran covered almost the entire
province; he addressed mass meetings in over forty counties, and
everywhere he appeared he won the esteem and the confidence of the
people who heard him. In the short space of one year he became one of
the most popular orators, and one of the political lights of the
province. Mr. Cloran placed himself at the service of the Liberal party
to fight out the election campaign in Ontario, and put down the “No
Popery” brigade in favor of the Mowat administration, which carried the
standard of honest government and of civil and religious liberty. He
took an active part in the struggle in the counties of Glengarry,
Stormont and Prescott, where the three Liberal candidates were elected
by large majorities. In showing no hesitation to go to Ontario to assist
the Liberal government of Mr. Mowat, Mr. Cloran and his Quebec friends
contributed much towards giving its true signification to the National
movement. They clearly proved thereby that in the minds of none of them
there never was harbored the slightest thought of a war of races, as was
pretended by the Tory press and speakers; that far from attempting to
divide and separate the different races, they were, on the contrary,
ready and willing to strengthen more firmly than ever the bonds that
unite us from one end to the other of the Dominion, irrespective of race
and creed. In the general elections of 1887 for the House of Commons at
Ottawa, Mr. Cloran was selected by the Liberal party as their standard
bearer for Montreal Centre, one of the largest and most important
constituencies in the Dominion. Although defeated, he almost doubled the
Liberal vote given in the election of 1882, and succeeded in reducing
the previous majority of his opponent, J. J. Curran, Q.C., M.P., by some
five hundred votes. Before becoming one of our most noted public men,
Mr. Cloran had occasion, at different times, to give proof of his energy
and ability in occupying honorary positions in a number of literary,
athletic and national and other organisations to which he was called by
the confidence and esteem of his fellow citizens. It was thus that he
was elected president of the Catholic Young Men’s Society, of Montreal,
in 1880 and 1881. He was chosen secretary of the Parnell Reception
Committee, which was the grandest accorded the great Irish leader in his
memorable visit to America seven years ago. He has filled the office of
president of the Press Association of the province of Quebec. An amateur
of Canadian sports, he is the president of the renowned Shamrock
Lacrosse Club. A Home Ruler, he is president of the Montreal branch of
the Irish National League. He was a delegate to the Irish National
Convention at Chicago in 1886, where he distinguished himself by two
eloquent speeches. He was chairman of the organisation that gave Michael
Davitt, the father of the League, a reception which has never been
surpassed for brilliancy and enthusiasm. He is first vice-president of
the St. Patrick’s Society; and is a director of the Montreal Diocesan
Colonization Society, under the presidency of his Grace Mgr. Fabre. At
the convention of the Young Liberals of the Dominion, held last July, he
was elected as the Irish representative from Quebec province on the
executive committee. Mr. Cloran was also a delegate to the Central
Trades and Labor Council, in the foundation of which he took an active
part. Since his _début_ in public life he has not ceased to interest
himself in the welfare of the working classes. His pen and voice were
always at their service. He was also the chief organiser of the immense
popular demonstrations and receptions accorded to William O’Brien, M.P.,
editor of _United Ireland_, on the memorable occasion of the latter’s
visit to Montreal. Having abandoned journalism, he prepared himself for
the bar, and on the 7th July, 1887, after a severe and brilliant
examination, he was admitted with honors to the practice of the law.
Although still young in years Mr. Cloran has acquired much valuable
experience, and, as has been seen, has played an honorable and
influential _rôle_ in society, and has rendered distinguished service to
his country. Mr. Cloran married, in 1882, Agnes, the third daughter of
Michael Donovan, a leading Irish citizen and business man of Montreal,
and for years president of the St. Patrick’s Society, and of the Irish
National League.
* * * * *
=Edwards, William Cameron=, Manufacturer of Lumber, Rockland, Ontario,
M.P. for the county of Russell, was born in the township of Clarence,
Russell county, in 1844. His father, William Edwards, was a native of
Portsmouth, England, and came to Canada about 1820, and settled in
Clarence township. Here, for a long period, he took a leading part in
all movements intended for the advancement of the district in which he
resided, and was for over twenty years reeve of the township. The mother
of the subject of our sketch, Ann Cameron, was a native of Fort William,
Scotland. William was educated in the Ottawa Grammar School, and when he
had reached the age of nineteen was employed by Cameron & Edwards,
lumbermen, of Thurso, and here he remained for a number of years. In
1868 he joined in a partnership with James Wood, and they, having built
a small steam sawmill at Rockland, on the Ottawa river, commenced the
lumber business under the firm name of W. C. Edwards & Co. The business
having proved successful, in 1871 Cameron & Edwards gave up their
establishment at Thurso, and threw in their lot with W. C. Edwards &
Co., at Rockland. A large mill was then erected, and their business
steadily increased. In 1875 a fire visited the locality, and
unfortunately destroyed the whole premises of the firm, including mills,
docks, buildings, plant, and indeed everything pertaining to the
establishment, and besides a large stock of sawn lumber. And to add to
this misfortune, the amount of their insurance did not cover one-third
of the loss. Nothing daunted, the firm went to work, the same year, to
rebuild, and in the spring of 1876 they were at work again. Since this
time their business has largely increased, and the firm now give
employment to a great number of hands. Previous to the opening of the
mills at Rockland there were only two or three houses in the place; but
to-day the village has a population of about fifteen hundred; is
incorporated; and has a post office, telegraph office, stores, school
house, churches, a good public hall, a division court, etc. Mr. Edwards
has always been the sole manager of the firm’s business, and, as may be
seen, has very successfully conducted its affairs. In 1866 he succeeded
in forming the Thurso infantry company, and for three years, up to his
leaving the village, was captain of this company. He has been for many
years a justice of the peace, and has also been reeve of the village of
Rockland. During the past four years he has been president of the County
of Russell Agricultural Society, and has done considerable towards
promoting the improvement of stock and the general advancement of
agriculture in the county. He is a Liberal in politics, and in 1882 he
unsuccessfully contested Russell for a seat in the House of Commons
against Moss Kent Dickinson. Again at the last general election he
entered the field, and was elected by a majority of 156 votes over C. H.
McIntosh, who opposed him. Mr. Edwards is an adherent of the Baptist
church. In 1885 he was married to Catherine M., eldest daughter of
William Wilson, of Cumberland, Ontario, who for many years has been the
leading business man of his township, and over twenty years its reeve,
and a justice of the peace.
* * * * *
=Jones, Sir David=, Brockville.—The late Sir David Jones, who was born
in 1794, died on the 23rd August, 1838, at Brockville, Ontario, where he
and his family long resided. Few men were more respected, and none could
be held in higher estimation by his countrymen. He was an uncompromising
supporter of British interests. On visiting England in 1835, as agent of
the Brockville Loan and Trust Company, he received the honor of
knighthood from His Majesty William IV., at Windsor Castle, being the
first native of Ontario who had the honor of receiving so distinguished
a mark of royal favor. Sir David died after an illness of only five
days, and his early demise cast a gloom over his native place.
* * * * *
=Kemble, William=, Quebec.—This talented journalist was a native of
Surrey, England, and a member of a distinguished mercantile family in
London, one of whom, at the time of Mr. Kemble’s death, was a member of
the Imperial parliament, for the county above mentioned. He was born in
1781, and died at Quebec, on the 25th February, 1845. While editing the
Quebec _Mercury_, from 1823 to 1842, he greatly distinguished himself as
a writer, and the spirit and raciness that characterized his writings
will long be remembered by his _confrères_ of the press. His talents
were of a high order. He was also a generous contributor to many
periodicals, including the then celebrated “Simmond’s Colonial
Magazine,” of London, England.
* * * * *
=McMicken, Hon. Gilbert=, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Agent of the Commercial
Union Assurance Company of London, England, is a native of England,
having been born in London in 1813, but was from earliest infancy
brought up in Glenluce, Wigtonshire, Scotland, of which country, his
father was a native. He left Scotland in 1832, and landed at the port of
Quebec on the 1st July of the same year. He proceeded to Montreal, and
remained there about three weeks, and then went to Toronto (then Little
York). From Toronto he removed, in September, to Chippewa, and engaged
in the forwarding business. In July, 1838, he was appointed collector of
customs, at Queenston, and subsequently held the same office at
Suspension Bridge, near Niagara Falls. In 1851 was warden of the united
counties of Lincoln and Welland; and was the first mayor of Clifton, and
served for several subsequent terms in the same office. In 1857 Mr.
McMicken entered the political field, and was elected to represent the
county of Welland in the parliament of Canada, which he did for four
years. In 1860 he moved to the county of Essex; and in 1864 was
appointed stipendiary magistrate with jurisdiction over the whole
Western Canada frontier, and in this capacity he successfully quieted
frontier excitement, especially in the cities of Detroit and Buffalo,
and afterwards received the special thanks of Lord Monck, the then
governor-general of Canada, for his services on this occasion. He
managed the extradition of Burley, for piracy on lake Erie; and also
adjudicated upon and extradited the parties in the two celebrated
express robbery cases of Reno and Anderson and of Morton and Thomson. He
discovered and arranged the settlement of the disputed line of
international boundary at the St. Clair flats canal. In 1865 Mr.
McMicken was specially charged to watch over the Fenian movement in the
United States in that year, and continued to do so until their last
efforts at invasion failed in 1870. During these exciting times, and on
the occasion of the murder of T. D’Arcy McGee, on Sparks street, Ottawa,
he had committed to his care the government and parliament buildings in
that city, and the persons of the members of the government and of
parliament then at the capital; and protected, by convoy, the persons of
Black, Richot and Scott, delegates from Manitoba, from the United States
to Ottawa, during the first troubles in the North-West. In 1869 he was
appointed to accompany his Royal Highness Prince Arthur, and his suite,
with Governor-General Young, Lady Young, and Colonel Elphinstone, in
their tour through Ontario, thence to Montreal, and then on to Ottawa,
and for the valuable services rendered the party he received the special
thanks of Prince Arthur, accompanied by a valuable _souvenir_. In 1871
he was made agent of the Dominion lands in Manitoba, and assistant
receiver-general, Dominion auditor, manager of the Dominion savings
banks, and immigration agent. In the same year he was instrumental in
preventing a rising of the Metis when the Fenians offered to come over
from the United States to help them. From 1874 to 1877 he was the acting
inspector of the Manitoba Penitentiary, and in the latter year he
retired from the government service on a pension, having served the
Dominion faithfully and well. In 1879 he was elected to represent
Cartier in the Manitoba legislature, was chosen speaker of that body,
and retired from political life on the dissolution of the parliament in
1883. In 1879 he was appointed agent of the Commercial Union Assurance
Company of London, England, and this position he still holds. Though
greatly advanced in age, he is still hale and hearty, and a good many
years of usefulness are still apparently before him. Hon Mr. McMicken
married at Chippewa, on the 19th February, 1835, Ann Theresa,
grand-daughter of Commodore Grant.
* * * * *
=Masson, Lt.-Colonel Louis François Roderique=, ex-Lieutenant-Governor
of the Province of Quebec, was born at Terrebonne, on November 7th,
1833. He is the fourth son of Hon. Joseph Masson, a member of the
Legislative Council of Canada, at the time of his death, and M. G.
Sophie Raymond, of Laprairie. Mrs. Masson died in 1883, at Terrebonne,
where she was buried. The ceremonies of her funeral were very
impressive, the archbishop of Montreal officiating; the musical service,
under the leadership of Professor Guillaume Couture, of Montreal, with a
select choir of forty male voices, was the grandest ever performed in
the country. Besides distributing a considerable fortune to her children
and relatives, she left princely legacies to various charitable
institutions, the Deaf Mute Institution of Montreal receiving for its
share a sum of $20,000. The ancestors of Mr. Masson came to Canada very
early, and settled originally in Saint Eustache. At the present time the
ramifications of the family spread over the whole province of Quebec.
The subject of our sketch was educated at the Jesuits’ College,
Georgetown, Worcester, Mass., and at St. Hyacinthe, Quebec, where he
completed his classical studies. During this period he travelled for two
years through Europe and the Holy Land, in company with that
distinguished scholar, Rev. Mr. Désaulniers, of St. Hyacinthe College.
Their tour lasted twenty four months, and was productive of immense
benefit to young Masson, both in a physical and mental point of view. At
the conclusion of his classical course he entered the law office of the
late Sir George Etienne Cartier, in Montreal, where he resided three
years, and in November, 1859, he was admitted to the bar. He never,
however, practised his profession. Since October, 1862, he has held a
commission in the Canadian volunteer force. On August 21st, 1863, he was
appointed brigade-major 8th military district of Lower Canada, doing
active duty on the frontier during the first Fenian raid, March, 1866;
and also during the second raid in the same year, and was promoted to
the rank of lieutenant-colonel in 1867. Colonel Masson has held various
offices in the municipality of his native town, and was mayor of
Terrebonne in 1874. In 1867 he was first elected to parliament as
representative for the county of Terrebonne, and at every subsequent
election he was re-elected by acclamation. He is perhaps the most
popular man in the province of Quebec among his constituents. He is a
Conservative, and stands very high in the estimation of his chiefs. In
1873 he was offered a seat in the Macdonald cabinet, but declined; the
outspoken views he held on the amnesty for political offences in
Manitoba, and on the settlement of the New Brunswick mixed schools
question, forbade his acceptance of the honour proffered, unless he
should make a sacrifice of principles. He is in favour of a reciprocity
treaty with the United States, provided Canada is able to get equitable
terms; of a moderately protective tariff, and he always advocated the
construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway wholly on Canadian soil. In
1878, when the Mackenzie administration resigned, Mr. Masson, who was
travelling in Europe, was offered a portfolio in the new cabinet, and he
sailed immediately for Canada. On his arrival (19th October), he was
sworn in a member of her Majesty’s Privy Council and minister of militia
and defence. Under his energetic administration numerous improvements
and useful changes were effected in the Canadian militia
organization,—more especially the establishment of drill associations
in educational institutions, the supply of military clothes from
Canadian manufacture, the manufacturing in the country of gunpowder,
cartridges, heavy guns, etc. For reasons of health he was forced to
discontinue the arduous labours he had undertaken, and on the 16th
January, 1880, he resigned his position of minister of militia and
defence, and was appointed president of the Privy Council. Mr. Masson
resigned his seat in the cabinet in 1880, and in 1882 was called to the
Senate. In 1884 he was appointed a member of the Legislative Council of
Quebec, and he held that position until the 7th November, 1884, when he
resigned, to assume the duties of lieutenant-governor of the province of
Quebec. In 1856 Col. Masson married Louise Rachel, eldest daughter of
Lieut.-Col. Alexander Mackenzie, and granddaughter of Hon. Roderique
Mackenzie, once a member of the Legislative Council of Canada, and a
partner in the North-West Fur Company; by this marriage he had issue
five children, three sons and two daughters. Mrs. Masson died, and in
1884 he married his second wife, Cécile Burroughs, eldest daughter of
John H. Burroughs, prothonotary of the Supreme Court of Canada.
* * * * *
=Belleau, Sir Narcisse=, K.C.M.G., Q.C., ex-Lieutenant-Governor of the
Province of Quebec, was born on the 20th October, 1808, in the city of
Quebec, where he was educated, and where he still resides. Shortly after
leaving school he chose law as a profession, and soon built up a
lucrative business. Being a public spirited gentleman, he took an active
part in municipal affairs, and in 1860, when the Prince of Wales visited
Canada, Mr. Belleau was mayor of Quebec, and on this auspicious occasion
he had the honour of knighthood conferred upon him. He entered the
Legislative Council in 1852, soon made his mark there, and in 1857 was
elected speaker of that body. This elevated position he retained until
1862, when he received the appointment of minister of agriculture in the
Cartier-Macdonald administration. In 1865 he was persuaded to undertake
the responsible duties of premier and receiver-general, and held these
important offices until appointed lieutenant-governor of the province of
Quebec in 1867. Sir Narcisse took an active part in all the most
celebrated trials at this time in contested election cases, and his
voice was no insignificant one in all and more than peculiarly delicate
questions which so frequently arose during the time he was speaker of
the upper house before confederation. As a legal adviser in civil cases
he had few compeers at the time of his practising in Quebec that were
recognized as his equal, still less his superior. Though now well
advanced in years he still possesses a large circle of friends inside
and outside of politics, and is a gentleman highly respected in his
native city. His excellency Señor Don Boniface de Blas, minister of
foreign affairs, by order and in the name of his Majesty the King of
Spain, for services rendered on the occasion of the projected invasion
of Cuba by the filibusters, conferred upon him the dignity of commander
and grand officer of the royal order of Isabella la Catolica, in 1872,
and on the 24th May, 1879, he had the still higher honour conferred upon
him of being made a knight commander of the order of St. Michael and St.
George, by her Majesty Queen Victoria, at the hands of the Marquis of
Lorne, late governor-general, in the presence of her Royal Highness the
Princess Louise. Sir Narcisse Belleau, now an old man, can look back on
his past record as barrister, mayor, speaker of the Legislative Council,
minister of agriculture, receiver-general, premier and
lieutenant-governor of his native province, with satisfaction—having
filled these high offices with credit to himself and honour to his
country—and enjoy the remainder of his days as a public benefactor and
a humane sympathetic Christian gentleman should always be able to do. On
the 15th September, 1835, Sir Narcisse was married to Mary, daughter of
the late L. Gauvreau, at one time a member of the Legislative Assembly
of Lower Canada. There is no issue by the marriage.
* * * * *
=Desaulniers, François Sévère Lesieur=, B.C.L., Yamachiche, M.P. for St.
Maurice, Quebec Province. The subject of this sketch is a member of one
of the oldest, most well known and respectable families of the province
of Quebec—the Desaulniers having come from France to Canada some time
during the seventeenth century (1642), and settled in the district of
Three Rivers. He is descended from Charles Lesieur, who was a notary
royal and solicitor general under the French government, and of
Françoise de Lafond, a niece of Pierre Boucher, the illustrious governor
of Three Rivers under the government of M. de Mésy (1663). Mr.
Desaulniers is the son of the late François Lesieur Desaulniers, and of
the late Marguerite Pothier, and was born at Yamachiche on the 19th
September, 1850. He received his education at Nicolet College, an
institution to which both church and state are greatly indebted for
having produced many citizens who distinguish themselves in the various
walks of public life. After successfully passing his examinations, Mr.
Desaulniers was admitted to the bar on the 13th January, 1879, at Three
Rivers, and is now a member of the legal firm of Desilets, Desaulniers &
Duplessis of that city. But his love for journalism was evidently
greater than for the law, for we meet him, while studying law, editing
the _Constitutionnel_ at Three Rivers, a journal founded by one of the
most distinguished French Canadian writers, the late Hon. E. Gérin,
legislative councillor. Later on, from 1875 to 1877, we find him in
Quebec, as assistant editor of _Le Canadien_, whilst he contributed
several editorials and political articles to the _Revue Canadienne_ of
Montreal, to _Le Foyer Domestique_ of Ottawa, as well as to several
other papers. Mr. Desaulniers’ political career began in 1878, when he
was, for the first time, returned to the Quebec parliament, at the
general elections, for his native county, St. Maurice, P.Q. He was
elected by a majority of 245 votes over his opponent, L. A. Lord. At the
general elections of 1881 he was re-elected for the same constituency by
a majority of 110 votes over S. J. Remington. While in the Quebec
parliament he was a moderate Liberal-Conservative, and a strong
supporter of the conciliatory and moderate policy inaugurated by the
Chapleau government. In 1886, at the late provincial elections, Mr.
Desaulniers withdrew from the political arena to accept a charge from
the provincial government. Upon the recommendation of the Hon. M. de la
Bruère, speaker of the Legislative Council, he was, on the 2nd November,
1886, appointed by the Ross government deputy-clerk and clerk of the
private bills of the Legislative Council of Quebec, _vice_ J. A. Jodoin,
resigned. Lately a vain attempt was made to deprive him of this office,
but by a unanimous vote of the Legislative Council his appointment was
confirmed. On the 22nd February, 1887, Mr. Desaulniers was returned to
the Dominion parliament for his old and faithful constituency of St.
Maurice, where he enjoys a well-deserved popularity. He won the contest
this time by a majority of 267 votes over his opponent, L. A. Lord.
While devoting all his energies to the fulfilment of his numerous duties
as representative of the people, Mr. Desaulniers, who takes a deep
interest in agriculture, has been unanimously elected for ten years
consecutively as president of the Agricultural Society of the county of
St. Maurice. He has also been a justice of the peace since 1878. In
politics Mr. Desaulniers is a staunch Conservative. He strongly endorses
the protective policy adopted some years ago, and is a warm supporter of
the Sir John A. Macdonald administration. In July, 1877, he married, at
St. Guillaume d’Upton, Marie Aglaé Maher, daughter of Francis Maher,
merchant, whose ancestors came from Stuttgart, Germany. They have five
children living. Mr. Desaulniers is extremely popular in his own
constituency and in the neighbouring counties, where he has often
addressed large meetings on all the vital issues of the day, and
performed many acts of kindness and liberality—winning, at the same
time, for himself the esteem and respect of all by his social qualities,
his proverbial hospitality, his sterling integrity, and his devotedness
to the public interests.
* * * * *
=McClelan, Hon. Abner Reid=, Senator, Riverside, Hopewell, New
Brunswick, was born where he now resides, in 1831. He is the youngest
son of the late Peter McClelan, who was for a considerable period a
justice of the peace, and of the common pleas, in the county of Albert.
His paternal ancestry were Irish; but his mother (Robinson) was
descended from the Clarkes, of New Hampshire. A. R. McClelan was
educated at the district school, and at the Mount Allison Wesleyan
Academy, of which he was subsequently one of the Board of Governors. In
1854, Mr. McClelan was elected one of the representatives of his native
county in the New Brunswick legislature, and continued to hold the
position till the union, in 1867. He is liberal in politics, and united
with the Hon. Charles Fisher, the Hon. S. L. Tilley, and other Liberals
of that day, in the overthrow of the Conservative administration, and in
the establishment, on a firmer basis, of the rights of all under the
responsible system of government. Mr. McClelan was an ardent supporter
of the treaty of 1854, which secured free reciprocal trade with the
United States. In addition to other reforms, he succeeded in obtaining
amendments to the law of inheritance, including the removal of the
rights of primogeniture, and in providing postal regulations for the
better observance of the Sabbath day. His efforts were always employed
to obtain a fair and equitable distribution of the public
appropriations, and the county which he so long represented derived
considerable advantages thereby. In 1865, he was an unsuccessful
candidate for the speakership of the Assembly. During that year he
helped to lead the opposition against the government formed to oppose
the union, and on the resignation of the ministry, he accepted a seat in
the new administration with the portfolio of public works, which he held
till the union, when he was called to the Senate. He advocated the
construction of the railway from Shediac to St. John, now a part of the
Intercolonial, and subsequently the establishment of branch lines,
including an ample subsidy for the Albert Railway, which was guaranteed
by the Dominion government, upon the special request of the friends and
promoters of the road. Mr. McClelan at the outset urged the government
which he was then supporting to subsidize a short line to Hillsboro’,
which was done, and the road afterwards extended to Hopewell. He
prepared and introduced the original Act of Incorporation, assisted in
securing the aid of the Dominion guarantee, and asked for and obtained a
loan of rails to facilitate a branch line to Hillsboro’. As a member of
the Dominion parliament, Mr. McClelan has continued on the side of
liberalism and free trade, believing and affirming that the policy of
protection is not based on equitable principles, that it is generally
injurious in its tendencies, and especially detrimental to the smaller
provinces by the sea. Though formerly in mercantile business, the Hon.
Mr. McClelan has partially retired therefrom, owing to delicate health.
In the Senate, it may be added, he is a man of much usefulness, for he
gives to public questions a thoughtful and impartial study. To the broad
interests of Canada, the Hon. Mr. McClelan has been always loyal, and
there is nothing hollow about his patriotism. He is married to Anna J.,
eldest daughter of W. J. Reed, of Harvey, New Brunswick.
* * * * *
=Clemo, Ebenezer=, Inventor, was a native of London, England, and came
to Canada in 1858. He was, although young, a person of great genius and
ability. On his arrival in Montreal he was reduced to such necessity,
that he applied to John Lovell, publisher of that city, for employment
as a message boy; but Mr. Lovell knowing his acquirements, engaged him
to write a couple of books. Hence “Simon Seek,” and “The Canadian
Homes,” which appeared in the same year. Not works of the highest
standard of literature certainly, but evincing much talent, and giving a
good insight into Canadian character and life. He was the inventor and
discoverer of making paper pulp out of straw, an industry which has
grown to great proportions since his day; and when engaged in erecting
machinery for the manufacture of such paper at Morristown, New Jersey,
died in 1860, at the early age of thirty.
* * * * *
=Fullerton, James S.=, President of the Osgoode Literary and Legal
Society, Toronto.—Mr. Fullerton is a native Canadian, having been born
on April 3, 1843, in the township of South Dorchester, Elgin county,
Ontario. Early in life he formed a taste for the law, and finally came
to Toronto a student. He studied with N. G. Bigelow, John Leys and
Beverly Jones, and ten years ago he was admitted to the bar. He had the
honor of taking third and fourth year scholarships. He has now practised
his profession for a decade, and is senior partner in the firm of
Fullerton, Cook & Miller. He has had more of the successes of life than
fall to the lot of most men. His practice has steadily increased, and it
is said in legal circles that in three years he has only lost a couple
of cases—and those it was well nigh impossible to win. His reputation
for office work is great, and his unusual capabilities for making a jury
think as he thinks have given him considerable counsel work to do.
* * * * *
=Begg, Alexander=, Dunbow Ranch, North-West Territory, Canada, is a
native of the parish of Watten, Caithness-shire, Scotland, and was born
7th May, 1825. He is a son of Andrew Begg, farmer, and Jane Taylor, of
Houstry, Dunn, Watten. His father was also miller of the mill of Dunn
until about fifty years ago, when it and similar small oatmeal mills
throughout Caithness were discontinued. The work of kiln-drying oats,
formerly done by every farmer at home on his own kiln,—the winnowing of
the shelled grain after it had first passed between the mill stones, and
the sifting of the meal had to be done by hand; but about that time was
transferred to larger mills erected by each proprietor for his tenants.
The modern mill was furnished with a fanning mill to clean the shelled
oats, and sieves which sifted the meal thoroughly. A kiln was also
attached for the use of the tenants, who were bound each to bring his
grain to the mill belonging to the estate on which his farm was situate
and pay toll there. Mr. Begg received his elementary education at a
somewhat celebrated select school, taught by William Campbell, near his
father’s house at Backlass, Dunn. Up to the age of eighteen he assisted
on the farm and attended the Watten parish school. Subsequently he
attended the Normal School at Edinburgh, from which he received a
diploma qualifying him as a teacher. This he utilized by teaching at
Cluny, Aberdeenshire, until 1846, when he emigrated to Canada. Soon
after his arrival at Belleville, where some of his school fellows had
formerly emigrated, he taught school in the townships of West Huntingdon
and Madoc, and afterwards at Oshawa. There he met J. E. McMillan (now
sheriff in Victoria, B.C.), and joined him in publishing _The
Messenger_, the first newspaper published in Bowmanville. After a couple
of years he sold out to Mr. McMillan, and purchased the plant of the
Cobourg _Sun_, removing it to Brighton, Ontario, and published _The
Sentinel_, the first newspaper published there. He afterwards started
_The Advocate_ at Trenton, also the pioneer newspaper of that place.
Shortly afterwards he disposed of his interest in the printing business,
and visited his native land. On his return to Canada he received an
appointment in the customs, serving at the ports of Morrisburg, Port
Dover, Brockville and Cornwall; and in 1869 was promoted to be collector
of customs and inspector of inland revenue for the North-West
Territories, accompanying the lieutenant-governor, Hon. Wm. McDougall
and party, as far as Pembina, when the French half-breeds under Riel
stopped their advance, compelling their return. To conciliate certain
parties, another collector of customs was sent out to Fort Garry after
Riel’s flight to the United States. Mr. Begg was transferred to the
Inland Revenue department, but being dissatisfied at being deprived of
his position without any fault on his part, he left the service of the
Dominion government, and accepted the office of emigration commissioner
in Scotland for the Ontario government. In that work he was remarkably
successful, and during several years continued to send out a superior
class of emigrants. Owing to a change in the emigration policy, only one
agent for Ontario was retained for Great Britain, at Liverpool. Mr. Begg
then turned his attention to the establishment of a temperance colony in
the Parry Sound district. The township of McMurrich was chosen as being
then without any settlers. A grist mill, saw and shingle mills were
erected by him at Beggsboro’ in 1874, to encourage the settlement; and
although by a decision of the Provincial government, that settlers,
other than strictly temperance men, could be admitted to the colony, it
became and still continues a prosperous settlement. Whilst engaged in
opening up roads through the wilderness and fostering the colony, Mr.
Begg became editor and joint proprietor of the Muskoka _Herald_,
published at Bracebridge; and soon afterwards commenced in Toronto the
publication of the _Canada Lumberman_, a paper devoted to the interest
of lumber dealers. This paper was purchased by a Peterboro’ firm, and
has attained a leading position in the lumber trade. Next we find him,
in 1879, at the World’s Exposition in Paris, where he had on view, and
received prizes for, a landau carriage from London, Ontario, and a
sleigh from Orillia, at which latter place his family have resided since
their return from Scotland. He also brought across the Atlantic with him
from the Muskoka lakes, a number of live black bass, the first ever
brought alive across the ocean from the new to the old world. Some of
the bass were deposited at Dunrobin, the seat of the Duke of
Sutherland’s family in Scotland; some in England, and a few more taken
across the English channel to Paris, for which latter he received a
medal from the Paris Société d’Acclimatation. In 1881 Mr. Begg made a
tour to the North-West by way of Chicago, St. Paul and Bismarck, as the
Toronto _Mail_ correspondent; taking the steamer up the Missouri to Fort
Benton, the head of navigation, the Northern Pacific Railway not having
been completed farther than Bismark at that time. The journey onward and
northward from Benton to Fort McLeod was made by team and on horseback,
camping out by the way. His Excellency the Marquis of Lorne reached
McLeod from Battleford and Calgary on his tour across the continent at
the same time Mr. Begg arrived from the south, so he had the opportunity
of meeting the governor-general and party, and of including in his
correspondence the earliest written news of their arrival there, and the
enthusiastic reception given them by the Bloods, Piegans and a party of
Indians (Blackfeet), under Chief Crowfoot. From McLeod, Mr. Begg
proceeded to Morley, where one of his sons (Magnus) was farm instructor
of the Stoney tribe of Indians on the reserve there. Magnus has since
been promoted to be chief agent at the Blackfoot reserve. From Morley,
Mr. Begg rode up Bow River to the foot of the Rockies, where an advance
party of the Canadian Pacific Railway engineers were at work to
ascertain if the railway line could be located by that route. Returning
to Calgary, he proceeded north to Edmonton and St. Albert; then eastward
to Battleford, Prince Albert and Duck Lake, on to Humboldt, Fort
Qu’Appelle, Fort Ellice and Brandon, which latter place the Canadian
Pacific Railway had just reached. At Humboldt he was obliged to sell his
saddle and pack horses and take the stage, as winter had fairly set in,
and travelling alone was no longer safe, especially without stopping
places for the night. Next year, Mr. Begg returned to the North-West by
the same route, taking one of his sons (Robert) with him to establish a
sheep, cattle and horse ranch (Dunbow) at the confluence of High river
with Bow river. This summer (1887) another of his sons (Roderick) joined
him on the ranch, which is now well stocked and flourishing. His sons,
Alexander and Peter, have recently been engaged in the Eastern States in
connection with a printing establishment; another son, Ralph, is
attending the Military School in Toronto, whilst the sixth, Colin, is
studying at the High School in Orillia, where Mrs. Begg and five
daughters yet reside. This autumn Mr. Begg was appointed emigration
commissioner by the government of British Columbia, to arrange with the
Crofter fishermen of Scotland to settle on the western shores of the
island of Vancouver, to develop the valuable deep sea fisheries of the
Pacific. On this important mission he left Canada in October, having
formulated a scheme which will, he considers, solve the difficulty which
has hitherto prevented the Imperial government from advancing funds to
assist the emigration of the Crofters.
* * * * *
=Panneton, Louis Edmond=, Q.C., B.C.L., LL.M., Barrister, Sherbrooke,
province of Quebec, was born at Three Rivers, in that province, on the
6th July, 1848. His parents were André Panneton and Marie Blondin. Mr.
Panneton received his education at the college of Three Rivers, where he
took the classical course. In 1865 he removed to Sherbrooke, and in 1870
was admitted to the bar of Lower Canada. He was elected a school
commissioner in 1877, and in the same year was appointed a member of the
Catholic Board of Examiners for granting diplomas to teachers. In 1878
he was elected president of the Club Cartier (Conservative Association),
and a member of the city council in 1886. The degree of B.C.L. was
conferred upon him in 1882, and that of LL.M. in 1885. He is a professor
of civil law at Bishop’s University. He was chosen president for the
years 1885 and 1886 of the Eastern Townships Typographical Company,
which published _Le Pionnier_. He was made a Queen’s counsel in 1887,
and in the same year was elected president of the bar of the district of
St. Francis. Mr. Panneton travelled through the United States in 1876,
and made an extended tour through Europe in 1878. In religion, he is an
adherent of the Roman Catholic church, and in politics, a Conservative.
He was married on the 6th July, 1886, to Corinne Dorais, of St.
Gregoire, daughter of L. T. Dorais, M.P.P. for the county of Nicolet,
Province of Quebec.
* * * * *
=Blair, Frank I.=, M.D., St. Stephen, New Brunswick, was born on 6th
January, 1855. His father, Dugald Blair, M.D., was a Scotchman by birth,
having been born in Greenock, Scotland, and afterwards settled in New
Brunswick. His mother, Sarah Henrietta Marks, was a native of St.
Stephen, and was a descendant of Captain Nehemiah Marks, a noted
loyalist. Dr. Blair received his early education in Sunbury Grammar
School and the University, Fredericton; and adopting medicine as a
profession, completed his studies at the Bellevue Hospital Medical
College, New York. He then returned to his native province, and began
the practice of his profession in St. Stephen, where he has succeeded in
building up a good business. He takes an interest in Masonry, and is a
Knight Templar. He has travelled a good deal, and found time to visit
Europe, California, and several other Western states of America. In
politics he is a Liberal-Conservative; and in religion an adherent of
the Church of England. On the 1st of December, 1881, he was married to
Alice J. Owen, of St. Stephen.
* * * * *
=Irving, Andrew=, Registrar of the County of Renfrew, Pembroke, Ontario,
was born at Chatham, Miramichi, Northumberland county, New Brunswick, on
the 14th of December, 1820. His father, Andrew Irving, was a second
cousin of the celebrated preacher and divine, Edward Irving, the founder
of the sect known as the “Irvinites,” and was born in the parish of
Middlebec, Dumfriesshire, Scotland. He emigrated to New Brunswick in
1816, and lived a quiet life as a farmer on the banks of the Miramichi
river, about a mile from the town of Chatham, where he died in 1864. His
mother, Margaret Henderson, came to this country some time after her
husband, and died at a ripe old age in 1871. Mr. Irving’s grandfather,
John Henderson, married Clarinda Douglas, the daughter of Sir Archibald
Douglas, of Castle Milk, and had the Cleugh Brae farm presented to him
by Sir Archibald on the day of his marriage. He died at the age of
fifty-eight. Having made his will only eight days before his death, it
was declared illegal, from the circumstance that at that time the law of
Scotland required that a testator must attend both kirk and market, and
live six weeks after making his will, otherwise it would be null and
void. The family contested the validity of this will in the courts, with
the usual results, namely that of financial ruin to them all. Andrew,
the subject of our sketch, was educated at the Grammar School at
Chatham, and afterwards studied medicine for three years with Dr. Key,
then the most successful practitioner in New Brunswick. Finding,
however, that too close application to study was endangering his health,
he abandoned medicine, and resolved to seek his fortune in Western
Canada. With this object in view, in the summer of 1842 he began his
journey westward, and rather than slowly voyage on board a schooner from
Miramichi to Quebec he chose the land route. He rode on horseback from
Miramichi to Dalhousie, a distance of over a hundred miles, then crossed
the Restigouche river at Campbelltown with his provisions on his back,
and walked across the country to the St. Lawrence river at Metis, a
distance of nearly a hundred miles. The road for the greater part of the
route was only a footpath, and the sole guide he and his party had was
the Indian blaze; and it took three hard days’ travel to make the
journey. He then walked the entire distance, two hundred miles, from
Metis to Quebec, in five days. When he arrived at Bytown (now Ottawa
city), he crossed the Ottawa river, and was driven to Aylmer in a
vehicle called a stage, a distance of nine miles, by a man named Moses
Holt, who is still alive, though bordering on his one hundredth year.
The next day he took passage in a bark canoe, working his way as far as
Fitzroy Harbor, a small village on the south banks of the Upper Ottawa.
The following day he embarked on the steamer _George Buchanan,_ which at
her best could not steam more than five miles an hour, and came on with
her as far as Farrel’s Wharf, in the township of Horton. The distance
from this point to Pembroke by the then route was nearly fifty miles,
and our dauntless young Scotch settler accomplished the distance in a
day and a half, arriving at his destination in good health and spirits.
At this time it took a traveller three days from Ottawa to Pembroke, and
now the journey can be made in about as many hours. In January, 1842, he
began his career as a teacher in Pembroke, the settlers having erected
for him a log school-house, in the bush, and agreeing to pay him a
salary of forty pounds ($60) and board for a year, which, we may say,
was not always promptly paid. However, our young teacher was satisfied,
and his indomitable pluck carried him through all difficulties, and he
is now one of the leading men in his county. For about three years Mr.
Irving filled the office of clerk of the township and village of
Pembroke, and was Division Court clerk for over twenty years. In 1861 he
was chosen county treasurer, and held the office until 1875. He was
local superintendent of education for a part of the county before the
law abolishing this office came into force; and was a member of the
Board of Education for a number of years, during three of which he acted
as its chairman. In 1861 he was appointed a justice of the peace; and
for upwards of ten years was license inspector. In 1866 he was appointed
registrar of the county of Renfrew, and this office he still holds, and
devotes all his time to the performance of his duties. Mr. Irving has
always taken a deep interest in municipal affairs, and it was he who
during the years from 1861 to 1865 led in the county town struggle for
Renfrew county, and it has since been conceded by both friends and foes
that it was through his good management that Pembroke came off
victorious. He has been an ardent politician, and was always found
fighting in the Reform ranks. On one occasion, during a hard election
contest, he was approached by an old and valued friend, and offered a
lucrative office if he withdrew his opposition to the government
candidate, but, with true Scotch pride, he replied, “My principles are
my own; they are neither those of John A. Macdonald or George Brown, and
you would think very little of me if I would abandon them for any such
offer.” This answer led to an estrangement between him and his friend,
but after some years his friend admitted he was right, and so the matter
was forgotten. Unfortunately Mr. Irving is not so liberal in his
religious views as he is in his political. He is a very strict
Presbyterian; and the highest of Calvinists, and would resist to the
death any innovation or reform in his church standards. In 1844 he was
married to Jane Reid, the eldest daughter of the late Peter Whyte, the
first settler in Pembroke. She died in 1852, and two of her children
survive her. He again married in 1860, his second choice being Mary,
daughter of the late Doctor William Cannon, of the Royal navy. This lady
is still alive, and has been the mother of five children, four of whom
are living.
* * * * *
=Laliberté, Jean Baptiste=, Fur Merchant, St. Roch, Quebec, was born in
the city of Quebec, in 1843. His father, who was the owner of one of the
largest tanneries located on St. Valier street, in that city, sent him
early to the Quebec Normal School, where he received a sound commercial
education. On leaving school he commenced work with a merchant, and was
afterwards apprenticed for a few years to a furrier to learn the trade.
Here he soon acquired a thorough knowledge of it in all its branches,
and laid the foundations of a successful business career. In May, 1867,
he began, in a small way, on his own account. Being attentive and
obliging and keeping all the latest styles in his stock, customers came
dropping in; and at the end of five years, having worked very hard, he
had accumulated sufficient means to enable him to re-build the store in
which he had begun, and which had now become too small to accommodate
his growing trade. After a lapse of a few more years he began again to
be crowded for room; and he then decided to enlarge his premises. This
time he erected a handsome building on St. Joseph street, St. Roch’s,
containing six floors, 110 x 45 feet, which he now occupies. On the top
of the building is a dome and flag-staff, on which he always hoists the
French flag on the 24th of June of each year, this being the anniversary
of his patron saint, St. Jean-Baptiste. Mr. Laliberté has made it a rule
to purchase his goods in the best markets of the world, and to offer for
sale only articles which may, by their excellence in regard to quality
and workmanship, defy the keenest competition. Not content with visiting
only the fur markets of New York, London, Paris and Leipsic, he, in
1880, and every year since, has visited in person the great fur emporium
of Russia, being the first furrier from the province of Quebec who has
done this. He has now branch offices in the principal cities of Europe,
and his managers at these places advise him weekly as to prices, etc.
Mr. Laliberté employs over three hundred persons, several of whom are
constantly employed trapping and hunting in our own northern forests,
and are paid the highest prices for furs and peltries in season and of
the best grades. He is both an importer and exporter, and when a choice
set of furs is wanted, even for the far west, the St. Roch fur emporium
is generally called upon to supply it, as it is well known that from his
immense stock, said to be the largest in Canada, it can readily be
selected. Mr. Laliberté is erect in stature, manly in bearing, and is
noted for his courteous demeanour to his fellow men. In short, he is a
fair representative of the progressive French Canadian of the present
day.
* * * * *
=Macdonald, Augustine Colin=, Merchant, Montague, Prince Edward Island,
was born on the 30th June, 1837, at Panmure, P.E.I. He is a son of Hugh
Macdonald, who came from Moydart, Inverness-shire, Scotland, to Prince
Edward Island in 1805, and settled at Panmure. The mother of the subject
of our sketch was Catherine, daughter of A. Macdonald, of Rhue Arisaig,
Inverness-shire. Augustine Colin Macdonald received his education at the
Grammar School of Georgetown, and at the Central Academy, Charlottetown,
P.E.I. He has taken part in all matters pertaining to the interests of
the island in which he was born, and has been on several occasions a
commissioner for managing the Exhibition of Local Industry for Prince
Edward Island. He, too, is interested in military matters, and is
captain in one of the local companies. He was first returned to the
Legislative Assembly, as representative for the third electoral district
of Kings county, P.E.I., in 1870. He supported the Railway bill, and on
a dissolution of the house was again elected by his political friends.
In 1873 he once more appealed to his constituents, and, as a supporter
of “confederation” and “better terms,” was elected. When Prince Edward
Island became part of the confederacy, Mr. Macdonald was returned a
member of the Dominion parliament as a supporter of Sir John A.
Macdonald. At the general election, held in 1874, he suffered defeat at
the polls, being beaten by a small majority; but at the general
election, held in 1878, he was again elected to a seat in the House of
Commons at Ottawa. In politics Mr. Macdonald is a Liberal-Conservative,
and during his parliamentary career at Ottawa rendered good service to
the government when they were carrying through the Canadian Pacific
Railway bill and the national policy resolutions. He is an adherent of
the Roman Catholic church. He married at Charlottetown, on the 27th
June, 1865, Mary Elizabeth, sixth daughter of the late Hon. John Small
Macdonald, and has a family of seven children.
* * * * *
=Harris, John Leonard=, Merchant and Manufacturer, Moncton, New
Brunswick, was born in Norton, Kings county, on the 27th September,
1833. He is the second son of Michael Spurr Harris, who came to Moncton
with his family in 1836. Here John L. Harris received his education, and
in early life became engaged with G. &. J. Salter, shipbuilders, as
their bookkeeper and chief business man. About the year 1856 he
associated with him his brother, C. P. Harris, in the shipbuilding
business, which they carried on under the firm name of J. & C. Harris.
And since 1858, as general merchants, they have largely imported
British, foreign and West India goods. From this business it may be said
was developed some of the most important industries of the town of
Moncton, viz.: a sugar refinery and a cotton mill—and these were
established in 1880 and 1882, under the supervision of this firm—J. L.
Harris being the president and managing director of both companies. But
it is largely to Mr. Harris’s own personal exertions and untiring energy
that his native town is indebted for the accomplishment of its most
important public benefit—a work which has been of equal benefit to
every citizen, and has not only placed Moncton at once in a position to
prosecute the industries and arts of life, but has fixed a permanent
value to real estate, while it protects property from fire, and insures
health, cleanliness and comfort for future generations. It was in 1878
that he organized the Moncton Gas Light and Water Company, the works of
which, although extensive, were carried to completion with great
promptness and success during the same year. Within three months 30,000
days’ labor were performed; and combined with this was erected the gas
works, during the same year, which subsequently included a system of
electric lighting. Mr. Harris has been the president and managing
director of this company, as well as of the sugar and cotton
manufacturing companies, from their organization to the present time;
and he has for many years been active in advocating and promoting a
harbor improvement enterprise for Moncton, having, with his colleagues,
obtained acts of the Dominion and Local parliaments incorporating the
Moncton Dock and Harbor Improvement Company. He has also been identified
with other public enterprises in the town, and generally those called
into existence by reason of the national policy of Canada, which he has
warmly supported. He is an upholder of the principles of the
Liberal-Conservative party. In 1881 and 1882 Mr. Harris was elected to
the position of mayor, and thus served two years as presiding officer of
the Moncton town council. He has been for many years very active in
Freemasonry, and is a past master of Keith lodge; past first principal
of Botsford Royal Arch Chapter; a member of the order of Knights
Templars, and has taken other advanced degrees. In religion he is an
adherent of the Presbyterian church. He was married August 11th, 1864,
to Mary, second daughter of the late Alexander Cowie, M.D.
* * * * *
=Joncas, Louis Zephrin=, General Agent, Grand River, M.P. for Gaspé, is
of Norman descent, and was born at Grand River, in the county of Gaspé,
province of Quebec, on the 26th July, 1846. His parents were Léon Joncas
and Esther Beaudin. His family was during many years engaged in the
fishing industry. Mr. Joncas, the subject of our sketch, received his
education at the College Masson, in Terrebonne, near Montreal, and after
having gone through his classical course of studies he began studying
law in Montreal, but in consequence of ill health was obliged to
discontinue it and go back to his native village, where during twelve
years he has carried on the business of fish-curing. In 1876 Mr. Joncas
was appointed sheriff of the county of Gaspé, in place of John Short,
and this office he held until the 20th February, 1887, when he resigned
to run for the House of Commons. Under the name and style of L. Z.
Joncas & Co., he keeps at Grand River a general agency and accountant’s
office. In 1883 he was chosen by the Dominion government one of the
commissioners to represent Canada, and more especially the province of
Quebec, at the International Fisheries Exhibition, held in London,
England, and in this capacity he won golden opinions both from the
British and from the Canadian press. At the Fishery Congress in
connection with the International Fisheries Exhibition, Mr. Joncas read
a paper on the “Fisheries of Canada,” which has been greatly appreciated
both abroad and at home. Speaking of this lecture, the London _Canadian
Gazette_ of the 5th July, 1883, said: “At a conference held on Monday,
the 2nd day of July inst., at the Fisheries Exhibition, the Hon. A. W.
McLelan, minister of marine of Canada, presiding, a remarkably
comprehensive and interesting paper upon the various fisheries of
British North America was read by Mr. L. Z. Joncas, one of the Canadian
commissioners at the Exhibition. The subject was a large one, but Mr.
Joncas’ practical knowledge of it enabled him to do justice to all its
branches, and he concentrated in his paper much information of great
value upon all sections of the trade. We hope at an early date to give
some extracts from it of interest to our readers. By order of the
executive committee of the Exhibition this work has been published and
thousands of copies are being distributed.” The London _Daily
Telegraph_, alluding to the same paper, says: “The most important of the
papers yet read at the International conference was that of Monday, 2nd
instant., on the ‘Fisheries of Canada,’ by Mr. L. Z. Joncas, one of the
executive commissioners for Canada, which was at once able, valuable,
and as far as possible exhaustive.” In 1884 Mr. Joncas was asked to
lecture on the same subject before the members of the British
Association then assembled in Montreal, and he read a paper considering
the fisheries from an economical point of view. This paper, which makes
a pamphlet of over sixty pages, has been largely distributed both in
Europe and in Canada by the Dominion government. In 1887, when Dr.
Fortin, who had represented Gaspé in the House of Commons since 1867,
signified his intention of resigning, Mr. Joncas was asked to come
forward by a large number of the electors of Gaspé, and he was elected
at the general election held on the 22nd March, 1887, to the House of
Commons of Canada. In politics he is an independent Conservative; and in
religion is an adherent of the Roman Catholic church. On the 18th July,
1870, he married Emerentienne Blouin, of St. Valier, in the county of
Bellechasse, province of Quebec, a sister to the Right Rev. F. A.
Blouin, curé of Carleton, Bonaventure county, and general vicar of the
diocese of Rimouski, P.Q.
* * * * *
=Law, William=, Shipping and Commission Merchant, Yarmouth, Nova Scotia,
M.P.P. for Yarmouth, was born in Belfast, Ireland, on 5th August, 1833,
and in October, 1847, he came to Yarmouth. Here he remained until 1849,
when he went to Oxford, in the state of Massachusetts, and did business
there until 1855, when he again took up his abode in Yarmouth. Since
that time Mr. Law has been extensively engaged in business, as head of
the firm of William Law & Co., shipping and commission merchants. In
1870 he was appointed a justice of the peace for Yarmouth county. He has
filled the office of president of the Oriental Marine Insurance Company
for eight years; and was appointed manager, for Nova Scotia, of the
Boston Marine Insurance Company, in 1881. In 1886 he was chosen to
represent Yarmouth county in the Nova Scotia legislature. In politics he
is a Liberal, and is a strong advocate of free trade and commercial
union with the United States. In his religious views he is an
independent. While living in Oxford, Mass., he was married to Mary A.,
daughter of Enoch and Abigail Brown, of Douglas, Mass. Mr. Brown
represented the town of Douglas in the Massachusetts legislature.
* * * * *
=Laurie, John Wimburn=, Major-General, Oakfield, Nova Scotia, was born
on the 1st October, 1835, in London, England. He is the eldest son of
John Laurie, M.P. for Barnstaple, of 10 Hyde Park Terrace, London, and
Marshalls, Havering atte Bower, in Essex; justice of the peace for
Middlesex and Essex, and deputy-lieutenant for both counties. His mother
is Eliza Helen Collett, youngest daughter of Kenrick Collett, master in
Chancery, of Holcrofts, Fulham, Middlesex, England. Major-General Laurie
received his education at Harrow, and Dresden, Saxony, and graduated
with honors at the Royal Military College at Sandhurst, obtaining a
commission without purchase. He was appointed to the 2nd Queen’s Royals
in depot, in 1853, and volunteered for active service against the
Russians in 1854, and appointed to the 4th King’s Own regiment of foot.
With this regiment he served ten months at the siege and fall of
Sebastopol. He was twice wounded in the trenches, and was mentioned in
despatches for his gallant defence of advanced positions against a
largely superior force of Russians. He never missed a day’s duty during
the twenty months he spent in the Crimea, except when wounded. He was
present at the attacks on Sebastopol on the 18th June, with a storming
party on Barrack battery on the 8th September, and at the capture of the
stronghold on the 9th. September, 1855. He served at Mauritius in 1857,
to keep order among the Indian coolies during the excitement consequent
on the Indian mutiny; and in Central India against the rebellious Sepoys
during 1858-59-60, as staff officer of a field force with irregular
cavalry and camel corps, making forced marches in the Rewah and Mahi
Kante districts. He was promoted to major, unattached, for distinguished
service, in 1861. In 1854 and 1856 Major Laurie attended the School of
Musketry at Hythe, and took a prominent part in introducing musketry
instruction and rifle practice in the army. He passed a competitive
examination, and entered Staff College at Sandhurst in 1861; but on the
occurrence of the _Trent_ affair he volunteered for active service, and
was sent to Canada to organize the militia, and was retained in Nova
Scotia by the Marquis of Normanby and General Sir Hastings Doyle, and
remained as inspecting field officer until that province joined the
confederation. In 1866 he placed 15,000 men under arms to repel the
threatened Fenian invasion, and also took over the garrison duties at
Halifax, so that the regular troops might go to the New Brunswick
frontier. In 1869 he took over the duties of brigade major, and
succeeded to the position of deputy adjutant-general on the death of
Colonel Sinclair, continuing in command in Nova Scotia until 1881, when
he was transferred to British Columbia. When on leave in England, in
1877, he offered to raise a regiment in Canada for active service
against the Russians, and for this he received the personal thanks of
the secretary of war; and in 1881 he volunteered and accompanied Sir
Frederick Roberts to South Africa, with the expedition against the Boers
of the Transvaal. On the conclusion of peace he returned and assumed
command in British Columbia, and remained there until 1882, in which
year he was promoted, by selection, to the rank of major-general in the
army. In 1885, on the outbreak of the Servo-Bulgarian war, he was
appointed commissioner to the headquarters of the Servian army, under
the Red Cross Convention, and remained until the conclusion of peace in
1886, in charge of hospitals organized by him, and in carrying aid to
the wounded and those suffering from contagious and epidemic diseases;
and with Baron Mundy, the eminent philanthropist of Austria, jointly
organized an ambulance train for the conveyance of wounded from the
field by railway trains, for all of which services he received the
personal and repeated thanks of the King and Queen of Servia, as well as
of the Red Cross Society of Great Britain, and of Austro-Hungary. On the
outbreak of Riel’s rebellion in the North-West of Canada, he volunteered
for service under General Middleton, who was his junior in the army, and
after joining the advanced column, was appointed commandant of base and
line of communication, which position he filled until the close of the
campaign. He has received, as decorations for his war services: from her
Majesty, Queen Victoria, the Crimean medal, with clasp for Sebastopol,
Indian mutiny medal for Central India, North-West Canada medal; from the
Sultan of Turkey the Russian war medal and the Imperial Order of the
Medjijie; from the King of Servia the Servian war medal and the
decoration of Knight Commander of the order of St. Sava; and from the
Queen of Servia, the order of the Red Cross for saving life.
Major-General Laurie was elected councillor for his district, and first
warden of Halifax county on the organization of the municipality in
1879, and again in 1880. He was appointed a justice of the peace for
Halifax county in 1869. For ten years he has been president of the
Provincial Board of Agriculture in Nova Scotia, and has been active in
organizing joint stock companies for the development of manufactures. He
carries on a large experimental farm at Oakfield, about twenty miles
from Halifax. He has been elected for ten years grand master of the
Freemasons of Nova Scotia; and was also president of the St. George’s
Society of Halifax; and aided in organizing the Royal British Veteran
Society, a self-supporting benefit society, composed of members who have
served in the army or navy, and of which he is president. He contested
Shelburne county, a Liberal stronghold, at the general election of 1887,
as an independent supporter of the national policy, and was defeated by
thirty-four votes. During the thirty-four years of his active service,
Major-General Laurie served her Majesty in a campaign in every quarter
of the globe; has written descriptive articles for the contemporary
press, and was called upon by the Admiralty authorities in Britain to
publish his views as to the most suitable position for a naval base for
Great Britain in the Pacific. He is a strong advocate for closer union
and more harmonious united work amongst all Evangelical denominations.
He married, in 1863, Frances Robie, youngest daughter of the Hon. Enos
Collins, of Gorsebrook, Halifax, granddaughter of the late Chief Justice
Sir Brenton Haliburton, and great-granddaughter of Bishop Inglis, of
Nova Scotia, who, as rector of Trinity Church, New York, at the time of
the revolution, continued to offer prayers for the king, although
levelled guns warned him that his life would be taken unless he
desisted. Two sons are now serving in the army: the elder in the 4th
King’s Own, in which General Laurie won his spurs, and the younger in
the old 86th, now the Royal Irish Rifles.
* * * * *
=Hall, John Smythe=, Jun., B.A., B.C.L., Q.C., M.P.P. for Montreal West,
is a native of Montreal, having been born there on the 7th August, 1853.
He is the son of John S. Hall and Emma Robins Brigham. Mr. Hall, sen.,
was a member of the old firm of Grant, Hall & Co., extensive lumbermen,
and subsequently flour millers. Mr. Hall, jun., received his primary
education at Bishop’s College School, Lennoxville, and afterwards
entered McGill University, taking the degree of B.A. in 1874, and that
of B.C.L. in 1875. He was called to the bar in 1876, and at once took a
prominent place. He is now a member of the well-known law firm of
Chapleau, Hall, Nicholls & Brown. He has always taken a deep interest in
educational matters. In 1883 he was chosen representative fellow-in-law,
and became a member of the corporation of McGill University, and
re-elected to the same position in January, 1886. He was also president
of the University Literary Society; in 1884 president of the Graduates’
Society; and in 1887 president of the University Club. In politics he is
a Conservative, and an active member of the Junior Conservative Club,
occupying the position of president in 1885. This year (1887) he was
made a Q.C. Mr. Hall has taken an active interest in the volunteer
force, and is now a captain in the Montreal Field Battery of Artillery.
He is a member of the Church of England; and on the 3rd January, 1883,
married Victoria Brigham, daughter of the late T. C. Brigham, of Ottawa.
At the last general election for the province of Quebec, Mr. Hall
contested Montreal West against G. W. Stephens, Liberal, and W. W.
Robertson, workingman’s candidate, for a seat in the Quebec legislature,
and was returned by a majority of 127 over Mr. Stephens, and 1,000 over
Mr. Robertson.
* * * * *
=Labelle, Rev. François Xavier Antoine=, the “Apostle of Colonization,”
Parish Priest, St. Jerome, county of Terrebonne, Province of Quebec, was
born in the village of Ste. Rose, Laval county, on the 14th November,
1834, his father being Antoine Labelle, a master shoemaker, who was
married to Angélique Mayer. In 1844 he was sent to the Seminary of Ste.
Thérèse, and in that institution completed a full course of classical
studies. He was chiefly remarkable at college for his sound judgment and
his happy and retentive memory. The consideration he enjoyed among his
fellow-students caused him to be chosen president of the Grammar
Society, and vice-president of the Literary Society of the college. His
favorite studies were history and philosophy, and his favorite authors
DeMaistre, Balmès, DeBonald, and Nicholas, chiefly the latter, whom he
possessed almost by heart, and thereby gained the surname of “Nicholas,”
given him by his companions. He chose the ecclesiastical state, and
received the first of the minor orders in 1852, at the Seminary of Ste.
Thérèse, where during three years he was a teacher, performing at the
same time the humble duties of recreation room master and attendant of
the convocation room. In 1855 he went to the Grand Seminary of Montreal,
where he devoted himself exclusively to the study of theology. He was
only twenty-two years old when he was ordained priest, in 1856, in his
native village, by Mgr. Pinsonneault, eight days after the consecration
of that prelate. By virtue of an edict of the Holy See the privilege of
ordaining a certain number of priests before they had attained the
required age, was granted to the bishop of Montreal, and Father Labelle
was one of the first on whom the honor was conferred. He was appointed
vicar to Father Vinet, since promoted to the dignity of prelate to the
Holy See, then parish priest of the beautiful and wealthy parish of
Sault-au-Récollet. The young vicar rendered great services to his _curé_
in the difficulties the latter had to encounter in connection with the
building of the Convent of the Sacred Heart. Father Labelle resided two
years and a half in the parish of Sault-au-Récollet, and the
parishioners expressed the livliest regret when he was sent to help the
parish priest of St. Jacques-le-Mineur, Rev. Father Morin, who required
rest; in this parish he resided nine months. In 1859 he was appointed
parish priest of St. Antoine Abbé, a mixed parish on the border. Here he
had many difficulties to smooth over as first resident _curé_ of this
parish, which had been divided in two for civil purposes by the division
of the counties of Huntingdon and Chateauguay. In the midst of the
greatest obstacles he had to create everything; he succeeded, however,
in having the parish civilly erected and organized as a scholastic and
municipal corporation, in spite of the electoral influences which
prevented him from attaining his aim immediately. Religious
embarrassments also existed, but thanks to the energy and tact displayed
by Father Labelle, these were overcome. The impetus given to St. Antoine
Abbé during the four years’ residence of the _curé_ in that parish,
placed it in the way of progress, and it is at the present day one of
the most prosperous in the province of Quebec. A few years ago the
humble chapel, which had been erected in the first days of the village,
was demolished, and in its place stands one of the finest church
edifices in the county. It was here that Rev. Father Labelle experienced
a deep sorrow in the death of his father, who had followed the fortunes
of his only son. In 1863 he was sent to Lacolle by his bishop, Mgr.
Bourget, who had had occasion to appreciate his energy and charity.
Grave difficulties had arisen, owing to the choice of a site for a new
church, which had been selected outside of the village as the centre of
the parish, causing division, fed by a few Protestants, who went even so
far as to offer help to build the church in the village. When Father
Labelle arrived to take the place of Father Bourbonnais, the situation
was almost desperate; but the inhabitants of St. Antoine predicted to
those of Lacolle that nothing would resist the efforts of their new
pastor. And, in fact, despite the intelligence and wealth in league
against him, despite the efforts of the Protestants who owned the
greater portion of the territory, he succeeded through perseverance and
diplomatic acuteness to make Lacolle what it is to-day, one of the
finest villages in the country. When he left the parish, both
Protestants and Catholics recognized his ability and admitted the
justice of his previous claims. It was during his sojourn in Lacolle
that the Fenian invasion of 1866 took place. The spot offered an easy
access to the enemy, being at the entrance of the plain leading to St.
John’s. The patriotism roused by the _curé_, however, in the hearts of
his parishioners caused the enemies of the country to choose another
point to enter Canada. “If the Fenians come here,” the pastor said, “I
will place myself at your head to repel them.” In 1868 he was
transferred to the curacy of St. Jerome. After having passed his first
years of priesthood in the midst of struggles, it was a welcome change
to the good man to settle in a quiet and well organized parish. He fell
on his knees on the threshold of his presbytery to return thanks to God
for his mercy. He discovered in his parishioners the spirit of union, so
efficacious in the performance of noble works. The site of the village,
the progress already made, the intelligence and ambition of its
inhabitants, everything tended to forebode an era of happiness such as
he had never before experienced. He knew the North only from
geographical descriptions and hearsay; but the position of St. Jerome at
the foot of the Laurentian mountains, in that broad and fertile valley
of the Ottawa river, opened up to his view the perspective of a vast
field for the exercise of his patriotism. He wanted to convince himself
_de visu_ of the resources of the country, and with that end in view, he
organized an expedition to explore the valley to its most extreme
limits, and he returned with the conviction that this vast plain should
be the cradle of a numerous and vigorous population, whose industry and
needs would develop an important trade. The best means to attain that
end, he thought, was to build a railroad, which, reaching the Gatineau,
would in after years be an immense feeder to Montreal, whilst helping to
colonize that part of the province; for he had found, during his voyage,
a fertile soil and a wealth of timber and minerals hardly surpassed in
any other part of the Dominion. He was also thinking of the great number
of willing and vigorous workers who, after receiving so many favors in
their native land, left it to go and enrich the foreigner, while their
own country’s resources were undeveloped for the want of their sturdy
sinews. “Any subject,” he would say, “who willingly leaves the
benevolent shadow of the British flag, proves a loss to the country and
an evil to the subject.” Before undertaking to build a railroad,
however, colonization roads must be built, the country must be opened;
so he turned his attention to the roads at once. Public men know what it
costs to obtain favors from a government which, in spite of its
patriotism and good-will, is often-times hampered in the distribution of
its favors. The influences of the southern part of the province, which
set up the plea that they had not obtained enough at the hands of the
government, tempered the generous impulses of the ministers. To this
Father Labelle offered a strong argument: “The south has received a
great deal, the north almost nothing; when the south receives, the north
derives no benefit; whilst, when the north is prosperous, the overflow
of its wealth benefits the south.” He begged and supplicated, but was
repulsed. Nothing daunted, he kept asking. “I wish you would send your
_curé_ to his parishioners,” a minister said one day to the member for
Terrebonne. “You can do that yourself,” said the latter; “if he annoys
you, give him what he asks, otherwise you will never get rid of him.”
After months of waiting and innumerable requests, the ministry
acquiesced to the just demands of the north, and granted subsidies
according to the means at the disposal of the government. Let us say
right here that the zeal of Father Labelle was vigorously seconded by
the Hon. Mr. Chapleau, who has always done all he could in the interest
of his constituents, and also by the Hon. Mr. Masson, the late
lieutenant-governor of the Province of Quebec, and the then
representative of the county in the House of Commons. The zealous priest
was also sustained by the successive administrations of the province,
and by the sympathy and energy of the citizens of St. Jerome, among whom
may be mentioned Messrs. Laviolette, M. J. B. Lefebvre-Villemure,
Prévost, de Montigny, William Scott, J. A. Hervieux, and many others.
The whole parish is in accord with its _curé_, for, in French Canada,
when works of public utility are in view, political divisions are laid
aside. The priests of the adjoining parishes also accorded a loyal and
energetic support to Father Labelle. The principal work of this
indefatigable man is certainly the railroad commenced under his
auspices, known at first under the name of “Chemin à lisses de bois,”
but laid to-day with steel rails. His matchless energy was displayed in
its construction; and in the pursuit of this object he undertook
struggles, voyages, writing, etc., the recital of which would be the
recital of the stormy beginnings of two great railways which at the
present day are the pride of the country. Father Labelle has always
looked upon the “Colonization Railroad of the North” as part of the
Canadian Pacific, and also took a great interest in the latter, which he
considered as the artery destined to carry the wealth of the West, as
well as the treasures of Japan and China, to our seaports through
Canadian territory, favoring and feeding industry and commerce all along
its immense length. He admired the plan of Sir George E. Cartier, and
regretted the failure of Sir Hugh Allan, through the intrigues of his
opponents, in his attempt to float the loan necessary to its
construction. He foresaw, in the construction of the Pacific Railway, a
powerful means of immigration, and calculated that in ten years, the
indirect contributions paid by the new settlers into the Federal
treasury, and the increase in value of the North-West lands, would pay
the largest portion of the debt contracted for the undertaking. It is
needless to add that his predictions were correct, as it has been amply
proved since. His appreciation of the advantages and disadvantages
offered by the diverse routes proposed, reveal the foresight of a true
statesman. He worked also in the interest of the North Shore road, and
helped it by his writings, visits and timely interference at critical
periods. But his favorite road has always been the Colonization road. He
is called its father, and he cannot possibly disclaim his offspring. He
said one time, on the occasion of a visit paid him by the members of the
Montreal press, that such children were the only ones the members of his
calling were allowed to beget. At the same time he thanked the
newspapers for the tender care they had exercised in nursing and
clothing his child. If doubts existed on any one’s mind as to the
important share of glory accruing to Father Labelle on account of this
work, the following extracts which were communicated to us by an
indiscreet friend of the _curé_ of St. Jerome, would be sufficient to
dissipate them. Sir Hugh Allan wrote him on the 25th July, 1883:—
MY DEAR FATHER LABELLE,—You have been happy to hear, I am sure,
that the contract for the construction of the Colonization
railroad has at last been signed. This result is in a great
measure due to your industry and increasing efforts, and if
there is a man who ought to reap any glory from the completion
of this work, that man is yourself.
The Hon. Mr. Abbott wrote from London, under date May 5, 1873:—
It is to be regretted that your holy office should prevent you
from occupying in the enterprise the position to which your
efforts and influence entitle you. I know, however, that the
satisfaction of having accomplished a good work on behalf of
your countrymen will reward you sufficiently, from your own
standpoint, for the important help you have given us from the
beginning.
To-day the road is completed, and whoever is entitled to merit should
receive it. Everyone knows that in consequence of unforeseen
difficulties the future of the road was threatened even after the work
had been undertaken. Father Labelle had arranged to get one million
dollars voted by the city of Montreal, and he induced the ministry of
the province to take the road under its control and to complete it. It
is also said that the idea of getting the “Grand Trunk of the North”
built by the government originated with him. The part he had taken in
these events was recognized in a measure by the commissioners who named
one of the first engines placed on the line, “Rev. A. Labelle.” On the
fiftieth anniversary of Father Labelle’s birthday, at a dinner given at
St. Jerome, on the 29th November, 1884, were gathered together
ministers, journalists, members of parliament, aldermen and
representative men from all parts of the province, and all with common
accord applauded the work he had done. And we may say here that the tact
he displayed in the circumstance justified what had been said of him on
a previous occasion by a citizen distinguished among his English and
Protestant brethren: “Father Labelle,” he said, “should be prime
minister of Canada instead of _curé_ of St. Jerome.” The following is an
extract of a speech delivered on that eventful occasion:—
Father Labelle to-day can look back on thirty years of feverish
and unceasing activity; thirty years of courageous and plodding
energy; his career has been stormy rather than peaceful, and has
already borne more abundant fruit than many ordinary existences.
His physical health is good, but requires a rest which the will
instinctively refuses on account of this fever of labor and
activity which unceasingly devours and consumes. The mind is
ever vigorous and keenly perceptive, while the intellect and
judgment have ripened under the influence of work and time, and
to-day the results are most abundant and precious. The nature of
our good _curé_ is so full of vigor and exuberance that in his
fiftieth year he spreads movement, activity and life everywhere
around him; his character is so essentially expansive that his
ideas, his projects, his hopes, so clearly elucidated, pervade
those who come in contact with him. He carries so much
conviction that one must needs yield to him. Is it astonishing
that he should have wielded, in all spheres, an influence often
dominating and decisive? The grandeur of conception, the vigor
displayed in the execution of the most difficult enterprises,
his proverbial disinterestedness, his sound judgment constantly
seconded by deep and varied studies, an astonishing memory, a
character bending itself to the most dissimilar circumstances,
unassailable honesty of purpose, an openness of heart which has
always proved to him the best of policies, are certainly, among
others, enough qualities to make him, perhaps, the most popular
and most enlightened man of our country. His influence has been
felt everywhere. His counsels have ever been wise and cautious.
His practical mind was never embarrassed by the most difficult
problems of theology or social and political economy. His
courage has ever been undaunted, either before obstacles or
adversaries, and his honesty has never flinched or given way to
the wiles of a corrupt world. The holy robes he wears have never
been soiled, and at the present time they are as immaculate as
on the day the young Levite donned them to devote himself to the
service of the Divine Master. As the drop of water, slowly and
patiently wending its way through the obstacles which men and
accidents may throw on its passage; as the impetuous torrent
upsetting all obstacles in its mad race, Father Labelle has
succeeded in all his enterprises; but then these enterprises
were great, they were national, they were undertaken in the
interest of religion and for the welfare of the country, and
only those who were traitors to their religion and their country
were opposed to their execution. Is it to be wondered at, under
such conditions, that he was enabled to occupy the most
difficult positions and master fortresses, until his advent
thought impregnable? He was never known, however, to soil his
hands with the booty of the vanquished, to take a share of the
spoils of the victor, or impose hard and unjust conditions under
the assumption that might is right. He never exalted his
victories over the weakness of those he disarmed. He always
looked forward to the triumph of truth and justice and the
greatness of our country; not to the humiliation of men and the
abasement of character. Richelieu once said: ‘I never undertake
anything without mature reflection; but my resolution once
taken, I go straight to the end I have in view; I break all
obstacles and I cover the whole with my purple robe.’ In his
case the prince of the church gave way to the statesman. In the
latter respect, it was not Richelieu who was the model of Father
Labelle. But let us change the scene; we will transport
ourselves to a more genial climate, far from the tainted
atmosphere of the court of Louis XIII., far from the bloody
fields of battle, of murder and assassination, where Richelieu
had to play his rôle of statesman, and we will find, from the
Canadian standpoint, a great similarity of character and works
between the great French minister and the humble Canadian priest
who, in the course of a few years, will change the face of a
considerable portion of this province. The former contributed in
large measure to the foundation of the colony; the latter, when
his colonization scheme will be realized in all the grandeur of
its conception, will have doubled the value, the wealth, the
power of our province; both will have had the same energy and
the same courage; on a different theatre, they will have
obtained wonderful success. Let me add that the life of Father
Labelle is an illustrious example to those who aim at being true
patriots: to serve God and country. He is one of the most
accomplished types of that hardy Franco-Canadian race which is
called upon to accomplish grand and noble deeds, provided its
descendants remember the history of its origin, its struggles
and its triumphs; and rise to the height of the mission assigned
them by Providence. To attain that end they must set aside the
cruel broils of politics, the rancour of partyism we witness
to-day, and they must work together for the common good of our
common country, and, following the example of the beloved
pastor, take as a motto: ‘Energy, faith in God, and hope in the
future.’ The true Franco-Canadian race, the French-Catholic
race, has become incarnate in the large heart of Father Labelle,
and even to-day a monument might be raised to him bearing the
inscription dedicated to the heroes of all times and all climes:
‘To Father Labelle, a tribute of love from a grateful country.’
Father Labelle’s winning affability is proverbial, and in the midst of
his enormous labors he always finds a moment to speak on any subject
that might be of interest to his listeners. Ever ready to help the
humblest of his parishioners, his generosity often oversteps the limit
of his means, for he has not the leisure to figure up his fortune. The
following incident is an example of his charity, which we publish at the
risk of raising his ire: During a very severe winter the price of
cordwood had risen in the city of Montreal to the fabulous figure of $20
a cord, owing to a “combine” of men who would have been insulted had
anyone dared to assert that they were not honest. Father Labelle called
on his parishioners, in the name of charity, to help the poor of
Montreal in their sore need of fuel, and the result was that an immense
procession of sleds loaded with cordwood, the good _curé_ leading, was
seen wending its way from St. Jerome to Montreal (a distance of
thirty-three miles), and there distributed to the most needy and
deserving poor of the city. This generous action was repeated the
following winter. Besides his railroad undertakings, Father Labelle has
been the means of a college being built in St. Jerome; a three-story
brick building, having a frontage of eighty feet, with a lateral chapel,
where the youth of the surrounding district receive a commercial,
agricultural, and religious education under the direction of the Rev.
Fathers of the Holy Cross. As soon as the railroad was completed to St.
Jerome, Father Labelle undertook to supply the necessary traffic. He is
convinced that the Laurentian range contains considerable mineral
wealth, and geological reports prove his assertions. With the view of
working and developing these mines, he immediately applied at every door
to raise the necessary capital. His parishioners subscribed a few
thousand dollars; but the resources are so slender, and the expenses so
heavy to start on a solid basis, that he must receive more substantial
help. It may be said, by the way, that minerals being one of the
greatest sources of wealth of a country, there is no reason why the
government should not give grants to the energetic men who undertake to
search for those treasures in a practical manner. His many and varied
occupations do not interfere with the exemplary regularity of the
exercise of his holy ministry. His sermons are always remarkable for
their characteristic clearness and practical common sense. Thoroughly
orthodox, he never deviates from the strict doctrines of his church,
which he believes accords with progress; as a result, in his parish,
church and state go hand-in-hand, to the satisfaction of all parties.
Far from feeling any pride in his successes, he makes them subservient
to the glory of God, the primary cause and author of all greatness. The
theological lore of Father Labelle is very profound, and he has had many
occasions to elucidate very intricate questions. His lordship, Bishop
Duhamel, honored him with his confidence, and delegated to him a part of
his power for the purpose of erecting canonical parishes in the southern
part of his diocese. Right Rev. Mgr. Conroy, delegated by the Holy See
to adjust certain differences which had arisen in Canada in connection
with the establishment of the branch of Laval University, at Montreal,
wrote the following letter to Father Labelle, on the 19th March, 1877:
“I reckon on your great and well-deserved influence. I shall always be
glad to see you, and I shall do my best to meet your wishes as far as I
possibly can do so.” After the decision of the Holy See in favor of
Laval, Father Labelle was one of the most energetic workers, and did no
small amount of work in connection with the establishment of the branch
university in Montreal. The late Bishop Bourget was ably seconded by
Father Labelle in the erection, for civil purposes, of the new parishes
of Montreal. After the Guibord case had been settled, a bill was passed
to prevent the recurrence of such difficulties and to meet the views of
her Majesty, Queen Victoria, as intimated by her to Lord Dufferin;
Father Labelle was entrusted with the drawing up of the bill. He was
also instrumental, and did more than his share of the work, both here
and at Rome, to obtain the division of the ecclesiastical provinces of
Montreal and Ottawa. Since 1883, he has been sent to France by the
Federal government for the purpose of making our country better known in
Europe and promoting more extended commercial relations. At the present
time (1887), he is engaged on the extension of the Montreal and Western
Railway to Lake Temiscamingue, and there are already seventy miles under
contract. He is also interested in a new cattle ranch at Wood Mountain,
near Regina, N.W.T., etc. We cannot conclude this imperfect sketch
without mentioning the charming _bonhomie_ which in Father Labelle’s
case, takes the place of the most refined courteousness. When his wine
cellar is empty, his smoking-room is abundantly supplied, and in either
case he receives the most illustrious men of the country with the
greatest ease. Let us add that his venerable mother, who presides over
the internal administration of his household, contributes, by her
politeness and kind attentions, to make the presbytery of St. Jerome the
most popular resort of the surrounding parishes. The priests of the
neighborhood and the notable men of the province frequently visit the
worthy pastor when in need of information, or in quest of rest and
relaxation from their onerous duties.
* * * * *
=Hale, Frederick Harding=, Lumber Merchant, Woodstock, M.P. for
Carleton, New Brunswick, was born at Northampton, in the county of
Carleton, N.B., on the 8th December, 1844. His father, Martin Hale, was
born in Ireland, and came to Canada, when a child, with his parents. His
mother was Hulda Dickinson, daughter of Harding Dickinson, a U. E.
loyalist. Mr. Hale received his education in the schools in Carleton
county; and afterwards turned his attention to mercantile pursuits, and
for the last twenty-five years has been heavily engaged in the
manufacture and sale of all kinds of lumber at Northampton and
Woodstock. A few years ago he entered the political arena, and at the
general election held in the spring of 1887 was elected to represent the
county of Carleton in the Dominion parliament at Ottawa. Mr. Hale is a
director of the St. John Valley Railway. He takes an interest in
Masonry, and is a member of the Woodstock lodge; and also a member of
the Woodstock Royal Arch Chapter. In politics he is a Liberal; and in
religion an adherent of the Free Baptist church. Mr. Hale has been twice
married. On the 20th June, 1869, to Rhoda, daughter of the late George
McGee; she died on the 16th June, 1870. And on the 17th June, 1873, to
Emma E., daughter of Moses Boyer.
* * * * *
=Nelles, Samuel Sobieski=, D.D., LL.D., who died at Cobourg, on the 17th
October, 1887, on his sixty-fourth birthday, was born of worthy
Methodist parents at Mount Pleasant, near Brantford, Ontario, on 17th
October, 1823. He attended the Lewiston Academy, New York, during 1839
and 1840, under the tutorship of the poet, J. G. Saxe, whose peculiarly
pungent wit the doctor often rivalled in after life. The year following
he entered the Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, where he was converted and
where he connected himself with the Methodist church. Two years later he
became one of the two first matriculating students at Victoria
University, Cobourg, the institution that was afterwards to achieve
prosperity under his guidance, then presided over by Rev. Egerton
Ryerson, D.D. During the two subsequent years spent at Victoria College
he obtained a local preacher’s license, and distinguished himself, the
venerable Dr. Carroll says, for “intellect and eloquence.” Seeking his
degree at an older institution, he graduated at the Wesleyan University,
Middleton, Conn., in 1846, and spent the next year as head master of the
Newburgh Academy, whence he was recommended to the ministry by the
Napanee Quarterly Official Board. In 1847 he was received on trial at
Port Hope, and preached during 1848 and 1849 at Toronto East, in the old
Adelaide street church, which has since been replaced by the
Metropolitan, when he was received into full connection, ordained and
sent to London as colleague of Rev. John Carroll, D.D., for the first
quarter of 1850. It was then that the church wanted a man to take the
presidency of their connexional university at Cobourg, an institution
that had been founded in 1837 as an academy, had been created a
university in 1841, and was then fighting a hard battle for a precarious
existence. Samuel S. Nelles, M.A., was the man unanimously chosen, and
taken, sorely against his will, from the London charge early in 1850 and
installed as successor to the Rev. Alex. McNabb, D.D., in the
president’s chair of Victoria University. From this time forward the
career of Dr. Nelles is very closely identified with that of the college
to which he fully devoted his best energies, his keen intellect, his
marvellous power of management and his ripe culture. Finding the
institution financially feeble, he travelled the country with persistent
energy, appealing, and seldom in vain, to Methodists to support their
college, and its rapid growth and success in keeping abreast with the
times are largely due to his untiring labors. Together with the late
Rev. Dr. Punshon, he undertook to raise an endowment of $100,000 for the
college, and the best comment upon their faithful efforts is that they
succeeded in swelling that amount to $150,000. Some ten years ago this
indefatigable worker persuaded the people of Cobourg to erect a
magnificent science building, known as Faraday Hall. In 1861 he received
the honorary degree of D.D. from Queen’s University, which was followed
in 1872 by the degree of LL.D. He was elected General Conference
representative to the conference of the Methodist Episcopal church,
United States, in 1864; and associate representative to the Eastern
British American Conference in 1868; to the English Wesleyan Conference
with Rev. Dr. Dewart in 1873, and to the British Conference, held in
Newcastle, in 1883. The deceased was professor of moral and mental
philosophy, as well as president at Victoria College, since his first
connection with that institution; and in the University Act, passed at
the time of Methodist union, he was created chancellor of the
university. The doctor was one of the original framers of the University
Federation scheme, and gave it vigorous advocacy by platform and press,
but as the face of the scheme was changed, largely because of the
defection of other colleges, he withdrew his support. He was married
early in life to the eldest daughter of Rev. Dr. Wood, of Davenport, who
survives him. Four children have blessed the union, all of whom are
living. The only son is now practising law with Cameron & Co., at
Tilbury Centre; the eldest daughter is the widow of the late Kenneth
Dingwall, an eminent barrister of Hamilton, while the two youngest are
still unmarried.
* * * * *
=Drolet, Jacques Francois Gaspard=, Quebec, Auditor of the Province of
Quebec, was born at Quebec on the 23rd January, 1828. His parents were
Gaspard Drolet, advocate; and Marie Antoinette LeBlond, daughter of
Jacques LeBlond, advocate. He received a full and complete course of
classics at the Quebec Seminary. He entered the public service in 1862
in the department of Public Works of Canada; and was appointed auditor
of the province of Quebec in 1867, under section 20 of the Treasury
Department Act, 31 Vict., cap. 9, province of Quebec; 46 Vict., cap. 4,
section 3, 1883, which enacts “that the provincial auditor shall hold
office during good behavior, but be removable by the lieutenant-governor
upon an address of the Legislative Council and the Legislative
Assembly.” He was president of the Institut Canadien in 1859-60. In
1869, he, along with J. W. Dunscomb, collector of her Majesty’s Customs
at the port of Quebec, and François Vézina, cashier of La Banque
Nationale, were appointed a Board of Commissioners to enquire into and
report upon the civil service of the province. In 1875 he was on a
commission with J. G. Bossé, Q.C., and James Dunbar, Q.C., to enquire
into the settlement of the Quebec Fire Loan; and in 1883 he was
appointed a commissioner along with L. Tellier and Lieut.-Colonel A. A.
Stevenson, on an enquiry on the public service. He has taken an active
interest in the Volunteer movement; and during the _Trent_ difficulty
held the rank of captain in the 7th battalion of Chasseurs. Mr. Drolet
is a member of the Roman Catholic church, and holds the position of
church warden. He was married at Montreal, in August, 1850, to Marie
Louise Eugénie, daughter of the Hon. Jean Casimir Bruneau, judge of the
Superior Court, and niece of the Hon. F. P. Bruneau, one of the
Legislative councillors appointed by Lord Sydenham in 1841, and of Dr.
Bruneau, for a number of years professor and lecturer of McGill College,
Montreal. The living issue of this marriage is three sons and three
daughters. The eldest son is Joseph Eugène, advocate; Jean Casimir,
Roman Catholic priest; third son, Joseph Charles Gaspard, captain in the
9th battalion Quebec Rifles. Captain Joseph C. G. Drolet went through
the North-West campaign with his regiment, and is now adjutant of the
Royal School of Mounted Infantry at Winnipeg, Manitoba.
* * * * *
=Whitney, Henry A.=, Moncton, New Brunswick, Mechanical Superintendent
of the Intercolonial Railway, was born at St. Stephen, New Brunswick, on
the 11th February, 1834. His parents were Beriah Whitney and Lucy Hall,
and both were descended from very early settlers in America. The first
of the Whitney family emigrated from Wales, England, about the year
1640, and settled in the state of Connecticut. Of the mother’s
progenitors, the Howland branch came over with the Pilgrim Fathers in
1620; and the Hall branch emigrated from Hull, England, about 1650, and
made their home on Long Island. Henry A. Whitney received a common
school education at St. Stephen, New Brunswick, and at Calais, Maine. As
early as 1852 he began his connection with railways, and with the
exception of a short interval in the years 1853-4, has been in the
railway service ever since. During these thirty years he has occupied
various positions on government railways, such as foreman, engine
driver, shop hand, locomotive foreman, and is now mechanical
superintendent of the Intercolonial Railway. He has been obliged to
change his residence several times since he began his useful career,
having removed from St. Stephen to Moncton in 1857; to St. John in 1858;
to Shediac in 1861; and lastly to Moncton in 1872, where he has since
resided. In politics Mr. Whitney takes little interest; but in religion
he may be classed among the Universalists, having held, from youth up,
that our Heavenly Father will finally bring all his erring children home
to his house of many mansions. He was married on the 13th of December,
1861, to Margaret J. Lindsay, of St. John, New Brunswick. This lady died
on the 22nd May, 1872. On the 5th of May, 1874, he was married to his
second wife, Henrietta Elliott, of Moncton, New Brunswick.
* * * * *
=Fitch, Edson=, Manufacturer, Quebec, Grand First Principal of Royal
Arch Masonry in the province of Quebec, is a native of Glen’s Falls, New
York state, having been born there in 1838. He is a direct descendant of
Governor Thomas Fitch, who was governor of the colony of Connecticut, in
1756, under the reign of George II. The family is one of the oldest in
the United States. They were originally from Eltham, county of Kent,
England, and came to America, landing in Boston, Mass., in 1634. The
homestead of the governor, in Norwalk, Conn., is still in possession of
the family, being owned by the subject of this sketch and his sister.
Mr. Fitch received his educational training in his native parish. In
1861 he entered the American army as a lieutenant, and was at once sent
to the front on active service. During the winter of 1862-3 he received
a commission as captain, and was present with General McClellan during
the peninsular campaign, and took part in all the principal engagements
until the first day’s fight in the battle of the Wilderness, 5th May,
1864, when he was severely wounded, having been shot through the body.
This confined him to the rear for about three months, at the end of
which time he returned to his post, where he remained till the close of
1864, when, his time having expired, he was mustered out of the service.
He was on staff duty most of the time, having been in twenty-seven
engagements, fighting under Generals McClellan, Burnside, Hooker, Meade
and Grant. When he returned from the service he held the position of
acting assistant inspector-general and chief of staff of the first
brigade of the second division of the Second Army Corps. On that
occasion he received the following flattering letter:—
HEAD-QUARTERS 1ST BRIGADE
2nd Div. 2nd Army Corps,
Army of the Potomac, near Petersburg, Va.
Nov. 3, 1864.
Capt. Edson Fitch,
Brig. In. 2nd Brig. 2nd Div., 2nd A.C.,
CAPTAIN,—Having learned that you are about to retire from the
military service of the United States government, I avail myself
of what may be the only opportunity I shall have of
communicating to you an expression of the high regard I
entertain for you as a brave, competent, efficient and
gentlemanly officer, and of the regret that you are to be even
temporarily lost to the service which you have honored on so
many occasions by your gallant conduct. As chief of staff of the
brigade which I had the honor to command at the late battle at
Hatcher’s Run, you in no small degree contributed to that
success which won for our brave troops the encomiums of the
generals commanding. To the consciousness of having faithfully
discharged your whole duty, which you will carry with you to
private life, I desire to add the assurance that you also have
the confidence and kindest regards of your old comrades in arms,
who still hope, at no very distant period, to welcome you again
to the tented field.
I am, Captain, very truly yours,
JAS. M. WILLET,
Col. 8th N. Y. H. Art’y,
Comdg. 1st Brigade.
In 1867, Captain Fitch came to Canada with the intention of organizing
the business he is now engaged in, that of manufacturing match splints,
and settled at Montmorency, Quebec, but was burnt out there. He then
removed to Etchemin, county of Levis, where he established his business,
and has had a most successful career. Twice he has seen his factory
destroyed by fire, but his indomitable pluck and perseverance have
carried him through. The business of manufacturing match splints is one
the magnitude of which few outsiders can realize. The factory owned by
Mr. Fitch is the largest of its kind in the world, making nearly ninety
millions of matches in a single day To reach this almost inconceivable
result, five hundred hands are employed, and no less than twenty
millions of feet of timber are cut up in the course of a single year.
Early in life Mr. Fitch connected himself with Masonry, having, in 1861,
been initiated in Senate lodge, No. 456, G.R. of N.Y., held at Glen’s
Falls. In 1868, desiring further knowledge in Masonry, he applied for
the Royal Arch degrees to Stadacona Chapter, No. 2, G.R.Q., and was
exalted in that chapter on 22nd October, 1868. In 1873, he affiliated
with Tuscan lodge, No. 28, G.R.Q., held at Levis, and occupied the
worshipful master’s chair in that lodge in 1876 and 1877. In 1877 he was
elected grand senior warden of the Grand Lodge of Quebec, and in 1880
was appointed D.D.G. Master for Quebec and Three Rivers district, and
held that office two years and a half. In 1882 he was unanimously
elected deputy grand master of the Grand Lodge. In 1884, the Grand
Chapter of Royal Arch Masons chose him as their grand third principal;
in 1885 and again in 1886 as grand second principal, and at the last
meeting of the Grand Chapter, held in the city of Montreal, in January,
1887, he was placed, by the voice of the companions assembled, in the
exalted position of grand first principal. He was one of the charter
members of William de la More, the Martyr Preceptory of Knights Templars
at Quebec, with which body he is still connected. He has been chairman
of the Committee of Benevolence and Charity of the Grand Lodge since
1882. He is representative in Quebec of the Grand Lodge of California
and Grand Chapter of Indiana. And he has always taken an active part in
all matters pertaining to the craft in his district and province, and is
an ardent supporter of the principle of Grand Lodge sovereignty. In
politics Mr. Fitch is a Liberal; and in religion is an adherent of the
Baptist church. He was married to Mary A., second daughter of the late
James Bowen, of Quebec.
* * * * *
=Badgley, Rev. Prof. E. I.=, M.A., B.D., LL.D., Victoria University,
Cobourg.—Professor Badgley, of United Empire loyalist descent, was born
in Prince Edward county, which county was also the birth place of his
father and mother. At the time of the American revolution his
great-grandfather owned a large landed property in the state of New
Jersey, but having espoused the royalists’ cause, his property was
confiscated. Preferring citizenship under the British Crown rather than
in the Republic, he determined to find a home in the then wilderness of
Canada. Pursued as an enemy and a fugitive, he suffered many
hair-breadth escapes. For several days he lay concealed in his hayloft,
where more than once the enemy searched for him, repeatedly walking over
him as he lay buried beneath the hay. From this place of concealment he
escaped to find refuge for three days in a potato pit. After many
adventures scarcely less perilous, he finally was enabled to reach
Canada, whither his family in due time followed him. They settled about
six miles from Belleville, in what is now the township of Thurlow. Dr.
Canniff, in his work on the “Settlement of Upper Canada,” mentions him
and his sons as among the first settlers north of the village of
Cannifton. His wife’s name was Lawrence, whom he married in England, and
through that connection repeated efforts have been made to secure for
the heirs a supposed fortune lying to their credit, so far, however,
without any success. One of the sons, Professor Badgley’s grandfather,
finally settled in Prince Edward county, from which place he went to
Kingston to do service for his country, in 1812. By an exchange of
property the family removed to Thurlow, where his mother, whose maiden
name was Howard, still lives. With an ardent desire for a better
training than the public school could furnish, Professor Badgley left
the farm when seventeen years of age, and entered as a student at
Belleville Seminary, afterwards Albert University. He graduated with the
second-class in 1868, and immediately entered upon the work of the
ministry, in connection with the late Methodist Episcopal church. After
three years of successful labor, he returned to Albert College as an
adjunct professor in metaphysics and mathematics. Three years later, on
the election of Dr. Carman, president of the university, to the
episcopacy, Professor Badgley was appointed to the chair of mental and
moral philosophy, which he satisfactorily filled for a period of ten
years. While in the ministry, and during the period he served as adjunct
professor, he pursued a definite line of reading, and regularly
graduated in both theology and law. As a result of Methodist union,
Albert University was consolidated with Victoria, in 1884, since which
date he has held the chair of mental philosophy and logic in the latter
university. For several years Professor Badgley was a regular
contributor to the editorial columns of the _Canada Christian Advocate_,
and has frequently written for the “Canadian Methodist Magazine.” He was
a delegate to the Ecumenical Methodist Conference, in London, in 1881,
where he read an important paper on ministerial education. At different
times and places he has delivered several addresses on metaphysical and
philosophical subjects, the publication of which has been frequently
requested. In May, 1887, he delivered the tenth annual lecture before
the Theological Union of Victoria University, on “Faith, _vs._
Knowledge.” In 1870 he was married to Emma Bell, daughter of John S.
Bell, Napanee, whose father was an officer in the British army, and on
whose confiscated property a part of the city of Albany now stands. They
have three children, two sons and a daughter.
* * * * *
=McConnell, John=, M.D., M.C.P.S.O., Toronto, Lieutenant 12th Battalion
York Rangers, was born in the township of Scarboro’, on the 4th March,
1846. His father, John McConnell, served under Mr. Howard, of High Park,
in the defence of Little York (Toronto), during the time of the William
Lyon McKenzie rebellion. He was an adherent of the Methodist church, and
acted in the capacity of local preacher for about forty years; he was
also a justice of the peace, and a man greatly respected in his day. His
mother, Elizabeth McGaw, was a daughter of the late Andrew McGaw, of
Port Hope. Both families first settled in Scarboro’ about 1836. Dr.
McConnell’s father, after a residence of about ten years there, bought
the farm, lot twenty-three, second concession, of Markham, and removed
there in 1849. The subject of our sketch was the fourth son of the above
union, born in the old homestead in Scarboro’, and accompanied his
parents to their new home. He received his primary education in the
public schools of Markham, where he remained until 1859. Then he began
to entertain ideas of supporting himself, and hired out to a farmer at
$10 a month, for the summer season. This engagement completed, he
returned home, and his father sent him to the Grammar School, Richmond
Hill, then under the charge of the late Rev. John Boyd, B.A. Soon after
he entered this school, Mr. Boyd resigned, and was succeeded by L. H.
Evans, B.A., of Trinity College, under whose able tuition young
McConnell remained for three years. Early in 1863 he underwent an
examination, and succeeded in gaining a second-class A. certificate,
which gave him great satisfaction. He then applied for a situation as
teacher in a number of school sections, but owing to his youth, he did
not succeed until December of that year, when he obtained a school in
York township, with a salary of £67 10s. per annum, when he began his
real battle with the world. During the following year he undertook the
somewhat difficult task of preparing himself for a matriculation
examination in the Toronto University, and also to prepare for a
first-class certificate as a teacher. He succeeded in both, and
moreover, secured an advance of £10 to his salary for the next year,
which was of great use to him. During 1864 he commenced the study of
medicine. In 1866 he left York township and removed to Scarboro’, where
he secured a school at £90 a year. From here he was in the habit of
driving thirteen miles four days a week to prosecute his medical studies
in Toronto, and the following spring he matriculated in medicine. He
continued teaching until October, when he relinquished his school and
became a student in the Toronto School of Medicine. In the spring of
1867 he passed his primary examination at the University of Toronto, and
was admitted as an undergraduate in the Toronto Hospital, and also
placed in charge of the Burnside Lying-in Hospital, Sheppard street.
Notwithstanding these somewhat onerous duties, he attached himself to
the military school in connection with the 13th Hussars, a British
regiment of cavalry then stationed at the New Fort, Toronto, under the
command of the late Colonel Jennings, one of the heroes of the Light
Brigade, and from whom he received many evidences of respect and
kindness. He was attached as an officer of the Oak Ridge troop of
cavalry, to which he had belonged from 1860, when, on the occasion of
the visit of the Prince of Wales, it was stationed in Toronto, and was
with this troop, under arms, at Richmond Hill (headquarters) during the
Fenian troubles, in 1866. Before leaving the Military School, in the
autumn of 1868, he received from Colonel Jennings a first-class
certificate, which he is proud still to possess. He then returned to his
lectures in the university—still retaining his position in the
hospital—and worked hard both in and out of school, so that when the
examination came on in the spring, he passed a most critical
examination, and succeeded in securing the degree of M.B. He received
his diploma on the 11th June, 1869, and commenced to practise his
profession at Thornhill, township of Vaughan, York county, where he
practised for fifteen years, when he removed to Brockton, in 1882, then
a suburb of, and now part of, the city of Toronto. Shortly after taking
up his residence in Brockton, he was elected reeve of the village by
acclamation; and in 1884, when it was annexed to Toronto as St. Mark’s
ward, the doctor represented it in the city council. He is coroner for
the county of York, and has held the position of president of the West
York Reform Association, and also of the Reform Association of Vaughan.
In June, 1886, Dr. McConnell was gazetted second lieutenant of the 12th
Battalion York Rangers, and in June, 1887, was attached to “C.” Royal
School of Infantry, New Fort Barracks, Toronto, under the command of
Lieutenant-Colonel Otter, and was awarded a second-class certificate,
and received his commission as first lieutenant of the York Rangers. As
a professional man, he is endowed with a kindly disposition, and is
never slow to help any poor person-visiting his office for medical
advice or medicine. Dr. McConnell has been for four years attendant
physician to the Protestant Orphans’ Home, of Toronto, where two hundred
orphan children are supported by the charitable people of the city and
neighborhood, and his watchful care has not only been gratuitous, but
productive of the most gratifying results. Besides practising his
profession, he has interested himself in real estate, and is now one of
the largest property owners in the ward of St. Mark. His career points a
moral which our young men would do well to study, showing as it does
that perseverance and attention to duty is a greater requisite to
success in life than to be born to affluence. He was married previous to
his beginning his practice, to Miss Powell, of York township, and during
their residence at Thornhill, eight children were born to them, five
daughters and three sons, and of these, three daughters and one son
survive.
* * * * *
=Roberts, Charles George Douglas=, M.A., Professor of Modern Literature,
King’s College, Windsor, Nova Scotia, was born at Douglas, near
Fredericton, New Brunswick, on the 10th of January, 1860. His father,
the Rev. G. Goodridge Roberts, M.A., rector of Fredericton, was the
eldest son of the late George Roberts, Ph.D., a gentleman of English
descent, formerly headmaster of Fredericton Collegiate School, and
professor of classics in the University of New Brunswick. Our poet comes
of a line of ancestors more or less conspicuous as scholars, upon both
maternal and paternal sides. His mother, Emma Wetmore Bliss Roberts,
daughter of the late Judge Bliss, also of Fredericton, comes of an old
loyalist family, of which Emerson’s mother was a member. Mr. Roberts,
the subject of this sketch, was educated at Fredericton Collegiate
School, where he took the Douglas medal for classics. In 1877, while at
the University of New Brunswick, he took a classical scholarship, with
honors in Greek and Latin; in 1878, the alumni gold medal for an essay
in Latin; and in 1879 graduating with honors in metaphysics and ethics.
In this year he was appointed head-master of Chatham, New Brunswick,
Grammar School. In 1880 his first volume of verse, entitled “Orion and
other Poems,” was published by J. B. Lippincott & Co., Philadelphia; and
in 1881 he took his degree of M.A., and according to the ordinary
acceptation of the term, “finished his education,” though a man’s
education may never truly be said to be finished while he is an
inhabitant of this mortal sphere, and retains his faculties. Yet the
foregoing statements prove that Mr. Roberts had acquired much knowledge
at a very early age, and at a very early age was inspired by the soul of
song. No one can doubt this who has read the following extract, which we
take from his lines entitled “To the Spirit of Song”:
Surely I have seen the majesty and wonder,
Beauty, might, and splendor, of the soul of song;
Surely I have felt the spell that lifts asunder
Soul from body, when lips faint and thought is strong.
These lines are to be found on the first page of his volume, entitled
“Orion, and other Poems,” and unquestionably show genius in the boy
under twenty years of age, for it would have been impossible for any one
not possessed of the soul of song to have conceived them. Had the first,
third, fourth, eleventh, and thirteenth lines been equal to those we
have quoted, the concluding line—
Lowly I wait the song upon my lips conferred
—would have made the picture of the dark-eyed, dark-haired aspirant for
immortality, kneeling before the white-robed angel, a simply perfect
creation. The poem “Orion” is an outcome of his early love for classical
literature, and when we consider that it was written by a boy standing
on the threshold of life, it is wonderful; and shows distinctly what he
may attain in coming years, when at the zenith of his power. This poem
contains many lines of unsurpassed beauty. We quote the following
couplet, which is taken from that part of the poem which describes Orion
lying upon the seashore in his utter wretchedness, when the drug
administered by the king is beginning to affect him. The scene is
described as, at the setting of the sun—
The deep-eyed Night drew down to comfort him,
And lifted her great lids, and mourned for him.
And again, later in the night, a slave comes with the king bearing a cup
containing the juice with which he puts out Orion’s eyes, and a servitor
bearing a torch, before whose light—
All the darkness shuddered and fled back.
And how beautiful are the lines sung by the weeping sea-nymphs—
We all are made heavy of heart, we weep with thee, sore with thy
sorrow;
The sea to its utmost part, the night from the dusk to the morrow.
And again, when he regains his sight—
All the morning’s majesty
And mystery of loveliness lay bare
Before him; all the limitless blue sea
Brightening with laughter many a league around.
Wind wrinkled, etc.
But it may be that the genius of Mr. Roberts is nowhere so apparent as
in a short poem of his that we have seen somewhere, entitled, “Off
Pelorus,” the first stanza of which is an exquisite piece of
word-painting, combined with the very soul of song. We quote from
memory—
Crimson swims the sun-set over far Pelorus,
Burning crimson tops its frowning crest of pine;
Purple sleeps the shore, and floats the wave before us,
Eachwhere from the oar-stroke eddying warm like wine.
It is impossible to separate true poetry from its sister, painting, and
here the two walk hand in hand. The rich coloring of the painter, the
subtle thought and music of the poet, and all developed strongly, so as
to come within the immediate grasp of ordinary intelligence. We have not
seen Mr. Roberts’ prose writing, but we are informed that he has written
much that is masterly in thought and style; can do good battle in a
political discussion, and has peculiar and abundant gifts in the field
of criticism. In 1882 he was appointed head-master of York Street
School, Fredericton. In 1883 he accepted the position of editor of _The
Week_, a Toronto weekly, from which he, finding his tastes did not
harmonize with the director’s, retired in four months, when he returned
to New Brunswick, and was there engaged with several literary
undertakings, till his call, in 1885, to the University of King’s
College, Windsor, Nova Scotia, as professor of English and French
literature and political economy. In 1887 he published his most
important work, “In Divers Tones” (Montreal: Dawson Bros.; Boston: D.
Lothrop & Co.), which has been very favorably received. Professor
Roberts is a contributor to most of the notable publications printed in
the English language; among these may be mentioned “Longman’s,” “The
Century,” “Wide Awake,” and “Outing.” Mr. Roberts is a member of the
Church of England, and was married December 29th, 1880, to Mary Isabel
Fenety, daughter of George E. Fenety, Queen’s printer, of Fredericton,
New Brunswick. By this marriage he has three children.
* * * * *
=Chicoyne, Jerome Adolphe=, Advocate, Sherbrooke, was born on the 22nd
August, 1844, at St. Pie, county of Bagot, province of Quebec. His
paternal ancestors came over from France at the time Mr. de Maisonneuve
was recruiting settlers for the colony of Ville-Marie. His name was
Pierre Chicoyne, and his place in France was and is still called
Channay, in the old Province of Anjou. He became proprietor of the fief
Bellevue, in the parish of Verchères, which fief still belongs to his
descendants. Members of the family continue to reside in the same place
and vicinity in France, and intercourse is regularly kept up between
them from both sides of the ocean. A new settlement, started in the
township of Woburn, at the head of Lake Megantic, in the county of
Beauce (where the subject of our sketch felled the first tree on the 8th
December, 1880), is named Channay, as a reminiscence of the place
wherefrom his ancestor came. Mr. Chicoyne was educated at the Seminary
of St. Hyacinthe, and followed the usual course—eight years. He was
admitted to the bar of Lower Canada on the 17th September, 1868, at
Montreal; and after practising at St. Hyacinthe until 1872, was
compelled to quit it in consequence of ill-health. He then became
attached to the department of agriculture of the province of Quebec, as
colonization agent, and has ever since been connected with the
colonization movement in the Eastern Townships. In 1875 he left St.
Hyacinthe with his family, and settled at La Patrie, one of the new
settlements organized by him in his capacity of government agent. In
1880, he started a colonization scheme (under the patronage of both the
Provincial and Federal governments) in France, which resulted in the
influx of considerable French capital and immigrants to these townships.
Some of the results may now be seen in the great progress achieved by
the village of Megantic, in the county of Compton, and in the above
mentioned settlement of Channay. In January, 1886, he took the direction
of _Le Pionnier_, the oldest French paper in the Eastern Townships,
which paper has largely contributed to, and still helps, the settlement
of that comparatively new section of the country. He took part for the
first time in politics during the elections of 1867, in the Conservative
interest, and is still, and has ever been a most devoted and faithful
worker in the Conservative ranks. Mr. Chicoyne has made four trips to
Europe, and has visited England, France, Belgium, Switzerland and Italy,
and while in these countries studied the political economy and social
questions of the age. In religion he is a member of the Roman Catholic
church. On the 7th January, 1868, he was married at St. Hyacinthe, to
Dame Caroline Perreault.
* * * * *
=Elliott, Edward=, Barrister, Perth, Ontario, was born in the township
of Elmsley, county of Lanark, Ontario, on the 29th June, 1884. He is of
Irish descent, his father, John Elliot, and mother, Rebecca Taylor, both
having been born in Ireland. The family came to Canada in 1818, and
shortly afterwards settled in Lanark. The subject of this sketch
received his education at the Grammar School of Perth. In 1863 he began
the study of the law with the late William Oscar Buell, barrister, in
Perth. Mr. Elliott was admitted as a solicitor in Michaelmas term 1868,
and called to the bar in Hilary term 1869. Though devoted to his
profession, he has yet found time to serve his fellow-citizens in
various capacities. For ten years he has been a member of the town
council, during two of which he served as mayor, namely, in 1879 and
1880. He has been for some time a member of the Board of Education of
Perth. In politics, he has taken an active interest, and was a candidate
for parliamentary honors, on the Conservative side, in South Lanark, in
1879, but was defeated by only fifty-three of a majority. Again he
contested the same riding, in 1883, but again suffered defeat; this
time, however, by only twenty-nine of majority. He has resided in Perth
since he commenced the study of the law, and is the senior member of the
firm of Elliott & Rogers, solicitors, etc., doing a good law business.
In 1882 Mr. Elliott was called to the bar of Manitoba. In 1880 he joined
the True Britons’ lodge, No. 14, A. F. and A. M., and has taken an
interest in the order ever since. He has travelled through the United
States, and the greater part of Canada. In politics, he is a
Liberal-Conservative; and in religion, is a member of the Church of
England. He has held the office of warden, and is also a lay delegate to
the Diocesan Synod. He was married on the 5th July, 1870, to Harriet,
youngest daughter of the late John Rudd, merchant, Perth, and has a
family of four girls.
* * * * *
=La Rue, Thomas George=, Quebec, Notary Public and Collector of Inland
Revenue for the Dominion of Canada, in the division of Quebec, is
descended from one of the most ancient French families in New France,
represented by Jean de La Rue, who settled at Quebec in 1636, and
married Jaqueline Pin, in 1663, one of the first pupils of the Ursuline
nuns of Quebec. Thomas George La Rue was born at St. Jean, Orleans
Island, on the 21st December, 1834, and is the second son of Nazaire La
Rue, who was a lieutenant-colonel in the militia, and a notary public.
His mother was Adelaide Roy. He was educated at the Laval University,
and was admitted to practice his profession on the 4th February, 1856.
Mr. La Rue is noted for the lively interest he, in common with the late
Dr. Hubert La Rue, and his brother, a professor at the Laval University,
has taken in agricultural pursuits in the province of Quebec. In 1867 he
published, in the _Evénement_ newspaper, several essays, under the title
of “Causeries Agricoles,” bearing on the experiments he had made on his
farm on the Island of Orleans, and these were, in 1872, collected and
issued in book shape by the _Journal d’Agriculture de St. Hyacinthe_,
and distributed all over the province. He was a member of the Notarial
Board for the province of Quebec, from 1862 to 1879, and was elected
vice-president of it in 1876. In 1869, jointly with the Hon. Louis
Archambault and Emery Papineau, his colleagues, he prepared the
constitution which governs the Board of Notaries for the province of
Quebec. For twenty-five years he was an active worker in the ranks of
the Liberal party, and in 1862 acquired by purchase, assisted by the
Hon. Ulric J. Tessier, now a judge in the Court of Appeal; Francis
Evanturel, ex-minister of agriculture; the late G. Joly, seignior of
Lotbinière, father of the present Hon. H. G. Joly; and J. G. Barthe,
barrister, the journal known as _Le Canadien_. And this newspaper
originated in its columns such a fierce opposition to the government of
the day—the Cartier-McDonald—on the Militia Bill, that it compelled it
to resign and give way for the formation of the McDonald-Sicotte
administration. Mr. La Rue was mainly instrumental in securing for the
Liberal party the parliamentary division of Quebec East, which, ever
since the warmly-contested election of the Hon. Senator Pantaléon
Peltier, in 1871, has remained until this day, a fortress to the party.
In 1872 he came forward on the Liberal ticket, in the county of
Montmorency, but was beaten at the polls by the late Jean Langlois, Q.C.
In 1874 the McKenzie administration entrusted him, as a notary, with the
settlement of the claims arising from seignorial dues in the province of
Quebec. In 1878, Mr. La Rue finally withdrew from politics, and accepted
the important appointment of collector of inland revenue for the
division of Quebec, the duties of which he has continued to fill ever
since. In 1857, he was married to Helen Marie Louise, eldest daughter of
the late Pierre Guénette, a merchant in Quebec city.
* * * * *
=Baynes, William Craig=, B.A., was born in Quebec in 1809. He was
educated in England for the service of the East India Company, but on
the death of his father gave up the appointment, and later entered
Trinity College, Cambridge, where he took the degree of B.A. in 1836. In
1839 he was summoned to receive his M.A., but had scruples of conscience
as to taking the oath of conformity, and the higher honor was refused.
Mr. Baynes came of a military family. His father saw service in Africa,
where he assisted in the capture of the Cape in 1795, and in India, and
was adjutant-general of the army in Canada and colonel of the Glengarry
Fencibles in the war of 1812. Three of his sons also entered the army.
Mr. Baynes married in 1841, and in 1843 returned to Canada, and settled
in the neighborhood of Kingsey, where his father had purchased land.
Here he carried on farming for twelve years, giving it up in 1856, when
he received the secretaryship of the Royal Institution for the
Advancement of Learning (McGill College, Montreal), which post he held
continuously until his death, which took place on Sunday, 9th October,
1887. He leaves four sons. He was for many years the leading member of
the Plymouth Brethren in Montreal, and generally conducted their
services.
* * * * *
=Strachan, John=, LL.D., D.D., Bishop of Toronto.—The late Bishop
Strachan was born at Aberdeen, Scotland, on the 12th of April, 1778, and
received his early education at the Grammar School of that city, and
finished his term at King’s College in 1796, when he got his Master’s
degree. His father was a poor man, straitened in circumstances; yet,
with the characteristic ambition of a Scotchman, he had determined that
his son should be well equipped for future conflict with the world. He
was only nineteen years of age when he was declared the successful
candidate for the parochial schoolmastership of Kettle. There were
nearly one hundred and fifty pupils in this school, among them Sir David
Wilkie, the artist, and Commodore Robert Barclay, doomed to misfortune
on Lake Erie, from no fault of his own. He remained at Kettle three
years, when an invitation to Canada came to change the current of his
life. It was towards the close of the eighteenth century that some
liberal friends of education anxiously contemplating the establishment
of a high school and university, bethought themselves of applying to
Scotland for a teacher to whom they could confide the training of their
sons, and, amongst those, the most directly interested was the Hon.
Richard Cartwright, grandfather of the present Sir Richard Cartwright, a
man of enterprise and far-sighted views. Mr. Strachan having been
engaged for the purpose, towards the end of 1799 he sailed from
Greenock, by way of New York, and arrived in Kingston on the last day of
the year. His first experience of Upper Canada took the form of
disappointment. Governor Simcoe, with that statesmanlike prescience that
characterised him, had from the first made the establishment of a
university his first and chief desideratum. But unfortunately the first
governor had been removed before his patriotic scheme was carried into
effect, and just when Mr. Strachan arrived at Kingston there seemed to
be no prospect that either the university or grammar school system would
be attempted for the present. Mr. Cartwright recognised the trying
position of the young teacher, and generously set himself to work on his
behalf. He had four sons himself, and his friends could add to the
number of pupils, and so provide the young Scot with an honorable and
fairly remunerative living until the plans of the government were
matured. Mr. Strachan was a Presbyterian, but his father was an
Episcopal non-juror—a champion of the lost cause of the Stuarts, and
his earliest recollections of church services were those he attended
with his father at Aberdeen, presided over by Bishop Skinner.
Subsequently he habitually accompanied his widowed mother to the Relief
Church, of which she was a member. He was only a Presbyterian by
accident. When he arrived at Kingston, and was thrown in contact with
the Rev. Dr. Stuart, who, although an Anglican, was the son of a
Presbyterian, he was naturally attracted to the church of his father, so
that when Mr. Cartwright and Dr. Stuart advised him to study divinity,
the change was easily made, and the result was that the future bishop
received deacon’s orders in 1803. The bishop of Niagara, who was
afterwards one of his pupils at Toronto, has given a graphic description
of Mr. Strachan’s methods, and of his remarkable success as a teacher.
His great care was to interest the boys in their studies, and to draw
out their latent capabilities by attractive means. To him education
meant what its etymology implies, not cramming, but development. Perhaps
no instructor could boast of a larger number of pupils who obtained
eminence in after life. Chief Justice Robinson, and his brother, the
Hon. W. B. Robinson, Chief Justices Macaulay and McLean, Judge Jonas
Jones, Dean Bethune, of Montreal, and his brother, Bishop Strachan’s
successor in the See of Toronto, the Hon. H. J. and G. S. Boulton, Col.
Vankoughnet, father of the chancellor, Donald Æneas Macdonell, and
others, sat at the feet of the ex-dominie of Kettle. Dr. Strachan
removed to York, at the insistance of General Brock, and, in 1812,
became rector of York. For the first time he now entered the political
sphere, by taking the initiative in forming a loyal and patriotic
society. The times were out of joint; war was imminent, and with
characteristic vigor the new rector came to the fore. There was a strong
heart beating beneath the ecclesiastical vestments, and he had an
opportunity soon of showing his mettle. When the long expected shock of
war came on, there never was a busier or more useful man than Dr.
Strachan. It has been remarked that when York was taken, he was “priest,
soldier, and diplomatist,” all in one. At the capture of York, he was
incessantly active. After the explosion by which General Pike was killed
at the old fort, the Americans threatened vengeance upon the defenceless
town which had been evacuated by General Sheaffe and his forces. The
rector, however, was equal to the occasion; and, as a contemporary
writer puts it, “by his great firmness of character, saved the town of
York in 1813 from sharing the same fate as the town of Niagara met with
some months afterwards.” The sturdy clergyman at once visited General
Dearborn, and threatened that if he carried out his threat of sacking
the town, Buffalo, Lewiston, Sackett’s Harbor, and Oswego, should be
destroyed as soon as troops arrived from England. His earnestness and
determination moved the American, and he spared the little Yorkers from
any systematic burning and plunder. But all the danger was not over;
marauding parties wandered about the town seeking for plunder, and not
unfrequently were confronted by the sturdy little rector. On one
occasion two American soldiers visited the house of Colonel Givens, who
was an officer in the retreating army. The inmates were absolutely
helpless, and the marauders made off with the family plate. Dr. Strachan
at once went after them, and demanded back the stolen property. Under
the circumstances this was a singularly courageous thing to do, and
apparently a hopeless one. But the rector was a man of unwavering
resolution, and managed at last, without any other weapon than that
which nature had placed in his mouth, to secure the return of the goods
to their rightful owner. The pluck and bravery displayed by him
throughout that trying time showed sufficiently the real “grit” of the
man, and the boldness and strength of will shewn then, characterized his
life. In resolution and determined perseverance, he was every inch a
Scot. In 1818 began Dr. Strachan’s public life in the ordinary sense of
the term; for he was then nominated an executive councillor and took his
seat in the Legislative Council. He remained a member of the government
until 1836, and of the Upper House up to the union of the provinces in
1841. About the time of Dr. Strachan’s appointment as councillor, began
the politico-ecclesiastical conflict which was only brought to a close
within the memory of the existing generation. By the Imperial Act of
1774, which conceded to the Gallican clergy the right to collect tithes,
provision was made for the support of “a Protestant clergy;” and in
1791, one-seventh of the lands was set apart for that purpose in Upper
Canada under the name of Clergy Reserves. In 1819, the Presbyterians of
Niagara petitioned the lieutenant-governor, Sir Peregrine Maitland, for
a grant of £100 for the support of a Scottish Church minister, and
boldly hinted that the grant should come from the funds arising from the
Clergy Reserves. This memorial was forwarded in due course to Earl
Bathurst, the colonial secretary, who replied that the reserves were
intended for the established churches of England and Scotland, and not
for “denominations” referred to by the governor. This despatch at once
aroused Dr. Strachan, who in 1823 forwarded a memorial protesting
against the attempt to distribute funds intended for the Anglican
church. His somewhat narrow creed, political no less than
ecclesiastical, to be rightly understood, must be viewed from his own
standpoint, and it may be readily condoned when one contemplates his
vigor and patriotic impulse. The law officers of the Crown decided that
the Clergy Reserves were not intended exclusively for the Anglican
church. As there were two established churches, each equipped with “a
Protestant clergy,” they were of opinion that the Church of Scotland had
an equal right with the sister communion to a share in the land
endowment. They went still further and vindicated the claims of other
Protestant denominations. No sooner was this conceded by parliament than
the entire ground was cut from beneath the feet of those who advocated a
monopoly in state support for religion. Before the Union of 1841, no
less than sixteen measures which had passed the Legislative Assembly for
the secularization of the Reserves were rejected by the Legislative
Council. It was only after a bitter struggle, lasting over more than
thirty years, it was finally set at rest by the Act of 1854. During the
whole period Dr. Strachan was faithful to his principles, and could
brook no compromise. In 1836 he resigned his place as executive
councillor, and in 1839 became the first bishop of Toronto. The
following year he ceased to be a member of the Legislative Council, and
abstained thenceforth from taking any part in public affairs, save in
that department which may be termed church politics. The other subject
of intense interest with him was the Provincial University. Twenty-eight
years elapsed before any attempt was made to carry out the project of
Lieutenant-Governor Simcoe. In 1827 a Royal charter was granted in favor
of King’s College. It was to be essentially an Anglican university. In
the four faculties, all the professors were to be “members of the
Established United Church of England and Ireland,” and were required “to
severally sign and subscribe the Thirty-nine articles.” The only liberal
provision in it was an exemption from any religious test on the part of
students and graduates in faculties other than that of divinity. King’s
College was not opened until 1843, and in 1850 all that made it valuable
in the bishop’s eyes were eliminated. All that was distinctly Anglican
disappeared. The faculty of divinity was abolished and, as far as
education was concerned, “all semblance of connection between church and
state,” proclaimed afterwards in the preamble to the Clergy Reserve Act,
was done away. The venerable bishop was equal to the emergency, and
started on a mission to Britain to raise funds, and in little more than
six months he returned with the first fruits,—some sixteen thousand
pounds sterling. In the spring of 1857 the corner stone of Trinity
College was laid, and in the beginning of the following year the
building was so far completed as to be fit for occupation. The Royal
charter was secured in 1853. Thus, by the inextinguishable ardor and
energy of one zealous prelate was the purpose of his life at last
secured. In other directions, the memorable prelate certainly effected
work of unquestionable value. So soon as the severance between church
and state had been formally proclaimed, his administrative and
legislative tact was employed in placing the Anglican church upon a
sound governmental basis. To him the laity of that communion owe it that
they are represented in the synods of the church as substantially as
with the Presbyterians. The bishop’s later years were spent in efforts
to extend the usefulness of the church to which he was so ardently
attached, and during the evening of his long and eventful life he was
universally respected by men of all creeds and political parties. He had
lived in the province and been a conspicuous actor in its affairs from
the days of Governor Simcoe to the opening year of confederation, and
died on the 2nd of November, 1867, in the eighty-ninth year of his age,
manful, energetic and courageous to the last. The last tribute of
respect was paid to Bishop Strachan by the attendance at his funeral of
the two universities, with whose early fortunes his name was
indissolubly associated. The national societies, the clergy of all
churches, Protestant and Catholic, all the civic dignitaries and
institutions, were fully represented on the occasion, and it was not
without significance that the troops, regular and other, lined the
streets, and that the strains of martial music were heard at the burial
of one who was first a churchman of the military type, and next a
patriotic citizen.
* * * * *
=Wallbridge, Hon. Lewis=, Chief Justice of Manitoba, born in Belleville,
Ontario, 27th November, 1816, and died at Winnipeg, on the 20th October,
1887, was a grandson of Elijah Wallbridge, a United Empire loyalist, who
settled in Canada shortly after the American war of independence. His
father was a lumber merchant of Belleville. The family emigrated from
Dorsetshire, England, on account of having taken part in the Duke of
Monmouth’s rebellion against King James. Mr. Wallbridge received his
education under the late Dr. Benjamin Workman in Montreal, and at Upper
Canada College, Toronto. He studied law in Robert Baldwin’s office,
Toronto; was called to the bar in 1839, and created a Queen’s counsel in
1856. In 1858 he was elected to the parliament of Canada, subsequently
becoming solicitor-general, and a member of the Macdonald-Dorion
government. In 1863, whilst holding the office of solicitor-general, he
was elected speaker of the House of Commons, which position he occupied
for a little more than four years, and presided over the debate on
confederation at Quebec. After retiring from political life he practised
law in Belleville, and on the death, in 1882, of Hon. E. B. Wood, chief
justice of Manitoba, was appointed to succeed him. Hon. Mr. Wallbridge
was one of the last survivors of a long line of prominent Canadian
politicians whose records as such are, for the most part, now known only
in history. It is almost fifty years since he first began the practice
of his profession, and almost the lifetime of a generation since he
first entered parliament. He was a moderate Reformer in politics. He was
of a kindly genial disposition, and had many personal friends. He was
buried at Belleville, Ontario.
* * * * *
=Brodie, Robert=, Merchant, Quebec, was born in Montreal on the 11th
May, 1835. His parents, Charles Brodie and Elizabeth Kerr, emigrated
from Innerleithen, Peeblesshire, Scotland, in 1831, and settled in
Montreal. Robert, the subject of our sketch, received a common school
education in his native city, and in 1850, when but a lad of fifteen
years of age, entered the dry goods establishment of Henry Morgan & Co.,
the then leading retail store in Montreal, and continued in this
business until 1855, when he removed to Quebec city. Here he entered the
employment of his brother, Charles Brodie, who was at that time carrying
on an extensive flour and provision business. In 1859 Charles Brodie
died, when Robert, with his brother William, succeeded to the business,
and continued to carry it on on a more extensive scale, under the firm
name of W. & R. Brodie. In 1868, Thomas Brodie, another brother, was
admitted a partner, the firm name remaining unchanged. The operations of
the firm then further extended, and the three brothers are now doing the
largest business in their line in the ancient capital. Besides an
extensive local trade, they send to the Provinces of New Brunswick and
Nova Scotia annually large quantities of flour and provisions. Outside
of business hours, Mr. Brodie has taken an active part in whatever
movement happened to be on foot calculated to improve the social
condition of the people among whom he resided. He has been a total
abstainer all his life, and was one of the first to join the Rechabites,
when this temperance order was first introduced into Canada. When it was
superseded by the order of the Sons of Temperance at a later date, he
joined the new order, and for many years was one of its most active
members. He is one of those who firmly believe in the doctrine that the
liquor traffic must be ultimately suppressed by law. Apart from social
reform, he has also been connected with most of the local enterprises
originated in Quebec city during the past fifteen or twenty years,
either as an assistant or promoter. He is a shareholder in the Quebec
Steamship Company; the Quebec and Levis Ferry Company; the Quebec Fire
Insurance Company; the Quebec Bank, etc. He, with others, originated the
Quebec Worsted Company and is one of its directors. Mr. Brodie has been
a member of the Protestant Board of School Commissioners for a number of
years. This board is composed of six members—three being appointed by
the city council and three by the local government, and he is the
appointee of the city council. He has not had time to extend his travels
beyond Canada, but he has visited nearly every point of interest in the
Dominion. In religion, he is a Presbyterian. For a number of years he
has been an elder in Chalmer’s Church, and was a commissioner from the
presbytery of Quebec to the general assembly held in Winnipeg, Manitoba,
in June, 1887. He has always been a Liberal in politics, and gives a
generous support to the Liberal party. In 1865 he was married to Jane,
daughter of David Blair, of Lotbinière, Province of Quebec, who
emigrated from Scotland in 1831.
* * * * *
=Rourke, James=, Manufacturer, St. Martin’s, New Brunswick, was born at
Musquash, St. John county, N.B., on the 27th of June, 1838. His father
was William Henry Rourke, a descendant of O’Rourke, one of the kings of
Ireland. His mother, Phœbe Ann Cronk, born in Digby, Nova Scotia, came
of a Lancaster, England, family. Mr. Rourke received his education in
the schools of his native parish. He removed from Musquash in 1858, to
Hopewell, Albert county, N.B., and in 1863 left Albert county and took
up his permanent abode at St. Martin’s, where he now resides. Early in
life he devoted himself to business pursuits, and is now extensively
engaged in the manufacture and shipping of lumber at St. Martin’s. He is
connected with the St. Martin’s Manufacturing Company; the Upham Railway
Company; the North-Eastern Railway Company, and the Bell Telephone
Company. He takes an interest in military affairs, and is captain of the
St. Martin’s Rifles Company of Volunteers. He is a past master of the
Masonic brotherhood, and is also a member of the order of Oddfellows. In
politics he is a Liberal-Conservative, and is vice-president of St.
Martin’s Liberal-Conservative Club. At the last general election he was
nominated for a seat in the New Brunswick legislature for St. John city
and county, but failed to carry his election, although he received a
large vote. He was a member of the municipal council of St. John city
and county from 1876 to 1886, but on his being appointed a valuator he
resigned. However, he was again elected in 1887 to a seat in the
council, as representative of his parish. He is an adherent of the
Episcopal church. On the 16th March, 1871, he was married to Charlotte
Wishart, daughter of Captain B. Wishart, a native of Scotland.
* * * * *
=Ure, Rev. Robert=, D.D., Minister of the Presbyterian Church, Goderich,
Ontario, though a long resident of Canada,—having come to the country
in 1842—is a Scotchman by birth. He was born in the parish of Shotts,
Lanarkshire, on the 23rd January, 1823. His father, John Ure, was an
iron founder in Dumbarton, Scotland, and, like many other enterprising
men of his day, helped to develop the iron industries of his native
country, and are now held in grateful remembrance by the toiling
thousands in the south-west of Scotland. His mother was Barbara Dalziel.
The Ure family, from which the subject of our sketch is descended, came
originally from France, being Huguenots, and settled in Scotland. Robert
received his primary education in his native parish, and when only
nineteen years of age emigrated to Canada, and settled in Hamilton,
Ontario. Having resolved to devote himself to the ministry, he for a
time studied privately with the late Rev. Alexander Gale, M.A.,
Presbyterian minister, and then, in 1845, entered Knox College, Toronto,
and completed his theological course in 1850. The same year he received
a call to the Presbyterian Church in Streetsville, where he remained for
twelve years. In 1862 he removed to Goderich, and here he has since
labored with great acceptance, and is greatly beloved by his flock. Dr.
Ure’s scholastic attainments are of a high order, and in recognition of
this, Queen’s College, Kingston, conferred upon him the degree of Doctor
of Divinity in May, 1876. For two years he lectured in Knox College,
Toronto, on apologetics, still attending to his pastoral duties, but in
consequence of ill-health he had to give up this lectureship. During the
years 1879-80 he gave lectures on homiletics in Queen’s College,
Kingston, and when the Knox College Alumni Association was formed, the
doctor was chosen its first president. Dr. Ure took a conspicuous part
in bringing about the union of the Presbyterian churches in Canada;
first with the United Presbyterian Church, and secondly with that
connected with the Kirk of Scotland. During the negotiations for the
former union he was convenor of one committee, and the late Rev. Dr.
William Taylor, of Montreal, of the other. When the scheme had been
consummated, Dr. Taylor, being the senior, was honored by being chosen
first moderator of the General Assembly of the united churches, and Dr.
Ure had a similar honor conferred upon him by being its second moderator
after the union. In the subject of education the doctor takes the
deepest interest, and for a long period he served as grammar school
trustee. He has a large parish, with two country stations attached, and
has the advantage of an assistant. He is an eloquent preacher, and his
sermons are noted for their earnestness and originality. He has been
twice married. He was married to his first wife, Margaret Gale, sister
of the late Rev. Alexander Gale, M.A., first Presbyterian minister of
Hamilton. This estimable lady died in December, 1869. His present wife
is Mary Fraser, widow of the late Sheriff Macdonald, of Goderich.
* * * * *
=Taché, Eugene Etienne=, Quebec, Assistant Commissioner of Crown Lands
for the Province of Quebec, Provincial Land Surveyor for Upper and Lower
Canada, and Architect, was born at St. Thomas, Montmagny county, on the
24th of October, 1836. His father was the Hon. Sir Etienne Paschal
Taché, one of the fathers of confederation, and his mother, Sophie
Morency. Mr. Taché, the subject of our sketch, was educated at the
Seminary of Quebec, and at the Upper Canada College, Toronto. In 1862 he
held a captain’s commission in the Chasseurs Canadiens in Quebec, and
after his temporary removal to Ottawa, held for a time the position of
lieutenant in the Civil Service Rifle Corps. He is also a captain in the
sedentary militia of Quebec. In 1869 he received the appointment of
assistant commissioner of Crown Lands for the province of Quebec, and
this position he occupies now. As a surveyor, he has had considerable
experience. For eighteen months, while studying this branch of his
profession under Walter Shanley, C.E., he was engaged on the survey of
the Ottawa Ship Canal. As an architect, too, he has done a good deal,
having acted in this capacity in the erection of the Quebec
parliamentary buildings, and the Quebec drill hall. He was also the
designer of the handsome façades on the new court house, in Quebec. In
the midst of his various duties he has devoted some time to travel, and
in 1867 visited Britain, France, and Italy. He is the author of “Maps of
the Province of Quebec,” of which he issued two editions, the first in
1870, and the second in 1880. In religion, Mr. Taché is a Roman
Catholic. He has been twice married; first, in July, 1859, to O.
Eleonore Bender, who died without issue; second, to Clara J. Duchesnay,
daughter of the late Hon. Antoine Juchereau Duchesnay, senator. Five
children have been born of this union.
* * * * *
=Adams, Aaron A.=, Coaticook, province of Quebec.—Mr. Adams, who was
born at Henniker, New Hampshire, United States, on the 2nd September,
1806, and died at Coaticook, on the 13th of August, 1887, at the ripe
age of eighty-one years, came to Canada when only sixteen years of age,
and made his home in the Eastern Townships. He went into trade in 1832,
at Georgeville, then an important place, and removed to Barnston in
1837, where he continued to trade with the late M. W. Copp, and others
until 1853. Then he took up his abode in Coaticook, then a straggling
village of about a dozen houses. He traded here for some years in
company with John Thornton, and was subsequently largely interested in
mining operations, at the time it was very active in the townships. Of
late years Mr. Adams’ private business was principally confined to
farming. For the past fifty years scarcely any public enterprise,
affecting the interests of this part of the townships, has been carried
through without Mr. Adams’ active and cordial support. He was for many
years a leader in municipal matters, and in perfecting Coaticook’s
present municipal organization. He was a member of the first district
council, and under the new order a member of Barnston Council, of which
he was mayor for several years, and at different times warden of the
county. He was a member of the first council of Coaticook and mayor,
which office he held for several years of this first council, elected
twenty-three years ago, only one member, A. K. Fox, now survives. Mr.
Adams was an active promoter of the St. Lawrence and Atlantic Railway,
now operated by the Grand Trunk and connecting Montreal and Portland. He
was also actively engaged in the Massawippi Valley road, now operated by
the Passumpsic Company. The establishment of the Eastern Townships’ Bank
was actively promoted by him. He was one of the first directors, and
from 1880 to 1885 was vice-president of the institution. He was also for
many years a director of the S. and S. Mutual Insurance Company. All
local enterprises received active and substantial support from him. He
was, from its foundation, a director of the flourishing industry, the
Coaticook Knitting Company, of which he was vice-president at the time
of his death. In religion, Mr. Adams was a Methodist, and most zealous
and consistent in his belief and practice; he joined this church at an
early age, and for many years was a class leader and Sunday school
teacher in its service. Few men led a more active and useful life, and
his death was greatly regretted by his numerous friends. He left a
widow, two daughters, and two sons, namely: Mrs. Pomroy, of Compton;
Mrs. Baker, of Haverhill, Mass.; A. F. Adams, of Coaticook; and George
E. Adams, of Boston, United States.
* * * * *
=Cimon, Hon. Marie Honorius Ernest=, Fraserville, Rivière du Loup (_en
bas_), a Puisne Judge of the Superior Court for the province of Quebec,
was born at Murray Bay, province of Quebec, on the 30th March, 1848. He
is a son of Cléophe Cimon, notary public of Murray Bay, who represented
Charlevoix county in the Canadian Assembly from 1858 to 1861. His
mother, Marie Caroline Langlois, was a sister of the late Jean Langlois,
Q.C., a distinguished member of the bar of Quebec, who represented, for
several years, the county of Montmorency in the House of Commons.
Cléophe Cimon, the father of our sketch, was born at Murray Bay, January
30th, 1822, from the marriage of Hubert Cimon, by Angèle Simard _dit_
Lombrette. Hubert Cimon, his grandfather, was born at l’Isle-Verte,
province of Quebec, April 22nd, 1789, from the marriage of Jean Baptiste
Cimon, by Marie Angélique Salomée Miville _dit_ Dechéne, and died in Bay
St. Paul, county of Charlevoix, August 27th, 1854. Jean Baptiste Cimon,
his great-grandfather, was born July 20th, 1751, at Rivière Ouelle,
province of Quebec, from the marriage of Jean François Cimon, by Marie
Dorothée Gagnon. This Jean François Cimon (whose name was then written
Simon) was his first ancestor who came alone from France to settle in
Canada, about the year 1744, leaving his father, Joseph Simon, with
Jeanne Lefeuvre, his mother, in the parish of St. Pée, Evêché de
Coutance, province de Rouen, en Normandie, France, where they were
living. Judge Cimon was educated at Ste. Anne de Lapocatière’s College,
Seminary of Quebec, and Laval University, where he became a licentiate
of law (LL.L.) in June, 1871. He was called to the bar of Lower Canada
on the 12th July, 1871, and took up his residence in Chicoutimi
(Saguenay), where he practised from July 16th, 1871, to July, 1882. He
acted as Crown prosecutor in Chicoutimi from 1873 to 1882, and from 1871
to 1882 his services were retained in all the important cases brought
before the courts of that district. He sat in the House of Commons for
the united counties of Chicoutimi and Saguenay from 1874 to 1882 as a
Conservative member. For eleven years he was an active promoter of all
the public enterprises in the Saguenay and Lake St. John country; and to
his efforts and energy are due the telegraphic line to Chicoutimi, the
Marine Hospital, the deepening of the river Saguenay. Members of the
then House of Commons well remember how strongly he advocated the
Federal subsidy, granted in the session of 1882 to the Quebec and Lake
St. John Railway, and the other important public works obtained by his
influence for the Chicoutimi and Saguenay counties. He was mayor of the
town of Chicoutimi from 1881 to 1882, and also president of the St. Jean
Baptiste Society of Chicoutimi. He was appointed a Queen’s counsel in
January, 1882, and elevated to the Bench on the 20th July, 1882, with
residence at Perce, Gaspé county; but soon afterwards, in June, 1883,
was transferred to Joliette, province of Quebec. He received the
commission of revising officer for the county of Joliette in October,
1885, and resigned this situation in May, 1886. He resided in Joliette
for three years; but since April, 1886, he has administered justice in
the district of Kamouraska. The Hon. Mr. Cimon was the recipient of
congratulatory addresses, when appointed a judge, from the citizens of
Chicoutimi, the bar of Perce, and from the bar of Joliette and
l’Assomption on his arrival. He also received a farewell and
complimentary address on leaving Joliette, soon followed by a welcome
address from the bar of Kamouraska. In religion, he is a Roman Catholic,
as his ancestors were. He married, January 27, 1880, Marie Delphine,
only daughter of the late Pierre Antoine Doucet, judge of the Sessions
of the Peace, Quebec, by Marie Thérèse Delphine, eldest daughter of the
late Hon. Judge Bruneau, of the Superior Court, her godfather, and niece
and goddaughter of Olivette Doucet, the wife of the well-known
historian, Robert Christie, of Quebec, who for over thirty years
represented the county of Gaspé in the old Canadian Assembly.
* * * * *
=de Cazes, Paul=, Secretary of the Department of Public Instruction of
the Province of Quebec, was born in Britanny, France, on the 17th June,
1841, and came to Canada in February, 1858. He is the son of Charles de
Cazes, who arrived in Canada in 1855, and settled in the Eastern
Townships, where he purchased considerable property near Danville. This
gentleman was elected member for the counties of Richmond and Wolfe in
1861, and died in 1867, being the only Frenchman by birth who has been a
member of the Canadian parliament. Paul de Cazes studied at Paris at
_L’Institution Loriol_, a preparatory or training school for the navy,
and at the Polytechnic School. He obtained a certificate from the
Military School at Quebec in 1865. He edited _Le Messager de Joliette_,
and _Le Courier de St. Hyacinthe_ for some time. He also owned and
edited _La Nation_, published at St. Hyacinthe; and was for five years a
contributor to _Le Monde_, of Paris. He was admitted to the bar of
Quebec in October, 1869, and practised law from that date until 1874 at
St. Hyacinthe, in partnership with the Hon. H. Mercier, the present
premier of the province of Quebec. In January, 1874, he was sent to
Paris as agent for the Dominion, took part in the Paris Exposition of
1878, and was recalled in April, 1879. He was appointed an officer of
the department of Public Instruction in April, 1880, and secretary of
the same department in April, 1886. He was appointed a member of the
Geographical Society of France in 1875, and member of the Royal Society
of Canada at its formation. He was vice-president of the first section
of the said Society from May, 1884, to May, 1886, and president of the
same from May, 1886, to May, 1887, and he is a member of several other
learned societies. He is the author of “Notes sur le Canada,” of which
four editions have been printed, and of several essays and studies,
published at various times in France and Canada. The papers contributed
by him to the Transactions of the Royal Society of Canada are the
following:—“Deux Points d’Histoire”; “La Frontière Nord de la Province
de Quebec”; “La Langue que nous parlons.” In religion he is a member of
the Roman Catholic church. He married, on the 3rd November, 1869,
Hermine St. Denis, sister-in-law of the Hon. H. Mercier, premier of the
province of Quebec.
* * * * *
=Ratcliffe, Rev. John Hepburn=, Pastor of the First Presbyterian Church,
St. Catharines, Ontario, was born in the township of East Whitby, county
of Ontario, province of Ontario, on the 15th November, 1849. His
parents, John Ratcliffe and Margaret Hepburn, were both born in
Lanarkshire, Scotland, emigrated to Canada in the year 1833, and were
among the pioneers of East Whitby. They belonged to that branch of the
Presbyterian church known as the United Presbyterian church, which in
1861 united with the Free church, and formed the Canada Presbyterian
church. At the age of fourteen, Hepburn Ratcliffe, their second son, the
subject of our sketch, left the farm to engage in mercantile pursuits,
but in the course of a few years was led to devote his life to the
ministry of the Word. He entered Knox College in the autumn of 1869, and
pursued his studies, first under the Rev. George Paxton Young, now the
learned professor of metaphysics and ethics in Toronto University, and
afterwards in the divinity classes, graduating in the spring of 1876. In
October of the same year he was called to the pastoral charge of
Ancaster and Alberton, and was ordained and inducted by the Presbytery
of Hamilton on the 1st November. Here he continued to labor until May,
1883, when he became pastor of the First Presbyterian Church, St.
Catharines, where he is now laboring, and is very much respected by his
people. He was married on the 11th January, 1887, to Margaret Fletcher,
of Toronto.
* * * * *
=Saint-Cyr, Dominique Napoleon Deshayes=, Conservator of the Museum of
National Instruction, Quebec, was born on the 4th of August, 1826, in
the parish of St. Jean Baptiste de Nicolet, district of Three Rivers,
province of Quebec. His father, Jean Baptiste Deshayes Saint-Cyr, was an
honest farmer, and his mother, Josephte Lefebvre Descôteaux. They were
both descended from old French families, having numerous representatives
all over the province, and more particularly in the district of Three
Rivers. After undergoing a successful course of classical studies at the
College of Nicolet, Mr. Saint-Cyr proceeded to Sherbrooke, Quebec, at
that time settled almost entirely by people of English descent, for the
purpose of mastering a knowledge of the English language, teaching
French meanwhile at the Lennoxville Grammar School from 1846 to 1848. He
then founded the first French Catholic school ever established in
Sherbrooke, teaching until 1850. (This school still exists in the town
of Sherbrooke, in the same building in which it was started.) In August,
1850, he removed to St. Anne de la Pérade, and lived in that beautiful
village until 1876, devoting twenty-six years of his life to the noble
work of educating the youth of the country. In 1851, he received his
diploma as model school teacher, and in 1859 that of academy teacher. In
1855, he was elected secretary-treasurer of the municipal council of
Ste. Anne, and filled the duties of that office until 1863. During that
period, the handsome bridge, 1,400 feet long, which crosses the river
Ste. Anne, was built, and the same structure is still standing. In 1867
he was admitted a notary public. He attended the Quebec Military School
in 1863, and received a first class certificate, and went into camp at
Laprairie in 1864. In 1875 the subject of our sketch was induced to
enter public life, and was elected to the Legislative Assembly for the
county of Champlain by a majority of 122, at the general election which
took place on the 7th July of that year. The constituents of his county
elected him once more to represent them in the Assembly at the general
elections held on the 1st May, 1878, by the handsome majority of 566.
The favorite study of Mr. Saint-Cyr had been natural history, and, to
have more freedom, he resolved, in 1881, to abandon public life, and to
devote his time to the formation of a museum of specimens of natural
history of the province of Quebec, with the result of forming the museum
of public instruction, which is composed of large collections of plants,
insects, fossils, minerals, etc., and for which he was awarded at the
last provincial exhibition eleven diplomas, four medals, and two first
prizes in cash, and this he considered sufficient reward for his
untiring efforts. His appointment as conservator of the Museum of Public
Instruction was confirmed by order-in-council on the 6th of April, 1886.
In 1882, Mr. Saint-Cyr started on a scientific expedition to the
Labrador coast and the islands, returning on the 20th September of the
same year. He brought back with him a large number of plants, insects,
shells (living and fossil), minerals, etc., to enrich his embryo museum.
He made another voyage to the Gulf of St. Lawrence in 1885, a report of
which was published by order of the Legislative Assembly in April, 1886.
A second edition of the same work, ordered, at the last session of
parliament, to be printed, was issued in November, 1887. He also wrote
for several years in _Le Naturaliste Canadien_ on Canadian zoology, etc.
At the present time he devotes all his energies to the enlargement and
management of the museum entrusted to his care. On the 12th September,
1854, Mr. Saint-Cyr married Marie Rose Anne Amanda, a daughter, of
Antoine Deshayes Saint-Cyr and Marguerite Emilie Ricard, by whom he had
issue fifteen children, eight of whom still survive, five sons and three
daughters. His residence is Ste. Anne de la Pérade.
* * * * *
=Thomas, Benjamin Daniel=, D.D., Pastor of the Jarvis Street Baptist
Church, Toronto.—This popular divine is a Welshman by birth, having
been born near Narberth, Pembrokeshire, on the 23rd January, 1843. He
comes of a good stock. His parents were Benjamin and Jane Thomas. His
father, the Rev. Benjamin Thomas, was pastor of the Baptist Church in
Narberth for the long period of forty years. Dr. Thomas received his
primary education in Graig House Academy at Swansea, where he spent four
years, and then entered Haverford-West, the denominational college of
South Wales, where he pursued a regular course of study, and graduated.
Immediately on leaving college he was chosen pastor of the Baptist
Church at Neath, Glamorganshire, where he successfully labored for six
years. In the fall of 1868 he came to the United States, and soon after
his arrival entered upon the pastorate of the Baptist Church in
Pittston, Pennsylvania, where he remained nearly three years. In
October, 1871, became pastor of the Fifth Church, one of the largest in
Philadelphia, where he labored with great acceptance until he removed to
Canada. In 1882 he was chosen as successor to Rev. Dr. John Castle, who
had become principal of McMaster Hall (Baptist College), Toronto, and in
October of the same year he settled as pastor of Jarvis Street Baptist
Church. Here a large congregation attends his ministrations, to whom he
has greatly endeared himself. As a preacher he is popular, and never
fails to bring forth things new and old from Bible treasures, and
presents them to his hearers in “thoughts that breathe and words that
burn.” He contributes occasionally to religious papers and magazines;
and a few years ago he published a small volume of great merit,
entitled, “Popular Excuses of the Unconverted.” He favors all social
movements having in view the elevation of the race, and labors earnestly
to extend Christ’s kingdom on the earth. He was married in Wales, in
1864, to Mary Jones, but this estimable lady died in 1886, leaving six
children behind, with their father, to mourn her early demise.
* * * * *
=Richey, Hon. Matthew H.=, Q.C., D.C.L., Government House, Halifax,
Lieutenant-Governor of the Province of Nova Scotia, was born on the 10th
June, 1828, at Windsor, N.S. He is the third son of the Rev. Matthew
Richey, D.D., by his marriage with Louisa Matilda Nichols, a native of
New York, but of English parentage, her grandfather having been one of
John Wesley’s assistants, and of a Cornish family. Lieutenant-Governor
Richey received his education at the Windsor Collegiate School, the
Upper Canada Academy (Cobourg), of which his father was the first
principal, the Upper Canada College (Toronto), and Queen’s College
(Kingston), where he went through the usual course of study in the
English branches and classics. He adopted law as a profession, and began
its study in Windsor, N.S., in the office of the Hon. Lewis M. Wilkins,
afterwards one of the judges of the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia. He was
called to the bar of Nova Scotia in 1850, and practised his profession
in Halifax. In 1873 he was created a Queen’s counsel. He occupied a
prominent position among his fellow-citizens of Halifax; sat as alderman
in the city council during the years 1858-1864, inclusive; and was mayor
of the city for six years, namely, from 1864 to 1867, and from 1875 to
1878. His attention to the duties of his office won general approbation.
At the general elections held in September, 1878, he was first elected
to represent Halifax in the House of Commons at Ottawa, and occupied a
place in that house until his appointment to the position of
lieutenant-governor on the 4th July, 1883, and this office he has since
held with dignity and satisfaction to the people of Nova Scotia. While
in political life he was a member of the Liberal-Conservative party. For
some years he was president of the Halifax School Association, a society
originated for the purpose of working reforms in the school system of
his province; and in 1865, when the law establishing free schools came
into operation, he was chosen one of the school commissioners, and
served in that capacity for several years. When the University of
Halifax was established he was appointed by the government one of the
members of the senate of the university, and was also one of its
examiners in jurisprudence and Roman law. Mount Allison Wesleyan
College, Sackville, New Brunswick, conferred upon him the honorary
degree of D.C.L. in 1884. Lieut.-Governor Richey has always manifested a
strong inclination towards the promotion of social science, and formerly
gave much time to literary and charitable institutions, which, in
Halifax, are numerous and well conducted. Mr. Richey was for some years
the president of the Halifax Society for the Prevention of Cruelty, and
when a member of the parliament of Canada, was active in promoting
remedial legislation in furtherance of the objects of such societies.
His honor is an adherent of the Methodist Church of Canada. For six
years, from 1854 to 1860, he conducted with marked success the
denominational organ of that church in the Maritime provinces. While in
the Dominion Parliament he did not often speak, but when he did so, was
listened to attentively. During the session of 1879 he spoke on the then
all-absorbing question—the tariff. In 1880 he was selected by the
premier to move the answer to the Speech from the throne; and he led in
the adjourned debate on the question of the fishery award, in a speech
which covered a large field of constitutional law, and the relations of
the provinces to the Dominion under the Act of Confederation. He was
married on the 22nd June, 1854, to Sarah Lavinia, daughter of the late
Hon. John Hawkins Anderson, for some time member of the Legislative
Council, and receiver-general of the province of Nova Scotia, and called
by Royal proclamation to the Senate of Canada, 1st July, 1867. Three
children have been the fruit of their union. Hon. Mr. Anderson died in
1870.
* * * * *
=McNeil, Hon. Daniel=, Barrister, Port Hood, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia,
M.P.P. for Inverness county, N.S., was born at Mabou, C.B., on the 31st
January, 1853. He is the second son of Malcolm and Ellen McNeil, and
brother of the Rev. Neil McNeil, D.D., Ph.D., rector of St. François
Xavier College, Antigonish. The subject of our sketch is descended, on
the paternal side, from Roderick McNeil, of Bara, Scotland, who settled
in Cape Breton during the early part of this century. Hon. Mr. McNeil
was educated at the St. François Xavier College. He studied law at
Halifax; was called to the bar of Nova Scotia in December, 1879, and
then removed to Port Hood, the shiretown of his native county. Here he
entered into partnership with S. Macdonnell, Q.C., ex-M.P., and
continued as a partner with this gentleman for about three years and a
half, when the partnership was dissolved. Afterwards he became the
senior member of the law firm of McNeil & Hensley, solicitors, notaries
public, etc., in the same town. In June, 1883, Mr. McNeil was appointed
a school commissioner for South Inverness; in July, of the same year, a
notary and tabellion public; and in March, 1884, a commissioner of the
Supreme Court of Nova Scotia. He has for a number of years taken an
interest in all the political movements,—municipal, provincial and
federal—and always on the Liberal side. He was first returned to the
Nova Scotia legislature at the last general election; and on the 28th
June, 1886, was sworn in a member of the Executive Council of Nova
Scotia, and took office in the Fielding administration, without a
portfolio. In religion he is an adherent of the Roman Catholic church.
He married, on the 4th August, 1881, Ellen Maria Margaret, youngest
daughter of the late James McDonnell. For a period of upwards of a
quarter of a century, this gentleman held the important offices of
prothonotary of the Supreme Court and clerk of the Crown at Port Hood;
also the office of registrar of deeds for the county of Inverness for
many years. He was the first inspector of schools for Inverness county
under the present educational system of the province.
* * * * *
=Chabot, Julien=, Harbor Commissioner, Quebec, was born at Levis, in
October, 1834, and is a descendant of one of the oldest French families
who emigrated from Poitiers, France, and settled in Canada in the
vicinity of Quebec in 1632. His father, Julien Chabot, was born at the
Island of Orleans in 1800, and died on 10th August, 1864. He came to
Levis at the age of thirteen, and here he married Dame Susanne Carrier
in 1830. Being engaged in navigation, he gained wealth and reputation by
promoting the local industries of Levis. He built the first horse boat
which crossed the ferry between Quebec and Levis in 1828, and afterwards
the first regular ferry-boat which ran between the two cities in 1844.
He was also extensively engaged in the towing business, and between the
years 1845 and 1860 he built several tug steamers to tow sailing vessels
from the Gulf of St. Lawrence to Montreal. His son Julien, the subject
of our sketch, was educated in the Seminary of Quebec from 1846 to 1853;
and in 1856 he became a partner with his father, and took the management
of the business. In 1863 he succeeded, with all the tug owners of the
port of Quebec, in forming a joint stock company, called the St.
Lawrence Tow Boat Company, and had it incorporated on the 12th of May of
that year, for the purpose of towing large sailing vessels from the Gulf
to Montreal, and he had the management of this company for twenty-three
years. During this period he supported the views of the president of the
company, Hon. Thomas McGreevy and of the bishop, D. Racine, in
inaugurating in 1866 the Saguenay line, which has proved so beneficial
to the colonization of the Chicoutimi district and the St. John valley.
Since 1874 a daily line has been established to Ha! Ha! Bay and
Chicoutimi, the management of which is highly praised by the local and
principally by the American tourists. The Saguenay line is now connected
with the Richelieu and Ontario Navigation Company, and is under the
special management of its inaugurator, Mr. Chabot. He had the control of
the Quebec and Levis ferries for several years, during which period the
old system of summer and winter ferries were remodelled and rebuilt in
the best modern style, and were classified the best ferry steamers in
Canada. Mr. Chabot having been impressed from his boyhood with the
difficulties of the winter navigation of the St. Lawrence, several
successful tests were made by the St. Lawrence Steam Navigation Company,
under his supervision, during the winter months on the Lower St.
Lawrence. Mr. Chabot is now the oldest member of the Quebec Harbor
Commissioners trust, having been on active duty since 1870, and has
helped as trustee with his co-members in building the extensive harbor
improvements in the port of Quebec, and in securing for Levis, his
native place, the location of the largest graving dock on this
continent. He was twice elected president of the Board of Trade of
Levis. In religion, he is a member of the Roman Catholic church, and
held the office of church warden in Notre Dame church in 1879. A
Conservative in politics, Mr. Chabot has taken a prominent part in
support of his principles. He contested the county of Levis in 1874
against Louis Honoré Frechette, the poet laureate, when the Liberal
party came into power, but was defeated by the influence of the Federal
government by only a small majority. He married, on the 26th October,
1857, Marguerite Aimée Brunelle, daughter of the celebrated ship
builder, Pierre Brunelle, of Quebec.
* * * * *
=Lugrin, Charles H.=, A.M., Barrister, Fredericton, New Brunswick, was
born at Fredericton in 1846. His parents were Charles S. Lugrin and
Martha Stevens. (See sketch of Charles S. Lugrin.) Mr. Lugrin received
his education at the Collegiate School of Fredericton, and at the New
Brunswick University, graduating from the latter institution in 1865.
For some time he taught the St. Stephen’s High School, and afterwards
studied law. In 1868 he was admitted attorney, and called to the bar of
New Brunswick in due course. He was appointed clerk of the peace, clerk
of the county court, and clerk of circuits for Victoria, N.B., in 1869.
He removed to Grand Falls, Victoria, in that year, and remained there
until 1874, when he took up his abode in Fredericton, and joined in a
law partnership with George Botsford. Since that time he has been
engaged, with much success, as counsel in many important criminal cases.
He acted as counsel for the temperance party in New Brunswick, in the
cases involving the constitutionality of the Canada Temperance Act. He
has also engaged largely in journalism, and took an active part in
politics, unsuccessfully contesting Victoria for a seat in the local
legislature in 1878. He was appointed secretary of the Board of
Agriculture in 1885. He is the author of the works—“New Brunswick: Its
Resources, Advantages and Progress;” “Open Season;” “The Fertile Belt,”
and numerous pamphlets and letters upon New Brunswick, commercial union,
temperance legislation, and other subjects. He volunteered and was
enrolled at St. Stephen at the time of the threatened Fenian raid in
1866; and afterwards was appointed a captain in the reserve militia. He
is a past worthy patriarch of the Sons of Temperance; and secretary and
treasurer of the New Brunswick branch of the Prohibitory Alliance. He
has been secretary of the Fredericton Board of Trade. In religion he is
an adherent of the Methodist church, and in politics a Liberal. He is
married to Maria, daughter of G. L. Raymond, now of Olympia, Washington
territory. Mr. Raymond was grandson of Rice Raymond, a loyalist from
Long Island.
* * * * *
=Spencer, Elijah Edmund=, Frelighsburg, province of Quebec, M.P.P. for
Missisquoi county, is of English and Welsh descent, but his immediate
ancestors were United Empire loyalists. He is a son of the late Ambrose
S. Spencer, who was for many years one of the most prominent men and
magistrates of the county, and whose father before him was among the
first who settled in that section, and took an active part in the
stirring scenes connected with its early history. His mother, Mary
Thomas, is a daughter of the late Major P. Thomas, who was also one of
that hardy band of pioneers who battled so successfully with the rougher
elements of an early settler’s life. Elijah Edmund Spencer, the subject
of our sketch, was born in St. Armand East, on the 19th April, 1846, and
has always resided in the immediate vicinity of his ancestral home. He
received his education mainly at the Frelighsburg Grammar School, but
subsequently passed through a course of study at Poughkeepsie, in the
state of New York. In June, 1883, he was married to Frances S., daughter
of the late R. L. Galer, of Dunham, province of Quebec, with whom he now
resides at his home overlooking the pleasant village of Frelighsburg. In
religion, he is a Protestant, and in politics, a Liberal-Conservative.
He has always followed farming as an occupation, and has at the present
time a large landed estate demanding his personal supervision. From his
boyhood he has taken an active part in municipal affairs, and held in
succession many prominent offices in the town and county. He was for
some time president of the Missisquoi County Agricultural Society, and
is now president of the Missisquoi and Rouville Mutual Fire Insurance
Company. At the general election in 1881, for member of the Legislative
Assembly of the province of Quebec, the county being essentially an
agricultural one, and its farming interest largely predominating, he was
brought forward as a candidate, representing a class which were thought
to be as equally deserving recognition as the commercial and
manufacturing interests of the country. The result was his return by a
large majority, and he took his seat, being one of the youngest members
of the house. At the last general election, in 1886, he again came
forward as a candidate, and his course in the house during the five
years he held the seat being eminently satisfactory, his constituents
again honored him with their confidence, and re-elected him for another
term.
* * * * *
=Valin, Pierre Vincent=, Shipbuilder, Château Richer, county of
Montmorency, province of Quebec, was born at Château Richer, on the 1st
of June, 1827. His parents, though not possessed of a large share of
this world’s goods, were industrious and highly esteemed. From an old
record we find that the family belongs to the nobility of old France,
although in this democratic country they do not see fit to wear the
title they are entitled to. We quote the extract: “Extrait de ‘L’Art
Héraldique,’ par A. Playne, avocat et professeur chez Charles Osmond,
libraire, enregistré à Paris le 23 décembre, 1716, avec approbation du
roi du 2 décembre, 1716, par Fouquet. Valin . . . de gueules à la bande
composée d’argent et d’azur.” Toussaint Valin, the father of the subject
of our sketch, married Marie Tremblay, of Eboulements, county of
Charlevoix, and they settled in Château Richer, where their elder
children were born. The space at our disposal is too limited to admit of
a narrative of the various phases through which Pierre Vincent Valin has
passed in the course of a long and eventful career; we will simply refer
in a general manner to the difficulties surmounted by the indefatigable
energy he displayed from his youth until, having started from the lowest
rung of the social ladder, he finally attained the pinnacle of rank and
wealth. Through his own efforts, with only his energy and the good
principles inculcated in his mind by zealous parents, he obtained
sufficient education to enable him to hold, in after years, the
following prominent positions: chairman of the Quebec Harbor Commission;
member of the Legislative Assembly, and member of the House of Commons.
In these divers posts his social and individual qualities made him a
friend to all those who came in contact with him. His remarkable
business tact and sterling integrity soon brought him to the front rank
among the princes of finance and commerce, and he has fairly earned the
title ascribed to so many in this country, “self-made man.” In his youth
he worked at different trades, and devoted the whole of his scanty
earnings to help his parents, and commenced shipbuilding when yet quite
a young man. He soon rose to the position of employer, and as his
business increased, so did his facilities for doing the work he was
engaged in, until he gave employment to hundreds of men, paying $5,000
in wages alone every week. In the beginning of his career he fully
developed the capacities he possessed, being at the same time architect,
builder, clerk, bookkeeper, and his own consignee, seller and buyer on
the European markets. He still owns several large ships which are
engaged in the East India trade. He is also interested in steamers
running to Newfoundland. He crossed the Atlantic sixty times in the
transaction of business, and made warm and devoted friends in both
France and England, in the best society of these countries. In 1872, the
warm-hearted population of Quebec East, to whom he had been a
benefactor, begged him to represent them in the city council. After
serving a short time as councillor, his constituents sent him to the
Legislative Assembly in 1874, and he made his first appearance in public
life. In 1878 he presented himself before the electors of Montmorency,
who elected him in preference to Jean Langlois, the former
representative of the county, by a majority of 226. On the 14th January,
1880, he was unseated on petition, but re-elected again. At the general
election of 1882 he was again chosen as the Conservative standard-bearer
of the county of Montmorency over Charles Langelier, one of the strong
men of the Liberal party. At the last general election (1887) he was
unsuccessful, the majority against him being only one vote. Since he has
acquired wealth Mr. Valin has made a noble use of his means. The whole
county, and more particularly his native parish, are greatly indebted to
him for the improvements he has made. He bought from the Lemoine family
the splendid mansion called “Château Beau Pré,” and the numerous and
artistic improvements with which he has adorned the château and its
_alentours_, have made it a lovely spot, which excites the admiration of
all the American tourists who visit this part of the country every
summer. The beautiful parish church building, with its costly decoration
and numerous oil paintings, has been mainly built by him, and as a
crowning gift he presented the curé with its largest bell. The
employment he gives to the laboring class of Château Richer gives
sustenance to a large proportion of its population. Apart from his
individual means, he has been able to secure an expenditure of over
$80,000 by the government in public works in the county of Montmorency,
and by untiring efforts has succeeded in establishing telegraphic
communication between the mainland and the Island of Orleans. On the
inhospitable beach of St. François and Ste. Famille, where so many lives
have been lost by wrecks, two wharves were built at considerable
expense. The channel of the St. Lawrence was deepened and widened
between the island and Beaupré, thus enabling ships to pass through at
low tide without danger. The placing of twelve lights and six buoys on
the river, reducing danger from wrecking to the least proportion, is
also due to his influence. In 1880 he presented the Cercle Catholique of
Quebec with a handsome banner woven in golden cloth, which he had
brought from Paris. He is chairman of the Harbor Commission of Quebec,
and since he has held that office several important works have been
undertaken and carried to a successful issue, among others may be
mentioned the following: the graving dock, the Basin Louise, the work
done opposite Quebec by the lifting-barge, etc. Mr. Valin married in
1854, Marie Angélique, daughter of Joseph Talbot, Beaumont, Bellechasse
county. She died on the 8th of October, 1883. He married a second time,
on the 10th June, 1885, in the chapel of the Sacred Heart, Quebec, Marie
Virginie Célina, a daughter of the late and regretted Dr. P. M. Bardy,
in his lifetime one of the most remarkable men of the city of Quebec,
and a descendant of a French family of rank, in fact the Count de Bardi
and the Duke de Parma being the sons of Madame Louise, the only sister
of the late Henry V., Count de Chambord, the legitimate successor to
Louis XVIII., and consequently the heir to the throne of France, if that
country had retained its monarchical institutions. In the remarkable
work of Benjamin Sulte, “L’Histoire des Canadiens-Français,” will be
found a complete biography of Dr. Bardy, who was the first president of
the St. Jean Baptiste Society of Quebec. On the occasion of the marriage
of Mr. Valin, we clip the following from _La Patrie_ of the 12th of
June, 1885:—“A telegraphic despatch from Quebec announces the marriage
of P. V. Valin, M.P. for Montmorency, and chairman of the Harbor
Commission for Quebec, to Célina Bardy, only daughter of Dr. Bardy, the
founder and first president of the St. Jean Baptiste Society of Quebec,
in his lifetime one of the foremost citizens of the ancient capital.
Miss Bardy, who is a lady endowed with wonderful beauty and good
qualities, has conquered a most enviable rank among the _littérateurs_
of the province. She is a member of L’Académie des Muses Santonnes,
France. We extend our hearty congratulations to the happy couple.” The
following extract is taken from the Ottawa _Citizen_ of the 18th June,
1885:—“Last evening, while the Hon. J. A. Chapleau, secretary of state,
was speaking on the Pacific Railway resolutions, applause commenced on
the ministerial side and soon became general. Many persons were unable
to discern for a time the cause of it, as the remarks of the honorable
gentleman did not call for any expression of approval, more especially
on the part of ‘honorable gentlemen opposite.’ It turned out that the
greeting was addressed to Mr. Valin, M.P. for Montmorency, who had just
entered the chamber on his return from his honeymoon trip. He
acknowledged the compliment by bowing his head, and after the applause
subsided, Hon. Mr. Chapleau complimented him in a few elegantly
constructed sentences, wishing the honorable gentleman the supreme
degree of connubial bliss.” These flattering newspaper comments show
clearly the high esteem Mr. and Mrs. Valin enjoy among their friends, as
well as among the members of the whole house.
* * * * *
=Morin, Louis Edmond=, President of the Corporation of Pilots, Quebec,
was born on the 25th August, 1837, in St. Rochs, Quebec, Canada. He was
the fourth son of a family of six children. His father, Michel Morin,
was a sea pilot for a period of fifty years on the river St. Lawrence,
and died at the advanced age of seventy-seven in 1880. His mother,
Christine Nolet, is still living, and in full possession of her health,
at eighty years of age. Mr. Morin, the subject of our sketch, was
educated at the Christian Brothers’ School, and afterwards at Thom’s
Commercial Academy, Quebec. He was for two years in one of the largest
dry goods stores in the upper town of Quebec, but finding that his
health was declining, he left the trade. In 1855 he resolved to follow
the calling his father had so very successfully followed, and
apprenticed himself as a pilot. He served in this capacity for seven
years, during which period he crossed the Atlantic ocean no less than
ten times. On the 6th March, 1862, his apprenticeship being completed,
he was permitted to act as a sea pilot, and he has been one of the most
successful of the profession on the St. Lawrence. In 1868 he was
selected to pilot the steamers of the Allan line, and continued to act
as such until the fall of 1872, when he retired, on being elected one of
the directors of the Corporation of Pilots of Quebec, incorporated by
Act of Parliament in 1860. He remained on the board for a period of
eleven consecutive years, of which time he was six years president. In
1884 he was again selected to pilot the steamers of the Allan line. In
1885 he was re-elected president of the Corporation of Pilots, and still
occupies the same position. In 1873 Mr. Morin was delegated to go to
Ottawa in the interest of the sea pilots, in order to watch the passing
of the Pilotage Act, and succeeded in getting a clause inserted in this
act, whereby a guarantee was given that at the end of each period of
three years the salary of the pilots would be increased if their
earnings were in the average during the season less than six hundred
dollars net. In 1880, with the help of some of his _confrères_ and of
several members of the government, he succeeded in getting a by-law
passed by the Board of Harbor Commissioners, by which the tariff of
pilotage was raised fifteen per cent; but after having several
interviews with the members of the Dominion government at Ottawa, with
the object of gaining this boon, he failed to secure what he wanted in
consequence of a strong outside pressure against the measure. He,
however, accepted a compromise, namely that of an advance of seven and a
half per cent, on the old tariff, and the promise of the government that
the revised tariff would be based on tonnage throughout the whole
Dominion. In religion Mr. Morin is a Roman Catholic; and in politics an
independent. He was married, in 1863, to Marie Flore Trahan, daughter of
the late Edward Trahan, in his lifetime shipbuilder in Quebec, and of
Marie Bédard. The fruit of this marriage has been thirteen children, of
whom eight are still living, four sons and four daughters.
* * * * *
=Jones, Hon. Alfred Gilpin=, P.C., Bloomingdale, North-West Arm,
Halifax, M.P. for Halifax, Nova Scotia, was born at Weymouth, Nova
Scotia, September, 1824. He is a son of the late Guy Jones, who was
registrar of deeds for Digby county. His paternal ancestor, Josiah
Jones, emigrated from England, and settled in Boston, Massachusetts, in
1665. His grandfather, Stephen Jones, a graduate of Harvard College, was
an officer in the King’s American Dragoons, and at the close of the
revolutionary war settled in Nova Scotia, where he died in 1830. Hon.
Mr. Jones was educated at Yarmouth Academy, and chose commerce as a
profession. He has been a successful merchant, and is now the head of
the firm of A. G. Jones & Co., West India importers. He occupies the
position of governor of the Protestant Orphans’ Home, and also that of
Dalhousie College; is president of the Nova Scotia Marine Insurance
Company, and a director of the Acadia Fire Insurance Company. For a
number of years Mr. Jones was lieutenant commanding the 1st Halifax
Brigade Garrison Artillery. He sat in the House of Commons at Ottawa
from 1867 to 1872, but at the general election, held during the latter
year, he suffered defeat. However, in 1874 he was again elected, but
resigned in January, 1878, in consequence of an alleged breach of the
Independence of Parliament Act, but was re-elected. He was sworn in a
member of the Privy Council, and held the office of Minister of Militia
in the Mackenzie administration from January, 1878, to September of the
same year. At the general elections held in 1878 and 1882, he was an
unsuccessful candidate, but at the general election held in 1887 he
again presented himself as a candidate, and was returned at the head of
the poll. Hon. Mr. Jones has been twice married, first, in 1850, to
Margaret Wiseman, daughter of W. Stairs. This lady died in February,
1865. Second, to Emma, daughter of Edward Albrough, of Halifax.
* * * * *
=McConnell, John Bradford=, M.D., C.M., Montreal, was born on 28th
August, 1851, in Chatham, on the Ottawa river, county of Argenteuil. His
father, Andrew McConnell, was a son of John McConnell, who came to
Canada from Glasgow in 1819, his family consisting of John, Mary,
Andrew, William and Agnes. Andrew McConnell was one of the most
successful farmers in the county of Argenteuil, having, through his rare
industry and indomitable energy, accumulated considerable wealth. He was
thus enabled to carry out the intention of his early married life,
namely, that of giving the members of his family the advantages of a
good education. He has been for a quarter of a century a justice of the
peace, a position which he has filled with great ability. The
impartiality of his judgments drew to him applicants for justice from
the most distant parts of the county. He was appointed captain in the
militia during Lord Monck’s administration. He now resides in the town
of Lachute. His family consisted of eight children, namely, John
Bradford, Gilbert Smith, Richard George, Andrew William, Jessie Ann,
James Quinton, Jennie and Hugh. Gilbert, Andrew and James settled a few
years ago in the North-West, first at Qu’Appelle, but are now residing
in Vancouver. Andrew acted as courier for General Middleton during the
recent rebellion, and was one of the nine prisoners rescued at the
battle of Batoche. Richard G. is a B.A. of McGill College, Montreal, and
now holds a prominent position in the geological survey of Canada. His
mother, Martha Jane Bradford, was the youngest daughter of George
Bradford, son of the Rev. Richard Bradford, who was the first English
church minister in Chatham. This gentleman came to New York in 1782,
where he was engaged in a business partnership with a Mr. Smith. A few
years later he came to Canada, and became chaplain to the 49th Regiment
in 1812. He built a comfortable homestead on the Ottawa at a place
called the “Point,” just at the head of the Carillon canal. He then
owned the greater part of the township of Chatham, about twelve square
miles. He accompanied Captain Cook on a voyage around the world; studied
afterwards with an English minister, the Rev. Mr. Jeffreys, whose
daughter he married, and their family consisted of Richard, John, Henry,
George, Charles, Nancy, Sarah, Eliza, Harriet. The latter was married to
the Rev. Joseph Abbott, and one of their sons is the Hon. J. J. C.
Abbott, senator, now mayor (1887) of Montreal. George married Martha
Smith, of Chatham, was a school teacher, and owned a farm on the North
River. He died at the age of sixty-five. His family consisted of George,
Eliza, Henry, Charles, John, and Martha Jane. John Bradford McConnell,
the subject of our sketch, was educated at the district school in
Chatham, and at the Carillon Academy, conducted by the late George
Wanless, and entered on his medical studies in 1869, at McGill College,
Montreal, graduating in 1873. In 1871, he went through the Military
School in Montreal, taking a Second class certificate, and the same year
was appointed lieutenant in the 11th battalion Argenteuil Rangers.
Subsequently, for a period of about eight years he was assistant surgeon
in the 1st Prince of Wales Rifles. He has been a member of the Duke of
Edinburgh lodge, I.O.O.F., B.U., since 1875; and was grand master of the
order in the province of Quebec during the term 1884 and 1885; has been
a member of St. James Street Methodist Church, Montreal, since 1878, and
is a teacher in the afternoon Sunday-school. He was, with the late W. J.
B. Patterson, a delegate from the Young Men’s Christian Association, of
Montreal, to the convention in Poughkeepsie in 1874. He has taught in
the medical faculty of the University of Bishop’s College during the
last eleven years, first as professor of botany, a subject to which he
paid considerable attention during his first year at college. He has one
of the largest personal collections of Canadian plants in the Dominion.
During the last three years he has filled the chair of materia medica
and therapeutics, is lecturer on physical diagnosis, and conducts a
practical class on histology and bacteriology. During the summer of 1886
he made an extensive European tour, visiting the hospitals of Dublin,
London, Paris and Berlin, taking the course on bacteriology under
Professor Koch, in the latter city. He has been in active practice in
Montreal since 1873, and is now counted among Montreal’s most successful
and reliable physicians. He is a member of the Natural History Society
of Montreal; Montreal Microscopical Society; Executive Committee of the
Dominion Alliance, Quebec Branch; Medico-Chirurgical Society of
Montreal; and British Medical Association. He is one of the attending
staff of the Western Hospital, consulting physician to the Montreal
Dispensary, of which he was also secretary for about ten years,
resigning in 1887. He is senior attending physician to the Protestant
House of Industry and Refuge. In 1885, the doctor issued a pamphlet
entitled, “Cholera: its Nature, Symptoms, History, Cause and Prevention,
with an outline review of the Germ Theory of Disease,” being one of the
Sommerville course of lectures (extended) provided for by the Natural
History Society of Montreal. The Montreal medical journals show that he
has frequently contributed to their pages papers which have been read at
the Medico-Chirurgical Society. He was married in 1875 to Theodora
Lovell, eldest daughter of Robert Miller, the well-known wholesale
stationer, of Montreal, and has six children living, two others having
died in infancy.
* * * * *
=Jones, Simeon=, Brewer, St. John, New Brunswick, was born at Prince
William, York county, N.B., on the 22nd August, 1828. His father, Thomas
Jones, was a native of Weymouth, Nova Scotia, where Simeon Jones, the
grandfather of the subject of our sketch, settled at the close of the
American revolutionary war. His mother, Elizabeth Caverhill, was a
daughter of Dr. Caverhill, of Dumfries, Scotland. Mr. Jones was educated
in his native parish and at Dumfries, and after leaving school spent two
years farming, under his father. He was then employed by Robert Keltie,
brewer at St. John, to look after his business; and in the position of
manager he remained with Mr. Keltie for eight years. At the end of this
period he bought out the business, his late employer retiring, and has
successfully conducted it ever since. In 1874, in company with Oliver T.
Stone and Joseph R. Stone, Mr. Jones started a private banking house in
St. John, under the firm name of S. Jones and Co., and since then the
firm has done a good banking business. Almost everything to which Mr.
Jones has put his hand has prospered, and this doubtless is owing in a
large degree to his close attention to details, and his shrewdness as a
manager. In 1879 he was elected a member of the city council, where he
served for two years as chairman of the finance committee. So well did
he attend to the duties of this office that in April, 1881, he was
elected to fill the more responsible position of mayor without
opposition, a mark of distinction never before this time conferred in
St. John. During his term of office, which lasted for three years, his
business capacities and fine executive talents showed themselves to good
advantage, and he was one of the most popular chief magistrates St. John
ever had. Mr. Jones has been for many years a vestryman of Trinity
(Episcopal) Church, and is a generous supporter of various religious and
benevolent societies. Indeed, he is never backward in contributing to
any enterprise designed for the good of the community among whom he
resides. In 1861 he was married to Annie M., daughter of Daniel
McLaughlin, St. John, and the fruit of the union has been a family of
eight children.
* * * * *
=McLeod, Howard Douglas=, St. John, Superintendent Southern Division of
the New Brunswick Railway, was born at Studholm, Kings county, New
Brunswick, on the 29th July, 1838. His father, Matthew McLeod, was of
Scotch descent; and his mother, Deborah Heine, of German descent. Howard
received a common school education at the schools in his native parish,
and afterwards attended, for about six months, Sackville Academy,
Sackville, N.B. For about eleven months he taught school in Studholm
parish; and in the month of October, 1859, entered the railway service
as station agent at Sussex, upon the opening of what was then named the
European and North American Railway (now the Intercolonial). Here he
remained as agent for two years, when he was removed to the audit
department, in the general offices in St. John. From freight auditor he
was promoted to accountant of the road, which was then worked as a
government road. In 1865 he left the railway service, and took a
situation in a leading dry-goods house as book-keeper; but not liking
the change he soon abandoned this position. He then connected himself
with the building of the railway west of St. John, and upon the
completion of the line occupied the offices on it of accountant and
general freight agent; and was afterwards promoted to the office of
superintendent of the southern division, which position he now fills.
Mr. McLeod is a justice of the peace for the city and county of St.
John. He has travelled over the greater part of the United States east
of the Mississippi, and is also familiar with the principal points in
Canada. In religion he belongs to the Baptist church. He was married on
the 26th May, 1869, to Isabel Barker, a daughter of T. B. Barker,
druggist, and a niece of Sir Leonard Tilley, lieutenant-governor of New
Brunswick. Mrs. McLeod died on the 6th July, 1881.
* * * * *
=McIsaac, Angus=, Antigonish, Nova Scotia, Judge of the County Court,
was born in the parish of St. Andrew’s, Antigonish county, province of
Nova Scotia. His ancestors came from Inverness-shire, Scotland, and were
among the earliest Scotch settlers in Antigonish county. He was educated
in St. François Xavier College. Admitted to the bar in 1872. Represented
Antigonish county in the Canadian House of Commons from 1874 till
September, 1885, when he was appointed judge of the County Court for
Judicial District No. 6, of the said province. Was married in November,
1882, to Mary, daughter of the late Patrick Power, of Halifax, N.S.
* * * * *
=Grant, Rev. George Monro=, D.D., Principal of Queen’s University,
Kingston, Ontario.—In an age too prone to rank mere material good above
the higher well-being of man, it is well for Canada that she can claim
in Principal Grant a representative Canadian—representative at least of
her higher, purer, and more generous life. The principal of Queen’s
University is emphatically what the late editor of the “Century”
magazine once styled him, “a strong man,” having that union of diverse
qualities that constitutes strength. He comes of the fine old Celtic
stock which, when its intensity and enthusiasm are blended with an
infusion of Anglo-Saxon breadth, energy, and common sense, has produced
not a few of the leaders of men. He is a native of the county of Pictou,
Nova Scotia, somewhat remarkable for the number of eminent men it has
already produced. His patriotic and passionate love for his country in
all her magnificent proportions is one of his leading traits, and has
much the same influence on his mind which the love of Scotland had on
that of Burns, when, in his generous youth, he desired, for her dear
sake, to “sing a sang at least,” if he could do no more. Principal Grant
was born on the 22nd December, 1835, at Stellarton (Albion Mines), a
village on the East River, Pictou county, and his early days were passed
in a quiet country home, amid the influences of nature, to which he is
strongly susceptible. His father, who was a Scotchman by birth, taught
the village school. He was led by circumstances, and doubtless by that
“divinity that shapes our ends,” to study for the ministry, and won
honorable distinction in his preliminary course in the Academy at
Pictou, where the family had removed. His studies were pursued chiefly
at Glasgow University, where he came under the strong personal influence
and inspiration of the high-souled and large-hearted Norman McLeod, whom
in some of his characteristics he strongly resembles. While a student in
Glasgow he became a laborer in the mission work carried on amid the
degraded inhabitants of its closes and wynds, gaining there an insight
into life and character which has been most valuable to him in fitting
him for his later work among men. He did not remain long in Scotland,
however, for though the beauty and culture of the land of his fathers
had many attractions for him, he felt that to Canada his heart and his
duty called him. He ministered for a time to the quiet country charge of
Georgetown, in Prince Edward Island, from which he was soon called to
the pastorate of St. Matthew’s Church, Halifax, one of the oldest
congregations in the Dominion. His gifts as a pulpit orator were soon
recognised. The force, directness, and reality of his preaching strongly
attracted to him thoughtful young men, who found in him one who could
understand their own difficulties, and who never gave them a “stone” for
the “bread” they craved. His charge grew and prospered, and a new church
was built during his pastorate. His ministerial relations were so happy
that it was a real pain when a voice that he could not resist called him
to another sphere. When his friend and parishioner, Sandford Fleming,
civil engineer, was about to start on a surveying expedition for the
proposed Canadian Pacific Railway, Dr. Grant accompanied the party for a
much-needed holiday. The novel experiences of the long canoe journey,
through what was then a “great lone land” with unknown capabilities,
strongly impressed his own imagination, and were communicated to
thousands of readers through the hastily-written but graphic pages of
“From Ocean to Ocean.” This glimpse of the extent and grandeur of the
national heritage of Canadians—the fit home of a great people—made him
still more emphatically a Canadian, and gave him a still stronger
impulse and more earnest aim to use all the powers he possessed to aid
in moulding the still plastic life of a young nation born to such
privileges and responsibilities. The popularity attained by the
publication of this volume (published by Hunter, Rose & Co., Toronto)
called attention to Principal Grant as a writer, and though his time and
strength have been too much taxed in other fields to leave him leisure
for much literary labor, his vivid and forceful style has made him a
welcome contributor to Canadian and American periodical literature, as
well as to “Good Words” and the “Contemporary Review.” Several articles
of his in the “Century” magazine have given American readers some idea
of the extent and grandeur of the Canadian Pacific. His happy
associations with the inception of this enterprise, and repeated visits
during its progress, have given him an almost romantic interest in an
achievement worthy of the “brave days of old.” If in the judgment of
some he seems to exaggerate its utility, and to lose sight of serious
drawbacks and evils which have become connected with an enterprise too
heavy for the present resources of the country, the explanation is to be
found in the fascination which, to his patriotic heart, invests a work
that connects the extremities of our vast Canadian territory, and helps
to unite its far-scattered people. It need hardly be said that Principal
Grant heartily rejoiced over the confederation of the Canadian
provinces, or that he has always been a warm supporter of its integrity,
and a staunch opponent of every suggestion of dismemberment. He thinks
it not all a dream that this young sturdy “Canada of ours” should indeed
become the youngest Anglo-Saxon nation, working out for herself an
individual character and destiny of her own on the last of the
continents where such an experiment is practicable. It is his hope that
such a nation might grow up side by side with the neighboring Republic,
and in the closest fraternal relations with it, free to mould its life
into the form most useful and natural, and therefore most enduring, but
yet remaining a member of the great British commonwealth, bound to it by
firm though elastic bonds of political unity, as well as by unity of
tradition, thought, and literature. This hope and belief makes him a
warm supporter of Imperial federation—a scheme which he thinks full of
promise, both for Great Britain herself and for her scattered colonies,
as well as for the world at large, in which such a federation might be a
potent influence, leading possibly to a still greater Anglo-Saxon
federation. To such a consummation his wide and catholic sympathies
would give a hearty God-speed. But he believes intensely that, in order
to secure a noble destiny, there must be a noble and healthy political
life, and that for this there must be a high and healthy tone of public
opinion, a pure and lofty patriotism. And this he earnestly seeks to
promote so far as in him lies. The following stirring words recently
published in the _Mail_ are a good illustration of the spirit in which
he seeks to arouse Canadians to their responsibilities: “Duty demands
that we shall be true to our history. Duty also demands that we shall be
true to our home. All of us must be Canada-first men. O, for something
of the spirit that has animated the sons of Scotland for centuries, and
that breathes in the fervent prayer ‘God save Ireland,’ uttered by the
poorest peasant and the servant girl far away from green Erin! Think
what a home we have. Every province is fair to see. Its sons and
daughters are proud of the dear natal soil. Why, then, should not all
taken together inspire loyalty in souls least capable of patriotic
emotion? I have sat on blocks of coal in the Pictou mines, wandered
through glens of Cape Breton and around Cape North, and driven for a
hundred miles under apple blossoms in the Cornwallis and Annapolis
valleys. I have seen the glory of our Western mountains, and toiled
through passes where the great cedars and Douglas pines of the Pacific
slope hid sun and sky at noonday, and I say that, in the four thousand
miles that extend between, there is everything that man can desire, and
the promise of a mighty future. If we cannot make a country out of such
materials it is because we are not true to ourselves; and if we are not,
be sure our sins will find us out.” All narrow partisanship he hates,
and every kind of wire-pulling and corruption he most emphatically
denounces, whether the purchase be that of a vote, a constituency, or a
province. The evils inflicted on the country by the virulence of blind
party spirit he has again and again exposed, with a frankness that finds
no favor from the thorough-going partisans of either side. During the
elections of 1886-7 his voice and pen urged on all whom he could reach
the honest discharge of the most sacred trust of citizenship, the
paramount duty of maintaining political purity—of opposing, as an
insult to manhood itself, every approach to bribery, direct or indirect.
Nor were his eloquent appeals to conscience quite in vain. Some
elections at least were in some degree the purer because, leaving the
beaten track to which some preachers too often confine themselves, he
followed the example of the old Hebrew prophets in denouncing the moral
evils that threaten to sap the public conscience, and seeking at a
public crisis to uphold the “righteousness that exalteth a nation.” In
1877 Principal Grant was called from his pastorate at Halifax, to take
the responsible office of principal of Queen’s University, Kingston. It
was no sinecure that was offered him, and considerations of personal
happiness and comfort would have led him to decline the call. But the
university had urgent need of just such a man to preside over its
interests, and he could not refuse what he felt a call of duty. The
institution was passing through a financial crisis, and it was
imperatively necessary that it should be at once placed on a secure
basis, with a more satisfactory equipment. He threw himself into his new
work with characteristic energy, and his great talent for organization
and comprehensive plans soon made itself felt. It is mainly due to his
counsels and efforts that the university has been able to lengthen her
cords and strengthen her stakes, as in the last ten years she has done.
His eloquence stirred up the city of Kingston to provide a beautiful and
commodious building to replace her former cramped and inconvenient
habitation. But the gifts that he secured for her treasury were of less
account than the stimulus imparted to the college life by his
overflowing vitality and enthusiasm—a stimulus felt alike by professors
and students. The attendance of the latter largely increased, and the
high aims and ideals of the principal could not fail to have their
influence on all its grades, down to the youngest freshman. He has
always treated the students not as boys, but as gentlemen, seeking to
lead rather than to coerce, and under his sway there has been no need of
formal discipline. The application of female students for admission to
the university led him to grant their request without reluctance or
hesitation, from a conviction that public educational institutions
should be open to the needs of the community as a whole, and, in
supplying these, know no demarcations of sex. Without taking any special
part in the movement for the “Higher Education of Women,” he believes
that every individual who desires a thorough mental training should have
the opportunity of procuring it. He has a firm faith in the power of the
ineradicable laws of human nature to prevent any real confusion of
“spheres,” and believes that it is as beneficial to the race as to the
individual, that each should receive the fullest training and
development of which he or she is susceptible. On the subject of
University federation, Principal Grant has maintained a strongly
conservative attitude. He believes firmly in the wisdom of respecting
historic growth and continuity of organisation, and in the salutary
influence of honorable traditions on institutions as well as countries.
He deprecates extreme centralisation, as narrowing the scope of
education for the many, even though raising its standard for the few. He
thinks that for Canada, as for Scotland and the United States, several
distinct universities, each with its own individuality and _esprit de
corps_, will prove most useful in the end; and that the Queen’s
University, for the good work she has done and the high position she has
maintained, deserves to preserve her continuous historic life. Heartily
endorsed in this position by the trustees and graduates of the
university, he has set himself vigorously to the task of raising by
voluntary subscription such an endowment as shall give it an assured
position for the future, in the face of the growing needs of higher
education in Canada. Probably no other man would have dared such a task,
but that he will carry it to a successful completion few can doubt who
know the man and the magnetic power over men of his cheery and resolute
spirit. Principal Grant has since his appointment acted as professor of
divinity also. His prelections in the class-room, like his preaching,
are characterised by breadth of thought, catholicity of sympathy and
vividness of presentation. He has instituted a series of Sunday
afternoon services for the university, conducted sometimes by himself or
other professors, sometimes by eminent preachers from other places and
of different denominations. These are much appreciated, not only by the
professors and students, but also by a large class of the thoughtful
citizens of Kingston, to whom—though many admirable sermons are
preached there—none are more welcome than those of the principal
himself. As a preacher he is marked by simplicity, directness,
earnestness and force. For “fine writing” and rhetorical and finished
periods he has no admiration, and aims instead at the direct
conversational style for which he has the highest of all examples. He is
not afraid of plain speaking, and prefers direct appeals to heart and
conscience to theological disquisitions. Valuing only that vital
religion which is the root of right feeling and right action in daily
life, he has no respect for a “profession” of faith without its fruits.
As in the case of political sins, so he denounces social and individual
sins with the same fearless freedom, believing that this is one of the
preacher’s most solemn duties. He strives not for _effect_ but for
_effects_, and though he not infrequently rises to impassioned appeals,
he aims rather at producing permanent conviction than temporary
excitement. His moral influence on the community is somewhat analogous
to that of the late Rev. Henry Ward Beecher in the neighboring republic.
He is always on the side of the generous and unselfish policy as against
that of mere expediency, and he seeks to uphold the pursuit of a noble
idea as infinitely better than that of mere material success. Many,
especially of young Canadians, owe to him their perception of this
truth, and some measure of inspiration for his enforcement of it, and
from the example of a noble and unselfish life. But while ever ready to
promote with heart and hand any movement for the real good of humanity,
he believes in no artificial panacea for evil. He holds that as this is
radical, having its root in human selfishness, that power alone, which
can change the natures of individuals, can in the long run change the
condition of masses, and he believes that the only true light of a
darkened World streams from the Cross. “In this sign” all his efforts,
all his teachings find their inspiration. To him it is the most real of
all realities; and to make it such to others is the central aim and
impulse of his life. His faith in this, and in the duty of the Christian
church to fulfil her “marching orders,” have made him a warm advocate
for Christian missions, giving a catholic sympathy to all, of whatever
name, who are seeking to plant among the heathen abroad what he holds to
be the root of a true Christian civilization, or who are laboring by any
method to humanise and christianise the heathen at home. The narrowness
of conventionality in religion is as repulsive to him as that of creed
or ritual. He delights to own true brotherhood with all who “profess and
call themselves Christians,” and he looks and labors for the true spirit
of unity in the Christian church, which shall give it its true power in
the world. It is the inspiration of this faith and hope which has made
his life so fruitful in power and inspiration, and will make him live in
many hearts and lives when other men, as prominent now, shall be
forgotten.
* * * * *
=Gendreau, Jean Baptiste=, Notary Public, Coaticook, county of
Stanstead, province of Quebec, was born on 25th February, 1850, in that
part of the old parish of St. Hyacinthe now called Ste. Madeleine, in
the province of Quebec. His father, Jean Baptiste Gendreau, was first a
farmer and afterwards an hotel keeper in the parish of St. Pie, in Bagot
county. Jean Baptiste Gendreau, the subject of our sketch, first studied
at the College of St. Hyacinthe, and after completing his college
course, passed a few months in the Jesuits’ Novitiate, at
Sault-au-Récollet, near Montreal. He left the latter place for Coaticook
in the fall of 1873, where he served for a few months as a clerk in a
store, and then, in May, 1874, he decided to study the notarial
profession. This he did for four years, and was then admitted to the
profession of notary in May, 1878. He then settled in Coaticook, where
he still resides and does a good business. Though comparatively a young
man, he has taken a prominent part in all the public questions, and is
now one of the leading citizens of his district, especially amongst the
people of his own nationality. When Mr. Gendreau first settled in
Coaticook it was a village municipality, erected in January, 1864; now
it has grown to be an enterprising place, and there are several
manufactories and industries established in it. Mr. Gendreau has
successfully filled the following offices, namely: secretary-treasurer
of the Catholic School Board since 1875; municipal councillor since
1881; president of the old Coaticook Building Society at the time of its
liquidation in 1882; director of the Eastern Townships Colonization and
Credit Company of Lake Megantic since 1882; mayor of Coaticook, after
its erection into a town, in 1884 and 1885, and warden of the county of
Stanstead during the same years; and is now the revising officer of the
same county under the new Dominion Franchise Act. He was married to
Marie Rose Durocher, daughter of Gédéon Durocher, a notary public of the
parish of St. Aimé, in Richelieu county.
* * * * *
=McKnight, Robert=, Owen Sound, Registrar of the county of Grey, was
born at Kilkeel, in the county of Down, Ireland, on the 4th September,
1836. His parents were Robert McKnight and Eliza Gray. He received a
scanty education in the schools of his native village, and when only
nineteen years of age left his native land for Canada. He arrived in New
York in the latter end of June, 1858, and while there he engaged with
the captain of a whaling ship to go to the Arctic regions on a whaling
expedition, but in consequence of the ship not being ready to put to sea
at the time agreed upon, he broke off the engagement and started for
Canada. Arriving in Tossoronto, Simcoe county, he found employment in a
saw mill. Six months after the mill was placed in his charge, and the
entire business was conducted by him for the next three years. In 1860
he left the mill, and took charge of a school in the adjoining township
of Essa, where he remained for another three years. Leaving Essa, he
took up his abode in Tecumseth, where he taught for another three years,
and during this time secured the highest grade of a first-class teacher
from the County Board of Education. In 1864 he entered the Military
School at Toronto, and received a cadet’s commission. He raised a
company of volunteers at Markdale during the Fenian raid, and was chosen
captain, but the minister of militia having declined to increase the
strength of the 31st battalion, the company disbanded. Subsequently,
however, on his removal to Meaford, he accepted a lieutenant’s
commission in No. 2 company Grey battalion, and remained in the service
until he was appointed registrar of Grey, when he resigned. Bidding
good-bye to school teaching, he opened a general store in the village of
Markdale, Grey county, where he remained for two years and then sold
out. He next took up his abode in Cookstown, Simcoe county, and here
began business anew, adding drugs to his general business. Next year a
fire broke out in the village, and, among other buildings, swept away
Mr. McKnight’s store and dwelling. Nothing disheartened by this
calamity, although a great loser by the destruction of the contents of
both store and dwelling, he went to work and paid up every dollar of his
indebtedness. He then removed to the then rising village of Meaford, and
went into the drug and grocery business, and through close attention to
business he soon overcame his losses at Cookstown, and it was not long
before he became one of the leading citizens, taking an active part in
everything pertaining to the advancement of the village. As a politician
he was ever active, having first taken a part in the contest between the
late Hon. William McMaster and John W. Gamble, in the old home district,
for a seat in the Legislative Council of Canada. At this time Mr.
McKnight sided with Mr. McMaster and the Reformers, and has ever since
worked in the same ranks. In 1872 he was chosen by the Reformers to
contest East Grey against W. R. Fletcher, the Conservative candidate,
for a seat in the House of Commons, but he failed to secure his
election. Again, in 1874, he took the field against his old opponent,
but at the close of the poll it was found that Mr. Fletcher still held
the seat, although only by a majority of three hundred, on the previous
occasion he having carried his election by six hundred majority. In 1875
Mr. McKnight was once more chosen to carry the Liberal standard, and
this time in North Grey. His opponent was David Creighton, the sitting
member, and editor and proprietor of the Owen Sound _Times_, a gentleman
well known throughout the riding, while Mr. McKnight was practically an
outsider. The battle was a fierce one, but at the end of it Mr.
Creighton held his old seat in the Ontario legislature, only, however,
by a majority of fifty-nine. In 1874 Mr. McKnight was made a justice of
the peace, and the same year a commissioner _per dedimus potestatem_. He
was appointed registrar for the county of Grey in 1875, and to this
office he now devotes the principal part of his time. His removal from
the arena of politics has given the subject of our sketch some leisure
to practise his favorite pursuits—notably, floriculture and
horticulture—and his home in Owen Sound testifies to his skill and
taste in both. But fortunately for his neighbors he does not confine
himself to his own private pursuits. He is at present president of the
Mechanics’ Institute; a member of the Board of Education, and of the
Board of Health; and an active member of the Masonic fraternity. He is
well known as an enthusiastic apiarist. He is one of the leading spirits
of the Ontario Bee-keepers’ Association, having been present at the
convention held in Toronto, when it was first organized, and presided
over the deliberations of that meeting in the city hall for three
evenings. He was elected the secretary-treasurer of the newly-organized
association, and on him devolved the perfecting of the organization,
which he did thoroughly and well. For two years he held this position,
and during that time edited the bee department of the _Canadian Farmer_.
The following year he was elected president, and he has been on the
executive committee ever since. He was appointed one of the delegates to
represent Ontario’s display in the Colonial exhibition, held in London,
England, in 1886. The magnificent display of honey was due in a very
great measure to his efforts, as after a fair trial it was found that he
possessed the art of staging the goods to the best possible advantage,
and we think we may say, without fear of contradiction, that he has no
superior, if an equal, in this line. To him alone was left the entire
arrangement of the display, and the bee-keepers of Ontario feel very
grateful for his untiring efforts in watching and carefully keeping the
display up, changing it from day to day and from week to week, and
making it always look fresh, as if just placed in position. He not only
worked in the honey-building, but frequently spent hours after midnight
with the pen to maintain the honor and reputation of the bee-keepers of
his adopted country. He is an adherent of the Presbyterian church. In
1865 he was married to Miss McLean, daughter of Duncan McLean, of Elm
Grove, and has a family of three children.
* * * * *
=Torrance, Hon. Frederick William=, B.C.L., Judge of the Superior Court
of the Province of Quebec.—The late Judge Torrance was born in Montreal
on the 16th July, 1823, and died in the same city on the 2nd January,
1887. He was a son of John Torrance, in his lifetime one of the leading
merchants of Montreal. Judge Torrance received his primary education at
private schools at Montreal, at the Nicolet College, and at Edinburgh
under private tutors; and finally entered the University of Edinburgh,
where he took the degree of M.A. in 1844, ranking second in the order of
proficiency in classics and mathematics. He had previously, in 1839-40,
followed courses of lectures at Paris, France, at the Ecole de Médecine
and at the Collège de France. He studied law with the late Duncan
Fisher, Q.C., and the Hon. James Smith, subsequently attorney-general
for Lower Canada, and a judge of the Queen’s Bench. In 1848 he was
called to the bar of Lower Canada. In 1852 he formed a partnership with
Alexander Morris, who afterwards for a time filled the position of chief
justice of the Court of Queen’s Bench for Manitoba—the firm being known
as Torrance and Morris. In 1861, Hon. Mr. Morris having entered the
political arena, was elected to represent South Lanark in the
Legislative Assembly, and shortly afterwards removed to the province of
Ontario. He was succeeded in the firm by his brother, J. L. Morris. On
27th August, 1868, Mr. Torrance was appointed a puisne judge of the
Superior Court of Quebec, and from that time until his death earned for
himself the reputation of an eminent jurist, and an upright, careful and
painstaking judge. His decisions in business matters were always
considered of great value, on account of his extensive experience in
commercial law while practising at the bar. Judge Torrance was lecturer
and professor of Roman law in McGill University (of which he was
governor, and from which he obtained the degree of B.C.L. in 1856) from
1854 to 1870. In 1865, he was one of the commissioners appointed to
enquire into the St. Albans raid affair, and did good service. In
conjunction with Strachan Bethune, Q.C., J. L. Morris, and the late Mr.
La Franaie, he brought out the _Lower Canada Jurist_, to which he
contributed for many years. He was intimately connected with the Fraser
Institute, and with the Hon. J. J. C. Abbott devoted much of his time
towards establishing a free library in connection therewith. In religion
Judge Torrance was a staunch Presbyterian, and he took a deep interest
in all things relating to that church. He was president of the
Presbyterian Sabbath-school Association, and after being connected with
the Coté Street Church, Montreal, for many years, he became an elder of
Crescent Street Church, which position he held at the time of his death.
He contributed materially to the foundation of the Montreal Presbyterian
College, and always took a lively interest in its welfare. He was also a
life governor of the Montreal General Hospital. He subscribed largely to
the general fund of the Home and Foreign Missions of the Presbyterian
church. He took special interest in the missions to the Jews. He always
identified himself enthusiastically with Sabbath-school work. He was
known as a generous, kind-hearted and public-spirited citizen, and his
death was deeply regretted by a large number of personal friends and the
whole community, by whom he was held in great esteem. Some ten years ago
he married Mrs. Pugh, of Louisville, Ky. He left a widow, but had no
children. Judge Torrance was not reputed to be very wealthy, but during
his lifetime his donations to the institutions with which he was
connected were large and numerous.
* * * * *
=Thomson, Donald Cameron=, Lieutenant-Colonel, Lumber Merchant, Quebec,
one of the most esteemed and successful men of business in the ancient
capital, was born in 1823, at Kenlochiel House, near St. Andrew’s,
county of Argenteuil, province of Quebec. His father served as a
commissariat officer during the war of 1812; and his mother belonged to
the family of Lochiel. In 1860, when the _Trent_ outrage aroused the
loyalty of Canada’s sons, Mr. Thomson raised a company of volunteers,
and was attached to the battalion commanded by Lieut.-Col. De Salaberry,
and on the latter retiring from the service, Captain Thomson was
promoted to the lieutenant-colonelcy, and given command of the
battalion. He was out during the Fenian troubles, and subsequently
retired retaining his rank. For a number of years Colonel Thomson has
been actively engaged, and still continues, in the export trade of
timber to Britain, etc. He took a prominent part in the creation of the
Union Bank of Canada, at Quebec, as well as in the formation of several
commercial companies connected with river navigation. At present he is a
director of the Union Bank of Canada; vice-president of the Quebec
Steamship Company; president of the Saguenay & Lake St. John Railway
Company; director of the St. Lawrence Steamboat Company; and director of
the Quebec Ferry Company. A lover of sport Col. Thomson divides his
summer vacation between the secluded salmon pools of the Murray river,
leased to him, and his rustic cottage at Pointe-à-Pic, Murray Bay. Later
on one may meet him scouring for cariboo, with an Indian guide, the
snow-clad heights in rear of Baie St. Paul, known as Les Jardins. In
politics the colonel may be counted among the Liberal-Conservatives, and
in religion an adherent of the Presbyterian church. He is married to
Annie Atkinson, niece of the late Henry Atkinson, of Spencerwood.
* * * * *
=Oulton, Alfred E.=, Dorchester, Judge of Probate for the county of
Westmoreland, New Brunswick, was born in Westmoreland, on the 2nd March,
1845. His parents were Thomas E. Oulton and Elizabeth Carter, both
natives of Westmoreland county, whose ancestors came from Yorkshire,
England, and settled in Westmoreland in 1763. Mr. Oulton received his
education at the schools of his native place, and after attending in his
father’s store for a while, went to Sackville, New Brunswick, and spent
three years in Mount Allison Academy, taking a course of studies which
embraced the higher mathematics and the Latin language. He adopted law
as a profession, and pursued his studies in the office of A. L. Palmer,
now judge in equity of New Brunswick. He was admitted to practice as an
attorney in June, 1867, and as a barrister in June the following year.
He then went into a law partnership with Mr. Palmer for three years,
when Mr. Palmer removed to St. John and the partnership was dissolved.
Since then he has carried on business on his own account, and we may say
here that he has been a very successful lawyer. His practice extends
into all the courts in the province, and also into the Supreme courts of
the Dominion, and he does a great deal of office work, such as the
collecting of claims, conveyancing, and general notarial work. Mr.
Oulton was elected secretary of the municipal council of Dorchester,
N.B., on its organization on the 7th June, 1887, and still holds the
office. On the death of Governor Chandler, he was appointed judge of
probate, August 1, 1878, and is considered practical and painstaking in
the discharge of his official duties, and gives great satisfaction to
the public. He is a commissioner for the Admiralty Court of New
Brunswick. He joined the Masonic order in 1866, and was for three years
in succession master of the Blue lodge at Dorchester. He is also a Royal
Arch Mason, being a member of the chapter held at Moncton. In religion
he is a member of the Church of England; and in politics a Conservative.
He was married in June, 1883, to Kate Estabrook, daughter of the late G.
B. Estabrook, of Sackville, N.B., and they have a family of three
children, two boys and one girl.
* * * * *
=McIsaac, Colin F.=, Barrister, Antigonish, Nova Scotia, M.P.P. for
Antigonish, was born at South River, Antigonish county, in 1856. He is
of Scotch descent, his ancestors having come from Inverness-shire,
Scotland, many years ago, and settled in Antigonish county. His brother,
Angus McIsaac, now judge of the county court of Antigonish, sat in the
House of Commons at Ottawa from 1873 to 1885. Colin F. McIsaac was
educated at St. François Xavier College, in his native county. Having
adopted law as a profession, he devoted some years to study, and on 12th
January, 1880, was admitted to the bar of Nova Scotia, since which time
he has successfully practised his profession. In 1882 he was elected a
governor of St. François Xavier College, and has occupied this position
ever since. He entered political life in 1886, and at the general
election held that year was elected by a handsome majority to represent
Antigonish in the Nova Scotia legislature. In politics Mr. McIsaac is a
Liberal; and in religion is a member of the Roman Catholic church.
* * * * *
=Philp, Rev. John=, M.A., Pastor St. James Street Methodist Church,
Montreal, is a Canadian by birth, having been born in the town of
Cobourg, in the province of Ontario. His father, the Rev. William Philp,
a native of Cornwall, England, was for nearly forty years a minister of
the Wesleyan Methodist church in Canada. His mother was a person of rare
excellence of heart and life. Rev. Mr. Philp, the subject of our sketch,
was educated at Victoria University, Cobourg, and graduated in the arts
course in 1861, receiving the B.A. degree, and taking the Hodgins prize.
Three years later the same university conferred upon him the M.A.
degree. He entered the ministry of the Wesleyan Methodist church in
1860, when in the twentieth year of his age, and while yet at college.
In June, 1861, he received his first appointment. In June, 1865, he was
married to Miss Maggie Grafton, of Dundas, Ontario, and has a family of
four children, living, the eldest of whom will soon graduate in medicine
in McGill University, Montreal. His stations in order have been
Oakville, Dundas, St. Mary’s, Woodstock, Fairfield, Windsor, Paris, St.
Mary’s, Queen’s Avenue Church, London; Wesley Church, Hamilton; Carlton
Street Church, Toronto; St. James Street Church, Montreal, and few
ministers in the denomination can show more work done in the Master’s
vineyard during nearly twenty-eight years. Fairfield circuit, near
Brantford, was his first superintendency, and here extensive revivals of
religion took place. One of the finest country churches was erected on
what is known as Fairfield Plain. At Windsor during his term, the small
frame building in which the congregation had long worshipped was
superseded by a new and attractive brick church. At Paris, the present
beautiful sanctuary was built, and thus the interests of Methodism there
greatly furthered. At St. Mary’s, a remarkable temperance movement took
place, in which over two thousand signed the pledge. In this he took an
active part. During his term in London, the Queen’s Avenue Methodist
Church was modernised and beautified, at a cost of $14,000. And since he
took charge of the St. James Street Church, Montreal, the congregation,
by their spirit and liberality, have begun a signally important and
greatly needed work—the erection of a representative church in a more
central part of the city; which, when it is completed will be the most
imposing and commodious religious edifice of Methodism in Canada. Mr.
Philp has received many marks of esteem and confidence on the part of
his brethren in the church. He has been the secretary of the London
Conference; secretary of the Examining Board; delegate to the General
Conference; Conference examiner for the Theological College, Montreal;
preacher of one of the baccalaureate sermons for Victoria University,
&c. Though greatly devoted to his ministerial duties, he has found time
to go abroad a little, making a trip to Britain, and a tour through the
Continent, sailing up the Rhine, lingering amid the glories of Alpine
scenery, and viewing some of the principal cities of Europe. While in
England, nothing affected the reverend gentleman more than a visit to
the little Cornish town where his (now sainted) parents were born and
spent their early days. From that unpretentious centre (Lostwithiel and
its immediate vicinity) came eight young men who knew each other in
their boyhood, and who entered the ministry of the Methodist church in
Canada, doing blessed and effective service for Christ. Most of them
have since passed to their reward. Rev. Mr. Philp is a firm believer in
the great doctrines of truth as held by the Methodist church, not
because they are the creed of the church, but because they are the
vitalities of Christian life; preeminently, the divinity of the Son of
God, the vicarious character and sufficiency of the atonement, free and
full salvation alone through faith in Christ, regeneration, the witness
of the Spirit, the divine authority of the Holy Scriptures. But, while
strongly attached to the Methodist church, he would scorn all narrowness
of thought and view, all servile devotion to mere dogma, all sectarian
prejudice and caste, and would most fervently pray with the Apostle,
“Grace be with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity.”
He believes that the pulpit should be progressive in its spirit and aim;
abreast of the times in sanctified scholarship and power to teach,
wisely conservative in its doctrinal tendency (by which he means not too
eager to hail and foster new things), gospel in its character, never
descending to the level of the mere lecture platform, or wasting its
energy in mere speculative enquiry. Its one mission should be to preach
Christ with all tenderness, simplicity, earnestness and directness as
the sinner’s hope, the world’s saviour. The Montreal _Daily Star_, of
the 24th October, 1887, thus kindly speaks of the Rev. Mr. Philp:—“He
is a comparatively young man, although his ministerial work has been
much greater and more varied than falls to the lot of men of his years.
In the pulpit he presents the appearance of a man of great intellectual
power, and his delivery bears out the impression, as his discourses are
logical and keenly analytic. His elocution is easy, and increases in
animation as he approaches the conclusion and application of his
arguments. Mr. Philp is noted as a successful revivalist, and he has
held in many places large meetings, and by his earnest, self-denying
labors in every station in which he has labored caused large increases
in the membership of his church. While especially active in forwarding
the advance of the spiritual interests of his flock, Mr. Philp is not
forgetful of the fact that the handmaids of religion, architecture,
music, etc., have also their influence on the people. He has endeavored
to promote their cultivation in available forms, and his efforts in the
direction of improving the ecclesiastical structures over which he has
had control, and the erection of others, have been peculiarly
successful.”
* * * * *
=Paton, Hugh=, General Manager and Secretary of the Shedden Company,
Montreal, was born at Johnstone, Renfrewshire, Scotland, on the 5th
October, 1852. His parents were William Paton and Mary Shedden, of
Kilbirnie, Ayrshire, Scotland. Mr. Paton received his education in the
Grammar School of Paisley, Scotland. In 1871 he came out to Canada, to
reside with his uncle, the late John Shedden, railway contractor,
Toronto. He entered Mr. Shedden’s office in Toronto, and remained there
until that gentleman’s untimely death in 1873, he having been killed by
a train on the Toronto and Nipissing Railway, when celebrating the
opening of that line, which he had built. Mr. Paton then removed to
Montreal, where he has since resided, and became secretary-treasurer of
the Shedden Company, general forwarders and carriers, and cartage agents
for the Grand Trunk Railway, which succeeded to the business of the
deceased Mr. Shedden. This position he occupied until 1879, when he
became manager and secretary, and this office he still holds; and we say
here that Mr. Paton is now the principal proprietor of this company. He
was honorary secretary-treasurer of the Province of Quebec Turf Club for
four years; and honorary secretary-treasurer of the Montreal Tandem Club
for two years. From 1879 to 1886 he was honorary secretary-treasuror of
the Montreal Hunt; and this year (1887) he was elected master of the fox
hounds, and that position he now holds. He has always taken an interest
in racing and in agricultural pursuits, and is the owner of a farm near
the city of Montreal where he resides during the summer months, and
where he indulges in his favorite pursuits. He has owned several
“Queen’s platers” and “steeple-chasers.” Since Mr. Paton took charge of
the Shedden Company he has considerably extended its ramifications over
the Dominion of Canada and the Western States of America, carrying on
the business of contractors, forwarders, and carriers, owning about
eight hundred horses, and grain and general storage warehouses at
several points. In 1879 he made an extended tour over the continent of
America, visiting nearly all the western states, and among other places
of note Salt Lake City, the Yosemite valley, and San Francisco. Since
then he has twice travelled over the continent of Europe. Mr. Paton is a
Liberal-Conservative in politics; and in religion is an adherent of the
Presbyterian church. He was married in 1884 to Bella Robertson, daughter
of Andrew Robertson, formerly merchant, Montreal, and now chairman of
the Montreal Harbor Commission.
* * * * *
=De Wolfe, Charles Edgar=, Windsor, Barrister, Judge of Probate, and
Revising Barrister for the county of Hants, Nova Scotia, was born in the
town of Windsor, the shire town of the county of Hants, Nova Scotia, on
the 22nd of July, 1845. His parents were James Lovitt De Wolfe, and
Margaret A., daughter of the late Thomas Lovett, of Cornwallis, Kings
county, Nova Scotia. Their children were Charles Edgar, Sarah Frances,
widow of the Rev. H. P. Almon; Amelia Isabella; Benjamin Arthur, who
died 17th February, 1845; James Lovitt, a doctor, residing in England;
Benjamin Alfred, who died 17th August, 1851; Perez Morton, head of the
well-known book firm of De Wolfe, Fiske & Co., Archway Book Store, 365
Washington street, Boston; Annie, wife of W. I. Fenwick, broker,
Montreal, and Mary Agnes. J. L. De Wolfe was a lawyer, studied law in
the office of the late Judge L. M. Wilkins; and subsequently, and for
many years, Mr. De Wolfe was engaged in mercantile business in the town
of Windsor, in the widely-known firm of B. De Wolfe & Son, in which he
was junior partner. He died on 16th April, 1863, and his wife died on
23rd November, 1886. Benjamin De Wolfe, grandfather of C. E. De Wolfe,
was the senior partner in the before-mentioned firm. He was member for
Hants county in 1827-31. He married a Miss Lovitt, of the city of St.
John, New Brunswick. They had four children, James Lovitt, Benjamin,
lost at sea when acting as supercargo of a vessel; George, a medical
student, also dead; and Sarah L., who now resides in Windsor. Benjamin
De Wolfe, senior, died 9th December, 1863. Loran De Wolfe, the father of
Benjamin, was born at Say Brook, Connecticut, 7th April, 1754. He
resided in Windsor, or about three miles from it, the greater portion of
his life. He married Mary Fox, of Cornwallis, Kings county. They had
five children, viz., Benjamin, Phœbe M., George, Hannah, and Isaac. In
1791 Loran De Wolfe was assessor for the town of Windsor. The “Baptist
Missionary Magazine” for April, 1835, in an obituary notice of him
remarks: “As an instance of the public confidence in this worthy man, we
may remark that he was elected in 1812 by acclamation, to represent the
township of Windsor in the General Assembly. He retained his seat until
ill health obliged him to retire from public life.” Nathan De Wolfe,
father of Loran, and great-great-grandfather of C. E. De Wolfe, was born
in Say Brook, Connecticut, in 1720, graduated A.M. in 1743, at Yale
College, New Haven, and was engaged in the practice of law. He had
previously “owned the covenant,” or joined the Congregational church,
7th June, 1741. He married, first, about 1748, Lydia Kirtland, daughter
of John Kirtland. His second wife was Lydia Beldon, born at Say Brook,
October 28th, 1721. Their children were Lucilla; Edward, born 1752;
Loran, born 7th April, 1754; Elisha, born 5th May, 1756, and Nathan.
Nathan, senr., came to Horton, Kings county, Nova Scotia, in 1760. He
was a successful farmer. The Nova Scotian census returns of 1770 give a
detailed account of his farm produce and stock. His residence was on the
east side of the main post road, opposite to the present Baptist church,
in Wolfville (1887). His legal practice did not interfere with his
agricultural pursuits. He was for many years senior justice of the peace
for Kings county. He was also registrar of probate, and took an active
part in public affairs. He died at Horton on the 21st of March, 1789,
aged sixty-nine years. Charles Edgar De Wolfe, the subject of our
sketch, after receiving the usual course of education, entered upon the
study of law in the office of the solicitor of the city of Portland,
Maine, U.S., and continued his studies in the office of S. L. Morse,
Q.C., Bridgetown, Annapolis county, Nova Scotia, and completed them in
the office of the Hon. James Macdonald, Halifax, the present chief
justice of Nova Scotia. He was admitted to the bar on the 19th of July,
1870. In 1880 he was appointed judge of probate for Hants county; and in
1886 was made revising barrister for the same county, under the
Electoral Franchise Act, and both offices he still continues to hold.
Previous to his becoming a law student, Mr. De Wolfe owned and edited a
weekly newspaper in Bridgetown, and for five years he was proprietor and
editor of the Windsor _Mail_, published at Windsor, N.S. He has taken a
deep interest in the temperance movement, and on various occasions, and
in different places in his native province, delivered strong addresses
on its behalf. In politics he is a Liberal-Conservative, and has been an
active party man in his county. On the 12th of October, 1887, he was
married to Cassie H., daughter of Samuel Grey, of New Annan, Colchester
county, N.S. Mrs. De Wolfe was, before her marriage, a captain in the
Salvation Army, and a very zealous worker for God and humanity in the
provinces of Nova Scotia and Newfoundland, but through ill health, had
to retire from active service in the army. Mrs. De Wolfe has a sister in
India, working there as a missionary, under the direction of the Baptist
Board of Foreign Missions, of Nova Scotia.
* * * * *
=Killam, Amasa Emerson=, Moncton, Manager of the St. Martin’s and Upham
Railway, M.P.P. for Westmoreland county, New Brunswick, was born on the
25th of August, 1834. His parents were born in New Brunswick, his father
on the 26th of March, 1811, and his mother on the 10th of May, 1812. His
paternal grandfather was an officer in the British army, and served
during the American war of independence, and on the declaration of peace
came to New Brunswick and settled at Sackville. His grandparents, on the
mother’s side, were U. E. loyalists, and also became settlers in the
Maritime provinces. Mr. Killam received his education at the common
schools of his native place. He held the position of postmaster for a
number of years, and is now manager of the St. Martin’s and Upham
Railway, and in 1884 purchased the Elgin, Petitcodiac and Havelock
railway, from Petitcodiac to Elgin, and in 1885 built the extension of
the road to Havelock, and became managing director, and in 1886 took an
interest in building the Central Railway, from Norton to Fredericton,
and is managing director of the company: also managing director of the
Buctouche and Moncton railway. He first entered the House of Assembly
after the general election held in 1878, as representative of
Westmoreland county. At the following general election he failed to be
returned; but in September, 1883, on the resignation of P. A. Landry,
who was elected to the House of Commons at Ottawa, Mr. Killam was chosen
to fill the vacancy. At the general election held in 1886 he again came
before his constituents, and was once more chosen their representative
in the local house. In politics he is a Liberal-Conservative. On the
25th July, 1857, he was married, at Sackville, to Millicent Wheaton, and
the fruit of the union has been seventeen children.
* * * * *
=Young, Sir William=, LL.D., ex-Chief Justice of Nova Scotia,
Halifax.—The late Sir William Young, who was a Scotchman by birth, was
born at Falkirk, in 1799, and died at Halifax, on the 8th of May, 1887.
He was a son of John Young, of Falkirk, Stirlingshire, Scotland, who,
many years ago, emigrated to Nova Scotia, making Halifax his home. His
son William received his education at the University of Glasgow, where
he took honors. He then took up law as a profession, was admitted to the
bar of Nova Scotia in 1826, and appointed Queen’s counsel in 1843. In
commencing his career as a lawyer, he had some advantages over most
young men, in his family connections, which were quite numerous. But he,
wisely, did not too largely depend on this for success; he was
well-read, clear-headed, energetic, and bound to get on through his own
inherent powers and perseverance. When he had established his reputation
at the bar, and became comparatively independent in circumstances, he
entered the Legislative Assembly of Nova Scotia, having been returned in
1833 to represent the island of Cape Breton when it formed an electoral
district. Subsequently, when the island was divided, he represented
Inverness, extending over a period of twenty-two years—from 1837 to
1859. In the latter year he successfully contested the county of
Cumberland against Dr. (now Sir Charles) Tupper. Sir William being at
that time leader of the Liberals, or opposition, and Dr. Tupper that of
the Conservatives, or government party. Cumberland returned both these
gentlemen to the Legislature, there being three members, Sir William,
however, taking the lead. Shortly after getting into parliament Sir
William showed his boldness of spirit and manly independence by entering
his protest against the unjust coal mining monopoly then in existence,
which had been granted by the Crown to the creditors of the late Duke of
York, a monopoly which he and his brother George were largely
instrumental in having removed at a later date. In 1838, during the
closing scenes of the Canadian rebellion of that time, he was appointed
as a delegate, with others, to meet Lord Durham, and discuss the
numerous grievances of which the French population complained. The
grievances of his own province he exposed in a letter of vigorous
remonstrance, which Lord Durham afterwards annexed to his celebrated
report. His associates on this memorable occasion were Mather B. Almon,
J. W. Johnson and Jas. B. Uniacke, and sad to say the last of these
delegates in the person of Sir William Young has now passed away. They
met Lord Durham in Quebec, and in the several interviews with his
lordship and his suite, and representatives from the several other
provinces, they laid the foundations of the confederacy which in July,
1867, was perfected. In 1839 Sir William Young and Herbert Huntington
were sent to Britain to impress upon the home government the removal of
grievances existing in Nova Scotia, such a delegation having been found
necessary, Lord Durham having thrown up his office, and returned to
England in disgust. These delegates showed a considerable amount of tact
and diplomatic skill, and their mission advanced the interests of the
people in many ways. Their report, which shortly after their return was
published, covered a wide field, and exhibited an active correspondence
with the several departments of the Imperial government, from which
valuable concessions were obtained. During the long period Sir William
served in parliament he was a prominent figure in that body, acting
either as chairman or leading member on almost every important
committee. He became a member of the Executive Council in 1842. In 1843
he was elected speaker of the Legislative Assembly, and occupied this
office for eleven consecutive years. In 1854 he became leader of the
government as well as attorney-general; and leader of the opposition in
1857, a change of government having taken place. In 1859 he was chosen
president of the Executive Council. For all this period, even when in
the speaker’s chair, the impress of his strong mind was visible in
almost every important measure, as the journals of the house amply
testify, from the time he first attacked the coal mine monopoly of the
creditors of the Duke of York, to the time of his retirement from the
arena of politics. In 1851 he was associated with Messrs. Ritchie and
McCully, both of whom afterwards were, like himself, made judges, in
revising the statutes of Nova Scotia; and on the floor of the house he
was the recognized spokesman of the agriculturists of the province, “a
legacy,” which he often jokingly remarked, “had possibly descended to
him from his father, the famous ‘Agricola,’” a then popular writer on
agriculture both as a science and as an art. In 1860 he retired from
political life, and was appointed chief justice of Nova Scotia, and this
office he resigned in 1881 on account of age. When appointed to the
chief justiceship he brought to the discharge of his high duties a clear
intellect, a sound understanding of law, and a well-trained judicial
mind, and during the time he sat on the bench he attended to its duties
faithfully. His quick apprehension of points of both law and practice,
his searching insight into all matters of a difficult or abstract
character, made him distinguished as a judge and respected by the bar.
In 1876 Sir William started on a six months’ tour in Europe, and, just
before he left, the bar of Nova Scotia, and the mayor and corporation of
Halifax presented him with addresses, which bore feeling testimony to
his eminent services in the legislative halls, on the bench, and as a
citizen in all the various spheres of life. To these addresses he made
an off-hand and very happy response, showing the cordiality of his
disposition and warmth of heart, as well as his readiness and ability as
a speaker. In 1868 he received the honor of knighthood from her Majesty
Queen Victoria; and in 1881 the degree of LL.D. was conferred on him by
Dalhousie College. Sir William Young was married, in 1830, to Anne,
daughter of the late Hon. Michael Tobin, M.L.C. She died at Halifax on
the 12th January, 1883, at the age of seventy-nine years. Few ladies in
Halifax were more generally known or more sincerely respected than Lady
Young. She was a lifelong contributor to all public charities of the
city, and in her more active years was prominently connected with every
benevolent undertaking. Sir William Young was possessed of considerable
means at the time of his death, and by his will he left his possessions
to various educational, charitable, and other institutes in the city in
which he had lived and been so benevolent and public spirited a citizen
for the greater part of a century.
* * * * *
=Cannon, Lawrence Ambrose=, Quebec, Advocate, and Clerk of the
Corporation of Quebec city, was born at Quebec on the 20th March, 1814.
His father, John Cannon, architect, was of Irish parentage, and his
mother, Angèle Griault dite Larivière, was of French descent. Mr.
Cannon, senr., was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada
from 1824 to 1830, and represented the county of Hampshire, then
comprising the present counties of Portneuf and Champlain. He was an
Independent in politics, and though not unfriendly to the powers that
then ruled, was much attached to the principles of the French Canadian
party in the Assembly. He was a strenuous supporter of the Autonomists,
who, at the time of the first proposed union of Lower and Upper Canada,
exerted themselves so strongly that they succeeded in defeating the
measure. Mr. Cannon was also above all an Irishman, and although living
in Canada, he deeply sympathized with every movement calculated to
advance the prosperity of the land of his birth. He, too, helped his
fellow-countrymen in the land of his adoption, and contributed largely
by his exertions and means to have erected in Quebec St. Patrick’s
Church, which stands to-day as a monument to the religious ardor and
generosity of the Irish race in the ancient capital. He was twice
married; first to Angèle Griault dite Larivière; and the second time, in
1826, to widow Rosslewin, _née_ Archange Baby. Lawrence Ambrose Cannon,
the subject of our sketch, was educated first in private English
schools, and afterwards in the Quebec Seminary, where he prosecuted and
terminated his classical course of studies in 1833. He entered as a law
student the office of Hon. C. R. Ogden, then attorney-general of Lower
Canada; and in 1836, that of Stuart and Black. When he had completed his
legal studies in 1838, he was called to the bar, and continued to
practise his profession until May, 1864. On the resignation of F. X.
Garneau, the Canadian historian, the city clerk of Quebec, through
ill-health, Mr. Cannon was elected to fill this important position, and
he has done it faithfully ever since. Some time after his appointment,
the charter of the city was materially amended, thus considerably
increasing his duties. Among other important changes, he was charged
with the preparing of the lists of the parliamentary electors, and also
of the persons qualified to be called upon to act as grand and petit
jurors. And by the Act 33 Vict., chap. 46, the sole management of the
municipal elections was conferred upon him. He married in 1845, Mary
Jane Cary, daughter of the late Thomas Cary, then proprietor and
publisher of the Quebec _Mercury_, and of Marie Anne Dorion. He has
three surviving children; one son, Lawrence John Cannon, a practising
barrister in Arthabaskaville, and two daughters.
* * * * *
=Torrance, David=, Montreal.—Mr. Torrance, during his lifetime one of
Montreal’s most successful and distinguished merchants, was of Scotch
parentage. He was born in New York in 1805, and died in Montreal Jan.
29th, 1876. When yet a boy he came to Kingston, Upper Canada (now
Ontario), with his father, James Torrance, who was then extensively
engaged in business in that town. In 1821 he removed to Montreal, and
became a clerk with his uncle, the late John Torrance, who kept a place
of business at the corner of St. Paul and St. Nicholas streets. By his
close attention to his duties, and aptitude to the work, he rapidly rose
in his employer’s estimation, which ended in his being taken into
partnership in 1833. During his clerkship the late Rev. Dr. Wilkes, and
the late Hon. John Young were engaged in the same establishment. With
the view of extending the business of the concern, in 1835 Mr. Torrance
entered into partnership with Mr. Young, of Quebec, under the firm name
of Torrance & Young; and on the retirement of the late John Torrance,
the senior member, the firm’s name was changed to that of D. Torrance &
Co., which continued to the date of his demise, his partners being for
many years Thomas Cramp, and his son John Torrance. In 1826 the old firm
purchased a tug and passenger boat, the _Hercules_, from John Handyside
& Co., and placed it under the command of Captain Brush, who afterwards
became the proprietor of the Eagle Foundry, Montreal. This was the first
step towards the establishment of an opposition line to the Molsons’
steamboats, then plying on the St. Lawrence, and its stock was
eventually merged in that of the Richelieu Steamboat Company (now the
Richelieu and Ontario Navigation Company). Mr. Torrance was early alive
to the great future in store for Montreal, and was the first to launch
out into direct trade with the East Indies and China, and for over
thirty years the name of his firm has been well known in the great
eastern centres of commerce. As a business man he was remarkable for
great force of character and determination. This, combined with
unflinching industry and regular habits, made the immense business of
the firm move ahead with precision. An old friend of his once said of
him, “He was a model man in regard to his business and social habits,
and in the days of his prosperity was as regular in his attendance at
the counting house as when he first started in business. His ambition
was great, but tempered with prudence, and though he engaged in
commercial ventures in other cities than Montreal, yet was uniformly
successful.” Besides his promotion of commerce and navigation, he
likewise proved himself a stay to our banking system, and after holding
office for a long time as one of the directors of the Bank of Montreal,
he was in 1873 elected president, which responsible position he held at
the time of his death. His firm was also one of the originators of the
Dominion Steamship Company. While largely engaged in ocean commerce, his
capital and resources were also devoted to the carrying on of our inland
forwarding trade. He was a diligent merchant, and did not meddle much in
public affairs, though he was a consistent Liberal in politics
throughout. To all benevolent and charitable schemes he was a frequent
and liberal giver. He was always ready to aid the distressed and bring
joy to those in want, and the main feature in this regard was the
unostentatious way in which he helped those in need. He was a member of
the St. James Street Methodist Church, and at the time of his death was
one of its trustees. He was, in fact, the thorough type of a merchant
prince, a representative of a class which, unfortunately, is far too
small in these latter days. He was married to his cousin, the eldest
daughter of the late John Torrance. He was in feeble health for some
years previous to his death, and had only a few months before to forego
active business, and when death at last came he passed away quietly,
surrounded by his sorrowing family.
* * * * *
=Skinner, Hon. Charles N.=, Q.C., St. John, ex-Judge of Probate for the
county of St. John, New Brunswick, was born in St. John on the 12th
March, 1833. His father, Samuel Skinner, was a contractor and builder,
and was a native of Nova Scotia. His mother, Phœbe Sherwood, was a
daughter of Robert Golding, whose grandfather, Captain Golding,
commanded a company of loyal dragoons during the American revolutionary
war. Both the Skinner and Golding families were loyalists and emigrated
from the New England states—Mr. Skinner, the grandfather of the subject
of our sketch, a short time before the outbreak of the revolution, and
Mr. Golding after the war—and settled in the Maritime provinces.
Charles N. Skinner received his education in the common and grammar
schools of St. John. He studied law under Charles W. Stockton, of that
city; was admitted to practice in 1858, and called to the bar in 1860.
Since then he has successfully practised his profession in his native
city. He is a well-read lawyer, a fluent, clear, and logical speaker,
and seldom fails to present his case in the best possible light before a
jury. His mind, too, is of a judicial cast; he is candid, honest, and
impartial, and is admirably fitted by nature for the position he holds.
When only about twenty-eight years of age he entered the field of
politics, and was elected to represent St. John in the Legislative
Assembly of New Brunswick in 1861. After being in the house three years,
the party with whom he was allied was defeated on the question of
confederation. In 1866 he again appealed to his constituents, and was
elected. During August of next year he was appointed solicitor-general
in the A. R. Wetmore administration, and this office he held until
March, 1868, when he retired from political life, having been made a
judge of probate. He was also created a Queen’s counsel that year by the
Provincial government, and by the Dominion government in 1873. He was
elected to the Dominion parliament to represent the city and county of
St. John at the general election in 1887, having previously resigned the
office of Judge of Probate. He still practises at the bar of St. John,
and stands high among his _confrères_. For some years he was a member of
St. John city council, and took an active interest in all matters
brought forward for the benefit of the citizens. He is a member of the
brotherhood of Oddfellows. He belongs to the Baptist denomination, and
is considered a man of unblemished character and liberal impulses. On
the 12th January, 1865, he was married to Eliza Jane, daughter of Daniel
J. McLaughlan (then president of the Commercial Bank of N.B.), of St.
John, and the fruit of this union has been a family of eight children.
* * * * *
=Fenwick, George Edgeworth=, M.D., C.M., Montreal, was born in the city
of Quebec, on the 8th October, 1825. His father, Joseph Fenwick, in
early life entered the East India Company’s service, and subsequently,
in command of his own ship, traded between London and the port of
Montreal. He was from Morpeth, Northumberland, England. His mother,
Margaret Elizabeth Greig, was a native of Quebec, of Scotch descent. His
grandfather belonged to the landed gentry of Northumberland. Dr. Fenwick
received his education under the Rev. Mr. Ramsay, a clergyman of the
Church of England; and in June, 1841, began the study of medicine and
surgery in the Marine and Emigrant Hospital in his native city. His
brother, Dr. A. G. Fenwick, was at that time house-surgeon to that
institution, and he acted under him as house apothecary. He remained in
this position until November, 1842, when he entered the medical
department of McGill College, in Montreal. He successfully passed his
examination in May, 1846, but not being of age did not receive his
diploma until January, 1847, when a special convention of the University
was called for the purpose of conferring upon him the degree of doctor
in medicine and master in surgery. In May following, Dr. Fenwick was
appointed house-surgeon and apothecary to the Montreal General Hospital,
which office he filled until December, 1848, when he commenced general
practice in Montreal. In 1849 he aided, in conjunction with Dr. Howard,
the late Dr. G. D. Gibb (afterwards Sir G. D. Gibb, baronet, M.D., of
London, England), and the late Drs. Pelletier, Boyer and Jones, in
establishing the Montreal Dispensary, and was one of the attending staff
of that institution until November, 1864, when, on the death of Dr.
Thomas Walter Jones, he received the appointment of attending surgeon of
the Montreal General Hospital. In 1867 he was appointed professor of
clinical surgery in McGill University, and held this position until
1876, when, on the resignation of the late Dr. George W. Campbell, he
was appointed professor of surgery, which chair he has filled to this
time. As a teacher Dr. Fenwick has had long experience in the teaching
of surgery. For many years professor of clinical surgery, his lectures
were all delivered in the General Hospital, and every student who had
the privilege of visiting the wards during his term of service, knows
well the keen interest he took in everything concerning the cases in
hand. Careful and painstaking himself, he firmly exacted from his
assistants, house officers and dressers, a like degree of attention and
carefulness in little things. After his promotion to the chair of
surgery his lectures were of a more didactic nature, but to them he
brought the same spirit of earnest devotion to the cause of science, the
same grasp of subject leading to the formation of opinions strongly
held, the same care for the important minutiæ, and the same genial and
impressive manner which characterized his early teachings in the wards.
In 1864 Dr. Fenwick, with his colleague, Dr. F. W. Campbell, established
the _Canada Medical Journal_, which he continued to edit until 1879,
when he relinquished the editorial chair. As a medical writer he is
probably as well known as any in Canada. His articles upon surgical
subjects are all terse and logical, and carry the impress of a vigorous
and thoughtful mind. His most important papers are those upon lithotomy,
of which operation he has probably had a larger experience than any
other living surgeon in the Dominion. On excision of bronchocele, his
bold operations have commanded the most wide-spread attention, and on
excision of the knee-joint and other major operations he has been
remarkably successful. He holds the degree of M.D., C.M. from his first
university, and has never sought medical honors from any institution
abroad; nevertheless, he has been considered worthy of them. He has been
elected honorary member of the New Brunswick Medical Society; of the
Medical Society of Nova Scotia, and of the Gynæcological Society of
Boston. For many years Dr. Fenwick represented the profession of
Montreal as one of the governors of the College of Physicians and
Surgeons of Quebec province. He has served as president of the
Medico-Chirurgical Society of Montreal; and was, at the meeting of the
Canada Medical Association, held at Ottawa in 1880, elected vice
president of that body for Quebec province, and in 1882 was elected
president of the association. Dr. Fenwick is an adherent of the
Episcopal church; and in politics a Conservative. In 1852 he was married
to Eliza Charlotte, daughter of the late Colonel de Hertel, of St.
Andrews, Argenteuil. The fruit of this union has been seven children,
only three of whom survive.
* * * * *
=Adams, Rev. Thomas=, M.A., Cambridge, D.C.L., Lennoxville, was born at
Paramatta, New South Wales, on September 14, 1847. His father, the Rev.
Thomas Adams, was a member of a family in Cornwall, England, of which
the eldest brother is J. C. Adams, F.R.S., the celebrated discoverer of
the planet Neptune, who, on the retirement of Sir G. B. Airy, declined
the position of Astronomer Royal of Great Britain, and is still director
of the Cambridge University. Another brother (W. G. Adams, F.R.S.), is a
leading authority on electricity and natural philosophy, and occupies
the professorial chair in King’s College, London, once held by
Wheatstone, and afterwards by Clerk Maxwell. The father of Principal
Adams became a missionary in the Friendly Islands (South Pacific), and
it was in Australia, on the way to that mission, that Dr. Adams was
born. Thomas Adams, sen., is chiefly noted for having been the
translator of a great portion of the Bible into Tonguese, and for having
been the first who issued a complete edition of the Sacred Book in that
language. His mother was Maria French, of Taunton, Somerset. She
accompanied his father into the mission field, and gave her life to the
work. She died in Vavau in February, 1860. Professor Adams was educated
first at Taunton, Somerset, at a large proprietary school, under T.
Sibly, B.A.; next at University College, London, under the late
Professor de Morgan, in mathematics, and Professor J. R. Seeley, in
classics. In November, 1867, he joined the geological survey of England,
under Sir A. C. Ramsay, but resigned in April, 1869, owing to a severe
sprain. In October, 1869, he entered St. John’s College, Cambridge, and
in January, 1873, graduated as 19th wrangler in a first class of
thirty-seven. After acting temporarily as professor of mathematics in
the Royal Agricultural College, Cirencester, he was appointed
mathematical and science master in the Royal Grammar School, Lancaster,
and in August, 1874, he became senior mathematical master in the Royal
School of St. Peter’s, York. He was ordained deacon in 1874, and priest
in 1876, by the present archbishop of York. In 1881, on the occasion of
the jubilee meeting of the British Association in York, in conjunction
with Dr. T. Anderson, he became local secretary. In December, 1882, he
was elected, out of fifty-seven competitors, as the first head master of
the High School for boys, Gateshead-on-Tyne, and left there a school of
one hundred and fifty boys to accept the position he now holds of
principal of the University of Bishop’s College, and rector of the
College School, Lennoxville, province of Quebec. He has held this
position since August, 1885, and succeeded Dr. Lobley in both offices.
In July, 1878, he was married to Annie Stanley, youngest daughter of the
late T. Barnes, of London, England.
* * * * *
=Turnbull, Lieut.-Colonel James Ferdinand=, Commandant of the Royal
School of Cavalry, Quebec city, was born in London, England, on the 19th
July, 1835, and baptized at Westerham, in Kent, in the same font that
had done duty to the ever immortal General Wolfe. He is the eldest son
of the late James Turnbull, by his second marriage with Caroline
Oldaker, and came to Canada when only one year old with his parents, who
settled in Quebec. In 1841 he was sent to St. Andrew’s Church school,
under a worthy good master, William Bain, leaving next year to join the
school of that excellent teacher and missionary, the Rev. Mr. Handsell,
and from there went to the High School on its formation in 1845, where
he received his education until May, 1850, when he left school for good
and entered the office as junior clerk of the mercantile firm of P.
Langlois & Co., on St. Andrew’s wharf. In 1855, upon the formation of
the volunteer militia corps, he joined as a private, together with a
number of other young men of Quebec, the troop of cavalry that was
enrolled that autumn, and his love for horses and riding had an
opportunity to display itself. In 1860, at a general meeting of the
citizens of Quebec, called at the Merchants’ Exchange, by his Worship
the Mayor, Hector Langevin, to form a committee for the reception of
H.R.H. the Prince of Wales, Mr. Turnbull was unanimously called upon to
act as honorary secretary to the said committee, and performed his
arduous duties to the entire satisfaction of the whole community,
receiving a very complimentary vote of thanks. In 1861 he received a
commission as cornet in No. 2 troop Quebec Volunteer Cavalry, and upon
the disbanding of this troop in 1862, was promoted to be lieutenant in
No. 3 troop, which subsequently replaced No. 2, and the subject of this
sketch was gazetted captain on May 20th, 1864, and visited the American
cavalry and their remount depôts during their civil war. In 1865 he
proceeded to the Cavalry Depot, Canterbury, for a course of instruction,
at the suggestion of Colonel MacDougall, adjutant-general, who saw the
necessity of establishing a school of cavalry in Canada; and upon the
news of a probable Fenian raid, returned by way of New York in March,
1866, acting both there and on the frontier as intelligence officer to
the adjutant-general then in Montreal; subsequently coming on to Quebec
and assuming charge of the Quebec cavalry. In 1867 Captain Turnbull went
to France, at the suggestion of Sir George Cartier, to study the French
cavalry drill, and through the British ambassador in Paris, Lord Lyons,
received the necessary permission to visit the regiment at St. Germain,
“Les Dragons de l’Imperatrice.” In 1869 he received the brevet rank of
major. In 1872 he went with official letters from the Governor-General
to England for cavalry instruction, and was attached to the 7th Hussars
at Aldershot, returning again in time for the annual drill in camp at
Levis the next summer. In 1874 he received the brevet rank of
lieutenant-colonel. In 1875 he again proceeded to England for cavalry
instruction, and was put on the cavalry staff at Aldershot during the
autumn manœuvres, subsequently proceeding to Italy for the winter, and
while in Rome had the privilege of a private presentation to His
Holiness Pius IX., by Monsignor Stonor. Colonel Turnbull returned to
Canada for the drill season of 1876, but shortly afterwards started
again for an extended European tour, and while in Paris in the month of
April, 1878, received an offer from the War Office, in the probable
event of war with Russia, to raise a regiment of cavalry in Canada for
service in the East, and spent some weeks in communication with the War
office authorities and H.R.H. the Duke of Cambridge, to whom he was
presented by Sir Patrick MacDougall, as the best Canadian officer that
he knew of to undertake the task,—rendered, however, unnecessary by the
celebrated conference at Berlin, when “peace with honour” was concluded.
In 1879 Sir Patrick MacDougall cabled from Halifax that Lieut.-Colonel
Turnbull was ready to raise a regiment of cavalry for service in South
Africa if permission were granted him by the Canadian authorities, the
Whitehall “Review” of the 27th March, 1879, remarking upon the offer as
follows:—“The Government has found it necessary to decline the offer
made by Lieut.-Col. Turnbull to raise a regiment in Canada for service
at the Cape, but it has signified its appreciation of the very laudable
spirit in which the offer has been made. Colonel Turnbull was lately
residing temporarily in England, and made the acquaintance of many
officers of our army. He is spoken of as an officer of considerable
military ability, and this is not the first occasion on which he has
given convincing proof of his loyalty and anxiety to serve the interests
of the British Crown.” In 1883 the dominion government having in view
the establishment of a cavalry school of instruction, Colonel Turnbull,
together with three other commandants of infantry schools, was sent to
Aldershot, where he was attached for three months to the 15th Hussars,
and on the 21st December, 1883, his official appointment as commandant
of the cavalry school corps appeared in the “Gazette.” On the breaking
out of the Riel rebellion he was ordered with his corps to the
North-West and stationed by General Middleton in the Touchwood Hills,
where so much depended upon the several reserves of Indians in that
district being prevented from going on the war-path and joining the
rebels at Batoche. The tact and firmness displayed in dealing with these
bands, had a satisfactory result; and in common with the rest of the
expedition, he received the war medal. Besides his military proclivities
he has long been an active promoter of sport and general club life,
having been a member of the committee of the Turf Club, Hunt Club,
Curling Club, Racket Court, Tandem Club, Yacht Club, Rowing Club, Rifle
Association, of which he was president; Stadacona Club, and Garrison
Club, Quebec. He is also a member of more than one military club in
London, and the Royal Canadian Yacht Club, Toronto. Colonel Turnbull was
married in June, 1867, to Elizabeth, third daughter of James MacKenzie,
of Point Levis. His residence is “Clermont,” St. Louis road, Quebec.
* * * * *
=Pacaud, Ernest=, Advocate and Journalist, Quebec, was born at Three
Rivers, province of Quebec, on the 25th August, 1850. He is a son of the
late P. N. Pacaud, in his lifetime notary at Arthabaska. Mr. Pacaud was
educated at Nicolet’s College, from September, 1860, to September, 1867,
and was admitted to the bar 8th July, 1872. He practised at the
Arthabaska bar from 1872 to 14th June, 1878, when he was appointed by
the Provincial government, Hon. Mr. Joly at the time being premier, the
prothonotary of the Superior Court, clerk of the Crown, and clerk of the
Circuit Court at Three Rivers. He was, however, dismissed for political
reasons in March, 1880, by the Tory government, headed by the Hon. Mr.
Chapleau. He established the _Journal d’ Arthabaska_ in September, 1877,
in the interest of the Liberal party, and published it till June, 1878,
when he received the appointment of prothonotary at Three Rivers. He
took the editorship of _La Concorde_, published at Three Rivers, April,
1880, but on the 15th December, 1880, left the _Concorde_, when called
by the leaders of the Liberal party to take the editorship of
_L’Electeur_, a daily morning paper published in the city of Quebec, and
the chief Liberal organ in the province. He is now the proprietor and
chief editor of _L’Electeur_. He ran as a representative for the local
house in Drummond and Arthabaska in January, 1874, after Hon. Mr.
Laurier’s resignation in the Legislative Assembly, to run for the House
of Commons at Ottawa. He also was a candidate for the House of Commons
in Bellechasse, at the general elections of 1882, but was defeated by
Colonel Amyot, then the Tory candidate. He is Catholic in religion, and
a Liberal in politics. Mr. Pacaud accompanied, in 1881, the Hon. Messrs.
Blake, Laurier, and Huntingdon in their political tour in Nova Scotia,
as correspondent for the French Liberal press of the province of Quebec.
He was married on the 23rd August, 1876, to Marie Louise Camille
Turcotte, daughter of the late Hon. J. E. Turcotte, who was a speaker of
the House of Commons and member of the government under the union of the
two Canadas, and sister of the Hon. A. Turcotte, Speaker of the House of
Assembly of Quebec from 1878 to 1881, and now commissioner of crown
lands in the Mercier government.
* * * * *
=Doucet, Laman R.=, Bathurst, Sheriff of the County of Gloucester, New
Brunswick, was born at Bathurst on the 25th of August, 1847. His parents
were Romain D. Doucet and Marie DeGrâce. His father was of Acadian
descent; and his grandfather one of the first French settlers after the
expulsion of the Acadians from old Acadia in 1755. His mother was of
Spanish descent, her grandfather having come from Spain to America about
the year 1781, when only about seventeen years of age, with his uncle,
Admiral DeGrâce, who was in command of a French fleet, and who figured
conspicuously on the side of freedom at the siege of Yorktown, when the
last successful effort was made for American independence in 1781.
Sheriff Doucet was educated in the schools of his native parish, and
succeeded in securing a good French and English education. He is a man
of great energy of character, and through his own almost unaided
exertions he now stands high among his fellow countrymen. In April,
1881, he was appointed sheriff of his native county, being the second
gentleman of French origin who has attained to this position in the
province of New Brunswick. Since his appointment he has acted as
returning officer in all the local and federal elections in Gloucester
county. In religion he is an adherent of the Roman Catholic church. He
was married on the 19th July, 1876, to Margaret Dion, of Bathurst.
* * * * *
=Genest, Laurent Ubalde Archibalde=, Counsellor-at-Law, Three Rivers,
Province of Quebec, was born on the 4th March, 1828, at Gentilly, in the
same province. His ancestors came from France, where several villages
bearing their name remain to this day as old landmarks of several
branches of this ancient family. One of them, Louis Genest, captain of
militia, and a thriving agriculturist, settled at St. Jean, Isle
d’Orleans, near Quebec, where, on the 19th January, 1777, he married
Elizabeth Amireau, _alias_ Mireau, from l’Acadie, in Nova Scotia. From
Louis Genest and Elizabeth Amireau, or Mireau, was born on 18th April,
1779, Laurent Genest, father of the subject of this sketch. L. Genest,
the elder, received his education at Quebec, where, on the 24th March,
1808, he was, by Royal commission, appointed a notary public for Lower
Canada. Shortly afterwards he left Quebec, and settled in the parish of
Gentilly, in the county of Nicolet, where he acted as agent for the
seigniory of Gentilly, and on behalf of several large landowners in the
neighboring townships of Maddington, Blandford, Bulstrode, Stanfold and
Somerset. On 29th October, 1810, he married, at Gentilly, Marie Anne
Panneton, daughter of Jean-Baptiste Panneton, a captain of militia, and
a prosperous agriculturist. On 1st September, 1812, he was appointed
adjutant of militia in full pay, and raised a battalion, from the
Bécancour division, for the American war with Great Britain. He marched
off with that battalion for the seat of war; but the battle of
Chateauguay (26th October, 1813) having been won, his battalion was
recalled home. On the 17th February, 1815; 8th March, 1816; 13th
September, 1830; 11th October, 1834, and 2nd March, 1835, he was
appointed, by as many Royal commissions, a returning officer for the
election of members for the counties of Buckingham and Nicolet. On 13th
February, 1822, under the Earl of Dalhousie, he was appointed again
captain and adjutant of militia for the Bécancour division. On 27th
January, 1831, under Lord Aylmer, he was appointed again captain for the
second battalion in the militia of the county of Nicolet. On 13th April,
1839, he was appointed clerk of the Court of Requests at Gentilly, a
county court for the county of Nicolet which sat quarterly, doing
considerable business. On 7th June, 1842, he was appointed a justice of
the peace for the district of Three Rivers. On 22nd April, 1844, he was
appointed clerk of the Circuit Court of Gentilly, a circuit embracing
the whole county of Nicolet. On 6th October, 1845, he was appointed a
commissioner to administer official oaths in Lower Canada. He was
offered on several occasions, by the electors of the county of Nicolet,
the nomination as their representative in the House of Assembly, but
always declined. He was a man of sterling worth, much loved and
respected on account of his irreproachable integrity and his sociable
character. His friends were many and most distinguished, especially in
the city of Quebec, whence he came. He died much regretted at Gentilly,
on the 25th of September, 1846, in the sixty-seventh year of his age.
His son, L. U. A. Genest, the subject of this sketch, was born at
Gentilly on the 4th March, 1828. He is a brother of the late Charles B.
Genest, advocate, and an M.P.P. for Three Rivers in the House of
Assembly of Quebec. He was educated at Nicolet College, under the
rectorship of the Right Rev. J. B. A. Ferland, the learned and
distinguished Canadian historian (1840-1846). At the death of his
father, in 1846, he succeeded him as agent for the seigniory of
Gentilly, which office he held until June, 1851. This position induced
him to make a special study of the seignorial tenure and feudal system,
which he admired very much, as having been, as he considered, an
excellent mode to settle, with a select and prosperous population,
French Lower Canada, though afterwards he was compelled to acknowledge
that circumstances were changed, and that many abuses had taken hold of
this fine tenure of lands, which later justified its abolition. Indeed,
his opinion is that too much gratitude cannot be bestowed on the
memories of two very justly regretted Canadian statesmen, the Hon. L. T.
Drummond and Sir George Etienne Cartier (with whom he had the advantage
of being intimately acquainted) for the abolition and redemption of that
tenure, which had lived its full time. He holds that the present lord
and tenant system of Ireland, which, when established, like the Canadian
seignorial tenure, must have been beneficial to all parties concerned,
should also now be abolished by redemption, just after the same mode
which was followed for the abolition of the feudal tenure of Lower
Canada; and he affirms that the British statesman who would accomplish
this at the present time, whatever be his name, would be the greatest
benefactor of the British empire in our days, whilst he would render the
utmost service to every lord and tenant of Ireland, who would only be
the happier for the change, with remarkable gain to all, and an
incalculable saving of ill-feeling, trouble and millions of money to the
mother country. On 20th May, 1850, Mr. Genest was commissioned an ensign
of the 2nd battalion in the militia of Nicolet. In June, 1851 he left
Gentilly for Montreal, where he began his regular legal studies, under
Joseph Peltier, advocate, one of the Canadian braves of 1837, and his
then partner, Joseph Papin, one of the chieftains of the Liberal party
of that period. On 3rd May, 1853, he was admitted as an advocate and
barrister at the bar of Montreal, where he began to practice with
Toussaint Peltier and the Hon. Joseph Bourret. On 18th November, 1853,
he was commissioned lieutenant in the 9th battalion of the militia of
Montreal. In 1855 he was called to take part in the labors of the
Seigniorial Commissioners at Montreal, a task which his previous studies
and taste well fitted him to fulfil. He was also appointed to and filled
the office of clerk of the Seigniorial Court of Review, which sat at
Montreal and Quebec. On 8th March, 1856, he was appointed clerk of the
peace for Three Rivers, where he removed from Montreal, whilst
continuing for some time after to take part in the labors of the
Seigniorial Commission at Montreal and Quebec. On 18th September, 1857,
he was appointed a commissioner to administer official oaths in Lower
Canada. On 1st August, 1876, he was appointed a member of the commission
for the civil erection of parishes and the building of churches in the
diocese of Three Rivers, of which commission he is the president. He is
a member of the Institut National, and of the Historical Society of
Montreal, and of the Literary Society of Three Rivers. He is also a
member of the society for the re-wooding of the province of Quebec. As a
member of the Historical Society of Montreal, he has contributed
largely, with the regretted Sir L. H. LaFontaine, baronet, with whom he
was on very friendly terms, to numerous and important researches
concerning the ancient families who first settled Canada. He ranks among
the first as a criminal lawyer in Lower Canada, and his advice is also
highly prized in civil matters. His word is as good as gold, and he is
held in very high esteem, and enjoys the confidence of his fellow
citizens, on account of his unimpeachable integrity and frankness.
Though neutral in politics, he is, by inheritance and education, a
strong Conservative; nevertheless a friend of all, without regard to
party or creed. He is an enthusiastic admirer of the British
constitution, and will cling to the very last to his allegiance. In
religion he is a Roman Catholic, holding that religion is indispensable
in the governing and ruling of nations to secure their peace, prosperity
and happiness, and to insure the stability of kingdoms, empires and
republics, thereby justifying the family motto—“Nascor, vivere, vincere
et mori, pro Deo, reginâ, patriâ et civibus”; “Je nais, pour vivre,
vaincre et mourir, pour mon Dieu, ma reine, mon pays, mes concitoyens.”
On 21st January, 1856, he married, at Montreal, Emma MacCallum, daughter
of John MacCallum, of that city (formerly a Quebec merchant), by Flavie
Raymond, of Laprairie, a grand-daughter of James MacCallum, a Quebec
merchant, seignior of the seigniories of St. James and Thwaite, in the
district of Montreal, and also at one time a member for the city of
Quebec in the House of Assembly of Lower Canada. Mrs. Genest is a first
cousin, on her mother’s side, of the late Hon. Edouard Masson, M.L.C.,
and of his Excellency the Hon. L. F. R. Masson, member of the Queen’s
Privy Council for Canada, late lieutenant-governor of the province of
Quebec. Mr. Genest resides at 64 Royal street, Three Rivers, P.Q.
* * * * *
=Lugrin, Charles S.=, who was born at Fredericton, New Brunswick, in
1818, and died in the same city on the 27th April, 1877, was educated at
the Collegiate School of his native place. He was a son of George K.
Lugrin, for many years Queen’s printer for New Brunswick, and grandson
of Peter Lugrin, who served as master of hospital stores in the Royal
army during the American revolutionary war. The Lugrins are of Swiss
origin. Captain Peter Moses Lugrin lived at Romainmotier, Switzerland,
in the early part of the eighteenth century, and held important public
positions. He married Lady Beniné Marguerite Rochat, by whom he had
issue, Simeon, great grandfather of Charles S. Lugrin. Charles S.
followed his father’s business of printing, and after the latter’s death
took charge of the Queen’s printer’s establishment, under John Simpson,
the new incumbent of the office, with whom he was in partnership for
some time. After Mr. Simpson’s death, he began the publication of the
_Colonial Farmer_, which he conducted successfully for a number of
years. In 1868 he was appointed secretary of the Board of Agriculture,
and held the office until the abolition of the board in 1875, when he
accepted the office of secretary of the school trustees for Fredericton,
which he held until his death in 1877. He was paymaster in the militia
when a young man. In his lifetime he was an active member of the
Methodist church; a leading temperance advocate, and for a term occupied
the position of grand worthy patriarch of the Grand Division of the Sons
of Temperance of New Brunswick. As a writer he was sharp and incisive,
and in politics a Liberal. He was married to Martha L., daughter of John
and Mary Stevens. The latter was a granddaughter of Colonel Richard
Lawrence, of Staten Island, N.Y., who served on the loyalist side during
the American revolution.
* * * * *
=Chisholm, Peter J.=, President and Manager of the Nova Scotia Lecture
and Concert Bureau, Truro, Nova Scotia, was born at West River, Pictou
county, N.S., on the 1st August, 1848, and is the youngest of a family
of seven sons. Both parents were Scotch, and came to Nova Scotia in
1810. Being poor working people, they were only able to give their son a
common school education; and at the early age of thirteen he was
apprenticed to a general merchant. Here he remained until he was
sixteen, and then started business on his own account. He visited
Halifax and made his own purchases, and after a few years’ successful
operations, he began to import his merchandise direct from foreign
markets, and has continued to do so ever since. In 1866, he joined the
Orange association by becoming a member of Derry lodge, No. 25, Truro,
and is still a member of the same lodge. He occupied the position of
worshipful master three years, and at the present time is grand master
of the Grand Orange lodge of Nova Scotia. In 1873 he joined the
Independent Order of Good Templars, and was elected chief templar the
same year. In 1878 he was sent as a delegate to the Grand Lodge of Nova
Scotia, and was nominated for grand chief templar, but declined. In 1880
he was elected one of the delegates to the Right Worthy Grand Lodge
which met in New York city in 1880; also to Washington in 1884; Toronto
in 1885; Richmond in 1886; and to Saratoga in 1887; and at Washington
session was elected right worthy grand marshal. In 1880, he was elected
grand chief templar of his own Grand Lodge. He held the office for four
successive years; but on being elected the fifth time, he resigned, and
was unanimously elected grand secretary. This office he held for two
years, declining re-election at the last session of the Grand Lodge, on
account of business engagements. When he assumed the office of grand
chief templar in 1880, the Grand Lodge for Nova Scotia had less than
2,000 members, with a debt of over $400; but when he retired from the
office the membership was over 6,000, and a surplus of cash on hand.
During the four years he held the office of grand chief templar, he
travelled extensively through the province of Nova Scotia as a lecturer
and organizer, and was very successful. In 1886 he received an
appointment as deputy right worthy grand templar from his very intimate
friend, the late Hon. John B. Finch, R.W.G.T., and two weeks afterward
he received a commission to proceed at once to Newfoundland and look
after the interests of Good Templary there. His trip was a grand
success, and on the eve of leaving the island he was tendered a grand
reception and was presented with a very flattering address, signed by
the leading Good Templars of Newfoundland. For three years he held the
position of chairman of lecture work, and it was through his influence
that the following celebrated lecturers visited Nova Scotia, New
Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island, namely, Hon. John B. Finch, Colonel
J. J. Hickman, Lou. J. Beauchamp, Hon. John Sobieskie, Professor
Crozier, and others. In one year he reported over 300 lectures delivered
and 60 lodges organized; the greatest number of lodges ever organized in
one year in Nova Scotia. At the present time he holds no office in the
Grand Lodge, but he is ever in demand as a lecturer and organizer. At
the present time he is president and manager of the Nova Scotia lecture
and concert bureau. He is a member of the Independent Order of
Foresters. In politics, Mr. Chisholm has always been a strong Liberal;
and in religion, a Presbyterian. Mr. Chisholm has been in business for
twenty years in the town of Truro, and no one living in that beautiful
town takes such great delight as he does in pointing out its beauty and
advocating its advancement. During the last ten years great inducements
have been offered him to leave his beautiful town, but to all such
offers up to the present time he has given a refusal. In 1872 he married
Bessie A. Cock, of Brookside, Colchester county. Her great-grandfather,
Rev. Daniel Cock, was the first settled Presbyterian minister in the
province of Nova Scotia. This is the oldest Presbyterian church in the
Dominion. The Rev. William McCulloch, D.D., who retired from the
ministry about a year ago, was pastor of the above congregation
forty-eight years. Rev. John Robbins, late of Glencoe, Ontario, is now
pastor of this church. Mr. Chisholm has been blessed with a family of
two boys. Mrs. Chisholm is a very active church member; a worker in the
Women’s Christian Temperance Union, and other moral reforms.
* * * * *
=Guillet, Major George=, Merchant, Cobourg, Ontario, M.P. for West
Northumberland, Ontario, was born in Cobourg, on the 19th July, 1840.
His father, John Guillet, was born in St. Helier, Island of Jersey, and
after coming to America resided several years in St. John’s,
Newfoundland, where he acted as agent for a Jersey firm engaged in the
fisheries. His mother, Charlotte Payne, was the second daughter of John
Payne, and was born in Frome, Somersetshire, England. Mr. Guillet
received his elementary education at the public schools, and at a
private school of John Wilson, M.A., LL.D., and then entered Victoria
College, Cobourg. He enlisted at the time of the _Trent_ difficulty in
the Cobourg Rifle Company, was promoted to the ensigncy of that company,
and afterwards received a lieutenant’s commission in No. 2 company, 40th
battalion, becoming its captain in October, 1873. He is now
quartermaster of the 40th, with the rank of major. He sat in the
municipal council of Cobourg seven years, and was also for four years
mayor and commissioner of the town trust. His municipal career was
marked by the liberal encouragement given to the manufacturing interests
of the town; the obtaining of the passage of an act in the Ontario
legislature providing a property qualification for commissioners of the
town trust, and declaring the position shall be held without emolument,
save by the chairman and treasurer of the board. Several important
street improvements in the town also owe their origin to him. In
addition, he was active in promoting the educational interests of
Cobourg, particularly in getting erected the Faraday Science Hall, in
connection with Victoria University, and the Collegiate Institute. He
contested the West Riding of Northumberland in the provincial election
of 1879, but was defeated by 21 votes. On the resignation of the Hon.
James Cockburn, in 1881, Mr. Guillet was nominated for the vacant seat,
and was elected by a majority of 79 votes over the Reform candidate,
George Waters, M.D. He was re-elected at the general election of 1882,
but his election having been voided by the Supreme Court, he was again
nominated for re-election, and was returned, defeating for the second
time his opponent of 1882, William Kerr. At the general election of
1887, he again defeated the Reform candidate, J. H. Dumble, police
magistrate of Cobourg, and now represents West Northumberland in the
House of Commons at Ottawa. He is a firm supporter of British
connection, and all lines of national policy consistent therewith. He
is, however, in favour of reciprocal trade in natural products with the
United States, and the abolition of the canal tolls on Canadian trade.
While he is opposed to frequent changes in the British North America
Act, he favours the idea of transferring the power of prohibiting the
sale of intoxicating liquors to the provinces. In the session of 1882,
he introduced the bill granting to seamen a first lien and the right of
recovery of wages in _rem_, and by a summary process, which resulted in
the amendment of the Merchants’ Shipping Act of 1873 to that effect; and
he received the thanks of the Seamen’s Union for obtaining these
concessions. He is opposed to commercial union, on the ground of
impracticability, save at the sacrifice of distinctively Canadian
interests and institutions, and at the cost of humiliation and dishonour
to the Canadian name. He is a member of the Masonic fraternity, also of
the Oddfellows, and the Ancient Order of United Workmen. In politics Mr.
Guillet is a Liberal-Conservative, and in religion an adherent of the
Methodist church. He has lived continuously in Cobourg since the day of
his birth, and has been engaged in the wholesale and retail grocery and
crockery business for over twenty-five years. This business was first
established by John Guillet, and is now one of the oldest of its kind in
Cobourg. Mr. Guillet has been a successful merchant; his career not
having been interrupted by either suspension, assignment, or compromise.
In addition to his regular line of business, he has invested
considerable of his means in lake shipping.
* * * * *
=McKinnon, Hon. John=, Farmer and Trader, Whycocomagh, M.P.P. for
Inverness, Nova Scotia, was born at Whycocomagh, Cape Breton, Nova
Scotia, on the 14th July, 1833. The family belongs to the McKinnons, of
Skye, Scotland, and the subject of our sketch is the second son of
Lauchlan McKinnon, who emigrated to Cape Breton from North Uist in 1828.
His mother was Anna McLean. Mr. McKinnon received his education at the
Free Church College, in Halifax. Apart from his business operations, he
has devoted a good deal of his time to public concerns. He taught for
several years, as Grammar school teacher in Halifax and Victoria
counties. He was gazetted captain in No. 5 Inverness Infantry of
militia, previous to confederation. In 1874 he was elected to represent
the county of Inverness in the House of Assembly of Nova Scotia. In May,
1875, he was sworn in as member of the Executive Council, and held
office without a portfolio in the Hill administration until its
resignation, in October, 1878. He was an unsuccessful candidate at the
general elections, held in 1878 and 1882; but at the general election in
1886 he was again returned to the Legislature by his old constituency.
Mr. McKinnon was a strong supporter of confederation, and assisted in
promoting the building of the railway extension from New Glasgow to the
Strait of Canso. He takes a deep interest in the temperance movement,
and has held several offices in the orders of the Sons of Temperance and
Good Templars. He actively supports the Scott Act. In politics, he is a
Liberal; and in religion, an adherent of the Presbyterian church. He was
married on the 19th December, 1878, to Harriet, daughter of the late D.
McQueen, of Sydney, Cape Breton.
* * * * *
=Owens, William=, Stonefield, Lachute, M.P.P. for Argenteuil, was born
at Stonefield, province of Quebec, in 1840. His father, Owen Owens, was
a native of Denbigh, Wales, and his mother, Charlotte Lindley, of
Brantford, England. Mr. Owens received his education in the schools of
his native parish; and afterwards adopted commerce as his profession. In
1861 he joined his brother in partnership, under the firm name of T. &
W. Owens, and they have since carried on an extensive business as
merchants and forwarders, until 1887, when Mr. Owens retired from
business. Mr. Owens was an officer in the active militia from 1863 to
1883, and retired with the rank of captain. For many years he held the
position of postmaster of Chatham, and also filled several terms as
councillor, and latterly as mayor, of the township of Chatham. In 1881
he entered political life, and at the general election of that year was
returned to the Legislative Assembly of Quebec province, as
representative of his native county. At the general election held in
1886 he was again elected for Argenteuil, this time by acclamation. In
politics Mr. Owens is a Conservative; and in religion is an adherent of
the Church of England. He is a widower.
* * * * *
=Taschereau, Hon. Henry T.=, B.L., B.C.L., Montreal, Judge of the
Superior Court of the province of Quebec, was born in the city of
Quebec, on the 6th October, 1841. He is the son of the Hon. Jean Thomas
Taschereau, late one of the judges of the Supreme Court of the Dominion,
who, after being on the bench for nineteen years, was forced to resign
his position in consequence of ill-health, in October, 1878. His
grandfather, Hon. Jean Thomas Taschereau, was in his lifetime one of the
puisne judges of the Court of Queen’s Bench of Lower Canada, and his
grandmother, Marie Panet, was a daughter of the Hon. Jean Panet, first
speaker of the House of Assembly for Quebec province, which he held for
twenty consecutive years. Judge Taschereau, the subject of our sketch,
is the fifth member of the Taschereau family who have sat on the bench
of the province of Quebec, or of the dominion of Canada, and is a nephew
of his Eminence the Cardinal Archbishop of Quebec. The family is one of
the oldest and most distinguished in that province, its founder in
Canada having been Thomas Jacques, of Touraine, France, son of
Christopher Taschereau, King’s counsellor, director of the mint, and
treasurer of the city of Tours. This gentleman came to Canada about the
beginning of the last century, was appointed treasurer of the marine,
and in 1736 obtained the cession of a seigniory on the banks of the
Chaudière river, Quebec province. Judge Taschereau was educated at the
Quebec Seminary, and at Laval University, and received from Laval the
degree of B.L., in 1861, and B.C.L. in 1862. He took up law as a
profession, and practised in Quebec, with marked success, until he was
elevated to the bench, in 1878. He was at one time a member of the city
council of Quebec, and represented the city on the North Shore Railway
Board. In 1862 he edited the newspaper, _Les Debats_, and in 1863 was
one of the editors of _La Tribune_, of Quebec. He entered active
political life in 1863, and ran as candidate for the county of
Dorchester in the Legislative Assembly of Canada, but failed to secure
his election. In 1872 he was more successful, and was returned as member
for Montmagny county to the House of Commons. In 1874 he again presented
himself for election, and was returned by acclamation. In politics, he
was a Liberal. Being possessed of good talents and fine culture, with a
good judicial mind, he has already done credit to his family of eminent
parents. He was first married to a daughter of E. L. Pacaud, advocate of
Arthabaska, on the 22nd June, 1864, and has a family of nine children.
After the death of his first wife (Nov., 1883), he married in April,
1885, Mrs. Marie Masson, widow, of Montreal, sister-in-law of
ex-Lieut.-Governor Masson. No children by last marriage.
* * * * *
=McLachlan, Alexander=, Erin, Ontario, was born at the Brig o’ Johnston,
Scotland, in the year 1820. He is the son of a mechanic, and has had few
of the advantages to be derived from a liberal education, yet from
boyhood he was a great reader, and thus became acquainted with the works
of the principal British authors. In early life he was apprenticed to a
tailor, and worked at his trade for many years. In this way he fostered
his inborn love of song, as few occupations are more conducive to the
growth of poetic sentiment than a mechanical movement of the fingers,
which leaves thought free to soar to heights that idleness could never
hope to attain. In early life he became connected with the Chartist
movement, but afterwards changed his views. In 1840 he emigrated to
Canada, and, for a short time, made his home in the wild-wood; but since
appearing before the public as an author and lecturer, he has resided at
Erin, Wellington county, Ontario. The height of Mr. McLachlan’s ambition
is to be to Canada what Burns was to Scotland: the poet of the people;
and in this, we think, he has succeeded thus far. We cannot say that a
greater than he may not appear in the future; but we have not yet seen
any volume of Canadian verse equal to his in the simplicity that goes to
the heart of the poor and lowly. In this respect he meets a want of the
community, and occupies a position of honor that a poet of higher
culture might vainly aspire to fill. It does not fall to the lot of
every man to receive an education that will enable him to appreciate the
classic beauties of a “Mulvaney” or a “Roberts,” or the chaste imagery
of a “Maclean”; nor has nature gifted everyone with the “wild wealth of
imagination” (we quote Collins) that would lead him to revel in the
love-songs, of a “Caris Sima”; but what Canadian farmer, with a soul
large enough to survive the transit to another sphere, would not feel
the pathos of the lines that he writes on the death of his ox. This
poem, though faulty in construction, brings the trials and sufferings of
the early settler so graphically before the reader that it is impossible
for us to overlook it. We quote the following lines:
Here, single-handed, in the bush, I battled on for years;
My heart sometimes buoyed up with hope; sometimes bowed down with
fears.
I had misfortunes not a few, e’en from the very first;
But take them altogether, “Bright,” thy death’s the very worst.
And again he writes,
How can I ever clear the land? How can I drag the wheat?
How can I keep my credit good? How can my children eat?
The reader of these lines, perhaps, at the moment, a judge of the
supreme court, a member of parliament, or a minister of the Gospel, will
instantly look back to his boyhood’s days and see the meek-eyed oxen
standing before the log-cabin door, from which issues the form of his
father, bearing a long slender switch, which he twirls round in front of
the gentle animals as he says “haw, Buck, gee, Bright”; and again he
will see them struggling in the yoke, their wide-spreading horns
clashing together as they draw the great logs into a heap for the
burning; and seeing the result of the early settlers’ efforts in the
magnificent stretches of cleared land, and waving fields of grain, he
will sing, with our poet, in patriotic strain:
Hurrah! for the grand old forest land,
Where freedom spreads her pinion;
Hurrah with me, for the maple tree,
Hurrah! for the new Dominion.
It is, though portrayed in the humblest language, a very pathetic
picture he draws of “Old Hannah,” poor old woman, husband and children
all gone, sitting, on the Sabbath morn, on the doorstep of her desolate
home, with her Bible on her knee, looking as sweetly patient as only
those purified by affliction can look, and silently teaching us to thank
God for the suffering that alone can fit us for the kingdom of heaven.
We quote these lines:
In her faded widow’s cap;
She is sitting alone
On the old grey stone
With her Bible in her lap.
. . . . . .
Her years are o’er three score and ten,
And her eyes are waxing dim,
But the page is bright
With a living light,
And her heart leaps up to Him
Who pours the mystic harmony
Which the soul can only hear,
She is not alone
On the old grey stone,
Though no earthly friend is near.
For his poem, “Halls of Holyrood,” Mr. McLachlan, in a world-wide
competition, won the prize offered some years ago by the _Glasgow
Workman_ newspaper, for a national song for Scotland. In 1863 he was
appointed by the Canadian government to lecture throughout Great Britain
in favor of emigration to Canada. He has also lectured in the principal
Canadian towns and villages on various subjects. He speaks with much
earnestness and simplicity. As a poet, we would say, Mr. McLachlan has
written many pretty musical pieces, while all his work evinces much
force, fervor, and simplicity. Here is a line of great beauty that he
gives birth to when he speaks of the humming bird as
Wandering spirit of the flowers.
And here is a pretty stanza from “Indian Summer”:
Down from the blue the sun has driven,
And stands between the earth and heaven,
In robes of smouldering flame;
A smoking cloud before him hung,
A mystic veil, for which no tongue
Of earth can find a name;
And o’er him bends the vault of blue;
With shadowy faces looking through
The azure deep profound;
The stillness of eternity,
A glory and a mystery,
Encompass him around.
The air is thick with golden haze,
The woods are in a dreamy maze,
The earth enchanted seems.
Have we not left the realms of care
And entered in the regions fair,
We see in blissful dreams?
Here our poet has left the logging-field and is enjoying the beauties of
nature, while giving more attention to the rhythmic tone of the muse. We
understand that Mr. McLachlan is now writing for _Grip_, and we have
seen some lines of his entitled “May Song” which, as a lyric, is far in
advance of his previous work. We give the first stanza:
Now morn is ascending from out the dark sea,
A light crimson veil hanging o’er her;
The lark leaves her nest on the bonny green lea,
And flutters aloft to adore her.
And, oh, how the living beams revel and leap!
In purple and gold to enfold her;
And how the wild cataract roused on the steep,
Is shouting with joy to behold her.
Here is good word-painting, and shows what heights our poet is capable
of attaining. We would say, in conclusion, that we think Mr. McLachlan
should be looked upon as a benefactor to his country, in that he has
thrown a halo over the humblest home. Well would it be, for those who
are seized with the “brick and mortar craze” of the present day, to
pause and read “The Old Settler’s Address to his Old Log House,” before
he lays the foundation stone of the new brick mansion that too often
leads to ruin, and sometimes to disgrace.
* * * * *
=O’Connor, Hon. John=, Q.C., Puisne Judge of the Divisional Court of
Queen’s Bench, who died at Cobourg, on the 3rd November, 1887, was of
Irish descent. His parents, both of whom were named O’Connor, were
representatives of two distinct branches of that family, and emigrated
in 1823 from Kerry to Boston, Massachusetts, where deceased was born, in
January, 1824. Four years later his parents removed to Canada, and
settled in Essex county, Ontario, where he grew to manhood. When about
nineteen years of age he sustained an accident which materially
influenced his future career. While cutting timber on his father’s farm
a heavy tree fell upon him, jambing one of his legs in the brushwood.
Young O’Connor struggled hard to liberate the limb, but failed, and as
night was fast approaching, and a biting frost prevailed, he feared he
might be frozen to death. There was no hope of assistance. Under these
desperate circumstances the young fellow took out his jackknife, cut off
the limb, and crawled to his home over the snow, bleeding profusely.
This disabled the future judge for manual labor, and from that date he
devoted all his energies to study. Mr. O’Connor was called to the bar in
1854, settled down to practice in Windsor, and was successful, not only
in gaining a profitable business, but in acquiring a good deal of local
influence, political and otherwise. He was also a member of the Michigan
bar. He filled the offices of reeve of Windsor, warden of Essex, and
chairman of the Windsor School Board. In politics, he was a
Conservative, and in religion a Roman Catholic. Mr. O’Connor represented
Essex in the Canadian Assembly for a short period, and he was member of
the same constituency in the House of Commons from 1867 to 1873, being
one of Sir John Macdonald’s cabinet from 1872 till it resigned in 1873.
Defeated in Essex in 1874, he was out of Parliament until 1878, when he
was elected for Russell county, and again became a member of the
Conservative government, holding the portfolios successively of
president of the Council, postmaster-general, and secretary of state.
From the cabinet he went to the bench, having been a judge of the
Ontario Queen’s Bench since September, 1884.
* * * * *
=Moffat, William=, Treasurer of the county of Renfrew, Pembroke,
Ontario, was born on the 29th November, 1825, in Haddingtonshire,
Scotland. His father, Alexander Moffat, came to Pembroke in 1840, and
laid out the village (now town) of Pembroke. He was its first
postmaster, and subsequently became an extensive mill owner. In his day
he was a leading Reformer, and was on one occasion nominated by his
party to represent it in the Legislative Council, but declined the
honor. Mr. Moffat’s mother was Margaret Dickson Purvis, who died in
1834. Mr. Moffat, the subject of our sketch, is the eldest son of this
worthy couple, and received his education in Bytown, now Ottawa. He
worked with his father in his mills in the section of country where the
family had settled, and which was then an almost unbroken wilderness,
until he was twenty-three years of age, when he began the lumber
business, and carried this on until 1865; and from that year he
conducted his father’s business, which consisted of flour and woollen
mills, until his death, on the 7th of April, 1872, when he, with his
brother Alexander, continued the business, to which they have added
oatmeal and saw mills, until 1878. The mills were on the site on which
his father first built in 1840. Mr. Moffat has in his day taken an
active interest in municipal affairs. He was reeve of the township of
Pembroke for the years 1871 to 1874; and during 1872 to 1876 he was
warden of the county of Renfrew. In 1875 and ’76 he occupied the
position of reeve of the village of Pembroke; and he was also the first
mayor of the town of Pembroke, holding that office in 1877 and 1878. In
January, 1885, he was appointed treasurer for the county of Renfrew, and
this office he continues to fill to the satisfaction of his fellow
citizens. He was the projector of the Kingston and Pembroke Railway, and
was one of its first directors. He is a member of the Masonic order. In
politics he is a Reformer, and twice carried the standard of his party
through political contests—one for the Dominion parliament and one for
the Ontario legislature—but unfortunately was unsuccessful on both
occasions. In religion he is a member of the Presbyterian church. In
1849 he was married to Isabella Ambrose Kennedy, who came from
Dumfriesshire, Scotland.
* * * * *
=Ouimet, Hon. Aldric Joseph=, Lieutenant-Colonel, LL.B., Q.C., Montreal,
M.P. for Laval County, and Speaker of the House of Commons at Ottawa,
was born at Ste. Rose, Laval county, on the 20th May, 1848. He belongs
to one of the oldest families in the district of Montreal, they having
settled there over a century ago. His father was Michel Ouimet, a
justice of the peace, and his mother, Elizabeth St. Louis Filiatrault.
Hon. Mr. Ouimet was educated at the Seminary of St. Therese de
Blainville, and graduated a LL.B. at Victoria College, Cobourg, Ontario,
in 1869. He studied law in the office of Edmund Barnard, in Montreal,
and was called to the bar of Lower Canada in 1870, and since that period
he has successfully practised his profession in Montreal, being the head
of the law firm of Ouimet, Cornellier and Emard. On the 11th October,
1880, he was appointed a Queen’s counsel. In 1874, he was elected a
member of the Board of Roman Catholic School Commissioners for Montreal,
and has ever since taken a direct interest in educational matters. He is
now a director of the Montreal City and District Savings Bank, and of
the Credit Foncier Franco-Canadién; and president of the Laval
Agricultural Society. A number of years ago he joined the volunteer
movement, and was promoted to a captaincy in the Mount Royal Rifles. He
is now lieutenant-colonel of the 65th battalion of rifles, and as such
commanded his battalion throughout the North-West campaign in 1885. He
did good service to his country in the Edmonton district, by pacifying
the Indians, and persuading the Half-breeds to support the Dominion
government. He is chairman of the council of the Dominion Rifle
Association. He was first returned to the Dominion parliament in
November, 1873, to his present seat, in place of the Hon. Joseph
Hyacinthe Bellerose, who was called to the Senate in October of that
year, and was re-elected by the same constituency by acclamation in
1874, 1878, and 1882. He was again elected at the general elections held
in 1887. He was unanimously chosen speaker of the House of Commons on
the 13th April, 1887, and now fills that high office with dignity and
impartiality. Hon. Mr. Ouimet is a Liberal-Conservative in politics, and
was returned as an independent supporter of Sir John A. Macdonald’s
administration. He is a thorough Canadian, and has great faith in the
future of Canada and of the Canadian nation. He supports a protective
tariff, and any other well-devised scheme for the improvement of the
country. In 1882 he voted for commercial independence. He seems to have
at an early period of his life struck out for himself an independent
career, and thus far he has succeeded. On the 30th July, 1874, he was
married to Theresa, daughter of Alfred La Rocque, of Montreal, by Emelie
Berthelot, and the fruit of the union has been four children.
* * * * *
=Whelan, Hon. Edward=, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island.—The late
Hon. Edward Whelan was born of humble parents, in the county of Mayo,
Ireland, in the year 1824, and having received a fair common school
education, when quite a boy he emigrated to Nova Scotia, and apprenticed
himself to the Hon. Joseph Howe as a printer. At the age of nineteen he
came to Prince Edward Island, and commenced writing for some of the
public newspapers, and the brilliancy and force of his articles soon
brought him into public notice, and shortly afterwards he assumed the
editorship of a newspaper called _The Palladium_, in which the cause of
the tenantry was ably espoused, and the foundation laid for a vigorous
campaign, which resulted in the establishment of the present system of
responsible government, and the abolition of the rental system, which
was then as obnoxious to the people of Prince Edward Island as it is at
present to the people of his native land. At the early age of twenty-one
years, looking but a mere boy, he was elected to represent the second
district of Kings county in the local legislature, and shortly
afterwards having, in conjunction with the Hon. George Coles, succeeded
in obtaining responsible government for the province, was chosen a
member of the first government formed under the new constitution, and
was co-leader with Mr. Coles for several years; when, finding that his
position as a member of the Executive Council interfered with his
freedom in discussing public questions, he retired from the council,
retaining the office of Queen’s printer. His ready pen and eloquent
tongue were ever ready to defend the causes he had espoused, and
sometimes he would reply to the attacks of his opponents with such keen
severity, that, feeling their inability to cope with him in a paper
warfare, he was dragged into the courts on charges of defamation of
character. And his eloquent and able defence before the court on one of
those occasions won for him the admiration of the judges, lawyers, and
all who heard him, convincing not only the court and jury, but all who
heard or read his eloquent address to them, that he was no slanderer,
but only an exponent of public wrongs. He continued to represent the
second district of Kings county for over twenty years, during which time
his popularity never abated. When the confederation of the British
provinces was proposed, he warmly espoused the project, sincerely
believing that its accomplishment would materially add to the prosperity
and development of his adopted country; and although the party with whom
he formerly worked were for the most part opposed to the scheme, and
although he knew that the project was held in small favour by the great
majority of his constituents, he nevertheless openly advocated what his
honest convictions assured him was for their true welfare, although at
the expense of his present popularity and interest. And now, after a
lapse of over twenty years, the province almost unanimously acknowledges
that he was not only honest and sincere in his criticisms, but right in
his judgment, and a movement is on foot to erect a statue to his memory
in the principal square in Charlottetown. He was one of the delegates to
the Quebec convention for the confederation of the provinces, where he
made many friends, and did credit to himself and the province he
represented. The “Canadian Biographical Dictionary” of 1881 contains the
following tribute to his worth:—“Amongst the most noted statesmen and
orators in Prince Edward Island fifteen and thirty years ago was Edward
Whelan. A self-taught man and sagacious politician, at the age of
eighteen he came to the island, and shortly afterwards entered upon a
brilliant career of journalism, having great power with the pen, and
wielding it on the side of the people. In the local parliament, of which
he was a member for a score of years, he was a great power, the premier
part of the time, and one of the most courageous spokesmen of his party
(the Liberal at all times). Few men in this province, living or dead,
have done more service in getting important measures through parliament
and extending civil liberty through the island. . . . Mr. Whelan was a
Roman Catholic, and his death is reported to have been the triumph of
faith.” The following is an extract from a speech by J. C. Underhay,
M.P.P., at a meeting at Morell Bear in the fall of 1886, in advocacy of
erecting a monument to his memory:—“No marble monument is needed to
perpetuate the memory of Edward Whelan in this province. Our free
schools, free lands, and self-government, with the well-tilled fields
and comfortable homes, which all over the province have taken the place
of the rude structures and neglected farms of the rent paying era, are
all monuments to his memory more lasting than freestone or marble. But
the people of Prince Edward Island need to erect a monument to his
memory to tell to future generations that we, who were the immediate
recipients of the benefits his patriotic heart, his gifted intellect,
and his eloquent tongue secured for us, are not ungrateful for or
forgetful of the great benefits he was so largely instrumental in
securing for this province.” In 1851 Mr. Whelan married Mary Major,
daughter of George Hughes, of the commissariat department at Halifax, by
whom he had two daughters, who died some time previous to his own
decease, which took place on the 10th of December, 1867. He had one son,
a promising young man, who perished by the upsetting of a boat in
Charlotte Harbor on the 1st of July, 1875, casting a deep gloom over the
city, and so adding to the bereaved wife and mother’s already
overflowing cup of affliction, that the chief justice was heard to say
on the occasion that if ever there was a time when the miracle of
raising the widow’s son could be fitly repeated it was then. His widow
is still living, and, in consideration of the great public services
rendered to the country by her husband, receives an annual grant from
the legislature. Her whole existence seems to be wrapt up in the memory
of her departed husband, and the one great desire of her life is to live
to see a suitable monument erected to his memory.
* * * * *
=Underhay, John Collier=, Farmer and Land Surveyor, Bay Fortune, M.P.P.
for Kings, First District, was born at Bay Fortune, in Kings county, in
the province of Prince Edward Island, on the 15th of January, 1829. He
is the only surviving son of William Underhay, who emigrated to Prince
Edward Island from Devonshire, England, in the year 1818, and married
Marianne Withers, daughter of James Withers, of the Commissariat
department, Somerset, England, and sister to J. C. Withers, the present
Queen’s printer of Newfoundland. The first months of their married life
were spent in one of the houses on Lord Townshend’s estate, which
Captain Marryat gives an account of the building of for the Irish
emigrants. It was first occupied by Pat. Pierce, who murdered Abel, the
steward or agent, at whose place the officers of the ship in which the
“naval officer” sailed stayed while Lord Townshend was settling his new
tenants on his estate, the nearest part of which was only about a mile
and a half from the harbor where the warship was lying, and close to
which the agent, Edward Abel, lived. After several removals, each one
diminishing the stock of money brought from the old country, until it
was about exhausted, they settled on the land which now comprises the
premises where the subject of this sketch was born, and now resides. He
received there a good common school education, and he completed his
studies with Robert Blacke Irving, who was then one of the best
mathematicians in the province. Having at a very early age closely
identified himself with the party who was contending for responsible
government, free schools, and free lands. At the age of twenty-four
years he was appointed a justice of the peace, the youngest person ever
appointed to that office in the province. Some years after he was
appointed a commissioner of the court for the trial of small debts at
Bay Fortune, and occupied the position of presiding judge in that court
until those courts gave place to the present county courts. In 1868 he
connected himself with the Independent Order of Good Templars, and in
1870 was elected grand chief of the province, a position which he has
since filled for two successive terms. In May, 1884, he was a delegate
to the Washington session of the Right Worthy Grand Lodge, and was
placed on several important committees; and has ever since his
connection with the order taken a leading part in the temperance
movement. In 1874, he contested, unsuccessfully, the first legislative
council district of Kings county, but in 1879 he was returned to
represent the first district of Kings county in the House of Assembly.
At the general election in 1882 he contested the second district
unsuccessfully; but at the next general election, in 1886, he was
returned for that district, which he now represents, in conjunction with
the leader of the government. He was formerly a Liberal in politics, but
lately has allied himself with the Liberal-Conservatives, whom he thinks
more fully represent the principles of the old Liberal party of his
province. As a justice of the peace Mr. Underhay has demonstrated more
successfully than any other officer in the province that the Canada
Temperance Act was workable in all its provisions, and only wanted
public sympathy and support to make it effectual in the suppression of
the liquor traffic. He has been the presiding magistrate in over fifty
suits for violation of its provisions, and not one of these has been set
aside or judgment reversed by subsequent legal proceedings. During the
survey for the Prince Edward Island Railway, he suggested several
alterations as to location, which time has demonstrated, and it is now
generally conceded, would have been great improvements had they been
adopted, and would have materially added to the utility of the line. He,
however, succeeded, in opposition to the official engineers, in getting
the present line through Souris to the Breakwater—a route which,
although universally admitted to be the best, was declared by the
engineers in charge to be impracticable. This route has proved to be not
only by far the most convenient, but the cheapest to construct. He was
brought up a member of the Church of England, but living amidst a
Presbyterian community, he is a regular attendant and supporter of the
Presbyterian church, and has for over fifteen years held the offices of
secretary and treasurer to the congregation. He took an active and
leading part in the erection of the new church at Bay Fortune. He has
been a trustee for the school district in which he resides continuously
for nearly a quarter of a century; and on every occasion that he was a
candidate for a seat in the legislature he received an almost unanimous
vote from the settlers for several miles around, without regard to
political or other party distinction. He is taking a leading part in the
present movement for the erection of a monument to perpetuate the memory
of the late Hon. E. Whelan, who, in conjunction with the Hon. G. Coles,
obtained for the province self-government, free schools and free lands,
and many other liberal reforms. On the 17th September, 1856, Mr.
Underhay was married to Rosaline, daughter of the late Hon. James
Craswell, M.L.C., a descendant of Sir Edward Craswell.
* * * * *
=Read, John=, Secretary-Treasurer and Manager of the Stratford Gas and
Electric Light Company, Stratford, Ontario, was born in South Petherton,
Somersetshire, England, on the 20th August, 1838. His parents were John
and Susan Read. He received his education in his native parish, and also
attended for a short time Billing’s Academy, near where he was born,
receiving a very meagre education, having to leave school when only
thirteen years of age to accompany his parents to America. Shortly after
his coming to Ontario, in February, 1852—he having arrived in Canada in
September, 1851—he was apprenticed to the late Mark Holmes, in London,
to learn the trade of carriage-making; and having faithfully served his
time and worked some time as a journeyman, he removed to Stratford in
May, 1862, which city he made his place of abode. In 1865 he entered
into partnership with John Humphrey, and they carried on the business of
carriage and waggon makers for some years. In 1875 he became a building
contractor, and continued as such until 1883, when he abandoned
business, and accepted the position of secretary-treasurer and manager
of the Stratford Gas and Electric Light Company, which office he still
holds. Mr. Read has been in public life for about twenty years, and has
held during that time the various offices of councillor, reeve, and
public and high school trustee. He has always taken a great interest in
the improvement of the city, and worked hard to secure for it a public
cemetery, under one management, in which the remains of both Protestants
and Catholics may be consigned to mother earth. He also took an active
part in the erection of the high and public school buildings, which are
a credit to the young city of Stratford. Mr. Read belongs to the order
of Oddfellows, and is a past representative of that body. He is a
Conservative in politics, and has held for several years the office of
president of the Conservative Association of Stratford. He, too, has
been president of the North Perth Agricultural Society, and while he
held office the new fair grounds were purchased and buildings erected
thereon. In religion he is an adherent of the Methodist church. He was
married on the 1st September, 1874, to Mary E. Taylor, whose parents are
of Irish descent, and live in Ohio, United States.
* * * * *
=Pope, Hon. Joseph=, ex-Auditor and Manager of the Savings Bank,
Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, was born on the 20th June, 1803, at
Turnchapel, Devon, England. His father was Thomas Pope, of Padstow,
Cornwall, England, and his mother, Annie Hase, of Barnstaple, Devon,
England. His grandfather was a substantial yeoman, who occupied his own
estate. Joseph was the sixth and youngest son, and his brothers almost
all distinguished themselves in their professions and callings. He
received his education at West Hore, parish of Plymstock, Devon,
England, and landed in Prince Edward Island in 1819, one year later than
his brothers, William and John, who had established themselves there as
merchants and shipowners. John returned to England in 1823, and William
in 1828, leaving Joseph to carry on the business on his own account at
Bedeque, where he afterwards remained for thirty-two years. In 1830 he
was elected to represent Prince county in the Legislative Assembly, and
occupied a seat in the house for twenty-three consecutive years, during
which period he was twice speaker for two full terms. In June, 1839, he
was appointed to a seat in the Executive Council, and in 1851, upon the
introduction of responsible government, was reappointed to the Executive
Council, and appointed treasurer of the island. In 1831 he was appointed
a justice of the peace; in 1832, a commissioner for taking special bail,
and for the recovery of small debts; also a sub-collector of customs,
and collector of inland revenue at Bedeque; in 1833, a deputy receiver
of land tax for Prince Edward Island; in 1837, a high sheriff of Prince
county; in 1843, a commissioner under the Act for the Relief of
Insolvent Debtors; in 1842, a commissioner for managing public shares in
Steamboat Company; and in 1844, a commissioner of Oyer and Terminer. In
1838, the Hon. Mr. Pope was sent to Canada, with the Hon. J. H. Howland,
Joseph Howe, Sir William Young, Dr. Dalrymple, and others, to confer
with Lord Durham regarding federal union, and he received the special
approbation of His Majesty William IV., for upholding the laws of the
colony. In 1847, with the Hon. Edward Palmer (now chief justice), he was
sent by the inhabitants with a petition to Her Majesty, signed by four
thousand two hundred electors, and approved of by the legislature,
praying for the removal of Lieut.-Governor Huntley; and whilst in
England, he conferred with Lord Gray with regard to the introduction of
responsible government, of which he was always an ardent advocate. On
his return to the island with Sir Donald Campbell (a new governor), he
received the thanks of the Assembly and people. As a member of the
Assembly, he originated the erection of the Colonial Building, and
obtained, through the influence of Lady Mary Fitzroy, a grant from the
Imperial government towards the erection of an insane asylum. With Dr.
Dalrymple, he obtained a satisfactory settlement of the glebe lands, and
was chiefly instrumental in bringing in the Road Compensation Act. In
1838 he moved the resolution for the separation of the Legislative and
Executive councils. In 1853, Hon. Mr. Pope resigned office, and was
absent from the island for about fifteen years. In 1868 he returned, and
in 1870 he was re-appointed to his old office of treasurer and manager
of the Savings Bank. In 1873, after confederation, he was appointed by
the Dominion government dominion auditor and manager of the Savings
Bank, and his appointment was confirmed by order-in-council in November
of the same year. But the Hon. Mr. Pope being a staunch Conservative, he
was dismissed from this office by the Mackenzie government a few weeks
after they came into power. However, he was almost immediately
afterwards appointed provincial treasurer by the Island government, and
two years later, commissioner of Crown and Public lands, which office he
held until his reappointment as auditor and manager of the Savings Bank,
in June, 1880. On the 30th of June, 1883, he retired from office, and
has since resided at Summerville, Prince Edward Island. The Hon. Mr.
Pope has for many years taken an interest in military affairs. As early
as 1828, he was appointed captain in the Prince county militia; in 1837,
he was major commanding; and in 1853, he was gazetted
lieutenant-colonel. In religion, he is a member of the Church of
England. He has been married three times, but had no children except by
his first wife, Lucy, who was a daughter of Captain Colledge, of the
First Royal Regiment of foot, of which the Duke of Kent was colonel. His
only children, William Henry, and James Colledge, are both mentioned in
this volume. He spent the year 1848 in Great Britain, and there married
Eliza M. Cooke, of Liverpool, his present wife. In 1853 he fitted up a
vessel and started for Australia, but owing to the sufferings of his
wife from seasickness, had to abandon the voyage at Liverpool, where he
then remained for the next fifteen years.
* * * * *
=McCallum, George Alexander=, M.D., Dunnville, Ontario, was born in
Toronto, on the 23rd April, 1843. His parents were George McCallum, who
was a native of Jedburgh, Scotland; and Jane Sangster, of London,
England. The father’s family were of Highland origin, and the mother’s
Lowland Scotch. Dr. McCallum was educated at Stouffville, Ontario, and
at the age of seventeen, having gained a second-class certificate he
began teaching school, and for two years taught at Ringwood, township of
Markham. He then took up the study of medicine, under the late Dr.
Andrew Lloyd, at Stouffville, and graduated M.D. at Victoria University,
Cobourg, in 1866, and began the practice of his profession. He moved to
Dunnville in 1868, since which time he has enjoyed a large practice. In
1882 Dr. McCallum entered political life and contested the county of
Monck for a seat in the Dominion parliament, against Lachlan McCallum,
but the county having been gerrymandered a short time before, he was
defeated by a small majority. In 1887, at the general election of that
year, the doctor again presented himself for parliamentary honors, but
was defeated by Arthur Boyle. This time the county had been further
manipulated by the new Franchise Act. He has always been a staunch
Liberal; and in religion he is an adherent of the Presbyterian church.
Dr. McCallum was married to Flora Eakins, of Sparta, Ontario, on the
21st September, 1870, by whom four children have been born, two sons and
two daughters.
* * * * *
=Wallace, Rev. Robert=, Pastor West Presbyterian Church, Toronto, was
born on the 25th of April, 1820, at Castleblaney, county Monaghan,
Ireland. His people were originally from Ayrshire, Scotland, and like
the Ulster Presbyterians generally are called the Scotch-Irish. His
father, Samuel Wallace, was in early manhood chosen as an elder, and
long held a leading position in the church as such. For many years he
acted as superintendent of a Sabbath school, and also conducted a
prayer-meeting at his own house, where the young people were often
examined in the Shorter and Brown’s catechisms. He was often sent for to
visit the sick, and to draw up wills for the dying, and was the kind and
sympathizing friend of the poor and afflicted, Roman Catholic as well as
Protestant. He was greatly esteemed by all who knew him as a man of most
loving and amiable disposition, and of great spirituality of mind, who
held constant and intimate communion with his God and Saviour. Mr.
Wallace’s mother, Agnes Stephenson, was born at Poyntzpass, county
Armagh. Her brothers had as tutor a French officer of the old regime.
Her elder brother, Robert, bought a commission as lieutenant in the
regular army, and was shot in the battle of Coruna, under Sir John
Moore, and died in London on his way home. Her younger brother, Thomas,
was for some years a Presbyterian minister in Dublin, but died early.
Robert, the subject of our sketch, was the youngest of four sons and
five daughters. His father and family emigrated to Canada, in 1829,
while he was still a little boy, and he attended school in Toronto for
some time, his teacher being the late Mr. Barber, afterwards secretary
of the School Board. The school was then called the Central School, on
the corner of Adelaide and Jarvis streets, and it ultimately became the
Collegiate Institute. His father purchased two hundred acres of college
land, being No. 1, third concession East Chinguacousy, where Mr. Wallace
lived some years, attending the public school there. He was early
dedicated to the Gospel ministry by his father. When about twelve years
of age he read the life of Rev. Levi Parsons, the first missionary to
the Jews of Palestine sent out by the American Board from New England,
and he then desired to be a missionary to the Jews of Palestine. But
years after, when studying for the ministry, Rev. William Rintoul, of
Streetsville, said to him that we needed all our young men for Canada,
and he then resolved to give up that primary desire of his heart. Rev.
Angus McColl, now of Chatham, Ontario, was the first of the Canadians
who studied wholly in Canada for the Presbyterian ministry. He began in
1835. The Synod appointed Dr. John Rae, principal of the Grammar school
at Hamilton, to take charge of any young men who might wish to study for
the ministry. Mr. Wallace began his studies under Dr. Rae in February,
1838, and continued under his care during 1838, 1839, and 1840, taking
the lead as head of the Grammar school most of the time (Mr. McColl
taking lessons in private). During 1841 he studied with the Rev. Mr.
Rintoul, of Streetsville, and Mr. Adam Simpson, of the Grammar school.
In February, 1842, Queen’s College was opened, and Mr. Wallace, with six
others, entered the theological classes under Rev. Dr. Liddell,
principal, while also attending the Greek class under professor
Campbell, along with John Mowat, now professor in Queen’s College. Mr.
Wallace attended Queen’s College during three sessions, when, because of
the disruption in Scotland, he and five others—that is six of the seven
theological students—left Queen’s College and joined the Free Church of
Canada, formed in June, 1844. Rev. Dr. Charles King, of Glasgow, was
sent out by the Free Church as professor of theology in the new Free
Church College at Toronto, called Knox College, after the heroic founder
of the Church of Scotland. The synod appointed Rev. Henry Esson and Rev.
William Rintoul to assist the Rev. Dr. King. The first session, 1844-5,
was held in a small private house, the residence of Professor Esson, on
James street, Toronto, and was attended by fourteen students. That was
the last year of Mr. Wallace’s course. In April, 1845, he began his
preaching tours over the land, and as the Rev. Mr. Rintoul wished the
three young men who had finished their studies (Messrs. McColl, McKinnon
and Wallace) to give at least a year to mission work, Mr. Wallace
resolved to carry out his wishes, and he refused all calls to settle as
a pastor until after fifteen months of most laborious work. The Rev. Mr.
Rintoul advised him to accept the next call, as he saw that his health
was breaking down with overwork and privation. During that time he
travelled about six thousand miles on foot or on horseback, preached
about four hundred times, and visited several hundred Presbyterian
families scattered over the country from Kingston to Goderich. The roads
were then in a primitive condition, and Mr. Wallace often travelled
through rain and deep mud, his horse and himself covered with mud; and
the fatigue was so great that he broke down several horses, and, at the
same time, occasionally went without dinner in the new settlements. He
thus organised or supplied in their earlier stages a large number of
small congregations near Toronto, in Scarboro’, Markham, Vaughan, King,
West Gwilliambury, Bradford, Inisfil, Chinguacousy, Toronto Township,
Esquesing, Trafalgar, Oakville, etc., and a few times Stratford and
other places up to Goderich, London Township and Westminster, besides
preaching at Kingston, Belleville and places north of it. On the 15th
July, 1846, Mr. Wallace was ordained at Keene, Otonabee, a place at that
time very subject to fever and ague; and, as his constitution was very
much run down, he was only three weeks there when he was stricken down
by that disease till the close of the year 1847, when the doctor
declared he was in danger of paralysis if he attempted to preach any
more, and ordered him to return home and recruit. He remained at his
mother’s during that winter, and regained his health, though with
occasional symptoms of the old trouble. During the summer of 1848 he was
sent by the Rev. Mr. Rintoul to take charge of the Free Church at the
town of Niagara, a place free from malaria, and while there was greatly
benefited. Towards the close of that summer he was advised to visit
Ingersoll, and preach in a new church without a pastor. He did so, and
was called and settled there in January, 1849. The congregation grew
from being a handful of people to be a large, flourishing centre, and
after some years the church had to be enlarged, which was done by
erecting a gallery, without ventilators. The result was that soon after
the re-opening, owing to the great heat from stove pipes meeting in
front of the pulpit, Mr. Wallace took tonsillitis, or clergyman’s sore
throat; and, after trying various remedies, was advised to resign his
charge and visit Britain for the removal of his trouble. In January,
1860 he did so, and accepted the situation of agent for the French
Canadian Missionary Society. In less than five months he collected over
$4,000 for that mission in Canada, nearly double what had been collected
the previous year. On the 30th June, 1860, he left for Britain, by the
Allan steamer _Hibernian_. He collected in Scotland and England between
$4,000 and $5,000, and introduced the mission among the higher classes
in London, by addressing the annual soiree of the Evangelical Alliance,
and getting subscriptions from such men as Lord Lawrence and the late
Duke of Marlborough. He had reason to believe that he could have raised
twice as much in an ordinary year; but that year about $1,500,000 had
been contributed in England for three special objects—the famine
stricken in India, the friends of the massacred Christians at Damascus
and on Lebanon, and towards the sixty thousand silk weavers at Coventry,
thrown out of employment by free trade with France. He also preached in
Dr. Cooke’s church, Belfast, and got a grant of £100 a year from the
Irish Presbyterian church, which was afterwards increased to £200 a
year. After an absence of eleven months he arrived home on the 23rd of
May, 1861, fully restored in health and vigor. He continued to labor for
the French Canadian Mission till June, 1862, when he accepted a call to
Thorold and Drummondville, where he labored for over five years. During
that time the membership of the church at Thorold more than doubled, and
at Drummondville was about trebled. In October, 1867, he received a call
to West Church, Toronto, where he was inducted by the presbytery on the
6th November, 1867. Since then he has received about one thousand eight
hundred into church fellowship, and a new, commodious and well-built
brick church, seating about one thousand, has been erected, and a good
work carried on. West Church has now a membership of about seven hundred
and forty communicants. In February, 1839, while Mr. Wallace was a
student at Hamilton, the late John Dougall, of Montreal, gave an address
on the duty of Christians to give up the use of all intoxicants, in
order to set an example to others, and thus prevent them from becoming
drunkards—on the principle set forth by the great apostle in Romans
14th, and 1st Corinthians, 8th chapter. Mr. Wallace at once accepted the
principle, and took the total abstinence pledge, and ever since it has
been one of the chief aims of his life to promote the cause of
temperance, through total abstinence, as the only effective way of
preventing drunkenness. He often lectured, even while a student, and
still more frequently since, and several times he has published sermons
and pamphlets on the subject, such as “Temperance from the Bible
Standpoint,” while labouring, as a member of the executive of the
Ontario Temperance and Prohibitory League, to secure the Scott Act,
which was carried at Ottawa as the result of a petition signed by about
five hundred thousand persons. While residing at Ingersoll he leavened
the county of Oxford with his views, and thus prepared the way for the
Scott Act there. A few years ago he was appointed to prepare a tract for
the executive of the Ontario Alliance, entitled, “The Lesson of
Statistics; or, Facts and Figures on the Temperance Question,” five
thousand copies of which were circulated. Since then he read a paper, by
request, before the Toronto Ministerial Association, on “The Scriptural
Argument for Prohibition,” which was published, by request, in the
_Canada Citizen_, the organ of the Alliance. He also wrote, “The Scott
Act and Prohibition the Hope of Canada,” published by the Methodist Book
Room. Soon after the confederation of the provinces, Mr. Wallace wrote a
pamphlet entitled “The New Dominion,” giving a description of the
several provinces, with their various characteristics and resources. He
has also written a good deal for _The Presbyterian_ and other papers, on
Missions, the Sabbath, etc. His life has been a very busy one, a hard
worker, working generally twelve to fifteen hours a day ever since he
entered on his course of studies for the ministry. He has received about
three thousand into church membership, and supplied or fostered a large
number of stations in their earlier stages. He has several times been
moderator of his own presbytery, at London, Hamilton, and Toronto, and
has been honored by his brethren by being made president of the Toronto
General Ministerial Association, and also president of the Toronto
Presbyterian Ministerial Association. He was married at Ingersoll,
Ontario, on the 3rd September, 1850, to Marianne Barker. Mr. Wallace had
only one son, now the Rev. F. H. Wallace, M.A., B.D., born at Ingersoll,
county of Oxford, on the 5th of September, 1851. He has had a very
brilliant career as a student. After studying some years at the High
School of Drummondville, Niagara Falls, he came out “head boy” of Upper
Canada College in 1869, carrying off the Governor-General’s prize, and
several other prize books. During his course at Toronto University, he
held the three first scholarships in classics, modern languages, and
general proficiency, and when he graduated he obtained the gold medal in
classics. He took part of his theological course in Knox College,
Toronto, and studied two sessions at Drew Theological Seminary, New
Jersey, where he took his degree of B.D. Then he went to Germany, and
spent the session of 1876-77 at Leipsic University. He has since been in
the Methodist ministry in Toronto, Cobourg and Peterboro’. He has lately
been appointed professor of New Testament Exegesis in Victoria
University, Cobourg. Mr. Wallace had only one daughter who grew up to
maturity. She held a first position all through her course of study, and
was married in December, 1879, to Rev. Donald Tait, of Berlin, Ontario,
and died in September, 1881, greatly beloved, leaving one little boy
behind her, Francis Wallace Tait, who, through the kindness of his
father, is still left with his grandparents.
* * * * *
=Dobell, Richard Reid=, Timber Merchant, Quebec, was born in 1837, at
Liverpool, England. His father, George Dobell, was a successful
tradesman in Liverpool, and well known for his strict integrity and
stern independence. Richard Dobell, the subject of our sketch, secured
his education at the Liverpool College, and came out to Quebec in
August, 1857. For many years he carried on the business of timber
merchant, under the name of Richard Dobell & Co.; but since 1885 the
firm has been conducted under the title of Dobell, Beckett & Co., with a
branch house in London, England. Mr. Dobell has always been deeply
interested in the trade and prosperity of Quebec. He served as president
of the Board of Trade, and was delegated by the Dominion Board of Trade
to organize a conference in London to consider the advisability of a
closer fiscal policy between Great Britain and her colonies. He is a
member of the Executive Council of the Imperial Federation League in
London, and is a firm advocate of a closer union being established
between all the British colonies. He has been a member of the Quebec
Harbor Commission since it was re-organized by the government, and was
mainly instrumental in the construction of the Louise basin and docks.
He is a Conservative in politics; and in religion a member of the Church
of England. He is married to Elizabeth Frances, eldest daughter of Sir
David MacPherson, and has three sons and two daughters.
* * * * *
=Carrier, Charles William=, Manufacturer, Lévis, province of Quebec, was
born at St. Henri de Lauzon, county Lévis, on the 20th January, 1839. He
was one of the first pupils of the College of Lévis, having entered that
institution in the year it was founded. He went through the usual course
of studies, and showed himself one of the brightest pupils of the
school. In 1855 he took a situation as clerk in the commercial house of
L. & A. Carrier, where he remained six years, gaining the highest step
in the ladder by hard work, integrity, and attention to business. In
1861 he opened a store on his own account, and in a few years was at the
head of an extensive business. In the year 1864, a young mechanic, of
Lévis, Mr. Lainé, asked Mr. Carrier to give him the help of his
experience and money to establish an iron foundry in Lévis. Many a less
enterprising or more timid man would have refused, under the specious
plea that he was doing a prosperous business, and could see no reason
why he should abandon a sure trade to embark into a risky undertaking.
Not so with Mr. Carrier; he saw at a glance that the enterprise had a
good chance of success, would be the means of giving employment to a
large number of people, and enthusiastically concentrated all his skill
and interest in the advancement of the town of Lévis. Time amply proved
that he was right in his surmises. In 1872, eight years after its
foundation, the small foundry had grown up to the immense
“Carrier-Lainé” works, known all over the country. In this undertaking
Mr. Carrier gave the full measure of his capabilities as a business man
and manager. When he thought of establishing this new industry the
building of wooden ships, which had been almost the sole support of the
working population, was in the wane, so much so, in fact, that the
question was anxiously asked how the deserted ship-yards were to be
again put in operation, and what would be the outcome of the enforced
idleness of willing workers. Mr. Carrier came just in time to raise the
courage of the inhabitants of Lévis and put new life into trade. He had
to create and organize everything. After twenty years of ceaseless toil
he has succeeded in gathering as good a gang of iron workers as can be
found in the province, and to-day the Carrier-Lainé works are among the
first in the Dominion in extent, perfected machinery, and finish and
solidity of work. Besides making a financial success of his enterprise,
Mr. Carrier has earned the gratitude of his countrymen, for having
opened the doors of his works to the aspiring youth desirous to learn.
In a country where industrial schools are in an embryo state, it is
opportune to recall to the memory of those who will come after us the
name of the man who was the first to open new avenues to the young
generation. The Carrier-Lainé workshop has been a nursery from which
have issued mechanics of all kinds, who are eagerly sought after in all
the great centres of industry. How many families owe the future of their
children to this good man? Mr. Carrier was beloved by his employees,
chiefly on account of the interest he took in their welfare. For each
and every one of them he had a word of encouragement or a good advice.
Unlike the majority of employers who have become wealthy, he knew and
instinctively felt that a little consideration to an employee at the
right time is never out of place. In times of depression he never closed
his works, even temporarily. “Profits are not large these times,” he
would say, “but my workmen earn a living, and I am glad of it.” Such an
example might be advantageously followed in many quarters. In the midst
of his numerous occupations, Mr. Carrier found time to devote himself to
everything tending to better the condition of the working classes. He
was one of the founders of the Permanent Building Society of Lévis, and
of the Loan and Investment Society of Quebec, having been a director of
the latter company from its foundation until his death. Since 1870 he
held a seat in the Council of Arts and Manufactures, over which he
presided for two years. He devoted both his time and wealth to acts of
charity and works of public interest. In 1882 he gave the town of Lévis
a bronze statue of its founder, which is erected in Deziel square, and
the municipal authorities have had the name of the generous donor
engraved on the pedestal of the monument. Worn out by incessant labour,
Mr. Carrier went to California to improve his health, but after a few
months sojourn in that country he returned to his home, where he died on
the 18th of September, 1887. In 1864 Mr. Carrier was married to
Henriette Camille, the only daughter of Louis Carrier, who was the first
mayor of Lévis, and occupied that position for seven consecutive years.
* * * * *
=Sedgewick, Robert=, Q.C., Barrister, Halifax, Nova Scotia, is a
Scotchman by birth, having been born in Aberdeen on the 10th May, 1848.
His father, the Rev. Robert Sedgewick, D.D., was born in Paisley,
Scotland, was a minister of the United Presbyterian church, and for
several years pastor of the U. P. Belmont street Church, Aberdeen. In
1849 he came to Nova Scotia, and was inducted as the minister of the
congregation of Musquodoboit, where he died in 1885. His wife was Anne
Middleton, a native of Perth, Scotland. The Rev. Dr. Sedgewick was the
author of several works, which at the time of their publication
attracted considerable attention; among others, that on “The Proper
Sphere and Influence of Women in Christian Society;” “Amusements for
Youth,” and “The Papacy: the Idolatry of Rome.” His eldest son, the Rev.
Thomas Sedgewick, of Tatamagouche, N.S., a graduate of King’s College,
Aberdeen, was, in the year 1886, the moderator of the Synod of the
Presbyterian church in the Maritime provinces, and is a leading member
of that communion. Robert Sedgewick entered as an undergraduate at
Dalhousie College, Halifax, N.S., in November, 1863, where he obtained
the degree of B.A. in May, 1867. In 1868, he commenced the study of the
law in the office of the late John Sandfield Macdonald, premier of
Ontario, at Cornwall, and in November, 1872, he was called to the bar of
Ontario. He was admitted by Act of Parliament to the bar of Nova Scotia
in May, 1873, in which province he has since practised his profession.
In 1880 he was made a Queen’s counsel by the Dominion government. In
1885 he was appointed and now holds the office of recorder of the city
of Halifax. In 1874 he unsuccessfully contested the county of Halifax in
the Conservative interest for the local legislature. He was for four
years an alderman of the city of Halifax, and for two terms he was a
commissioner of schools for the same city. He was for several years
president of the Alumni Association of Dalhousie College, and is now a
governor of that university. He is also lecturer on Equity-Jurisprudence
in connection with the Dalhousie Law School. In 1886 he was
vice-president of the Nova Scotia Barristers’ Society, and he is now a
member of its council. He was for some years secretary of the North
British Society and was eventually its president. Mr. Sedgewick is a
Presbyterian in religion and a Liberal-Conservative in politics. He is
at present the senior member of the legal firm of Sedgewick, Ross, and
Sedgewick, Halifax, N.S. In 1873 he married Mary Sutherland Mackay,
eldest daughter of the late William Mackay, of Halifax, N.S.
* * * * *
=Sangster, Charles=, Kingston, Ontario, was born 16th July, 1822, at the
Navy Yard, Point Frederick, Kingston. His father, who was a shipwright
at a naval station on one of the upper lakes, died before his son was
two years old. Mr. Sangster’s education was limited, so much so, indeed,
that had he not studied zealously when he reached man’s estate, we could
not probably now have included his name among our Canadian celebrities.
At the age of fifteen he left school to seek employment, that he might
aid in supporting his mother, and was received in the laboratory of Fort
Henry during the rebellion of 1838. For ten years after this date he
filled a humble position in the Ordnance office, Kingston. In 1849,
seeing no prospect of promotion, he resigned and went to Amherstburg,
where he edited the _Courier_ until the death of its publisher, which
event occurred in the following year. He then returned to Kingston, and
filled the position of sub-editor of the _Whig_, which office he held
till 1861, when he resigned. In 1864 he joined the staff of reporters
for the _Daily News_, and in 1867 again resigned his post to enter the
civil service at Ottawa. Through his writings, years ago, he established
his claim to a place in the front rank of Canadian poets. In 1856 he
published “The St. Lawrence and the Saguenay, and other poems.” Of this
work, Mrs. Susanna Moodie says: “If the world receives them with as much
pleasure as they have been read by me, your name will rank high among
the gifted sons of song. If a native of Canada, she may well be proud of
her bard, who has sung in such lofty strains the natural beauties of his
native land;” while the London _National Magazine_ remarks: “Well may
the Canadians be proud of such contributions to their infant literature;
well may they be forward to recognize his lively imagination, his bold
style, and the fulness of his imagery. . . . There is much of the spirit
of Wordsworth in this writer, only the tone is religious instead of
being philosophical. . . . In some sort, and according to his degree, he
may be regarded as the Wordsworth of Canada.” In 1860 he published
“Hesperus, and other poems and lyrics.” In “Hesperus,” a legend of the
stars, it is said: “The poet essays a lofty flight.” Why not? How
otherwise could he obtain a firm grasp of his subject, a matter too
little thought of by many of our poets who bring the accessories so
prominently forward that the subject is in danger of being utterly
eclipsed? Even so is it with this poem, “Hesperus.” Though Mr. Sangster
took a high flight, aye, even to the stars, to grasp his subject—and
though he may have grasped it in his own mind, he has failed to
delineate it clearly. We think in writing this poem, Mr. Sangster has
been unduly swayed by some critic who was in love with the misty style
of verse-writing so popular at the present day, which is considered most
beautiful when most incomprehensible, as he does not often err in this
way. It would be well if the young aspirant for the laurel-wreath would
remember that poetic words thrown together promiscuously, or even with
some attempt at form; aye, even with a perfect lyrical ring, will not
make poetry, any more than a number of lovely tints, all in perfect
harmony, thrown upon canvas will make a picture. There must be form as
well as harmony of color, and the subject must stand boldly out from the
accessories. We like much of Mr. Sangster’s writing; besides being good
descriptive verse, it recalls pleasant scenes, illustrative of the
simple amusements of the earlier settlers of our country, when there
were no lectures, concerts, etc., and folk spent their evenings at home,
or at little rustic gatherings, such as described by our poet in the
“Happy Harvesters.” We quote the following:—
From hand to hand the ripened fruit went round,
And rural sports a pleased acceptance found;
The youthful fiddler, on his three-legged stool,
Fancied himself, at least, an Ole Bull;
Some easy bumpkin, seated on the floor,
Hunted the slipper till his ribs were sore;
Some chose the graceful waltz, or lively reel,
While deeper heads the chess-battalions wheel.
. . . . . .
Old grey-beards felt the glow of youth revive,
Old matrons smiled upon the human hive;
Where life’s rare nectar, fit for gods to sip,
In forfeit-kisses, passed from lip to lip.
We were once witnesses of a scene of this description, where an aged,
white-haired son of “Auld Scotia” was called upon to make an osculatory
impress upon the damask cheek of a maiden of sixteen summers, and when
the performance was over, the octogenarian turned to the assembled
multitude and said: “Aye, but isn’t that refreshing.” We do not agree
with the writer of “Life and Times of Sir John A. Macdonald,” when he
says, with ill-advised harshness, that Mr. Sangster’s verse “is not
worth a brass farthing.” In 1856, when Mr. Sangster published his first
volume, Canadian literature was in its infancy; and we have not yet
advanced so far that we can afford to scoff at his unassuming efforts to
aid in a good cause. We think (Mr. Collins to the contrary) that there
is much of Mr. Sangster’s work that is worth a great deal, as all
writing must be that tends to elevate the soul of man; and Mr.
Sangster’s work, however faulty it may be as poetry, is decidedly
elevating. There has in the past been much poetry written that is gross
and sensual; let us turn our backs on that, and foster the pure and
true, until our country has a poetic literature without spot or blemish.
Mr. Sangster has written much good verse in aid of this achievement. His
“Falls of the Chaudière” is very good, and we must do his ungenerous
critic the justice to suppose that he never saw “The Light in the Window
Pane,” or he could not have made such an uncalled-for assertion. We give
the following:—
A joy from my soul’s departed,
A bliss from my heart is flown,
As weary, weary-hearted,
I wander alone, alone;
The night wind sadly sigheth
A withering, wild refrain;
And my heart within me dieth,
For the light in the window-pane.
The stars overhead are shining,
As brightly as e’er they shone,
As heartless, sad, repining,
I wander alone, alone,
A sudden flash comes streaming,
And flickers adown the lane;
But no more for me is gleaming
The light in the window-pane.
The voices that pass me are cheerful,
Men laugh as the night winds moan;
They cannot tell how fearful
’Tis to wander alone, alone;
For them with each night’s returning,
Life singeth its tenderest strain;
Where the beacon of love is burning
The light in the window-pane.
Oh, sorrow, beyond all sorrows,
To which human life is prone;
Without thee, through all the to-morrows
To wander alone, alone!
Oh, dark deserted dwelling,
Where hope like a lamb was slain,
No voice from thy lone wails welling,
No light in thy window-pane!
Pathos is the very soul of poetry, and here we have it in abundance. Who
that has watched, night after night, when home returning, for the “Light
in the Window-pane?”, who will not feel its power when he realizes,
without any strain of imagination that the hand that placed it there is
cold and dead? All is dark in the window-pane, and the darkness of
desolation reigns in the heart of him who returns nightly to that
doubly-desolate home. We cannot realize this and not feel that Mr.
Sangster’s verse is well worthy of the place in Canadian literature that
it has already won.
* * * * *
=de La Bruère, Hon. Pierre Boucher=, St. Hyacinthe, Speaker of the
Legislative Council of the Province of Quebec, was born in St.
Hyacinthe, on the 5th of July, 1837. His father, Pierre Boucher de La
Bruère, a physician, was a descendant of Pierre Boucher, at one time
governor of Three Rivers under the French domination; and his mother was
a descendant of an old French family of noble extraction, H. Boucher de
La Broquerie. The ancestors of Hon. Mr. de La Bruère distinguished
themselves during the war of 1812-13 between England and the United
States, and the latter has still in his possession two flags presented
to the battalion his grandfather, René B. de La Bruère, commanded, by
Princess Charlotte of England, and the medal of Châteauguay, presented
also to his grandfather by Queen Victoria. Mr. de La Bruère received his
education at the College of St. Hyacinthe. In 1870 he was appointed
prothonotary of the Superior Court for the district of St. Hyacinthe,
and held the position until 1875, when he resigned to take the editorial
chair of the _Courier de St. Hyacinthe_. He was one of the chief
promoters of the Dairymen’s Association of the province of Quebec, and
has been its president since its formation. The efforts he made to
advance the interests of this industry in his province have been crowned
with success, as it was amply proved when the association met in annual
meeting at St. Hyacinthe, when the delegates received a right royal
reception at the hands of their president. He was also one of the chief
factors in the establishment of beet root sugar factories in Canada. In
1877 he was called to the Legislative Council of the province of Quebec;
in March, 1882, Hon. Mr. Chapleau made him a member of his cabinet, and
he was appointed Speaker, to which position he was re-appointed in
January, 1887. Hon. Mr. de La Bruère is a lifelong Conservative, and has
never flinched from his allegiance to the party. In his younger days he
belonged to the active militia of Canada, and was lieutenant in the
volunteer corps of St. Hyacinthe. He has written several historical and
political pamphlets, among which may be mentioned “Le Canada sous le
Domination Anglaise,” “Le Saguenay,” “De l’Education,” “L’Existence de
l’homme,” “Le droit de tester,” and “L’Histoire de Saint Hyacinthe.” In
January, 1861, he married Marie Victorine Leclère, daughter of the late
Pierre Edouard Leclère, notary public.
* * * * *
=Fulford, Francis=, D.D., Lord Bishop of Montreal and Metropolitan of
Canada, was born at Sidmouth on the 3rd of June, 1803. He was the second
son of Baldwin Fulford, of Great Fulford, and came of an old English
family who trace back their ancestry for more than six hundred years. He
received the rudiments of his education at Tiverton, and entered Exeter
College, Oxford, in 1821, and in 1824 took his degree of B.A., and was
elected a fellow of his college in the following year. In 1826, at
Norwich cathedral, he was ordained deacon, and priest at Exeter
cathedral on the 22nd of June, 1828. In 1830 he married Mary, daughter
of Andrew Berkeley Drummond, of Cadland, Hants, and the lady Mary,
daughter of John, second earl of Egmont, and sister of the Right
Honorable Spencer Percival, first lord of the treasury, and prime
minister of England, who was murdered by Bellingham in the lobby of the
House of Commons. After filling successive curacies in two parishes,
Francis Fulford became rector of Trowbridge, in Wiltshire, and there
resided from 1832 to 1842, and at the request of the government acted,
for several years, as a magistrate. In 1838 he received his degree of
M.A., and was appointed chaplain to her Royal Highness the late Duchess
of Gloucester. In 1842 he resigned the position of rector of Trowbridge,
and accepted that of Croydon, in Cambridgeshire, where he remained until
1845, when he removed to Mayfair as minister of Curzon chapel. This
appointment he held until selected by Her Majesty as the first bishop of
the new diocese of Montreal. The honorary degree of D.D. was conferred
on him by the University of Oxford, and he was consecrated at
Westminster Abbey on the 25th of July, 1850. On the 12th of September of
the same year he, with his wife, and their son and daughter, arrived in
Canada. At St. John’s he was met by the bishop of Quebec, and a number
of the clergy and laity of Montreal. After divine service had been held
in the parish church at St. Johns, an address of congratulation was
presented by the clergy and churchwardens of the Richelieu district, and
the whole party were hospitably entertained by a prominent layman of the
place. On his arrival at Montreal he was warmly received by the clergy
and laity, who presented several addresses of welcome expressive of an
earnest desire to co-operate with him in his labors for the spread of
the Gospel. On the following Sunday, the 15th September, 1850, the
ceremony of the bishop’s enthronement took place at Christ church, which
thenceforward became the Anglican cathedral of the diocese. On this
occasion the bishop preached a sermon from the text: “Lord, I will
follow Thee whithersoever Thou goest.” It was remarkable for felicity of
language and reverence of style; but especially, says a writer, “for the
preacher’s modest and clear appreciation of the difficult duties of his
office.” On the 11th of October, 1850, the Church Society of the diocese
of Montreal was organized, and on the 10th of October, 1851, an
auxiliary branch of the “Colonial Church and School Society,” of London,
was formed for the district of Montreal, with his lordship as president.
In 1860 he was promoted to the office of Metropolitan of Canada, which
office he filled, with honor to himself and the cause of Christ, until
his death. Bishop Fulford was one of the most self-denying,
large-hearted, broad-minded Christians the record of whose life it has
been our privilege to read. True to the Church of England, he was,
nevertheless, anxious to promote good feeling amongst all denominations.
On his first landing in Montreal, in answer to an address, he made the
following remarks:—“While we are bound to seek, to provide for the
wants of our own people, and I must ever remember my duty to the church
of which I have been appointed a chief pastor and overseer, yet still I
hope to cultivate a spirit of charity to all around me.” With this end
in view he accepted the suggestion that denominational distinctions
should not be perpetuated in the grave, and consecrated the cemetery of
Montreal that was free to all who wished for a resting-place therein.
There came a time when Christ Church, the cathedral church of his
diocese, was so completely demolished by fire that it became necessary
to build a new one, and of this building Bishop Fulford laid the corner
stone on the 21st of May, 1857, and on Advent Sunday, 1859, he preached
the opening sermon. The new cathedral, which those engaged in its
construction had wished “should be beautiful exceedingly,” was, through
the death of the architect and other unforeseen circumstances, burthened
with an oppressive debt, which weighed heavily on the mind of the
bishop, who, in his straightforward old world style, knew of but one way
of liquidating—a way which bishops, clergy and laymen, under similar
circumstances, might adopt to their credit. He moved to a small
dwelling, and laid aside, not only every indulgence, but almost every
convenience. “His new mansion was modest enough, for it was built for
the official residence of the parish school master, and the school rooms
became his salons for the reception of guests,” the whitewashed walls
being decorated with maps, instead of pictures and statuary. Here the
heir presumptive of Great Fulford, and Metropolitan of Canada, with his
delicate, high-bred wife, lived for years, and practised economy so
patiently and self-sacrificingly in order to attain the darling wish of
his heart, namely, to see the cathedral free from debt, that his heroic
example stands forth as a shining light to “lighten the darkness,” not
only of those who give grudgingly but of those who fancy that social
status depends upon the size of the domicile, the costliness of its
decorations, and the silks, satins, and velvets with which they adorn
their bodies, regardless of the fact that nobility is to be found in the
heart and soul of the individual, not in the outside covering. It is
believed he lived to know the pleasure of having the debt liquidated,
and it was from this humble home, prepared for the parish schoolmaster,
that the great and good Bishop Fulford, Metropolitan of Canada, passed
to his eternal rest on the 9th of September, 1868. His remains were
interred in Mount Royal cemetery, Montreal. Near to him lies a member of
the Church of Scotland, and one of the most eminent and highly esteemed
citizens of Montreal, the Honorable Peter McGill, “who loved the English
prelate as one friend loves another,” and was happy to know that in
death he would rest beside him.
* * * * *
=Sturdee, Henry Lawrance=, M.A., Barrister-at-law, Solicitor, etc.,
Mayor of Portland, New Brunswick, was born in St. John, N.B., on the
11th April, 1842. His father, Henry Parker Sturdee, was born in Topsham,
Devonshire, England, and his mother, Emily Lawrance, in London, England.
Mr. Sturdee was educated at private schools in St. John, and at the
Collegiate School, and at King’s College, Fredericton, N.B. He
matriculated there in September, 1858, and in the following year was
awarded the Douglas gold medal. He received the degree of B.A. in June,
1861, and M.A. in June, 1883, in course. He studied law in his native
city with Messrs. Gray and Kaye, barristers; was admitted an
attorney-at-law in June, 1864, and called to the bar in June, 1865. He
has since practised law in St. John. He is one of the referees of the
Supreme Court of New Brunswick, equity side. He takes an interest in
military matters, and is major of the 3rd St. John reserve militia. Mr.
Sturdee resided in St. John until November, 1877, when he removed to the
adjoining city of Portland. In April, 1883, he was elected an alderman
for ward four of Portland, and was re-elected alderman the two following
years. On taking his seat at the council board in that year he was
appointed by the Portland city council to represent ward four of that
city in the municipal council of the city and county of St. John. In
April, 1884, he was elected warden of the municipality of the city and
county of St. John; and in April, 1885, was re-elected warden without
opposition. This office he held until April, 1886, when, having been
elected mayor of Portland, he declined re-nomination as warden. On the
11th April, 1887, he was again chosen mayor of Portland, without
opposition, and this responsible position he still holds. He has been
vestry clerk and treasurer of Trinity Church, St. John (Church of
England), since May, 1871; and secretary-treasurer of the Madras School
Board since September, 1877. He is a vice-president of the St. George’s
Society; and a member of Portland Union Lodge A. F. and A. M., and of
New Brunswick Royal Arch Chapter, St. John. He was married at Christ
Church Cathedral, Fredericton, on the 26th September, 1866, to Jane
Agnes, daughter of the late William R. Fraser, Esq., M.D. (Edinburgh),
of Fredericton, and has a family of three sons and two daughters.
* * * * *
=Hensley, Hon. Joseph=, Charlottetown, Assistant Judge of the Supreme
Court of Judicature, and Vice-Chancellor in the Court of Chancery,
Prince Edward Island, was born on the 12th June, 1824, at Tottenham,
Middlesex, England. He is the second son of the late Hon. Charles
Hensley, who at the time of his death, in 1875, was a commander in the
Royal navy, which service he entered in 1805, and was actively engaged
in it for ten years—1805 to 1815—during the last war with France.
Subsequently he lived in Prince Edward Island, and was a member of the
Legislative and Executive Council there, and treasurer of the province.
The Hon. Joseph Hensley was educated in England by private tuition, and
afterwards at the Hackney Grammar School, Middlesex. In the year 1841 he
came out with his father and family from England to Prince Edward
Island, where he has since resided, and has now been a resident for
upwards of forty-six years. In 1842, he commenced his studies for the
bar in the office of the Hon. Robert Hodgson, then attorney-general of
the island. He was called to the bar in January, 1847, and practised in
Charlottetown from that time until his elevation to the bench, on the
18th June, 1869. Has since sat uninterruptedly as judge of the Supreme
Court and vice-chancellor in Chancery. Judge Hensley has filled the
following public offices under the government of Prince Edward
Island:—In 1851 he was law-clerk to the House of Assembly, and also
solicitor-general; in 1853 and 1854, attorney-general; from July, 1854,
to July, 1858, attorney-general; from March, 1867, to June, 1869,
attorney-general; in 1857, Queen’s counsel by her Majesty’s warrant;
during the years 1853-8 inclusive, member of the Legislative Council;
from 1861 to June, 1869, member of the House of Assembly; in 1868-9,
president of the Executive Council, and leader of the government; from
1853 to 1876, member of the Board of Education; and from 1869 to 1876,
chairman of the Board of Education. He was married on the 8th September,
1853, to Frances Ann Dover Hodgson, only daughter of the late Hon. Sir
Robert Hodgson, knight, formerly attorney-general, afterwards
chief-justice, and, lastly, lieutenant-governor of Prince Edward Island,
who died in 1880. He has had four children, three of whom still survive,
namely: Fanny Louisa Catherine, married to George Macleod, manager, in
Charlottetown, of the Bank of Nova Scotia; Mary Eva; and Katherine
Emily, married to Lieutenant Waldemar D’Arcy Rose, United States navy.
Hon. Joseph Hensley’s residence is in Charlottetown. He is a member of
the Church of England, and has always taken an active part in connection
with the work of various religious societies and associations,
particularly that of the Charlottetown Young Men’s Christian
Association, since its formation, in 1856, filling at various times the
position of its president, etc.
* * * * *
=Barbeau, Henri Jacques=, Montreal, is descended from an old and
distinguished French-Canadian family, allied to the de Noyons and the de
Rainvilles. The first of M. Barbeau’s ancestors to come to Canada was
the Sieur Jean Barbeau-Boisdoré, who was born at St. Vivien-du-Pont,
parish of Xaintes, France, in 1666. Having taken to a military career,
the Sieur Jean joined the troops of the marine, and at the age of twenty
his name appears on the roll of the Sieur de St. Cirque’s company, then
stationed in Canada. This progenitor of the Canadian branch of the
Barbeau family married, at Boucherville, Mdlle. Marie de Noyon, and left
many descendants, who to-day occupy prominent and influential positions
in the Quebec province. Mr. H. J. Barbeau was born at Laprairie in 1832,
of the marriage of Edmund Henry Barbeau, merchant, and Sophie Bourassa,
a daughter of captain Bourassa. His father having died at an early age,
young Barbeau’s education was undertaken by his grandfather, the late
Lieutenant-Colonel Louis Barbeau-Boisdoré, notary, of Laprairie, who
died in 1864, at the ripe age of eighty. Colonel Barbeau-Boisdoré
married Mary Powell, niece of Edmund Henry, who for many years had
control of Colonel Christie’s vast seigneuries in the neighborhood of
Lake Champlain, and afterwards became government agent for the
seigneurie of Laprairie, and notary for the district. This gentleman
inherited the military instincts of his ancestors, and when the war of
1812 broke out, he was among the first to offer his services to the
Canadian government in resisting the invasion of the country. He served
as a lieutenant in the campaigns of 1812-13, and from 1830 to 1840 held
higher commands, dying in 1864 with the rank of lieutenant-colonel. Mr.
H. J. Barbeau, the subject of the present sketch, has almost exclusively
devoted himself to commercial pursuits. He received a good commercial
education, under Mr. H. O’Regan, whom the Jesuit Fathers had made parish
teacher at Laprairie, then under their ecclesiastical supervision. Young
Barbeau commenced his commercial life at Laprairie, where he held a
clerkship, and gave promise of attaining success in business. In 1852 he
came to Montreal, and held responsible positions in several of the
wholesale houses of the city until 1858, when, having acquired the
necessary experience, he went into business for a while on his own
account at St. Hyacinthe. Later on he held positions as insurance agent,
appraiser for the Trust and Loan Company, and official assignee. In 1870
he was appointed to the management of a branch of the Merchant’s Bank,
which was then opened for the first time at St. Hyacinthe. Five years
later, the Savings Bank having established a series of branch offices in
Montreal, Mr. Barbeau was offered the management of one of them, a
position which he accepted and held till 1879, when he was called to
succeed his brother, Mr. E. J. Barbeau, as general manager of the
Montreal City and District Savings Bank. Mr. E. J. Barbeau, it may be
said, was for thirty years the able manager of the Savings Bank, and now
retired, to be succeeded by the subject of this sketch. In this new
position of responsibility as a banker, Mr. Barbeau has evinced the same
judgment, prudence and foresight which has always characterised his own
business transactions, marked the character of his earlier career, and
won for him success in all his enterprises, with the good opinion of
those with whom he came in contact. In 1859 Mr. Barbeau married
Josephine Varin, daughter of J. B. Varin, notary, and late member for
Laprairie. Eleven children were born of this union, of whom seven
survive. It may here be added, that Mr. Varin, whose high character and
profound legal attainments are well known, married Hermine, daughter of
the late Jean Moïse Raymond, who in his day was a prominent merchant,
and member for l’Assomption, and a grand-daughter of M. Jean Raymond,
for many years member for Laprairie.
* * * * *
=Pope, Percy William Thomas=, Assistant Receiver-General, Charlottetown,
Prince Edward Island, eldest son of the Hon. James Colledge Pope and
Eliza Dalrymple, his wife, was born at Summerside, Prince Edward Island,
on the 8th May, 1856. He was educated at the Prince of Wales College, in
Charlottetown. During his early life he was employed in the management
of large ship-building and fishing industries in the western portion of
the island. In 1882 he emigrated to the North-West Territories, and was
one of the earliest settlers who located upon the site of the present
town of Regina, the capital of Assiniboia. After the advent of the
Canada Pacific Railroad, he engaged in the lumber business, importing
the first manufactured lumber ever brought into that district. When, in
the fall of 1882, the growth of the town rendered some form of civic
organization desirable, he was elected one of three commissioners to
represent the settlers’ interests. Mr. Pope remained there until the
summer of 1883, when the position of assistant receiver-general,
Charlottetown, rendered vacant by the retirement of the Hon. Joseph
Pope, was offered to him by the government. This office he accepted,
returned to his native island, and has since resided in Charlottetown.
In religion, he is a member of the Church of England. In politics, a
Conservative. He was married on the 15th day of April, 1882, to Mary
Louise, second daughter of John Macgowan, by whom he has issue a son and
two daughters.
* * * * *
=Sullivan, Hon. William Wilfrid=, Charlottetown, Premier and
Attorney-General of Prince Edward Island, and a member of the Provincial
Parliament for the second district of Kings county, was born at New
London, Prince Edward Island, on the 6th of December, 1843. His parents,
William Sullivan and Mary McCarthy, both now deceased, were natives of
the county Kerry, Ireland. Hon. Mr. Sullivan was educated at the Central
Academy and St. Dunstan’s College, Charlottetown. He studied law with
the Hon. Joseph Hensley, then attorney-general, and now one of the
judges of the Supreme Court of Prince Edward Island. He was called to
the bar of Prince Edward Island in Trinity Term, 1867, and became a
partner of his preceptor, holding that connection until Mr. Hensley was
appointed to the Supreme Court bench two years later. No client ever
suffers at the hands of Mr. Sullivan for the want of close application
to his cause. Possessed of much coolness, clear judgment and sterling
good sense, and being candid and logical in his arguments, Mr. Sullivan
never fails to make admirable points, or to favorably impress bench and
jury. We learn from the “Historical Illustrated Atlas of Prince Edward
Island” that Mr. Sullivan was appointed a Queen’s counsel by the
government of Prince Edward Island in June, 1876, and by his excellency
the governor-general of Canada, under letters-patent, on the 19th May,
1879; that he was one of the counsel for the government in the interests
of the tenants before the Land Commissioners’ Court under “The Land
Purchase Act, 1875.” Hon. Mr. Sullivan is head of the extensive law firm
of Sullivan & Macneill, who do business in all the courts of the
province and the Supreme Court of the Dominion; is a deputy judge of the
Admiralty Court, and a notary public, and is president of the Board of
Education; president of the Board of Trustees of the Prince Edward
Island Hospital for the Insane, and a director of the Merchants’ Bank of
Prince Edward Island, and a local director of the Canada Life Assurance
Company. He first entered public life in 1872, when he was elected to
represent the first district of Kings county. He was returned for his
present seat at the general election in April, 1873, and again, by
acclamation, the following month on being appointed to office. He was
re-elected at the general elections of 1876, 1879, 1882, and again at
the last general election, 1886. He was a member of the Executive
Council from 22nd of April to June, 1872, when he resigned; was
appointed to the Executive Council, with the office of
solicitor-general, on the formation of the Pope administration, 18th
April, 1873; resigned his seat in the Executive Council upon the
resignation of the Conservative government, on the 4th of September,
1876; and was unanimously elected leader of the opposition at the
meeting of the legislature on the 14th of March, 1877. On the 1st of
March, 1879, Mr. Sullivan moved, in the House of Assembly, a resolution
of non-confidence in the government, which, after a long and animated
debate, was carried by a vote of nineteen to ten on the 6th of March,
and the administration resigned the following day. Our subject was then
invited by the lieutenant-governor, Sir Robert Hodgson, to form a
government, and take the position of premier. He succeeded in forming an
administration, and the government were sworn in on the 11th of March,
1879. He was elected leader of the government by the unanimous vote of
his party in both branches of the legislature, and was appointed
attorney and advocate general, and president of the Executive Council on
the formation of the administration, which positions he has held
continuously ever since. The House of Assembly was dissolved and a
general election held on the 9th of April, 1879, when the government
were sustained by a majority of twenty-six to four, being the largest
support ever accorded to any administration in the island. Among other
acts, Hon. Mr. Sullivan was chiefly instrumental in securing branch
lines of railway to Souris and Tignish in 1872; assisted in carrying
through the Island legislature terms of confederation in 1873; assisted
in passing The Land Purchase Act, 1875, and other acts on the same
subject in 1876; introduced and carried through the legislature An Act
for Abolishing Imprisonment for Debt, in 1879, and The Jury Act, 1880,
which provides for the trial of all civil cases by seven instead of
twelve jurors, as well as many other measures of law reform, and acts
for the general benefit of the province. The Hon. Mr. Sullivan has been,
on several occasions, a delegate to Ottawa, on public business; and, in
1886, was a delegate to London, to lay before the Imperial government
the case of Prince Edward Island, concerning the non-fulfilment of the
terms of confederation, with regard to continuous steam communication
between that province and the mainland of Canada. He declined a
nomination for the House of Commons at the general elections in
February, 1887. Hon. Mr. Sullivan has been premier for a longer period
than any of his predecessors. As a leader he matures his measures
thoroughly before submitting them to the house, hence his success in
that position; his industry is unwearied; he clings with the utmost
tenacity to the cause which he advocates, and never trusts the discharge
of any parliamentary duty devolving upon himself to another. He is a
thorough master of the English language, and speaks with exactness and
precision. He is also extremely cautious, and takes good care not to get
his party (the Conservatives) into deep water. Having a strong and
determined will, once convinced that he is right, he pushes forward,
with unflinching perseverance, and success almost invariably crowns his
efforts. He was married at Charlottetown, on the 13th of August, 1872,
to Alice Maude Mary, third daughter of John Fenton Newbery, B.A., of
Oxford, and formerly of London, England, and Siena, Italy, and they have
six children. The family are members of the Roman Catholic church. Their
residence, “Brighton Villa,” adjoining Charlottetown, is a beautiful
place.
* * * * *
=Boire, Louis Henri Napoleon=, Manager of the Three Rivers Branch of the
Banque d’Hochelaga, was born on the 17th of February, 1850, in the
parish of St. Philippe, county of Laprairie, province of Quebec, of
well-to-do parents. After attending for five or six years the country
school of the place of his birth, he entered, at the age of twelve, the
Montreal College, where he remained three years, after which he became a
scholar in the Jacques Cartier Normal School in Montreal, where he
followed the whole course of studies with a decided and marked success.
Later on, in May, 1869, he was admitted to the study of medicine, but
gave it up to enter on a business career; and for this purpose he became
a student in the Montreal Business College, and after a few months he
graduated from this institution. The following years, of which a few
months were passed in Manitoba, he was employed as accountant or
bookkeeper in Montreal mercantile houses, when, in September, 1874, he
was appointed accountant in the Joliette branch of the Banque
d’Hochelaga, and six months later, in March, 1875, he was made manager
of the same branch. Here he remained until February, 1885, and was then
appointed manager of the Three Rivers branch of the same bank, and in
that town he has resided since. He was married in January, 1876, to M.
Lea Cornellier, of Joliette, P.Q., daughter of the late E. Cornellier, a
retired merchant.
* * * * *
=Wade, Edward Harper=, Quebec, was born in 1846, in what was formerly
known as “the good old town of Liverpool.” His father, Samuel Mosley
Wade, and his grandfather, Samuel Wade, were long engaged as brokers in
the cotton trade of that port, and his mother was a daughter of the late
Richard Harper, of Low Hill, Liverpool. He received his commercial
training in the office of Sharples, Jones & Co., who then carried on a
large wholesale importing business in Quebec timber in connection with
their Canadian house. His father having been lost at sea in the _Royal
Charter_, when returning from a visit to Australia, he was apprenticed
to the firm named, by his uncle and guardian, the late Thomas Wilson, a
well-known Liverpool shipbuilder. Indentures were drawn up in the good
old-fashioned style, binding the apprentice to five years’ service in
consideration of being taught the trade and business of a timber
merchant. This engagement was faithfully carried out on both sides, and
every opportunity given for the acquisition of such knowledge of all
timber mysteries as the Canada Dock Quay, or the town office of the
firm, afforded; and the lesson of straightforward and truthful dealing
and liberal fulfilment of all business obligations and promises was duly
inculcated. After the expiration of the term named he remained three
years with the firm, and was then transferred to the Quebec office of C.
& J. Sharples & Co. The Quebec firm became John Sharples, Sons & Co.,
and the Liverpool house Henry Sharples, Son & Co., and all the senior
partners had passed away before he left the employ at the end of 1877,
having for several previous years travelled on contracting business in
all parts of the United Kingdom, but especially in Ireland and North
Wales, districts then largely importing Quebec goods. At that time this
portion of the business seldom fell into such young hands, but the high
standing and careful shipments of the firm served the young salesman
well, and enabled him to continue and extend the connection of the house
in the districts specially left to his care. Many little ports that are
now entirely or almost altogether supplied from larger centres at that
time imported several Quebec timber cargoes each year, and districts
which now consume little besides pitch pine, spruce deals and Baltic
goods were good customers for Canadian white pine, then commonly called
yellow pine. At the end of 1877 he entered into business arrangements
with the old and well-known Quebec firm of Roberts, Smith & Co. The
parting between Messrs. Sharples and himself was characterized by the
greatest good feeling on both sides, and the long connection left behind
it a warm friendship that has never been disturbed in the slightest
degree, even during the keen competition of the most trying selling
seasons. His respect and esteem for all members of the family have
always been strongly expressed, and their kindly feeling towards him has
remained unchanged. For three years he continued as salesman with
Roberts, Smith & Co., with a percentage on the profits of the business;
and on Mr. Joseph Roberts retiring in 1880, he was taken into
partnership by Mr. R. H. Smith, and the firm was continued under the
style of Smith, Wade & Co. Taught by the sound judgment and thorough
practical knowledge of timber and its classification and by the long
experience of all points connected with Quebec contracting possessed by
Mr. Roberts, and instructed in sound principles of finance, banking, and
details of management by Mr. Smith, whose qualifications in this respect
are so well known, the subject of our sketch obtained a thorough insight
into the working of a Quebec shipping business as it should be carried
on. Under such training it is not strange that he has established a
character for reliability, that with him a promise is as faithfully
carried out as a contract, and the spirit as well as the letter of the
agreement always kept. For many years Mr. Roberts and Mr. Smith had
entire charge of the Canadian supply to the English dockyards under
admiralty contracts through Messrs. Chapman, of London. This was a most
important business, including the annual supply of many large masts and
spars of considerable value, such as are now only obtained from the
Pacific coast. Mr. R. H. Smith retired at the end of last year, and Mr.
H. T. Walcot, for nine years past a member of the firm of John Burstall
& Co., has joined Mr. Wade in carrying on the business, under the same
style, with the same staff, and upon the same lines. Shortly after his
arrival in Canada, and during a political riot, Mr. Wade had a narrow
escape with his life in rescuing from an infuriated mob an unfortunate
man who, but for his interference, would probably have been killed.
Except in such extreme cases he is an advocate of non-intervention, and
of letting people manage their own affairs in their own way. The
Canadian system of home rule is, in his opinion, the perfection of
government. Although a firm believer in free trade, he readily admits
that sometimes there are more important questions than any connected
with the tariff, and believes it is essential to keep in power the best
men in the country. Apart from his energy, enterprise, and thorough
knowledge of that portion of the trade of which he is a worthy
representative, much of Mr. Wade’s success is doubtless due to the
genial and courteous manner which characterizes his intercourse with all
sorts and conditions of men, and which has been the means of securing
him hosts of friends and well-wishers. Mr. Wade was married in 1874 to
Margaret, eldest daughter of John Simons, of Quebec, by whom he has five
children.
* * * * *
=Blanchet, Hon. Jean=, Q.C., Quebec, M.P.P. for the County of Beauce,
was born in February, 1843, in St. François, county of Beauce, and is a
descendant of one of the oldest settlers in La Nouvelle France. He is
the son of C. Blanchet, N.P., of St. François de la Beauce, and a nephew
of the Right Rev. Mgrs. Blanchet, bishops of Oregon and Vancouver
respectively, whom we may truly call the pioneer apostles of
evangelisation in British Columbia. This country is under a heavy debt
of gratitude to the reverend prelates for the detailed descriptions and
quaint narratives of their early travels in that far-off part of the
Dominion, and the historian of the future will find an inexhaustible
supply of materials in their memoirs. The subject of our sketch was
educated at the College of Nicolet, and at the termination of his
classical course of studies entered Laval University to follow the law
course of that institution, attending the office of Bossé and Bossé at
the same time. On the 3rd of October, 1863, he was admitted to the bar
of Lower Canada, and in 1876 was appointed a Queen’s counsel by the
government of the province of Quebec, and re-appointed as such by the
Dominion Government, on the 11th October, 1880, it having been decided
by the courts of law that the appointment of Queen’s counsels was _ultra
vires_ of the provincial legislatures, and rested solely with the
federal authorities. He is a member of the council of the bar, Quebec
section. On his first presenting himself for parliamentary honours in
his native county, at the general election of 1872, he was unsuccessful.
In November, 1881, he, however, was elected by acclamation, and was
sworn in as a member of the executive council on the 31st July, 1882,
taking the portfolio of provincial secretary in the Mousseau
administration. In 1884, he was again appointed to the same office,
under the Ross administration, and accepted the same portfolio in
January, 1887, under the Hon. L. O. Taillon, who resigned in the same
month. He has been elected at the general election of 1886 by 187
majority. Hon. Mr. Blanchet is an honorary member of several societies.
Among others, may be mentioned L’Athénée Louisianais, the Historical
Society of Montreal, and the Geographical Society of Bordeaux, France;
he is also president of the Asbestos Mining and Manufacturing Company of
Canada, and the Artisans’ Permanent Building Society. In politics Hon.
Mr. Blanchet is a Liberal-Conservative, and resides in Quebec, enjoying
an extensive _clientèle_ in Quebec, Beauce, and Montmagny. He is a
member of the law firm of Blanchet, Drouin and Dionne. He married on the
5th of August, 1878, Jeanie, daughter of General S. Seymour, of Albany,
late state engineer of the state of New York, by whom he has issue two
children, one son and one daughter.
* * * * *
=Phillips, Rev. Caleb Thaddeus=, Minister of the Free Baptist Church,
Woodstock, New Brunswick, was born at Wakefield, county of Carleton,
N.B., on the 7th June, 1841. His father was Cornelius Ackerman Phillips,
whose grandfather was one of the U. E. Loyalists; and his mother Frances
Stevens, daughter of John Stevens and Mary Ackermann, and grand-daughter
of Colonel Lawrence, a noted officer in the British army during the
revolutionary war. Rev. Mr. Phillips received his education in his
native parish and at Acadia College, Wolfville. He afterwards entered
the ministry, and was for fourteen years in charge of the Sussex
pastorate, in Kings county. Upon his resignation he was presented with a
gold watch and an address from the citizens, and in 1884 took charge of
the Free Baptist Church in Woodstock, N.B., of which he is the present
pastor. He takes a deep interest in the temperance reform, and is a hard
worker for the advancement of the Master’s kingdom on earth. He belongs
to the fraternity of Freemasons, and is a member of Woodstock lodge. On
the 8th October, 1870, he was married to Georgia, daughter of the Rev.
Cyriac Cyrell Doucette, and has a family of four children.
* * * * *
=Jetté, Hon. Louis A.=, LL.D., Montreal, Judge of the Superior Court,
was born at L’Assomption, province of Quebec, on the 15th January, 1836.
His father was Amable Jetté, merchant, whose ancestors came to Canada
from near Tours, in France, in the sixteenth or seventeenth century. His
mother, Caroline Gauffreau, was also of French descent. Her grandfather
was a planter in St. Domingo when that island was under French rule, but
left during some political troubles, and came to Canada. Judge Jetté,
the subject of our sketch, received his literary education at
L’Assomption College, and afterwards studied law (first) with Pelletier
& Belanger, barristers, and afterwards with David & Ramsay, barristers.
He was called to the bar in February, 1857. He practised his profession
in Montreal from that date until he was appointed to the bench, on 2nd
September, 1878. While at the bar Hon. Mr. Jetté greatly distinguished
himself; and in the celebrated Guibord case he won an almost world-wide
reputation for legal ability. In an extended review of the case, the
_Belgique Judiciaire_, of Belgium, Europe, thus spoke of him, quoting
largely from his pleading: “This speech, like all the pleadings of Mr.
Jetté, has a tone remarkable for sincerity and loyalty. Mr. Jetté
appears to us, moreover, to be an advocate of great merit, who must hold
the front rank at every bar where he has a great cause to plead. * * *
Voltaire, hearing the speech of Mr. Jetté, at Montreal, would find
himself more comfortable than at the Court of Appeals at Paris, or in
the Legislative Assembly at Versailles.” At one period of his life Judge
Jetté was greatly interested in politics, and was a pronounced Liberal.
At the general election in 1872 he contested Montreal East, and
succeeded in beating the late Sir George E. Cartier, baronet, the then
great statesman and leading Conservative in the province of Quebec,
having polled the unprecedented majority of twelve hundred votes. This
great triumph produced at the time great enthusiasm among the judge’s
_confrères_. At the general election held in 1874, he was re-elected by
acclamation; served through the session of the House of Commons at
Ottawa in 1878, and in the spring of that year was offered a seat in the
cabinet of the Hon. Alexander Mackenzie, who then held the reins of
government. But he declined the proffered honor, having decided to
retire from political life. In the summer of 1878 he visited Europe, and
while in Paris he received, by telegram, the information that he had
been appointed to a seat on the bench of the Superior Court of his
native province, and requesting his immediate return. Since his
elevation to the bench he has fully realized the most sanguine
expectations of his friends, and no judge in the province is more
respected than he. Amongst the important cases he has been called to
decide, since his appointment to the bench, we may mention: 1st. the
liberation from the lunatic asylum of Mrs. Lynam, a poor unfortunate
woman who had been kept there for nearly two years, a case which, three
or four years ago, attracted the attention of everyone in the Dominion,
and led to an investigation by the provincial government in the
management of those institutions; 2nd. the Laramée and Evans case, where
he stated, in a most exhaustive judgment, the law of the province on the
subject of marriage, a judgment which was deemed so important that, on
motion of Hon. E. Blake, a copy of it was laid on the table of the House
of Commons; 3rd. the case of Dobie and the Board of Temporalities of the
Presbyterian church; 4th. the case of Lambe vs. the Insurance Companies,
for the recovery of the tax imposed on those companies by the provincial
government of Quebec, where he maintained the constitutionality of the
provincial law, being confirmed in that view by her Majesty’s Privy
Council. Judge Jetté is a corresponding member of _La Société de
Legislation Comparée de Paris_; and is also a corresponding editor of
the _Revue de Droit International_ of Ghent, Belgium. He received the
honorary degree of LL.D. from Laval University, Quebec, in 1878, and is
professor of law in the Montreal branch of the same celebrated
institution of learning. In 1862 he married Berthe Laflamme, daughter of
the late Toussaint Laflamme, merchant, Montreal, and sister of Hon. R.
Laflamme, minister of justice in the Mackenzie government.
* * * * *
=McLellan, Hon. David=, Lumber Merchant, Indiantown, M.P.P. for St. John
city and county, New Brunswick, was born in Portland, N.B., on the 20th
of January, 1839. His father, David McLellan, was by trade a
shipbuilder, emigrated from Kelton, Dumfriesshire, Scotland, and settled
in the Maritime provinces many years ago. His mother, Mary Knight, was a
descendant of a Quaker family in Pennsylvania, United States. Mr.
McLellan received his education chiefly in a commercial and mathematical
school in St. John, taught by William Mills, and acquired a good mental
outfit with which to begin life. After leaving school he commenced
business as a surveyor and dealer in lumber, and is now the senior
member of the firm of McLellan & Holly, doing a large trade in lumber in
the rough, handling over 60,000,000 superficial feet of logs annually.
He entered political life in 1878, and at the general election of that
year was elected to represent the city and county of St. John, in the
New Brunswick legislature. He again, at the general election held in
1882, presented himself for re-election, and was returned by his old
constituency. On the 28th July, 1883, he was sworn in a member of the
Executive Council, and was appointed provincial secretary in the Blair
administration, in place of the late Hon. Wm. Elder. His acceptance of
office necessitated another appeal to the electors, and he was again
elected. At the general election held in 1886 he was once more chosen by
a large majority. Hon. Mr. McLellan is president of the Board of
Agriculture for the province of New Brunswick. He is a Freemason, and
also belongs to the fraternity of Oddfellows. In politics he is a
pronounced Reformer; and in religion, an adherent of the Baptist church.
In December, 1864, he was married to Fanny B. Richards, daughter of
Henry Richards, of St. John, N.B., and has had a family of four
children—two sons and two daughters, one of the boys died in infancy.
* * * * *
=Taschereau, Hon. Henri Elzéar=, Judge of the Supreme Court, Ottawa, was
born at the Seignorial Manor house, Ste. Marie de la Beauce, county of
Beauce, province of Quebec, on the 7th of October, 1836. He is the
eldest son of the late Pierre Elzéar Taschereau, and a near relative to
Cardinal Taschereau. His father was, prior to the union of the
provinces, for many years a member of the Legislative Assembly of Lower
Canada, and after the union he was also a representative in the
parliament of the united provinces. He had married Catherine Hénédine, a
daughter of the late Hon. Amable Dionne, who was also at one time a
member of the Legislative Council. The founder of the family, Thomas
Jacques Taschereau, settled in the province of Quebec several years
before the conquest. Many members of the Taschereau family have achieved
high distinction in Canada, no less than seven of its members having
occupied seats on the judicial bench. The subject of our sketch was sent
to the Quebec Seminary, and after completing his classical studies,
studied law in the office of his cousin, the Hon. Jean Thomas
Taschereau, one of the most eminent lawyers of the province of Quebec,
who was appointed a puisné judge of the Supreme Court of the Dominion on
its formation in 1875, and was superannuated some years ago. In October,
1857, Mr. Taschereau was called to the bar of Lower Canada, and formed a
partnership with his cousin, the eminent jurist above mentioned, and
they practised their profession at Quebec. He soon gained a high
reputation as a lawyer, and subsequently entered into partnership with
William Duval and Jean Blanchet, who afterwards became speaker of the
Legislative Assembly of Quebec, and of the House of Commons at Ottawa.
In 1861, he was elected to the Legislative Assembly for the county of
Beauce, and continued to represent that constituency until
confederation, when, at the general election of 1867, he was
unsuccessful as a candidate for the House of Commons. During that year
he was made a Queen’s counsel, and the following year he was appointed
clerk of the peace for the district of Quebec, a position which he held
only three days, resigning at the end of that time on account of a
misunderstanding with the government. He then devoted himself to
professional pursuits, and on the 12th of January, 1871, he was
appointed a puisné judge of the Superior Court of the province of
Quebec, and held that position until the 7th of October, 1878, when he
was elevated to his present position of a judge of the Supreme Court of
the Dominion. As a law writer, Judge Taschereau is an authority, he
having written several important works, among which we may mention “The
Criminal Law Consolidation and Amendment Acts of 1869, 32-33 Vict., for
the Dominion of Canada, as amended and in force on the 1st November,
1874, in the provinces of Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick,
Manitoba, and on the 1st of June, 1875, in British Columbia, with Notes,
Commentaries, Precedents of Indictments,” etc., etc., in two volumes,
the first of which was published in Montreal in 1874, and contains 796
pages. The second volume, containing 556 pages, was published in Toronto
in 1875. Both volumes display much erudition, and have been highly
commended by competent legal authorities, among others by C. S. Greaves,
an English Queen’s counsel, and one of the most eminent contemporary
writers on English jurisprudence. “Le Code de Procédure Civile du
Bas-Canada, avec annotations” was published in 1876, and also received
high commendation from legal critics. The Hon. Judge Taschereau married,
on the 27th of May, 1857, Marie Antoinette de Lotbinière Harwood, a
daughter of the Hon. R. U. de Lotbinière Harwood, a member of the
Legislative Council of Quebec, and seigneur of Vaudreuil, near Montreal.
Mrs. Taschereau is a sister of Lieut.-Col. de Lotbinière Harwood. They
have a family of five children, two sons and three daughters. Hon. Judge
Taschereau has his residence in Ottawa, and is joint proprietor of the
seigniory of Ste. Marie de la Beauce, conceded to his great-grandfather
in the year 1726.
* * * * *
=Williams, Right Rev. James W.=, D.D., Bishop of Quebec, was born in the
town of Overton, Hampshire, England, on the 15th September, 1825, and
was brought up in that neighbourhood. He is the son of the Rev. David
Williams, for many years rector of Baughurst, Hampshire. He was educated
by his father at home, at the Grammar School, Crewkerne, Somerset, and
at Pembroke College, Oxford. In 1851 he graduated as B.A., taking
honours in classics, and in due course obtained his degree of M.A. and
D.D. The Lord Bishop of Oxford admitted him to deacon’s orders, and in
1856 he was ordained priest by the Lord Bishop of Bath and Wells. He
held curacies for a short time in Buckinghamshire and Somersetshire. His
classical attainments were of more than average excellence. For two
years he was assistant master in Leamington College. In 1857, whilst
curate of Huish-Champflower, he was chosen to organize a school in
connection with Bishop’s College, Lennoxville, Quebec. He held the
office of rector of the College Grammar School, together with that of
professor of belles-lettres in the university, until his elevation to
the episcopacy. Upon the death of the late Right Rev. George Jehosaphat
Mountain, Bishop of Quebec, in 1863, Rev. Mr. Williams was chosen by the
synod to succeed him, and on the 11th of June, of the same year, he was
consecrated at Quebec by the Most Reverend the Metropolitan, assisted by
the bishops of Toronto, Ontario, Huron and Vermont. His first episcopal
act was to advance three deacons to the priesthood. The See of Quebec,
over which the bishop’s jurisdiction extends, was constituted in 1863,
and formerly comprised the whole of Upper and Lower Canada. Owing to
various causes, and mainly to the increase in the population and growth
of the Church of England its extent has been curtailed from time to time
until it was confined to that part of the province of Quebec extending
from Three Rivers to the Straits of Belle Isle and New Brunswick, on the
shores of the St. Lawrence, and all east of a line drawn from Three
Rivers to Lake Memphremagog. Bishop Williams is a plain preacher, and
never exhibits any affectation; he is a man of scholarly tastes. He
makes no pretence to showy or transcendent gifts of pulpit oratory, but
is known as an energetic and industrious ecclesiastic, watching with
zealous care over the spiritual welfare of his flock and clergy. Several
of his lectures and sermons have been published and were highly
commended by the Canadian and American religious newspapers. Among them
may be more especially mentioned his charge delivered to the clergy of
the diocese of Quebec at the visitation held in Bishop’s College,
Lennoxville, in 1864; and a lecture on Self-Education, published at
Quebec in 1865.
* * * * *
=Moody, James Cochrane=, M.D., Windsor, Nova Scotia, was born at
Liverpool, N.S., on the 1st of September, 1844. His father, the Rev.
John T. T. Moody, D.D., was born at Halifax, on the 25th of March, 1804,
and at the date of his son’s birth was rector of Liverpool, but
subsequently removed with his family to Yarmouth, N.S., to which parish
he was appointed rector in 1846. His mother was Sarah Bond, eldest
daughter of the late Henry Greggs Farish, M.D., of Yarmouth, N.S., and
was born on the 9th of July, 1807. They were married in 1830, and both
lived to the advanced age of 80 years. Dr. Moody commenced the study of
medicine under the preceptorship of his great uncle, the late Joseph B.
Bond, M.D., of Yarmouth, in 1862. He is a graduate of the University of
New York, having taken his degree of M.D. at that institution in the
spring of 1866. On his return home during the Fenian alarm of the same
year, he was appointed an assistant surgeon to the Yarmouth militia.
Commencing the practice of his profession at Richibucto, Kent county,
New Brunswick, in the autumn of 1866, he soon succeeded in building up a
good practice. Was appointed a coroner for Kent county, November 1st,
1870. He took an active part in agitating for the construction of the
Kent Northern Railway; takes a deep interest in Masonry, is a past
master of St. Andrew’s Lodge, A. F. and A. M., Richibucto, New
Brunswick, he is also a Royal Arch mason, and has been for a
considerable time connected with the order of Oddfellows. On account of
the hardships and exposure attending the practice of his profession in
northern New Brunswick, he decided to remove to Windsor, Nova Scotia,
which he did with his family in the autumn of 1882, where he at present
resides in active practice. On the eve of departure to his new field of
labour, he was presented with a very complimentary address, signed by
the leading inhabitants of Richibucto and vicinity. The following are
brief extracts:—“Your departure from Richibucto is deeply regretted by
all classes in this community. The sixteen years spent in active work in
our midst have made you personally acquainted with us all, and while
your professional skill won our trust, and commanded our admiration,
your sterling qualities, as a man, gained our enduring friendship. A
broader field of labour may await you in your new home, and a more ample
recompense favour your work, but you will search in vain for hearts more
fervent in wishes for your welfare than those you leave behind in
Richibucto.” Dr. Moody is a member of the Church of England, and has
always taken an active part in church work, having held while in
Richibucto the offices of church warden and delegate to the diocesan
synod. He is at present a warden of Christ Church, and also a governor
of the University of Kings College, Windsor, N.S. On the 9th of
September, 1880, he was married to Augusta Whipple, second daughter of
the late James H. Jones, of Digby, N.S. Their family consists of three
children, one son and two daughters.
* * * * *
=Griffin, Martin J.=, Ottawa, Librarian of Parliament, was born in St.
John’s, Newfoundland, August 7, 1847. He received his collegiate
education in St. Mary’s College, Halifax, and studied for the Nova
Scotia bar; first in the office of Hon. Wm. Miller, late speaker of the
Senate; and later, in the office of Hon. James McDonald, now chief
justice of Nova Scotia. He was most successful, being called, when only
twenty-one, with a first-class certificate. From an early age he had
shown decided talent for literature, and even before he became regularly
connected with any public journal, he had contributed articles of
various kinds to the press of Halifax, and had made some ambitious
ventures in poetry and criticism for magazines in the United States. His
ability secured for him a place on the staff of the Halifax _Chronicle_,
for which he did good work while carrying on his studies. A year after
his admission to the bar, that is to say in 1868, he became editor of
the Halifax _Express_, which position he held until 1874. His writing
during that period attracted wide attention, and marked him as the
strongest journalistic champion of the Liberal-Conservative party in the
province. His wide and accurate knowledge of public affairs caused him
to be chosen as the assistant of the Hon. James McDonald, Q.C., the
representative of Nova Scotia before the Fishery Commission, whose
decision has since gone into history as the “Halifax Award.” His work in
this direction was interrupted by an election contest, in 1874, in which
he unsuccessfully sought election to the Nova Scotia House of Assembly.
When the Conservatives came into power in the Dominion, in 1878, and
Hon. James McDonald was sworn in as minister of justice, Mr. Griffin was
appointed the minister’s private secretary, but resigned in three months
to accept the offer of a position on the editorial staff of the Toronto
_Mail_. His letters and despatches to the _Mail_, as well as the
editorial articles which he contributed, were marked by the same
vigorous and scholarly style which had brought him to the front in the
Maritime provinces. It was but natural, therefore, that when a vacancy
occurred in the chief editorship of this paper, Mr. Griffin should be
called to fill it. This was in 1881. He carried the _Mail_, editorially,
through the great campaign attending the general election in 1882, and
it is only just to say, that the brilliant victory achieved by the
Conservative party then, was due, in considerable degree, to the vigor
and skill with which the chief representative journal of the party was
managed by Mr. Griffin. On the death of Mr. Todd, who had so long and so
well managed the library of parliament, it was decided to have a dual
headship of the library, in keeping with the system of having both
English and French as authorized languages, and Mr. Griffin was chosen
as the fittest man for the high and responsible position of joint
librarian. He was appointed in August, 1885. No man could be more
faithful to any trust than Mr. Griffin has been in the management of the
library, and few in any country could have brought to the work an
equally wide knowledge of books. Mr. Griffin is above all else a
scholar; but his long editorial experience has given him also a
quickness of comprehension, and a systematising ability which fit him to
be the adviser of legislators and writers in mastering questions with
which they have to deal. Mr. Griffin was married in 1872 to Harriet
Starrat, daughter of the late William Starrat, of Liverpool, N.S.
* * * * *
=Hingston, William Hales=, M.D., L.R.C.S. (Edinburgh), D.C.L., Montreal,
was born at Hinchinbrook, province of Quebec, on the 29th June, 1829.
His father, Lieut.-Colonel S. J. Hingston, formerly of her Majesty’s
100th Regiment, which did good service during the war of 1812-14, came
to Canada with his regiment, of which he was then adjutant. In 1819,
when his regiment was disbanded, he received from Lord Dalhousie command
of the militia force of the county of Huntingdon, which he organized,
taking up his residence on the bank of the Chateauguay river.
Subsequently Sir James Kemp gave Colonel Hingston command of the militia
of the county of Beauharnois. He was wounded at the battle of Chippewa,
and died in 1830, when his son, William Hales Hingston, the subject of
our sketch, was eighteen months old. The Hingstons are an old Irish
family, and are related to the Cotters, of Cork, the elder Latouches, of
Dublin, and the Hales family. At the age of fifteen, having received his
primary education at the school in his native place, W. H. Hingston
entered the Montreal College, where, at the end of the first year, he
carried off three first and two second prizes out of a possible five.
Subsequently he spent a couple of years in the study of pharmacy, and
then entered McGill College, where he graduated in medicine, in 1851. He
went at once to Edinburgh, where he obtained the diploma of the Royal
College of Surgeons. While in Europe he spent most of his time in
hospitals, and brought back diplomas from France, Prussia, Austria, and
Bavaria, in addition to that from Scotland. One, the membership of the
Imperial Leopold Academy, was the first ever obtained by a Canadian, the
late Sir William Logan being the next recipient. Dr. Hingston began
practice in Montreal, where he soon succeeded in building up a
_clientèle_, surgery being his leading and special branch. In 1867 he
again visited Europe, and, when there, on the invitation of Sir James
Simpson, successfully performed, in Edinburgh, a difficult surgical
operation on one of Sir James’ patients, and was afterwards qualified by
that far-famed physician as “that distinguished American surgeon lately
among us.” Soon after beginning practice in Montreal, Dr. Hingston was
appointed surgeon to the Hotel-Dieu Hospital, where he had a large field
for the exercise of his art. There he has since given daily clinical
instruction in surgery. A recent number of a Montreal medical journal
mentions some of the operations he was the first to perform in Canada:
excision of the knee; removal of the womb; removal of the kidney;
excision of the tongue and lower jaw, etc. Dr. Hingston was one of the
organizers of McGill University Society, which secured to the _alumni_
the appointment of convocation fellows. When Bishop’s College Medical
School was organized, he was named professor of surgery and clinical
surgery, and afterwards dean of faculty; but soon resigned the
professorships. He was one of the resuscitators of the
Medico-Chirurgical Society of Montreal, and was its president many
times. He was the first secretary of the Dominion Medical Association,
and afterwards its president. He was chosen by the international council
to represent Canada at the International Medical Congress, held in
Philadelphia, in 1876, and was offered the same honor at Washington, in
1887, but preferred to remain representative in surgery. He has been,
for many years, a governor of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of
the province of Quebec, and is now its president. He is consulting
physician to several dispensaries, and to the Hospital for Women, of
which he was one of the founders. He organized the first board of health
in the Dominion, and has long been a faithful worker in behalf of the
sanitary interests of Montreal. On three different occasions he had been
urged to permit his name to be submitted as a candidate for the
mayoralty, but declined. However, in 1875, at the unanimous request of
his professional brethren, he consented, and was chosen chief magistrate
by a majority of nearly ten to one over his opponent, and, as he stated
at the time, “without having spent one moment of time, or one shilling
of money, to obtain a position which no one should seek, but which,
coming, as it did, no one was at liberty to decline.” He was re-elected
the following year by acclamation. A third term was offered him, but
that he declined. The period of Dr. Hingston’s mayoralty was one of
grave interest and anxiety to the order-loving citizens of Montreal, and
it was well that the office of chief magistrate was, at the time of the
Guibord affair especially, held by a gentleman of character, coolness,
and judgment. He received the thanks of the Governor-General (Lord
Dufferin) for his conduct on that occasion. When an epidemic of small
pox reigned in Montreal, and the anti-vaccinators offered every
opposition to vaccination, Dr. Hingston, as chairman of the board of
health, under cover of “A few instructions to the vaccinators,” wrote a
paper on the disputed points in controversy, which effectually silenced
his opponents. This paper was distributed gratuitously by order of the
city council of Montreal, and was freely quoted all over America, and
attracted attention in Europe. Again, when in 1885, the province of
Quebec was visited with an epidemic of small pox, the government called
into existence a provincial board of health, with all necessary power.
The subject of our notice was again named chairman, and so soon as
efficient sanitary measures had been completed, Dr. Hingston visited
Washington, and induced the authorities there to modify their quarantine
regulations, which had interfered severely with commercial intercourse
and freedom of travel. During his professional career he has contributed
a number of articles to various medical periodicals, chiefly on surgery.
A more considerable contribution to Canadian science was his work on the
“Climate of Canada, and its relations to life and health.” which was
published in 1885. No member of the medical profession in Canada has
been more honored by scientific bodies. In addition to those already
named, several of the state boards of medicine of the United States have
elected him honorary member, and many American state medical societies
have done so likewise; the British Association, for the Advancement of
Science, chose him as vice-president; and within the past few months the
British Medical Association elected him honorary member, and the
president of council, Sir Walter Foster, thus announced his election:
“Dr. Hingston is too well and too favourably known to the members of
this Association to require the council to give reasons for selecting
him for this honor. His reputation as a surgeon is not confined to
Canada.” The College of Physicians and Surgeons of the province of
Quebec, in noticing the last honor, ordered the following resolution to
be transmitted to England: “The College of Physicians and Surgeons of
the province of Quebec, has learned with pleasure of the honor conferred
by the British Medical Association on their president, Dr. Hingston,
whose reputation as a surgeon, whose labors in the cause of public
health, and whose delicately honourable bearing towards his professional
brethren, had already secured to him every honor the profession of this
Dominion could confer.” In 1875, Dr. Hingston married Margaret
Josephine, daughter of the Hon. D. A. Macdonald, formerly
lieutenant-governor of the province of Ontario, and has three sons and
one daughter.
* * * * *
=Bergeron, Joseph Gédéon Horace=, B.C.L., Advocate, Montreal, M.P. for
Beauharnois, was born at Rigaud, province of Quebec, on the 13th
October, 1854. He is a son of the late T. R. Bergeron, who was a notary
at Rigaud. His mother was Léocadie Caroline Delphine, daughter of Gédéon
Coursol, notary, of St. Andrew’s, uncle of C. J. Coursol, M.P. for
Montreal East. Mr. Bergeron was educated at the Jesuits’ College in
Montreal, where he took a partial classical course. He then entered the
McGill University, where he graduated B.C.L. in March, 1877. He adopted
law as a profession, and was called to the bar of the province of Quebec
in July, 1877, and is now one of the law firm of Archambault, Lynch,
Bergeron & Mignault, Montreal. In 1874 he entered the Military School at
Montreal, where he took a second-class certificate and then joined the
No. 1 cavalry troop. He is an active member of the St. Jean Baptiste
Society in Montreal, having joined it in 1875; and in 1880 he became a
member of the same society in Valleyfield. He entered political life in
1879, on the death of the then sitting member, Mr. Cayley, for
Beauharnois, and was returned to the Dominion parliament. At the general
election of 1882 he was re-elected by acclamation; and in 1887, at the
general election of that year, he was once more sent to parliament to
represent his old constituency in the House of Commons at Ottawa. He is
a Liberal-Conservative in politics; and in religion is a member of the
Roman Catholic church.
* * * * *
=Sicotte, Hon. Louis Victor=, St. Hyacinthe, Quebec, one of the judges
of the Superior Court of Quebec, is a son of Touissant Sicotte, of the
parish of Ste. Famille, Boucherville, and was born at Boucherville, on
the 6th of November, 1812. He was educated at St. Hyacinthe College. Our
subject entered public life in 1852, representing the county of St.
Hyacinthe in the Canadian parliament, and continued to do so for eleven
years. The opening part of his political career was an exciting period
in the history of the two provinces of Upper and Lower Canada—the
questions of clergy reserves and the seignorial tenure being still
unsettled; and in August, 1853, he was offered a seat in the Cabinet of
the Hincks-Morin administration as commissioner of Crown lands, but he
declined to accept it, because the government refused to proceed
immediately to settle those two questions. Mr. Sicotte, by his writings
on the question of the clergy reserves, extensively reproduced in the
Upper Canada papers, was greatly instrumental in creating a powerful
opinion to settle the question; the result was an overwhelming majority
in parliament for the settlement of these two important matters. In
1854, Mr. Sicotte was chosen speaker, and held that honorable post till
the dissolution in November, 1857. He was commissioner of Crown lands in
the Taché-Macdonald government; and in 1858 became commissioner of
public works in the Cartier-Macdonald administration, retiring from the
government on the Ottawa question, in December of that year. In May,
1862, when the Sandfield Macdonald-Sicotte government was formed, our
subject took the portfolio of attorney-general for Lower Canada, held
that position until May, 1863; and was made judge of the Superior Court
in the following September. In the year previous he was sent to England
on public business, relating principally to the extension of
communications with the North-West Territory, to realise what is now the
Canadian Pacific Railway, and while there acted as commissioner on
behalf of Canada at the international exhibition held in London. Before
going on the bench, he held for a long time the presidency of the Board
of Agriculture, and was also a member of the Council of Public
Instruction, resigning the latter office when he accepted the judgeship.
Judge Sicotte belongs to the Roman Catholic church, and people who have
known him the longest and most intimately, credit him with having lived
a blameless and eminently useful life. He was an intimate friend and
coworker with Mr. Ludger D. Duvernay, and, with him, took the step
towards the formation of the St. Jean Baptiste Society of Montreal. He
was married, in 1837, to Margaret Amelia Starnes, daughter of Benjamin
Starnes, of Montreal, and sister of Hon. Henry Starnes. They have ten
children living. Judge Sicotte, after serving twenty-four years’ of
judicial life, resigned in November, 1887, at the advanced age of
seventy-five years, still strong and healthy, free and anxious for the
study of the law, but outside of all litigation.
* * * * *
=Thornton, John=, Coaticook, President of the Cascade Narrow Fabric
Company, province of Quebec, was born on the 3rd April, 1823, at Derby,
Vermont. His father was John Thornton, and mother, Sally Lunt. His
great-grandfather, on the paternal side, was one of the signers of the
Declaration of Independence. Mr. Thornton received his education in
Derby, and came to Canada in 1840. He settled in Stanstead for about a
year, when he removed to Barnston. Here he remained until 1855, when he
moved to Coaticook, and there he has resided since, and done business as
a general storekeeper. Being a public spirited gentleman, he was elected
a councillor; then he held the office of mayor and warden of Stanstead
county for two terms, and finally entered political life, and sat for
eight years in the Quebec legislature, representing the county of
Stanstead. He has been largely interested in the material prosperity of
the district in which he resides. For a while he was one of the
directors of the Magog Print Company, from which position he retired in
1885. He is now a director of the Coaticook Cotton Company; of the
Coaticook Knitting Company; and is also president of the Cascade Narrow
Fabric Company, the only concern in Canada where braids of all
descriptions are manufactured. He is one of the directors of the Eastern
Townships Bank, and president of the Coaticook Water Company. In
politics Mr. Thornton is a Liberal-Conservative; and in religion an
adherent of the Methodist church. He belongs to the order of Oddfellows.
He has been twice married. In 1847 to Lucy Baldwin, of Barnston,
province of Quebec, by whom he had two children, a son and daughter, who
still survive; and again on the 17th of June, 1884. to A. H. Cleveland.
* * * * *
=Mountain, George Jehoshaphat=, second son of Dr. Jacob Mountain, first
bishop of Quebec, and descendant of one of the Huguenots whom the
persecutions of Louis the Fourteenth had driven out of France to take
refuge in Norfolk, England, was born at Norwich, on the 27th of July,
1789. He was of Norman and Saxon descent, claiming kindred with Michael
De Montaigne, the celebrated French essayist. At the age of seven years
he commenced his Latin grammar, while residing with his father, at
Woodfield, near Quebec. At sixteen he was sent to Little Easton, county
of Essex, England, where he prepared to enter Trinity College,
Cambridge. There he acquitted himself in such a manner as induced Dr.
Monk, professor of Greek, one of his examiners, to recommend him as
principal of a college in Nova Scotia, for which position he considered
Mr. Mountain peculiarly fitted. On leaving Cambridge he returned to
Quebec, and acted as secretary for his father while studying for the
ministry. On the 2nd of August, 1812, he was ordained a deacon, and was
appointed to assist the bishop’s chaplain, Rev. Salter Mountain. In 1814
he was admitted to the order of priest, and was appointed evening
lecturer in the cathedral, and on the 2nd of August, in the same year,
he was married to Mary Hume, third daughter of Deputy-General Commissary
Thompson, and went to Nova Scotia, where he was appointed rector of
Fredericton, and also chaplain of the troops and Legislative Council.
After three years sojourn there he resigned, and returned to Quebec, and
on his arrival was appointed bishop’s official and officiating clergyman
of Quebec. He commenced life well; his earliest noticeable act was to
establish intimate relations with the “Venerable Society for Promoting
Christian Knowledge, and for Propagating the Gospel.” His second was to
establish, at Quebec, national schools for boys and girls. Early in
January, 1818, he commenced as a simple missionary, and afterward
continued as archdeacon to visit the outlying portions of the diocese.
Such work he found, to the end of his career, to be full of attraction
and encouragement, for in heart and soul he was the _beau ideal_ of a
missionary. In 1819 he received the degree of D.D. from the Archbishop
of Canterbury, and was appointed a member of the “Board for the
Advancement of Learning in Canada.” In 1821 he became rector of Quebec
and archdeacon of Lower Canada. In 1823 he was nominated honorary
professor of divinity and principal of McGill College, Montreal. In 1825
he went to England, his chief object being to represent the claim of the
Anglican church in the matter of the clergy reserves, and also to
express his father’s wish to be relieved of a portion of the cares of
his bishopric. The suggestion he made was that the diocese of Quebec,
which covered nearly half a continent, should be divided into two parts,
each to be a separate bishopric; or, if this proposition was not acceded
to, he suggested that the Rev. Dr. Stewart be associated with his father
in the administration of the See. These plans, however, were set at
naught by the death of his father, which event occurred on the 18th of
June, 1825, while he was yet absent in the motherland, and Rev. Dr.
Stewart succeeded Rev. Jacob Mountain as Bishop of Quebec. Ten years
passed slowly by, and in 1835 the archdeacon, the subject of our sketch,
again went to England, his objects being the same as before—the
settlement of the clergy reserve question, and the necessity of
procuring further episcopal assistance in the diocese. Bishop Stewart
had broken down, even as his predecessor had done before him, and was
most anxious that the archdeacon, “whom he dearly loved and called his
‘right hand,’ should be appointed suffragan.” “This duty,” says his
biographer, “the latter was more than disinclined to accept, for his
desire from first to last was to serve, not to rule. He only yielded
when Bishop Stewart emphatically declared he would have no one else.” He
was consecrated coadjutor on the 14th of January, 1836, under the title
of Bishop of Montreal. On the 22nd of September, Bishop Stewart went to
England, and did not return, for, becoming weaker and weaker, he died in
the following year. Thus, despite his wishes to the contrary, the
subject of our sketch became the third bishop of the undivided diocese
of Canada. Rev. George Jehoshaphat Mountain was a true and humble-minded
Christian; all the events of his life go to prove this. While his
devotion to the sick and suffering at Quebec, in 1832, when the cholera
rushed like a cyclone from Grosse-Isle to the mainland, and hundreds of
homes were made desolate, renders his name well worthy of record among
the great and good of our land, and again his light shines before the
world in 1847, when typhus fever, the result of the famine in Ireland,
was imported into Canada. It is written: “The Anglican clergy, few in
number, with devoted zeal, took their duty at Grosse-Isle week about,
the bishop taking the first week. Most of the clergy sickened, and two
of them died of the fever. The trial, we may imagine, was acute enough,
for in the summer of 1847, upwards of five thousand interments took
place at the immigrants’ station at Grosse-Isle. ‘No one liveth to
himself or dieth to himself,’ wrote the heroic bishop. There was
chivalry as well as gentleness in his nature which, like expressed
virtue, communicated itself to all.” Bishop Mountain served his God as a
minister of the gospel for fifty years, and died on the morning of the
feast of the Epiphany, 1863, deeply respected and beloved.
* * * * *
=Blair, Hon. Andrew George=, Attorney-General and Premier of New
Brunswick, was born in Fredericton, N.B., on the 7th March, 1844. He is
of Scotch descent. He was educated at the Collegiate School, in
Fredericton. He chose law as a profession, and after spending the usual
time in study, was called to the bar in April, 1866, and successfully
practised for some years. In 1878 he entered the political arena, and
was returned to represent York county in the House of Assembly of New
Brunswick, at the general election of that year. A petition, however,
having been filed against his return, he resigned the seat, and on the
issue of a new writ, was re-elected on the 14th November of the same
year. At the first session of the new house, in February, 1879, he was
chosen leader of the opposition, then consisting of only six members
beside himself, in a house of forty-one. In the last session of that
house, held in 1882, the opposition, under his leadership, had increased
to seventeen. At the general election of that year, 1882, he was
re-elected for his old constituency, and in March, 1883, defeated the
Hanington government, and was called upon to form a new ministry, which
he succeeded in accomplishing in one day. On accepting the office of
attorney-general he again appealed to his constituents on the 24th of
March, and was elected. At the general elections held in 1887 he was
once more elected, at the head of the New Brunswick Legislature as
premier and attorney-general. Hon. Mr. Blair is an independent Liberal
in politics; and in religion is an adherent of the Methodist church. He
was married on 31st October, 1866, to Annie E., eldest daughter of
George Thompson, late of the educational department, at Fredericton. The
issue of this union has been ten children.
* * * * *
=Burland, George B.=, President and General Manager of the British
American Bank Note Company, Montreal.—Mr. Burland, the subject of our
sketch, is descended from a long line of illustrious ancestry. There is
an old estate in Cheshire, called “Burland,” after the family, and at
the time of the accession of Edward III. to the throne in 1327, Robert
de Burland held possession in the county of Somerset. John Burland, born
in 1696, married, in 1718, Elizabeth, daughter and heiress of Claver
Morris, M.D., of the city of Wells. He died November 6, 1746, and left
four sons and two daughters: John Burland, son and heir; Claver Morris
Burland, M.D.; William Burland, fellow New College, Oxford; Robert
Burland; Mary, wife of Rev. William Hudlestone, and Anne, wife of Rev.
William Eater. John, the eldest son, was of Baliol College, Oxford,
where he entered in 1740. In 1743 he went to the Middle Temple, and was
called to the bar in 1746. In 1762 he was made sergeant-at-law; in 1773
he was given the honorary degree of Doctor of Laws; in 1774 he was
knighted and sworn one of the Barons of the Exchequer in room of Baron
Adams. This he enjoyed but one year and eleven months, and died February
29, 1776, by the rupture of a blood vessel in his brain, as he was
sitting in company with his brother, Robert Burland, and his intimate
friend, Colonel Charles Webb. He was buried in Westminster Abbey, where
a handsome monument, with the following inscription, is erected to his
memory: “Near this place are deposited the remains of the Hon. Sir John
Burland, Knt., LL.D., one of the Barons of his Majesty’s Court of
Exchequer; as a man, valued and beloved, as a judge, honoured and
revered. He died suddenly on the 29th February, 1776, aged 51 years.”
This gentleman married, in 1747, Lætitia, the daughter of Wm. Berkeley
Portman, of Orchard Portman, and Anne, his wife, only daughter of Sir
Edward Seymour, of Maiden Bradley, baronet, speaker of the House of
Commons, and comptroller of the household of Queen Anne. George B.
Burland, of Montreal, is descended from this family, and was born at
Loggan Hall, in the county of Wexford, in the year 1829. His father,
Benjamin Burland, was born in 1779, and educated for the medical
profession. He married, in 1806, Belinda Roe, daughter of Robert Roe, a
gentleman of ample wealth, and owner of large estates in Queen’s county.
He sailed for Canada in July, 1840, and died in 1842. His uncle was one
of the first to afford relief to the sufferers in the great famine of
1739. His father and his father’s brothers were gentlemen of
considerable influence, and owned extensive properties in the counties
of Wicklow and Wexford, now in possession of the DeRenzie family. They
took an active part in the troubles of 1798. One of them was reputed in
his day the best horseman and swordsman in Ireland. During the Irish
rebellion his father, at great personal risk, saved the life of a priest
by placing himself between the levelled muskets and their intended
victim. For this service the rev. gentleman presented him with a sword
now in the possession of the subject of this sketch. Tablets in Kilpipe
and Kilcommon churches note the resting-places of members of his family.
His uncle was appointed surveyor to the customs at Montreal by the
British government; and his cousin, B. Burland, is at present a
surgeon-major in the 19th Hussars. George B. Burland’s education was
entrusted to a private tutor, and when his schooling was over, he
entered upon business pursuits, in 1844, in the office of his uncle,
George P. Bull, who was at that period proprietor and publisher of the
Hamilton _Gazette_. His cousins, Rev. Geo. A. Richard, and the late Hon.
Harcourt B. Bull, were then residents of Hamilton; and he remained with
them some three or four years and then returned to Montreal. This
initial connection with the press soon led to another stage in a cognate
branch of publication. The late George Matthews, engraver, succeeded,
after many efforts, in inducing the Bank of Montreal to have its bills
printed in Canada, the plates being then engraved at the Bank of
England, in London. Having secured this step, his next important move
was to obtain for that department a manager who could be relied upon for
his intelligence and business energy to carry out the new undertaking
with success. The choice fell upon Mr. Burland; and thus having
identified himself with the undertaking from the first, and acquired an
interest in it, his energy, industry and tact enabled him soon to attain
to a full partnership. His partner, Mr. Matthews, having secured a
competency in the course of time, retired from the business, and left
Mr. Burland to conduct affairs. The latter then set about to widen the
sphere of his operations, and in spite of many obstacles, which only
seemed to stimulate his pluck and perseverance, and notwithstanding the
strenuous opposition of the American Bank Note Company and his former
partner, he successfully established the British American Bank Note
Company, which has been intimately connected with the engraving and
printing of the bank note work of the country for over a quarter of a
century. Besides being the founder, Mr. Burland is president, and has
been general manager of the company since its incorporation. In 1874 he
obtained a charter of incorporation for the Burland Lithographic
Company, the destinies of which he successfully conducted, as president
and general manager, until 1886, when he retired from that double
office, on account of his health, and because of his other multifarious
interests and occupations. Indeed, he is concerned in many important
business enterprises. He is president of the Protestant Insane Asylum of
the province of Quebec, to which charity he donated the sum of five
thousand dollars. He is a life governor of the Montreal General
Hospital, Western Female Hospital, Montreal Dispensary, Boys’ Home,
Protestant Orphan Asylum, Irish Protestant Benevolent Association, and
Protestant Orphan Asylum, Ottawa, and a life member of the Art
Association, of Montreal. To support the principles advanced by the Rev.
James Roy, who had been accused of heresy in the Methodist church, and
with the view of retaining him in the ministry, Mr. Burland built and
equipped one of the handsomest churches in the city of Montreal, at a
cost of over $50,000. We merely mention this as an instance of the
liberal assistance which he has extended to others without desiring or
allowing publicity, and in fact many other proofs of his generosity are
known to the writer, which have been carefully hidden from the world by
their donor. This sacred edifice has since become the property of the
St. Gabriel Church congregation, to which body Mr. Burland donated the
sum of $5,000. He also contributed the sum of $2,500 to the
Congregational College, Montreal, and has always been a liberal
contributor to charitable objects. He was, furthermore, one of the
original subscribers to the stock of the Windsor Hotel Company,
Montreal, and was one of the few who formed a syndicate to complete the
building at a time when its success appeared to be doubtful. He has been
one of the directors for many years, is the vice-president, and largest
shareholder in the company. He is also widely interested in the
manufacturing industries and joint stock companies of the Dominion, and
is one of the largest property-owners in the city of Montreal. Some of
its most modern and artistic buildings have been erected by him, and he
was the first of the citizens to import some of the beautiful woods of
British Columbia which have been used in their construction. Mr. Burland
married, in 1857, Clarissa, the youngest daughter of the late George
Cochrane, of Quebec, by whom he had one son and three daughters. When
his son became of age a few years ago he presented him with $25,000 as a
birthday present. His gifts to other members of his household have been
proportionately liberal on their attaining their majority. The action of
Mr. Burland in this matter, as well as in his numerous acts of
munificence to the many charitable institutions of the city of Montreal
and elsewhere, is worthy of the highest commendation, and we trust the
day is not far distant when the men of wealth and noble instincts will
follow his example, and not defer the disposal of their wealth till
after death, but witness, in the evening of their days, the great
blessings they were enabled to impart to their fellow beings. In the
year 1883 Mr. Burland paid a visit to Europe with his family, travelling
over England, Ireland, Scotland, France, Germany and Switzerland, and
thereby greatly benefiting his health; and since then, while still
keeping an eye on his numerous interests, he is free to devote much time
to works of philanthropy and public usefulness. He is still
comparatively a young man, and there is every reason to hope that he
will be spared many years to the circle of his family, and to the more
enlarged sphere of good citizenship. Men of his stamp are not met with
every day, and the lesson of patience, industry, thrift and business
management, resulting in the accumulation of large wealth, invested
where it can do most private and public good, which his career presents,
is worthy of permanent commemoration.
* * * * *
=Tellier, Hon. Louis=, Judge of the Superior Court of the province of
Quebec, St. Hyacinthe, is a son of Zephirin Tellier, of Ste. Melanie de
Daillebout, yeoman, and Luce Ferland, daughter of Prisque Ferland, and
was born at Berthier-en-haut, December 24th, 1844. The Tellier family
came from France about 1789, its progenitor in this province settling at
Berthier-en-haut. Mr. Tellier was educated at Joliette College; began
the study of law at Joliette, under the Hon. Mr. Baby, who became
federal minister of inland revenue, and is now one of the judges of the
Court of Queen’s Bench, and finished at St. Hyacinthe, under the Hon.
Hubert W. Chagnon, now a puisne judge of the Superior Court, and was
called to the bar at Montreal on the 16th of October, 1866; and since
1873 has been in practice at St. Hyacinthe, being the senior member of
the firms of Tellier, DeLabruere and Beauchemin, and of Tellier, Lussier
and Gendron. He has a liberal share of business in both the civil and
criminal courts, and an honorable standing in the profession, being a
hard student, well informed in law matters, and preparing his cases with
the greatest care and credit. His opinion on legal points is not given
hurriedly, but, once expressed, can be relied on. He is very precise and
honorable in all his dealings. His law library is one of the best of its
kind in the district of St. Hyacinthe. Mr. Tellier was deputy
prothonotary of the Superior Court, and deputy clerk of the circuit
court for this district, from 1863 to 1873, and crown attorney for the
same from the last-named date until 1878. He was first elected to the
House of Commons of Canada in September, 1878, for the county of St.
Hyacinthe, and an unsuccessful candidate at the general election in
1882. His politics are Conservative, and though younger than the
majority of his political _confrères_ in the district, very few of them
have more talent, prestige and influence. When elected to parliament, he
drew more than the full party vote. Mr. Tellier was married in St.
Hyacinthe, on the 26th of May, 1868, to Hermine, second daughter of the
late Dr. Adolphe Malhiot and Hermine Lamothe, who died on the 7th of
February, 1878, leaving one son, and on the 18th of July, 1882, to
Elzire, daughter of J. A. Hamel, collector of customs of St. Hyacinthe.
The family belong to the Roman Catholic church, and on the 24th of June,
1880, Mr. Tellier was a delegate to represent St. Hyacinthe at the grand
national _fête_ of St. Jean Baptiste, held in Quebec. He was appointed a
Queen’s counsel on the 23rd of January, 1882. He has lately, and most
deservedly, been appointed judge of the Superior Court of the province
of Quebec.
* * * * *
=Haliburton, Thomas Chandler=, was born at Windsor, Nova Scotia, in
December, 1796, and there received the primary portion of his education.
He then attended the University of King’s College, and graduated with
high honors in 1824. At an early period of his college course he showed
a decided taste for literary pursuits, and took many prizes, among them
the English essay prize, which he succeeded in wresting from the
expectant grasp of several able competitors. On leaving college he
turned his attention to law, entered the legal profession and practised
at Annapolis, where he had a large and lucrative connection. He then, at
the earnest solicitation of friends, entered the Legislative Assembly of
Nova Scotia, as member for the county of Annapolis, and here his fine
intellect, and good debating powers, soon gave him a leading position.
As an orator he is said to have been “earnest, impressive and dignified;
though he often showed a strong propensity for wit and humor.” In 1828
he was appointed chief justice of the Court of Common Pleas, and
discharged the duties of his position with great ability till 1840, when
he was transferred to the Supreme Court. In February, 1856, he resigned
his office, left his native land; and found a home in England, where he
spent the remainder of his days. At the general elections in 1859 he
entered the Imperial parliament as member for Lancaster. Here he joined
in some of the debates; but parliamentary life appears to have become
irksome to him, and his greatest pleasure was derived from advancing the
interests of the village of Isleworth, where he lived, by aiding the
philanthropical projects of its inhabitants, and contributing to its
charitable institutions; and it was there he died, on the 27th August,
1865. Haliburton first became known as an author in 1829, when he
published “An Historical and Statistical Account of Nova Scotia,” This
work is said to be written with “clearness, spirit, accuracy, and
impartiality,” and is at the present day regarded as a standard work. So
much was thought of it that the House of Assembly in Nova Scotia
tendered the author a vote of thanks, which he received when in his
place in parliament. In 1834 he published “Kentucky,” a tale. In 1837
the first series of “The Clock Maker; or Sayings and Doings of Sam.
Slick of Slickville,” came before the public, which was followed by the
second and third series in 1838 and 1840. It was in order to preserve
some anecdotes and stories, which were too good to be lost, and were in
danger of passing into oblivion, that Haliburton wrote, anonymously, a
series of articles for a paper, the _Nova Scotian_, speaking to the
public through the medium of a Yankee pedlar. These papers were a great
success, and appeared as a collection under the foregoing title, and as
a work on common sense it is doubtful if it has its equal. It has been
re-published in England and the United States, and translated into
foreign languages. In 1839 he published “The Letter-Bag of the Great
Western; or Life in a Steamer,” after which followed “The Bubbles of
Canada”; “A Reply to the Report of Lord Dufferin”; “Traits of American
Humor”; “Sam. Slick’s Wise Saws and Modern Instances”; “The Old Judge;
or Life in a Colony”; “The Americans at Home”; “Rule and Misrule of the
English in America”; “The Attaché; or Sam. Slick in England”; “Yankee
Stories and Yankee Letters”; “The Sayings and Doings of Sam. Slick,
Esq., with his Opinion on Matrimony”; “Sam. Slick in Search of a Wife”;
“Nature and Human Nature.” Two of his speeches have also been published;
one on “Resources and Prospects of British North America,” in 1857, and
the other, “On the Repeal of the Differential Duties on Foreign and
Colonial Wool.” Critics say, “although a man of mark in other
departments of literature, Haliburton is best known as a humorist.” His
“History of Nova Scotia” will bear comparison with any works of a
similar kind that have appeared in America; but it is to Sam. Slick that
he owes his fame. The revelations and remarks of the Yankee pedlar are
valuable, no less for their shrewdness and sound sense, than for their
raciness and humor, their sarcasms and laughable exaggerations.
Haliburton is indeed more than a humorist; and his productions will be
read with profit by others besides his countrymen. As a story-teller he
is inimitable, and the quaint dialect in which his yarns are couched
increases the comic effect of his utterances. Sam. Slick has an
individuality that insures for him a place amongst the best known
characters of fiction. It is needless to say anything more of one who
has attained such world-wide celebrity as he who is familiarly known to
Canadians as Judge Haliburton.
* * * * *
=Gervais, Marie Emery=, M.D., Three Rivers, a descendant of a French
family who migrated from France in the beginning of the present century,
and settled in the prosperous city of Three Rivers, was born in that
city on the 13th of December, 1845, and is the son of Louis Emery
Gervais, a merchant of good repute, and a highly esteemed citizen, who
served his fellow-townsmen in the capacity of councillor for over twenty
years; his mother was Julie Huart, of Point Levis. The doctor was
educated at the college of Three Rivers, and on completing a full course
of classical studies in that institution, removed to Montreal, and
entered the Medical and Surgical School, to follow a course of medical
studies, and in May, 1869, graduated M.D. at the University of Victoria
College, Cobourg. He then returned to his native place, where he has
practised ever since, enjoying the confidence and esteem of the entire
community. His urbane manners and uniform courtesy and kindness,
together with the careful attention he bestows on all who come under his
care have made him hosts of friends. He served in the town council for
several years, and in July, 1881, he was returned by acclamation for the
ward he had previously represented. He is also a member of the
Provincial Board of Health, to which office he was appointed for a term
of three years in July, 1880. On the 6th of August, 1870, he married
Marie Madeleine Etuchienne, daughter of the late Edouard Normand, of
Three Rivers, by whom he has issue twelve children, five sons and seven
daughters. The Normand family is well and favorably known in Three
Rivers, where it has numerous representatives, and by his alliance with
it, Dr. Gervais seems to have been endowed with the many estimable and
philanthropic characteristics which are its inheritance.
* * * * *
=Turcotte, Hon. Arthur=, Q.C., Three Rivers, Quebec.—The distinguished
subject of this sketch bears a name deservedly honored in Lower Canadian
annals, and for over half a century intimately associated with the
institutions, development and history of the city of Three Rivers. His
father was one of the most remarkable of the eminent public men of Lower
Canada during the last generation. The Hon. J. E. Turcotte was, during
his lifetime, Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of United Canada and a
member of the Macdonald-Cartier Cabinet, and played a leading part in
the politics of his day, besides endowing Three Rivers with important
public works of all kinds, which have handed down his fame to a grateful
posterity. Among these lasting mementoes of his services to his
constituents may be more specially mentioned the railway from Arthabaska
to Doucet’s Landing, and the extensive wharves on the water front of the
trifluvian city. The first charter of the Piles Railway was secured
through his exertions, and, though he did not live to see that road
built, the honor of its initiative still remains attached to his memory.
He further earned the title of a public benefactor by his large and
generous gifts to local institutions of charity, education and religion,
which still sacredly cherish his name and lineaments, while his energy
and eloquence continue to be household words throughout the province of
Quebec. His son, the Hon. Henri René Arthur Turcotte, is the worthy
representative of a distinguished father, whose life-work he has warmly
taken up, and in whose footsteps he has faithfully walked; so that
between the careers of the father and the son, there are many striking
points of analogy. Both have played a controlling part in the general
politics of the country, as well as in the affairs of Three Rivers as a
city, fighting the same battles, and filling the same positions as
ministers and speakers of the House. In both, too, are to be found
united the same energy and industry, the same civic spirit, which have
raised them to the pedestal of public benefactors in the eyes of their
fellow-citizens. Hon. Arthur Turcotte is still in the full vigor of
manhood. Born at Montreal, on the 19th January, 1845, he received a
brilliant education at the Jesuits’ College, Montreal, and Stoneyhurst
College, Lancashire, England. He early developed remarkable literary and
artistic tastes, and the oratorical talent which he inherited from his
father, one of the most eloquent men of his time. In 1867, Mr. Arthur
Turcotte was admitted to the bar, where he soon won a prominent
position. In 1879 he was appointed a Queen’s counsel. He took an active
and important part in the municipal affairs of his native city, and
represented his fellow citizens during a number of years successively as
councillor, alderman and mayor. He was returned to the Quebec
Legislature by the popular vote for the first time in March, 1876. Two
years later, the electoral division of Three Rivers re-elected him by
acclamation, and on the 4th June, 1878, the Legislative Assembly of
Quebec raised him to the dignity of its speaker, which he continued to
fill until the dissolution of the houses, in 1881. At the general
elections of 1881, he was again a candidate for Three Rivers, but the
close of the polls found him in a minority. The election of his
successful competitor, Mr. Dumoulin, having been set aside, however, for
corruption, a new election took place in March, 1884, and Hon. Mr.
Turcotte was again returned to the legislature. At the general elections
of the 14th October, 1886, superhuman efforts were made to defeat him,
but he once more triumphed with a considerable majority of the popular
vote. When Hon. H. Mercier was charged with the formation of a new
cabinet for the Province of Quebec, in 1887, Hon. Mr. Turcotte was asked
to enter it, and did so as a minister without portfolio. Some months
later he was called to act as commissioner of crown lands, during the
absence of the actual incumbent, the Hon. Mr. Garneau, who was in
Europe, for the benefit of his health. In November, 1887, ill-health
having forced Mr. Premier Mercier to take a rest for some time, Hon. Mr.
Turcotte was charged by him to act as Premier, and preside over the
cabinet councils during his absence. The acting prime minister of Quebec
is generally admitted to be one of the most powerful and popular
tribunes of his day. In the house, he never speaks without adding new
and precious light to any question under debate, and his deliverances
are always marked by much originality and independence of thought. He
has ever been the friend of the masses, and to his exertions they are
indebted for the Quebec Statute, exempting from attachment one-half of
workmen’s wages. His industrious habits make him a valuable
representative, and he has always taken an active part in public
legislation. He has been the author of numerous amendments for the
simplification of the civic code, and of the procedure before the Civil
Courts. He has also done much for the city of Three Rivers, where,
notwithstanding the bitterness of political contests, his name is
exceedingly popular. Like his illustrious father, he has contributed
largely to the improvement and extension of its railway facilities. The
Three Rivers “loop line,” an important local accommodation, is due to
his initiative and exertions, and he is actually engaged in promoting
another great public enterprise, the Three Rivers and North-Western
Railway, which promises most beneficial results. Hon. Mr. Turcotte is a
director of the British Empire Life Assurance Company. On 16th January,
1873, he was wedded to Marie Eleanore Isabella, only daughter of Angus
Macdonald, of Becancour.
* * * * *
=Fabre, Most Rev. Edward C.=, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Montreal, was
born in the city in which he holds such a high and holy office, on the
28th February, 1827. His parents, Edward Raymond Fabre, and Lucy
Perrault, were both born in Montreal. His father for many years carried
on the business of bookselling, standing, during his lifetime, high in
the estimation of his fellow citizens, and was mayor of the city in
1849-50. Archbishop Fabre is the eldest of a family of five children who
survive their father. A younger brother, Hon. Louis R. Hector Fabre,
occupied a seat in the senate of the Dominion for a number of years, for
La Salle; and a sister, Hortense, was married to the late Sir George E.
Cartier. The Most Rev. Archbishop Fabre was educated at St. Hyacinthe
College, Quebec province, and at Issy, near Paris, in France. He
received the tonsure at the hands of Archbishop Affre, of Paris, on the
17th May, 1845, and, returning to Canada, was ordained in Montreal on
the 23rd February, 1850, by Bishop Prince. After remaining four years in
Montreal, he was appointed curate of Sorel, where he proceeded and
entered upon his duties on the 3rd of April, 1850. In 1852 he was
promoted to the office of parish priest at Pointe Claire, on the St.
Lawrence river, between Lachine and St. Anne. Here he remained until
November, 1854, and then returned to the bishop’s palace, at Montreal.
He was made a canon on the 25th December, 1855; on the 1st April, 1873,
was appointed bishop of Gratianopolis, and was consecrated by Archbishop
Taschereau, of Quebec, on the 1st of May following. In 1876, on the
resignation of Bishop Bourget, he became bishop of Montreal, and entered
upon the important duties of that office in September of that year, and
was created Archbishop of the same See on the 8th of June, 1886, on
which date the See was created an Archbishopric. Archbishop Fabre has a
large territory under his control and superintendence, but he has not
shrunk from his duties. He is beloved by his people, and works in the
full consciousness that he is in the right path, and has been called of
God to do His work on earth.
* * * * *
=Mackintosh, Charles H.=, Journalist, Ottawa, was born in London,
Ontario, in 1843. He is a son of the late Captain William Mackintosh,
county engineer of Middlesex, Ontario, who came to Canada as an attaché
of the ordnance branch of the British army. Mr. Mackintosh has led an
unusually active life, and has succeeded in making his way, unaided,
from an humble position to one of honor and influence. He was educated
at the Galt Grammar school and Caradoc Academy, two well-known
institutions at that time. When almost yet a schoolboy he had strong
impulses toward a literary life. When the Prince of Wales came to
Canada, in 1860, an ode of welcome from the pen of Mr. Mackintosh, then
a youth of seventeen, was read in his honor, and presented to His Royal
Highness. Two years later, under the title of “Fat Contributor,” he
wrote for the London _Free Press_ a series of bright articles which were
characteristically named “Hurry-Graphs.” These attracted so wide
attention, that the entrance of the young writer into journalism was a
foregone conclusion. He gave up the study of law, upon which he had
entered, and became first reporter, and soon afterwards city editor of
the _Free Press_. His journalistic career was marked by rapid progress.
In 1864 he was city editor of the Hamilton _Times_. A year later he
founded the _Dispatch_, of Strathroy, which he conducted until 1874. In
1868 he married Gertrude Cooke, daughter of T. Cooke, J.P., of
Strathroy. In 1871, he founded the Parkhill _Gazette_, which he
controlled for some time, while still managing the _Dispatch_. In the
same year he unsuccessfully contested North Middlesex as Conservative
candidate for the local legislature. In 1871 he visited Chicago during
the fire, and wrote a description of the terrible event; 60,000 copies
were sold in two weeks. In 1873 he was elected a member of the town
council of Strathroy, in which capacity he exhibited talents, as a
public man, which afterwards showed to better advantage in a wider
sphere. Believing in himself, as all men do who come to the front in
human affairs, he deliberately proceeded to fit himself for the higher
place in public life which he believed himself destined to fill.
Thinking that the protection system which had long been established in
the United States would come up for active discussion in Canada, he went
to Chicago, accepting the position of managing editor of the Chicago
_Journal of Commerce_. While resident in the western metropolis he
studied carefully the protection system, as well as other institutions
of the United States. He also wrote a graphic account of the United
States “panic, of 1883.” Returning to Canada, he declined an editorial
position on the _Mail_; sold out his interest in the Strathroy
_Dispatch_, and went to Ottawa, where he became editor of the Ottawa
_Citizen_, the Conservative journal of the capital. He at once attracted
attention, not only because of the vigorous management and writing of
the _Citizen_, but because of the active interest he displayed in public
questions. At the celebration of the O’Connell centennial he wrote a
poem which won the gold and silver medal over many others submitted. He
was an ardent protectionist long before the Conservative party accepted
that system as a plank in their platform, and must be counted as one of
the leaders in that great movement. In 1877, the late John Riordon, of
St. Catharines, urged Mr. Mackintosh to cooperate with him in
reorganizing the _Mail_, but the offer was again declined. His active
interest in public affairs, combined with an unusual share of those
qualities which make men popular with their fellows, caused him to be
nominated as mayor of Ottawa in 1879, and the result of the election was
his return by a large majority. In the two succeeding years he was
re-elected, and though unseated on a technicality after the third
contest, he was a fourth time favored with the support of the people and
fulfilled his term. As mayor of the capital of Canada he inaugurated
many reforms which have proved of the greatest benefit to the city. In
the general election of 1882 he was one of the Conservative candidates
in Ottawa for the House of Commons, and both he and his colleague were
elected by sweeping majorities. During his term in parliament he made
several speeches which were marked by a combination of keen common
sense, full information and finished oratory. He spoke but seldom; but
when he took the floor he always secured a careful and attentive
hearing. Mr. Mackintosh resigned his seat for Ottawa in July, 1886, but
at the request of his friends agreed to hold it until the dissolution,
which he did. The capital of Canada is no bed of roses for any active or
generous man, and thus the senior member found it, hence his positive
objection to being again a candidate. In the last general election Mr.
Mackintosh, by the unanimous wish of the Conservative party, contested
Russell against Mr. W. C. Edwards, the largest manufacturer and most
popular Liberal in the county, and was defeated by a narrow majority,
owing mainly to the feeling against the government among the
French-Canadians, aroused by the execution of Riel. He polled 2,146
votes, or between 400 and 500 more than were ever given to a
Conservative candidate in that county. The Home Rule and Riel cries
concentrated at least 1,700 votes solidly against any Conservative
nominee, the constituency being largely catholic. The election has been
contested, and at this writing the trial on the merits of the case has
not been held. Mr. Mackintosh, besides the prominent part he has taken
in public affairs, has done much to benefit the Ottawa region by the
formation of public works. Notably he was the chief promoter and
president of the Gatineau Valley Railway Company, and succeeded in
interesting a syndicate of capitalists in the enterprise, so that the
road is now under construction. Quite recently Mr. Mackintosh declined
to be a candidate for the mayoralty of the capital in 1888.
* * * * *
=Paton, Andrew=, Sherbrooke, Managing Director of the Paton
Manufacturing Company, Sherbrooke, dates his birth on the 5th of April,
1833, near Stirling, Scotland, his parents being James Paton and Mary
Harvey, the former dying before his son was born. He received a fair
English education, and at an early age became an apprentice to J. and D.
Paton, woollen manufacturers, of Tillicoultry, Clackmannanshire,
Scotland, for which firm he worked after finishing his apprenticeship.
In 1855, Mr. Paton came to this country, engaged in business, with
another man, in the manufacture of cloth at Galt, Ontario, and six years
later went to Waterloo, in the same province, and continued the same
business under the firm name of Paton and Brickes. Mr. Paton was the
first man in Canada to make double and twist, or Scotch tweeds. In 1866,
he came to Sherbrooke, and took charge of what shortly afterwards became
the Paton Manufacturing Company, he supervising the erection of all the
buildings now owned by that company, one-half being put up that year,
and the rest in 1872. The main building next the office is 212 feet
long, and four stories above the basement; the other large building is
216 feet long, and five stories high. Besides these two buildings, which
are used for carding, spinning, weaving and finishing, are the dye
rooms, 150 feet long; dressing room, 100 feet long, and three stories
high including basement; two warehouses the same height, and over 100
feet long; and a number of other buildings, including boiler-houses,
machine and carpenters’ shops, office, etc., all of solid brick. It is
the largest factory of the kind in the Dominion of Canada, being a
twenty-two set mill. The ground plan of the several buildings, their
construction and internal arrangement, and the whole management of this
mammoth institution are highly creditable to the mechanical talents and
business capacity of Mr. Paton. The company gives employment to about
five hundred and fifty men, women and children, and pays out to those
operatives more than $140,000 annually. Such mills add largely to the
population of a town or city, and greatly benefit the surrounding
country, as well as the place in which they are located, affording a
ready and good market to the farmers in the vicinity for their wool,
wood, etc. The leading fabrics manufactured in this mill are tweeds,
cassimeres, overcoatings, shoe-cloth and military cloth, in all about
1,000,000 yards, representing a money value of $600,000. It is needless
to say that to act as managing-director of such a concern, and to do it
well, requires a clear head as well as an active body, and an almost
ubiquitous presence. Yet Mr. Paton is cool, calculating, far-seeing and
methodical, and never seemingly in a hurry. He thoroughly learned the
business of cloth-making in the first place, understands it to
perfection, and everything in the mill moves like clock-work. Mr. Paton
has done good work in the city council, of which he was a member for
eight years, acting as chairman of the Fire Committee, and has been a
trustee of the Congregational church, in which he has a membership. He
is a man of solid Christian character, and one of those citizens whom
Sherbrooke could ill spare. In 1859, he was joined in marriage with
Isabella Moir, an estimable Scotch lady, and they have six children.
* * * * *
=Colfer, George William=, Lieutenant-Colonel (Retired List), late 61st
Battalion Montmagny and l’Islet Volunteer Infantry, Barrister and
Chief-Clerk Provincial Secretary’s Office, Quebec, was born at Quebec,
31st January, 1837, youngest son of Charles Colfer, of Banna, county
Wexford, Ireland, who came to this country in 1820, and was one of the
principal founders of St. Patrick’s Church, Quebec, in which he was
buried, on 19th December, 1843, and of Eliza Burke Henley, whose family
came from Tipperary, and settled in Newfoundland towards the end of the
last century. Educated at Quebec Seminary and Laval University, and
finished a complete collegiate course at St. Mary’s (Jesuit) College,
Montreal, in July, 1856. In November of the same year he entered the
office of the eminent legal firm of Holt & Irvine, and after fulfilling
his indentures with them, and following the law courses at Laval
University, was admitted to the Quebec bar, on 7th January, 1861. When
confederation was established, he entered the civil service of his
native province, on 17th July, 1867, as chief clerk of the Executive
Council, where he remained until November, 1869, when he was transferred
to his present office. He was private secretary to the first premier of
Quebec, Hon. P. J. O. Chauveau, during the whole of his tenure of
office, and also to several of his successors. He was called upon, on
several occasions, while attending to his own duties, to replace, for
lengthened periods, the assistant provincial secretary, and also acted
as deputy provincial registrar for over a year. He acted also as A.D.C.
and secretary, at various times, to the two first lieutenant-governors
of Quebec. Lieut.-Col. Colfer might, perhaps, have attained a high
position in his profession, but having a taste for things military, and
not being anxious at the time about his _bread and cheese_, he undertook
to go contrary to Cicero’s _Cedant arma togæ_, and paid more attention
to the sword than to the gown. Having joined the Quebec cavalry, now the
Q. O. C. Hussars, in 1857, he left that corps as regimental
sergeant-major in November, 1864, to join the Military School, formed at
Quebec, under Colonel Gordon, C.B., H. M. 17th Regiment. In December
following he obtained first and second-class certificates, was
immediately gazetted captain 2nd Battalion Quebec Regiment Service
Militia, under 27 Vict., cap. 2, sec. 19, and sent to Arthabaska to
superintend draft in that district, on 30th December, 1864-65. Drill
instructor to Parliamentary Drill Association, composed of members
during session of 1864-65, under the late Lieut.-Col. Suzor, A.A.G. The
association was reviewed and complimented by His Excellency Lord Monck
and Sir E. P. Taché, Kt. In 1865 he was appointed, April 25th, adjutant
1st Western Administrative Battalion for frontier service. He proceeded
to Windsor, Ontario, on 26th same month, and served with the battalion
until its recall in July following. In September, 1865, he was present
at cadet camp, Laprairie, under Colonel (now Lord) Wolseley, and
promoted to sergeant, the highest rank given, field and staff officers
being regulars. In June, 1866—Fenian raid—he volunteered as cadet, and
signed muster-roll for service in any capacity. He volunteered also to
take over a company of 8th battalion R.R., as captain, if ordered to the
front. In 1869-70 he attended the school, formed at Quebec, to learn new
drill. In June, 1871, he was appointed paymaster of the 61st battalion
Volunteer Infantry. He served as camp quartermaster of the divisional
camp at Lévis. In September and October, he was present at battalion
camp 61st Cap St. Ignace. In December, 1871, and January, 1872, he was
A.D.C. and secretary to the lieutenant-governor of Quebec. In July he
was with the battalion at divisional camp at Lévis. On June 28th he was
appointed major of the 61st Battalion. He was present at successive
camps, as ordered. From the 1st September to the 1st October, he was
A.D.C. and secretary to the lieutenant-governor. On November 30th, 1877,
he was appointed lieutenant-colonel 61st battalion. He was present at
all successive camps, and served on brigade staff, as musketry
instructor, in 1882. He retired, retaining rank, in July, 1883. He was
married, 26th November, 1866, to Mary Rebecca Blakiston, daughter of
Raymond Blakiston, of the ancient family of Blakiston, of Durham,
England (whose father, at one time, expected to fall heir to a great
part of the Tempest estates, through his great grandmother, Margaret
Tempest, and which are now held by Vane Tempest, Marquis of
Londonderry), and Elizabeth Jane Henn, of the distinguished Henn family,
of Paradise Hill, county Clare, Ireland. Mrs. Colfer has always been
known as a distinguished pianist, and a vocalist of rare power and
sweetness. When a pupil at the Ursuline Convent, Quebec, she was chosen
to sing the “Ode to the Prince of Wales,” to her own harp accompaniment,
when His Royal Highness visited that institution, in 1860. She also
wields a graceful and facile pen; is the author of “Stray Leaves,” and
several short sketches, and often contributes to the local press, French
and English, under her _nom de plume_. The issue of this marriage was
one son and six daughters; five daughters survive, the eldest of whom
graduated this year (1887) at the Jesu Marie Convent, Sillery, and had
the honor of carrying off the Marquis of Lansdowne’s medal, for
excellence. The Colonel was born, and hopes to die, a Roman Catholic. He
is a member of the St. Patrick’s Literary Institute, of which he has
been, at different times, president and vice-president; of the Quebec
Historical Society, and of the Quebec Geographical Society. Being a
member of the civil service, he does not consider it becoming to take
part in political matters, though free to have his own opinions.
* * * * *
=Nault, Joseph=, the present joint Registrar of St. Hyacinthe, province
of Quebec, was born at St. Ours, on the 17th of April, 1841. Early in
life his father, Jean Baptiste Nault, who is a well known farmer of
Quebec, married Edes’n Girouard, and in 1886 they celebrated their
golden wedding at which eighty relatives, consisting of eight children
with their families and some other distant connections were present.
Joseph Nault, the subject of this sketch, received his education at the
St. Hyacinthe Seminary, where he took a full classical course. In 1865
he passed his examination, and was duly admitted as a notary for the
province of Quebec. He was secretary of the city of St. Hyacinthe from
1868 to 1874, and only retired from that office in order to take a
position in the bank of St. Hyacinthe. In 1879, having received the
appointment of joint registrar, he resigned his position in the bank, of
which he is now a director. He has taken a great interest in the
municipal affairs of St. Hyacinthe, where he occupied the position of
alderman from 1874 to 1879, and was one of the promoters of the St.
Hyacinthe waterworks, which were erected in 1875, and of which he is
secretary and also a shareholder. Since 1878 he has been president of
the school commissioners. He belongs to the prevailing religious
denomination in Quebec, the Roman Catholic church, and in politics is a
Liberal. He was married on the 8th of November, 1864, to Flavie
Bourgeois, and has a family of nine children and two grandchildren.
* * * * *
=Ouimet, Hon. Gédéon=, Q.C., D.C.L., Quebec, Superintendent of Public
Instruction for the Province of Quebec, officer of Public Instruction of
France, Commander of the Order of St. Gregory the Great, member of the
“Academie des Arcades de Rome,” president of the Council of Public
Instruction, and of the Roman Catholic Committee, of the province of
Quebec, was born in Ste. Rose, Laval county, on the 3rd June, 1823. His
father, Jean Ouimet, farmer, was descended from an old French family;
and his mother was Marie Bontron _dit_ Major. Mr. Ouimet received a
classical education at the colleges of St. Hyacinthe and Montreal,
having at the last named place been under the charge of the noted
instructor, l’Abbé Duchaine. He studied law with Mr. Sicotte, who was
afterwards promoted to the bench, and was admitted to the bar, at
Montreal, in August, 1844. Mr. Ouimet practised his profession for about
five years, when he removed to Vaudreuil. In October, 1853, he returned
to Montreal, and continued his profession along with L. S. Morin and L.
W. Marchand, and afterwards with P. Morean and J. A. Chapleau. He soon
rose to prominence in his profession, and was highly respected by his
fellow-citizens. He was created a Queen’s counsel in 1867, and for a
period served as _bâtonnier_ for Quebec province. In 1869 he filled the
position of president of the St. Jean Baptiste Society of Montreal. He
has also held the president’s chair of the _Institut Canadien-Français_;
and is a member of the Literary and Historical Society; and the
Geographical Society of Quebec. He was appointed commissioner to the
Indian and Colonial Exhibition, in 1886. Entering political life, he
represented the county of Beauharnois from 1857 to 1861 in the
Legislative Assembly of Canada. From Confederation in 1867 to 1876 he
represented the county of Two Mountains in the Quebec legislature, and
was attorney-general of the province until February, 1873, when he
became premier, minister of public instruction (succeeding the Hon. P.
J. O. Chauveau), and provincial secretary. At that time it was necessary
that the minister of public instruction should be a member of the
parliament; but after a while it became evident to observant statesmen
that the two positions were too burdensome for one man to hold, if not
inimical to the best interests of education. Consequently, in 1875, the
Assembly passed an act abolishing the dual office, and the
administration of the educational affairs of the province was put in the
same position it was before confederation, namely, in charge of a
superintendent. The judgment of the proper authorities, as well as
public sentiment, pointed to the Hon. Mr. Ouimet as the person best
fitted to this highly responsible position, and he was, on the 1st
February, 1876, appointed superintendent of public instruction for the
province, when he retired from public life. Since that time educational
matters have been greatly improved; and in all cases in which Protestant
and Roman Catholic educational interests infringed upon each other, or
came into collision, he has succeeded in smoothing down the conflicting
elements by his strictly impartial decisions. And judging from his many
published addresses, and the frequency of his visits to Protestant
schools on public occasions, it cannot be questioned that he is at heart
a real friend of education, irrespective of creed or nationality. His
well-known urbanity, legal eminence, experience in public business, and
impartial zeal in the cause of public education not only qualify him, in
a mixed community like that of Quebec, for the important public post
which he occupies, but justify the bright future for education in his
province. Hon. Mr. Ouimet is a D.C.L. of the University of Bishop’s
College, Lennoxville, and of Laval University. He is the author of the
“Law on District Magistrates”; and while in the legislature he secured
important amendments to the law relating to the qualification of jurors
in criminal cases, and also in the code of procedure. Herein it will be
seen that he has, in more ways than one, and is still leaving the
impress of his well-disciplined and powerful mind in the archives of his
native province. In 1878 he was named by the French government “Officier
d’Instruction publique,” as a mark of distinction and approbation of the
scholastic exhibition of Quebec province during the International
Exhibition held in Paris that year. In August, 1850 he was married to
Jane Pellant, daughter of the late Alexis Pellant, and they have had a
family of six children, five of whom are married.
* * * * *
=Gauvreau, Rev. Antoine=, Parish Priest, Lévis, was born at Rimouski, on
the 22nd September, 1841. His father was Pierre Gauvreau, a notary
public, and his mother Elizabeth Dubergès. Rev. Mr. Gauvreau was sent to
the college of Ste. Anne de Lapocatière, in the county of Kamouraska,
where he followed a complete course of classical studies. At the
completion of his course he determined to enter the holy orders, and
with that purpose in view was admitted to Laval University to study
theology. On the 2nd of October, 1864, he was ordained priest, and
appointed missionary vicar to the parish of Rivière-au-Renard, Gaspé.
This charge he retained until 1866, when he was called to the city of
Quebec, to assume the duties of almoner at the archbishop’s palace,
being at the same time chaplain to the Sisters of Charity, the Christian
Brothers, and St. Vincent de Paul Society. In 1870 he was removed by his
ordinary to the curacy of St. Nicholas, Lévis county, where he remained
until 1875. He was then transferred to Ste. Anne de Beaupré, the place
of pilgrimage of the Roman Catholics of the whole American continent.
Every summer thousands of devout pilgrims wend their way to the shrine
of the saint. It is said that the number of people who visited Ste. Anne
this season (1887) exceeded one hundred thousand. Two golden crowns of
great value were lately presented to the present curate of Ste. Anne by
the citizens of Quebec, and his eminence Cardinal Taschereau presided at
the ceremonies incidental to the blessing of the princely gift. The
attendance was so large that an altar was improvised and high mass was
said in the open air, an eloquent proof that faith is still deep-rooted
in the hearts of the faithful of the province of Quebec, reports to the
contrary notwithstanding. Rev. Mr. Gauvreau exercised his ministry in
Ste. Anne until 1878, when he took charge of the important parish of St.
Romuald d’Etchemins, county of Lévis, and retained it until 1882. At
that date he removed to Lévis, and has had charge of that parish ever
since. Rev. Mr. Gauvreau is remembered in all the parishes over which he
presided as a kind and considerate pastor.
* * * * *
=Peck, Charles Allison=, Hopewell Hill, New Brunswick, Barrister-at-law,
was born at Hopewell, in the county of Albert, N.B., on the 12th August,
1840. He was educated at Fredericton. Mr. Peck is the youngest son of
Elisha and Sarah Peck. His father was an extensive landowner in the
county, and captain in the militia, and was one of the first appointed
to the magistracy. Charles Allison Peck studied law in the office of the
late Sir Albert J. Smith, and was called to the bar in Easter Term,
1861, receiving a first-class certificate. Shortly after he formed a law
co-partnership with the Hon. Bliss Botsford, at present Judge Botsford,
and practised his profession at Hopewell, residing upon the old
homestead. He first appeared in public life in 1865, when he
unsuccessfully contested Albert on the Quebec scheme of confederation,
to which he was opposed, against the Hon. John Lewis and A. R. McLellan,
but was defeated by a small majority. After the union in 1867 he was
elected to the New Brunswick Legislature for Albert, where he sat for
three sessions, and was generally found supporting progressive
legislation; but devoted much of his time to the Albert Railway
question, the necessary legislation for which railway he secured against
much opposition, the construction of this railway being largely due to
his efforts while in the legislature, and subsequently. He was the
solicitor of the company until its completion. He organized, and was the
first president of, the Albert Southern Railway. In politics he is a
Liberal-Conservative. He has more than once declined candidature for
political honors, preferring to devote himself to his profession. Mr.
Peck was appointed captain of the militia; trustee of Albert county
Grammar School; and is a referee in equity. He is not a member of any
religions denomination, but a liberal supporter of all. Mr. Peck was
married, in 1864, to Amelia, youngest daughter of the late Solomon
Nichols, of the city of St. John, who was president of the Bank of New
Brunswick at the time of his death. Mrs. Peck is an Episcopalian; and
her ancestors were loyalists, who, on coming to the Maritime provinces,
left behind them at Flushing, New York state, large and valuable
properties. They have two sons, Henry Brougham and Charles Allison, and
one daughter, Celia Isabel Frances. The elder son, Henry, who is a
student at law, recently entered the civil service.
* * * * *
=Sénécal, Hon. Louis Adelard=, Senator, was born at Varennes, county of
Verchères, on the 10th of July, 1829. The man who, in after years,
became so universally known throughout the length and breadth of the
continent, received but a rudimentary education afforded by the humble
school of his native village, and attended a common school in
Burlington, Vermont, for a few months. After a residence of two years in
the United States, he settled in Verchères, province of Quebec, where he
established a general store. Such was his _début_ in trade; and from the
outset he showed the indomitable energy, the undaunted courage, and the
business tact which caused the admiration even of his opponents. In 1853
he purchased the steamboat _Frederic George_, which was at Ogdensburg,
took command of her, came down the river in the midst of floating ice,
and arrived at Montreal on the 9th of April. Since that time he was
known as “Captain Sénécal.” The _Frederic George_ did service between
Montreal and Sorel. In 1854 he repaired his steamboat, renewed her
machinery and boilers, and named her the _Verchères_. In 1857 he built
the steamboat _Yamaska_ in the short space of two months and a-half, to
inaugurate navigation on the river Yamaska, and established a line from
St. Aimé to Montreal. The next year he built the _Cygne_, and
established a regular service on the river St. Francis, between St.
Francis and Sorel. Thus he was the first to open navigation on these
rivers, and later on, by his energy and with government aid, he improved
the service to a considerable extent. In 1859 he launched the steamboat
_Ottawa_ to run in opposition to the Richelieu Company’s boats between
Montreal and Quebec. Since 1882 he was the president of the Richelieu
and Ontario Navigation Company, and it is due to his admirable
management that the company was enabled to refit its steamers and place
its finances on a sound and paying basis. When he took charge of the
company’s affairs its finances were almost disorganized; he left it in
full prosperity and almost doubled its field of operation and its
monetary value. Meanwhile Mr. Sénécal was doing a large trade in lumber
and grain in the United States. He had become the owner of eleven
steamers and eighty-nine barges plying between Montreal, Sorel and
Whitehall. One can easily form an idea of his marvellous activity from
the fact that during the year he was forced to suspend his operations,
he did three million dollars worth of business, without leaving the
village of Pierreville, which was the centre of his operations. The
losses suffered by several Montreal firms on account of the suspension
were the subject of much comment at the time; it is only fair to say
that all of these firms had derived benefits from their connection with
him, certain houses having endorsed his notes at the rate of two per
cent., others again having loaned him money at rates varying from 10 to
40 per cent. It was during the American civil war; he obtained money at
par at three months and was obliged to reimburse in bankable (?) value,
and pay a high rate of interest besides. Mr. Sénécal has built and was
the owner of several saw and grist mills at St. David, St. Guillaume,
Wickham, Wickham West, Yamaska, Kingsey, Pierreville and Acton. The
Pierreville mill was destroyed by fire on the 20th June, 1868. He
rebuilt in forty-seven days, and on the 5th August 146 saws were in
operation. The fire had been extinguished at one o’clock on Saturday
afternoon, and at twelve o’clock on the following Monday the foundations
of the new building were under way. The same mill was destroyed a second
time on the 14th January, 1870. He had not a single piece of timber on
hand and was obliged to draw from the forest the pine and oak necessary
for the building of the manufactory. Moreover, he was forced to buy new
machinery in the United States. In spite of these difficulties, and
although it was mid-winter, thirty days later, on the 15th February
following, the smoke from the new building was rising out of its
chimney, and the buzz of the saws proved that the Pierreville mill was
giving life to a busy population. In 1866 he purchased almost the whole
of Upton township, and it was at this period that he gave full scope to
the development of colonization, and that he found the solution of this
important problem. He cleared a piece of land at his own expense, sold
it to a farmer, and employed him to clear an adjoining lot to be sold
again in the same manner. In 1871 he turned his attention to railroading
and solved another problem, that of building excellent railroads with
very limited resources. He first built forty-three miles of road laid
with wooden rails between Sorel and Wickham, _via_ Yamaska and
Drummondville, during the year 1871, and finished it before the time
agreed on by the contract; he thus had the benefit of the line during
all the year 1872. The boldness he displayed on that occasion is a
matter of astonishment, for all the resources he could dispose of to
complete the undertaking, including rolling material, right of way,
embankments, ballast, the Yamaska bridge, station buildings, wooden
rails, etc., etc., were only $5,000 in bonds per mile, on which he was
able to realize but $4,250 per mile. This road was sold to the South
Eastern, and he undertook, on his own account, to replace the wooden
rails by iron ones, and to build thirteen extra miles in order to reach
Acton. The contract was signed in September of 1875, and on the 15th of
February, 1876 the railroad was entirely completed. When he obtained the
contract he had not a single tie at his disposal, and received only
$2,300 per mile; yet he built fifty-four miles of a first-class railway,
in about seventeen months, at a total cost of $6,550 per mile. It must
be said, however, that the South Eastern Company furnished the iron
rails, which amounted to a value of about $2,000 per mile. In 1877, the
contractor of the Laurentian Railway having failed, Mr. Sénécal was
called upon to complete the road, hardly half built, with the scanty
resources left. He could dispose of a subsidy of $4,000 per mile, and
bonds on the road which could not be negotiated. Col. King, of
Sherbrooke, consented to advance $50,000, and Mr. Sénécal built the six
or seven miles not constructed, as well as the bridges, and the
ballasting in three months. He then proceeded to Lévis and undertook the
Lévis and Kennebec line, the contractors of which were also bankrupt.
There was very little left of the subsidies available, and with these,
and the revenue from the running of the road, he built several miles of
the new line, ballasted the whole, and made it a first-class road. In
the execution of this enterprise he showed his wonderful power of
perseverance and energy in the face of difficulties. The English
shareholders, who owned all the bonds and stock of the road, had thought
they would be able to control the operations of the line, and a number
of business and professional men were certain they would not meet with
any obstacle. Mr. Sénécal saw the situation at a glance, attacked the
enemy in the front, and defended himself for two years in civil and
criminal suits. He resisted the police and orders of the court, kept
possession of the road as long as he wanted, and in the end he proved
that he was in the right, for he obtained judgments in his favor in
forty or fifty cases brought against him by the Hon. Mr. Irvine.
However, as there was no money to be made out of the line, he abandoned
it, according to the terms of his contract, after making it a
first-class-road. One of the most striking traits of his character was
that he never allowed himself to be legally or financially cornered, and
had always gained his object, even when he had no resources available,
and had to struggle against combined wealth, talents and influence. He
has built the following railroad lines:—From Sorel to Acton, from
Lanoraie to St. Felix de Valois, the Berthier branch, the St. Eustache
branch, the ice railway; and he completed the St. Lin road and the Lévis
and Kennebec line. When he was appointed general superintendent of the
Q., M. O. & O. Railway it was far from finished, and the experience he
had acquired in railroad construction was of great benefit to the
government in the completion of the provincial road. The services
rendered by Hon. Mr. Sénécal in that transaction have been
misrepresented by his political adversaries; however, he effected
important savings for the provincial government. As these matters still
belong to the domain of political history, we will merely place this
observation on record. In 1881 he formed a syndicate for the purchase of
part of the road. The history and developments of this transaction are
too well known to require comment. Later on he sold the road to the
Grand Trunk Company, and when the Canadian Pacific Railway Company
obtained possession of the line, they were obliged to discharge the
bonds issued by the Grand Trunk to pay the first possessors. Although
Mr. Sénécal was the bearer of a considerable amount of these bonds, they
were not available, and he received only about $100,000 out of the
transaction. Mr. Sénécal was one of the founders of the Cumberland
Mining and Railway Company, which is to-day the most powerful company in
the maritime provinces. In 1883-84 he was president of the Montreal City
Passenger Railway, and, had he so desired, he would probably have filled
the position until now, but he resigned on being re-elected. He has
generally encouraged all great enterprises. He took a large amount of
shares in the Coaticook Cotton Company, and also in the Richelieu pulp
factory. A few years ago he spent a large amount of money to introduce
the electric light system, and he obtained, by a statutory charter, the
power to dam the Caughnawaga rapids. The purchase of timber limits, and
of the Hull mills, for which he paid more than a million dollars, proved
a disastrous venture. His plan was perfect; but no individual was in a
position to advance such an enormous amount, and he had to give up the
undertaking after losing nearly $400,000. This loss we look upon as a
national calamity, because his main object in purchasing such an immense
tract of territory was to put a great industry into the hands of his
countrymen. It is well known that when Mr. Sénécal had money, it was
used to the benefit of everybody, for in his opinion the hoarding of
wealth was contemptible. Through the vicissitudes of his eventful
career, there were moments when his financial resources were _nil_, as
in 1878-79, when his subsidies and his railroad bonds were practically
not worth a cent. Nevertheless he undertook the task, at that period, to
bring about the dismissal of Lieutenant-Governor Letellier de
Saint-Just, on account of his famous _coup-d’état_ of the 2nd of March,
1878. He sold his life insurance policy, some real estate, and, in fact,
everything which he could convert into cash, for a few thousand dollars,
proceeded to Ottawa, where he took up house and passed the session of
1879, in order to keep the Lower Canadian members united, and finally
succeeded in carrying a point considered as irretrievably lost after the
refusal of the Marquis of Lorne to sign the dismissal of the Hon.
Letellier de Saint-Just. In the same year he employed the same tactics
in Quebec and brought about the fall of the Joly ministry. In politics
Mr. Sénécal has played a prominent part. He was the mainspring of the
Conservative party in the Quebec provincial election in 1881, and again
in the Dominion election of 1882, and it is mainly due to his efforts
that the party gained such brilliant victories at that time. He was an
admirable organizer, and possessed the talent to infuse his own courage
into others. His iron will, his energy, and the quickness of his
movements carried the day every time. When he had once made up his mind
to do a certain thing, it was done. Hon. J. A. Chapleau, who has the
reputation of knowing how to gauge a man at his proper worth, and
deservedly so, knew the ability of this man of large heart and energy,
and honored him with his entire confidence. The secretary of state, who
also remembers services and rewards merit when the occasion presents
itself, never missed an opportunity to render homage to his valor and to
the eminent services he had rendered. He did not hesitate to give him a
substantial proof of his gratitude as soon as he found himself in a
position to do so, by calling him to the senate, the highest distinction
in the gift of the government. In 1882 the French government sent to Mr.
Sénécal the cross of a commander of the Legion of Honor. Before giving
his allegiance to the Conservative party Mr. Sénécal had been a Liberal,
and he was elected as such to the Legislative Assembly for the county of
Yamaska, which he represented from 1867 to 1871; at the same time he had
been elected for Drummond and Arthabaska to the House of Commons, in
which he sat from 1867 to 1872. He is the only man in the country who
has been elected in two separate constituencies for two separate
chambers in two separate elections. In 1874 he had formed the project,
with Hon. Mr. Cauchon, to unite the two political parties, and had
almost succeeded, when Mr. Joly, then leader of the opposition,
destroyed the _entente_ in a speech delivered at a banquet in Montreal.
He then abandoned the Liberals, and the chiefs of the party have often
expressed their bitter regrets at losing such a man. On the other hand
the Conservatives expressed the same regret, when he was forced to
abandon the Conservative government at Ottawa on the Riel question. In
1850 Senator Sénécal married Delphire Dansereau, daughter of
Lieutenant-Colonel Dansereau, merchant, of Verchères. Several children
were the fruit of this marriage, two of whom only survive: Madame Judge
Gill, and Madame W. E. Blumshart. Senator Sénécal was a brother-in-law
to Dr. Hercule Dansereau, of Thibodeau, La., Hon. Felix Geoffrion,
Captain St. Louis, the late Cyril Archambault, barrister, and uncle to
F. X. Archambault, Q.C.
* * * * *
=Sweeny, Right Rev. John=, D.D., Roman Catholic Bishop of St. John, New
Brunswick, was born in Fermanagh, Ireland, in May, 1812. His parents,
who belonged to the farming class, were James Sweeny and Mary Macguire.
The family emigrated to Canada, and settled in St. John in 1828, taking
up land for farming. Bishop Sweeny received his literary education in
schools in New Brunswick, and studied theology in the Grand Seminary in
Quebec city. In 1844 he was ordained priest by Archbishop Turgeon. He
was then appointed to missionary work, and returned to St. John and
entered upon his labors. Subsequently he was engaged in similar mission
work at Chatham and Shediac, until 1851, when, on the death of the Right
Rev. Dr. Dollard, he became administrator. A little later he was
appointed vicar-general under the Right Rev. Thomas Connolly, bishop of
St. John; and in 1860, on the elevation of Bishop Connolly to the
archbishopric of Halifax, he was made bishop. During the many years
Bishop Sweeny has occupied his high and responsible position he has done
good work for his people, irrespective of his spiritual administration.
He has built the St. Vincent Convent and Orphan Asylum; the Convent of
the Sacred Heart; the Episcopal residence; the side chapels and spire of
the cathedral, and a considerable portion of the cathedral itself; a
large brick structure for school purposes; St. Malachi and St. Joseph
halls, and an Industrial School near St. John city. His lordship has a
large diocese which includes the southern half of New Brunswick,
embracing the counties of Westmoreland, Albert, Kings, St. John,
Charlotte, Queens, Sunbury, York, Carlton, and the larger part of Kent.
On this immense diocese he keeps a vigilant eye, and is ever careful of
his people’s spiritual wants. As a preacher his discourses are eminently
practical; and whenever he expounds any of the doctrines of his church,
he never fails to clearly point out how they should affect the lives of
the thousands who listen to his voice. His style is plain, simple, and
unaffected, so that a listener is at once impressed with the idea that
his aim is rather to instruct than to make a display. In the
administration of his diocesan affairs he keeps quietly at work, and
every year shows an improvement in all its branches. He seldom
undertakes anything that he does not finish; and seems to know not the
import of the word “fail.”
* * * * *
=Pidgeon, J. R.=, Justice of the Peace, Indiantown, New Brunswick. Mr.
Pidgeon was born where he still resides, in April, 1830, and is
consequently in his fifty-eighth year. His father and mother, who are
still living at the age of 83, were among the earliest settlers, and
tell many amusing anecdotes of life in New Brunswick in the early part
of the century. Our subject received his education in the Common and
Normal schools of his province, and at the age of eighteen began the
study and practical education of lumber surveyor. At the age of
twenty-five he obtained what was termed a “warrant” qualifying him to
practice his profession as surveyor which he did until his 42nd year.
That year he received the appointment of railway mail clerk on the
Intercolonial Railway which appointment he still holds being one of the
oldest employés of the postal department on that road. It is however in
connection with the temperance reform that he is best known, having
espoused the principles of total abstinence as long ago as 1848. He has
held the highest offices in the gift of the various temperance societies
of his native province, and there are few platforms in the maritime
provinces that have not at one time or other resounded with his eloquent
voice. In religious belief Mr. Pidgeon is a Baptist, having united with
that body in 1864. He is also a member of the Masonic craft of long
standing, and has often occupied positions of eminence therein. For some
years he has been in the commission of the peace for New Brunswick, a
distinction well merited in his case, to say the least. As a speaker,
Mr. Pidgeon is forcible, logical, and eloquent, abounding in anecdote
and bubbling over with fun. Politically he is a Prohibitionist through
and through, and his whole life seems to be to educate the people up to
his standard. To the Independent Order of Good Templars in New Brunswick
he has been and still is a tower of strength, and wherever he is known
enjoys the respect of all and the hatred of none.
* * * * *
=Worthington, Edward D.=, A.M., M.D., F.R.C.S. (Edin.), Sherbrooke, P.Q.
The subject of our sketch is one of the oldest physicians and surgeons
in the District of St. Francis, having been in practice nearly fifty
years, and gained for himself the reputation of being the leading
surgeon in that part of Canada. He was born in Queen’s county, Ireland,
on the 1st December, 1820. His parents, John Worthington and Mary Dagge,
left Queen’s county on the 11th April, 1822, and after a short stay in
Dublin, sailed from that port for America on the 2nd May, and reached
Quebec on the 23rd June. Here they remained until 1828, when Mr.
Worthington was induced to remove to Upper Canada. Taking his family
with him, he started from Quebec on the 28th April of that year, and
reached Queenston on the 12th May. This journey proved a most disastrous
one, for the whole family suffered from fever and ague, and other
misfortunes, and within a few days of one year they returned to Quebec.
Here Mr. Worthington remained until his death, he and his wife having
resided over fifty years in the city where they first landed after
having left their native country. Their bodies now repose in Mount
Hermon cemetery, on the banks of the St. Lawrence, surrounded by the
graves of seven of their children. The subject of this sketch and his
brother John, a druggist in Brooklyn, New York, being all who are left
of a large family. In 1834 Dr. Worthington was indentured for seven
years to the late Dr. James Douglas, of Quebec, who at that time
occupied the foremost rank in his profession in Canada, he and the late
Dr. Valentine Mott, of New York, being considered the most accomplished
surgeons in America. After serving over five years, Dr. Douglas relieved
him from the balance of his indenture, to enable him to accept an
appointment as staff-assistant-surgeon in the British army. An
assistant-surgeoncy in the army, however, in those piping times of
peace, with its “7s. 6d. sterling per diem, and rations,” presented few
attractions, so, after serving two years, he left the army, and went to
Edinburgh, where he spent two years in attending lectures and “walking”
the hospitals. While in Edinburgh he was awarded the medal of the Royal
College of Surgeons, and also won the friendship of many of her eminent
men, with some of whom he still keeps up a friendly correspondence.
Among the students at that time from this side of the Atlantic, were the
present Sir Charles Tupper, M.D., C.B.; the Hon. Dr. D. McNeil Parker,
of Halifax; and the late Dr. R. H. Russell, of Quebec. On his return to
Canada he received, on the 1st August, 1843, the license of the Montreal
Medical Board, and immediately settled in Sherbrooke, Eastern townships,
where he soon built up an extensive practice, and where he has since
continued to reside. He has the fullest confidence of the community in
his skill as a physician, and for over thirty years has had nearly all
the surgical practice in his district of country. He has the full
confidence of his _confrères_, who frequently send for him from long
distances for consultations. Dr. Worthington, it will not be out of
place to say here, was the first surgeon in Canada who performed a
capital operation under ether as an anæsthetic, and was also among the
first to use chloroform. On the 10th March, 1847, he amputated below the
knee, under ether; and in January, 1848, three cases under chloroform,
one being excision of bone. In 1854 the University of Bishop’s College,
Lennoxville, conferred upon him the degree of M.A., _honoris causa_; and
in 1868, McGill College, Montreal, that of M.D.C.M., _ad eundem_. He is
also a fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh;
corresponding member of the Medico-Chirurgical Society of Montreal, and
of the Gynæcological Society of Boston, Massachusetts; member of the
Canada Medical Association, having been, in 1877, vice-president for the
province of Quebec; and for many years one of the governors of the
College of Physicians and Surgeons of Quebec, for the District of St.
Francis. The doctor has received several substantial marks of public
favor, among others, a solid silver tea-service, for his gratuitous
attendance on the poor; and a gold watch and chain for his energetic and
successful efforts to prevent the spread of that most loathsome of all
diseases in Sherbrooke, the small pox. In the years 1837-8, Dr.
Worthington served as a private in Captain Le Mesurier’s company of the
Quebec regiment of Volunteer Light Infantry, the adjutant being the late
Lieut.-Colonel Thomas Wily. The doctor is a warm supporter of the
volunteer movement in Canada, and has served in the 53rd Battalion since
its formation. He was on active service in both Fenian raids, and
retired in 1887, retaining his rank as surgeon-major. He has written a
good deal for medical periodicals, and especially for the _Canada
Medical Journal_, published in Montreal, and some of his papers have
been copied into the medical journals of Great Britain and the United
States. Among the many papers he has contributed to the Canadian press
are: “A new method of bed-making in fractures” (1871); “Glue bandage in
fractures” (1872); “Case of gun-shot wound in abdomen, with perforation
of stomach” (1876); and “Acute fibrinous bronchitis, with expectoration
of tube casts” (1876). Dr. Worthington is a member of the Church of
England, and has been a delegate to the Provincial Synod. In politics he
is a Conservative. On the 16th October, 1845, he married Fanny Louisa
Smith, eldest daughter of the late Hon. Hollis Smith, the first member
elected to the Legislative Council for the Division of Wellington. Mrs.
Worthington died on the 17th April, 1887, aged fifty-nine years. Of her
eight children, five are now living, two daughters and three sons. The
younger daughter is married to Major Antrobus, superintendent of the
North-West Mounted Police. Of the sons, Edward Bruen, aged twenty-seven,
is senior captain in the 53rd battalion; an LL.B. of Bishop’s College
University, and in successful practice in Sherbrooke, as a notary
public. Arthur Norreys, aged twenty-five, graduated in medicine at
McGill College University in 1886, and after spending some time in
Europe, settled in Sherbrooke. He was recently gazetted surgeon to the
53rd battalion, on his father’s retirement from the volunteer service.
In September, 1887, he married, at Toronto, Emma May, daughter of H. H.
Cook, M.P. for Simcoe East. The youngest son, Hugh Standish, is now at
Bishop’s College Grammar School, Lennoxville. Arthur Norreys served
through the North-West rebellion in the Field Hospital Corps, and so
greatly distinguished himself for his humanity and bravery as to receive
the following notice in the official report of Dr. Bergin,
surgeon-general:
Many of these young men did noble work, regardless of danger.
Where the bullets fell thickest, with a heroism that has never
been exceeded, they were to be found, removing the wounded and
the dying to places of shelter and of safety in the rear. Some
cases of individual heroism are reported to me, which I feel
call for more than a passing remark; and embolden me to say that
amongst these non-combatant lads, and the staff to which they
belonged, are to be found some of the greatest heroes of the
war. At Batoche I am told that during the fight a flag was
thrust from the window of the church, and was observed by a
surgeon and a student who were under shelter from the fire at a
couple of hundred yards distance. The student, immediately he
perceived it, proposed that a party should at once go to the
relief of the one demanding succor. No one appeared willing to
second his proposal. To go to the church through the open under
such a terrible fire as was being poured from the Half-breed
pits, seemed to be like proceeding to certain death; but
persisting, the surgeon said: “if you are determined to go, and
we can find two volunteers to assist us in carrying a stretcher,
I am with you.” Two men from the Grenadiers of Toronto at once
stepped forward; and the four started upon their perilous
journey—crawling upon their bellies—taking advantage of any
little inequality of ground to cover them, and to shield them
from the bullets of the Half-breeds. They reached the
church—the bullets tearing up the earth all around
them—without a scratch, and, breathing a short prayer for their
deliverance thus far from death and danger, they looked around
for him whom they had risked, and were still risking, their
lives, to succor and to save. They found him in the person of a
venerable priest, who had been wounded in the thigh, and they at
once proceeded to remove him, after administering temporary aid.
To remain in the church was to court certain death. To return to
their corps seemed to be no less perilous; but they chose the
latter. When they sortied from the church, so astonished were
the Half-breeds at their daring that they ceased their fire for
a moment. This time, returning, they had no cover, and were
obliged to march erect. Bullets flew thick and fast; but the
condition of the wounded man precluded anything like hurry, and
they hastened slowly. God watched over them and protected them,
and they reached their comrades in safety, their wounded charge
also escaping without further harm. Such conduct deserves
recognition, and I beg respectfully to call attention to it in
this official way. I have not yet been able to obtain the names
of the two noble fellows belonging to the Grenadiers, but I hope
this notice of it will bring the information I desire. The other
two are Surgeon Gravely, of No. 1 Field Hospital, and Mr.
Norreys Worthington, from the same hospital. The manner in which
Captain Mason was rescued and brought in by, I believe, Dr.
Codd, of the 90th, and one of the young dressers (Mr. Norreys
Worthington), was an exhibition of marked courage by members of
the medical staff. Other instances well deserving of
commendation have been reported to me, and I would respectfully
suggest inquiry into all such cases, and if they be found as
reported to me, that honorable recognition of them be made.
Mr. Worthington claimed descent through Bruen Worthington, of Ashton
Hayes, in the county of Chester, and of Philpotstown, in the county of
Meath, clerk in the Irish House of Commons, in 1734; from Hugh
Worthington, of Worthington, in the county of Lancaster, and of the
Manor of Adlington, in Standish parish. He held the lordship of
Worthington in the 13th year of Edward IV., A.D. 1474.
* * * * *
=Vaughan, William=, St. Martins, N.B., was born in 1843, in Liverpool,
England, and is consequently in his forty-fifth year. He is the son of
the late Captain William Vaughan, of St. Martins, and it is by a mere
accident that he claims Liverpool as his birthplace. He received his
earlier education in a private school, and afterwards attended the Model
school of St. John, N.B., and the Horton Academy at Wolfville, N.S. At
the age of seventeen Mr. Vaughan was placed in the office of Farnworth &
Jardine, a large shipping firm, of Liverpool, staying there for two
years, getting his initial knowledge of business life therein. Returning
home, he, in 1866, commenced business on his own account in St. Stephen,
N.B. This he continued successfully until 1873, when, in partnership
with another gentleman, he established the West India produce house of
Vaughan, Clerke & Co. of St. Stephen. On the incorporation of the town,
Mr. Vaughan was elected a member of the first town council, and was
re-elected as such for the two succeeding years. In 1876 he commenced
operations in St. Martins as shipbuilder, building vessels of the larger
class. In 1878 the subject of our sketch sold out his interest in the
St. Stephen firm, and again made his residence in his boyhood’s
home—St. Martins. In 1882, in consequence of the failure of a Liverpool
house which were large clients of his, and also in consequence of the
depreciation which took place in wooden ships, Mr. Vaughan was compelled
to relinquish business. Soon afterwards he was appointed manager of the
Government Savings Bank at St. Martins, which position he still holds.
In religious belief Mr. Vaughan is a prominent member of the Baptist
church, being admitted to fellowship therein in 1857. He has held many
positions of honour in this connection, all of which he has filled with
credit to himself and with satisfaction to the denomination. Mr. Vaughan
is also prominent in Masonic circles, being a past master of Sussex
Lodge, St. Stephen; past principal of St. Stephen R. A. Chapter; and
past eminent commander of St. Stephen Encampment K.T. In 1867 the
subject of our sketch married a daughter of John Marks, of St. Stephen,
and has a family of three boys and two girls. Mr. Vaughan has been a
life-long total abstainer, not even knowing the taste of alcoholic
liquors. At the present writing (1887) he is the grand chief templar of
the Independent Order of Good Templars in New Brunswick, and has held
the position for two years. Politically, Mr. Vaughan is a Conservative,
although, as between the question of prohibition and party, if
necessary, the latter would have to bow to the former. A man of good
physique and energetic character, Mr. Vaughan is one of the many of her
sons of whom his province, and, in fact, his country, may be proud.
* * * * *
=Fraser, Hon. Duncan C.=, B.A., Barrister, New Glasgow, Nova Scotia, was
born at New Glasgow, Nova Scotia, on the 1st of October, 1845. His
parents were Alexander Fraser and Annie Chisholm. He received his
primary education at the Normal School, and graduated B.A. at Dalhousie
College in 1872. He also took a course of instruction in the Military
School. He chose law as a profession, and has succeeded in building up a
large and lucrative business. Mr. Fraser has taken an active interest in
municipal affairs, and for some time was town clerk, and a school
trustee. He was then elevated to the mayoralty of his native town, and
occupied the office for two terms. In provincial politics, he has also
participated, and during the administration of the Hon. P. C. Hill,
which held the reigns of power from 1875 to 1878, he was a member of the
Legislative Council, and held a position in the government without a
portfolio, but he resigned his seat in the council and returned to
private life. In politics he is a Liberal, and a pronounced free trader.
He has been long connected with the temperance reform, and takes a deep
interest in all societies having for their object the extermination of
the traffic in intoxicating drinks. At present he is the chief of the
Independent Order of Good Templars in Nova Scotia. He is connected with
Masonic and Oddfellows orders; and has been a deputy-grand master of the
Masonic body. Mr. Fraser is familiar with the Maritime provinces, and
has twice taken a trip to the Pacific coast. He is an adherent of the
Presbyterian church, and occupies the position of elder. On the 24th of
October, 1878, he was married to Bessie G. Graham, daughter of William
and Annie Graham, of New Glasgow.
* * * * *
=Matheson, Colonel Roderick.=—The Honorable Roderick Matheson, Senator,
was born in the parish of Loch Carron, Ross-shire, Scotland, in
December, 1793. He was descended from the last recognized Chief of Clan
Mathan, Dugald Matheson, of Balmacara, Loch Alsh, Ross-shire, who joined
Earl Seaforth in the Jacobite rebellion, and was killed in the action of
Glen Shiel, Glenelg, on 10th June, 1719. Dugald Matheson left four sons.
The three younger brothers went out to India, and did not return; the
eldest, Roderick, remained at home and married Christina, daughter of
Kenneth Mackenzie, with issue John, Dugald, and a daughter. John married
Flora, daughter of Donald Macrae, of Strath Conan, who also fought in
the Jacobite cause at Culloden, and was obliged to leave Scotland for
some years after the rebellion. John Matheson had issue two sons, one of
them the subject of our sketch, and three daughters. Col. Matheson’s
father died while he was a boy, and while attending school at Inverness;
he was brought out to Canada at the age of twelve, by his elder brother,
and completed his education at a school in Lower Canada. When the war of
1812 broke out, a regiment was raised by the Imperial Government, called
the Glengarry Light Infantry Fencibles, and on the 6th Feb., 1812,
Roderick Matheson was gazetted senior ensign, and in 1813, he was
appointed lieutenant and paymaster. During the war he saw a great deal
of active service, being present at the actions of York, Sackett’s
Harbor, Cross Roads, Fort George, Lundy’s Lane, and Fort Erie, and in
nearly all the engagements on the Niagara frontier. He was twice
wounded, once very severely at Sackett’s Harbor, where he was in command
of his company. After the war, he was allowed a year’s leave on full pay
on account of his wound, and in December, 1816, on the reduction of the
army, he was retired on half-pay. In 1817, with a large number of his
comrades in arms, he settled at the town of Perth, Ont., then founded,
and continued to reside there up to the time of his death, on 13th
January, 1873. During the rebellion of 1837, he volunteered with five
hundred men for service in Lower Canada, and, as Colonel commanding the
First Military District of Upper Canada, he took an active interest in
the organization of many of the present volunteer companies in the
Ottawa Valley from 1855 to 1863. In 1847, Col. Matheson was appointed a
life member of the Legislative Council of Canada, and, on the
confederation of the provinces in 1867, he was appointed a Senator of
the Dominion. Previous to the appointment of county judges, he was also
Chairman of the Quarter Sessions. He married first, Mary, daughter of
Captain Robertson, of Inverness, Scotland, who died in 1825; second, in
1830, Anna, daughter of the Rev. James Russell, minister of Gairloch,
Ross-shire, Scotland, by whom he had a large family. In politics Col.
Matheson was a staunch Conservative.
* * * * *
=Peters, Simon=, J.P., Builder and Architect, Quebec, was born in
Youghal, county Cork, Ireland, on the 18th September, 1815. His father,
who died in 1837, had been color-sergeant in H. M. 1st Battalion 60th
Regiment, and had seen active service in the memorable battles of
Salamanca, Vittoria, and Pampalona. The family had come to Canada some
years before the father’s death, and settled in Quebec. The subject of
this sketch had but slight educational advantages, being entirely
self-taught until over twenty years of age. He was apprenticed to the
building trade at the age of sixteen, developing marked talent as a
mechanic. In 1836 he left Quebec for New York, where he remained for
four years. In 1838 he married Eliza Jane Lamoreux, daughter of the late
Abraham Lamoreux, high constable of New York. In the same year he
secured his first schooling in the form of a six months’ course of
drawing lessons, during which he proved himself an apt and interested
scholar. In 1840 he returned to Quebec, where winter was just setting
in. Though possessed of little of this world’s goods, Mr. Peters was not
dismayed, but by dint of natural ability and hard work, soon made a
place for himself. In the winter of 1841-42 he finished his scholastic
education with a season’s course in the night classes of the
British-Canadian school, under the late Mr. Geggie. He also employed his
evenings, for seven years, learning vocal music, and attained a good
reputation as a tenor singer at St. Patrick’s Church, and also at
concerts for charitable objects. He found good friends in the late
Alexander Simpson, cashier of the Bank of Montreal, and Rev. Mr.
McMahon. His worldly affairs prospering, he was able to take charge of
his widowed mother, sister and four brothers. The brothers became in
turn apprenticed to him at the building trade. In 1853 he built a steam
sash, door, and blind factory, the first ever built in Quebec. This
factory worked continuously until 1864, when it was destroyed, together
with a large quantity of lumber. The proprietor’s loss was very heavy,
as there was little insurance. Two years later he built the present
works on the corner of Grant and Prince Edward streets, known as the St.
Charles Steam Saw and Planing Mills, blind, door, sash, box, and car
factory, a large and important industry. He constructed the joiner work
of the first steamer _Quebec_, and the steamer _Union_, plying on the
river St. Lawrence. Mr. Peters has reached the topmost round of success
in his profession, having been engaged in the construction of a great
variety of works, many of them most important. A mere catalogue of some
of the chief ones will serve to indicate the wide range of contracts he
has undertaken:—Upper Town market-house, gas works, St. Paul street
market-house, Wesleyan church, St. Peter’s church, St. Sauveur church,
Sisters of Charity church and buildings, Masonic hall, Lévis Episcopal
church, music hall, jail and court house at St. Hyacinthe, and also at
St. Thomas, Montmagny; Wellington barracks, at Halifax, Nova Scotia;
hotel at Tadousac, and the Earl of Dufferin’s house, at the same place.
He restored Quebec custom house after the fire; built the wharf and
light-house at Point St. Laurent Island of Orleans; also the outer
ballast wharf, and the Louise embankment connected with the same, at the
mouth of the St. Charles river; the Allan wharf; also a large number of
dwellings; notably, Hamwood, Cataraqui, Elmsgrove, Bandon Lodge, Bijou,
Sans Bruit, and Sir George Stephens’ elegant house, at Grand Metis,
lined and finished inside with British Columbia cedar, brought over by
the Canadian Pacific Railway for the purpose. Of fourteen children born,
four sons and four daughters remain, all the daughters and two of the
sons being married. In religion, Mr. Peters is a Roman Catholic. He has
been for years vice-president of the Quebec and Lake St. John Railway
Company, as well as a member of the council of the Quebec Board of
Trade. He has been a member of St. Patrick’s Society for over
twenty-five years, and was its president for the year 1878-1879. He has
won his success not by adventitious aids, but is emphatically a
self-made man, an honor to Canada, and to the race from which he sprung.
* * * * *
=Lawson, John A.=, Manager Post Office Money Order Department,
Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, was born July 23rd, 1842, at
Covehead, in that province, and belongs to one of its oldest families.
His great-great-grandfather, David Lawson, settled there, coming from
Scotland about 1770, his business being the management of the Montgomery
estate. David left two sons, and from these spring the Lawsons of Prince
Edward Island. The subject of this sketch is the son of William David
Lawson, and who lived on the original homestead of the family, where
also our subject was born. William David married Isabella, daughter of
John Auld, of Covehead, also of Scotch extraction, and the issue of this
union was six boys and three girls. Four of the former are now living,
the eldest being Rev. S. G. Lawson, a minister of the Presbyterian
church and also well known in newspaper circles; Charles Lawson, a
merchant of Charlottetown; James D. Lawson, in the civil service, and
our subject. John A. received a good English education in the Common and
Normal schools of his native province, and upon reaching the age of
twenty-one years commenced the arduous life of a teacher, which
profession he followed till about twenty-four years of age. The next
five years he was engaged in mercantile pursuits, at Mountstewart,
relinquishing them only to accept the position which he still holds
under the Dominion Government, and which he has filled for fifteen
years. In 1864 Mr. Lawson joined the Independent Order of Good Templars,
and has always been an energetic and consistent member of that
organization. He has held the highest positions in the gift of that
body, being Grand Secretary from 1872 to 1884 inclusive. In 1885 he was
elected Grand Chief Templar and re-elected to that position in 1886. He
is a member of the Masonic craft, being initiated in Victoria Lodge,
Charlottetown, in 1876, and for six or seven successive years being its
secretary. Politically, Mr. Lawson is a Prohibitionist, although
originally belonging to the Conservative party. In religious matters Mr.
Lawson has for many years taken an active interest, being identified
with the church of his fathers, viz., the Presbyterian, and is an elder
in the church he attends. Our subject married in 1865 Sophia, daughter
of Charles Coffin, of Savage Harbour, of United Empire Loyalist stock,
the family settling in Prince Edward Island about 1780. His family
consists of nine children, two boys and seven girls, none of whom have
yet arrived at man’s or woman’s estate. Mr. Lawson is a man of kindly
disposition, quiet habits, and generous hospitality, consequently he is
a general favourite with all who know him.
* * * * *
=Tyrwhitt, Lieut.-Col. Richard=, Bradford, Ontario, M.P. for South
Simcoe, was born in Simcoe county, Ontario, on the 29th of November,
1844. He is of an old English family, his grandfather, whose name he
bears, last of Nantyr Hall, Denbighshire, barrister of the Inner Temple,
and recorder of Chester. The subject of this sketch was educated at
home, under private tutors, until well advanced in the rudimentary
branches, and at Barrie Grammar School. He was sent to France to
complete his education in the best college there. He spent some years as
a collegian at Dinan and Rouen, returning to Canada at the age of
eighteen. He engaged in farming, and having the advantage of health,
education, and capital, besides an enthusiastic liking for the
profession, he has been successful. At the age of twenty-six Mr.
Tyrwhitt married Emma Whitaker, second daughter of the former provost of
Trinity College. At an early age Mr. Tyrwhitt took an interest in
military affairs, and joined the Simcoe (35th) Battalion. In 1864 he
took a first-class certificate at the military school, Toronto; in
January, 1865, attended the cadet camp at Laprairie, and in 1866 served
on the Niagara frontier, during the Fenian raid, as lieutenant. He also
took a first-class certificate at the cavalry school, under Colonel
Jenyns, in 1870. He soon attained the rank of major, with the brevet
rank of lieutenant-colonel; is now lieutenant-colonel of the 36th Peel
battalion, and commanded the Wimbledon team in 1886. On the death of W.
C. Little, who had represented South Simcoe for years,
Lieutenant-Colonel Tyrwhitt was nominated by the Liberal-Conservatives
as a candidate for the House of Commons, and was returned by a majority
of 900. The Redistribution Act of 1882 so changed the boundaries of
South Simcoe that, instead of being, as it had formerly been, a
Conservative stronghold, it became a most evenly balanced constituency.
Nevertheless, Lieutenant-Colonel Tyrwhitt’s personal popularity, and his
clean record, won for him a second time the confidence of the electors.
In parliament he proved himself a most painstaking and conscientious
representative. When the second North-West rebellion broke out,
Lieutenant-Colonel Tyrwhitt was among the first to offer his services to
the government to assist in suppressing the outbreak. Though doubtless,
had he so desired, he might have been named to the command of a
battalion, he proved that his sole desire was to serve his country and
not to gain applause, by acting as second in command of the York-Simcoe
battalion, of which his parliamentary colleague, Lieutenant-Colonel
O’Brien, was in command. His soldier-like conduct during the campaign
won for Lieutenant-Colonel Tyrwhitt the praise of his superiors in rank,
and the enthusiastic regard of his men. In the general election of 1887,
so great was the popularity of Lieutenant-Colonel Tyrwhitt that not only
was he nominated to contest his own riding of South Simcoe, but he was
deemed the strongest man to contest North York against Mr. Mulock, one
of the ablest and most popular men on the Liberal side. Though he was
unsuccessful in North York, Lieutenant-Colonel Tyrwhitt carried his own
riding by a majority of 1050. There is no man in the House of Commons
who is regarded by both friends and foes as more fair-minded,
independent and patriotic than Mr. Tyrwhitt. Though a strong partisan,
all believe that his course is dictated by conscientious conviction, and
an earnest desire to serve the best interests of the country.
* * * * *
=Smith, Robert Herbert=, of the city of Quebec, is the eldest son of the
Rev. Robert Hopton Smith and Jane his wife, who was a daughter of Robert
Chapman, of London, England. Mr. Smith was born in the year 1825, at
Little Berkhampstead, England, and had the advantages of a private
education. In 1851 he came to Canada, and six years afterwards was
admitted as a partner into the lumber shipping firm of Benson & Co.
Three years later the name of the firm was changed to Roberts, Smith &
Co., and again, in 1880, to Smith, Wade & Co. Six years later, Mr. Smith
retired from business. In 1869 Mr. Smith was appointed by the Dominion
Government a member of the Board of Protestant School Commissioners for
the city of Quebec, and in 1870 he received the appointment of warden of
the Trinity House in the same city. Mr. Smith has taken an active
interest in many benevolent enterprises. Chief among these is St.
George’s Society, of which he is a life member, and of which society he
was president during the years 1883 and 1884. In 1857 he was married to
Amelia Jane, fourth daughter of Henry LeMesurier, of Quebec. He is a
member of the Church of England, and at present fills several important
public and other offices. He is a member of the Quebec Harbour
Commission, a director of the Quebec Bank, and is also chairman of the
Quebec Gas Company.
* * * * *
=Jennings, Rev. John=, D.D., was born at Glasgow, Scotland, in October,
1814. He was the only son of John Jennings, manufacturer, of that city.
His parents having died when he was two years of age, his earlier
education was received under his uncle, the Rev. John Tindal, of
Rathillet, Fifeshire. In early life he showed a great liking for the
study of medicine and theology, and entered upon a theological course at
St. Andrew’s University, and completed it at the University of
Edinburgh. As he determined upon laboring in a foreign field, he further
equipped himself by taking a complete course in medicine. In 1838 he was
appointed missionary to Canada by the United Presbyterian Church of
Cupar. Before setting out for his field of labor he was married, in the
same year, to Margaret Cumming, daughter of Robert Cumming, of St.
Boswell’s. Arriving in Toronto, the young clergyman was not long in
looking about for a congregation. The city of Toronto at that time
consisted of about eleven thousand inhabitants. His congregation was at
first naturally small, consisting of seven members and twenty-one
adherents, and their first place of worship was in a carpenter’s
workshop on Newgate (now Adelaide) street. Over this congregation he was
inducted as the pastor of the First United Presbyterian church of
Toronto, the congregation residing principally to the east of Yonge
street and south of Queen street. The growth of the congregation was
rapid, and soon they purchased the old Baptist church on Stanley street,
but required shortly to find larger premises, and obtained possession of
a church built on Richmond street west (close to Yonge street). In a few
years still larger premises were required, and the brick church on Bay
street was erected, and continued for thirty-six years to be occupied by
the same congregation, under his uninterrupted pastorate. In addition to
the pastorate of Bay Street Church, Mr. Jennings had arduous labors to
perform throughout the western and northern portions of the province as
missionary, especially in establishing new stations and preaching to the
scattered settlers. In these itinerant labors he had to encounter many
difficulties and hardships, but his strong physical frame greatly
strengthened him to bear these toils in the cause he held so dear. His
knowledge of medicine was an invaluable assistant to him, and many of
the scattered settlers were benefited bodily as well as spiritually. One
year’s record shows that he travelled in these missionary tours upwards
of three thousand miles, almost entirely in the saddle. In
acknowledgment of his labors, and several works that he wrote on
theological and university subjects, the degree of Doctor of Divinity
was conferred on him by the University of New York—the first degree
given to a Canadian minister. He was at last obliged, through failing
health, to resign his charge as pastor of Bay Street Church, which he
had held for thirty-six consecutive years. The congregation reluctantly
consented, and manifested its appreciation of the long services he had
rendered their church by settling a liberal life-long allowance upon
him. Notwithstanding the many and continuous calls upon his time during
his long pastorate, Doctor Jennings found time to devote himself to
assisting in building up many of the public institutions of the city,
more especially in connection with the educational system, and for many
years he was a member of the senate of the University and Upper Canada
College, Council of Public Instruction and High School Board. He was one
of the foremost on the platform and in the press in the discussion which
led to the secularization, in 1854, of the clergy reserves, and was also
a principal mover in the schemes for the union of the different branches
of the Presbyterian church. He was gifted with a winning, cordial
disposition; was a clear, forcible preacher, liberal in church and
sectarian matters, which made him universally popular with his
fellow-citizens of all creeds. His visits to the sick-bed and family
circle were especially acceptable. He was fond of all healthy
amusements, especially outdoor sports, his own early athletic training
having assisted in building up a strong constitution, which in after
years stood him in good stead. After the resignation of his charge his
health failed rapidly, and in February, 1876, he succumbed to an attack
of paralysis, maintaining to the last all his senses. His wife, three
sons and four daughters survive him.
* * * * *
=Slack, Edward=, Waterloo, Quebec, was born at Eaton, Quebec, on the
17th August, 1841, and is a son of the Rev. George Slack, of London,
England. Unlike most clergymen, Mr. Slack’s father has passed a very
adventurous career. Before he was ordained he was an officer in the
British Navy, and was in the service of the Queen of Portugal during the
insurrection of 1830. He was in the battle of Cape St. Vincent on the
5th July, 1833, and for his gallantry on that occasion received the
Order of the Tower and Sword of Portugal. He afterwards returned to
England, and in 1837 retired from the navy. He then put into operation a
project he had formed of coming to Canada. Shortly afterwards, however,
he returned again to England to be married to Emma Colston, of Epsom, a
niece of General Sir Edward Howarth, baronet, K.C.B. The newly married
couple then left England to take up their permanent residence in Canada.
Arriving, they remained for some time at Eaton, Quebec, where Mr. Slack
was ordained by the late Bishop Mountain, of Quebec, and after removing
to different places they finally settled down at Bedford, of which
district the Rev. Mr. Slack became Rural Dean. His son, the subject of
our sketch, received his education at Bishop’s College, Lennoxville,
where he took a classical course. A true chip of the old block, he
joined one of the Volunteer forces and served as lieutenant at Niagara
in the _Trent_ affair. He again saw active service during the Fenian
raid, and also took part in the battle of Pigeon Hill, on the Missisquoi
frontier. He has occupied at different times as many as seventeen
municipal and public offices. He has been mayor of Waterloo for eight
years, and a member of the council for over twenty. He is at present
warden of Shefford county, a position which he has held for a number of
years, and is also a director of the Waterloo and Magog, and the
Stanstead, Shefford and Chambly Railroads. He is a member of the Church
of England, and is thoroughly independent in politics. His wife is
Marion A. Ellis, daughter of the late R. A. Ellis, of Waterloo, Quebec.
They were married on the 20th September, 1864, and have seven children.
* * * * *
=Hudspeth, Adam=, Q.C., M.P., Lindsay, Ontario, was born in Cobourg,
Ont., on the 8th of December, 1836. He received his education in the
Grammar School of his native town, under the tuition of his father, who
was head-master. He studied law, and was called to the bar in 1867. A
year later he married Harriette Miles, daughter of R. S. Miles, of
Brockville, a retired chief factor of the Hudson’s Bay Company. Mr.
Hudspeth soon made his mark as a lawyer and acquired a large practice.
He was also, from early manhood, a keen politician and did yeoman
service for his party (the Conservative) in all the political contests
of his district for many years. In 1875 he received the nomination of
his party for the local legislature and fought a hard fight against
heavy odds, and though not successful, he won the respect of opponents
as well as the admiration of friends by the manly earnestness of his
campaign. Though giving much attention to politics, Mr. Hudspeth
advanced rapidly in his profession and some years ago became a bencher
of the Law Society of Ontario. Mr. Hudspeth was deputy judge for the
county of Victoria for many years, being entrusted also with the duties
of revising officer under the Franchise Act of 1885 to prepare the lists
for North Victoria. Although complaints were made by the Liberals of the
action of revising officers in different parts of the country, those
complaints being all the more bitter because of the fierce opposition
which had been offered to the Franchise Bill in parliament, no such
complaints were made of the manner in which the lists for North Victoria
were prepared, both sides acknowledging that a strict even-handed
justice was meted out in every case. When the election came on Mr.
Hudspeth ran as the Conservative candidate in South Victoria. He was
elected by a handsome majority; but it was supposed that he was
disqualified under the Independence of Parliament Act. Thereupon he
resigned his office as revising officer and again entered the contest.
The fight was one of the fiercest that has ever been known, even in
Victoria, where party spirit is strong, but the result was another
victory for Mr. Hudspeth. The victor was able to take his seat during
the first session of the new parliament, being received with
enthusiastic plaudits on being introduced to Mr. Speaker. His friends
regard his entry into parliamentary life as the fitting result of a long
political education gained in the field of active contests and as the
real opening of a brilliant career. Undoubtedly Mr. Hudspeth’s talents
were far above the average, and his remarkable energy and force of
character are certain to bring those talents into prominence that the
possessor of them will be called upon to take a high place among the
representatives of the people.
* * * * *
=Morrison, Alfred Gidney=, Barrister, Halifax, was born on 31st May,
1854, at Folly village, Londonderry, in the county of Colchester, Nova
Scotia. His parents were Thomas Fletcher Morrison and Margaret Brown
Fletcher. On his father’s side he is descended from the ancient family
of Morrisons of the West coast of Scotland, who were present in Ireland
and took part in the defence of Derry. From thence they came to New
Hampshire, and from there to Londonderry and Truro, in the county of
Colchester, in the year 1760. On the mother’s side he is descended from
the Rev. John Brown, who was a native of Scotland, and one of the
pioneers of the Presbyterian church of Nova Scotia. Rev. Mr. Brown was
the associate of the late Dr. McGregor, the founder of Pictou academy,
one of the leading educational institutions in eastern Nova Scotia. Mr.
Morrison received his primary education at the common school in his
native village; and when a mere lad happened one day to go into the
court house at Truro, and hearing two distinguished members of the bar
wrangling over a disputed point, he, on returning to his home, announced
his determination to be a lawyer. Although years elapsed before he could
carry out this cherished idea, he at length succeeded in getting a
chance to study this profession. He removed to Halifax in 1878, and
after taking a course at Pictou academy, he studied law for a short time
in the Halifax Law School, which was then newly established, and
afterwards read law with Weatherby & Graham, barristers, and Thompson &
Graham, barristers, Halifax, and was admitted to the bar of Nova Scotia
in December, 1882. He immediately afterwards entered into a partnership
with W. F. MacCoy, Q.C., but three years afterwards he joined the firm
of MacCoy, Pearson, Morrison & Forbes, which firm now does a large
business in Halifax. From 1870 until 1879 he held the position of deputy
surveyor of shipping at Londonderry. In 1884 he acted as secretary to a
provincial delegation to Ottawa; and was solicitor for the Board of
Public Charities at Halifax until the board was abolished by the
legislature in 1886. He helped in the establishment of a system of
printing cases for argument before the court in banc; and also in the
establishment of a law school at Halifax. He was connected with the
press for two years, and in this connection assisted in promoting
several important public enterprises. Mr. Morrison believes in open and
free discussion, and always likes to see the best man win. He has been,
since 1878, a leading member of the Young Men’s Liberal Club at Halifax,
and takes an active part in politics. He is considered a good campaign
platform speaker, and has taken an interest in all election contests
since 1878. He is familiar with the maritime provinces; but has only
been able, so far, to visit Ottawa and the New England states. He was
brought up a Presbyterian, and his mind has undergone no important
theological change from youth up. Mr. Morrison’s progress has been
upward in his profession. He is a man of sound judgment, excellent
address, diligent in business, and possessed of an untarnished
reputation for integrity. He is very fond of literature, but
unfortunately his legal business gives him little time to indulge this
taste, to any great extent, in this direction. He was married on the 7th
February, 1884, to Rubie F. Douglas, of Maitland, in the county of
Halifax, who is a lady of good education and refined taste. She was for
some years, previous to her marriage, engaged in educational work, of
which she is particularly fond. She was educated at the Truro Normal
School. One son has been born of this union.
* * * * *
=Matheson, Lieut.-Colonel Arthur James=, fifth son of the late Col. the
Hon. Roderick Matheson, Senator, was born at Perth, Ontario, and
educated at Upper Canada College, and Trinity College, Toronto. He was
called to the Bar of Ontario in February, 1870. In March, 1866, he was
gazetted lieutenant of the Perth Infantry company, with which he served
in the provisional battalion at Brockville and Prescott on the St.
Lawrence frontier during the first Fenian raid. In November, 1866, on
the formation of the 42nd battalion, he was gazetted captain. Having
resigned his commission while studying his profession in Toronto, he was
afterwards re-appointed captain, and in 1885, major, and on 18th June,
1886, lieut.-col. of the 42nd battalion V. M. The services of the
battalion were volunteered for the North-West during the rebellion but
were not required. Lieut.-Col. Matheson was, for a number of years, a
member of the town council, and for two years, 1883 and 1884, mayor of
Perth. In politics he is a Conservative.
* * * * *
=Angus, Richard Bladworth=, Montreal, Director of the Canadian Pacific
Railway Company, is a Scotchman by birth, having been born at Bathgate,
in the neighbourhood of the city of Edinburgh, Scotland, on the 28th day
of May, 1830. He is one of four brothers, all remarkable for the early
developed brilliancy of their talents. Mr. Angus received his scholastic
education in the academy at Bathgate, and at an early age left Scotland
and went to England, where, in a bank in Manchester, he received his
business training. Bound to push his fortune, he came to Canada in 1857,
and found a situation in the Bank of Montreal. In the first series of
this work in connection with the life of the late Mr. C. F. Smithers, a
brief concise sketch is given of the early history of banking in Canada,
with especial reference to the great Bank of Montreal, of which that
regretted financier had for several years the direction. It was with the
progress of the same important institution that the subject of this
memoir was destined to be identified during some of the most active
years of his busy life, like not a few of the Scotchmen who have made
their mark on this side of the Atlantic, Mr. Angus had his business
training in one of the great commercial centres of England. The
qualities which were ultimately to win him the confidence of his
colleagues in some of the grandest enterprises of the time were soon
recognized in the young Manchester clerk, and he rapidly mounted the
ladder of promotion. In three years he had risen to the post of
accountant, and in 1861 was sent to Chicago to assume charge of the
branch office in that city. After some years residence in Chicago, he
was entrusted with a still larger responsibility, being appointed to the
associate management of the New York agency; a year later we find him
once more in Montreal, as manager of the local business, and having
discharged the critical business of that position for five years, he
succeeded Mr. King, in 1869, as general manager. His tenure of that high
position was marked by tact, foresight, and the fullest appreciation of
opportunities for extending the influence of the institution. In 1876 he
resigned, in order to accept the vice-presidency of the St. Paul’s,
Minneapolis and Manitoba Railway, a step which in due time was to have
important results. It will be remembered that, as in the east, the
entrance of the Maritime provinces into the Canadian Confederation
necessitated the construction of the Intercolonial Railway. So in the
extreme west, the admission of British Columbia was effected solely on
the condition that communication should be established between the
Pacific region and the rest of the Dominion. It was one of the grandest
enterprises that had ever been conceived in an age fertile in great
undertakings. In 1871 the survey was begun, but the scheme was to
undergo many modifications before the actual initiation of the work of
construction. It was finally deemed most advisable on various grounds
that the responsibility should be assumed, not by the Government, but by
a private company. At last a syndicate was formed, with Mr. (now Sir)
George Stephen as its leading spirit. Mr. Angus was one of the original
body, and has remained in connection with the incorporate company ever
since as one of its directors. He shares, therefore, in the glory, as he
has shared in the responsibilities and risks, of a public work, which
has revolutionised the relations of the distant parts of the British
empire, and enhanced a hundredfold the prospects of Canada as to
immigration, industry and commerce. Not, indeed, till the present
generation has passed away will the world sufficiently appreciate the
services of the men by whom the Canadian Pacific Railway was completed,
an all-through route from ocean to ocean on British territory and a band
of union between the metropolis and the farthest east, without which
Imperial unity would be little more than a name. Mr. Angus is regarded
as a shrewd business man, and very strict in his dealings. He is,
however, none the less popular, as he has many amiable qualities, being
a typical instance of that dual nature which is not uncommon, especially
among Scotchmen, combining rigid adherence to the letter of a bargain,
and close calculation of expenditure in business matters, with
open-handed generosity in social intercourse. He is a member of the St.
Andrew’s Society, and holds the position of vice-president. He is also a
member of St. Paul’s lodge of Free Masons.
* * * * *
=Jones, Robert Vonclure=, A.M., Ph.D., Professor of Classics, Acadia
College, Wolfville, Nova Scotia, was born on June 25, 1835, at Pownal,
lot 49, Prince Edward Island. His father was William Jones, who was born
in London, Great Britain, and emigrated with his parents to Prince
Edward Island about the beginning of the present century. His mother was
Mary Gay, who came with her parents from the state of Maine, United
States, and settled in Prince Edward Island, about 1802. After leaving
the common schools, Mr. Jones pursued a course of study in the Central
Academy, Charlottetown, P.E.I. This school has since received the more
ambitious title of Prince of Wales College. It was then, as now, a place
of thorough drill, and in it faithful pupils could lay the foundation of
a broad and sound scholarship. He went, at the beginning of 1855, to
Horton Collegiate Academy to continue his studies; and was matriculated
into Acadia College, Wolfville, Nova Scotia, in 1856. He graduated in
1860, and was a member of the class that included the names of
Professors Hartt and Wells, and Drs. Rand and Alward. He continued his
studies at Oxford University, England, after his appointment to Acadia
College; and was for four years second master of Horton Collegiate
Academy. He was appointed to the chair of classics in Acadia College in
1865, and this position he still holds. For some years he was one of the
classical examiners to the University of Halifax. Mr. Jones has
travelled quite extensively in England, Scotland, France, Switzerland,
Italy, and in some of the New England States. In religion he is a
Baptist, and at the Baptist convention, held in the Baptist church,
Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, August 20th, 1887, he was
unanimously elected president. He was married on June 8, 1865, to Emma
R. Pineo, daughter of John O. Pineo, a well-known resident of Wolfville,
Kings county.
* * * * *
=Macdonald, Hon. Andrew Archibald=, Lieutenant-Governor of Prince Edward
Island, Charlottetown, was born at Three Rivers, in that province, on
the 14th February, 1829. He is the eldest son of Hugh Macdonald, and
Catherine Macdonald, his wife, and grandson of Andrew Macdonald, who
purchased an estate of ten thousand acres in Prince Edward Island, in
the early part of the century, and with his family and some fifty of his
countrymen, whom he brought with him to settle on the property,
emigrated from Inverness-shire, Scotland, to Prince Edward Island where
his kinsman, Macdonald of Glenaladale and other relations had already
taken up their abode. Shortly after his arrival in the province he
likewise purchased the beautiful island of Panmure, seven hundred acres
in extent, at the entrance of Cardigan bay. There he erected a
dwelling-house and store and took up his residence. He set apart a
suitable piece of land for a church, which was soon built with the
assistance of a few settlers of the same faith, and there all would
assemble on the Sundays for united prayer, or to join in offering the
holy sacrifice of the mass at such rare intervals as a priest visited
the district. The interior of the island was then covered with the
primeval forest, unbroken by roads. The first settlers located along the
borders of the seashore or by the river margin. The water was the great
highway at all seasons. Snowshoes were as indispensable in winter as
canoes were in summer, for the snowfall was much greater then than in
later years, since the forest has been cleared. The firm of Andrew
Macdonald & Sons at once established an extensive business in exporting
the pine timber of the province to Great Britain, and importing such
goods as the settlers required. They also extended a branch of the house
to Miramichi, in New Brunswick. They experienced all the usual
difficulties of early settlers in a new country, but we will only note a
few somewhat different from the ordinary kind. In 1807, while the first
ship they had chartered was loading, a sloop of war arrived from
Halifax, and pressed the crew for the King’s service. No seamen could be
had to replace them, and the ship and cargo were detained for a long
time. Other ship-owners, fearing the same fate, would not accept
colonial charters, and provincial trade was at a standstill, but Mr.
Macdonald represented the matter so well to the government that the
practice was soon discontinued, and business went on. At another time,
as the old man and one of his younger sons were taking passage home to
Britain, in the autumn, by a timber-laden ship, she was captured by an
American privateer, and taken as a prize to Philadelphia, where he and
his son were confined in jail for some months as prisoners. As they were
unable to communicate with their friends and were without funds, they
suffered great hardship, and endured such privation that the old
gentleman’s health gave way, he was then allowed a limited liberty on
parole. In the following spring he managed to acquaint his friends with
his situation, and the attention of the Provincial government being
called to the case, they obtained his liberation and he returned home.
In 1817 the house at Panmure with every thing it contained, including
valuable family papers, was destroyed by fire, the inmates barely
escaping with their lives; but undaunted still, he imported brick and
material from Britain and erected the first brick dwelling-house and
stables ever seen in that part of the province. His original purchase of
township lands had proved a very unfortunate one, as it involved him in
a Chancery suit, which continued up to the time of his death, in 1833.
His son, Hugh, succeeded to the property, and continued the suit for
almost another generation, with the usual result in the Chancery suits
of that period, the litigants were ruined and the whole estate swallowed
up in costs. Hugh Macdonald, of Panmure, was one of the first Roman
Catholics appointed to any office of importance after the passage of the
Catholic Emancipation Act. He was high sheriff of the province in 1834.
A commissioner of the Small Debt Court and justice of the peace for
Kings county; represented Georgetown for some time in the House of
Assembly; held the imperial appointment of Controller of Customs and
Navigation Laws, and was Collector of Customs at Three Rivers, P.E.I.,
from 1832 until his death, in 1857. He was succeeded by his eldest son,
Andrew Archibald Macdonald, the subject of our sketch, who was educated
at the public schools of the county and by private tutors. He first
entered as a clerk in a general store, opened at Georgetown, P.E.I., by
a relative, in 1844, and soon became a partner in the business. On the
death of the senior member of the firm in 1851, he purchased the estate,
continued the business, embarked largely in the fisheries, and took his
two brothers into partnership. The firm became large buyers and
exporters of the products of the province, and engaged extensively in
shipbuilding. In 1871 he removed with his family to Charlottetown, and
shortly afterwards disposed of his interest in the business to his
partners. He had been Consular agent for the United States of America at
Georgetown for twenty-five years, before his removal to the capital. He
had entered political life at an early age, and was returned to the
House of Assembly in 1854, as one of the representatives for Georgetown.
At the next general election, although he polled a majority of the
votes, he was unseated on a change of parties by scrutiny in the house
in 1859. When the Legislative Council first became elective in 1863, he
was elected thereto by the second district of Kings county, and again
returned by the same constituency in 1868. Whilst, a member of the
opposition, the government appointed him one of the delegates to confer
with those from the governments of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick at the
Charlottetown conference of first September, 1864, on the expediency of
the union of the three provinces, when the deputation from Canada was
received and the subject of a general confederation of the British
American provinces informally discussed. He was also in the same year a
member of the delegation to Quebec, which arranged the first terms of
Confederation for the Dominion. On submitting these to his Island
constituents at public meetings they were not approved, and he did not
afterwards advocate this measure, until terms more favorable to the
province and acceptable to the people had been obtained, when they
received his strenuous support both on the platform and in the
legislature. He was first called to the Executive Council in Mr. Coles’
administration, formed 14th March, 1867, and continued in that of Mr.
Hensley, and also of Mr. Haythorne, until the defeat of the party in
September, 1870. They were succeeded by Mr. Pope’s government, of which
he became a member, and was leader in the upper house until the defeat
of the party and their resignation on the 22nd April, 1872. They were
recalled to power within the year, and he continued a member of the
government from that time until the better terms of Confederation were
secured and the measure finally accomplished, when he resigned his seat
and accepted the position of provincial postmaster general, 1st July,
1873. After Confederation this office was merged in that of postmaster
at Charlottetown, although still directing the Provincial mail service,
in which many improvements were effected and the efficiency of the
service greatly increased. In 1881 he was also appointed post-office
inspector for the colony, and held these offices until his appointment
as Lieutenant-Governor, on 1st August, 1884. He was a delegate to the
International Convention held at Portland, U.S., in 1868, and has been a
governor of the Prince of Wales College, a trustee for the Provincial
Hospital for the Insane, a member of the Board of Education, a member of
the Board of Works, and a member of the City School Board. In 1875 he
was appointed by the government, arbitrator to settle difference between
them and the contractors who built the Prince Edward Island Railway. He
was also public trustee under the Land Purchase Act of 1875, and when
the value had been awarded to the proprietors by the Court of
Commissioners, but they had refused to divest themselves of their
titles, he executed conveyances of upwards of four hundred thousand
acres of their property to the government as provided in the Land
Purchase Act. While in the legislature he assisted in passing many of
the most important acts on the provincial statute book, and was one of
the earliest advocates of the construction of the Prince Edward Island
Railway as a provincial work, although it involved an expenditure of
three millions of dollars, by a province whose ordinary revenue was then
only three hundred thousand dollars, and whose population was but one
hundred thousand, but it was successfully accomplished, and the cost
borne by the province now enjoying its benefits. Lieut.-Governor
Macdonald has for many years taken an active part in the promotion of
temperance; is a member of the Dominion Temperance Alliance, and no
wines or spirituous liquors are used or offered at government house. Mr.
Macdonald, like his forefathers from time immemorial, professes the
Roman Catholic faith. He is a member of the St. Vincent de Paul Society
for the relief of the poor, and has been chief of the Prince Edward
Island Caledonian Club for several years past. He is also president of
the Arbor Society. He married, in 1863, Elizabeth, daughter of Thomas
Owen, formerly postmaster-general, with issue four sons, the eldest,
Æneas Adolphe, is his private secretary and a law student in the office
of Peters & Peters; the second son, Percy, has gone into a mercantile
establishment to learn the business, and the two younger sons are still
at college.
* * * * *
=Smart, William Lynn=, Barrister, Hamilton, Ontario, was born at St.
Albans, Middlesex, England, on 16th September, 1824. He is the eldest
son of the late John Newton Smart, of Trewhitt House, Rothbury,
Northumberland, who married, in 1823, Mary Ann, co-heiress of the Rev.
Thomas Gregory, vicar of Henlow, Bedfordshire, England. He succeeded his
father to the Trewhitt and Netherton properties, in 1875. Mr. Smart
graduated at King’s College, London. He left college in 1842, and was
articled to Smart & Buller, attorneys-at-law and solicitors in Chancery,
and was admitted as attorney in 1847, and was then taken in as a partner
of the firm of Smart, Buller & Smart. He remained in this firm until
1853, when he came, to Canada on a visit to the late Colonel Light, of
Woodstock. He subsequently accepted the appointment of secretary of the
Woodstock and Lake Erie Railway Company. This company afterwards
amalgamated with the Amherstburg and St. Thomas Railway Company, under
the name Canada Southern Railroad. Mr. Smart remained as its secretary
until the year 1862. Having been admitted as an attorney-at-law by the
Law Society of Upper Canada, in 1864 he left the Canada Southern and
entered into partnership with Hector Cameron, Q.C., the new firm taking
the name of Cameron & Smart. During the time of the partnership, 1866,
he was called to the bar of Upper Canada. In 1868 the partnership was
dissolved, and he commenced business in Toronto on his own account. In
1873, he removed to Hamilton, where he received the appointment of
deputy judge, under the late Judge Logie and also the late Judge
Ambrose. The duties of this office he discharged with ability and care,
giving much satisfaction, an address having been presented to him,
signed by the bar of Wentworth county, until the appointment of the
present Judge Sinclair. In 1876 he retired from his judicial position,
and began business again as barrister, opening an office in the Court
House, Hamilton. Judge Smart has devoted himself more or less to civic
politics, and was during 1870 and 1871 a councillor for Yorkville, now
part of Toronto. He belongs to the order of Freemasons, and has held the
office of secretary of the Ionic lodge, No. 25, Toronto. He is likewise
a member of the Orange order. He is an Episcopalian; and in politics a
Liberal-Conservative. He was a candidate for South Oxford in 1882, but
did not succeed. He married, in 1863, Catherine McGill Crooks, daughter
of the late John Crooks, of Niagara. By this lady, who died in 1871, he
has three children. He is a man of broad views, and though not a
prohibitionist, is a sturdy advocate of temperance.
* * * * *
=Van Horne, William C.=, Vice-President and General Manager Canadian
Pacific Railway, Montreal.—Of the links that bind the old world to the
new, there is one which, whatever may betide in a future, near or far,
is not likely to give way. That link is the bond of race, and in itself
that bond is manifold. In Mexico, Central and South America, a group of
successive states perpetuates the memories of Spain’s dominion in the
continent that she helped Columbus to discover. Brazil is allied by
blood and crown to the enterprise of Portugal. North of the Gulf of
Mexico, the empire has, in the course of events, become the heritage of
men of Anglo-Saxon breed, whether the flag be the union-jack or the
stars and stripes, the men who raised it aloft were mainly from the
British Isles. Not all, however. Both in the United States and Canada
there are elements in the population—important elements—which it would
be stupidity to ignore. The foundations of the dominion were laid by the
valiant and pious sons of La Belle France, and notwithstanding the
change of rulership, the country is still, and must long continue to be,
to a large extent, administered by their descendants. In the United
States, among the first to sow the seeds of civilization in the
wilderness, were the hardy children of the land of dykes and fogs.
Hudson, though English born, was by adoption and service a Hollander,
and the commercial metropolis of the western hemisphere was founded by
Dutch pioneers. It is no wonder that in the great American republic
should have arisen the most sympathetic and popular historian of the
growth and independence of the United Netherlands. For if in that land
of constant warfare with the ocean—the well-known patronymic—which to
Platt Deutsch ears is as “Mac” to the Highlander, and “O” to the
Munsterman, has been borne by patriots like Van den Berg, Van der Does,
Van Tromp, and Van Hove, not less distinguished a place, in proportion
to their numbers, have the founders of Manhattan and their descendants
won for themselves in their new home. It is also worthy of remembrance
that, though the English, displaced the Dutch by the law of the
stronger, the Dutch won back their lost estates, and that in fact they
only submitted to the English crown, when that crown pressed the brow of
a compatriot of their own—William, Prince of Orange. Of the persons of
known Dutch origin who have since those days of struggle risen to proud
preeminence in the United States, the list is a long and honorable one.
There is no rank of life, indeed, in which they have not been and may
still be found, and as a rule, wherever the syllable “Van” is prefixed
to a name, it denotes the ancient fatherland of its possessor. It may be
almost taken for granted that he is above the average in those qualities
that win success and esteem. That this assertion is not made at random,
will be evident to any one who consults the “Biographical Directory of
the Railway Officials of America,” where the number of office bearers
bearing names beginning with “Van” is remarkable. In this list one name
is conspicuous as that of a gentleman who holds the supreme position
among the railway men of Canada—that of William C. Van Horne,
vice-president and general manager of the Canadian Pacific Railway. The
name is one, moreover, of high renown in both continents, and has been
borne by soldiers, sailors, divines, and scholars, as well as by men who
made their mark in the ranks of commerce and industry. It was, it will
be remembered, a Garratt Van Horne, a valorous and gigantic Dutchman,
who led that resolute band of New Netherlanders who refused to bend
their necks to the English invader. One of the race did, indeed,
afterwards suffer discomfiture, being taken by surprise, and the
students of our history will recall the repulse of Major Thomas B. Van
Horne, near Detroit, in 1812. But a namesake of that gallant officer has
amply avenged him in the spirit of returning good for evil. The
rivalries of peace are more noble than those of war, and the benefit
that the subject of this memoir has conferred on the Dominion and its
people rebounds to the honor of the benefactor, as no conquest of his
military namesake, even had he advanced unchecked, could ever have done.
Mr. W. C. Van Horne is in career a type, not only as we have tried to
show, of the stamp of character with which Holland—trained there, too,
by long and fruitful conflict with nature—has endowed the new world,
but also of a class of men who have made North America what it is to
day. What the railway movement has done for civilization in the western,
even more than in the eastern, hemisphere, we need not pause to inquire.
Enough to suggest the inquiring; the answer lies all around us in the
network of lines which has brought the most remote and out-of-the-way
corners of the continent into communication with the great centres of
business, skilled labor, and varied culture. In effecting these splendid
results, Mr. Van Horne has had a share which, though a few dates may
indicate its general features, might be made the theme of an instructive
volume. Though he springs, as we have seen, from the old patron stock of
the Manhattan colony, he is a westerner by birth, having first seen the
light in Will county, Illinois, in February, 1843. He is therefore in
the very prime of life. His railway experience began some thirty-two
years ago, when he entered the service of the Illinois Central, as
telegraph operator, at Chicago. He afterwards served for six years more,
in various capacities, on the Joliet division of the Michigan Central.
From 1864 to 1872, he was connected with the Chicago and Alton Railway,
filling successively the positions of train-despatcher, superintendent
of telegraphs, and assistant superintendent of the railway; and in 1872,
he became general superintendent of the St. Louis, Kansas City, and
Northern Railway. From October, 1874, till October, 1878, he was general
manager of the Southern Minnesota line, being president of the company
from December, 1877, till December, 1879. From October, 1878, till
December, 1879, he was general superintendent of the Chicago and Alton
Railway. In January, 1880, he became general superintendent of the
Chicago, Milwaukee, and St. Paul’s Railway, a position which he held for
two years. In January, 1882, he became connected with the Canadian
Pacific Railway, as general manager, and in 1884, he assumed the high
and responsible position, which he still holds, as vice-president of
that great company. This brief outline indicates a career of faithful
service and gradual promotion. From that time forward Mr. Van Horne’s
name has become a household one in Canada. His perseverance, pluck, and
skill in connection with that railway soon placed him in the fore rank
as one of the great railway managers of the present century, and the
work he performed, and the skill manifested in the construction of that
great national work, will ever link his name with the history of Canada.
The work was completed within six years of the period allowed by
contract, the last spike was driven by the Hon. (now Sir) Donald A.
Smith, at Eagle Pass, 340 miles from Port Moodie, on the 7th of
November, 1885, and the through train from Montreal passed on to the
Pacific terminus. The operation of the line since that date has
transcended the expectations even of the most sanguine.
* * * * *
=Bryson, Hon. George=, sen., Fort Coulonge, ex-Member of the Legislative
Council of the Province of Quebec, was born in Paisley, Scotland, on the
16th December, 1813. His parents were James Bryson and Jane Cochrane,
and both were born in Scotland. They came to Canada in 1821, and settled
in the township of Ramsay, Lanark county, Ontario. Hon. Mr. Bryson
received his education in the public schools of Ramsay. For about fifty
years he has been in the lumber business, and has seen the development
of this national industry from nearly its commencement. He was mayor of
the township of Mansfield, county of Pontiac, province of Quebec, for a
number of years, and for several terms served as warden of the county.
In the fall of 1857 he entered political life, and was returned to
represent Pontiac in the parliament of Canada; but parliament having
been dissolved a short time thereafter, he never took his seat in the
house. At the general election, which took place in 1858, he again
presented himself for election, but was defeated. In 1867, however, he
was called to the Legislative Council of the province of Quebec, and
occupied a seat in this branch of the legislature until the 17th of
August, 1887, when he resigned in favor of his son, George. Hon. Mr.
Bryson takes an interest in Masonry, and is a member of the Dalhousie
lodge, city of Ottawa. He is an adherent of the Presbyterian church, and
for a number of years has filled the office of elder in the same. In
politics he is a moderate Reformer. He is one of the directors of the
Bank of Ottawa. On the 4th March, 1845, he was married to Robina Cobb,
who was born in Glasgow, Scotland, on the 20th September, 1815, and the
fruit of this marriage has been seven children, four of whom are still
living.
* * * * *
=Richey, Rev. Matthew=, D.D., an eminent minister of the Wesleyan
Methodist connection, was born at Ramelton, in the north of Ireland, in
1803 or 1804, and came to America early in life. In 1820 he gave himself
to the work of the ministry among the Methodists, and labored in New
Brunswick. In 1821 his name appeared upon the minutes of conference as
that of a probationer, and his first circuit was Newport, N.S. He was
ordained and married in 1825, and was then sent to Parrsboro’, N.S., and
subsequently he was appointed to Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. In
1830, on account of the impaired state of Mrs. Richey’s health, he
removed to Charleston, S.C., where the winter was spent. His popularity
there was so great that, owing to the crowded state of the church in
which he officiated, it was no uncommon thing for persons to go in the
afternoon to the church in which he was to preach at night, and to
remain supperless, for the evening service. He returned to Nova Scotia
in 1831 and spent three years in Halifax. In 1835 he was appointed to
Montreal, and here, as in his former spheres of labor, he speedily won,
and permanently held, the love and admiration of the people to whom he
ministered. In 1836, the “Upper Canada Academy,” since changed to
Victoria College, was to be opened, and Mr. Richey was proffered the
position of principal. He consequently removed to Cobourg, where he
remained until 1839; the academy, under his charge, acquiring a high and
influential character in the public estimation. While at Cobourg he
received from the Middleton (Conn.), Wesleyan University, the degree of
M.A., and it was here that he wrote “A Memoir of the late Rev. William
Black,” including an account of the rise and progress of Methodism in
Nova Scotia, etc. From Cobourg he was transferred to Toronto, remaining
there from 1839 to 1843, at which time circumstances led to the
severance of the connection between the British and Canadian sections of
Methodism, which had existed from 1834. In 1840 Mr. Richey accompanied
the Rev. Joseph Stinson, president of the Conference, to England, on a
visit rendered necessary by the new order of affairs; and in 1841 he was
again delegated to attend the British Conference, accompanied by the
Rev. E. Evans. The results of those visits were eminently satisfactory
to Wesleyans in connection with the British Conference. From 1843 to
1845, Mr. Richey was stationed at Kingston, then the seat of government.
In 1842 he was appointed chairman of the Canada West District and
general superintendent of Missions. In 1845 he was placed in Montreal as
minister of great St. James street church, and chairman of the Canada
East District. During this incumbency he received the honorary degree of
D.D. from the Middleton Wesleyan University. To the official
responsibilities of the Montreal district were added the superintendency
of Missions in the Hudson’s Bay territory. In 1846 Dr. Richey was a
Canadian delegate to the London Evangelical Alliance, and the following
year he again crossed the Atlantic to attend the British Conference. A
better understanding between the sections of British and Canadian
Methodists was being arrived at, and as the result, articles of union
were agreed upon in 1847. In 1848 he again removed to Toronto, attended
the General Conference of the M. E. Church at Pittsburg, and was
appointed president of the Canada Conference. In the autumn of 1849 he
was thrown from his carriage, and never entirely recovered from the
effects of the fall. Early in 1850 he removed to Windsor, N.S., and
enjoyed the repose of a country life until the following year, when,
after a visit to England and France, he again took up his residence at
Halifax, was appointed chairman of the Nova Scotia West District, and so
continued until 1855, when the Conference of Eastern British America,
comprising Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, the
Bermudas, and Newfoundland, was formed, with the Rev. Dr. Beechman as
president, and Dr. Richey as codelegate. That year he visited
Newfoundland on official duty, and at a later period spent a short time
in Bermuda. In 1856 he was appointed president, and held that office
until 1860, when, as the result of an aggravation of his malady, it
became necessary for him to occupy a supernumerary relation. He again
visited England, and on his return in 1861, he was appointed to St.
John, N.B. From 1864 to 1867 was spent in Charlottetown, as chairman of
the Prince Edward Island District, and in the last named year he was
again president of the Conference of E. B. America. In 1868 he attended
the General Conference of the M. E. Church in Chicago, and in July of
the same year he again visited the British Conference. But his condition
now rendered it necessary for him to retire from active labor, and he
spent the remaining years of his life under the guardianship and
affectionate solicitude of family and friends. On the 17th October,
1883, he was seized by paralysis and lingered until the following
Tuesday, Oct. 24th. Thus passed away one of the foremost divines in the
great Methodist denomination, to whose ripe scholarship, rare
theological attainments, and commanding eloquence, as well as to his
abundant and useful labors, frequent reference is found in Methodistic
records.
* * * * *
=Desjardins, Lieutenant-Colonel Louis George=, M.P.P. for Montmorency,
Levis, Quebec, was born at St. Jean Port Joli, County of L’Islet, on
12th May, 1849. He is the son of the late François Desjardins. He
received his education at Levis college, where the training was of the
very best kind to fit a young man for the active duties of life. He
became a journalist, and in that profession has held a number of
positions of influence in relation to the newspaper press. He was for
several years editor-in-chief of _Le Canadien_ (Quebec), one of the most
influential of French-Canadian papers. On the 3rd February, 1873, he
married Aurélie, daughter of the late C. Lachance, of Levis. His
interest in militia affairs was always keen. He has his title of
lieutenant-colonel as commanding officer of the 17th battalion volunteer
militia. Lieutenant-Colonel Desjardins first entered active political
life in 1881, when he was elected to represent his present constituency
in the House of Assembly of the province. He gave a strong and able
support to the Chapleau ministry, which was then in power, and
subsequently to the different administrations following, until the
defeat of the Conservatives at the last general election. In that
election Lieutenant-Colonel Desjardins was again returned. As a
journalist and public speaker, Mr. Desjardins is possessed of remarkable
power. His knowledge of political affairs is both wide and accurate, and
his writing, especially, shows that conscious power which comes of full
knowledge of the subject with which he deals.
* * * * *
=Hamilton, Hon. Charles Edward=, Q.C., Attorney-General of Manitoba, was
born at Upnor Castle, near Chatham, England, on the 25th of March, 1844.
His parents came to Canada with their family when the subject of this
sketch was but four years old; his father, the late Captain Hamilton,
being commandant at Isle-aux-noix, Quebec. They settled afterwards in
St. Catharines, where he was educated. After receiving a sound
education, he entered upon the study of the law, being articled in the
office of Hon. J. G. Currie, then speaker of the Legislative Assembly.
He was so successful in his study of the law that when only twenty-one
he was called to the bar, when he entered actively upon the practice of
his profession. Mr. Hamilton was an ardent member of the volunteer
force, and even in his early twenties held a commission as captain in
the 44th Welland battalion. During the Fenian troubles of 1871, when it
was believed that the marauders from the American side of the river
would repeat their incursion of five years before, the 44th Battalion
was among those called out, and Captain Hamilton, on that occasion, was
given charge of two companies. Mr. Hamilton went to Winnipeg in
February, 1881, and was called to the bar of that province in May of the
same year. He took part in founding the firm of Aikins, Culver &
Hamilton, which quickly took a foremost place in the ranks of the legal
profession in Winnipeg. In 1885, Mr. Hamilton was elected mayor of the
city, and in the same year was nominated as the ministerial candidate to
contest Winnipeg South for the local legislature, his opponent being Mr.
W. F. Luxton, one of the leaders of the ex-opposition. The contest was
an exceedingly keen one, and one that attracted wide attention. Mr.
Hamilton was successful. He became a member of the executive council,
holding the portfolio of attorney-general in the same year. In the last
general election Mr. Hamilton was returned for Shoal Lake. Mr. Norquay’s
government resigned on the 23rd of December, 1887, and Dr. Harrison was
called upon to form a government. Mr. Hamilton was sworn in on the 26th
of December, 1887, as attorney-general of the new government. He was one
of the two representatives of the Manitoba government at the later
provincial conference, hon. John Norquay, then premier, being the head
of the deputation. In everything pertaining to the industrial
development of the city and the province, Mr. Hamilton has taken a deep
interest. He is a director of the Commercial Bank of Manitoba, and a
director also of the Manitoba Mortgage and Investment Company. In 1884
Mr. Hamilton married Miss Alma Ashworth, daughter of Mr. John Ashworth,
cashier of the Post Office department, Ottawa. His church relations are
with the Presbyterian denomination. In his profession, Mr. Hamilton has
been most successful, the call to the high position of attorney-general
being a deserved tribute to his legal attainments. His career as a
public man has been such as to win for him not only the enthusiastic
regard of his supporters, but also the esteem and respect of his
opponents, and, though in an arena so small as the political field of
Manitoba, personal issues are too apt to be forced to the front, those
who oppose him are compelled, by the purity of his record, to do so on
public grounds.
* * * * *
=Campbell, Hon. William=, Farmer and Millowner, Park Corner, Prince
Edward Island, was born at Park Corner on 12th January, 1836. He is the
eighth son of the late James Campbell, of Park Corner, New London,
P.E.I. His mother, Elizabeth Montgomery, of Princetown, was a sister of
the Hon. Senator Montgomery. Hon. Mr. Campbell is descended from the
Breadalbane Campbells on the paternal side, and from the Camerons of
Lochiel on the maternal side. His grandfather came to Prince Edward
Island in 1773, from Breadalbane, in Perthshire, Scotland, with Governor
Paterson, a military officer. Mr. Campbell received his education in his
native parish. He has taken a very active interest in military affairs,
and has held the commissions of captain, major, and is now
lieutenant-colonel of Queen’s county militia. On entering political
life, he was elected to the House of Assembly for Queen’s First Division
in 1873, on the resignation of the sitting member; and three years
later, he was re-elected as a supporter of free schools. In 1879, he was
sworn in a member of the Executive Council, and became a member of the
Sullivan cabinet, without a portfolio. In March following, he was
appointed minister of public works, and on appealing to his constituents
was elected by acclamation. He was also commissioner of the government
stock farm. Again, at the general election held in 1882, he was
returned, and continued a member of the government, as minister of
public works, until 1st February, 1887, when he resigned this office to
run as a candidate for the House of Commons at Ottawa for Queen’s
county, but failed to secure his election. While in parliament he took
an active part in the discussion of the leading questions of the
times—notably the land question, free schools, reduction of the
provincial expenditure, etc. Hon. Mr. Campbell, in religion, belongs to
the Presbyterian church, and to the Conservative party in politics. He
was married first, in 1864, to Elizabeth McLeod, of New London, and
second, in February, 1873, to Elizabeth L. Sutherland, daughter of the
late John S. Sutherland, of Caithness-shire, Scotland.
* * * * *
=Bowser, Rev. Alexander Thomas=, B.D., Pastor of First Unitarian Church,
Toronto, was born in Sackville, New Brunswick, February 20, 1848. His
parents, Robert and Jane (Kirk) Bowser were respectively of English and
Scotch descent. Alexander was the sixth child of a family of twelve (six
boys and six girls). In 1864 he left home to enter a store in the town
of Moncton, as clerk; but wishing for the greater advantages of life in
a large city, he soon afterwards went to Boston, Massachusetts, where,
in connection with business, he was able to pursue the course of study
at the Latin High School; and in 1873 was matriculated as Freshman at
Harvard College, receiving the degree of Bachelor of Arts in regular
course, in 1877; and three years later (1880), on graduating from the
Divinity School, he received the degree of Bachelor of Divinity. Mr.
Bowser’s first year in the ministry was devoted to mission work in St.
Louis, Missouri. Here, on 2nd May, 1881, he was ordained to the
Christian ministry in the Church of the Messiah (Unitarian), the
venerable Chancellor of Washington University, Rev. W. G. Eliot, D.D.,
giving the charge to the young preacher and offering the prayer of
ordination, and the Rev. John Snyder, pastor of the Church of the
Messiah, giving him the right hand of fellowship. Mr. Bowser now spent
two years in Evansville, Indiana, as the representative of the American
Unitarian Association; but his influence soon extended beyond his
denominational work into public affairs, many of his Sunday evening
lectures being printed in full in the daily papers. The general
character of these lectures may be inferred from a few of the subjects
treated, such as “The need of Conscience in Public Affairs,” “Coffee
Houses versus Liquor Saloons,” “Why the Chinese should not be excluded
from the United States.” Having presented the Evansville Public Library
with a number of Unitarian publications, the trustees were so well
pleased with the books that they requested him to prepare a list of such
works as he would wish them to purchase for the library, and the result
was that nearly 300 volumes of the latest religious and scientific
thought were placed upon their shelves. In January, 1884, Mr. Bowser was
called to the pastorate of the Third Congregational (Unitarian) Church
of Hingham, Massachusetts, one of the oldest and most influential
Societies in New England, numbering among its members General Lincoln,
who was secretary of war under Washington; John Albion Andrew, who was
Governor of Massachusetts during the civil war, and ex-Governor John D.
Long, who is now (1888) member of Congress for that district. This
important position Mr. Bowser held for three years, winning the respect
and love not only of his own parish, but of the community at large; but
on receiving an invitation from the First Unitarian Congregation of
Toronto, he felt that it was a call from heaven to carry the beautiful
and soul-inspiring truths of Unitarian Christianity to his own people of
Canada, where these principles are not so well known as in
Massachusetts. Accordingly, he resigned, and on the last Sunday in
January, 1887, took charge of the church in Toronto. Mr. Bowser was
brought up in the Methodist church, and first became interested in
Unitarianism while pursuing his studies preparatory to entering Harvard
College. He was at the time an earnest worker in one of the Methodist
churches in Boston, when suddenly a charge of Unitarian heresy was
brought against him, though he had no idea himself, at the time, that he
was in sympathy with their peculiar views of religion. This, however,
awakened his interest, and he began to inquire about the principles of
this body, and was told by one of their ministers to read the New
Testament and see for himself what Jesus and the Apostles taught, and he
would find the Unitarian doctrine. This he did with earnest care for
several years, and having failed to find a single passage in which it is
distinctly stated that Jesus was God, or the Second Person in the
Trinity, but on the other hand, finding the essential principles of
Unitarianism stated in the most explicit language everywhere throughout
the Bible, he became a Unitarian, and claims that he is one simply and
only because it is the religion of Jesus Christ and the early
Christians. Mr. Bowser regards his residence in St. Louis as one of the
most important periods of his life, as it was there that he first met
Miss Adelaide Prescott Reed, to whom he was united in marriage in April,
1884. Mr. Bowser is a member of the Masonic fraternity, was Chaplain of
the Old Colony Lodge of Hingham, and is now (1888) Chaplain of St.
Andrew’s Lodge of Toronto.
* * * * *
=Black, Charles Allan=, M.D., Amherst, Nova Scotia, was born August
23rd, 1844, at Salem, Cumberland county, N.S. The family is Scotch
originally, the founder in this country being William Black, who came
from Huddersfield, England, to Nova Scotia in 1774. Our subject’s father
was Hazen Black, son of Thomas, who was grandson of William
above-mentioned. The pioneer, William Black, was born in Paisley,
Scotland, in 1727, whence he migrated to England and thence to Nova
Scotia. Upon landing in Halifax with his wife and five children he
travelled inland about one hundred and thirty miles, and settled on a
large fertile farming area near enough to Fort Cumberland to hear the
cannonading. This fort was one of the last military strongholds
relinquished by the French when Nova Scotia was ceded to the British.
The farm he selected is situated within one mile of the now large town
of Amherst, and is still occupied by some of his descendants. Hazen
Black, father of our subject, married Martha Ann, second daughter of
John Bent, Salem, in the above-named county, who was a farmer of some
note. They had five children, two sons and three daughters, whose names
were as follow: Charles Allan, John Botsford, Augusta, Laura, and Ada.
All are living except Laura, who died in her 13th year. Charles Allan,
the eldest and the subject of this sketch, was educated at the grammar
school of Amherst, finishing his studies at Sackville (N.B.) Academy,
now Mount Allison University. After leaving college he decided in favour
of the profession of a druggist and entered as a student under Dr.
Nathan Tupper (brother of Sir Charles Tupper), in Amherst, N.S., where
he remained throe years, when he decided to study for the medical
profession. He graduated from the Pennsylvania University, Philadelphia,
in March, 1867, with the degree of Doctor of Medicine, being then in his
23rd year. He commenced practice at Sackville, N.B., but soon removed to
Amherst, N.S., where he had spent his early school days and student
life. Here he has continued to enjoy a successful practice for over
twenty years. He was appointed a coroner for the county of Cumberland in
1881. He became a member of the Orange society in 1863, and continued a
member in good standing while the society existed. He is an active
member of the Independent Order of Good Templars, and has great love and
attachment for that Order. He joined it in 1865, and has continued a
member ever since; held all the offices in the subordinate lodge. Is a
past grand counsellor and past grand treasurer in the grand lodge for
Nova Scotia; held the latter office for four successive years. He was
present at the grand lodge session at Liverpool, N.S., when this Order
split on the Negro question in 1876. Although the grand lodge carried
the resolution to secede by a large majority he was one of the small
minority of seven who decided to remain loyal to the original right
worthy grand lodge. Ten years after this, when the bodies became again
re-united he was present at the marriage. Prior to 1886 he had always
been in close sympathy with the Liberal-Conservative party, but at that
time he espoused the “Third Party” movement and is an uncompromising
supporter of it, believing that the prohibition of the liquor traffic in
Canada can only be obtained through the medium of a distinct political
party. When that party was organized in Cumberland county, in January,
1887, he was appointed on the executive committee, his colleagues being
such well known workers as C. R. Casey, E. B. Elderkin, J. W. Hickman,
J. A. Simpson, Rufus Hicks, Revds. Joseph Coffin, J. B. Giles, and
others. In the Dominion elections held in February of that year, J. T.
Bulmer, of Halifax, was the candidate of the new party. After a very
heated contest, Sir Charles Tupper, finance minister, being the
Conservative candidate, and Hon. W. T. Pipes, ex-Premier of Nova Scotia,
the Liberal, Mr. Bulmer polled 206 votes. These were recorded for a
“principle.” This was the first instance in Canada where a pure and
simple prohibition candidate was placed in the field for federal
parliamentary honours, but it did not remain so long. The election
alluded to having been set aside by the courts, Mr. Bulmer again
contested the constituency in the interest of the new party. Sir Charles
Tupper was his only opponent this time, November, 1887, the Liberal
party not putting a candidate forward. Dr. Black and others took the
field and the result was that the 206 votes of February became 1,026 in
November. Dr. Black is a member of the Methodist church, and has always
been an attendant upon its ministry, though it was not until 1884 he
identified himself as a member of that body. He married in January,
1871, Sarah E., second daughter of the Rev. George F. Miles, then pastor
of the Baptist church, Amherst, by whom he had one daughter. Two months
after their baby was born his wife contracted inflammation of the lungs,
which developing into consumption, caused her death in May, 1873. His
little daughter followed her mother when about five years old, being ill
only two days. On the 14th of September, 1881, he married Elizabeth B.,
eldest daughter of Capt. John K. Elderkin, ex-custos of the Court of
Sessions for Cumberland county, N.S. By this marriage he has issue one
son, Vaughan Elderkin Black, born September 28th, 1884. Dr. Black,
besides practising his profession, has indulged in outside speculations
with varying success. In 1877, by the death of a professional brother, a
valuable drug stand was put in the market. This he bought and fitted up
with all modern improvements putting a competent man in charge. Dr.
Black has given his profession that close and careful attention which is
always necessary to become a successful practitioner, and success has
abundantly crowned his endeavours. In his early days he made himself
acquainted with the facts as to how far alcohol or any of its compounds
were medicinal or required in the treatment of human ailments. From
study, experience, and observation, he was forced to the conclusions
that much of the previous medical teachings as to the therapeutical
powers of this drug were fallacious, that medical virtues were ascribed
to alcohol which it did not possess, and that in a very large percentage
of diseases it lessened the vital energies instead of giving tone and
strength as was taught in earlier days. Being independent in character,
and determined to act upon principle, in contradistinction to policy, he
frequently met with difficulty upon this point with his medical
_confrères_ in consultation, etc. Not only had he opposition from his
professional brethren, but the effect of this pernicious teaching among
the masses was so deep-rooted that no household in the early days of his
practice was thought complete without a little gin or whiskey “the
panacea for every ailment that the flesh was heir to.” Opinions have
changed since those days and are still rapidly changing, and the drug,
alcohol, is now prescribed more in accordance with scientific teaching.
Personally Dr. Black is a genial companion, a faithful friend and
self-sacrificing to a degree. It goes without saying that he is beloved
even by those who do not agree with all his opinions, and by those who
do he has their confidence and love to an unlimited extent.
* * * * *
=Richard, Rev. Canon Louis=, A.M., Prefect of Studies, College of Three
Rivers, Three Rivers, province of Quebec, was born on the 30th November,
1838, in the parish of St. Grégoire-le-Grand, county of Nicolet,
province of Quebec. His father, Jean Noel Richard, a farmer, was one of
the descendants of the unhappy Acadians exiled from their country by the
British, and whose sufferings have been so eloquently depicted by
Longfellow in his masterpiece, “Evangeline.” After the fall of
Beauséjour, in the eastern part of what is to-day New Brunswick, the
inhabitants left the smoking ruins of their humble homes, and took the
road to exile, with whatever chattels they were able to save from the
rapacity of the victors, rather than swear allegiance to the new
masters. A portion of the Acadians were sent to Louisiana, to Virginia,
Pennsylvania, New York, and Massachusetts, and the remainder, among whom
were his ancestors, emigrated to the province of Quebec. Jean Noel
Richard settled in the district of Three Rivers, and eventually married
Marie Madelaine Massé, a descendant of a French family which had settled
in the same district at the outset of the colony. The subject of our
sketch began a classical course of studies under the guidance of Moise
Laplante—a man remarkable for his learning and ability as a
teacher—and completed his course in 1859, at the seminary of Nicolet.
Being instinctively drawn towards ecclesiastical life, and feeling
convinced his vocation was in that direction, he studied theology in the
same seminary until 1860, when the College of Three Rivers was founded.
The attention of the Bishop of Three Rivers, Monseigneur Cooke, having
been called to the young divinity student, he appointed him a professor
in the new institution of learning, and henceforth his life was devoted
to the noble work of education, and his influence and energy were
exerted on behalf of the new College, in the golden book of which
establishment his name will be engraved. On the 25th of September, 1864,
he was ordained priest, and successively discharged the duties of the
following offices to the entire satisfaction of all concerned:—Director
in 1865; purveyor in 1867, and prefect of studies at the same time;
pro-superior from 1870 to 1880; from 1880 to 1886 we find him occupying
the responsible position of superior; at the present time (1887) he is
prefect of studies. His aim has ever been to place the college over
which he presided during so many years in the very front rank of the
institutions of learning in the country. On the 25th June, 1883, the
authorities of Laval University of Quebec, wishing to reward the
devotion displayed by the Rev. Mr. Richard, and the services he had
rendered as a teacher to the cause of education in Canada, granted him
the degree of A.M. His ordinary, Right Rev. Bishop Laflèche, in
recognition of his social qualities, honored him, on the 11th of
September, 1884, with the title of canon to the chapter of the Cathedral
of Three Rivers. In June, 1885, Rev. Father Richard conceived the idea
of calling together all the old pupils of the College of Three Rivers,
in order to celebrate the twenty-fifth anniversary of the foundation of
the institution. He met with a hearty response, and the result was a
brilliant gathering of men who had achieved success in the different
walks of life they had chosen. On that occasion Father Richard published
a very interesting book of 530 pages, entitled “Histoire du Collége des
Trois Rivières,” a work which should be in the hands of all those who
take an interest in the dissemination of good books. In common with the
clergy of the diocese of Three Rivers, Rev. Mr. Richard is an ardent and
devout believer in the integrity of the dogmas and fundamental
principles of the Roman Catholic church, believing that mankind can and
shall be saved only by coming into the church established by Jesus
Christ himself, i.e., the Catholic, Apostolic and Roman church,
represented on earth by his Holiness the Pope, and out of which there is
no possible salvation, no possible future state of bliss, either for
individuals or for society.
* * * * *
=Tourangeau, Adolphe G.=, Postmaster, Ex-Mayor, and Ex-M.P. for Quebec,
was born in Quebec city on the 15th January, 1831. He is the son of the
late Jean G. Tourangeau, J.P., of Quebec, notary public, who for many
years was elected alderman for Quebec, and grandson of Jean Tourangeau,
merchant, who left considerable property, still in the possession of his
descendants. One of these properties was purchased from the Dumont
family, and upon it there stood the historical Dumont’s mill at the very
place where is now the splendid monument erected to the memory of the
English and French heroes who fell at the celebrated battle of St. Foye,
1760. Mr. Tourangeau’s great grandfather emigrated from La Touraine,
France, to settle in Canada, after serving in the French navy. His
grandmother, on his father’s side, was a woman of superior intellect,
whose father, Bidégaré, had emigrated from Bayonne, France, and having
some means, built and opened a fancy leather factory (mégisserie) near
the place where Arogo street runs into St. Vallier street, Quebec. The
building being protected by the high cliff close behind, a body of
American troops took possession of it during the war of 1775, and
established their quarters there; but the constant firing and shelling
from the Palais batteries destroyed the building, and with it the
fortune of its proprietor. This attempt to manufacture leather may be
considered as the first serious one of the kind in Canada. The subject
of this sketch was educated at the Quebec seminary and Quebec High
School, studied law under the Hon. Louis Panet, and followed the law
course of Laval University from its opening to the time he was admitted
to the practice of the notarial profession, in 1855; was at different
times elected a member of the Board of Notaries for the province of
Quebec, and appointed notary for the corporation of Quebec by the vote
of the council. He executed the deed of transfer of the North Shore
railway, also the waterworks contract. He held this position until he
resigned, in 1883, to accept the postmastership of Quebec, offered to
him by the Dominion government. He is lieutenant-colonel of militia for
the electoral division of Quebec East, and a justice of the peace. Mr.
Tourangeau was elected mayor of the city of Quebec four times; first by
a very large majority of the council, and three times afterwards by the
people, twice unanimously, and the fourth time, in 1869, by a very large
majority. He was twice elected to represent Quebec East in the House of
Commons; first in 1870, after a spirited contest, and by acclamation at
the general elections of 1872. He was defeated by a small majority in
1864, when he was put in nomination, against his will, to represent the
Stadacona Division in the Legislative Council. He had been defeated by a
small majority in 1863, when put in nomination for the county of
Montmorency against the late Hon. Joseph Cauchon. He allowed himself to
be nominated for Quebec East in 1877 against the present leader of the
opposition at Ottawa, Hon. Wilfrid Laurier, then a minister in the
Mackenzie government, and was defeated by a small majority, after the
severest contest possible, wherein both political parties took a very
active part, it being considered as a test case between the two
political parties. He was a member of the Quebec Harbor Commission, and,
as such, did a great deal to improve the harbor, and later, when in
parliament, successfully recommended to the government, in a strong
business speech, the necessity of consolidating the debt and securing
the bonds, in order to raise more capital to proceed with the works,
without adding much to the interest that had then to be paid. He was a
director of the North Shore railway, and one of the few who attended the
first meeting held to revive the charter of that company; was a director
of the Gosford (afterwards the Lake St. John) railway; was a provisional
director of the Stadacona Bank, whose charter he had secured through
parliament. It was while Mr. Tourangeau was mayor, and with his
assistance, that the present steam ferry between Quebec and Levis was
established, by means of a contract, drafted by himself. During his
regime the street railway was first operated in Quebec, the contract
being drafted by himself, and the fire alarm telegraph was decided upon
after an inspection of the same in Montreal. All the acts concerning the
incorporation of the city of Quebec were consolidated and amended, the
city debt was consolidated, the fiscal year was made to agree with house
rents, and the finances of the city were placed on a sound basis. Other
important reforms were effected. Besides practising as a notary, Mr.
Tourangeau did business as a broker and insurance agent for some years
till he went back to politics, and having the advantage of being
favorably known, and of knowing personally the character and standing of
mostly every one in Quebec, met with great success. In 1865 and 1866 Mr.
Tourangeau went into the brewing business, under the name and firm of
Tourangeau, Lloyd & Co., but afterwards withdrew, owing to the sharp
competition, which brought ruin on those who persisted in it. Mr.
Tourangeau was married in 1861 to Victoria A. Jourdain, daughter of
Augustus Jourdain, who died in Quebec in 1840, after being for many
years the librarian of the then Executive Council of Lower Canada. Mr.
Tourangeau is a man with broad views, who always enjoyed the respect and
esteem of all classes, irrespective of creed or nationality. In politics
he gave his support to the Liberal party, either as a candidate or in
favor of Liberal candidates, until his fourth election as mayor, in
1869, when several of the Liberal leaders went with the Conservatives
against him, and from that date Mr. Tourangeau withdrew his confidence
in the Liberal party, and gave it to the Conservatives, but in an
independent way, voting against them when not in sympathy with his
principles. He was in favor of confederation at the time, and voted for
the admission of Manitoba, British Columbia, Prince Edward Island, and
the North-West Territories into the Union. A great event in the life of
Mr. Tourangeau and the history of Quebec was the besieging of the city
hall while he was mayor. Several unsuccessful attempts had been made to
substitute commissioners appointed by the government for the mayor and
council, elected by the people; but at the session of 1869 to 1870 the
adversaries of Mr. Tourangeau managed to get a majority of Parliament to
decide, notwithstanding the energetic protests of the citizens of
Quebec, that a new election must take place. The mayor and councillors,
who a few days before had been elected by the people, to be subject to a
new election, and the mayor to be elected by the councillors, who would
be the outcome of this new election. Acting upon the advice of the city
attorney, L. G. Baillairgé, Q.C., the Hon. G. O’Kill Stuart, Q.C., and
other prominent lawyers, Mr. Tourangeau kept possession of the city
hall, and allowed no one in, in order to prevent the new councillors
from entering the place and electing another mayor. An informal
election, however, took place outside, and for some time the city had
two mayors. A writ against Mr. Tourangeau did not succeed, and he
declared that he would rather be starved to death than give up his
rights. Thereupon the chief of police was ordered to break in the doors
and take possession of the city hall in the name of the new mayor and
councillors. The chief of police declared that he was legally advised
not to do this, but that he would obey if this order was given him in
writing. No one consenting to do this, twelve men belonging to the rowdy
element, were hired for the purpose, and did the work, to the great
disgust of the citizens, who had full confidence in Mr. Tourangeau, whom
they elected five weeks after to represent them in the House of Commons.
* * * * *
=Carswell, James=, Renfrew, President of the South Renfrew Agricultural
Society, was born in 1837, in the township of Pakenham, in the county of
Lanark, Ontario. His parents were Scotch, and emigrated from Glasgow,
settling in the above township many years ago. Mr. Carswell received his
education in the common school of his native place, and while still in
his teens started out in the lumbering business, first as foreman and
clerk to Jonathan Francis, whose rafts of square timber he frequently
accompanied to the port of Quebec. In 1866, he removed to Renfrew, and
embarked in business with Messrs. Thistle and Francis in the limits on
the Madawaska. This firm having sold out their business in this locality
to Jonathan Francis, purchased limits on the Petawawa, and there carried
on operations under the name of Thistle & Carswell. This arrangement was
continued for several years, when Mr. Francis became one of the
partnership, each of the partners being equally interested in the now
combined business on the Madawaska and the Petawawa. In 1884, J. H.
Francis purchased his father’s interest in the business, and then the
firm of Francis, Carswell & Co. built the fine saw-mill at Calabogie.
After two years, J. H. Francis sold out his interest to Edward Mackay,
of Renfrew, and the firm name was changed to Carswell, Thistle & Mackay,
and under this name operations are now carried on. Although thus busily
engaged in lumbering operations, Mr. Carswell has found time to devote
considerable attention, as a pastime, to the cultivation of the large
farm which lies around and below his handsome residence, which stands
prominently on the hill top, overlooking the village. The farm, by
purchase after purchase, has grown to large dimensions, and extends from
the residence right down to the banks of the Bonnechere. By careful and
judicious, though liberal, expenditure, Mr. Carswell has brought this
property into excellent producing condition; and by employing a number
of men and availing himself of all the improvements in machinery, is
able to enjoy the life of a “gentleman farmer,” with probably more
profit than usually falls to the fate of that class of agriculturists.
Mr. Carswell’s most active public duties have probably been in
connection with the Agricultural Society, to the advancement of the
interests of which he has devoted both his time and his money. And when
we state that he is ever ready to take vigorous hold of work in
connection with the institutions in which he holds either membership or
office, it will be readily understood why for the last eight years he
has been unanimously re-elected president. But he has also an open heart
for the general good in other ways. He gave to the Renfrew Lacrosse Club
at a nominal price five acres of valuable property adjoining the centre
of the village, on the condition that it was to be always and only used
for the purposes of healthful recreation by the young men of the
neighborhood. Mr. Carswell was for two years a member of the Renfrew
village council, but declined to act after that time, though hard
pressed to do so. He has been for years a valuable member of the
business committee of the Presbyterian church, and though offered he
declined the proffered position of elder in the same denominational
body. And in the matter of politics, if he has not taken any very
prominent part, it is certainly not the fault of his friends, who time
after time have pressed him to accept the nomination for both houses as
the candidate of the Conservative party. This honor, however, he has
steadily refused to accept, though his personal popularity would
undoubtedly have made him a very strong candidate. Altogether, Mr.
Carswell comes under the head of a “good citizen,” whose character and
heart have not been spoiled by the somewhat dangerous endowments of
riches and success in life. He was married, in 1865, to Jane White, of
Fitzroy, and the union has been blessed with nine children, six sons and
three daughters, six of whom, three boys and three girls, are living.
* * * * *
=Norquay, Hon. John=, Ex-President of the Council, Secretary of the
Railway Commissioners, and Ex-Premier of the province of Manitoba, was
born in St. Andrews, Manitoba, on the 8th of May, 1841. Mr. Norquay is
not only a native of Manitoba, but he has a strain of Indian blood in
his veins, and is all the more remarkable, therefore, as being not only
the greatest man the province ever produced, but as standing on a plane
in point of ability in public affairs high above that occupied by any
resident of the province up to this time. Mr. Norquay first came to the
front after the troublesome times of 1869-70 when the first Riel
rebellion set the whole country on fire with anxiety and excitement. His
peculiar position as one in whom both half-breeds and whites could have
confidence, together with a forcible way of stating sound and moderate
views made him the centre of the common ground upon which all soon
agreed to stand, and marked him out as a leader. He was made Minister of
Public Works in the first ministry after the settlement of the troubles
in 1871, and from that time until the present he has had an almost
uninterrupted career of ministerial successes. He stood for the Commons
in Marquette, in 1872, but was defeated. This contest, however, did not
affect his position as a provincial representative. In the Assembly, he
sat for High Bluff, from 1870 to 1874, but since then he continuously
represented St. Andrews, being three times elected by acclamation and
twice by large majorities. He resigned, with his colleagues, in 1874,
but became Provincial Secretary in the following year, in the Davis
administration, and resumed the office of Public Works in 1876. Two
years later he became Premier, being the head of what was known as the
Norquay-Royal Administration in which he held the portfolio of
treasurer. Mr. Royal, differing with his leader on a question of public
policy, resigned, as did also Mr. Delorme, Minister of Agriculture. Two
English-speaking members of the government were appointed, but after the
general election of 1879, in which he was sustained, Mr. Norquay was
able to fill the place with two French-speaking members. This
administration has held power since, though changes have been made in
its membership which leaves Mr. Norquay the only member who has held a
place in it from the first. Mr. Norquay has held several different
portfolios at different times, but always retained the lead, being
always the dominating power of the province. Under his rule Manitoba has
grown from a straggling settlement along the Red River to a province of
great size and marvellous industrial development. His vigorous and
far-sighted policy in relation to railways has caused the extension of
important lines to all parts of the province including the first forty
miles of the Hudson’s Bay road which Manitobans fondly believe some day
will give them access to their own sea coast on the “Mediterranean of
America,” the vast inland ocean of Hudson’s Bay. Within the last few
months the province has been in a ferment over the demand of a portion
of the people for the building of a line from Winnipeg southward to
connect at the American boundary with a branch of the Northern Pacific
Railway. Mr. Norquay, true to his record, championed this course and
sought, by every means in his power, to secure the construction of the
road. The Dominion government, with the general policy of which Mr.
Norquay is in accord, sought in every way to block this enterprise, and
the Canadian Pacific Railway Company, whose monopoly was threatened,
also opposed it. Notwithstanding Mr. Norquay’s utmost efforts, the
opposition he met from all sides prevented the sale on fair terms of the
provincial bonds, with the proceeds of which it was intended to
construct the road. The original contractors withdrew, but another firm
stood ready to assume the contract, on condition that a margin of cash
was placed in the hands of responsible parties. The citizens of Winnipeg
were appealed to for the necessary advance, and steps were taken to
raise the money, but owing to the intrigues of a faction, who adopted
this means to promote their own political ends, the negotiations were
rendered abortive, and the construction of the road is postponed, at
least until the summer of 1888. Mr. Norquay and Mr. Hamilton,
attorney-general, were the only delegates from Manitoba to the
Inter-Provincial conference, to whose deliberations he brought the
results of his long experience and great ability. Owing mainly to
complications arising out of the failure to build the railway within the
season, it was deemed inadvisable to attempt to carry on the government
as then constituted; Hon. Mr. Norquay and Hon. Mr. Lariviere therefore
resigned their places in the administration, which has since been
reorganized, with Hon. Mr. Harrison as Premier. Mr. Norquay announces
himself as a supporter of the ministry thus constituted. The ex-Premier
of Manitoba owes his long continuance in power to a combination of
talents, prominent among which are moderation, boldness tempered with
judgment, eloquence and the capacity for ceaseless work.
* * * * *
=Brock, Rev. Isaac=, M.A. (Oxford), D.D., Canon, of St. Luke’s
Cathedral, Halifax; President of King’s College, Nova Scotia, was born
near Winchester, Hants, England, in 1829. His father was the Rev.
William Brock, M.A., rector of Bishops Waltham, Hants, and a native of
the Isle of Guernsey; his mother belonged to the family of Gossett, and
was a native of the adjoining Island of Jersey. The father of
Major-General Sir Isaac Brock (the hero of Upper Canada), and father of
our subject’s grandfather (Rev. Thomas Brock, M.A., rector of St. Pierre
du Bois, Guernsey) were brothers, so that Sir Isaac Brock was first
cousin to our subject’s grandfather. Canon Brock was educated at Clifton
school, York, and Queen’s college, Oxford. He graduated, in 1851 with
first class honors in mathematics. He was ordained in the diocese of
Tuam, Ireland: deacon in 1852; priest in 1853; was missionary of the
Irish Church Missions in Connemara and Galway, 1852-1858. He was
secretary of the Islington Protestant Institute (London), 1858-1861;
incumbent of the Jews’ Episcopal Chapel, Palestine place, Bethnal Green,
1861-1866; rector of the Chapel of Ease, Lower Holloway, London N.,
1866-1868; principal of Huron College, London, Ontario, 1868-1872;
rector of Galt, Ontario, 1872-1873; assistant rector of Sherbrooke,
Quebec, 1873-1882; rector of Bishop’s College School, Lennoxville,
1882-1883; rector of Londonderry, N.S., 1883-1885. In August, 1885, our
subject was appointed by the Board of Governors of King’s College,
acting president of that institution and professor of divinity in the
same. May 1st, 1886, he was installed as canon of St. Luke’s Cathedral,
Halifax, N.S., by the late Bishop of Nova Scotia, the Right Rev. Hibbert
Binney, D.D., and on the 8th of June of the same year was made president
of King’s College, which position he now holds. Canon Brock is an
intensely loyal Churchman, and ever ready to defend and propagate the
principles of the English branch of the Holy Catholic church. He
married, in Dublin in 1855, Ruby Roberta, eldest daughter of Thomas
Crawford Butler, of Carlow, Ireland, and has issue living three sons and
three daughters. Canon Brock is known in the theologico-literary world
by a volume of sermons, published in England, on the Apostles’ Creed,
and which attracted considerable attention. Since his arrival in Canada
he has also published several detached sermons and addresses upon the
following, amongst other, subjects, viz.:—“The English Reformation,”
“The Two Records; or, Geology and Genesis,” “The Modern Doctrine of
Force and Belief in a Personal God,” “Apostolical Succession,” “The
Anglican Doctrine of Holy Baptism.” That Canon Brock possesses peculiar
fitness for the position he now so worthily fills may readily be
imagined, for, to profound scholarship he adds a ripe experience, gained
by contact with a variety of classes of his fellow beings in many
quarters of the British dominions. The University of King’s College, of
which he is president, is the oldest university of British origin in the
colonial empire of our Queen, being founded by the first Bishop of Nova
Scotia, the Right Rev. Charles Inglis, D.D., in A.D. 1788, the year
after the latter’s consecration to the episcopate. Canon Brock
apparently has yet many years of usefulness before him, being full of
vigor and gives promise of reaching a ripe old age.
* * * * *
=Fournier, Hon. Telesphore=, Ottawa, Judge of the Supreme Court of
Canada, was born in St. François, Riviére du Sud, Montmagny county,
P.Q., in the year 1823. He received his education at Nicolet College,
and was called to the bar of Lower Canada in 1846. He practised his
profession with success, having remarkable gifts, not only as a speaker,
but in the mental grasp necessary to understand the bearings of the law
upon any case brought to his attention. He held the honorable position
of _Bâtonnier_ of the Quebec bar, an office which has been an object of
ambition with some of the greatest men the province has produced, and
afterwards was made president of the general council of the bar of the
province of Quebec. In 1863 he was made Queen’s counsel. Judge Fournier,
like so many of the politicians of Quebec, had the training, not only of
a legal practice, but also of editorial experience. From 1856 to 1858
inclusive, he was one of the editors of _Le National_ newspaper, of
Quebec, his writing attracting wide attention, because of its clear,
original thought and vigorous method. In 1857, Mr. Fournier was married,
his bride being Miss Deniers, of Quebec. He entered the arena of
Dominion politics in August, 1870, when he was nominated as the Liberal
candidate for Bellechasse, on M. Casault, the sitting member, being
appointed a judge of the Superior Court of Quebec. No other nominations
were made, and Mr. Fournier was returned by acclamation. He continued to
represent the same constituency as long as he remained in the House of
Commons. Beginning his parliamentary career before dual representation
was abolished, Mr. Fournier held a seat in the Legislative Assembly of
his native province while still a member of the Dominion parliament. In
1871 he was elected to the Assembly for Montmagny, and held that
position until 7th November, 1873, when he resigned. His resignation was
made necessary by his being called to the Privy Council of the Dominion
as a member of the Hon. Mr. Mackenzie’s cabinet. He took first, the
portfolio of inland revenue, but on 8th July, 1874, was given a place of
greater usefulness, to succeed the Hon. (now Sir) A. A. Dorion on the
appointment of that gentleman to be chief justice of Quebec. As minister
of justice, he introduced and conducted through Parliament the bill
establishing the Supreme Court. This was no light task, for the measure
was attacked, not only as being undesirable, but as being
unconstitutional. In his defence of the measure, Mr. Fournier exhibited
remarkable breadth of knowledge as well as great power as a debater. The
Insolvent Act of 1875, one of the ablest efforts ever made to settle the
vexed and complicated question of dealing with insolvent debtors, was
also conducted through parliament by him. In May, 1875, he became
postmaster general, but resigned that office in October following to
take a judgeship in the Supreme Court. Judge Fournier is recognised by
his colleagues and the public as one of the ablest men on the bench. His
wide and accurate knowledge of the law of his native province, makes him
a particularly valuable addition to the Supreme Court bench. He does not
feel the trammels of legal traditions so much as to cause him to regard
these rather than the ends of justice which they are intended to serve.
At the same time, his fine legal insight enables him to decide upon
broad grounds of principles or long-established practice points which
minds less fully trained could only deal with by slavish following of
precedent.
* * * * *
=McHenry, Donald C.=, M.A., Principal of the Cobourg Collegiate
Institute, Cobourg, Ont., was born in Napanee, Ont., in 1840. He is son
of Alexander McHenry (from county Antrim, Ireland), and Ellen Campbell,
daughter of Archibald Campbell, Adolphustown, county of Lennox, a
descendant of the Campbells of Argyleshire. Mr. McHenry, senr., was for
some years engaged in the timber business on the Ottawa, but
subsequently he was in the dry-goods business in connection with his
brother-in-law, Alexander Campbell, Napanee. He died in 1847, leaving a
widow and three children, the eldest, the subject of this sketch; a
daughter, now Mrs. Alexander Henry, Napanee, and Miss Nellie, still
living with her mother in their native town. The father, about the time
of his marriage, united with the Wesleyan Methodist church, of which he
remained a faithful member until his death. Upon Mrs. McHenry devolved
the arduous task of bringing up her three children; and any success they
have attained, they are proud to say, they largely owe to their devoted
Christian mother. D. C. McHenry received his early education in Napanee.
When thirteen years of age he went to learn the printing business, soon
became fairly acquainted with its details, and rose to the position of
foreman in the office of the _Standard_. The printing office proved,
indeed, a second school to him, and his spare hours were given to
reading and study. He longed for a higher education, and when about
nineteen years of age, he closed the door of the printing office to open
that of the academy, as an eager student, under R. Phillips, head
master, a man beloved by all who have ever been under his instruction.
After remaining here a year or two, he was induced to undertake the
management of a new paper started in Napanee by the McMullen Bros., of
Picton. At the end of one year the paper was removed to Newburgh, seven
miles distant, but after eight months Mr. McHenry returned to Napanee. A
vacancy having occurred in the second position in the Grammar school, he
was advised to apply for the appointment. He did so, and was soon an
occupant of a teacher’s chair, in the school where he had lately been a
pupil. The work of teaching proved congenial, and he was soon fixed in
this as his probable life-work. His ambition led him to desire a
university course, and with this in view he devoted himself assiduously
to the study of classics, being aided in Latin, but getting up his Greek
with very limited assistance. After six years of very successful work in
this position, he resigned, in 1869, and left for Victoria College, from
which he graduated in 1873. His course was one of close application and
uniform success—first-class honours in classics and moderns—receiving
the second Prince of Wales’ medal for general proficiency, and the
scholarship for excellence in moderns. Five months prior to graduation
he was offered, and accepted the classical mastership of Cobourg
Collegiate Institute—a substitute being accepted in the meantime. After
one year he was promoted to the principalship, which position he has
filled for the past thirteen years. It was at this time (1874), that he
was united in marriage to Alice, daughter of John Grange, of Napanee.
His school was, for many years, about the only one that prepared
students for Victoria, and notwithstanding the multiplication of
institutes (from four to eighteen), it has held its own, and sent up for
arts alone about two hundred and fifty during Mr. McHenry’s thirteen
years, besides a large number for teachers’ examinations, for law,
medicine, theology, etc. In regard to Mr. McHenry’s personal and
professional qualities, we quote from testimonials of well-known
educationists:—
(1.) REV. CHANCELLOR NELLES.—“He is an accurate scholar, a good
disciplinarian, and a most successful teacher, and, indeed, has
few if any equals in the general management of High school
work.”
(2.) REV. DR. BURWASH.—“It is not too much to say that in the
teaching profession he has few equals in this province. Both as
an editor of classical literature and as a writer on the science
of teaching, he has proved himself a master in his work; while
in the instruction of a class and in the organization and
government of a large school he stands in the foremost rank of
teachers. As a Christian gentleman, his life and personal
character are a model for young men; while his quiet, dignified
independence and energy commend universal respect.”
(3.) DR. HAANEL.—“His advice and counsel as a member of our
senate has always been highly appreciated as sound, and
calculated to advance real scholarship. Energetic and zealous in
every good cause, Mr. McHenry has long been an important factor
in educational and social circles here.”
(4.) DR. BURNS, HAMILTON.—“One of the most successful educators
of our country. His scholarship is broad and reliable. Although
a comparatively young man, he has secured a status among
educators that he may well be proud of. His record is an
exceedingly honourable one, both for talent, success, and
personal character. Socially, he would be an acquisition to any
circle.”
Mr. McHenry’s is one of those cases where a boy or young man has had the
advantages arising from being early thrown upon his own resources. What
he has accomplished or attained is evidently the result of personal
energy and self-reliance.
* * * * *
=Allard, Joseph Victor=, Berthierville, Quebec, was born at St.
Cuthbert, county of Berthier, 1st February, 1860. His father, Prosper
Allard, was a most successful agriculturist, who cultivated his farm
until 1884, when he sold his rural belongings and removed to
Berthierville. His wife (the honored and beloved mother of the subject
of our sketch), Genevievre Aurez Laferriere, died in 1881, when he
married a second time—12th September, 1887,—the lady of his choice
this time being a most estimable lady, the widow of Captain Romuald
Fauteux, who himself had been a merchant at Berthier. Young Allard was
educated at L’Assomption College, receiving an excellent classical
training. From there he entered Laval University, Quebec, and in the
years 1878-9 passed his examination successfully and took the degree of
bachelor of arts. In 1881 he entered on the study of law at Sherbrooke
and was called to the Quebec bar in 1884. Mr. Allard is one of the
rising young men and a lawyer of repute in the town of Berthierville. In
religion he is a devout Roman Catholic; in politics he is a consistent
Liberal-Conservative, and there is but little doubt that in the future
he will be found advocating the cause of his party in the local
legislature or on the floor of the Dominion parliament. He is the legal
representative of the Legal and Commercial Exchange of Canada for the
county of Berthier. On 21st January, 1885, Mr. Allard was married to
Blanche Doval, daughter of Alexandre Damase Doval and Amilié Lengendre.
Mr. Doval in his life-time was a well-known advocate, as well as
inspector of schools for the counties of L’Assomption, Berthier and
Joliette. Mrs. Allard is niece of our celebrated French-Canadian writer,
Napoleon Lengendre, F.R.S.C.
* * * * *
=Dessaulles, George Casimir=, St. Hyacinthe, Quebec, President of the
Bank of St. Hyacinthe and of the St. Hyacinthe Manufacturing Company,
and an enterprising citizen, was born in St. Hyacinthe, on the 29th of
September, 1827. His father was Jean Dessaulles, seigneur of St.
Hyacinthe, one of the founders of the place, a member of the Lower
Canada parliament for years, and at the time of his death, in 1835, a
member of the Legislative Council of the province of Quebec. The father
of Jean Dessaulles was from Switzerland, coming to Lower Canada in the
latter part of the last century. The mother of our subject was Rosalie
Papineau, sister of the Hon. Louis J. Papineau. She died in 1867. Mr.
Dessaulles was educated at the College of St. Hyacinthe, taking a
complete classical course, and studied law, but never engaged in its
practice. His time has been largely employed in looking after his
seignorial estate and other property, and attending to the various
municipal and other offices which he has held, or still holds. He was
councilman for twelve years, mayor of the city for ten years, making
twenty-two consecutive years’ service in the municipality, and then
declined the chief magistracy against the wishes of the people; was a
school commissioner at one period; a justice of the peace, and the
second president of the bank of St. Hyacinthe, taking that position in
1878. The manufacturing company, of which he is president, is a large
institution, and doing a variety of business—carding wool,
manufacturing flannels and cloths, flour for custom market, etc. It is
such enterprises as this that have helped to build up the city of St.
Hyacinthe; and in efforts made in that direction no man has done more
than the subject of this sketch, whose energies and business tact and
talent are thoroughly devoted to the interests of his native city. He is
connected with the Catholic church, and was at one time president of the
St. Jean Baptiste Society. His moral character is unblemished. Mr.
Dessaulles was first married, in 1857, to Emma Mondelet, third daughter
of the Hon. Dominic Mondelet, of Three Rivers, she dying in 1864,
leaving one son and two daughters; and the second time, in 1869, to
Frances Louise Leman, daughter of Dr. Dennis S. Leman, an English
physician, and by her has two daughters and two sons.
* * * * *
=La Roque, Gedeon=, M.D., Quebec. Sergeant-at-Arms of the Legislative
Assembly of the Province of Quebec, is not only a conspicuous
contemporary figure in that province, but a gentleman who has taken an
active part in its politics, and contributed in no slight degree to the
development of its resources and material prosperity. He was born at
Chambly, in the province of Quebec, on the 22nd December, 1831. He
springs from a stock as remarkable for its fruitfulness and attachment
to the soil, as for the eminent positions to which some of its members
have attained. Originally from France, in the early days of the colony,
and mostly farmers, his ancestors were among the pioneers of settlement
and civilization in Chambly county, P.Q., locating along the banks of
the little river “Montreal,” about a mile from Chambly basin, tilling
the soil, raising large families, and laying the foundations of what is
to-day one of the most populous and thriving agricultural communities in
Lower Canada. The family of Dr. La Roque’s paternal grandfather,
composed of eleven brothers and three sisters, nearly all occupied
adjoining farms in the parish of Chambly. His uncle, the late
Monseigneur Joseph La Roque, formerly Roman Catholic coadjutor bishop of
Montreal, and afterwards bishop of the diocese of St. Hyacinthe, who
died in November, 1887, was the last survivor of a family also composed
of fourteen members. Another deceased bishop of St. Hyacinthe,
Monseigneur Charles La Roque, previously for many years parish priest of
St. John’s, P.Q., was also a near relative of the subject of this
sketch. Both these prelates were in their day men of high standing,
great learning and marked ability, and their names are still venerated
as among the most illustrious in the Lower Canadian hierarchy. Dr. La
Roque began his classical education at Chambly College, so ably presided
over at the time by its zealous founder, Rev. P. Mignault, parish priest
of Chambly. Subsequently young La Roque was entered at the St. Hyacinthe
College, where he continued and completed his studies under the
immediate eye of his uncle, Rev. Joseph La Roque, the superior of the
institution, and afterwards bishop of St. Hyacinthe. On leaving college
he decided to study medicine, and was accordingly indentured for the
purpose to another of his uncles, Dr. Luc Eusebe La Roque, of St.
Jerome, Terrebonne, P.Q., now the parish of Father Labelle, the great
apostle of colonization in the province of Quebec. It was while pursuing
his medical studies that young La Roque first became interested in the
cause of colonization, to the advancement of which he has so
patriotically devoted so much of his subsequent career. His uncle, Dr.
L. E. La Roque, who had then but lately returned from the gold fields of
California, and who was one of the few survivors who had crossed (both
ways) the deadly swamps of the Isthmus of Panama, had become largely
interested in the settlement of the wild lands in the upper part of the
River du Nord, in the county of Terrebonne, and in the fall of 1851
young Gedeon La Roque was despatched by him, in charge of a squad of
men, to open up a settlement at _Lac à la Truite_, some forty miles from
St. Jerome. The youthful pioneer and his companions only succeeded in
reaching their destination, after enduring the greatest hardships and
suffering. It took them two days to accomplish the last twelve miles of
their fearful journey through the wilderness, but the result must be
regarded as a fitting reward of the heroism displayed on the occasion.
To-day the beautiful and populous parish of St. Agathe des Monts, in the
county of Terrebonne, surrounds the spot where young La Roque and his
men felled the first trees, and erected the first log hut on the western
shore of _Lac à la Truite_. To the late Hon. A. N. Morin, then
provincial secretary for Lower Canada, under the newly formed cabinet of
Hincks-Morin, and Dr. Luc Eusebe La Roque, undoubtedly belonged the
honor of being the instigators of the first great movement of
colonization in that section of the country, but the credit of actually
opening up the first settlement in the township of Abercrombie
(Terrebonne) must be awarded to Gedeon La Roque, who, after this
incident, resumed and completed his medical studies at the School of
Medicine and Surgery at Montreal, finally passing as a licentiate in
medicine on the 9th October, 1855, before the College of Physicians and
Surgeons of Lower Canada, of which the late Dr. Fremont was then
president, Drs. Landry and Pelletier, secretaries, and Dr. Jones,
_actorum custos_. After his admission, Dr. Gedeon La Roque settled down
to practise his profession at Longueuil, opposite Montreal, where he met
with early and gratifying success. By 1863 he had so grown in the
confidence and esteem of his fellow citizens, that in that year he was
elected mayor of Longueuil, after a hard contest with Mr. F. X. Valade,
N.P., and was subsequently re-elected three times to the same office
without opposition. He also filled the responsible position of warden of
the county Chambly during four years. At the time of confederation, in
1867, Dr. La Roque was pressed by his many friends to accept the
candidature of the county for the Quebec Legislative Assembly, in the
interests of the Conservative party, but, though he declined the honor
for himself, he worked and secured the election, for the party, of Mr.
J. B. Jodoin, against Mr. F. David, who was not only supported by the
Liberal party, but by his brother-in-law, Mr. L. Betournay, a man of
great influence in the county, and a member of the same legal firm as
the late Sir George E. Cartier (Cartier, Pominville & Betournay). At the
general elections of 1871, Dr. La Roque, being again solicited by his
friends to stand for the county for the Local House, decided to come
forward, and was put in nomination against Mr. P. B. Benoit, M.P. This
was before the abolition of dual representation. Dr. La Roque was
supported both by Conservatives and Liberals, and elected by a large
majority, his opponent resigning after the close of the first day’s
polling. His parliamentary career was marked by much independence of
thought and action, especially during the Chauveau and Ouimet
Administrations, when he spoke and voted against the Government on the
questions of the lease of Beauport asylum, dual representation, and some
matters concerning teachers and education. After the so-called
Tanneries’ scandal, and the resignation of the Ouimet ministry, the
member for Chambly, believing that a vigorous railway policy was
essential to the opening up and development of the province, gave an
unhesitating support to the railway programme of their successors the De
Boucherville cabinet, and was invited by the premier, Mr. De
Boucherville, to move the address in reply to the speech from the
throne, on which occasion he was very ably sustained by the member for
Huntingdon, Dr. Cameron, as seconder of the resolution. As a friend of
colonization, Dr. Larocque was an ardent advocate of railway building,
and as such the proposals of the De Boucherville government in the house
regarding the construction of the Northern Colonization (so called at
the time) and the North Shore Railroads, not only met with his warm
approval and active support, but during 1874 and 1875 he even gave his
services as agent to the contractors of the Northern Colonization road,
Messrs. McDonald & Abbott, in order to purchase the right of way from
River des Prairies to Aylmer. On the 15th June, 1875, a vacancy having
occurred in the position of Sergeant-at-Arms of the Legislative
Assembly, he was appointed to fill it, and this important and
responsible appointment he still continues to hold with general
acceptance, enjoying not only the confidence and regard of succeeding
ministers and parliaments, but the respect of the public as well, for
his tact and firmness in the discharge of the regular duties of his
office, as for the energy, ability and taste with which he has at
different times supervised and carried out works that had to be executed
at short notice, including the fitting up and decorating of both Houses
of the Legislature on such occasions of mark as the receptions of the
Marquis of Lorne and H.R.H. the Princess Louise, in 1878, of the
lieutenant-governors of the province, of the speakers of the Legislative
Assembly, and last, but not least, of Madame Mercier, wife of the
premier of the province, on the occasion of the Interprovincial
Conference, in October, 1887, and in honor of the delegates to that
important congress, of which Dr. La Roque was also named accountant.
Another distinctive feature of his life-work, and one which does
infinite honor to his intelligence and patriotism, is the ardor which he
has ever shown in endeavouring to ameliorate the system of agriculture
pursued in his native province. In and out of the legislature, no man
has done more to advance that important cause in Lower Canada, both by
preaching and personal example. His published treatises on agriculture
and horticulture have become handbooks among his fellow countrymen, and
his valuable little work on “The Culture of Tobacco,” has contributed
largely to the promotion and improvement of that industry in the
province of Quebec. He also owns a large farm at Beaumont, below the
city of Quebec, which is actually under the management of his son, and
is deservedly regarded as a model establishment of its kind. Dr. La
Roque was married three times—firstly, on the 30th June, 1856, to Miss
Marie Felicity Thibault, a sister of the late Rev. Messrs. George and
Amable Thibault, parish priests respectively of Longueuil and Chambly,
in the diocese of Montreal; secondly, in May, 1870, to Miss Rosalie
Brauneis, of Montreal; and lastly, in January, 1874, to Miss Marie
Asilda Davignon, daughter of Simon Davignon, N.P., of Belœil, P.Q. By
these three marriages he has had eighteen children, of whom ten are
still living.
* * * * *
=Robillard, Alexander=, M.P.P., Russel, was born in the township of
Gloucester, county of Russel, in 1843. He comes of the best
French-Canadian stock, his father having been a man of extensive
business as a contractor in Ottawa. His father died at the ripe old age
of 87 years, his mother being still alive and in the enjoyment of good
health at an equally advanced age. Young Robillard had the benefit of a
sound commercial education at St. Joseph’s College, Ottawa, and this
education he has used to such advantage that he is now one of the
heaviest operators in contracting work and quarrying. He was the
contractor for the construction of the Model School, one of the most
substantial buildings in the city, which was put up by the Ontario
Government. His career in business has been one of steady advance, his
record having been throughout such as none could find fault with. Being
of adventurous disposition, Mr. Robillard has travelled extensively and
in places which, when he saw them, were new and strange. He made
extensive tours in the West, especially on the Pacific coast from Panama
to British Columbia. He has crossed the Isthmus of Panama twice and has
been through a great portion of South America. He has also visited
Europe several times, making it a point to see all the out-of-the-way
places his time would permit him to visit, and has crossed the Pacific
to the Orient twice. These travels have been undertaken at various times
and the effect of them is plainly to be seen in his toleration of
opinions differing from his own and his great knowledge of foreign
lands. Mr. Robillard was married at the age of twenty-two, to Miss
Sophia Lafleur, who died in May, 1885. The children of the union are
seven in number, of whom six are boys. Political affairs have always had
great attraction for Mr. Robillard, and he has taken an active part in
all the municipal and political contests of his district since he was
entitled to vote. His record as a municipal councillor is a long and
honorable one, he having been elected Deputy Reeve of Gloucester for
five years and afterwards Reeve for three years. In 1886 he was elected
to represent his native county in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario.
In that capacity he has served only one session, but he enters upon his
career with the confident belief on the part of his constituents that he
will certainly make his mark. He is a Liberal in politics.
* * * * *
=Rexford, Rev. Elson Irving=, B.A., Secretary of the Department of
Public Instruction, Quebec, was born at South Bolton, Brome County,
P.Q., on the 17th June, 1850. He is the eldest son of Orrin Rexford,
(who married Eliza Dimond), and a grandson of one of seven brothers who
came from the shores of Lake Champlain about 1790, and settled in the
County of Stanstead, on the shores of Lake Memphremagog. The Rexford
family on this continent are descendants of Arthur Rexford, who was
master of a trading vessel between England and the West Indies and the
New England colonies, and who died in New Haven, Conn., in 1727. The
Rev. Elson I. Rexford attended the elementary and superior schools of
his native county until he was sixteen years of age, when he entered the
McGill Normal School, Montreal, where he obtained a Model School diploma
at the end of a two years’ course of training, taking first place and
the Prince of Wales’ medal. He held the positions of assistant master in
the model training school of the McGill Normal School and head master of
one of the city schools under the Protestant Board of School
Commissioners, Montreal, for three years. During this time he took an
active part in the local association of Teachers, of which he held the
position of Secretary for some time. He entered upon the Arts course of
McGill University, Montreal, in September, 1871. He graduated with
honors in mental and moral philosophy in 1876, having dropped out for
one year when he entered upon the study of theology; this study he
continued during the last two years of his arts course. He was ordained
by the Right Reverend Ashton Oxendon in 1876, and immediately entered
upon the charge of St. Luke’s Church, Montreal. This charge he was
obliged to resign after a few months, in consequence of ill-health, by
which he was deprived of the use of one leg for about two years. On
account of this he returned to the work of teaching, first as
head-master of his former school in Montreal, and afterwards as
assistant head master of the Montreal High School. During this time he
was President of the Local Association of Montreal Teachers, and
Secretary of the Provincial Association of Protestant Teachers, Quebec.
In 1882, he was called from the High School to fill the position of
English Secretary of the Department of Public Instruction, Quebec,
rendered vacant by the retirement of Dr. Miles, which position he still
holds. He was elected several times Representative Fellow on the
Corporation of McGill University, and on his removal to Quebec, he was
appointed Governor’s Fellow of the University. In September, 1882, he
married Louisa Norris, of Montreal.
* * * * *
=Derbishire, Stewart.=—If variety in the career of a man tend to render
his life—other things being equal—more interesting than those of his
fellows, who maintain an even tenor on their way, following the
profession through life in which they have been brought up and educated,
then will our readers find this element of interest not wanting in the
life of the subject of the following sketch. Beginning life as a
soldier, the late Mr. Derbishire soon turned to the study of the law,
and though he found himself on the high road to distinction in this
profession, he relinquished it for the more exciting pursuit of
journalism, which led him to Spain during the Constitutional war, where
he drew his sword on behalf of Queen Isabella. When however, the
decisive action, which ended in the defeat of Gomez, placed the crown
upon her head, he embarked in the very opposite mission of endeavouring
to bring peace to a distracted country, in the train of Lord Durham.
Unlike his master, however, he did not leave this country on the
apparent failure of that nobleman’s truly humane and generous efforts on
behalf of the people; but being drawn into the political life of the
country, after executing some very delicate missions of a diplomatic
character, he was elected the first member for Bytown, now Ottawa; which
constituency he continued to serve in parliament for several years,
until, after the passing of the Independence of Parliament Act, he gave
up his seat, having become Queen’s Printer for united Canada in 1841. So
slight are the causes to which we are sometimes led to attribute the
direction given to our current of life, that Mr. Derbishire was often
heard to say, that it was owing to his belief that the rebellion was by
no means finally quelled, but that there would be another spurt before
long, and wishing—to use his own words—“to see the fun,” that Canada
finally became his home—a home to which he accorded a loyal affection
and admiration, and whose fluctuating course, after he had retired from
the political arena, he watched with anxiety and interest to the end of
his life. Stewart Derbishire, born in London, in the year 1800, was the
third son of Philip Derbishire, M.D., and Ann Masterton, daughter of
Allan Masterton, of Edinburgh, an intimate friend and companion of
Burns, whose verses he was fond of setting to music. Miss Masterton, who
was gifted with great personal charms, and of more than average mental
ability, was the subject of those lines by Burns, entitled “Beware o’
Bonnie Ann.” At the age of sixteen, Mr. Derbishire commenced life as an
ensign in the Eighty-second regiment, but very soon afterwards, the
peace having caused the reduction of the army to one half its strength,
he became a student of law of the Honorable Society of Gray’s Inn, about
the year 1824. He was engaged in several cases of much public interest,
in the conduct of which he distinguished himself, and amongst which was
that of the Dorsetshire labourers, prosecuted for machine-breaking in
1832. The case created great interest throughout England, and was
reported at unusual length in the _Times_ of that period. From an early
age Mr. Derbishire was of very strongly pronounced Liberal views in
politics, and being drawn into the vortex of political journalism, aided
very effectually the movement which ended in the passing of the Reform
Bill. Having gained the warm regard of Sir de Lacy Evans, commander of
the British Legion, which championed the cause of Queen Isabella in
1837, and having become much interested in the struggle going on in
Spain, Mr. Derbishire proceeded to the troubled scene as special
correspondent of the _Morning Chronicle_. Not satisfied, however, with
using his pen only in the cause, and desiring to be more actively
engaged in the struggle, he volunteered at the assault of Irun, and for
his personal bravery received a medal, as well as a very flattering
letter from Sir de Lacy. He also earned the high approbation of Narvaez,
under whom he served in the campaigns of Castile, Valladolid and
Sagovia, for which services he was made a Knight of the Christian and
Military Order of San Fernando, and received several medals for his
gallantry. The honor of saving the life of Narvaez in a mutiny, has been
attributed to him, and he is also said to have been the first to point
out to the Melbourne ministry—then active champions of the Quadruple
Alliance—the inefficiency of Espartero, and to foretell the rise of
Narvaez. In 1838, the subject of our sketch came out to Canada as
attaché to the Earl of Durham. He held this nobleman in high esteem, as
well for his personal qualities as for his generous and large-hearted
statesmanship, and like him, he considered a lenient policy the only one
to be pursued towards the recently insurgent population, amongst whom he
acted as an emissary of mercy, visiting in the Montreal district the
localities, which, like Saint Benoit and Saint Eustache had been
desolated by the flames of civil war, carrying consolation and
assistance to the victims of the strife. He continued after the troubles
had ceased, to have a warm corner in his heart for the rebels, some of
whom became his personal friends, and towards whom—more especially Dr.
Wolfred Nelson and Dr. Rolph—he entertained, not only feelings of
affectionate regard, but of high respect and admiration, as towards men
who had taken up a course detrimental to their own interests, in the
hope of gaining for the country that which, in a short time, all but an
insignificant minority agreed the country must have. For some of the
less fortunate among their brethren, who remained in exile, he used his
influence with the Canadian government. Later in the day, when many of
the former rebels were serving their country in honourable positions,
and it was no singular thing to be in friendship with them, one of Lord
Metcalfe’s aides was heard to say, “How are your friends the rebels,
Derbishire?” “Oh,” was the reply, “I can’t get to see them now, you keep
them at government house; when Viger was in jail we could get to him,
now we can’t.” Viger was then president of the council. In the course of
Mr. Derbishire’s diplomatic duties, he brought up from New York the news
from Britain that, as he expressed it, “would make his lordship kick and
throw up his commission,” as indeed it did, and shortly after the Earl’s
departure, the rebellion again breaking out, as all along he had
predicted it would, he was asked, as one who knew the country and the
people, to undertake the dangerous service of carrying despatches to New
Brunswick and Halifax, demanding immediate re-inforcements of troops;
this he did, travelling in mid-winter from Quebec to Halifax by sleigh
and on horse-back, and resting neither night nor day till his mission
was fulfilled. Finding everything tranquil on his return to Lower
Canada, he endeavoured to regain his native land, but owing to the
badness of the roads, arrived in New York too late for the packet, by
which he intended sailing. There were at that time matters of great
interest in agitation at Washington, and Mr. Fox—then British minister
there—engaged his services to draw up several papers upon the
international relations between Great Britain, the United States and the
Canadas, which were sent home to the Foreign office with high
commendations, and Mr. Derbishire was just on the eve of embarking with
strong recommendations to Lord Palmerston, when a letter reached him,
stating, that Mr. Poulett Thompson, afterwards Lord Sydenham, wished him
to join his government, whereupon he once more turned his footsteps in
the direction of the country which appeared fated to become his home.
Before leaving the United States, however, Mr. Fox commissioned him to
travel leisurely through Maine, on his way from New Brunswick to Canada,
and endeavor to find out the feelings of the people of that state upon
the vexed question of their northern boundary; he did so, and found the
Mainites in a highly irritated, and what he considered to be, wholly
unreasonable frame of mind on that subject, and he drew up a somewhat
lengthy paper on the knowledge gained through his enquiries, which Mr.
Fox spoke of as containing some extremely valuable information, and the
gist of which would form a useful addition to the history extant upon
the subject. In 1841, Mr. Derbishire was elected member of Parliament
for Bytown, having been personally recommended by Lord Sydenham, as “a
friend of my own, qualified by his ability to do honor to any
constituency.” Sir Charles Bagot’s administration, Mr. Derbishire
considered in the highest degree successful, and full of promise to the
young country, whose factions were beginning to coalesce and work in
harmony under the straightforward, wise and honorable policy of that
governor. If, however, he was so fortunate as to have his political
sentiments at one with those of each governor-general who had ruled in
the country since his arrival in it—during whose administrations had
been developed and brought into action that principle of responsible
government which was to release the youthful limbs of the country from
the bands that had hitherto confined them, allowing them to gain
strength within the bounds of legitimate freedom—responsible
government, “without which, British rule in this part of the empire must
have become a monument of cruelty, injustice and folly”—it was far
otherwise when Sir Charles Bagot’s unfortunate successor came upon the
scene—the former happy unity of sentiment ceased. Admiring, as he did,
Lord Metcalfe’s benevolent _heart_, it could only be with a sorrowful
foreboding that he watched the reversion, by this nobleman’s want of
_head_, of all that the three former governors had striven to establish.
Lord Metcalfe was only “fighting again a battle which had been already
fought and lost; but fighting it with diminished forces, and positions
considerably less favorable, reviving a contest lost by Sir F. B. Head.”
Believing, that until prepared with other ministers, granting a
reasonable time for the construction of a cabinet, it is out of all rule
of representative, responsible, or any government short of a despotism,
to dismiss, or what is the same thing, promote the resignation of an
existing ministry, his vote condemned the claim advanced by the
governor-general, to make appointments without the knowledge of the
cabinet, although a threat of dismissal from the office of Queen’s
printer—which had been bestowed upon him in 1841—was held over his
head. It was a question to him whether the country should progress in
that development, which seems to be the lot of all new countries where
free play is given to the instinct of the Anglo-Saxon race for
self-government, or whether the irritation caused by the frustration of
this instinct, should break out again into civil war, bringing anarchy
and annexation in its train. Being a man of honor, of course all
personal considerations were dwarfed beside the gigantic proportions
assumed by this question, in view of the future welfare of the country.
Not long after this critical period, Mr. Derbishire gave up his seat in
parliament, on the passing of the Independence of Parliament Act, but
after retiring from active politics, as was to be expected of a man, the
bias of whose mind was toward political life, his interest in the
destinies of his adopted country did not grow dim with years. He watched
her course with keen sight, and continued to champion what he considered
her best interests in the press, both of the colony and of the mother
country. In 1849, when financial ruin stared the country in the face,
and Britain, by her oft-repeated neglect, seemed callous to her fate,
he, with many others, sorrowfully believed that annexation was
inevitable, and with much bitterness of spirit, expressed himself to a
friend in England, who had for many years been a public servant in this
country: “In view of annexation, I feel, as I suppose a man feels who
knows that one of these coming days he is to be led out to the scaffold
to be strangled in presence of numerous spectators who come to enjoy the
sport, and so feel a good many, I fancy.” His feelings towards Canada
had been one of peculiar loyalty—in the first years of his residence in
it he wished people to believe that he had taken root and identified
himself with its interests, and with a lavish hand, spent the large
income he received, that they might know that it was not riches he
sought in making Canada his home. United to his talents in public life,
Mr. Derbishire possessed those qualifications which make a man the
admired favorite of society. A wide range of sympathies, rare
scholarship and artistic taste, joined to a warmth and geniality of
disposition, which caused him to help with heart and hand and purse all
those who appealed to his sympathy, made the domain in which he ruled by
affection, a wide and varied one. One, a friend from the time he first
came to the country, says of him, “Coming within the vast pale of those
whom he admitted to sympathy, from the highest to the lowest, to whom he
extended the generous helping hand, and knowing him better, I believe,
than those with whom he was intimate, or the public, I was deeply
impressed with the depth of his philosophy and his accomplished literary
power and taste.”
* * * * *
=Adam, Lucien Alexandre Samuel=, Sheriff of the District of St.
Hyacinthe, in the Province of Quebec, was born at Coteau du Lac, county
of Soulanges, district of Montreal, the 10th day of November, 1847. His
parents were Louis Adam, notary, and Henriette Bourgeois, third daughter
of the late Captain François Louis Bourgeois, who came to Canada with
the title of captain, in a company of the regiment of the Meurous. He
was a native of Neufchatel, in Switzerland. Before the recall of his
regiment, Captain Bourgeois remained in this country, which he made his
retreat, and died in 1860, at the home of his son-in-law, Louis Adam, at
Coteau du Lac, aged ninety-one years. Madame Bourgeois was a daughter of
the late Dr. Stubenger, surgeon, etc., who died in this country several
years ago. In 1837, Louis Adam was among the number of patriots who
assisted and took part with his father, Augustin Adam, at St. Charles.
He was then only fourteen years of age. Lucien Samuel Adam took his
classical course at the Grand Seminary of St. Hyacinthe, which he left
the 15th June, 1866, after having been admitted as a law student. He
studied his profession with the late Louis Taché, then notary and
sheriff of St. Hyacinthe, and acted as deputy sheriff during six years.
In April, 1870, at the time of the Fenian invasion, Mr. Adam was
attached to the staff of the St. Hyacinthe regiment, then under the
command of Lieut.-Colonel Romuald St. Jacques. The regiment was called
out on duty and set out for the frontier to suppress the insurrection,
with others from Montreal, where the subject of our sketch was appointed
paymaster. In May, 1871, he was admitted as a member of the legal
profession, by the Assembly of Notaries at Laval University, Quebec, and
on the 14th of July he commenced the practice of his profession at St.
Hyacinthe, which he continued until May, 1881, when he was made sheriff
by the Chapleau government, in place of the late Louis Taché, deceased,
the 1st April of the same year. Mr. Adam took part in several election
contests, provincial as well as federal, and was always a staunch
supporter of Conservative interests. On the 15th of May, 1872, he was
married at St. Hyacinthe, to Miss Marie Zoé Boivin, second daughter of
the late Leonard Boivin, merchant and importer, of St. Hyacinthe, and in
later years collector of inland revenue for the said place, whose wife
was Madame Marie Zoé Lagorce and who died in August, 1872. Mr. Adam has
three brothers, the Rev. F. L. T. Adam, of Hochelaga, Montreal; A. A.
Adam, advocate of Ottawa, and the Rev. Father Adam, Jesuit, of Montreal.
In religion, it is needless to say, Mr. Adam is an earnest and devout
Roman Catholic. He was appointed sheriff at the early age of
thirty-three, and to-day is but forty years of age. Possessing all the
necessary requirements—talent, industry and integrity—of success, Mr.
Adam has undoubtedly a brilliant career before him.
* * * * *
=McConnel, William George=, Berthierville, Quebec, was born in the city
of Quebec, on the 12th of July, 1838. His father, John McConnel, and his
mother, Margaret, were both born in the north of Ireland, in the good
old county Derry, but both parents died while the subject of this sketch
was still a mere youth. Thrown thus on his own resources, William George
found his way to the New World, and received a good commercial education
at the Protestant Orphan Asylum, Quebec. At the age of thirteen he was
bound to a clergyman of the Church of England, for the sum of $100, to
learn farming. He soon found, however, that his talent lay in another
direction, and in a short time he was sent to Mr. J. S. Dixon, merchant,
of Berthier, and here he obtained that thorough knowledge of mercantile
affairs which has been so useful to him in later years. He remained with
Mr. Dixon for thirteen years, when his entire savings, some $1,300, were
swept away by the failure of his master. Mr. Dixon, however, resumed
business, and, nothing daunted, Mr. McConnel entered into partnership
with his former master, and they continued in business together for
three years. On October 1st, 1868, Mr. McConnel entered into business on
his own account as a general produce merchant, but making flour his
chief business, and he still continues to make a specialty of this
indispensable article. In 1881 he entered into partnership with Mr.
Robillard, M.P.P., in the wholesale grain business, but this partnership
was dissolved in the fall of 1886. Mr. McConnel is a member of the
Montreal Corn Exchange, which he joined in 1879. He is a staunch Liberal
in politics, and has always thrown his influence heartily into every
contest, so as to make that party successful in the county of Berthier.
He has been an alderman of the town since 1881; and the esteem in which
he is held by his fellow-townsmen is shown in the fact that his election
is always by acclamation. In 1888 he was appointed a justice of the
peace for the county of Richelieu. He is a faithful adherent of the
Church of England. In 1881 he was elected people’s churchwarden, and
since that time the church has been independent of outside support. He
is also one of the trustees of the Berthier Protestant Academy. He was
married on December 1st, 1872, to a French lady, Miss Amelia Mailloux,
daughter of Antoine and Marie Louise Mailloux, of Berthier, by whom he
has a family of nine children, of whom seven only are living. All of
them speak the French and English languages fluently. Mr. McConnel is a
good conversationalist, with an intimate knowledge of men and places
acquired in the course of constant travel in the United States and
Canada.
* * * * *
=Maynard, Rev. Thomas=, M.A., D.D., Rector of Christ Church, Windsor,
and Canon of St. Luke’s Cathedral, Halifax, Nova Scotia, was born in
Halifax, N.S., on the 8th of November, 1814. His father, Thomas Maynard,
a post-captain in the British navy, was a native of Devonshire, England,
who, after seeing a great deal of service, settled in Halifax, and
became high sheriff of the county of Halifax; he was a man of great
integrity, and died at the advanced age of 87 years. His mother was Lucy
Creighton, of Halifax. Her father, J. Creighton, belonged to
Somersetshire, England, and was among the first English settlers in Nova
Scotia. Mr. Creighton owned the Cathedral Hill, and sold it to the Duke
of Kent, and received, in part payment, a house called Grenadier Fort,
where Trinity church now stands. There was a small wooden fort at the
gate of this property, built to keep off the Indians. Rev. Dr. Maynard
received his educational training at the Collegiate School, and at
King’s College, Windsor, N.S., where he graduated in arts in 1832. He
studied law, and was afterwards admitted a barrister; but, changing his
mind, he determined to devote himself to the work of the Master, and
accordingly, in 1841, was ordained deacon by the Right Rev. John Inglis,
bishop of Nova Scotia, and priest by the same bishop a year later. He
was curate, for a year, of Dartmouth, and after, about the same length
of time, of St. George’s Church at Halifax. Afterwards he occupied the
position of rector of Rawdon, and subsequently of Digby, for five years
each; then of Sackville, near Halifax, four years; and was appointed
rector of Windsor in 1859, where he has since administered his holy
office. Canon Maynard has often held the position of examiner in
divinity in King’s College, and has on several occasions been a delegate
to the Provincial Synod, held in Montreal, as well as to the Diocesan
Synod. King’s College has conferred upon him the degrees of M.A. and
D.D. In his ministration, Dr. Maynard is free from display, but
constantly shows a yearning love for the best welfare of his hearers. He
has a rare faculty of attracting the young, and he is held in very high
respect by his people. He is withal possessed of a genial disposition,
and has a keen sense of humor. His preaching corresponds with his life,
and is highly calculated to impress and deepen the spiritual life of
those under his care. He has done good work in the Lord’s vineyard. He
was married on the 8th March, 1843, to Sarah Wilkins, daughter of the
Hon. Lewis Morris Wilkins, at one time speaker of the House of Assembly,
Nova Scotia, and subsequently judge of the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia.
Miss Wilkins was a woman of very superior intellect and literary
attainment, and was a great favorite wherever she was known. She was a
great aid to her husband in all his efforts to do good in the church.
She died on the 30th September, 1884, aged 70 years. The family of
Wilkins was one of the most important in this county. Dr. Isaac Wilkins
represented the county of West Chester, in the State of New York, before
the American Revolutionary war; he sided with the British, and gave up
wealth and power to live under the British flag. He came to Nova Scotia,
and settled at Shelbourne; he represented that county in the provincial
legislature. Some years after the peace he returned to the United
States; having formerly studied for the Christian ministry, he was
ordained by Bishop Leabury, and was rector of the parish of West
Chester, where he died at an advanced age. His son, Lewis Morris
Wilkins, and his grandson of the same name, both became judges of the
Supreme Court of Nova Scotia. His grandson, Martin Isaac Wilkins, was a
distinguished lawyer and prothonotary of the Superior Court. Judge
Wilkins had three daughters, Sarah Wilkins, the wife of Canon Maynard,
being the youngest. The fruit of the union has been a family of eight
children.
* * * * *
=Stevenson, Major Samuel Cottingham=, (B.A.), was born in Montreal, on
the 7th August, 1848. He attended the high school in that city and
afterwards graduated at McGill University, taking the degree of Bachelor
of Arts. His father was Mr. James Stevenson, a native of Campbellton,
Argyleshire, Scotland, and his mother was Elizabeth Cottingham, a
descendant of the Cottinghams, of County Caven, Ireland. When a youth
Mr. Stevenson entered the ranks of the Victoria Rifles, Montreal, and
not long afterwards he saw active service in the Fenian raid of 1866. He
afterwards held a commission in the 1st, or Prince of Wales’ Rifles, and
was present in the engagement at Eccles’ Hill, on the Vermont border, in
1870. In the year 1881 Mr. Stevenson retired from the force with the
rank of Major. For over fifteen years Mr. Stevenson has taken a very
prominent part in the exhibition affairs of the Dominion. He entered on
the work in 1872, as assistant at the first large provincial exhibition
held at Montreal. Mr. Stevenson worked so efficiently, and made himself
so useful everywhere at this time, that his services were called into
requisition at the next provincial exhibition, held in the following
year on the new grounds at Mile End, Montreal. On this occasion he
showed himself so energetic and capable that he was placed in entire
charge of the industrial department of the exhibition. We next find that
in the preparations made for the representation of Canada at the great
Centennial Exhibition at Philadelphia, in 1876, Mr. Stevenson was
appointed secretary to the advisory board, in succession to Mr. H.
Beaugrand, mayor of Montreal, and when the exhibition opened he was
appointed special commissioner there for the province of Quebec. He had
secured a magnificent display of products and manufactures from
Montreal, Quebec, Sherbrooke, and the province generally. The services
he rendered at the great American Centennial were of a most important
character, not only in the amount of well-directed labor he performed,
but for his good influence in promoting the commerce and interests of
his native country generally. On Mr. Stevenson’s return, his practical
services were acknowledged by the gift of a splendid gold watch and
chain and an address. In the next year a permanent exhibition committee
for the province of Quebec was named, and Mr. Stevenson was unanimously
chosen secretary, and has held the position till the present time. In
that capacity he originated and managed the first of the series of
Dominion exhibitions which have been held in various parts of Canada
ever since, and which have been the means of greatly fostering the
inter-provincial relations of the country. In fact, it was at this
exhibition that the attention of that large portion of the people of the
older provinces who had never troubled themselves much about it, became
earnestly concentrated upon the great North-West, Mr. Stevenson having
obtained a most interesting collection of exhibits from Manitoba and the
adjoining territories. Till now all the principal exhibitions in Canada
had been provincial in character, but a new era was opened by this
event, and the Dominion government, having voted a special grant of
$5000, have maintained the exhibition ever since, it being held in
different cities and different provinces each year. Mr. Stevenson was
the chief organizer and manager of all the exhibitions held in Montreal
since 1872, and in 1883 contributed much to the success of the Dominion
exhibition at St. John, N.B., by the contributions he raised in Quebec
and Ontario, as he did also to the success of the International
Exhibition at Antwerp in 1885, at which Canada was well represented. His
work in connection with the Colonial and Indian exhibition is too well
known to the public of Canada and England to need an extended reference
here. From the moment the idea was started Mr. Stevenson entered heart
and soul into the work, and organized the largest collection of exhibits
ever sent out of his province. He gave many suggestions of value to the
Dominion government, and at the request of Sir Charles Tupper, was
dispatched to London to assist in arranging the details of the Canadian
section, alloting the spaces, etc. That Mr. Stevenson worked well, and
that he rendered the most valuable service in the interests of all parts
of the Dominion, is admitted on all sides, and that he triumphed
successfully over the difficulties of want of space and the inconvenient
arrangement of the building will also be most readily admitted by those
who best understood the nature of the task before him, as well as by
those who had an opportunity of seeing the admirable arrangement of the
Canadian court. He took the initiative in the formation of the
Exhibitors’ Commercial Exchange at the exhibition, established for the
purpose of developing and fostering closer commercial relations between
the various British colonies, and was its provisional chairman. Mr.
Stevenson is secretary of the Council of Arts and Manufactures of the
Province of Quebec, under whose direction is placed the technical and
art education of the province. He is director of technical and art
instruction, and has taken a warm interest in the work of the schools
under the control of the council. He has contributed several valuable
articles on technical education. Mr. Stevenson took a prominent part in
inducing the American Association for the Advancement of Science to hold
its sessions in Montreal in 1882, and was also one of the local
secretaries, in conjunction with Hon. Thomas White, ex-Mayor Rivard and
Mr. S. E. Dawson, on the occasion of the famous meeting of the British
Association for the Advancement of Science, held there in 1884. Mr.
Stevenson’s wide and varied experience in exhibition matters is well
appreciated and recognized by those who know him in America, and he was
consequently elected vice-president of the International Association of
Fairs and Expositions at the annual convention of that body held in St.
Louis, Mo., in 1884. He was also appointed honorary commissioner for
Canada for the Boston Foreign exhibition, held in 1883. That the people
of his own city have confidence in his judgment in exhibition matters is
evidenced by the fact that the Montreal Board of Trade desired to have
his views and his advice before commiting itself to any line of action
in connection with the proposed permanent exhibition, as suggested by
the London Chamber of Commerce, in 1886. It is pleasing to notice that,
notwithstanding the calls on Mr. Stevenson’s energy, he can still find
time to promote the athletic sports of Canada. He was for some years
secretary of the old Dominion Lacrosse and Snow Shoe Club, and has
several good records to his credit; was president of the Independent
Lacrosse Club and of the Wolseley Snow Shoe Club, and in 1880 he was
elected president of the National Lacrosse Association of Canada. Mr.
Stevenson is thoroughly acquainted with the French language, which is of
great advantage in the province of Quebec, and has travelled extensively
through Europe, United States and his own country. He is a member of the
Presbyterian church of Canada. Mr. Stevenson is a member of the “Societé
de Géographie Commerciale,” of Paris, and a corresponding member of the
Industrial Education Association, of New York. He is also a director of
the Great Northern Railway Company. In 1878 Mr. Stevenson was married to
Gertrude, daughter of Col. Caldwell, of Delaware, a relative of the late
Bayard Taylor on her mother’s side, and whose great grandfather was a
general in the Revolutionary war.
* * * * *
=Keirstead, Rev. Elias Miles=, M.A., Professor of English Literature and
Psychology in Acadia College, Wolfville, N.S., is a native of New
Brunswick. He was born at Collina, Kings county, in that province,
February 11th, 1850. His father, Rev. Elias Keirstead, was a Baptist
minister, well known in the maritime provinces, his mother being
Margaret Ganong, of a family also equally well known. The family of
Keirstead is originally of German extraction, but for six generations
our subject’s branch has resided on this continent. John Keirstead, of
New York, is the first of the family of whom we have any record, as far
as the new world is concerned. He had a son, Jacobus, and he was the
father of James, who, with five of his brothers and one sister, came to
New Brunswick as loyalists. Isaiah, our subject’s grandfather, was born
in the United States, and came to Kings county, New Brunswick, when a
child. He (Isaiah) married Lydia Gray, a daughter of Captain William
Gray, who was also a loyalist. Our subject’s mother was the daughter of
James Ganong, also of loyalist stock, he being a son of Thomas, who
founded the family in New Brunswick. Thomas was of Irish descent on his
father’s side, and English on that of his mother. Thomas had two
brothers, officers in the English army, and who were with Wellington at
Waterloo. James’ wife, and grandmother of the subject of this sketch,
was Margaret, a daughter of Captain William Cox, who was also a
loyalist. Prof. Keirstead was educated primarily at the common and
superior schools of his native parish, when he entered the University of
New Brunswick, and subsequently Newton Theological Institution, Newton,
Massachusetts. He graduated at the head of his class in 1873, at the
university, and at the Newton Theological Institution in 1876, and
subsequently obtained the degree of M.A. from Acadia College. At the
university he took all the studies in the prescribed course for B.A.,
and, in addition, took honors for special work in mathematics, English
language and literature, and French language and literature. At the
Theological Institution he followed the regular course of three years
for full graduation. The course embraced among other studies, New
Testament interpretation (Greek), Old Testament interpretation (Hebrew),
systematic and biblical theology, pastoral theology, homiletics, church
polity, church history, and history of doctrines. He also took special
lectures in Hebrew. As might be expected, from the position Professor
Keirstead occupies, he holds strongly the views of the Baptist
denomination. As a controversialist he is one of no light calibre,
having great force of character, and intellectual gifts, both natural
and acquired, of the highest order. He married, June 21st, 1877, Mary
J., second daughter of the late Joel Fenwick, of Millstream, Kings
county, N.B. The Fenwicks are of English descent, Matthew, the father of
Joel, coming from that country and settling in New Brunswick. Matthew
Fenwick’s wife was Miriam, a daughter of William Freeze, who settled in
Amherst, N.S., from England, and afterwards migrated to New Brunswick.
Mrs. Keirstead’s mother was Ann, daughter of Robert McLeod, whom it is
not necessary to state was of Scottish extraction. Professor Keirstead
was ordained a pastor of the Baptist church at Milton, Yarmouth, N.S.,
December 5th, 1876. In 1877 he was installed as pastor of the church of
the same body at Windsor, Nova Scotia, which pulpit he occupied until
called upon to fill his present high position. He is secretary of the
Baptist Convention of the maritime provinces, and has occupied that
relation to the body for nine years. Professor Keirstead is also known
in literature, more particularly, of course, in that connected with the
church to which he is such an ornament. At the present writing his
family consists of two children; one boy and one girl, both of whom are,
of course, still young.
* * * * *
=Fitzpatrick, Charles=, Advocate, Quebec. Although still quite a young
man, the subject of this sketch has already won a foremost position at
the Quebec bar, and his reputation is more than local. There are few
members of his profession whose name is more widely known beyond the
limits of that province. It sprang into general prominence with the Riel
case, and during some anxious months it was constantly before the world
in connection with the trial of the half-breed leader, and the efforts
made to obtain a commutation of his sentence. Mr. Fitzpatrick is of
Irish Catholic parentage and was born at Quebec on the 19th December,
1853; his father’s name being John Fitzpatrick, and his mother’s, Mary
Connolly. His ancestry were always noted for their devotion to the cause
of Ireland, and our subject is, in this respect, an ardent follower in
their patriotic footsteps. His grandfather, James Fitzpatrick, was a
prominent supporter of the great Irish leader, Daniel O’Connell, during
the repeal agitation. Young Charles Fitzpatrick was educated at the
Quebec Seminary and Laval University, of which last he was, in 1876, the
Dufferin medallist in the law faculty. On being admitted to the practice
of the law, he rapidly pushed into note, and acquired a large business.
His ability as a criminal lawyer was so marked that, under the Joly
provincial government in 1879, it singled him out for the crown
prosecutorship for the city and district of Quebec; and in that
responsible capacity he acted for some time to the satisfaction of the
public and the enhancement of his own reputation. Upon the defeat of the
Joly ministry he was replaced by their successors; but, on the return of
the Liberals to power in the province, with the Hon. H. Mercier, in
1887, he was again appointed crown prosecutor for the Quebec district,
and still holds the office. During the interval, between 1880 and 1887,
he figured prominently in most of the important cases before the
provincial courts. He represented the Belgian government in the
celebrated Tournai frauds case at Montreal, and the United States
government in the great Eno extradition case at Quebec, and, in 1885, he
woke to find himself famous all over the Dominion, by his retainer as
one of the leading counsel for the defence in the Riel case. In politics
he is a strong Liberal, and has taken an active part in nearly all the
federal and provincial elections in his section since 1878. He speaks
both languages with equal familiarity and fluency, and is as much at
home in addressing a French as an English audience. He has travelled in
America and Europe. In religion he is a Roman Catholic. He married on
the 20th May, 1879, Corinne, daughter of the late Hon. R. E. Caron, the
second lieutenant-governor of the province of Quebec under
Confederation, and a sister of Sir A. P. Caron, Dominion minister of
militia.
* * * * *
=Williams, Richard Wellington=, Three Rivers, Quebec, Druggist, and one
of the prominent Temperance leaders of that province, was born in
Montreal, July 15th, 1853. He comes of English stock, his father being
Richard Williams, a confectioner, and native of Tavistock, Devonshire,
England, his mother’s maiden name being Gendle, also a native of the
same place. His father died while our subject was very young, and his
mother married, some time afterward, Thomas Roderick Massey, J.P., of
Nicolet county, Quebec, where Mr. Williams received his earlier
education, including the rudiments of French. In 1865, the family moved
into the town of Nicolet, where, after attending a French grammar school
for some time, he entered Nicolet college, where he took a commercial
course for two years, succeeded by a classical one of the same period.
Completing his collegiate studies, on the 8th of July, 1870, he was
apprenticed with a druggist in Three Rivers. In August, 1875, he removed
to Montreal, and matriculated at the Montreal College of Pharmacy,
taking a season’s course, and receiving a certificate as “certified
clerk,” carrying off honors as a medallist. Soon afterwards, Mr.
Williams was engaged as assistant at the laboratory of Dr. J. Baker
Edwards, D.C.L., F.C.S., etc., at the same time pursuing his second
course at the Pharmaceutical college, acting as assistant to Dr.
Edwards, who was professor of practical chemistry, toxicology, and
microscopy, at Bishop’s College; professor of chemistry at the college
of pharmacy, and professor of chemistry, physics, etc., at the McGill
Normal School, besides being public analyst as well. During this period
Mr. Williams made the most of his advantages, graduating as
pharmaceutical chemist in the spring of 1877, being the medallist of his
year. Mr. Williams commenced business in Three Rivers in April, 1878,
where he has succeeded in building up a lucrative business. In early
life Mr. Williams was confirmed in the Episcopal church, his step-father
being a member of that communion, but later on he gave his adherence to
the Presbyterian church in Canada, and is a member of St. Andrew’s
church of Three Rivers. In 1880, he was elected a manager of St.
Andrew’s, and for four years filled the office of Secretary-treasurer,
and now occupies the position of chairman of the board. In politics, Mr.
Williams has always occupied an independent position as between the two
great political parties, but is an out-and-out Prohibitionist, and is
quietly waiting the formation of a national party, having the
prohibition of the liquor traffic as its main platform. Mr. Williams is
a Mason of some prominence in his native province, he being chairman of
the permanent committee of the G.C. of Quebec R.A.M.; is also P.Z. and
P.G. Superintendent of the same body; also Grand Rep. of the G.C. of
Dakota, near Quebec. Mr. Williams also holds the rank of P.M., and a
P.D.D.G.M. of the Grand Lodge of Quebec A. F. and A. M. Our subject is
also a prominent member of the Independent Order of Foresters. In 1871,
Mr. Williams joined the Independent Order of Good Templars. In 1878, he
took the G.L. degree of that order, and in 1881, he was elected Grand
Treasurer of the G.L. of Quebec, which office he continuously held until
1886, when he was unanimously elected Grand Chief Templar of that
province, again being unanimously re-elected to fill that high position
in 1887. In 1886, he was one of the two representatives sent by Grand
Lodge to the R.W.G.L. session, in Richmond, Va., and in 1887, to the
session of that body held in Saratoga, N.Y., both years being drafted
upon important committees. Mr. Williams is a member of the American
Pharmaceutical Association, and also of the Board of Trade of his town.
In 1886, he was elected one of the twelve councillors who compose the
council of the Pharmaceutical Association of the province of Quebec, and
the same year was appointed one of the six examiners in connection with
this association. He still holds the position of examiner, being
re-appointed in 1887. Mr. Williams has travelled somewhat extensively
upon this continent, but has never, to the writer’s knowledge, crossed
the Atlantic. Mr. Williams married, October 9th, 1879, Alice J., eldest
daughter of John Thomas Lambly, son of the late John Robert Lambly,
registrar of the county of Megantic, Quebec, and niece of Rev. O. R.
Lambly and William H. Lambly, the present registrar, etc., of Megantic
county. Mr. Williams has had two children, one son and one daughter.
Personally, Mr. Williams is a genial, pleasant gentleman, and naturally
has hosts of friends, but these traits of character are never allowed to
interfere with the predominant idea of his life, viz., to do all that
lies within his power to curtail, and, if possible prohibit, the liquor
curse of his native country.
* * * * *
=Duncan, John=, formerly of St. John, New Brunswick, was born in Old
Meldrum, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, in the year 1797, and landed in
Miramichi, New Brunswick, in 1821. About the year 1832 he became
connected with Mr. John Owens, of St. John, N.B., where, under the firm
of Owens & Duncan, they conducted, with great success, a ship-building
and ship-owning business, until the death of Mr. Owens, in 1867. The
firm was widely known and respected for the management of their affairs
under the strictest business morality. Mr. Duncan devoted much of his
time as director and president of many private and corporate bodies. He
died 31st January, 1869.
* * * * *
=Girard, Abbé Pierre=, Priest, Master of Arts, and Superior of the
Seminary of St. Charles-Borromée, Sherbrooke, Quebec, was born February
14th, 1849, at St. Marie de Monnoir, at the foot of the woody Mount
Johnson. He was the son of Pierre Girard, husbandman, and of Marie
Peletier. On his father’s side he belongs to a large and influential
family, who have furnished many men of merit to the country, and
exercised a great influence in the United States. From his mother he
inherited many of the Peletier qualities, so well known for their
enterprising spirit, firmness, and indomitable energy. His father passed
the greatest part of youth at Detroit, where he owned a vessel and
coasted between that town and Chicago, then a humble village. A
prolonged storm which he endured on Lake Michigan, and the rigors to
which he was subjected, determined him to abandon this perilous life and
return to his native country, after an absence of seven years. The
childhood of Mr. Girard was passed under the watchful eyes of a loving
mother. Being the eldest of the family, and more separated from the
society of other children, he was reserved, serious and more than
ordinarily timid. He then developed his aptitude for industry, of which
he made such great use later. His favorite amusement was application to
mechanism. In this connection he bears a long scar on his left wrist,
inflicted while experimenting with a miniature saw-mill. This accident
terminated an enterprise which had been closely calculated. He studied
the elements of science in the common school which he attended from the
age of seven years, from which he was a mile distant. His progress was
so rapid that after three years his parents sent him, in 1859, to the
college of Monnoir, where he studied in classics and mechanics. Endowed
with unusual talents and an extraordinary memory, he made these two
courses in seven years. Besides Latin and Greek, Mr. Girard speaks
French, English and Italian. Through his knowledge of literature,
philosophy and mathematics, he was made a professor of these sciences.
He is familiar and occupied with all scientific subjects. The seminary
of St. Charles-Borromée is designated by the city of Sherbrooke as one
of its principal edifices. Mr. Girard draughted the plans and directed
the works of construction, which is an unexceptionable proof of his
architectural competency, whilst the museum is extensive and rich in
mineralogy, conchology, ornithology, zoology, etc., collected under his
supervision, and placing him in the first rank as a naturalist. Scarcely
seventeen years of age, repudiating all the allurements and seductions
of the world, Mr. Girard enrolled himself in the ranks of the Roman
Catholic clergy, and it is from this epoch that his career as an
educator of youth dates. He was ordained priest the 23rd September,
1871, and continued to teach in the college of Monnoir until the 14th of
February, 1874, when he went to Coaticook, where he filled the office of
assistant, besides officiating extensively at Barford and the boundary
line. In 1875, the first bishop of the new diocese of Sherbrooke, his
lordship, Ant. Racine, wishing to establish a seminary at Sherbrooke,
believed he could not do better than entrust this great enterprise to
the erudition, experience, and practical knowledge of the Abbé Girard.
He was not deceived in his estimate of this energetic man, as the
seminary of St. Charles-Borromée to-day ranks as one of the most
flourishing institutions in the province of Quebec, and is patronized by
the sons of the best families in the Dominion; among the number being
the two sons of his honor Lieutenant-Governor Angers. The number of
pupils who each year present themselves for admittance is so great that
the Abbé is forced to refuse them, notwithstanding the work of
enlargement which is being vigorously pushed forward. The secret of this
astonishing success lies in the fact of the practical teaching of the
two languages. To accomplish this it requires eighteen competent
professors of many years experience. With a man of the Abbé Girard’s
acknowledged ability, profound talents, and sterling piety, at the head
of such an establishment, nothing more can be desired to insure its
permanent success. In 1884 and 1885 he made a long voyage across the
sea, in company with His Lordship Gravel, bishop of Nicolet, and the
Rev. J. C. Bernard. He visited London, Paris, Rome, and the Holy Land,
and then with the latter all the countries of Europe, with the exception
of Spain and Portugal, which had to be omitted, being devastated with
that fatal epidemic, cholera. They both have related the most
interesting reminiscences of their tour, which lasted a year. Since his
return Mr. Girard has entered into his work with renewed ardor. Work
seems to have no effect upon his strong constitution; he utilizes his
spare moments in historical researches on the Eastern townships, which
he published in his Annual Memoirs of the Seminary. He printed as well
as composed, in his hours of recreation, this annual, which already
forms two large vols. in 8vo. In spite of all this work, he still found
means of shining in the pulpit, where he preached sermons deserving of
publication. A few years ago he published a “Method of Plain-Chant,”
which has been well appreciated by the public, as shown by the fact of
its being in its fourth edition. Being professor at the little seminary
of St. Mary, he founded, in 1872, a journal, having for its name “_Echo
du College de Monnoir_.” This publication, which lasted more than two
years, contained articles worthy of the aptitude of his directorship. It
would still exist if Mr. Girard had not been called to exercise his
activity in another sphere. Mr. Girard was already episcopal counsellor
of Sherbrooke up to August 9th, 1885, when his lordship, Bishop Gravel,
honored him by nominating him vicar-general of the diocese of Nicolet,
the 1st of November of the same year.
* * * * *
=Allnatt, Rev. Francis John Benwell=, D.D., Professor of Pastoral
Theology in the University of Bishop’s College, Lennoxville, Quebec, was
born at Clapham, a suburb of London, England, on the 15th of January,
1841. He is a member of a family for many generations resident at
Wallingford, Berkshire; and his father, the Rev. F. J. Allnatt,
M.R.C.S., is at present the vicar of Grinsdale, Carlisle, England. The
subject of this sketch was educated at St. Augustine’s College,
Canterbury, and, coming out to Canada in 1864, was immediately on his
arrival, ordained deacon by the Anglican bishop of Quebec, and appointed
to the mission of Drummondville, on the St. Francis river. This he
retained for twenty-one years, with the exception of a period of two
years (1872-4), during which he volunteered for service as missionary on
the coast of Labrador. He was ordained priest in 1865, and took the
degree of Bachelor of Divinity in 1878, and that of Doctor in 1886, at
Bishop’s College, Lennoxville. In 1879 he was appointed as colleague to
share with Dr. Weir, of Morrin College, the inspection of academies and
model schools for the province of Quebec, an office which he held, in
addition to his parochial charge, until 1885, when he resigned both on
being appointed rector of St. Matthew’s church, in the city of Quebec.
Early in the present year (1887) it was definitely decided to establish
at the University of Bishop’s College, Lennoxville, a new chair, that of
Pastoral Theology, with the object of inaugurating a more complete
method of training and discipline for those graduates and other students
who were engaged in immediate preparation for holy orders. The most
important feature of this new departure was the residence of these
students with the professor, for the purpose of closer intercourse with
him and more frequent opportunities for devotion and instruction. Dr.
Allnatt was appointed as the first occupant of the chair, and entered
upon his new duties in September, 1887. He had previously, for some ten
years, held the office of examiner in Divinity to the university. In
1874, Dr. Allnatt married the widow of Ignace Gill, M.P.P. This lady is
a daughter of the late William Robin, a native of London, but of Swiss
descent, and educated at Geneva. He entered the British service under
the auspices of the Count de Meuron, and was a lieutenant in a regiment
named after that nobleman, and when about eighteen years of age the
regiment was sent to Canada, about 1812. It was disbanded a few years
afterwards, and officers and men received grants of land in the
neighborhood of Drummondville. Besides minor literary efforts, Dr.
Allnatt has published a book entitled, “The Witness of St. Matthew,” an
inquiry into the sequence of inspired thought pervading the First
Gospel, and into its result of unity, symmetry and completeness, as a
perfect portrait of the Perfect Man. This book, which is published by
Kegan Paul, London, England, has met with much favorable notice at the
hands of both the British and American press. The London _Guardian_, in
the course of a very flattering review, designates it as “a careful,
thorough and systematic analysis, with suitable remarks, of the contents
of the first Gospel, with a view to elicit and illustrate the special
features of St. Matthew’s presentment of Christ’s Person and work,—a
task which the author has accomplished with much discernment and
lucidity.”
* * * * *
=Emmerson, Rev. Robert Henry=, New Brunswick.—The late Rev. Robert
Henry Emmerson, a clergyman of the Baptist denomination in New
Brunswick, had his birth in Northumberland county, N.B., October 11th,
1826. His father was John Emmerson, who at an early age came from
England with his parents to Charlottetown, P.E.I., and his mother, Maria
Tozer, of Miramichi, N.B. Both were members of the Baptist church in the
latter place. In his boyhood Mr. Emmerson manifested a very marked taste
for reading and study, with an acute perception and tenacious memory.
The exercise of his mind on the subject of religion may be dated back to
his earliest recollections. “From a child” he, like Timothy, “knew the
Scriptures,” hence the readiness and fluency which always characterised
him when quoting from the sacred volume. He first received the ordinary
education obtainable at the common schools, thence attended the Baptist
seminary—a high school or academy, in Fredericton, N.B.—after which he
sought the greater facilities for education to be found at Acadia
College, Wolfville, N.S., in order to be the better qualified for the
work to which he felt himself called, namely, that of the ministry. In
1848 the Baptist church at Maugerville, one of the oldest settlements in
New Brunswick, invited Mr. Emmerson to preach to them. He continued
there two years. When at college his natural abilities were observed,
and while pursuing his studies he frequently preached at Windsor, N.S.,
and elsewhere, by request. During this period he wrote a number of
articles for the press, which attracted public attention. On the 29th of
July, 1852, he was regularly set apart to the work of the ministry, and
accepted the pastoral charge of the church at Maugerville, Sunbury
county, N.B. At this time he was nearly twenty-six years of age. On the
10th of August, 1852, he married Augusta A. Read, eldest daughter of
Joseph Read, senior member of the firm of Joseph Read & Co., of Minudie,
N.S., and Boston, Mass. From July, 1852, to August, 1856, he retained
the pastoral charge of the church in Maugerville. The records of that
church show how ably and prosperously he filled that important office.
During this period he read much, circulated a large amount of religious
and intellectual reading, wrote for the public press, travelled
extensively in the United States, kept up private and professional
studies, and performed the arduous duties of the pastor, enjoying
frequent revivals which involved a great amount of labor. In the spring
of 1855 Mr. Emmerson made an extensive tour in the United States. While
there he attended the general meeting of the American Bible Union, held
at Chicago in May of that year. His letters to the _Christian Visitor_
(the organ of the Baptists in New Brunswick), descriptive of the places
he visited, gave evidence of great powers of observation, and an ability
to take up the incidents and scenes of his travels and make them of
interest to others. He vastly enjoyed his intercourse there with Dr.
Cone, Dr. Wyckoff, and others then eminent in the Baptist denomination
in the United States. Possessing a magnetism of manner, he made many
warm friends there, and was strongly urged by them to make the United
States his home. They believed that his remarkable ability as an
extempore speaker rendered him peculiarly fitted for the pastorate of
one of their city churches, where extempore preaching was then in
demand. On his return home he received a call from a church in
Cleveland, Ohio, but his strong attachment to home and the provinces
prevented his acceptance. Subsequent overtures from churches in New York
and Boston were refused for like reasons. In November of the same year
Mr. Emmerson visited the Southern States. While there he was solicited
to take charge of a church in Richmond, Va., but declined. In the
columns of the _Christian Visitor_ of that day are to be found many
contributions from his pen. On the failure of Mrs. Emmerson’s health, he
was compelled to leave Maugerville; and having received a call from the
First Baptist Church of Moncton, N.B., he accepted it, and removed there
on the 1st of September, 1856. Here was the scene of his last and most
prominent labors. Moncton had then suddenly arisen to a place of
importance among New Brunswick towns, on account of the railway
operations, which had then just commenced, and of the shipbuilding
industry, which then flourished there. The result was a large influx of
people, which gave a wider scope and greater prominence to Mr.
Emmerson’s labors. The church soon rose under his ministry, and their
house of worship was found to be altogether too small. A large and
expensive building was accordingly commenced, and was finished after his
death. He only lived about a year after moving to Moncton, during which
time very many were added to the church. What promised to be a useful
and brilliant career was too soon ended. He died on the 11th of
September, 1857, at the early age of thirty years and eleven months. His
death was sudden, being caused by typhoid fever. In the mysterious
providence of God he was, in the prime of manhood, in the full vigor of
his ministry, and in the midst of a wide field of usefulness, called to
his eternal rest. Mr. Emmerson will long be remembered as an eloquent
speaker, an original thinker, and an earnest and exemplary worker in the
cause of his Master. It was much regretted by his friends that his
sermons were not prepared for publication, which would have been done
had he lived longer. Mr. Emmerson left a widow and three children—two
sons and a daughter—all of whom are now living. The sons, H. R.
Emmerson and F. W. Emmerson, are barristers of the Supreme Court of New
Brunswick in active practice; and the daughter is Emma Emmerson
Atkinson, wife of H. Atkinson, of Moncton, N.B., barrister-at-law. Mrs.
Atkinson is a prominent member and worker of the Woman’s Christian
Temperance Union of New Brunswick.
* * * * *
=Brown, Henry Braithwaite=, Q.C., LL.M., Sherbrooke, Que., was born on
7th October, 1845, at Chichester, county of Sussex, England. His parents
were Rev. Thomas Brown, M.A., prebendary of Chichester Cathedral, who
died in October, 1878, and Jane Lewis Brown, _née_ Goodyear. The subject
of this sketch was educated at the prebendal school, and received an
excellent classical education. In 1867 he left England and settled in
Sherbrooke, his first position being that of principal of the Sherbrooke
Academy. In 1886 he was elected _bâtonnier_ of the bar for St. Francis
district, and is now a delegate to the general council of the bar. He is
also president of the Stanstead and Sherbrooke Mutual Fire Insurance
Co., city attorney of Sherbrooke, and one of the trustees of Compton
Ladies’ College. In politics he is a consistent Conservative, and in
religion a staunch adherent of the Church of England. In 1872 he was
married, at Quebec, to Charlotte Mary Holwell Bligh, a daughter of the
late John Bligh of the Ordnance department of the War office at Quebec.
He was admitted to the bar in December, 1871, received the degree of
LL.M. from the University of Bishop’s College, Lennoxville, in 1883, and
was appointed Q.C. in 1886.
* * * * *
=Carbray, Felix=, Quebec, is the senior member of the well known firm of
Carbray, Routh & Co., commission merchants, of Quebec and Montreal, and
not only holds a good position in Quebec commercial society, which he
has won by his business ability and energy, but fills a considerable
space in the eyes of the Irish Catholic population of the ancient
capital, whom he represented in the Legislative Assembly of Quebec, from
1881 to 1886. As may be surmised, Mr. Carbray, though a native of
Canada, is of Irish extraction. Both of his parents were from the county
Tyrone, Ireland, and his father, the late Niall Carbray, who was a
farmer, occupied for many years the historic Holland farm, near the city
of Quebec, where the subject of this sketch was born on the 23rd
December, 1835. His mother’s maiden name was Catherine Connolly. He was
also educated at Quebec, where he has resided throughout his life,
though he has travelled extensively in America and Europe, principally
on business connected with the trade in lumber, in which his house is
engaged. He was one of the pioneers of the lumber trade between the St.
Lawrence and South America, and is still largely interested in it. In
addition to his other duties, he fills the important position of consul
of Portugal at the port of Quebec. A Roman Catholic in religion, Mr.
Carbray has been honored by the St. Patrick’s congregation of Quebec
with election and re-election as one of the trustees of their church,
and is also a trustee of that noble Irish Catholic charity, the St.
Bridget’s Asylum, of Quebec. He has taken an equally active and leading
part in all the local national movements of his fellow-countrymen, and
has been president of the St. Patrick’s Literary Institute, the Irish
National Association, and other Irish bodies in Quebec. He is a
Liberal-Conservative in politics, and at the provincial general
elections in 1881, yielding to the solicitations of his friends, he ran
as the party candidate for the electoral division of Quebec West and,
after a hard fight, was elected by a good majority to represent that
constituency in the Legislative Assembly in the province. His
parliamentary career was very creditable. Though he did not often
address the House, he was always listened to with the utmost respect,
being an equally good speaker and debater in both English and French,
and never wasting his powder except on serious and interesting subjects
with which he was most conversant, such especially as questions of
finance and commerce. In fact, so marked a figure was he in this respect
in the legislature from 1881 to 1886, that rumor frequently connected
his name with a cabinet office, and there is little doubt that had he
continued in public life and his party been re-elected to power at the
general elections of 1886, he would have sooner or later, entered the
provincial ministry. During the last session of his term, he was the
mover in the Legislative Assembly of the resolutions adopted by that
body in favor of granting Home Rule to Ireland, and expressing sympathy
with Mr. Gladstone in his efforts to solve the Irish problem peacefully,
without dismembering the Empire. At the general elections on the 14th
October, he again ran as the Liberal-Conservative candidate for Quebec
West, and, though political feeling in the province ran high at the
time, owing to the Riel agitation, was only defeated by the slender
majority of eight votes, owing largely to over confidence on the part of
his friends. Since then, Mr. Carbray has devoted himself exclusively to
the management of the large and growing business of his firm. In May,
1854, he married Margaret, daughter of William Carberry, who emigrated
to Quebec from Carrick-on-Suir, Waterford, Ireland, in 1847.
* * * * *
=Emmerson, Henry Robert=, LL.B., Dorchester, N.B., was born at
Maugerville, in the county of Sunbury, province of New Brunswick, on the
25th day of September, 1853. He is a son of the Rev. Robert Henry
Emmerson, Baptist clergyman, and Augusta Read Emmerson, his wife. His
grandfather, John Emmerson, came from England, and engaged in the lumber
business at Miramichi, N.B. At the time of the great fire there, in
1825, he lost much property, and came near losing his life. His
grandfather, on the mother’s side, was Joseph Read, of Minudie, N.S., of
the firm of Joseph Read & Co., of Minudie, N.S., and Boston, Mass. Mr.
Read was one of the pioneers in the grindstone business between the
provinces and the United States, and owned large and valuable quarries
in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick at the time of his death. Our subject
received a high school education at the following places:—St. Joseph’s
College, Memramcook, N.B.; Amherst Academy, Amherst, N.S.; Mount Allison
Academy, Sackville, N.B.; Boston English High School, Boston, Mass.;
Horton Collegiate Academy, Wolfville, N.S., and attended lectures at
Acadia College, Wolfville, N.S., for two years, pursuing a partial
course, devoting his time principally to English, Latin, French,
mathematics, and the natural sciences. In the year 1871 he went to
Boston and attended a commercial college, and obtained a position in the
office of the firm founded by his grandfather, and afterwards was given
the position of bookkeeper. He continued in this position until 1874;,
when he came to Dorchester, N.B., to pursue the study of the law in his
native province, in the office of the then Hon. Albert J. Smith
(afterwards Sir Albert J. Smith). Mr. Smith having given up his
professional practice on account of his public duties as minister of
marine and fisheries, he entered, in Michaelmas term, 1874, as a
student-at-law in the office of Albert J. Hickman, barrister, who had
succeeded to Mr. Smith’s law practice. He read law with Mr. Hickman
until 1876, when he attended the Boston University Law School, in
Boston, Mass. He graduated in June, 1877, with the degree of LL.B., and
in Michaelmas term, 1877, was admitted an attorney of the Supreme Court
of New Brunswick. At the Law School he had the honor to carry off the
prize from the members of the graduating class of that year for the best
essay on “The Legal Condition of Married Women.” This prize, offered by
the faculty of the Law School, was $50. In November, 1877, he entered
into a legal copartnership with Mr. Hickman, in whose office he had
studied. The firm of Hickman & Emmerson continued with success until the
death of Mr. Hickman, in March, 1879, when Mr. Emmerson associated with
Mr. Burton S. Read, under the firm name of Emmerson & Read. In 1882 Mr.
Read retired from the practice of the law, and our subject continued
alone until 1886, when the firm of Emmerson, Chandler & Chapman,
consisting of William B. Chandler, LL.B., W. H. Chapman and himself, was
formed. In 1883, on the death of Sir Albert J. Smith, K.C.M.G., Mr.
Emmerson became the managing executor of his estate, under his will. He
has been closely identified with the Westmoreland county Liberal
Association for years, taking an active part in the affairs of the party
in the county and province. Was one of the owners of the _Daily
Transcript_, a Liberal newspaper, published at Moncton, N.B., until
1887, when it was purchased by Mr. Hawke. In the general election of
1887 he was selected by the Liberal party of Westmoreland to contest
that county in the Liberal interest against Mr. Josiah Wood, the
Conservative M.P. for that county, and who had defeated Sir Albert J.
Smith in the contest of 1882. He was defeated by about the same majority
that Mr. Wood had over the late Sir Albert Smith. The Liberal party in
this contest pledged itself to run the election within the letter and
spirit of the law relating to bribery and corruption, and the resolution
was most rigidly observed. The Liberals claimed that their opponents did
not observe any such rule. Mr. Emmerson has travelled over a portion of
the eastern and middle States, and Canada. In religious belief Mr.
Emmerson adheres to the faith of his father and mother, who were
Baptists. In June, 1878, he married Emily C. Record, only daughter of C.
B. Record, iron founder, of Moncton, N.B. Mr. Record was one of the
first to establish an iron foundry in New Brunswick outside of St. John.
Besides his practice as counsel in court, etc., our subject has a large
practice in estate business. He is executor under the will of Thomas
Keillor, late of Dorchester, whose estate is large. That, with Sir
Albert Smith’s estate and other estates, demand much of his time.
Notwithstanding his busy life, Mr. Emmerson has devoted considerable of
his time to public affairs, having taken the field in every political
contest since 1878. He is a speaker of marked ability, possessing a
magnetism rarely found in the public speakers of the present day. He has
also taken a deep interest in emigration matters, having instituted or
inaugurated an emigration scheme from the kingdom of Denmark to the
county of Westmoreland, N.B., the scheme being under the direct
management of his firm. There is now being circulated in Denmark a
pamphlet prepared by them, having for its object the encouragement of a
good class of emigrants to occupy the new and unoccupied farms of that
magnificent county. The expense attending upon this scheme is borne
entirely by Mr. Emmerson and his firm. In his professional career Mr.
Emmerson has been, during the past seven years, connected with almost
every one of the important suits tried in Westmoreland and Albert
counties. The case of _ex parte_ Rand, a case arising out of the Scott
Act election of 1884, involving the question as to what “scrutiny of
votes” meant, was one of the important cases in which he was engaged,
having been employed by the Westmoreland Prohibitory Alliance to look
after their interests therein. Upon the advice of himself and
Attorney-General Blair, the case was appealed to the Supreme Court of
Canada, with success. In November, 1887, Mr. W. H. Chapman, one of his
partners, having been appointed clerk of the county court of
Westmoreland, retired from the firm, which is now Emmerson & Chandler,
with offices at Dorchester and Moncton, in Westmoreland county. Mr.
Emmerson’s talent as a public speaker has led him to be frequently
called upon to lecture, which he occasionally does at places within the
county. He is largely connected with the public enterprises of the
county, and takes an active interest in the manufacturing, shipping, and
other industrial institutions therein. With Mr. W. F. George, of
Sackville, he has been at the back of the woollen manufacturing
establishment at Port Elgin, N.B. Mr. Emmerson is solicitor for the
Merchants’ Bank of Halifax, Dorchester and Moncton, and from 1882 until
1886, when he resigned, was agent of the Bank at Dorchester, not doing
routine work, but having a supervision over and responsibility for the
work. He is a director of the Maritime Baptist Publishing Company, the
company managing and publishing _The Messenger and Visitor_, the organ
of the Baptists in the maritime provinces. Our subject is a Liberal in
English and Canadian politics, a great admirer of Gladstone and of
Edward Blake. He is a strong advocate of free and unrestricted trade
with the United States, and would break down all customs barriers. His
commercial experience in Boston was to earn money to pursue his law
studies, and also to give himself an insight into business affairs, as a
help in his profession. Mr. Emmerson has three children, the eldest
seven years of age.
* * * * *
=Nolin, Charles=, Sheriff of St. John’s, Quebec, was born May 18th,
1819, in St. Athanase county, and district of Iberville. His father was
Ambroise Nolin, Isle D’Orleans, Quebec, later of St. Luc, district of
Iberville, a farmer by occupation, who married Margaret Morin, of St.
Luc. Ambroise died at St. Athanase, in 1867, while his wife lived until
1882, in which year she succumbed at a ripe old age. Our subject
received a good commercial education at the school of his native parish,
commencing business on his own account as general merchant, at St.
John’s, in 1846. This business he carried on successfully for fourteen
years, and by strict business integrity, together with economical
habits, was enabled to retire from active business pursuits. On the 16th
of May, 1863, he was appointed high constable of St. John’s, which
position he held until 1865, when he resigned to accept the office of
deputy-sheriff, which was then tendered him; receiving his present
appointment as high sheriff on the 17th of November, 1873. Sheriff Nolin
married, in 1846, Clorinthe, daughter of J. Duquet, of Chateauguay,
merchant, and whose son, Joseph, was one of the “patriots” of 1837, who
were executed along with Cardinal, in Montreal, in 1838. Sheriff Nolin
has had issue eleven children, seven of whom are now living, one of his
sons being Professor Alphonse Nolin, who occupies the classical chair in
the Ottawa College. C. A. G. Nolin, the eldest son, is now a merchant of
some standing in Washington territory, U.S. Joseph, another son, is a
dentist, practising at Ottawa. Of his daughters, Marie Louise married L.
A. Trudeau, a dentist, of St. John’s; Marie Elmire Clorinthe married
Joseph Hector La Rocque, druggist, of the same place, and Maria Eudolie
married J. E. Z. Bouchard, advocate, St. John’s, and now holding the
position as French translator to the government of Quebec; the youngest
daughter, Rosalinda, not married, lives at home. In the troublous times
of 1837-8, Mr. Nolin took part in the rebellion of that period, and was
taken prisoner; he, however, being more fortunate than many of his
comrades, was discharged. Sheriff Nolan is an adherent of the Roman
Catholic faith, and an ardent supporter of the church and faith of his
forefathers. Though now well advanced in years, he is yet full of vigor,
and delights in recounting the more stirring events of his rather
eventful life.
* * * * *
=MacKinnon, Tristiam A.=, General Superintendent of the Ontario and
Atlantic Division of the Canadian Pacific Railway, has his office in
Montreal. Mr. Mackinnon belongs to that hardy, virtuous and thrifty
stock of Scotch-Irish, who, to the best qualities of the race from which
they sprang, have added something of the impetuosity, quick-wittedness
and capacity for adapting themselves to new situations, which
distinguish the Hibernian Celt. It is a stock that has been ably
represented in North America. Both in the United States and Canada, a
considerable proportion of the most prominent citizens in all walks of
public and private life have been proud to belong to it: President
Buchanan, Motley, the historian; the ill-fated Montgomery, the scene of
whose death is one of the points of interest to the stranger visiting
Quebec; the Workman family of Toronto and Montreal, the late Sir Francis
Hincks, Bishop Charles Hamilton and his brother, the Hon. John Hamilton,
and others that will, doubtless, at once occur to the reader, men as are
by birth or descent, members of the same vigorous and progressive race.
Mr. MacKinnon was born in Ireland, on the 7th of August, 1844. He did
not enter the railway service at so early a stage in his career as some
of his colleagues who have, like himself, risen to distinction. He had
attained the years of mature manhood when, in December, 1868, he was
offered and accepted the position of clerk and time-keeper in the
Passumpsic Railroad shops at Lynderville, Vermont. His merit was quickly
recognized. In 1871 he became superintendent’s clerk and acting
superintendent on the same line, and remained in that twofold capacity
in connection with the road until August, 1873, when he was made
superintendent of the Brockville and Ottawa and Canada Central Railways.
In October, 1880, he received the appointment of assistant general
manager of the South Eastern Railway, in which position he acquitted
himself with such satisfaction to the company and the public that it was
deemed to the advantage of both to give him entire charge of the
administration. Finally, on the transfer of the South Eastern Railway to
the Canadian Pacific company, he was appointed (1st October, 1886),
general superintendent of the Ontario and Atlantic division of that
great line, and no person, directly or indirectly connected with the
road, has had reason to regret his promotion.
* * * * *
=Smith, William=, M.P. for South Ontario, Columbus, Ontario, was born in
the township of East Whitby, November 16th, 1847, is the son of William
Smith and Elizabeth Laing, his wife, natives of Morayshire, Scotland. He
was educated at the public school, Columbus, and Upper Canada College,
Toronto. He was a lieutenant in the 6th company (Brooklin), 34th
battalion V. M. I. for a number of years. He has been a trustee of
Columbus public school since 1869; was president of the South Ontario
Agricultural Society in 1881; deputy reeve of the township of East
Whitby from 1878 to end of 1882; reeve from 1883 to end of 1886; and is
now vice-president of the Clydesdale Association of Canada. He belongs
to the I.O.O.F., having joined November 11th, 1887. He has always taken
an active part in both municipal and political affairs, and was defeated
for the House of Commons in June, 1882, by fifty, but was successful at
the last general election in 1887. In politics he is a Conservative; in
religion a Presbyterian. He was married May 25th, 1880, to Helen Burns,
daughter of the late James Burns, farmer, of the township of East
Whitby. Mr. Smith is a farmer, and has lived on the same farm since his
birth. He takes a great interest in Clydesdale horses, Durham cattle,
and Cotswold sheep.
* * * * *
=Power, Hon. Lawrence Geoffrey=, LL.B., was born in Halifax, N.S., on
the 9th of August, 1841. His father, the late Mr. Patrick Power, was a
prominent figure in Nova Scotia politics and represented the county of
Halifax in the House of Commons from 1867 to 1878, with the exception of
the period between the general elections of 1872 and 1874. The subject
of this sketch began his school life at a day school taught in the
basement of St. Patrick’s church, at Halifax, by an old gentleman named
McDonald. This teacher having removed to an Acadian village called
Chezzetcooke, some twenty-four miles from the city, his pupil, then
eight years old, followed him, and remained under his care for about
nine months longer. Shortly after his return to Halifax he became a
pupil in St. Mary’s College, where he remained for some seven years.
Amongst his teachers during this time were the Very Rev. Monsignor
Power, lately deceased; the Rev. Canon Woods, now of Rockingham, Halifax
county; and the Rev. Joseph P. Roles, now a prominent personage in the
diocese of Chicago. Leaving Halifax in the Cunard steamer _Europa_, in
February, 1858, after short visits to London and some other English
cities, he entered St. Patrick’s Lay College, Carlow, Ireland, in the
middle of March. At the midsummer examination he took a good place; and
at the close of the next scholastic year, in July, 1859, the subject of
this sketch, with three others, went over to England and passed the
matriculation examination of the University of London. Two of the four
candidates, hailing respectively from Australia and India, were placed
in the second division, while a representative of Ireland and Mr. Power
succeeded in getting into the first. It was a somewhat curious
circumstance that one comparatively small Irish college should have sent
to the same examination, in London, four candidates, each representing a
separate continent. In October, 1859, Mr. Power matriculated at the
Catholic University of Ireland, and became an inmate of St. Patrick’s
House, Stephen’s Green, Dublin. Here he was a regular attendant at the
various lectures for students of his year, and passed the various
terminal examinations creditably. The long vacation of 1860 was spent in
France, and the ensuing scholastic year was devoted chiefly to
continuous and earnest study. At the close of the year he took the
degree of Scholar at the Catholic University, and was placed first in
each of the five classes in which he underwent terminal examinations. At
the conclusion of the Dublin examinations, Mr. Power went to London,
underwent the first B.A. examination in the University, and was placed
in the first division. He was also one of six successful candidates at
an examination for honors in Latin, held subsequently. While in Dublin,
Mr. Power was an active member and secretary of the Debating and
Literary Society conducted by the students of the University; and in
July, 1861, was the winner of a silver medal awarded for the best
English essay on a given historical subject. In a debate which had taken
place some time before, he could find only one member who agreed with
him in advocating the right of the Southern States to secede from the
American Union. In the month of October, 1861, he returned to Halifax,
and entered his father’s employ with a view of qualifying himself for
the business of a merchant. A few months’ experience satisfied him that
his vocation was not to mercantile life, and in the fall of 1862 he
began the study of the law as an articled clerk in the office of J. W. &
J. N. Ritchie. In the beginning of September, 1864, he became a student
at the Law School of Harvard College, where he received the degree of
Bachelor of Laws in January, 1866. Although not a hard student, he
attended the lectures of the professors of that day—Joel Parker, Emory
Washburn, and Theophilus Parsons—very regularly, and was generally
present at the meetings of the Law School Parliament, which met
fortnightly during term time. His first speech in this parliament was
shortly after his entering the Law School, when he stood up alone to
defend England against bitter attacks made upon her for the way in which
she discharged her duties as a neutral during the civil war in the
United States. As showing the American love of free speech, it may be
added that he spoke without interruption, and was applauded when he
closed. Among his class-mates at the Law School were Mr. Fairchild, now
secretary of the United States treasury, and Oliver Wendell Holmes, jr.,
at present a judge of the Supreme Court of Massachusetts. Returning home
in January, 1866, he completed his course of legal study, and was
admitted to the bar in December of the same year. Since that time he has
continued to practise law in his native city. From an early day he took
a warm interest in politics, and before being admitted, wrote several
articles for the Halifax _Chronicle_ against the proposed confederation
of the British North American provinces. During several months after his
admission, he was a frequent editorial contributor to the _Chronicle_
and the _Citizen_. In 1867, and again in 1871 and 1875, he was elected
clerk assistant and clerk of bills to the House of Assembly of Nova
Scotia. In this capacity it was his lot to draw up several important
bills, including the Nova Scotia Medical Act, and the act defining the
powers and privileges of the Provincial Legislature. In 1869 he was
appointed a commissioner of schools for the city of Halifax, an office
which he filled for ten years. In 1870 he was elected an alderman for
ward Three, and served the usual term of three years. In 1874 he
re-entered the city council, where he remained until October, 1877. In
1873 and 1874 he took an active part in the preparation of the Fourth
Series of the Revised Statutes of Nova Scotia, and, in 1876, was
associated with the present minister of justice in the preparation of a
volume containing the laws and ordinances relating to the city of
Halifax. In the beginning of February, 1877, he was called to the Senate
to fill the vacancy caused by the non-attendance of Sir Edward Kenny.
This appointment Mr. Power had at first declined, but after further
consideration, decided to accept. The seat in the Senate was indirectly
the result of a letter over the signature, “An Ultramontane,” published
in the Toronto _Globe_, in March, 1876. This letter, which dealt with
the hostile attitude assumed by the then Bishop of Montreal (Monseigneur
Bourget), and some other Catholic prelates and clergymen, to the Liberal
party, attracted at the time of its publication much attention. Probably
his most important literary work since that time is “A Plea for the
Senate,” a defence of the House of which he is a member, contained in
two letters to the Toronto _Globe_, published in January and February,
1881. He is also the author of a paper entitled, “Vinland,” an account
of the Norse discovery of America, read before the Nova Scotia
Historical Society in the winter of 1887. Mr. Power drafted the charter
of the University of Halifax, established by statute in 1876, and from
that time until the practical extinction of the institution, owing to
the withdrawal of the provincial grant by the Holmes government, in
1879, was an active and prominent member of the senate of the
University, and an examiner in the Faculty of Law. Owing, in a great
measure, to the numerical weakness of the Liberal party in the Senate of
Canada, the subject of this sketch has, since his appointment, taken a
very active part in the business of the House and its committees. While
called upon to speak on subjects of every kind, he has given special
attention to constitutional questions, railways, and the fisheries.
Among his most important speeches may be mentioned one made in the
session of 1879, in which were pointed out, for the first time in
parliament, the many advantages of the Sault Ste. Marie route for a
railway to the North-West; one in 1880 against the Deceased Wife’s
Sister Bill; one in 1884 on the disproportion between the expenditure on
the Intercolonial Railway and the receipts from that work; one on the
question of Prohibition, and another on the route of the proposed “short
line” railway from Montreal to the Lower Provinces, in 1885; one made
during the discussion arising out of the proposal to take Senator
O’Donohoe into the Cabinet, in 1886; and one made in the session of 1887
on a resolution introduced by Mr. Power, and unanimously adopted by the
Senate, to the effect that in any negotiations for the admission of
United States fishermen to the territorial waters of Canada, care should
be taken that when admitted they should be subject to the laws and
regulations governing our own fishermen. Amongst other parliamentary
work done by the subject of this notice during recent years may be
mentioned the drafting of the Nova Scotia Married Woman’s Property Act,
which became law in 1884. Outside of politics, he has taken an active
interest in various local matters of a public character, and is now a
commissioner of schools for his native city; a commissioner of the
Provincial Library, a director of the Victoria School of Art; a director
of the Halifax Visiting Dispensary; one of the executive committee of
the Halifax Ratepayers’ Association; and a member of the Nova Scotia
Historical Society and of the Wanderers’ Athletic Association, as well
as of certain associations connected with the Roman Catholic church.
Although not a man of extreme views, but rather a conservative Liberal,
Mr. Power has been consistent and resolute in his loyalty to the Reform
party, and in his opposition to Liberal-Conservatism. His theory of
government is that each individual, each family, each hamlet, village,
town, city, county and province, should have the greatest liberty and
self-government consistent with the safety of the common country, and
that the business of government should be carried on according to the
same principles which are adopted by prudent men in managing their own
affairs. He thinks that the powers of the central government in Canada
are greater than they should be, and that the machinery of that
government is complicated, cumbrous, ineffective and expensive, to a
lamentable degree. If these defects and abuses were removed, and the
tariff framed in the interests of the mass of the population instead of
as now in the interests of a very small minority, he thinks that the
natural advantages of our country would ere long have the effect of
largely increasing our wealth, population, and our importance in the
eyes of the outside world. Mr. Power was married on the 23rd of June,
1880, to Susan, daughter of Mr. M. O’Leary, of Noodiquoddy, Halifax
county.
* * * * *
=McDonald, Rev. Clinton Donald=, B.A., B.L., B.D., M.A., Ph.B., B.Sc.,
Pastor of the First Presbyterian Church, Thorold, Ontario, was born in
the city of Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Scotland, on the 17th June, 1842. His
father, Angus McDonald, and his mother, Mary McDonald, both belonged to
the Clan McDonald, of Glencoe, Inverness-shire, and had moved to Glasgow
shortly before the birth of their only son. In Glasgow, Angus McDonald,
a stalwart Highlander, over six feet in height, served for several years
in the city police force, and afterwards removed to the village of
Dalmuir, in Dumbartonshire, where he was employed in Tennant’s chemical
works, and here he died. Both his parents died before Clinton had seen
his tenth birthday, and thus the orphan boy, with his only sister, were
thrown upon the world to push their way the best they could. For five or
six years Clinton spent his time among the farmers in the parishes of
Old Kilpatrick, Cardross, and Row; and having saved a little money he
emigrated to Canada. Shortly after his arrival he found employment as a
farm hand in the county of Huron, and worked there for about three years
as such. Being addicted to no vices, steady, moral, and frugal in his
habits, he had in these few years acquired sufficient money to enable
him to obtain that which of all things he had long desired, namely, a
better education. With this object in view, he gathered together his
worldly possessions, and started from the backwoods of the township of
Hullett, and took up his abode in the town of Clinton. Here he entered
the public school, then taught by John McFaul, where he continued for a
year, and then spent another year in the High school taught by George
Argo, B.A. When he first entered school he had but the slightest
knowledge of geography and grammar, and only the most elementary rules
in arithmetic, yet at the end of these two years he had made such rapid
progress that, at the examination for teachers in the county of Huron,
he obtained a first class teachers’ certificate. He then took up
teaching as a profession, and for about two years successfully
prosecuted this work. But the desire for a still higher education had
taken such possession of his mind that he determined to still further
prosecute his studies. He entered Knox College, Toronto, and having
passed its full literary and classical courses, entered Toronto
University, and passed the first three of its five examinations in the
Arts course. Before completing the Arts course in the university he
entered the divinity hall of Knox College to study Theology, and on the
completion of this course he entered the ministry. During his college
course, which lasted about six years, the Rev. Mr. McDonald gained
marked distinction, and at the competitive examinations carried off so
many of the cash prizes that he was able thereby to pay all the costs of
his college career. In 1877, the congregation of the First Presbyterian
church of Thorold called the Rev. Mr. McDonald, who at that time had
charge of the Presbyterian church at Point Edward, near Sarnia, to
become its pastor, and since then the church has had a very successful
career. The population of Thorold, through the completion of certain
public works in its vicinity, is now about one thousand less than it was
when Rev. Mr. McDonald went there, yet though the number of people in
the town is much less, the number of members in the Presbyterian church
is much greater; that is, while the population has fallen from about
three thousand down to two thousand, yet the number of members in the
church has risen from ninety-nine up to one hundred and eighty. Looking
at the facts above stated, we may fairly conclude that Rev. Mr. McDonald
is evidently a man of push and perseverance, and we predict for him a
highly honourable career, such an one as must fall to the lot of a man
who has thus steadily worked himself up to his present position in the
church.
* * * * *
=Coldwell, Albert Edward=, M.A., Professor of Natural Science, Acadia
College, Wolfville, N.S., was born at Gaspereau, Kings county, N.S.,
September 18th, 1841. The Coldwell family is of English origin, the
family name in its present form having been handed down for some
centuries. Mr. Coldwell’s great-great-grandfather came to Nova Scotia
from New England and took up lands in the beautiful valley of the
Gaspereau. Many of his descendants are now living in the immediate
vicinity. Our subject’s father was Ebenezer Coldwell and his mother Mary
Stevens, also a well known family in Nova Scotia. Mr. Coldwell’s
maternal uncle, Rev. James Stevens, was widely known and respected, not
only in Nova Scotia but outside of it, as a prominent member of the
Baptist ministry, up to the time of his death which occurred at a ripe
old age. Mr. Coldwell was educated at Horton Collegiate Academy and
Acadia College. He pursued the general classical course, graduating B.A.
(with honours) in 1869. At the end of Sophomore year he won the monthly
essay prize and in his senior year the Alumni essay prize of $40 open to
all undergraduates. Obtained his M.A. degree in 1872. In 1877, Mr.
Coldwell won the Vaughan prize of £20 sterling for the best essay on the
History of Acadia College. This history is published in the memorial
volume issued by the college in 1881, and apart from its historical
value is a gem of literary excellence. Prof. Coldwell has not been
satisfied with education derived from books alone, but has travelled
somewhat extensively and thereby came into immediate contact with the
scholars of other countries. For a short time he resided in London,
making the most of his opportunities, and he is also familiar with the
centres of thought in the eastern and middle States. It is scarcely
necessary to add that he is a Baptist. He also married into a well known
family of that denomination, his wife being Jessie, a daughter of W. J.
Higgins, and niece of Professor Higgins, of Acadia College, and also of
Rev. Dr. Higgins, pastor of the Wolfville Baptist Church. In January,
1871, Mr. Coldwell was appointed instructor in mathematics in Horton
Collegiate Academy, which post he filled until 1882, when he was
appointed instructor in Natural Science in Acadia College. In June,
1884, he was appointed professor in that department, which position he
still holds. Prof. Coldwell’s reputation does not rest alone upon his
connection with Acadia, but in consequence of the special attention he
has given to science studies since graduating he is rapidly gaining a
name for himself in the scientific world.
* * * * *
=Spencer, Charles Worthington=, Montreal, general superintendent eastern
division Canadian Pacific Railway, was born on the 31st October, 1857,
at Kemptville, Ont. He would confer no small service on mankind, and
especially on that portion of it which constitutes the business world of
our modern civilization, who would set forth, in the form of “brief
biographies,” the stages by which men attain success in the various
walks of active life. Soldiers, statesmen, _litterateurs_, men of
science, scholars, and churchmen, who have achieved distinction, rarely
lack pens to celebrate their courage, their genius, their learning and
their discoveries. Their names become household words in the professions
or occupations by which they have risen to fame, so that those who
succeed them in the same path of effort are at no loss for examples by
which to shape their own careers. In the vast range of multifarious
activity—the world of commerce and skilled industry, the world of
railroads and steamships, to which our age is mainly indebted for its
practical progress—it is unfortunately otherwise. Hundreds of the men
who have blessed their kind while advancing their own interest—who have
opened up new fields of human labor, who have broadened the realm of
trade, and, by inventions, adaptations and administrative talent, have
brought communities, severed by thousands of miles, into friendly
contiguity, and given facility, safety and comfort to the intercourse
between nation and nation—have been allowed to pass away with hardly a
record of their existence, and still oftener without any worthy memorial
of their services to their fellowmen. To the young man just beginning
life; such a biographical collection, based on the careers of men who by
the faithful and conscientious use of natural and acquired advantages
had won for themselves a name and position in their chosen path of
endeavors, would be of untold value. He would learn what qualities to
accentuate, what dangers to avoid, how best to avail himself of
opportunities as they offered, and, in time, how, by serving faithfully,
to fit himself eventually for the task of supervision and command. When
such a work, or series of works (as this), is given to the public, there
is one name which it is sure to include in its list of examples, that
which stands at the head of this memoir. Charles Worthington Spencer,
general superintendent of the eastern division of the Canadian Pacific
Railway, has the peculiar distinction of being the youngest man in his
profession who fills so high and responsible a position. To what gifts
and energies he owes his promotion those who have the pleasure of his
acquaintance need not be informed. Able, courteous, with a mental grasp
that can take in wide surveys, without at the same time neglecting
details, he has risen step by step to the exalted place which he
occupies with a rapidity rarely, if ever, paralleled on any of our great
American lines. Mr. Spencer, at the present time, 1888, is only in his
thirty-first year. He entered the railway service on the 7th day of May,
1871, and was operator and clerk at the Ottawa station until May, 1874,
when he became assistant agent. He then passed successively through the
stages of assistant train despatcher, chief train despatcher, traffic
superintendent, assistant superintendent, and assistant general
superintendent. From 1st August, 1884, to 30th April, 1885, he was
assistant general superintendent of the eastern division; from the
latter date to 27th September, 1886, he was assistant general
superintendent of the eastern and Ontario divisions. From the latter
date to 25th September, 1887, he was acting general superintendent of
the same division. On the date last mentioned he received the important
appointment which he still holds, that of general superintendent of the
eastern division. The whole of Mr. Spencer’s experience was gained in
Canada, and in connection with the great enterprise to which he is still
so honorably attached. If Canada has reason to be proud of her industry
and commerce, which of late have so grand a development, she owes her
progress in those respects to her great public works and improvements,
her chain of canals and net-work of railways, which same have made
inter-communication possible. Of these, the C. P. R. takes the
acknowledged lead, and of the men to whom that great route is indebted
for that perfection of equipment and administration which have won it
the public confidence at home and the admiration of foreigners, not the
least worthy of grateful recognition is Charles Worthington Spencer.
* * * * *
=Tetreau, Rev. F.=, was born at St. Hyacinthe, on October 11th, 1819.
His parents were honest farmers. Left an orphan when very young, his
grandparents carefully watched over his earliest education. At the age
of twelve years, under the kind and generous protection of the curé of
his parish, he entered and commenced his classical studies at the St.
Hyacinthe College, and there terminated them with great success in 1838,
in the midst of such distinguished men as the present
Lieutenant-Governor of Ontario and the Archbishop of St. Boniface. After
mature reflection, this young philosopher became a priest, and
consecrated his life to the care and instruction of the young of that
institution, which so deservedly merited all his gratitude and devotion.
One day his bishop remarked to him, “Be a pillar of the seminary.” This
remark became an order, accepted and carried out in its fullest extent.
For more than half a century the “pillar” has been in its place, and has
only bowed to the inevitable march of time, and Providence has blessed
him, and crowned his ripe years with success. The aged priest has the
energy and ardor of his younger days, leading a uniform life, and
filling all the necessary duties of a college professor. He has
practised in his deportment the ascetic maxim, “_Ama nesciri et pro
nihilo reputari_.” This maxim did not prevent him keeping up kindly
relations with his brothers in religion or his old pupils, all deeply
attached to the cradle of their intellectual life. He was also much
interested in the young writers of St. Hyacinthe, as well as elsewhere,
Oscar Dunn being one of those of whom he retains an intimate and
indelible remembrance. Who knows but that the old priest, in the
exuberance of his youth, was guilty of many press delinquencies? Whether
he was on the side of the press or not, it is certain he has written a
great deal. Since 1849 he has chronicled, collected and made note of
every event of importance which has taken place in the world,
particularly in Canada, but more especially at St. Hyacinthe and the
college. As every change occurs, it has been carefully committed to
writing day by day, and these memoirs in the future will serve as a
foundation for local history. Those who have had the privilege of seeing
the manuscript agree that it is most valuable. After this short and
condensed notice, it will easily be understood that the Rev. F. Tetreau
has been one of the useful workers of this earth, and his life a general
benefit to his fellow-creatures, always practising the maxim, “_Ama
nesciri et pro nihilo reputari_.”
* * * * *
=Fry, Edward Carey= (Henry Fry & Co., of Quebec) was born in Bristol,
the commercial capital of the west of England, on the 24th June, 1842.
Although, like many others of our prominent men in the various walks of
life, the subject of our sketch was not born in Canada, he is,
nevertheless, by commercial training, more than thirty years’ residence
in the country, and also by marriage, a typical Anglo-Canadian. He is
one of the leading members of Quebec commercial society. His parents
were of the middle class in life, but still possessed of sufficient
means to give their numerous family the elements of a good sound English
commercial education. His surname at once suggests some connection with
the Society of Friends commonly known as “Quakers,” and with good
reason, for his immediate ancestors were certainly of that denomination,
while there is little doubt that those more remote were of the band who
left England for these shores to avoid religious persecution, and who
appear to have settled in New Brunswick, as the name is well known
around St. Stephen’s to this day. In fact, when Mr. Fry’s elder brother,
Henry, first landed there in 1853, the first person to address him bore
exactly the same name as himself, and with little difficulty they traced
their descent to a common ancestor. A Peter Fry left New Brunswick and
settled in the county of Somerset, England, where he became the founder
of that branch of the family, and numerous are the mural tablets in the
picturesque village churches of that county to the memory of different
members of this family, who seem to have been held in the highest
respect, as was its founder, of whom the following is recorded in marble
in the parish church of Axbridge, Somerset:—
“To the Memory of
PETER FRY,
Who resigned his spirit
into the hands of his
Redeemer, 21st September, 1787,
Aged 52 years.
That his example may be
a light to others
Let this stone record his
virtues.
In transacting business
he showed great ability
and clear understanding
and a sound judgment.
He was much trusted and
never betrayed a trust;
yet his inviolable integrity
was tempered with the
gentlest humanity.
In social life, he was
benevolent, friendly
and charitable.
In his domestic connexions,
prudent, affectionate,
and tender.
In his commerce with God,
in whom he placed a
truly Christian confidence,
humble, pious and resigned.
Reader,
‘Go and do thou likewise.’”
George Fry, the father of our subject, though not a member of the
Society of Friends, was educated in one of their schools, and a certain
amount of quiet reserve, sedateness, and plainness of speech descended
from the father to several of his sons, who are still apt to call a
spade a “spade” and not an “agricultural implement.” Mr. Edward Carey
Fry received his education at the grammar school of Bristol, a city
famous for its schools, and by the time he had received all that his
friends could give him in that respect, his elder brother Henry had
become a Canadian ship-owner, while several of his other brothers were
at sea. It was decided that the boy, Edward, should follow their example
and he was accordingly apprenticed to Henry and served some time in one
of his ships, the well known old _Lotus_. Although by this means he
acquired a knowledge of the sea and of ships, which has since been very
valuable to him in his capacity of Lloyd’s Agent, life in a timber ship
was necessarily distasteful to a lad of his stamp and, as it was seen,
that by education and a certain amount of refinement he was more fitted
for his brother’s office in Quebec than for the forecastle of a timber
ship, the change was made. There the business portion of his education
commenced, progressed, and was completed under his brother’s fostering
care, so that for experience of Canadian timber and shipping matters and
especially of all that concerns the port of Quebec and its trade, he is
probably excelled by none. He was finally taken into partnership by Mr.
Henry Fry, a connection only to be dissolved by the lamented break-down
of the latter gentleman’s health owing to overwork very largely
honorary, philanthropic, and for the welfare of his fellow citizens of
Quebec, by whom no one was more highly respected or deservedly
regretted. The business has since been carried on by Mr. Edward Carey
Fry, under the old and honoured name. After becoming a citizen of
Quebec, Mr. Edward Fry added to his previous ties by marrying Elizabeth,
the daughter of the Revd. David Marsh, the well-known and esteemed
Baptist minister of Quebec, who, like her young husband, was born in
England, though transplanted to this country at a very early age. They
have a large family of bright, intelligent boys and girls, undoubtedly
showing in their physique their Anglo-Saxon origin, but Canadian born
and with all the advantages of education that an excellent school system
can supply. Mr. Fry has been associated from infancy with the Baptist
church. In fact he was named after the great Baptist missionary, Edward
Carey, and, as a child, attended Broadmead Baptist chapel, Bristol, well
known to the religious world as having been the scene of the labours of
Drs. Robert Hall, Foster, and Evans, whose names are historical. In
politics, like his elder brother, it is understood that he declines to
be tied to any party, his motto being “measures, not men,” and that he
will support either side when he believes they are acting honestly for
the welfare of his adopted country. If he has a bias, it is believed to
be in favour of perfect liberty and equality in religion, politics and
commerce, which is only what might be expected from one not very
remotely connected with the freedom-loving Society of Friends. At one
time his firm was largely interested in the timber business, but this
branch has been abandoned by it for some years and its time and
attention are now wholly devoted to shipping and commission. Mr. Fry’s
position as Lloyd’s Agent and agent for other British and continental
underwriters at Quebec, and representing, as he does, several large
ship-owning houses, both sail and steam, have given him an extensive and
unique experience in getting vessels and cargoes out of difficulties at
the least possible cost to all concerned. Like most Quebecers, who have
commercial relations with England, he takes periodical trips to his
native land. In fact, he has crossed the Atlantic at least fifty times,
and it must be said to the credit of his filial affection and sense of
patriotism that he never allows his business on such occasions to
prevent him, when in England, from paying a visit of love and reverence
to the home of his ancestors in Somersetshire, and especially to his
father’s native place, the pretty village of Winscombe, where,
notwithstanding the march of modern improvement, all is still rustic
simplicity. The beautiful old church, with its wealth of historic
associations from the days of the Crusaders downwards, and its
picturesque churchyard, which commands a series of views of a lovely
country and contains one of the finest yew trees in England, are still
just as his father knew them in his youth. Time has not perceptibly
changed them; but the spot, more than all others, which always interests
the son, is that immediately in front of the font in the sacred edifice,
on which his father was held for baptism over a hundred years ago. On
one of his visits to Winscombe church, Mr. Fry had the pleasure of
examining its old register and has now in his possession a certified
copy of his father’s baptismal record—a quaint interesting memorial of
the past in the old English way of writing. It shows that the old man
was born as far back as 1783, or seventeen years before the beginning of
the present century, and it can be readily imagined that many notable
events in the world’s history were embraced within the recollection of
one whose span of existence was prolonged down to our own times in 1868.
Mr. Fry still vividly recalls listening at his father’s knee to his
stories of his long life, how he could just remember hearing in his
boyhood the startling news of the execution of Louis XVI. and his queen
Marie Antoinette, and how, as his memory became more vigorous with his
growth, he retained more vivid impressions with regard to the battles of
the Nile, St. Vincent, and Trafalgar, the nation’s mourning for Nelson,
and the times of privateering in which Bristol took a very prominent
part, and when wheat was nevertheless a guinea a bushel in the midst of
all the ill-gotten wealth of that day. “Fine times those were for the
landlords and farmers”—used the old man to say—“but the common people
were reduced to the verge of starvation.” And he often added that,
though he had probably outlived all the leading spirits of those
privateering days, he could not remember any case in which the money so
acquired appeared to have done any real good, and that he hoped to see
the day when, in time of war, the rights of inoffensive private property
would be respected and privateers receive the only rights to which, in
his opinion, they were entitled—a good rope at the yard-arm as pirates.
Other milestones in his memory, on which he frequently loved to descant
for the benefit of his children, were the days of the Regency, the
battle of Waterloo, the death of Napoleon, the trial of Queen Caroline,
whose husband he thought a sensual brute, though he was styled “the
first gentleman in Europe;” the passing of the Reform Bill, the
opposition to which by the member for Bristol, Sir Charles Wetherall,
contrary to the wishes of his constituents, caused fearful riots and
loss of life in that city, the second and even the third French
revolution, the abolition of slavery under the British flag in 1834, the
accession and marriage of Queen Victoria, the abolition of the corn
laws, and the abandonment by Great Britain of protection for the
benefits of a vigorous free trade policy. It is scarcely necessary to
say that these stirring reminiscences made a deep impression on young
Fry’s mind and that, while as a man to-day his preference is for his
adopted country and his faith strong in the greatness of its future, he
still yields to none either in love for Old England or in unswerving
adherence in public and private to the sturdy principles of rectitude
which seem to have been so marked a characteristic of his worthy father.
Ability and uprightness in business and straightforwardness in all
things have won for him the respect of his fellow-citizens of Quebec,
and few are held in higher or more deserved estimation by all classes of
the population. Mr. Fry is a member of the Quebec Board of Trade, and,
though adverse to accepting any prominent position in that or any other
public body, because, owing to the demands of his business, he cannot
give to them all the requisite time and attention, he nevertheless ever
takes a deep and watchful interest in all that concerns the public good,
whether in a commercial, municipal, political or religious sense, and
can always be counted on to do his duty intelligently and as a good
citizen when necessary.
* * * * *
=Ogden, Charles Kinnis=, Three Rivers, Province of Quebec, was born at
Three Rivers, on the 11th of February, 1829. He is a son of Isaac
Governeur Ogden, who was for forty years sheriff of the district of
Three Rivers, and also served as captain in H.M. 56th Regiment, and in
another regiment with Colonel De Salaberry. His grandfather was the Hon.
Isaac Ogden, judge of the Superior Court, Montreal, and a U. E.
loyalist, who was driven out of his possessions in New Jersey by Gen.
George Washington, in 1775, his lands being all confiscated on account
of his loyalty to the British Crown. The city of New Jersey is now
situated in the centre of his farm, but from which the Ogden family
receive no income. Mr. Ogden is a nephew of the late Charles Richard
Ogden, attorney-general under Sir John Colborne’s administration, in
1837. He is also a nephew of the late William Walker, advocate, of
Montreal, who defended the patriots in 1837, and who was a direct
descendant of the celebrated Walker who defended Derry during the ever
memorable siege. Another uncle was Peter Skene Ogden, who was at one
time in business with the celebrated John Jacob Astor, later becoming a
partner in the North-West Fur Company, which afterwards amalgamated with
the Hudson Bay Company, when he took the position of chief factor, and
had charge of Vancouver and Oregon, at the time of the cession of the
latter to the U.S. government, which was represented on the occasion of
the transfer by General Grant. The subject of this sketch was educated
at Lennoxville, P.Q., under the Rev. Mr. Doolittle, also at the high
school, Montreal, under the Rev. Mr. Simpson. He has been postmaster of
Three Rivers for many years; has also been in the telegraph and
insurance business, and was local agent of the Hon. Hudson Bay Company.
He was chiefly instrumental in building a fine rectory for the English
church clergyman at Three Rivers; he also erected a fine building which
was used by the telegraph and insurance companies, and as a post office,
but which is now used as a private residence, Sir Hector L. Langevin,
C.B., having induced the government to build a post office in Three
Rivers, which is an honor to the city. Mr. Ogden has never had any
connection with any secret or political societies, and he has always
been liberal and conservative in his views, without prejudice to any
one. He is a valued and consistent member of the Episcopal church. He
was married in 1865, to Rosina Meyer, daughter of William B. Meyer,
merchant, of Quebec, and niece of the Rev. Mr. Aldriche, rector of
Ipswich, England.
* * * * *
=Howard, Robert Palmer=, M.D., L.R.C.S.E., Montreal, was born in the
city of Montreal, on the 12th January, 1823. His parents, Robert Howard
and Margaret Kent, were natives of Ireland, and had settled in Montreal
some years before their son Robert was born—Mr. Howard carrying on
business as a merchant. The subject of this sketch was educated in
Montreal, and studied medicine in the McGill University and in Great
Britain and France. Returning from Europe in 1849, he practised his
profession in his native city as a “general practitioner” till the year
1880, when he gave up the practice of surgery and confined his
attendance to the work of the pure physician. He was appointed Professor
of Clinical Medicine in the McGill University in 1856, and on the death
of Dr. Holmes, in 1860, succeeded to the chair of Theory and Practice of
Medicine in the same institution, which position he still occupies. Two
years ago the degree of LL.D., _honoris causa_, was conferred upon him
by the University, in which he has been a professor for thirty-four
years, and dean of its medical faculty for six years. In the course of
his career he has held several of the offices indicative of professional
standing and responsibility. Dr. Howard has been president of the Canada
Medical Association; president of the College of Physicians and Surgeons
of Quebec; and president of the Medico-Chirurgical Society of Montreal.
He is one of the vice-presidents of the Association of American
Physicians. This year (1887), on the occasion of the celebration of the
Centennial Anniversary of the College of Physicians, of Philadelphia, he
was made Fellow of that distinguished body. For twenty-two years he was
one of the attending physicians and surgeons of the Montreal General
Hospital, and has been the secretary of that institution for
thirty-three years. For the greater part of his professional life in his
capacity as a member of the Board of Governors of the Medical Council of
his native province, he has endeavoured to elevate the standard of
medical education and requirements, and for several years laboured
earnestly, but unhappily in vain, with many of the leading physicians in
Ontario, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Quebec, to bring about a General
Medical Council for the Dominion of Canada. He is a member of the Church
of England, and has been twice married. First in 1855, to Mary Frances
Chipman, daughter of the late Judge Chipman, of Halifax, N.S., by whom
he had one son, R. J. B. Howard, M.A., F.R.C.S., Eng., who is associated
with his father in the practice of his profession, and is engaged in
teaching practical anatomy in McGill College. He married in 1872. His
second wife is Emily, daughter of the late Thomas Severs, of London,
England, and they have had two sons and two daughters born to them,
three of whom are living. A physician thus puts on record his estimation
of Dr. Howard’s position and work: “The life of a man of such unceasing
industry as Dr. Howard, may be considered from many aspects. As an
author he has contributed largely to medical literature during the past
thirty years. His studies on pneumonia, phthisis and on heart disease,
have made him a recognized authority in the profession. The work on
anæmia, which he prepared for the International Medical Congress in
1876, was one of the earliest and remains one of the most important
contributions to the subject. The elaborate articles on rheumatism and
allied affections published in the _System of Medicine_, by American
authors, 1885, are perhaps the most exhaustive in the English language.
The Canadian and American journals contain many lesser contributions
from his pen. As a teacher, Dr. Howard has been eminently successful.
For some years he held the position of Professor of Clinical Medicine in
McGill University, and in 1861, on the death of Dr. Holmes, was
transferred to the chair of medicine, which he still occupies.
Painstaking industry at the bed-side, a clear, logical mind, a forcible
and impressive delivery, combined to make Dr. Howard a model hospital
teacher, and his course of didactic lectures on medicine is the most
thorough and complete with which the writer is acquainted.” For years
Dr. Howard has been a zealous advocate of higher medical education, and
to his energy and perseverance is due the endowment of the McGill
medical faculty, as well as many other improvements. In the long
struggle to establish the Medical Board of the province of Quebec, on a
proper basis, Dr. Howard has been very active, and for many years has
been the prominent English representative. As a practitioner, Dr. Howard
has been exceptionally successful and for years he has been the leading
medical consultant in the Dominion. His reputation as a careful observer
and close student has gained for him the confidence of the profession in
an unusual degree. A kindly, sympathetic manner, scrupulous attention to
details and exceptional skill and judgment in the management of cases,
have combined to give the laity implicit trust in his opinion. Important
and enduring has been Dr. Howard’s influence upon the groups of students
which have come under his care and upon the men who have been fortunate
enough to be his _confrères_. Unselfish to a fault, keenly zealous for
the welfare of the profession, enthusiastic as a youth, he has—perhaps
unconsciously to himself—impressed all with whom he came in contact
with the earnestness of life, the nobility of work, and the dignity of
his calling.
* * * * *
=Pope, Edwin=, Superintendent of the Great North-Western Telegraph
Company, Quebec, was born at Kingston, Ontario, on the 14th of March,
1843. His father was the late Major Pope, who was for many years
provincial store-keeper at Montreal. His mother was Maria Craig. He
removed with his parents successively to Montreal and Quebec. He was
educated in the latter city, and resided there for several years, in the
employ of the Montreal Telegraph Company. In 1862 he was transferred to
the company’s Toronto office; and in 1863, at the early age of twenty
years, was sent to Watertown, N.Y., as superintendent in charge of the
company’s line in the State of New York. In 1866 he was promoted to the
still more important and responsible position of the company’s
superintendent at Quebec, and was reappointed to the same position in
1881, when the lines were consolidated under the Great North-Western
Telegraph Company. He still holds this office, and enjoys the general
respect of the population of the ancient capital for his courtesy and
blameless life. Mr. Pope is a member of the Church of England, and holds
office in various organizations connected therewith, and in other local
societies. In 1864 he married Mary Margaret, fifth daughter of Robert
McClure, of Toronto, and by her has had issue eight children.
* * * * *
=Amherst, Lord Jeffery.=—Lord Amherst, who commanded the British army
at the surrender of Montreal in September, 1760, one of the bravest
officers that ever the nation had the great good fortune to possess, was
born in Kent, England, on the 29th January, 1717. He was the second son
of Jeffery Amherst, of Riverhead, in Kent, barrister-at-law, and
Elizabeth, daughter of Thomas Kerrill, of Hadlow, Co. Kent, who had four
sons and two daughters. Sackville died unmarried, in 1763; Jeffery, the
subject of our sketch; John, an admiral in the Royal Navy; and William,
lieut.-general in the army, A.D.C. to the King, lieut.-governor of
Portsmouth, governor of St. John’s, Newfoundland, and adj.-general of
his Majesty’s forces; Elizabeth and Margaret. A pedigree extant deduces
the family of Amherst from the Saxon era. Hamo de Herst is mentioned by
Phillpot, to be flourishing in the second year of Edward III. In the
next reign, Richard II., the name appears by record to be written,
Amherst of Amherst, they (according to Collins) having dropped the
Norman _de_ and the aspirate H. Jeffery, Lord Amherst, in his childhood
was noted for displaying great fondness for military life, and at that
early period gave all his attention to the performance of martial
evolutions. His father, observing his strong predilections, was induced
to present him to one of his relatives, who was a captain. The sparkling
eyes, speaking countenance, and significant manners of the young
aspirant, recommended him highly to his superior officers, and at the
age of fourteen he received an ensign’s commission in the Guards. Having
distinguished himself on several occasions by his modest, prudent, and
calm conduct, as well as by his valor, and constant attention to duty,
he was, in 1741, appointed General Legonier’s _aide-de-camp_. In this
high capacity he continued to serve in the German fields, and thus was
present at the battles of Düttingen, Fontenoy, and Rocoux. He was at the
side of the Duke of Cumberland, as _aide-de-camp_ in the battle of
Lauffeldt. On that remarkable day, young officer Amherst noticed and
appreciated the celebrated James Wolfe, whose enthusiastic devotion and
spirited bravery on the same field, drew forth the thanks of the Duke of
Cumberland. No sooner had Pitt established himself in office, than he
conceived the plan of an attack against the French colonies in America.
This statesman had discovered in Colonel Amherst sound sense, steady
courage, and an active genius. He therefore recalled him from Germany,
and setting aside military forms, promoted him to the rank of
major-general, and gave him the command of the troops sent against
Louisbourg, Cape Breton. Hon. Edward Boscawen was chosen admiral of the
fleet. Equipments were made with great zeal, and on February 19th, 1758,
the armament sailed from Portsmouth, for Halifax. General Amherst’s
army, which was almost exclusively British regulars, was put in motion,
being divided into three brigades, under the Brigadier-Generals
Whitmore, Lawrence, and Wolfe. On the 2nd of June, the armament arrived
off Cape Breton. The troops were landed near Fresh Water Cove (Comoran
Creek), four miles from the town. In a few days the British triumphed
over every obstacle, and Amherst entered the city, July 26th, and took
possession of the whole island of Cape Breton. Many illustrious persons
were present at this victorious scene. Among whom were James Wolfe, the
noble hero, who so gloriously fell on the Plains of Abraham, and whose
daring skill even then excited great admiration; James Murray, the first
British governor of Quebec; Commodore Durrell, the young Earl of
Dundonald, who commanded the Grenadiers of the 12th Regiment, and the
renowned Captain Cooke, then serving as a petty officer on board a ship
of war. There were also Lord Rollo, Major Darling, etc., and Amherst the
moving spirit, whose wisdom and energy had enshrined his name in the
grateful affections of his countrymen. Amherst wished to follow up his
success by pushing forward with his whole army to Quebec, but the
engagement at Louisbourg, through the protracted defence of the skilful
French governor, Mr. Drucour, delayed the forces of Amherst too long, so
that a descent upon Canada was impracticable that year. Amherst sailed
for Boston the last of August, and from thence pushed on through the
wilderness to Lake George, where he left seasonable supplies with
Abercrombie, and returned to Boston, and then to Halifax, to await
orders from the British government. Abercrombie endeavored to sustain
himself against the French troops to Ticonderoga, but was defeated near
this place, and here fell the gallant and good Lord Howe, and with him
seemed to pass away the energy and spirit of the army. In this year Fort
Duquesne was captured, and the British officers with unanimous consent
changed the name of the Fort to Pittsburg; a well-earned compliment to
the minister who planned the conquest of that large country. With this
expedition concluded the campaign of 1758. Early in 1759 Amherst was
appointed commander-in-chief of the British North American armies in
place of Abercrombie, who sailed for England the 24th of January
following. For the next campaign, Pitt decided upon nearly the same plan
of operations, which had partially succeeded before. The main body of
the British army was assembled upon the shores of Lake George, being
destined to penetrate Canada by the River Richelieu, and occupy
Montreal. When Pitt cast his eyes over the maps of the western world and
traced its net work of lakes and rivers, noted its far stretching
wilderness of forests, so solemn, and almost impenetrable, and
remembered the resources of the brave Montcalm, we should expect his
zeal to have cooled, but he thought only of Wolfe and Amherst, and was
sure of success. According to the plan, Amherst left New York April
28th, 1759, and arrived in Albany, May 3rd, to pursue the great plan of
the campaign. An alarming spirit of desertion broke out among the
militia, but Amherst’s promptness soon quelled it, and a great part of
the army, with artillery and stores, arrived and encamped on the woody
shores of Lake George, 21st June, and on 21st July, notwithstanding the
heat of the weather, all was made ready, and troops and stores were
embarked upon the lakes. Amherst took Fort Ticonderoga[1] from the
French, and repaired it, and gave orders to increase the naval force on
the lake. Then Crown Point was to be overcome. It was formerly called
Point-a-la-Chevelure, situated about eighteen miles north of
Ticonderoga. It was soon abandoned by the enemy, and Amherst took
possession of it on the 4th of August, thus securing two important
forts. On the 16th of August, he learned that the French were so
strongly intrenched in Isle-aux-Noix, as to prevent him from joining
Wolfe’s army before Quebec, and he was forced to remain inactive until
October, although every hour was precious. He succeeded in crossing the
lake on October 18th, when he learned that the fate of Quebec had been
decided, and it was an honorable trait in the character of Amherst that,
in his despatches, he allowed his brigadier the full credit of the
action. From the uncommonly sickly state of his provincials, he was
forced to prepare for the inglorious quiet of winter-quarters at Crown
Point.[2] The next year, Amherst left New York with part of his army and
proceeded to Oswego. He was followed by General Gage, and soon assembled
his army on the shores of Lake Ontario, from whence he descended the St.
Lawrence upon the enemy’s capital, leaving Lake Champlain to Colonel
Haviland, whilst General Murray with the disposable portion of the
garrison of Quebec, was to push up the St. Lawrence. On September 6th,
the splendid army landed at Montreal, and invested it in form. On the
8th, the Marquis of Vaudreuil, who commanded in Montreal, signed the
capitulation, and the whole of Canada became a British province. French
troops were conveyed to France in British ships, and the Canadian
militia allowed to return peaceably to their homes. The French colonists
were guaranteed the same civil privileges as British subjects, and the
free enjoyment of their customs, and laws. In the meantime the Island of
Newfoundland having fallen into the hands of the enemy, General Amherst
dispatched a sufficient force for the recovery of it, under the command
of his brother, Colonel William Amherst, whose expedition was completely
successful. The general now returned to New York, then the English
capital of North America, where he was greeted with the strongest tokens
of gratitude and respect, and whither, also, the thanks of the House of
Commons had been transmitted to him from London. Thus General Amherst
planned and executed an undertaking of the most striking interest. In
1761, he was appointed Knight of the Bath. He continued to command in
America until 1764, when he returned to England. He was in reality the
first British governor-general of Canada, Gage, Murray, Burton and
Haldimand, being sub-governors only.[3] In 1771, he was appointed
governor of Guernsey, where he gave a high idea of his talents as
administrator. His venerable Sovereign George III., created him Baron
Amherst, of Holmsdale, in the county of Kent in 1776, and two years
later his lordship was constituted commander-in-chief of his Majesty’s
land forces in Great Britain. In 1782, he received the gold stick from
the king, but on the change of the administration, the command of the
army and the lieutenant-generalship of the ordnance were put into other
hands. In 1788, he received another patent of peerage as Baron Amherst,
of Montreal, county Kent. In January 1793, he was again appointed to the
command of the army in Great Britain, but in 1795, this veteran and very
deserving officer, was superseded by H.R.H., the Duke of York, the
second son of the king, who was only in the thirty-first year of his
age, and had never seen any actual service. The government on this
occasion, with a view to soothe the feelings of the old general, offered
him an earldom, and the rank of field-marshal, both of which he at that
time rejected. The office of field-marshal, however, he accepted in July
1796. He was formally thanked by parliament. A succession of honors
attended him until the period of his death, which took place in his
castle in Kent, August 3rd, 1797, at the age of eighty years. Thus the
first barony expired, but the second devolved according to the
limitation of the patent, upon his nephew, William Pitt Amherst, the
first earl, who was afterwards ambassador to China, and governor general
of India. The Amherst family seats are Montreal and Knole, near
Sevenoaks, Kent, and the Motto “_Constantia et virtute_.” His career was
wonderfully brilliant and successful. His time and talents had been
devoted to military duty from his early years, and the history of his
life beautifully illustrates the truth, that unbending application to
any pursuit, will assuredly be crowned with success, and also reminds
us, that neither exalted station, nor high enjoyment of life, can exempt
from the power of death. The veteran of many battles and victories must
at last resign his commission, and join the ranks of the spirit land. At
that hour, all scenes of earthly magnificence, and pomp, and the
glorious voice of renown, that had so often thrilled his soldier-heart,
faded and grew silent, and the untold sublimity of an eternal existence
asserted its sway. Happy was the great general, in his dying hour, that
he could look with confidence to the great Being, “by whom king’s reign
and princes decree justice.” He was twice married, first to Jane, only
daughter of Thomas Dalison, of Hampton, in Kent; and secondly, to
Elizabeth, eldest daughter of General the Hon. George Cary, and niece of
Viscount Falkland, but left no children.
-----
[1] “_Chi-on-der-o-ga_ means great noise (say the Indians). It was near
Fort Carrillon of the French, built and occupied by them in 1756, and
was a strong post. Its ruins are seen in Essex county, N.Y., and are
annually visited by a great number of travellers.” A few years ago the
compiler of this sketch picked up a couple of rough hand-made bullets on
the battle field (where a heavy rain had washed away the turf) which
must have lain hidden there for more than 100 years, since her
great-granduncle, Sir Jeffery Amherst took Fort Ticonderoga.
[2] A stone, forming part of the wall of the old fort there, bears
Amherst’s monogram and the date, 1759, at the present day.
[3] _Vide_—“l’Histoire du Canada,” by F. X. Garneau, book eleventh.
* * * * *
=Smith, Rev. John=, Erskine Church, Toronto, was born in Armagh,
Ireland, on the 28th March, 1824, and died on the 20th January, 1888,
after a few hours’ illness. He came to Canada with his parents in 1827,
and spent the earlier part of his life in the neighborhood of Brampton,
where his brother, Robert Smith, ex-M.P. for Peel, still resides. Mr.
Smith entered Knox College as a student in 1845, and after completing
his course of study was in due time licensed, and very shortly
thereafter settled in Bowmanville, where for twenty-four years he made
full proof of his ministry, and secured and retained the respect and
affection not only of those more immediately under his pastoral charge,
but of the general community in which he lived. In 1875 he received and
accepted a call from what was then known as the Bay Street Presbyterian
Church, in Toronto. In this charge he was permitted to labor, until his
demise, with great assiduity, and with an encouraging amount of success.
The congregation, when Mr. Smith was called, was comparatively a
handful, but under his faithful ministrations it made great progress
both in numbers and influence. In 1878, under his leadership, it erected
a fine new church at the head of Simcoe street, which was named “Erskine
Church,” and here Christian work in all its departments has been
constantly carried on with ever-growing energy and success. In addition
to performing with characteristic fidelity and zeal all the duties of
the pastoral office which he held, Mr. Smith showed himself to be a
public-spirited citizen, who was ready to do all in his power for the
best interests of the country and city in which his lot was cast. He was
specially earnest in the work of temperance, and spared neither trouble
nor toil in his efforts to put a stop to the ravages of strong drink.
Mr. Smith was married in 1851, shortly after his settlement in
Bowmanville, to Elizabeth McArthur, of West Gwillimbury, sister of F. F.
McArthur, of Bowmanville, by whom he had a family of seven children. The
widow and four children survive him.
* * * * *
=Parker, Rev. William Robert=, M.A., D.D., Toronto, Ontario, was born in
West Gwillimbury, county of Simcoe, Ontario, June 20th, 1831. His
father, Robert Parker, was a native of Limerick, Ireland, whose paternal
ancestors were from England, and whose maternal ancestry were German,
his mother being a descendant of the brave band of exiles that found
shelter in Ireland during the reign of Queen Anne, from the bitter storm
of religious persecution that drove them from their pleasant homes in
the Palatinate on the Rhine. It is held to be a proud distinction to be
identified with this people, especially because of their ultimate
influence on the character and destiny of the United States and Canada,
through the agency of Methodism. In his early visits to Ireland, Wesley
found this colony of erstwhile devout Germans sharing the religious
apathy and demoralization so lamentably prevalent in those times. Wesley
and his itinerants preached Christ to those strangers that had been as
sheep without a shepherd for fifty years; and he soon rejoiced to see
them revived and folded again. Wesley bears this testimony concerning
the towns in which they lived: “Such places could hardly be found
elsewhere in Ireland or England; there was no profanity, no Sabbath
breaking, no ale-house in any of them.” Thus, these children of
persecution became the fit progenitors of the American contingent of the
most zealous type of Christianity known since Apostolic times; for these
German-Irish Emburys and Hecks founded in New York, and in Augusta,
Canada, the Methodism destined to be the predominant Protestant belief
of the New World, from Newfoundland to the Pacific coast. Mr. Parker’s
father was one of the heroic pioneers of Upper Canada. Upon his leaving
his native land he came to Baltimore, Md., where he spent some time with
an uncle, a merchant, dealing in paints and oils, and for whom he
visited the West Indies, acting as supercargo of his merchant ship. He
settled in West Gwillimbury about the year 1826, where he cleared one of
the finest farms, and established one of the most comfortable homes of
that wealthy township. He was industrious, economical, thrifty, and
hospitable to a proverb. He was a devout and active member of the
Methodist church, and one of its stewards and trustees. He was a Liberal
in politics, though not partisan. He took an active part in suppressing
the rebellion of 1837, and served as quartermaster-sergeant. After his
children left home he sold his farm, and lived retired in Bradford,
where he died on the 7th July, 1881, in the 84th year of his age, and
was interred in Mount Pleasant Cemetery, Toronto. Dr. Parker’s mother,
Sarah Sutherland, still surviving, and resident in Bradford, was a most
intelligent and hearty sympathizer and co-operator with her husband in
all his business plans, his home hospitality and religious duties. Her
mother was one of the Talbots, and one of her kinsmen, Hon. Thomas
Talbot, was recently governor of Massachusetts. Her father was one of
the pioneers of West Gwillimbury. One of the Methodist appointments
bears his name, the church having been built on the corner of his farm.
The youngest son, Captain T. G. Sutherland, sold the homestead a few
years since, when he retired to Alliston, where he and his wife now
reside in a comfortable home. Dr. Parker had but one brother, the late
Dr. T. S. Parker, M.P., of Guelph. He represented North Wellington in
the old Canada parliament for a term just before confederation. After
the formation of the Dominion of Canada, he was elected to the House of
Commons for Centre Wellington by acclamation, for which he sat till the
time of his death, which took place in 1868, through an accident that
occurred to him while returning from a visit to a patient. He was a
pronounced Liberal, and had won for himself a foremost place in his
party, and a prominent position in the county and on the floor of the
house, because of his personal qualities, and by his powers as a
debater. His early death was a great loss to the Reform party, for he
would no doubt have become a member of the government upon their coming
into power. His widow is a daughter of the late Archdeacon Brough, of
London, and cousin to the Hons. Edward and S. H. Blake. The subject of
this sketch was educated in Victoria University, Cobourg, where he
graduated, and received the degree of B.A., in 1858. He was the
valedictorian of his graduating class. Some five years thereafter he
received the degree of M.A., and in 1885, that of D.D. He was received
as a probationer for the ministry of the Wesleyan Methodist church in
1856, and received into full connection and ordained in 1860, at the
conference in Kingston, held in the Sydenham Street Methodist Church,
the Rev. Dr. Stinson being president. Dr. Parker has been stationed
successively in the following places: Toronto, Montreal, Odelltown,
Stanstead, Brantford, St. Catharines, London, Woodstock, Thorold,
Chatham, St. Thomas, and is now (1888) pastor of the Spadina Avenue
Methodist Church, Toronto. He was chairman of the following districts:
Niagara, London, Brantford, Chatham and St. Thomas. He was twice elected
president of the London Conference. His second election was in 1886, to
the present London Conference, held in St. Thomas First Methodist
Church, where he was then pastor. The first election was in 1883, when
he was stationed in Chatham, and when the old London Conference covered
nearly all the territory now embraced in the present, London, Niagara
and Guelph conferences. He has been a member of all the general
conferences of the Methodist church held in Toronto, Montreal, Hamilton,
Belleville and Toronto, respectively. He was opposed to the lately
consummated union of all the Methodist churches, because of points in
the _basis_, and of the haste with which it was pushed. He has
pronounced views in favor of university federation. He is a member of
the Board of Regents of Victoria University. His political views have
been largely in harmony with those of the Liberal party, but he is now
convinced of the necessity of consolidating the temperance forces of
Canada in a prohibitory party, as both the existing parties so far
decline to adopt the entire abolition of the liquor traffic as a plank
in their platform. He has travelled in several states of the Union, and
visited England, Scotland, Ireland and France. In England he “did” the
International Exhibition, visiting in Scotland, Edinburgh, Glasgow and
the lakes; and in Ireland, besides several centres and the Lakes of
Killarney, his father’s and mother’s native places. As a preacher, Dr.
Parker is clear, forceful, eloquent, and eminently practical. He
fearlessly attacks the vices of the age, while insisting strongly on the
great Methodist doctrines of repentance, conversion, and the necessity
of true, practical holiness of heart and life. He is a vigorous opponent
of all forms of priestcraft and sacerdotalism. He is no theorizer, nor
idealist, but a firm believer and teacher of the great truth, that the
religion of the Lord Jesus is designed to meet and bless all the
requirements of human life; that in all civil, political and social
life, it is not only possible, but imperative, that God should be
honored, and that as a nation we are responsible for obedience to all
God’s laws. In September, 1863, he was married to Annie Sophia Ruston,
of Montreal. She was a native of the ancient capital, Quebec, where her
father was a grain and flour merchant. She had an aunt, sister of her
father, who was the wife of a Methodist minister, the Rev. R. A.
Flanders, and two sisters of her mother, wives of Revs. G. H. Davis and
Dr. Cox. She has one sister the wife of a Methodist minister, Rev. Dr.
S. J. Hunter, now of the Centenary Church, Hamilton. Her grandfather
Ruston, a Yorkshire Methodist local preacher, was induced, while a
resident of Odelltown, near Montreal, to assume pastoral work by a
people there as “sheep without a shepherd.” He was made eminently
useful, and when Dr. and Mrs. Parker were stationed there, their first
circuit after marriage, they found several of the most devout and
venerable members of the church, who had been brought to Christ through
his ministrations. Dr. Parker’s wife early evidenced literary taste and
ability, and has contributed several articles and tales to different
periodicals. She is now responsible for editing the ladies’ department
of the “Missionary Outlook,” published under the direction of the
General Missionary Society of the Methodist Church. This ladies’
department is conducted in the interests of Women’s Missionary Society
of the Methodist church. Dr. and Mrs. Parker have been blest with three
children. One dear son was called to an early immortality, and his body
rests in the Mount Pleasant Cemetery, Toronto. A daughter and son are
yet left with them, the eldest and youngest. The daughter is a graduate
of Alma Ladies’ College, St. Thomas, in the Provincial Arts Department.
She took two prizes in paintings, “Studies,” in the Industrial
Exhibition, in this city, last autumn. The son is in the fifth form in
Upper Canada College, and has proved a diligent and successful student.
If spared he will pursue a university course.
* * * * *
=Rousseau, Joseph Thomas=, Artist, St. Hyacinthe, Province of Quebec,
was born on the 9th of August, 1852, at St. Elzéard de la Beauce, P.Q.
His father was Louis Rousseau, of the same place, a prominent merchant,
who in later years devoted himself exclusively to agricultural pursuits.
His mother’s maiden name was Luce Huard. He was educated at St. Elzéard,
and also had private tuition. Having at an early age shown a decided
talent for painting and drawing, his parents, knowing well the obstacles
to be overcome and encountered, endeavored to dissuade him from adopting
art as a profession. However, the germs of an artistic career were too
strong to be lightly overcome. He went to Montreal, and there studied
for three years under M. Ravau, after which he commenced church
decoration, to which he devoted himself with great success for the space
of five years. His great desire for improvement, and a dim sense of
latent undeveloped power, induced him to go to Florence, Italy, to study
the old masters and rare works of art to be found there. While thus
engaged he took private lessons from the celebrated Professor Ciceri,
commandant of the Artists’ Society, Florence, which art school he also
attended, and passed successfully the examination imposed upon all those
who are desirous of entering. After two years’ close application to his
profession, he returned to Canada, and painted those many historical
religious subjects which have made him famous throughout this continent.
His celebrated oil painting of “Christ being Carried to the Tomb” was
sold to St. Louis church, Nashua, N.H., for the handsome sum of $1,000.
The paintings and decorations in the chapel of the Convent of the
Precious Blood, at St. Hyacinthe, are masterpieces of art, and there is
nothing in Canada or the United States to compare with it. The following
is a list of some of Rousseau’s most celebrated pictures:—“The Dying
Christ,” “Crucifixion,” “Mater Dolorosa,” “The Flight into Egypt,”
“Adoration of the Magi,” “The Trinity in Three Figures at the very
moment of the Annunciation,” “Christ Falling under the Weight of the
Cross,” “Christ Giving the Keys to Peter,” “The Triumph of the Church,”
a very large composition, containing more than sixty personages. In
religion Mr. Rousseau is an earnest Roman Catholic, and in politics a
staunch Conservative. He was married on May 2nd, 1875, to Hermine
Gendron, daughter of Jacques Gendron, merchant, of St. Rosalie, by whom
he has five children. Comparatively a young man, and judging by what he
has already accomplished, it is safe to prophesy a still more brilliant
future, and an immortal artistic fame.
* * * * *
=Hale, Hon. Edward.=—The Hon. Edward Hale, second son of the Hon. John
Hale, of Quebec (formerly of “Plantation,” Yorkshire, England), a
descendant of the Hales of Codicote and King’s Walden, in Hertfordshire,
England, and Elizabeth Frances, daughter of Gen. William Amherst, A.D.C.
to the King, lieut.-governor of Portsmouth, governor of St. John’s,
Newfoundland, and adjutant-general of his Majesty’s forces, was born in
Quebec, on the 6th December, 1801. His father had been A.D.C. and
private secretary to his Royal Highness the Duke of Kent, who stood
sponsor to the subject of this sketch. He was educated at Kensington,
England. Returning to his father’s home in Quebec, he entered the office
of the committee of audit as secretary, which post he held for three
years, until, in the winter of 1823, he received the appointment of
private secretary to his uncle, Earl Amherst, governor-general of India,
and, accompanied by his father, set out at once on sledges for Boston,
U.S.A., whence he sailed with Captain Heard, in the good ship _Bengal_,
for Calcutta. During his stay in India he acted for a time as military
secretary, and accompanied the governor-general in his expeditions
through the different provinces of India, visiting, among others, the
king of Oude, the Rajah of Benares, the king of Delhi and some of the
young princes who afterwards took such a conspicuous part in the Indian
mutiny. A few remarks from Mr. Hale’s diary of that date may not be out
of place here:
October 16th, 1816.—Having breakfasted, we prepared to hold a
native durbar in the house of the Rajah of Benares, which had
been placed at the governor’s disposal, and native gentlemen
began to collect in the compound. Long before the appointed hour
we were turned out of the billiard room, to make place for some
princes of the Delhi family, who had arrived much before their
time, but could not be allowed to remain outside. At eleven
o’clock Lord Amherst took his seat on the throne, surrounded by
his suite, while Lady Amherst and the other ladies were
spectators in another room. The first was a private audience
granted to the princes above mentioned, who were ushered in, and
were met by his lordship at the door, who embraced them all, and
they then sat down. The princes were a most wild-looking set of
fellows, dressed principally in fur, and had all a cast of
countenance that seemed to bespeak their readiness for any sort
of desperate enterprise. They were, with one or two exceptions,
nearly of the same age, being the sons of different Begums, and
he who sat first on the right was a much younger man than some
of the others, but the son of the eldest Begum. They requested
leave to make their salaam to Lady Amherst, and having done so,
took their leave. The other members of the same family then
followed and took their leave; when notice was sent to the Rajah
of Benares, Oodut Narrain, that he might now come. He had been
waiting in his tonjon at the gate of the compound for an hour
before. His procession accordingly entered, commencing with
flag-bearers, then camels, elephants, a native band, empty
tonjons and palanquins, tribes of sotaburdars, punkaburdars,
assaiburdars, burchyburdars, and all sorts of burdahs, when the
tonjon bearing the mighty man himself followed, and was
accompanied by numbers of horsemen, who galloped about in all
directions, going through an indiscriminate sham fight. The
procession passed along the back of the house, round it to the
front, and the “mighty” was ushered in, a visitor in his own
house. He was so immensely fat that he could with difficulty
walk, and he waddled into the room, occupying a space of at
least two yards. He salaamed low, very low, much lower than I
thought he could, and Lord Amherst, advancing three paces,
embraced him, when he sat down in a chair which was purposely
meant for him, but the exertion of coming up stairs and
salaaming had deprived him of the necessary breath for talking,
and he was obliged to remain mute for a short time. He was most
splendidly ornamented with jewels, his turband was surmounted by
a coronet of diamonds, with large emerald drops; his necklace
was composed of immense diamonds, and his arms and various other
parts were profusely covered with precious stones. Having
offered his nuzzur to Lady Amherst he also retired, and his
lordship then went down stairs to hold the public durbar.
In 1828, Lord Amherst’s administration being ended, Mr. Hale returned to
England with the governor-general and his family, and after visiting
Italy, Switzerland and France, sailed once more for Quebec, where, in
1831, he married Eliza Cecilia, daughter of the Hon. Chief Justice
Bowen. Chief Justice Bowen was born in Kinsale, Ireland, in 1780. He was
one of three brothers, the eldest of whom, Lieutenant-Colonel Bowen,
C.B., Madras army, was killed at Seringapatam; and the youngest, while
captain in the Royal Navy, won no little distinction for gallant conduct
in H.M.’s frigate _Apollo_. The Bowens are descended from an old Welsh
family, the name being originally Ap Owen. Mr. Bowen’s father, M.D. and
surgeon in H.M.’s forces, died in the West Indies, whither he had gone
with his regiment. His mother was the beautiful Isabella Cassan,
daughter of Richard Sheffield Cassan, and grand-daughter of Alexander
Hamilton, M.P., of Knock, county Dublin. In 1833, Mr. Hale moved to
Sherbrooke, and there built for himself a homestead, now known as
“Sleepy Hollow,” to which, to his dying day, he was much attached. He
was a member of the Special Council for Lower Canada in 1839, and
represented the county of Sherbrooke in the Legislative Assembly from
1841 to 1847; and, besides many other public offices, from 1866 to 1875
he held that of chancellor of Bishop’s College, Lennoxville, an
institution for which he had a sincere affection, and which owes much of
its present prosperity to his energy and good management. In 1867, he
was appointed a member of the Legislative Council for the province of
Quebec, which position he held for the remainder of his life. At the
meeting of the Legislative Council (next following his death) November,
1875, the Hon. Messrs. De Boucherville, Ferrier and Fraser offered many
tributes of respect to the memory of their venerable colleague, and Mr.
Fraser, addressing the House in French, said:
Mr. Hale was a member of the Special Council of Lower Canada in
1839 and 1840, and, as such, assisted in conferring important
benefits on this province, such as the law which granted the
seigniory of St. Sulpice to the seminary of that name, at
Montreal, the acts or ordinances of registration, turnpike
roads, and other measures, which powerfully contributed to the
development of the country. His grandfathers were officers of
high rank in General Wolfe’s army, and distinguished themselves
in the important events of those times. On his father’s side his
ancestors were persons of distinction in old England, and his
mother was a sister of Earl Amherst, whose ancestors were
followers of William the Conqueror, and one of whose
descendants, Hamo de Herst, in the reign of Edward III. (1339),
held large estates in the county of Kent, which the present Lord
Amherst still holds. I feel it a most pleasing duty to recall to
your memories his agreeable manners—those of the perfect
gentleman—which were natural to him. He was open, frank and
honest, never hiding his thoughts or opinions, but always
expressing them in language at once courteous and elevated. He
was as cheerful as he was amiable, his conversation was most
attractive, his powers of narration were great, and his mind was
filled with interesting and original anecdotes, at once lively
and entertaining, which rendered him a most agreeable and much
desired companion.
At a meeting of the Synod in Quebec, of which he had been a delegate for
many years, his lordship Bishop Williams, made the following remarks in
alluding to his death:
My reverend brethren and brethren of the laity.—Before
proceeding to read, in accordance with our custom, the summary
statement which I have prepared of the ecclesiastical events of
the diocese, I must advert, however briefly, to a matter
belonging to the history of the Synod itself. Since last we met,
one who from the Synod’s first creation has been an honored
member of the same, has been taken from us. The death of the
Hon. Edward Hale caused us a loss not easily repaired. During
the whole time of my residence in this country he has been my
valued friend, but for a record of his fine qualities we need
not go to the reminiscence of a friend. He carried it with him
wherever he went. His prompt and punctual attention to all
public duties, the kindness of his heart, and the courtesy of
his demeanor are known to all. His genial presence we shall see
no more, his peace-loving spirit will, I trust, remain with us
for ever.
Mr. Hale died April 26th, 1875, at Quebec, whither he had gone to attend
to his parliamentary duties, and was buried at Sherbrooke. Mrs. Hale
died at Boston, United States, in 1850. She was the mother of seven
children, of whom six are now living. The eldest son, Edward John, at
Quebec, at the old house which has been the home of four generations of
Hales. The second son, Edward Chaloner, at “Chaloner,” near Lennoxville;
and the youngest, William Amherst, at the old homestead, “Sleepy
Hollow,” near Sherbrooke. Two of the daughters live in Sherbrooke, and
the third is the wife of Henry Turnour Machin, assistant treasurer of
the province of Quebec. During a residence of upwards of forty years in
the Eastern Townships, Mr. Hale aided materially, and watched with
interest, the growth of Sherbrooke from an obscure hamlet of a few
straggling houses to the large and prosperous town it now is. When the
rebellion of 1837 and 1838 broke out, he joined the volunteers, refused
a commission, and, for the sake of example, served in the ranks.
Although a Conservative in politics, Mr. Hale placed individual merit
far above party, creed, or class, and by his impartiality and just
judgment, living above suspicion or reproach, he won the respect and
esteem of all who knew him, and of him might truly be said, as he so
often said of others, “the rank is but the guinea’s stamp, the man’s the
gowd for a’ that.” But it was to his children and intimate friends that
his noble Christian life was best known. Possessed of charity in the
widest sense of the word, full of love and compassion for those in
trouble or distress, ever ready to help the poor and needy, his active
sympathy and generosity made him beloved and revered by all classes. The
example of his pure, unselfish life is not forgotten, and he still lives
in the hearts of those who loved him.
* * * * *
=Withall, William John=, Montreal, Que., was born on the island of
Jersey, November 22nd, 1814. His father was born in London, and his
mother in Jersey. He received what was considered in those days an
education sufficient to commence training for commercial pursuits.
Leaving school in 1826, and having a strong desire to visit other parts
of the world, he pressed on his parents to grant him permission to leave
home. Being only twelve years of age, and having an uncle and aunt in
Gaspé, it was decided that he should go thither, and arriving there on
the 30th April, found that country covered with deep snow. His uncle’s
occupation was farming, fishing and lumbering. During that year his
mother died, and being a minor, he had no choice but to make Gaspé his
abode. That country was thinly populated, and almost isolated from the
outside world. He received a letter from Jersey in winter, the postage
of which was four shillings and sixpence. It was the custom then to
dispatch a courier in January from Gaspé for Quebec, carrying the
mail-bag on his back. This was a perilous journey, there being hardly
any habitation between Gaspé and Quebec for two hundred and fifty or
three hundred miles. When sixteen years of age, he thought, if his uncle
would allow him his independence, he could, by working and trading, do
something better for himself, but when he made the proposal, his uncle
said he was too young, and could not provide for himself. His answer
was, “Give me my freedom.” Although young, and feeling confident that
where others could make a living he could do the same. On getting his
uncle’s consent, he then commenced the battle of life. He managed,
through perseverance and economy, to save a little money each year. At
the time he arrived in Gaspé, the language spoken was French, which he
could neither speak nor understand. There being no schools, he made use
of the only means at his disposal. There was a local Methodist preacher
from the island of Guernsey using the French language. Young Withall was
punctual in his attendance every Sabbath (and has continued to identify
himself with the same church ever since). He commenced by repeating the
hymns and Scriptures when read out by the preacher, and soon acquired
the French pronounciation, and became familiar in reading and writing
that language. This in after life became very useful, and to some extent
he attributes it to his financial success. The winter of 1832 was passed
in St. Thomas, below Quebec, and between teaching, fishing and trading,
he began to have a balance to the good. In 1835 he took passage to his
native land, the island of Jersey. After visiting several places in
Europe, he returned to Gaspé, having made an engagement with a Jersey
merchant to take charge of his stores and fishing establishments. In
1837 he took a joint interest in purchasing a large block of land in the
north-west arm of Gaspé Bay. The intention was to build a saw mill for
the lumber trade. The prospect for the future not coming up to his
ideas, he sold out his interests. In 1840 he left Gaspé for Quebec, and
commenced, by opening a provision and grocery store. In 1841 he married
Elizabeth, widow of the late Peter Bott, who departed this life in 1882.
In 1883 he married Eleanor, widow of the late Richard W. Langmuir. In
1850 he commenced taking an active interest in the different
institutions connected with the city of Quebec; was elected city
councillor and director in the Union Building Society in 1865; was
elected a director in the Quebec Bank; joined, as silent partner, in a
soap and candle factory; and was one of the promoters of the National
Bank; the Quebec Steamship Company; the Quebec Marine Insurance Company;
the Quebec Street Railway Company; the Lake St. John Railway Company;
was proprietor of the Quebec Rubber Company; took an interest in the
Quebec Worsted Company; the Quebec Tow Boat Company; and was either
president or director in the above companies until 1884. In 1867 he was
appointed justice of the peace. In 1854 he joined a party of four for
the building of two vessels intended to trade between Chicago and ports
on the ocean. These were built by the Messrs. McCarthy, at Sorel, one
being named _Chicago_, and the other _Quebec_. These vessels made
voyages direct from Chicago to Newfoundland and Liverpool, but, being
built with centre-boards and considered unsafe, the underwriters
declined to cover them by insurance, and the adventure, not proving
profitable, was discontinued. It is believed these were the first
vessels that sailed direct from Chicago to the ocean. In 1884 Mr.
Withall left the city of Quebec, and is now a resident of Montreal,
filling the offices of vice-president of the Quebec Bank, and director
of the Sun Life Insurance Company, the Canadian Rubber Company, the
Quebec Steamship Company, the Guarantee Company of North America, the
Royal Electric Company, and still holding one-half interest with his
nephew, Thomas A. Piddington, in the Bulstrode Tannery, near Arthabaska,
Quebec. During his mercantile life he never entered into any transaction
beyond his own resources, and when anything proved unprofitable, himself
only was the sufferer. Mr. Withall is now in the seventy-fourth year of
his age, possessing a good constitution, sound in body and mind, and
enjoying the confidence and esteem of a wide circle of friends and
acquaintances.
* * * * *
=Hammond, John=, St. John, New Brunswick, a professional Artist of many
years’ standing, was born in Montreal in the year 1843; has studied in
England, France, Holland, and Italy; is a regular exhibitor in the
annual exhibitions of both the Royal Academy, London, and the Paris
Salon, and is principal of the Owen’s Art Educational Institution of St.
John, New Brunswick.
* * * * *
=Mackenzie, Hon. Alexander=, Toronto, M.P. for East York, ex-Premier of
Canada. About the end of the year 1842, three young men resided in the
city of Kingston, who were destined to act prominent parts in the public
life of Canada. One of the three was a rising young lawyer of pleasing
address and popular manners, who had won distinction by his defence of
Von Schultz and other state prisoners connected with the troubles of
1837. The second had been a student in the office of this young lawyer,
and was this year—1842—called to the bar. The third was a Scottish
youth of twenty, who had landed in Kingston in April, and was beginning
his Canadian life as a stonemason. The young lawyer is now the Right
Hon. Sir John A. Macdonald, First Minister of Canada. His student is now
the Hon. Oliver Mowat, Premier of Ontario. The youthful stonemason is
now the veteran statesman whose name stands at the head of this
sketch—a name respected and honored by every clean man in the Dominion
of Canada. Mr. Mackenzie was born on the 28th January, 1822, and is two
years younger than his friend, the Hon. Oliver Mowat, and seven years
younger than his rival, Sir John A. Macdonald. He was born in the parish
of Logierait, Perthshire, Scotland. His parents had neither poverty nor
riches, but they and their connections had what was better than either:
they had brain-power, intelligence, untiring industry, sterling
integrity, and an honorable ambition to rise in the world. Along with
these good qualities they had a strong liking for Whig politics.
Alexander was the third son in a large family. His school days were few.
Two years in a private school in Perth; two more in the parish school of
Moulin; less than a year in the grammar school of Dunkeld, and the
education of the future Premier of Canada was finished so far as the
schoolmaster was concerned. At the early age of fourteen his father
died, and, like many another brave Scotch lad who has made his mark in
the world, young Mackenzie began to earn his bread on the old Eden
principle—by the sweat of his brow. Like Hugh Miller, he learned the
trade of stonemason, and like Hugh Miller, he was fond of reading. His
spare hours were spent in diligent study, and the habits then formed
have clung to him all his days. When twitted with being a book-worm,
Thos. D’Arcy McGee replied that he always preferred the society of good
books to that of middling men. No doubt Mr. Mackenzie has always
cherished the same preference, though perhaps he has never said anything
about it. A worthy member of the House of Commons, whose reading days
were over, felt lonesome in the same boarding-house with Mr. Mackenzie
and David Mills, because, as he explained it “the moment Mackenzie and
Mills came in from the house they sat down to their books.” In the
following year, 1843, Mr. Mackenzie was joined in Kingston by his
brother, Hope F. Mackenzie, who afterward represented Lambton and North
Oxford in parliament. Hope Mackenzie was a man of fine spirit, great
energy, and high attainments. He was rising rapidly as a public man when
his career was suddenly ended by death. Had his life been spared, his
ability, industry, and natural force of character would soon have placed
him in the front rank of Canadian statesmen. After laboring five years
in Kingston, during which time he probably became familiar with the
well-known force of the man he afterwards so often faced in parliament,
Mr. Mackenzie moved to the neighborhood of Sarnia. His mother and
brothers came out from Scotland about the same time, and the whole
family made their first Canadian home in that western town. Here Mr.
Mackenzie resumed operations as a builder and contractor, lines in which
he had been successful before leaving Kingston. It is useless to
speculate on what might have been; but had Alexander Mackenzie continued
in the building and contracting business, he might perhaps have become
the millionaire head of the syndicate that built the Canadian Pacific
Railway. In a country where there was so much to be built, almost
anything was possible to a man of his patient industry, economical
habits, sterling integrity, sound judgment, and all but invincible
energy. But Alexander Mackenzie was not to be a millionaire contractor.
Like many Scotchmen, he had a keen relish for politics. Five years’
residence in Sir John’s favorite city probably increased his eagerness
to join in the fray. In Scotland he had been a Whig, and in Canada he
joined the Liberal party as a matter of course. Though a man of quiet,
retiring habits, it is no secret that Alexander Mackenzie keenly enjoys
debate. To measure swords on the platform with a foeman worthy of his
steel was never to him an unpleasant duty. The roar around the hustings
never made him nervous. To his natural liking for public discussion and
his intensely strong convictions, his love of Liberalism, his popular
sympathies, his intense hatred of tyranny in all its forms, his love for
the people and desire that they should have fair play—to these
qualities add his undoubted capacity for public affairs, and one can
easily see why it was impossible for Alexander Mackenzie to keep out of
politics. Keep out of politics he certainly did not, for five years
after he had started business in Sarnia we find him editing the Lambton
_Shield_. Under his editorial management the _Shield_ soon became a
power in the west. His editorials educated the electors of Lambton in
Liberalism, and were extensively quoted by other journals. Sam Jones is
credited with saying that if there is one thing in this world he does
hate it is a quiet time. Whether a quiet time is a good time for Mr.
Jones or not, it certainly is not a good time for a politician. Mr.
Mackenzie had the undoubted advantage of entering the political arena in
a stormy period. The battle for responsible government was being fought
out and slowly won. The fight had been long and fierce. Under Lord
Sydenham and Sir Charles Bagot the recommendations of Lord Durham’s
report in favor of responsible government were being carried out. Sir
Charles Metcalfe succeeded Sir Charles Bagot, and spent the four years
of his official career in trying to deprive Canadians of the rights
secured to them by his predecessors. Mr. Mackenzie resided in Kingston
during the whole time that Metcalfe was governor, and it goes unsaid
that when he removed to Sarnia he was in the right humor to do battle
for responsible government. In 1861, Hope Mackenzie, who had represented
Lambton in parliament, declined re-election. The future Premier was
offered the nomination by a convention of the Liberal party, and
accepting, carried the constituency by a considerable majority. When he
entered parliament he had nothing to learn but the forms of procedure,
and even these he probably know as well as many who had sat in previous
parliaments. His accurate and full knowledge of all public questions,
his almost infallible memory, his marvellous capacity for mastering the
details of every question that came before him, and his power to make
clear and concise speeches on any question on the shortest notice, soon
placed him in the front row, along with the most experienced
parliamentarians. Mr. Mackenzie has never claimed credit for his
oratorical powers, nor have his friends put forth any such claim; but
the fact remains that in twenty-five years of active public life he
never needed to take a back seat in any oratorical company. He could
always hold his own, and generally do a good deal more. He is one of the
very few speakers in this Dominion whose speeches will stand a
_verbatim_ report. He builds a speech just as he used to build a stone
wall—clear, clean-cut, concise; sentences are laid one upon another in
an orderly and compact manner, and when the speech is finished you can
no more knock a word or sentence out of it than you can knock stones out
of a well-built wall. His accurate knowledge, never-failing memory, and
quick perceptive powers, make him specially formidable in reply. Running
through many of his speeches, especially those delivered in hot debates,
there is a mingled vein of mild sarcasm and dry, pawky Scotch humour
that is very effective. The effect is greatly increased by the manner in
which the work is done. You see the bolt across the house and you see
quite easily that it has struck. You look to the spot from which it was
thrown and you see a serious, almost solemn-looking man, going on with
his work as if nothing had occurred. The plainness and apparent
simplicity of the speaker give the humor and sarcasm a great effect.
Soon after entering upon his parliamentary duties, Mr. Mackenzie saw his
political friends take office under the premiership of Hon. John
Sandfield Macdonald, who had associated Hon. Mr. Sicotte with him as
leader of the lower Canadian section. This government lasted about a
year, and was followed by another in which Hon. Mr. Dorian took the
place of Hon. Mr. Sicotte. Mr. Mackenzie had in those days some
experience as a government supporter—a kind of experience which has
seldom been his during his long parliamentary life. After a short and
troubled reign Hon. Sandfield Macdonald resigned, and Mr. Deadlock
reigned in his stead. Then came a truce and the negotiations which
resulted in confederation. A coalition was formed for the purpose of
uniting the provinces. Hon. George Brown and a large majority of the
Liberal party were in favor of a coalition. Mr. Mackenzie was of the
opinion that the Liberal party should give the government a generous
outside support in forming the union, but at the same time keep itself
clear of all entangling alliances. The union was not long formed until
it became painfully evident to the Liberal party that Mr. Mackenzie was
right. When the first parliament met after confederation the Liberals
were without a leader, Hon. George Brown having been defeated in South
Ontario. The position was offered to Mr. Mackenzie, who accepted it, and
displayed great tact in welding into one solid body the somewhat
discordant elements that came from the different provinces. The task was
no easy one, but in discharging his duties as a leader of her Majesty’s
loyal Opposition the member for Lambton displayed the same ability and
unwearied diligence that have marked his whole parliamentary career.
Ever at his post and ever faithful to his trust, Mr. Mackenzie soon
gained the confidence of his followers from all parts of the Dominion.
The crisis of 1873 found him not only a successful leader but a
parliamentarian of recognized position and ability. When the government
fell he was entrusted with the duty of forming a ministry. In less than
two days the names of his colleagues were announced, and the new
government was ready for business. The question on everybody’s lips was,
will there be a general election? It is understood that Mr. Mackenzie
received such assurances of support from some of his former opponents as
might have induced a less cautious man to go on with the business of the
country without an appeal to the people. But the new premier was not to
be caught napping. His Scotch caution assured him that a parliament
elected under the auspices of his opponents, and the influence of Sir
Hugh Allan’s liberal contribution, was not the kind of parliament to be
trusted in an emergency. He dissolved the house, and in January, 1874,
swept the country. Had the majority given him by the people been half as
large as it was, the task of the new premier might have been a good deal
easier. To enumerate the good measures that were introduced and passed
by Mr. Mackenzie’s government would be to write the parliamentary
history of Canada for the five years ending in 1878. His friends may
challenge their opponents to show a record of equal merit during any
five years in the history of the Dominion, in the history of Old Canada,
or in the history of any province that now forms part of the Dominion.
Let these restless characters who are everlastingly clamoring for
revolutionary measures and hunting for strange gods to worship, sit down
for a moment, and quietly read over the titles of the acts passed by Mr.
Mackenzie’s government between 1873 and 1878, and say if they have
anybody in their ranks that can serve the country better than it was
served by Canada’s Grand Old Man. It is quite true that he went down in
’78, but he went down with his escutcheon untarnished and all his colors
flying. His was no milk-and-water policy. He did not try to run with the
Free Trade hare and hunt with the N.P. hounds. He believed it was wrong
to increase the burdens of the people in a time of depression. He went
to the polls on this issue, and was defeated by the people he was
bravely trying to help. Burke told the electors of Bristol that he
advanced their interests contrary to their opinions. Mr. Mackenzie tried
to do the same thing for the people of Canada and failed. A few years
will show, if the revelation has not already been made, whether the
electors of Canada did a wise thing when they dismissed a faithful
public servant for not taxing five millions of people to enrich a few.
Never did British or Colonial statesman display more moral heroism than
was displayed by Alexander Mackenzie in ’78 when he stood by his
principles while the pistol was pointed at his head—held at times, with
shame be it said, by some who pose as moral reformers. If there is no
room in the public life of Canada for a man who bravely faces defeat
rather than do what he believes to be wrong, then Canada is morally
rotten and should be buried out of sight. Soon after his defeat in ’78,
Mr. Mackenzie became a resident of Toronto. Owing to declining health he
found it inconvenient to represent a large constituency like West
Lambton, and in 1882 stood for East York. For this constituency he has
been twice elected. East York derives as much honor from its
representative as Mr. Mackenzie derives from representing an historic
constituency of which he is justly proud. For the same unfortunate
reason, Mr. Mackenzie found it necessary some years ago to resign the
leadership of the Liberal party. His strength was not equal to the task,
and Alexander Mackenzie never was the man to undertake anything unless
he could do it thoroughly. The arduous and irksome nature of the work of
an Opposition leader in Canada may be learned from the fact that the
distinguished gentleman who succeeded Mr. Mackenzie—a gentleman who
once could work eighteen hours out of the twenty-four with impunity—has
since broken down in health and has been compelled, temporarily at
least, to leave public life. The one great mistake of Mr. Mackenzie’s
life was his brave attempt to attend to the details of his department
while Premier and Minister of Public Works. It is easy to be wise when
events are over, but one cannot help thinking that had he worked less
then he might be the able and trusted leader of his party to-day, and
the party needs a leader badly enough. Mr. Mackenzie’s parliamentary
services have not been confined to the Dominion parliament, and the
parliament of Old Canada. In 1871, he ran for West Middlesex, was
elected, and on the downfall of Sandfield Macdonald’s government soon
after, took office under Hon. Mr. Blake, first as provincial secretary,
and afterwards as provincial treasurer. Dual representation being
abolished, both he and Mr. Blake left the Local Legislature at the same
time. Besides his parliamentary work, Mr. Mackenzie has rendered Canada
good service by his well-written biography of his friend and leader,
George Brown. The tone of the book is moderate throughout, and though
written by a strong party man, the facts, so far as we know, have never
been seriously questioned. It has occasionally been charged against Mr.
Mackenzie that his manner is cold, and his language curt. It is quite
true that he calls a spade a spade, and a scoundrel a scoundrel. It may
be true that when scaly politicians have asked him to help them to carry
out dirty jobs he gave them a reply not always couched in diplomatic
language. Quite likely he met the pious proposal of some moral reformers
to tax the people for their benefit with language that may have seemed
to them unnecessarily vigorous. All this may be so; but those who know
Alexander Mackenzie know him to be a warm-hearted man, as kindly as he
is firm and true—a man ready at any moment to help the needy, or make
sacrifices for his friend. He hates humbug, and scorns shams, and can
unmask a hypocrite with rare skill; but no more kindly man stands in the
Dominion to-day. May a kind heaven send Canada more Mackenzies.
* * * * *
=Clarke, Edward Frederick=, M.P.P., Mayor of the City of Toronto,
Ontario, was born in the county of Cavan, Ireland, on the 24th April,
1850. His father, Richard Clarke, was a general merchant and flax buyer,
favorably known in that capacity throughout the whole north of Ireland.
His mother, Ellen Reynolds, the only daughter of the late Charles
Reynolds, of Belturbet, county of Cavan, Ireland, is still living, and
resides in Toronto. Mr. Clarke came to Canada early in the sixties, and
after a short sojourn in Michigan, moved to Toronto, where he has ever
since lived. He served his time as a printer in the _Globe_ office, and
afterwards, in the practice of his calling, was foreman of the
_Express_, the _Sun_ and the _Liberal_, and was compositor and
proof-reader on the _Mail_, etc. He took a prominent part in the
printers’ strike and attendant labor troubles of 1872, being one of
those arrested for alleged intimidation. In 1877 a company was formed
for the purchase of the _Sentinel_, the organ of the Loyal Orange
Association. He was chosen manager and editor of the paper, but after a
short time he purchased the shares of the stockholders, and became sole
proprietor. He has since conducted the _Sentinel_ successfully in
connection with a large job printing business. He has for many years
taken an active interest in secret societies, especially in the United
Workmen, Freemasons and Loyal Orange Association. He is a past master of
Rehoboam lodge, No. 65 A. F. & A. M., and at the regular annual meeting
of the Loyal Orange Association, held at Belleville, in May, 1887, he
was elected to the high office of Deputy-Grand Master of the Order in
British America. At the provincial elections of 1886, Mr. Clarke was
returned at the head of the poll as one of the city of Toronto’s quota
of three representatives to the Legislative Assembly. In December, 1887,
he was put forward as the people’s candidate for mayor of his adopted
city for 1888, and was elected by a plurality of nearly nine hundred
votes in a field of three candidates. He is a Liberal-Conservative in
politics, and during the last session of the provincial legislature made
a favorable impression as a speaker and debater. He is a fluent, ready
speaker, of good address, and well informed upon all public subjects. He
was married on 30th December, 1884, to Charlotte Elizabeth, fourth
daughter of Dan Scott, of Toronto, and has issue, two daughters. Mr.
Clarke is a consistent member of the Reformed Episcopal Church, and,
although not a total abstainer, is an advocate of temperance reform.
* * * * *
=Carignan, Onesime=, Three Rivers, Quebec, was born on October 16th,
1839, at Champlain, district of Three Rivers, Que. His parents, Pierre
Carignan and Josephte Turcotte, were well-to-do farmers, who were highly
esteemed by their neighbors. The subject of this sketch was sent to the
parish school, and at the age of fifteen, commenced his business career
by accepting a clerkship in a general store in Champlain. Two years
after he went to Three Rivers, where he procured a situation as clerk in
a grocery store. In 1863 he entered into partnership with Francis Hamel,
but two years after, this partnership was dissolved, and Mr. Carignan
entered into business for himself in the house he still occupies. His
business has continually increased, until now it is conceded that he has
the leading grocery of Three Rivers, doing a wholesale as well as a
retail trade. His success is due to economy, good administrative
abilities, and constant attendance to the details of a growing business.
He has been an alderman of Three Rivers since 1876, and has been acting
mayor on more than one occasion. He has also held the position, of
president of L’Union St. Joseph since 1885. Mr. Carignan has taken an
active part in the public enterprises undertaken in his neighborhood,
notably in connection with the Three Rivers Water Works, the St. Maurice
Bridges, and the Three Rivers drainage. He has been president of several
benevolent and religious societies, has been president and is now
treasurer of the Three Rivers Conservative Association. He has always
taken an active part in political movements, municipal, provincial and
federal. In religion he is a Roman Catholic, an ultramontane. He was
married on November 15th, 1864, to Aglaé Lebel, of Quebec.
* * * * *
=Archibald, John Sprott=, Q.C., D.C.L., Professor of Criminal and
Constitutional Law in McGill University, Montreal, was born in the
village of Musquodoboit, Halifax county, N.S., on the 8th September,
1843. His father, William G. Archibald, was a native of the same county,
and his mother, Nancy Archibald, a cousin of his father, was born in
Truro, Nova Scotia. Their ancestors came from Londonderry, Ireland, in
1719. John is the fourth child, in a family of five, and was educated in
part in the Presbyterian Seminary, Truro. In 1864 he came to Montreal,
and took the arts course in McGill University; graduated B.A. in 1867,
and won the Prince of Wales’ gold medal for standing in mental and moral
philosophy. He then studied law in the office of the late John A.
Perkins, taking in the meanwhile the law course at McGill, graduating
B.C.L. in 1870, and receiving the Elizabeth Torrance gold medal for
highest general standing in his class. On the 18th of January, 1871, he
was admitted to the bar, and since that time has steadily pursued the
practice of his profession in Montreal, at first alone and subsequently
as a member of the firm of Archibald & McCormick, until the present
autumn (1887), when he dissolved his partnership, and formed a firm with
the Hon. W. W. Lynch, Q.C., for many years solicitor-general of the
province of Quebec, and George G. Foster, B.C.L., under the name of
Archibald, Lynch & Foster. It is unnecessary to say that this new firm
ranks among the leading law firms practising in Montreal. In the autumn
of 1871, Mr. Archibald was appointed lecturer on criminal law in McGill
University, and in 1880 he was made professor of criminal and
constitutional law in the same institution, a position which he has
filled with credit to himself and the college. He prepares himself with
great care for his arduous duties, and is a great favourite with the
students. In the spring of 1887 he received from his _alma mater_ the
degree of Doctor of Civil Law, and, almost concurrently, the distinction
of Queen’s counsel from the government of Canada. In 1884 Mr. Archibald
was elected alderman for St. Antoine ward, one of the largest and most
influential wards in the city of Montreal, which position he still
holds, having been re-elected in 1887 by acclamation. In 1885 he was
appointed revising officer, under the Franchise Act, for the electoral
division of Montreal West, which office he still holds. Mr. Archibald is
a member of the Presbyterian church, and in politics a Conservative. On
the 13th July, 1871, he was married to Ellen Hutchinson, of Bluevale,
Ontario, and has a family of five children.
* * * * *
=Haanel, Eugene Emil=, F.R., Ph.D., Professor of Chemistry and Physics,
Victoria College, Cobourg, Ontario, is a native of Breslau, Silesia,
Europe, and was born on the 24th May, 1841. He is a son of Franz Haanel
and Ann Herde. His father is a government officer, and occupies the
position of secretary of the council in Breslau. The Haanels were
originally from Sweden, the great grandfather of Franz Haanel having
been forced to leave his native country on account of his politics.
Eugene, the subject of this sketch, commenced his studies at four years
of age, and graduated at the Gymnasium in his native city in 1858. Soon
afterwards he left for the United States, and being in Baltimore when
the civil war began between the Northern and Southern states in 1861, he
joined the Northern army, and spent three years as a hospital steward,
and one year as first lieutenant Co. K., Second Regiment Maryland
Veteran Infantry, leaving the army at the close of the war in 1865. He
then became a student at the Michigan State University, Ann Arbor, and
in 1866 was appointed assistant professor of natural science at Adrian
(Michigan) College. The next year he held the same position in Hillsdale
College, Michigan; and in 1868 was master professor of the same
department in Albion College, Michigan, and occupied the chair for four
years. In 1872 Professor Haanel returned to Germany, and on the 7th of
June, 1873, took the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at the Royal
University, Breslau. He then left for Canada, to occupy the chair of
chemistry and physics in Victoria College, Cobourg. His coming to
Cobourg caused the erection of Faraday Hall, in 1876, a brick building,
50 by 100 feet, admirably arranged for the purpose it is intended, and
equipped with apparatus selected by the professor himself in the cities
of London, Paris, Bonn, Leipzig, Dresden and Berlin. While at the
University of Breslau in 1873, for the purpose of graduating, Professor
Haanel took for his thesis “The galvanometric method for the
determination of the earth’s magnetism and its oscillations,” for which
he constructed, in accordance with his original designs, “the galvanic
bifilar magnetometer,” which at this day constitutes the principal
instrument for observation at the magnetic observatory connected with
the University of Breslau. A few years ago it occurred to him that he
might remove the difficulty experienced by students in distinguishing
the oxyd coating on charcoal of bismuth from the similar one of lead, by
converting these coatings into iodides, and his experiments turned out
very satisfactory. (See paper read by him “On the application of
hydriodic acid as a blowpipe re-agent,” before the Royal Society of
Canada, May 25, 1883.) The method adopted then was to touch the coatings
with a drop of strong hydriodic acid, and direct the blowpipe flame upon
the charcoal just in front of the moistened spot. The heat of the
blowpipe flame volatilized the respective iodides, which were deposited
again upon the cooler parts of the charcoal, at a greater distance from
the assay. The iodide of lead gave a magnificent canary-yellow coating,
the bismuth a chocolate brown; cadmium and antimony, when treated in a
similar manner, a white and brick-red coating respectively. In the
extension of this method to other substances he found that other iodides
of very characteristic colours were formed. Many of these were, however,
altogether too volatile to be deposited satisfactorily on the charcoal,
charcoal being too poor a conductor of heat to lower the temperature of
the vapours of the iodides in question sufficiently to permit of their
condensation and consequent deposition as coatings. In order to utilise
to the fullest extent the value of hydriodic acid as a blowpipe
re-agent, it became necessary to adopt a support which, on account of
its better conductivity, would condense the various volatile iodides on
its surface as coatings. The choice of the kind of support best suited
was farther restricted by the following characteristics which a support,
to prove entirely practical and satisfactory, should possess. 1. It must
be cheap and easily made; 2. The surface of the support must be smooth
and white, to bring out the colours of the coatings, uninfluenced by
peculiarities of surface or admixture of tint of the support; 3. It must
resist the heat of the blowpipe flame; 4. It must be of sufficiently
porous texture to absorb the hydriodic acid, and supply it to the assay
gradually and constantly during the progress of the operation. After
some reflection and experimentation, he finally adopted plaster of Paris
casts in the form of narrow thin tablets as the support, and found that
it possessed the above-mentioned characteristics in an eminent degree.
Though a German, Professor Haanel speaks the English language with
eloquence and fluency; he is clear and concise as well as accurate in
his enunciation; an attractive lecturer, a successful experimenter, and
a laborious and untiring enthusiast at his work. He was married on the
5th of November, 1866, to Julia F. Darling, of Lake Ridge, Michigan,
United States, a graduate of Albion College, and they have a family of
five children.
* * * * *
=Kelly, Thomas Eugene=, Joliette, Province of Quebec, was born at
Joliette, in 1861. He is a son of Francis Kelly and Mary Collins, his
wife. The subject of this sketch was educated at Bryant & Stratton’s
Business College, at Montreal, taking the commercial course. He
afterwards travelled extensively through the Western States. He is a
Roman Catholic in religion, and is unmarried. He is engaged in the
manufacturing and wholesale lumber business, being a member of the firm
of Kelly Bros., Joliette, Quebec.
* * * * *
=Weir, W.=, Banker, Montreal.—There are few better known faces on the
streets of Montreal than that of the above named gentleman, head of the
banking firm of W. Weir & Sons, and president of the Banque Ville Marie.
Mr. Weir was born at Greenden, near Brechin, Scotland, on the 28th
October, 1823, and came to Canada in 1842, Like a good many successful
Canadians, he began life as a teacher, having taken charge of a public
school before he was twenty years of age. After two years engaged in
this honorable but ill remunerated occupation, during which time he
devoted himself to the study of the French language, and having further
improved his knowledge of that language by a short course at St. Thérèse
College, Mr. Weir accepted a bookkeeper’s situation in Montreal,
commencing business on his own account in 1849. In 1856 he removed to
Toronto, where he remained till 1859, when he returned to Montreal.
During his stay in Toronto he published and edited the _Canadian
Merchants’ Magazine_, a monthly periodical, the vigorous style of its
editorials soon bringing their author into notice. In 1858 he took the
prize of the Upper Canadian Board of Arts for the best essay on the
manufactures of Canada, and contributed many articles to the local press
on financial and commercial subjects. Among the early promoters of what
has since become known as the National Policy, Mr. Weir was a leading
spirit. At his suggestion, and largely through his exertions, the great
convention of manufacturers was convened at Toronto in 1858. At this
convention Mr. Weir was the secretary, and he held the same position in
the “Association for the promotion of Canadian Industry” then formed.
This society embraced among its members many prominent members of
Parliament, and its exertions and influence secured the changes in the
tariff of 1858 which gave the first great impulse to Canada’s
manufacturing industries. To the present generation, Mr. Weir is best
remembered for his successful efforts to effect the removal of the
“silver nuisance.” The suspension of specie payments in the United
States, in 1862, caused a large influx into Canada of American silver
coin, which, passing current in retail transactions and in payment of
wages, but not being bankable, caused great loss and inconvenience to
the public, who had daily to carry nearly all their receipts to the
brokers’ offices, to be sold at a discount for bankable funds. For
several years Mr. Weir urged upon the Government the importance of
removing the evil, and at his suggestion one million dollars was
exported at the public expense, he himself exporting a similar amount by
contract with the leading commercial houses. In 1869, he attempted to
export two millions more, but the attempt fell through owing to
inadequate support. Early in 1870 (the late Hon. Sir Francis Hincks
having become finance minister), Mr. Weir succeeded in obtaining the aid
of the Government to remove the whole depreciated coin from circulation.
He contracted with the Government to effect its removal, and carried
through that great work with complete success. Five million dollars were
exported between March and July, 1870, at a cost to the Dominion
exchequer of $118,000, the Government being recouped by assuming the one
and two dollar note circulation, a measure suggested by Mr. Weir to meet
the objection on the score of expense. Seventy banks and bank agencies
assisted in the work, the shipments being made from every place of
importance between Quebec and Sarnia. The coin was purchased at five,
five and half, and six per cent discount, for half and quarter dollar
pieces, the smaller coins, to extent of $500,000, being exported by Mr.
Weir at his own expense, making the total amount exported by him over
seven million dollars, or over two hundred waggon loads. Since 1870, Mr.
Weir has taken an active part in discussing the leading financial
questions of the hour. He assisted in reorganizing the Jacques Cartier
Bank, of which he was vice-president when offered the presidency of the
Banque Ville Marie, a position he has held for the last six years,
during which period the bank has trebled its business and strengthened
its position. To the people of Cote St. Antoine and west end of
Montreal, he is best known for his services and public spirit in
securing the opening up of Western Avenue, destined to be the great
western entrance into the city. Mr. Weir married, in 1849, a daughter of
the late John Somerville, of Chatham, P.Q., and has five sons living,
and one son and one daughter deceased. Three sons are in business; the
two youngest are graduates of McGill University, Arthur the youngest
being already well known as a talented writer both in prose and verse.
* * * * *
=Madill, Frank=, M.A., M.P. for North Ontario, Barrister, etc.,
Beaverton, Ontario, was born in the township of Scott, in the county of
Ontario, province of Ontario, November 23rd, 1852. He is youngest son of
Henry and Eliza Madill, who came to Canada from Monaghan, Ireland, in
1837, and eventually settled in the township of Scott. Henry Madill is
one of the old pioneers, and was for many years a prominent member of
the council of that municipality, until his removal to the village of
Vroomanton, in same county, a few years ago, where he and his good lady
still reside, amidst a large circle of children, grandchildren and
friends, universally respected. The subject of this sketch was educated
at Uxbridge and Whitby high schools, and the University of Toronto,
where he graduated B.A., in 1873, and M.A. in 1876; studied law in the
office of the late Hon. John Hilliard Cameron, Q.C., M.P., and was
called to the bar of Ontario, Michaelmas Term, 1877, and still practises
his profession at Beaverton. During his university course he was one of
the university athletes, and held the championship of the university. He
was also a prominent member of the university football team,—the
champions of the Dominion for four years. He was lieutenant of No. 4
company, 34th battalion, V.M.I., and is now paymaster of the same
battalion, with rank of captain. He was first returned to the
Legislative Assembly of Ontario, 4th June, 1881, and sat until the
general election, 1883, at which he was defeated by twenty votes. At the
last general election for the House of Commons he was elected for the
same riding by a majority of 158, over A. P. Cockburn, ex-M.P. He is a
Liberal-Conservative, and Supporter of the government of Right Hon. Sir
John A. Macdonald. He was a member of the Grand Lodge of Royal Black
Knights, and was at one time D.M. of King Solomon Preceptory, 292, at
Toronto. He is a member of the executive committee of the
Liberal-Conservative Union of Ontario; is a Freemason, and is an
ex-warden of Murray lodge, Beaverton. He has taken an active part in all
political contests in the Midland District, but has never taken any
active part in municipal matters. He is commodore of the Beaverton Yacht
Club, vice-president of the Beaverton Gun Club, and president of the
Chicker Lacrosse Club. His travels have been confined to the United
States and Canada. He has always belonged to the Presbyterian church of
Canada, in connection with the Church of Scotland, known as the “old
Kirk,” of which his father is an elder. He was married on the 5th day of
May, 1886, to Florrie, eldest daughter of Charles T. Young, of
Beaverton, one of the village fathers.
* * * * *
=Welton, Daniel Morse=, D.D., Professor of Hebrew, Baptist College,
Toronto, Ont., was born in Aylesford, Nova Scotia, July 20th, 1831. His
father was Sydney Welton, and his mother, Isabel Morse. His ancestors on
both the father and mother’s side came from New England at the time of
the Revolutionary war. He prepared for college in Horton Collegiate
Academy, Nova Scotia; entered Acadia College, Nova Scotia, in 1850, and
graduated therefrom in 1855. After occupying the place of tutor in
Acadia College for twelve months (1856), he went to Newton Theological
Institution, Mass., where he remained a year. In September, 1857, he was
ordained to the pastorate of the Windsor Baptist Church, Nova Scotia,
which position he filled till October, 1874, when he was called to the
chair of Hebrew and Systematic Theology in the Theological Department of
Acadia College. He remained here till 1883, with the exception of two
years (1876 and 1877) which he spent in Leipzic, Germany, engaged
chiefly in Semitic studies under Professor Delitzsch. He received the
degree of Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Leipzic in 1878,
his dissertation for the same being “The History of Hebrew Learning in
England.” His Semitic studies in Leipzic chiefly embraced the Hebrew,
Chaldee, Syriac, Samaritan and Arabic. In 1883, he was appointed to the
chair of Hebrew and Old Testament Interpretation in Toronto Baptist
College, which he fills at the present time. In 1884 he received the
degree of D.D. from Acadia College, his _alma mater_. In the years 1876,
1877 and 1878 he also visited London, Paris, Berlin, Vienna, and the
principal cities of Italy. He was married to Sarah Eliza Messenger,
daughter of David and Catherine Messenger, September 23rd, 1857.
* * * * *
=Gagnon, Hon. Charles Antoine Ernest=, M.P.P., Kamouraska, was born at
Rivière Ouelle, Quebec, on the 4th of December, 1846. The family came
originally from Vendee, France, and settled in Canada in 1633, being
thus one of the oldest Canadian families, having representatives still
living. The subject of this sketch is the son of Antoine Gagnon,
merchant, of Rivière Ouelle, and a nephew of Senator Pelletier, C.M.G.
He was educated at St. Anne’s College, and was very successful in his
studies. Taking up the study of law, he was appointed notary public in
1869. In 1870 he married Marie Malvina, third daughter of Francis
Gagnon, farmer. Throughout his life, Mr. Gagnon has taken the keenest
interest in politics and has done yeoman service to the Liberal party
with which he is identified, in numberless contests in both Provincial
and Dominion affairs. He also directed considerable attention to
municipal affairs, his knowledge of those being recognized by his
appointment as secretary of the municipality, and, later, secretary of
the Board of School Commissioners. He also fills the office of treasurer
of the Fabrique. He was president of the board of liquidators of the
late Stadacona Fire and Life Insurance Company of Quebec. In October,
1885, he was appointed president of the Board of Notaries, of the
province of Quebec, and this position he still holds. In 1873 he was
appointed valuator for the St. Lawrence District of the Intercolonial
Railway, which was then under construction, and a year later was
appointed receiver of wreck for the district of Kamouraska, holding
those offices concurrently until March, 1878, when he resigned to
contest Kamouraska in the Liberal interest. He was successful in the
contest, as he was in the next election in 1881. He was unseated after
this election, each party paying its costs, but was again elected in
1883, and has continued to represent the constituency ever since. He was
one of the strongest and ablest supporters of the Joly administration
during its short career, and when the Liberal party went into opposition
he rapidly came to the front as a leading man in the small but resolute
band which opposed the policy and methods of the Conservative government
under its successive leaders. When the Nationalist agitation arose, he
took the same position as his leader, Mr. Mercier, that the interests of
the Dominion demanded that a fair field should be given to the people of
Quebec, and that union on the part of those people was the best means of
calling attention to their demands. Battling strongly on this line, it
was natural that when the Nationalist cause triumphed under Mr.
Mercier’s leadership, Mr. Gagnon should be called to a position of honor
and responsibility. He was sworn in as Provincial Secretary and member
of the Executive Council on 29th June, 1887.
* * * * *
=Reid, Rev. Charles Peter=, Sherbrooke, Quebec, was born at Cornwall,
Ont., on the 14th of August, 1811. He was the eldest son of the late
Rev. James Reid, D.D., for fifty years rector of Trinity Church,
Freleighsburg. He was educated at the Grammar School founded by the
Royal Institution in Montreal, and taught by the late Alex. Scakel, and
for a while at the similar school in Quebec, taught by the Rev. R. R.
Burrage. He took his Divinity course at the Theological Seminary at
Chambly, at which the late Rev. J. Braithwaite, M.A., was the principal.
He was admitted to the diaconate by the Right Reverend Dr. Stewart,
bishop of Quebec, on the 23rd of June, 1835, and to the priesthood at
the first ordination held by the late Right Reverend Dr. Mountain,
bishop of Quebec, on the first of Nov., 1836. His first mission after
his ordination was Rawdon, in the present diocese of Montreal, where he
remained a short time. He removed from Rawdon to St. John’s, as curate
to the Rev. D. Baldwin, and missionary at Laprairie. While at St. John’s
he was married to Julia Gray, eldest daughter of John Gray of her
Majesty’s Customs. He then removed to Compton, where he remained
fourteen years, building two churches, and organizing the work of the
mission on a secure basis. On the 1st of April, 1854, he was appointed
to Sherbrooke, of which place he has been rector for thirty years.
During this long ministry the church under his charge has grown into a
strong and flourishing one, and he has been identified with every good
work which has been accomplished in the town. Not only by active
interest, but by liberal donations, he has helped to support various
charitable institutions. Bishop’s College, Lennoxville, is specially
indebted to him. There are few figures more widely known or more truly
beloved throughout the whole District of St. Francis, than that of Dr.
Reid. He is spending his ripe old age in Sherbrooke, and, still active
in mind and body, is never so happy as when assisting in the services of
God’s house or ministering in his old field of labor, to those who have
become endeared to him by a life-time of loving intercourse. Dr. Reid
has been one of the trustees of Bishop’s College from the foundation, in
1843. He received the honorary degree of M.A., in 1855, and of D.C.L.,
in 1884. He has been for many years rural dean of the District of St.
Francis.
* * * * *
=Power, Michael Joseph=, was born at Halifax, Nova Scotia, on the 23rd
day of February, 1834. He is the son of Michael Power. His mother’s
maiden name was Ann Lonergan. Both parents are natives of Waterford,
Ireland. Mr. Power received his early education at the Union Academy, in
Halifax. He is a prominent representative of the Roman Catholics in that
city. Mr. Power has taken an active interest in civic affairs for many
years. He was an alderman for six years, representing ward 4. He has
also been chairman of the City Board of Works for one term; chairman of
the Fire department for eight years; vice-chairman of the Board of
School Commissioners for two years; and president of the Charitable
Irish Society. He does business at 75 Buckingham street, Halifax. He is
the Imperial government army contractor for land transport. In his
younger days he took considerable interest in militia affairs, holding
various commissions in the 63rd battalion of Rifles, and is now retired
with the rank of captain. Mr. Power’s connection with the city council
brought him into relations with the Commissioners of Public Gardens, of
which body he is vice-chairman. He is also a justice of the peace for
Halifax county. At the general election of 1878, Mr. Power, together
with Hon. P. C. Hill, then Provincial Secretary and Premier, and Donald
Archibald, M.P.P. for several terms, and now high sheriff of the county
of Halifax, were the candidates of the Liberal party, running in
opposition to Charles J. McDonald, W. D. Harrington and John Pugh. The
Conservatives carried the elections and the Liberals were out of power
for one term. But in the next elections in 1882, Mr. Power, running with
Hon. W. S. Fielding, now Provincial Secretary and Premier, and Jas. G.
Foster, against W. D. Harrington, Jonathan Parsons and John Pugh, was
elected. Messrs. Fielding and Harrington were also elected, Halifax
being represented in that legislature by two Liberals and one
Conservative. At the general election of 1886, Mr. Power, Hon. W. S.
Fielding and William Roche, jr., defeated John Y. Payzant, W. D.
Harrington and James N. Lyons by over 1000 majority. On the assembling
of the Local parliament, Mr. Power was elected Speaker of the House. He
married on the 20th November, 1860, Ann Sophia, daughter of the late
Patrick Kent, a Halifax merchant. In politics Mr. Power is a Liberal.
* * * * *
=Paquet, Rev. Benjamin=, Priest and Household Prelate to his Holiness
Leo XIII., Doctor of Theology, Superior of the Quebec Seminary, and
Rector of Laval University, was born at St. Nicholas, county of Levis,
in 1832. His father was Etienne Paquet, husbandman, captain of militia,
and descendant of an old French family. He was one of the most
remarkable citizens of the county of Levis. His mother was Ursule
Lambert. He received his education at the Quebec Seminary and Laval
University. After having finished his classical course, he gave himself
up to theology, to prepare for the priesthood. After having been
employed in the active ministry for five years as priest at the
Basilica, Quebec, he entered the Seminary of Quebec as professor of
belles-lettres about a year. In 1863, he went to Rome to complete his
theological studies, with the intention of teaching in the faculty of
theology at Laval. He studied at Rome for three years, at the celebrated
Roman College, where he took his degrees. He returned to Quebec, and
taught moral theology at Laval University for a great number of years.
He was afterwards purveyor of Quebec Seminary for five years. During
this interval, he built the new Quebec Seminary, one of the most
beautiful edifices of the Dominion. After having been director of the
Grand Seminary for two years, he was, in 1887, appointed Superior of the
Seminary and Rector of Laval University. In 1878, he was appointed
secret domestic to his Holiness Pope Pius IX., on account of his eminent
services to religion in the cause of Laval University. In 1888, he was
given, by Pope Leo XIII., the title of household prelate to his
Holiness, which entitles him to take part in the court of honor of his
Eminence Cardinal Taschereau. Doctor Paquet has made five trips to
Europe in the interests of Laval University, and sojourned in Rome eight
years.
* * * * *
=Campbell, Sir Alexander=, K.C.M.G., Lieutenant-Governor of Ontario,
residence Toronto. Like several of Canada’s leading statesmen, Sir
Alexander Campbell was not born in this country, but he was only two
years old when his father, an English physician, came to Canada in the
year 1823, and took up his residence at Lachine, in the province of
Quebec. Sir Alexander’s birthplace was the village of Hedon, near
Kingston-upon-Hull, in Yorkshire, England; and he has ever retained the
warmest sentiments of loyalty and attachment to the British empire. Sir
Alexander’s parents gave him the best educational advantages the country
afforded. They placed him first under the tuition of a Presbyterian
clergyman, and afterwards sent him to St. Hyacinthe College, Quebec, and
still later to the Royal Grammar School at Kingston, Ontario. He was of
a studious turn of mind; and, although he left school at what would now
be considered a comparatively early age, he had imbibed all the
essential elements of a liberal education. At St. Hyacinthe College he
acquired a considerable knowledge of the French language, and a
consequent interest in French literature which has accompanied him
through life. On occasion he could make a French speech in the Senate;
though he rarely exercised the gift, and only perhaps to meet some
playful challenge of the French members. He studied the classics also up
to a certain point; but above all he acquired a knowledge and command of
his own language, and a habit of using words with a peculiar force and
directness. The phrase may not always be the smoothest, but it has a
quality that tells—something a trifle Cæsarean in its brevity and
point. However this is a good opportunity for reminding ourselves of
Buffon’s dictum that “_le style c’est l’homme_.” Mere school education
does not give this. A man may learn at school to avoid technical errors
of speech; but the style he eventually acquires will be more or less the
reflex of his own personality. Mr. Campbell was only seventeen years of
age when he entered on the study of the law at Kingston, whither his
family had some years previously removed. No stories have reached us of
his student days, but he seems to have applied himself earnestly to his
work, seeing that he was able, on completing his course and being called
to the bar, to form a partnership immediately with John A. (now Sir
John) Macdonald, whose reputation even then was rapidly growing. The
partnership subsisted for many years under the name of Macdonald and
Campbell; and the business, in the hands of these two exceptionally able
men, was a lucrative one. Politics, however, soon began to absorb the
attention of the senior partner, and the burden of the office work fell
upon Mr. Campbell. The experience which the latter thus acquired, aided
by his studies, made him one of the soundest lawyers at the bar of Upper
Canada; and had he not, while still a comparatively young man, diverged
into politics, there is little doubt that he might long since have
occupied a distinguished position on the bench. It was in the year 1858
that Mr. Campbell made his _début_ in politics by carrying an election
for the Cataraqui division, and taking his seat in the Legislative
Council of Old Canada. He very quickly familiarised himself with his new
surroundings, and became an efficient and highly esteemed member of the
Upper House. No new member probably ever had less crudeness or
inexperience to rub off; and no one seemed at all surprised when, in
three or four years after his first election, the member for Cataraqui
division was placed in the Speaker’s chair. The position was, indeed,
one for which, by temperament and character, he was pre-eminently
fitted, but not one in which his practical energies could find much
scope; and a wider sphere of usefulness was opened up to him, while the
administrative strength of the government of 1864 received a great
reinforcement when the Speaker of the Council was assigned to the
position of Commissioner of Crown Lands. Here his knowledge of law and
prompt business methods found ample exercise, and it was admitted on all
hands that he filled the office in an admirable manner. From this time
forward Mr. Campbell was looked upon as one of the strong men of his
party, though one whose strength was shown rather in council than in
fight. His was the balanced judgment and sound knowledge of affairs, and
one can only regret that the influence he was so fitted to exert, and
must at many critical moments have exerted, in favor of sound, safe and
honorable methods of party management, could not have asserted itself at
all times. A very ugly chapter of Canadian political history might then
never have been written. In 1867 the first government of the Dominion
was constituted under the leadership of the then newly knighted Sir John
A. Macdonald, and Mr. Campbell was sworn in as Postmaster-General. The
new position did not call, to the same extent as the previous one, for
the exercise of legal acumen, but it involved dealing with large public
interests and a very extended patronage. During the period that Mr.
Campbell remained at the head of the post office much solid progress was
made, in all of which he took a lively interest, and exerted a judicious
control. As regards the patronage of the department, it was administered
by the Postmaster-General with a constant eye to the good of the
service, and occasionally with a wholesome indifference to mere party
demands. One of the chief characteristics of Mr. Campbell during his
administrative career was that he was never willing to descend to the
level of the mere party politician. Some have said that this was due to
the fact that his position exempted him from dependence on the popular
vote; but we have seen other senators whose high position did not seem
to exercise any very elevating effect on their political methods. After
a six years’ tenure, exactly, of the Post Office department, Mr.
Campbell accepted the portfolio of the newly constituted department of
the Interior. Here everything was to create, order had to be called out
of a most discouraging chaos; but the new minister was proceeding
bravely with his task, when the government of which he was a member met
an inglorious defeat over the “Pacific Scandal.” The operations which
led to this result had been carried on wholly without Mr. Campbell’s
knowledge: he was not indeed the kind of a man to whom the schemes
formed at that time for creating an election fund were likely to be
confided. He did not, however, like Sir Richard Cartwright, see in the
occurrences to which we are referring sufficient reason for separating
himself from his party. He probably judged that he could render better
service to the country in the ranks of the Conservative party than
anywhere else; and he looked forward, doubtless, to the time when that
party, rendered wiser by experience, would again be called to control
the destinies of the country. From 1873 to 1878 Mr. Campbell acted as
leader of the opposition in the Senate, and discharged the duties of the
position with the same ability as well as with the same fairness and
moderation as when he had represented the government. To act a really
factious part was, we may say, almost wholly out of his power:
certainly, it would have been foreign to his nature. When the
Conservative party returned to office in November, 1878, Mr. Campbell
first accepted the position of Receiver-General, but in the spring of
1879 he returned to his old office of Postmaster-General. Thence he
passed in the month of January, 1880, to the department of Militia and
Defence, which, during a brief term of office, he did not a little to
invigorate. The end of the year saw him back in the Post Office
department, which he again left in the month of May of the year
following (1881), to assume the portfolio of Justice. Meantime (24th
May, 1879) he had been created by her Majesty a Knight Commander of the
Order of St. Michael and St. George, an honor which his eminent public
services had very fully merited. Sir Alexander remained at the head of
the department of Justice until the latter part of the year 1885, when
he once more returned to the Post Office department, which he finally
left in the spring of 1887 to accept the Lieutenant-Governorship of
Ontario. His appointment to the latter office was viewed with pleasure
and approval, even by his political opponents. On all hands it was felt
that in Sir Alexander Campbell her Majesty would have one of the most
constitutional of representatives, such a man as she probably would
herself have delighted to choose for the position. Before proceeding to
Toronto, however, Sir Alexander went to England at the request of the
government, to represent Canada at the Colonial conference. That
conference was not empowered to enact any measures, or even to concert
any scheme, for the modification of the relations existing between Great
Britain and the colonies; but it gave an opportunity for a confidential
exchange of views between members of the British government and leading
representatives of the colonies; and there is little doubt that it has
smoothed the way for the future discussion of questions of the greatest
moment. As a departmental chief, Sir Alexander Campbell was deservedly
popular. He was not, perhaps, the most accessible of men, and his
general manner may have been a trifle distant and brief; but it was soon
discovered that he had a kind heart and a strong sense of justice. He
was not a man to be trifled with; he believed in holding men to their
duty; but on the other hand, he was always glad of an opportunity of
rewarding faithful service. He had a keen insight into character, and
had, consequently, little difficulty in dealing with men on their
merits. His confidence was seldom given where it was not deserved, or
withheld where it was deserved. He was always ready to form his own
independent opinion on any matter properly submitted to him, and having
formed his opinion, he knew how to stand by it. No department of the
government came amiss to him, for the simple reason that his sound
business methods were applicable everywhere. How useful such a man must
have been to the cabinet as a whole, and particularly to its leader, may
be imagined, but the full details are not likely ever to become known.
It will be remembered that while Minister of Justice it became the duty
of Sir Alexander to draw up a memorandum explaining and defending the
policy of the government in executing Riel. This he did in a manner that
for force, conciseness, and logic left nothing to be desired. Perhaps,
however, the chief merit of the statement was the strong accent of
conviction that pervaded it. It was not a partisan manifesto; it was the
fitting utterance of the highest organ of executive justice in the
country.
* * * * *
=Vidal, Henry Beaufort=, Major in the Infantry School Corps. He was born
on the 16th of May, 1843, at the town of Chatham, in the county of Kent.
He is the only surviving son of the late Alexander Thomas Emeric Vidal,
a vice-admiral in the Royal Navy, and for some years a resident in the
county of Lambton, and Marie Antoinette, his wife, daughter of the late
Henry Veitch, for many years H.B.M’s Consul-General in Madeira.
Vice-Admiral Vidal was the youngest, and Captain Vidal, R.N., of Sarnia,
the eldest son of Emeric Vidal, who was for many years a flag officer’s
secretary in the Royal Navy. He preferred to remain in the service of
Britain at the time that the remainder of his family elected to return
to France, from which country their forefathers had emigrated on the
revocation of the Edict of Nantes, being at that time settled at the
town of Montauban, in the department of Tarn et Garonne. The subject of
this sketch was educated by private tutors and at Trinity College School
in Toronto. He was admitted as student-at-law in Easter term, 1860, and
was called to the bar of Ontario, Michaelmas term, 1872. He entered the
militia of Canada as ensign in the 24th battalion, Lambton, 3rd August,
1860. On the 23rd May, 1862, he joined the British army as ensign,
became a lieutenant in the 4th regiment of foot on the 16th of August,
1804, and served with that regiment in the Mediterranean, India,
Abyssinia, etc. He was present at the action of Arogie and capture of
Magdala. Having retired from the British army, he at once re-entered the
Canadian militia, as a captain of the 7th battalion “Fusiliers,” London.
In 1882 he became a regimental major in the 12th battalion, from which
corps he was transferred to the permanent infantry on its first
formation. Major Vidal is a Freemason, a Royal Arch Mason, and is also
in the A. & A. Rite. Since his return to Canada he identified himself
with the Conservative party, and is in politics a Tory. In religion, he
is a member of the Church of England. He has travelled in all the four
great continents. He was married in January, 1869, to Kate Allen, who
died in 1884, and by whom he had issue (surviving), an only son and
daughter. Charles Emeric Kerr, the son, was born on the 6th of February,
1870; educated at Upper Canada College, Toronto, and at the high schools
of St. John and Halifax. He matriculated as student in medicine at
Bishop’s College, Lennoxville, 1885; entered the militia of Canada at
the age of fifteen years and ten months as 2nd lieutenant, 6th
Fusiliers, and became lieutenant in June, 1887.
* * * * *
=Rogers, Rev. Jabez A.=, Windsor, Nova Scotia, is the son of David and
Rebecca Rogers, and was born at St. John’s, Newfoundland, on the first
day of March, 1843. He received his early education at the Wesleyan
Academy in St. John’s, and at the Grammar School in Harbour Grace. At
the age of sixteen he was converted and united with the Wesleyan
Methodist Church, an occasion of great joy in his father’s
household—prayer being turned into praise on the happy night when he
made his peace with God. The event was the more a subject of heart-felt
joy inasmuch as his friends had expected that he was destined for the
legal profession, a career in which a man of his brilliant parts and
great eloquence would assuredly have attained no mean place. Shortly
after his conversion Mr. Rogers felt that he was called to preach the
gospel. He still attended the Grammar School at Harbour Grace, devoting
his time to the study of the classics and the Greek Testament, under the
direction of the scholarly and accomplished Principal, J. J. Roddick.
When but seventeen years of age he preached his first sermon, and was
appointed a local preacher of the Wesleyan Methodist church. He then
entered upon theological studies, with the view of preparing to offer
himself as a candidate for the ministry. In his twentieth year he was
recommended by the Newfoundland District Meeting to the Methodist
Conference of Eastern British America, and was received on probation.
This is the first step in the Methodist ministry. In June, 1862, he was
appointed as a probationer to Catalina, Trinity Bay, and in 1864 to
Exploits Notre Dame Bay, Newfoundland. In June, 1866, he was received
into full connection by the Methodist Conference of Eastern British
America, and was ordained a minister in full standing in the Centenary
Church in St. John, New Brunswick. His first appointment as minister was
to Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, for one year, as the assistant
of that great light in the Methodist church, the Rev. Matthew Richey,
D.D. In the next year, 1867, Rev. Mr. Rogers was appointed to the church
in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, where he remained the full itinerary term of
three years, and gained a great reputation as a fervid and eloquent
preacher. On the Lyceum platform he also occasionally appeared with
marked success. A very popular and able lecture of his was delivered in
Halifax, Windsor and other places on the subject of “True Greatness.” In
more recent years he has lectured on “Moral Warfare,” “The Old Lamp and
the New Lights,” and “The Land of the Pharaohs.” In 1870 he was
appointed to Brunswick Street Church, the largest of the eight Methodist
churches in Halifax. Here he remained three years, or until 1873, when
he removed to Wesley Church, Yarmouth. Three years later the exigencies
of the itinerary system placed him in Truro. In 1879 he removed to the
church in Amherst, and three years later he returned to Wesley Church,
Yarmouth. In 1885 he was appointed to the Methodist Church in Windsor, a
pulpit which has for many years been filled by the very best men in the
ministry. His next field of labour will be Brunswick Street Church in
Halifax again, he having received an invitation to that church in 1887.
Rev. Mr. Rogers has always been a hard-working man in his chosen sphere,
and has from time to time been honored with many of the most honorable
offices in the church. From 1876 to 1878 he was Journal secretary, and
from 1879 to 1884 secretary of the Nova Scotia Conference of the
Methodist Church of Canada. He worthily filled the office of chairman of
district from 1879 to 1852, and again from 1884 to 1887. He was a
delegate to the General Conferences of 1878, 1882, 1883 and 1886. He was
also appointed a member of the Union Committee which met in Toronto in
November, 1882, and which formulated the basis for the union of the
different branches of the Methodist church. This union, in the face of
much opposition and controversy, was consummated in 1883. There were
great financial difficulties to be overcome, and old time differences
between the Methodist Episcopal church and the Wesleyans had to be
smoothed over. In 1884 Rev. Mr. Rogers was elected the first president
of the Nova Scotia Conference of the Methodist church. In 1870 he was
united in marriage to Jane M., daughter of Rufus S. Black, M.D., of
Halifax, N.S., grandson of the Rev. Wm. Black, the founder of Methodism
in Nova Scotia. The Black family have, with few exceptions, continued
staunch members of the church of their forefathers. Three years ago
there was opened at Sackville, N.B., a handsome memorial hall in honor
of the Rev. Wm. Black, on which occasion Rev. Mr. Rogers, by
appointment, represented the Nova Scotia Conference. Rev. Mr. Rogers has
a family of six children living.
* * * * *
=Paquet, Hon. Anselme Homere=, M.D., St. Cuthbert, province of Quebec,
Senator for De la Valliere, was born at St. Cuthbert, on the 29th
September, 1830. He is a son of the late Captain T. Paquet and Mary F.
Robillard. He received his education at the College of L’Assomption. He
is one of the numerous pupils of the “Ecole de Médicine et de Chirurgie
de Montréal,” and was licensed as a physician by the provincial medical
board on the 10th of May, 1853. In 1863, he entered politics, but was an
unsuccessful candidate in March of that year for the Legislative
Council. He was, however, elected to the Legislative Assembly in June,
1863, where he sat until Confederation. He was elected for the House of
Commons in 1867, and again in 1872, after contests, and by acclamation
in January, 1874. He was called to the Senate by Royal proclamation in
February, 1875. He was president of the Permanent Building Society of
Berthier, one of the originators and directors of La Banque Ville Marie,
Montreal, and one of the governors of the Medical College of the
Province of Quebec, from 1877 till 1880. He was appointed in 1879, as
professor on hygiene in the Medical School, Montreal, affiliated with
Victoria University, and is now one of the consulting physicians in
Hotel Dieu Hospital, and professor of medical clinics in the same
hospital. He was appointed in September, 1887, a member of the
provincial commission on hygiene. In religion, Hon. Mr. Paquet is an
adherent of the Roman Catholic church, and in politics a Liberal. He was
married at L’Assomption, on the 24th September, 1854, to Marie Alp.
Henriette Gariépy, fourth daughter of Captain P. Gariépy and Mary Roy.
* * * * *
=Kelly, Samuel James=, M.D., M.S., Joliette, Quebec province, was born
on the 12th of August, 1856, at Joliette. His parents were Francis Kelly
and Mary Collins. He received his classical education in his native
parish, and prosecuted his medical studies in Quebec and Montreal.
Having graduated, he returned to Joliette, where he began the practice
of his profession, and has succeeded in building up a good business. In
addition to his professional practice, he has an interest in the lumber
business of Kelly & Brother, Joliette. He is a member of the Roman
Catholic church. He was married on the 29th of November, 1881, to
Emmelie Mandehard.
* * * * *
=Russell, Willis=, Quebec.—While this work was under compilation, the
subject of this sketch was somewhat suddenly called to appear before the
tribunal of Heaven, after a long and well-spent life of seventy-three
years, and with him has passed away one of the oldest and best known
landmarks of the ancient capital. A local paper, the _Daily Telegraph_,
of the 17th October, 1887, the day after his deeply lamented death, had
the following biographical notice of the deceased gentleman:—
For nearly half a century the name of Willis Russell has been a
household word, not only in the city of Quebec, but amongst all
who have been in the habit of coming here, on visits of business
or of pleasure, and we know of no one whose loss would be more
widely felt than his, or more deeply regretted amongst both
residents in and visitors to the old rock city. A native of one
of the New England states, where he was born in 1814, the late
Mr. Russell took up his abode in Quebec over forty-three years
ago, and has been an uninterrupted resident of our city ever
since, remaining identified all that time with the business in
which he lived and died—the maintenance and the management of
the principal hostelries of the ancient capital. It would be
difficult at this distant date to follow the deceased gentleman
very minutely through the early part of his career in this city.
Suffice it to say that in 1844 he entered, on his arrival here,
upon the business which he made his life work, and that his
untiring efforts to make the houses which he controlled the best
of their kind in the locality never failed of success. For some
time Mr. Russell was proprietor of an hotel known, we believe,
as the St. George’s, situated in the old union, building on
Place d’Armes, now the property of Mr. D. Morgan, merchant
tailor. This was before he became proprietor of the Albion
Hotel, on Palace street, which, during his management, extending
over a long term of years, was the leading hostelry of the then
capital of united Canada. Mr. Russell’s later career as
proprietor of the St. Louis Hotel and Russell House is well
known to the present generation of Quebecers and to all
travellers and tourists in the habit of visiting Quebec. For
some years back, there has not been sufficient business in town
to keep both houses open during the winter season, but in summer
they are frequently crowded to their utmost capacity, and some
time back Mr. Russell also became the lessee of the Albion Hotel
on Palace street, and sometimes utilised it for the excess of
his summer business. Mr. Russell’s success in business was, of
course, largely due to the attention which he gave it, and to
his admirable adaptability for it. His career is an example to
all young men about to start out in business, to first select
that particular line to which they feel they can devote their
best energy and efforts, and then, so far as they legitimately
can, to permit nothing to stand between themselves and success.
Mr. Russell’s attention to his business was proverbial, and the
comfort of his guests was his first and principal care. With
this object in view, he skilfully contrived to have the best
possible _menu_ always before them, so that travellers from all
parts of the United States and Canada have always been able to
claim that the best tables to which they have been accustomed
have been those of the St. Louis Hotel. In the matter of
gentlemanly and polite attendance the same hotel has always
stood deservedly high, the leading officials connected with the
management having been always selected from those foremost in
the business. In common with all the citizens of Quebec, Mr.
Russell has been for some time aware that Quebec is behind the
age in the matter of a proper hotel building. He has always been
foremost, therefore, in the various efforts that have been made
to secure a new hotel for our city. A few years ago it seemed as
if success was about to crown Mr. Russell’s efforts in this
direction. He had all but completed the formation of a company
to build a splendid new house on Dufferin terrace, on the site
of the old Normal School. The necessary charter incorporating
the Chateau St. Louis Hotel was duly obtained from the local
legislature, and large subscriptions of stock were being made by
a number of prominent citizens towards the undertaking. Mr.
Russell brought on a famous architect from New York to draw the
plans of the proposed hotel, and everybody remembers how much
they were admired at the time, and how they received the
approval of the Princess Louise, who manifested considerable
interest in the undertaking. However, after the expenditure of
an immense amount of money and time on the subject, Mr. Russell
had the mortification of seeing the scheme fall through, in
consequence of some difficulty at Ottawa about the land required
for the site. It will be observed, all the same, that it was not
Mr. Russell’s fault if the city of Quebec was unsuccessful in
her attempt to obtain the new hotel. The deceased gentleman has
occupied many important positions of trust amongst his
fellow-citizens. He was a J.P. for many years past. Realizing
its vast promise of success, and the necessity which existed for
it, he became one of the most active promoters of the North
Shore railway. Years afterwards he was a member of the city
council for about six years. He was elected to represent St.
Louis ward in the municipal body, and retired from office nearly
four years ago. During most of the period in which he occupied a
seat at the council board, Mr. Russell was chairman of the fire
committee. This was immediately after the last great fire in the
suburbs, and Mr. Russell was indefatigable in his efforts to
secure a thorough reorganization of the fire department, and the
acquisition of additional steam engines and other appliances for
fighting the flames. The prolongation of the old Durham terrace
to the dimensions of the present Dufferin terrace is also
largely due to Mr. Russell’s determined efforts. The deceased
gentleman has always been a determined advocate of the proposed
Quebec and Levis bridge. In American politics, in his earlier
days, he was a great Dan Webster man. Though a naturalized
Canadian, he never took a very decided stand in our politics,
though he formed many personal friendships amongst our public
men. One of his closest friends for the past thirty years has
been the esteemed member for Quebec West, Owen Murphy. Another
was Colonel Rhodes. Mr. Russell’s active mind was never content
to remain fixed alone upon the hotel business, and he speculated
largely at different periods in lumber and mines. His mining
property was situated principally in the eastern townships, and
for some time he was at the head of a number of saw mills and a
lumber company at Arthabaskaville. His recreation consisted
principally in salmon fishing, and his favorite fishing ground
was the Marguerite river, above Tadousac, of which he controlled
the right, and where, in company with a number of American
capitalists, he formed the St. Marguerite fishing club. The
deceased gentleman was the proprietor of the Music Hall (now the
Academy of Music), which he purchased some five years ago, and
in which he has given at various periods an immense number of
the most brilliant public dinners and balls, the _sine qua non_
of a fashionable event of the kind in Quebec being that it
should be entrusted to Mr. Russell’s management. Our regretted
friend was a member of the congregation of the English
Cathedral, and in his last illness received the consolations of
religion at the hands of the Revs. Messrs. Petry and Fothergill.
Notwithstanding the delicate state of his health for some years
past, he attended to business to the very last day, and his
death may be considered both sudden and unexpected. He was
downstairs in the public office of the St. Louis Hotel on
Friday, apparently as well as he had been at any time during the
last year, and on Saturday he was dead. It is supposed he must
have taken cold, for congestion of the bowels declared itself,
and when he felt compelled, by his inflammatory pains on Friday
afternoon, to retire to his room, he was destined never to leave
it again. He grew rapidly worse during the night, and on
Saturday morning it was evident that the end was approaching.
All day he continued to sink rapidly, expiring at ten minutes to
ten o’clock at night. He was surrounded by his wife and
children, and was perfectly conscious to the last. With Mrs.
Russell and her children—W. E. Russell and Mrs. H. J.
Miller—we sincerely sympathize in this hour of deep affliction.
Their sorrow is shared by all our people, who feel that they
have lost one of their best, most useful and most patriotic
citizens. The rotunda of the St. Louis Hotel without his
well-known figure, pleasant countenance, hearty laugh and
amusing anecdote, will indeed be sadly changed.
The _Morning Chronicle_, the leading paper of Quebec, also had an
extended notice of the deceased, and the French papers of the city
devoted much of their space to praise of his useful life and the
expression of regret at his death. His funeral was one of the largest
and most imposing ever witnessed in Quebec, and was attended by all
classes of the local population, including the ministers of the federal
and provincial governments in town at the time, ex-provincial ministers,
members of the Dominion parliament and provincial legislature, and
leading citizens generally.
* * * * *
=Monk, Hon. Samuel Cornwallis=, LL.D., Senior Puisné Judge of the Court
of Queen’s Bench of the Province of Quebec, Montreal, was born in
Halifax, Nova Scotia, on 29th July, 1814. His father, Samuel Wentworth
Monk, was descended from a family of U. E. loyalists, who left Boston,
in Massachusetts, on the breaking out of the revolutionary war, and
settled in Nova Scotia. The Monk family was related to the Goulds,
Wentworths, Deerings, Apthorps, and the Hon. Edward Cornwallis, at one
time governor of Nova Scotia, all of whom were persons of note in those
early days. Judge Monk’s great grandfather was attorney-general of Nova
Scotia, and his grandfather a judge of that province. One of his
granduncles, Sir James Monk, was chief justice of the Court of Queen’s
Bench for Montreal. Samuel Cornwallis Monk was educated in Windsor,
N.S., and was subsequently prepared for entering Trinity College,
Dublin, Ireland, but it was thought advisable that he should immediately
begin the study of law in Canada, and this he did in 1831, and was
admitted to the bar in 1837. He then made an extended tour, which
occupied two years, in Europe, and on his return entered into a
partnership with Sir John Rose, baronet, now of London, England, who at
that time was carrying on an extensive law business in Montreal. In 1854
Mr. Monk was appointed a Queen’s counsel, and for some years represented
the attorney-general of Lower Canada in Crown prosecutions. In 1859 he
was raised to the bench, and for a period of nine years sat as a puisné
judge in the Superior Court of Lower Canada. In 1868 he was promoted to
the Queen’s Bench, on the retirement of Justice Aylwin. His reputation
as a judge stands high. His natural talents, united to his vast
knowledge and graceful elocution, have made him one of the most
instructive and agreeable persons to listen to whenever he has a
judgment to deliver in the Court of Appeals or a charge to make in the
Criminal Court. His knowledge of both the English and French languages
is so perfect that it would be impossible for a stranger to tell by his
speech to which nationality he belonged. The old French law, which forms
the basis of the jurisprudence in the province of Quebec, is so familiar
to him that when a case is heard in the Court of Queen’s Bench before
him and his associates, after reading the printed factum of both
parties, he is generally ready to give his opinion and support it with
the most learned arguments. The capabilities of this learned judge, as
shown in criminal matters, are always very highly appreciated. When he
represented the Crown before the criminal courts as Crown prosecutor,
before being elevated to the bench, he met with great success, and his
reputation as a criminal lawyer stood very high. Upon the bench he has
met the expectations of his admirers by the dignity with which he
presides in court, and the vast legal knowledge, combined with the high
sense of justice which he displays in discharging his duties. He had the
degree of LL.D. conferred upon him a number of years ago by Laval
University, Quebec. Judge Monk was married in 1844 to a daughter of the
late Hon. P. D. DeBartzch, member of the Legislative Council of Lower
Canada. The fruit of this marriage has been five sons and one daughter,
the latter having died some years ago.
* * * * *
=Taillon, Alphonse Antoine=, Sorel, Quebec, was born at Ottawa, on the
17th July, 1847. His parents were John Taillon and Dame Geneviève
Lionais. His father was one of the first merchants of Bytown, and took a
prominent part in promoting the interests of the future city of Ottawa.
Wm. P. Lett, Ottawa’s poet, in his poem, “Recollections of old Bytown,”
alludes to him as one of the good, honorable citizens of the time, and a
man of genial character. The subject of this sketch received a full
commercial course at the College of Ottawa, now the University. He
served in the “Chasseurs Canadiens” at St. John’s, Laprairie and St.
Armands during the first Fenian raid in 1866; was appointed lieutenant
in 1869, and captain in 1870. He entered the Merchants Bank, at
Montreal, in 1867, and became manager of the Sorel branch in 1871. The
bank closed its branch in 1881, and handed the business over to Mr.
Taillon, who continued as a private banker, and is one of the leading
business men of the town. He was an alderman and chairman of the Finance
Committee in 1883 and 1884, and was elected by a large majority over
Senator Guévremont as mayor in 1887. He is president of Richelieu County
Conservative Association, and was several times called on to be a
candidate for both local and federal parliamentary honors, which he
invariably declined. He was president of several local societies, and
was the promoter of many public enterprises. He is a Roman Catholic. On
the 12th January, 1871, he was married to Josephine de Boucherville,
eldest daughter of P. V. de Boucherville, M.D., of Beauharnois. He has
had eight children, six of whom are living.
* * * * *
=Vallee, Thomas Evariste Arthur=, M.D., Quebec, is one of the leaders of
the medical profession in that city, and a well-known specialist in
insanity and toxicology. He was born in Quebec on the 22nd December,
1849, of the marriage of Prudent Vallée and Henrietta Casault, and was
educated at the Quebec Seminary and Laval University, from which last
institution he graduated as an M.D. in 1873. He also had the advantage
of a three years’ course of medical study in London and Paris. In 1878
his _alma mater_, Laval University, fittingly recognized his abilities
by appointing him one of the professors of its medical faculty. First
called to the chair of medical jurisprudence and toxicology, which he
filled with distinction, he was, on the death of the late Dr. Alfred
Jackson, in 1885, transferred to that of tocology and gynæcology, which
he still occupies. In 1879 he was further appointed visiting physician
of the Beaufort Insane Asylum, and medical superintendent of the same
great institution in 1885. For several years past he has also been
visiting physician of the institutions of the Good Shepherd, the Sisters
of Charity, the Hotel Dieu and the Lying-in Hospital, at Quebec. In
questions of insanity and toxicology, Dr. Vallée is one of the
recognized authorities of his native province, and his great skill as an
analyst, where death by poisoning is suspected, has frequently been of
the most valuable service to its authorities and the cause of justice.
Among the _causes célèbres_ in Lower Canadian criminal annals in which
it has more recently been called into requisition to assist the
administration of the law, may be mentioned more specially the Coats’
case at Sherbrooke, and the Boulet and Lagacé poisoning cases in the
Quebec district. In the Boulet case, the prisoner, Mrs. Boulet, was
found guilty and sentenced to be hanged, but during the night preceding
the execution, and after the gallows had been erected, her sentence was
commuted to imprisonment for life, owing to some technical objection
raised by the unfortunate woman’s counsel, F. X. Lemieux, M.P.P. (of
notoriety also as Riel’s counsel), and to the popular dislike of
visiting the last penalty of the law on a woman. As an expert in
insanity, Dr. Vallée also figured very prominently before the public in
the celebrated Lynam case, which created so much excitement in Montreal
a couple of years since. While studying for his profession, in 1871, the
subject of this sketch further obtained a diploma from the Quebec
military school. A gentleman of literary taste and culture, he was
elected president of “L’Institut Canadien de Quebec” in 1878, and filled
that office down to 1880. He has travelled extensively in the United
States, England, France, Belgium, Italy, Turkey and the East for
pleasure and to extend his knowledge of his profession. In religion Dr.
Vallée is a Roman Catholic, and on the 30th April, 1878, he married
Honorine Chauveau, daughter of the eminent French-Canadian
_littérateur_, educationalist and statesman, Hon. P. J. O. Chauveau,
late premier of the province of Quebec, and now sheriff of Montreal.
* * * * *
=Walker, Thomas=, M.D., St. John, N.B., was born on the 20th March,
1840, at Hampton, in Kings’s County New Brunswick. He is of English
extraction and is the eldest son of Rev. William Walker and Anne Walker.
He is descended on the paternal side of the house from Elizabeth Yates,
who was a sister of the famous Pendrell brothers, who was instrumental
in saving King Charles II., after the fatal battle of Worcester. In
consideration of these services, a pension was granted to the Pendrell
family when the merry monarch came to his own. The pension is still
received by the descendants of the Pendrells, though cut up by a failure
of male heirs. Though coming of good old royalist stock, the subject of
this sketch is a thorough Liberal of the Liberals and opposed the
confederation of the provinces. He served his party actively and well in
many fights. His early school days were passed at the Grammar School of
his native county. He completed his classical course of study at King’s
College, Fredericton, from which university he received the degree of
B.A. From this college, which was modelled after King’s College,
Windsor, N.S., the oldest degree-conferring college in British North
America, have gone forth many of the ablest men in the learned
professions in the Maritime provinces. It is an unsectarian institution,
liberally endowed and supported out of the Provincial treasury. In order
to prepare himself for the labors of the medical profession, Dr. Walker
crossed the Atlantic in 1859, and spent the following four years in
close study at the University of Edinburgh, where he graduated M.D. in
August, 1863. In the same year he obtained the license of the Royal
College of Surgeons. In July, 1866, Dr. Walker married Mary R., eldest
daughter of the late William Jack, Q.C., formerly Advocate-general of
New Brunswick, and sister of I. Allan Jack, D.C.L. recorder of the city
of St. John, N.B. Of this marriage, have been born seven children. Dr.
Walker speedily arose to eminence in his profession, and was president
of the New Brunswick Medical Society in 1884 and 1885. He now holds the
office of treasurer of the society. He is also a member of the Council
of Physicians and Surgeons of New Brunswick. He has never seen any
active service in warfare, but holds the position of surgeon in the
62nd, St. John Fusiliers. No troops from New Brunswick were ordered to
the front during the late troubles in the North-West. He is a member of
the Church of England, holding moderate views in the many divisions of
his church. Like most medical men, Dr. Walker is an active member of the
Masonic fraternity, which order he joined in 1871. He is N. and E.
Commander of the Encampment of St. John Knights Templars, on the
registry of the Chapter General of Scotland. Among his other positions
of public esteem and influence, Dr. Walker is a commissioner of the St.
John Public Hospital.
* * * * *
=Shehyn, Hon. Joseph=, Provincial Treasurer, Quebec, is politically,
commercially and socially one of the conspicuous figures of the hour in
the province of Quebec. As the Treasurer of the Province, he is at the
head of the most important of its public departments, and, as one of the
leading merchants of the port of Quebec, his commercial and social
standing is of the highest. With talents rather of the solid than the
brilliant order, he is pre-eminently what is termed “a safe man,” and a
striking example of the success which attends a well-regulated
character—his probity and industry in business being only equalled by
his consistency and moderation in politics. Of Irish and French-Canadian
parentage, Mr. Shehyn was born in the city of Quebec, in 1829, and was
also educated there, partly at the Quebec Seminary, and partly by
private tuition. Entering commercial life, he rapidly rose to wealth and
distinction, finally becoming a member of the great wholesale dry goods
firms of Sterling, McCall & Co., and McCall, Shehyn & Co., of London,
Montreal and Quebec. For many years he has been the representative and
head of the last named firm at Quebec, where it holds a foremost
position in the dry goods importing trade, and does an extensive
wholesale business with all parts of the province through its commercial
travellers. But it was not until he entered the Quebec Board of Trade
that the subject of our sketch began to attract much public attention
outside of commercial circles. As a member of that body, his natural
taste for figures, his intimate acquaintance with financial questions,
his seemingly inexhaustible fund of statistics and the earnest and
intelligent lead he always took in all that concerned the trade of
Quebec and generally of the St. Lawrence, soon made him a marked man.
Elected a member of the Council of the Board of Trade, his name was
prominently and constantly before the public as one of the ablest
champions of Quebec’s interests. On different important occasions he
represented them as a delegate to Ottawa, or defended them before the
Board in speeches and published papers with a logic and force which
commanded wide-spread notice and respect, and the Board expressed its
confidence in him by electing and re-electing him its president until he
was compelled to decline further acceptance of the honor, on being
called in 1887 to the discharge of still higher public duties, which
promised to absorb all his available time from his private business. It
was during his presidency of the Board that he contributed to its
records an important paper entitled “Railways vs. Canals,” which was
considered so valuable that the Board unanimously ordered it to be
printed in pamphlet form for the public information. No more powerful
argument has yet been adduced against the injustice of saddling the
Dominion at large with Montreal’s harbor debt, including the cost of
deepening Lake St. Peter, and against the folly generally of expending
public money on the improvement of artificial water courses in the face
of the overshadowing competition and advantages now-a-days of railways
as inland trade carriers. Mr. Shehyn’s services were also warmly
appreciated by his fellow citizens of Quebec outside of the Board of
Trade. A Liberal in politics, though a moderate man in his views, he was
first selected as the party’s candidate for the important division of
Quebec East at the general elections for the Legislative Assembly of the
province of Quebec in 1875, and was returned by a large majority. At the
general elections of 1878, he was re-elected for the same division by a
handsome majority, and again at the general elections of 1881 he was
elected by acclamation. At the last general elections in October, 1886,
opposition to his re-election was deemed futile by his adversaries, and
he was accordingly again returned by acclamation. These were the
elections which brought the Liberal opposition into power in the
province under Hon. H. Mercier, and, in the latter’s assumption of the
reins of office as Premier of Quebec, in January, 1887, Mr. Shehyn, as
one of the ablest of his lieutenants, and as the financial authority and
critic _par excellence_ of his party, was among the first invited to
enter his cabinet, which he did to the general satisfaction as Treasurer
of the province, when the electors of Quebec East immediately signified
their approval by once more electing him by acclamation. During the
session of the legislature, which followed in March, the new Treasurer
did not disappoint the high estimate formed by the public of his
financial abilities. His Budget speech dealt in a masterly manner with a
fiscal situation of unusual complication and difficulty, and the
remedial measures he proposed not only met with the sanction of the
House, but the approbation of all business minds. The result has been
eminently satisfactory. Under Mr. Shehyn’s skillful management the
finances of the province, which were very seriously embarrassed when he
took charge, have steadily improved; new sources of revenue, hitherto
undeveloped, have been opened up, the license laws have been more
vigorously enforced, as well to the benefit of the public treasury as of
public morals; and some long-pending questions in legislation or in
dispute, such as the tax on commercial corporations, etc., have been
advantageously settled. Method and economy are the prevailing
characteristics of his administration, and, as a whole, the province of
Quebec has reason to be congratulated upon it. As a member of the Quebec
government, Mr. Shehyn also took an important and leading part in the
late Inter-Provincial Conference at Quebec, and his princely residence
of Bandon Lodge, opposite the parliament buildings, was the home of
Premier and Mrs. Mowat, of Ontario, as well as the scene of many of the
splendid social festivities on that memorable occasion. In religion, Mr.
Shehyn is a Roman Catholic. He has been a member of the commission of
the peace for the Quebec district since 1874. On the 16th of August,
1858, he married Marie Zoe Virginie, daughter of Ambroise Verret, of
Quebec, and by her has had a large issue of children, six of whom are
living; the eldest son, Lieutenant Shehyn, of the 9th battalion of
Quebec, served with distinction with his regiment in the Northwest,
during the last rebellion. Mrs. Shehyn is one of the leaders of Quebec
society, and much of its brilliancy is due to her graceful influence and
example.
* * * * *
=Maclaren, James=, Lumber Manufacturer, Buckingham, province Quebec, was
born in Glasgow, Scotland, about the year 1818. His parents came to
Canada when he was a young boy and settled in the township of Tarbolton,
on the Upper Ottawa. His father, who was a man of education and culture,
set to work vigorously to make himself a new home in his adopted
country. Among other enterprises, he went into the manufacture of
lumber, and had succeeded in erecting a saw mill, when a freshet came
and carried away the dam, thereby entailing upon him a heavy pecuniary
loss. But nothing daunted by this mishap, he went to work, again
constructed the dam, and soon had his mill in running order. James, the
subject of our sketch, at this time was a mere lad, but an observing
one, and picked up from his father a fund of practical knowledge with
regard to mills and dams, which, when he went into the lumbering
business on his own account years afterwards, proved of great benefit to
him. Mr. Maclaren’s first business as a merchant was at the “Pesche,” in
the township of Wakefield, on the Gatineau river, where his sagacity
enabled him to select a spot between the hills and the Gatineau river,
where there was just land enough for the road, and a store and a
dwelling, and where consequently every one going up and down the
Gatineau must pass at the very door of his store. He soon built up a
large and lucrative business with the farmers and settlers all around;
erected grist and other mills, and supplied many jobbers and others
engaged in getting out saw logs and timber. About this time he, in
company with the late J. M. Currier, leased the extensive saw mills,
&c., at the mouth of the Rideau river, near Ottawa, belonging to the
late Hon. Thomas McKay, and for years, carried on a large business.
Later on Mr. Maclaren purchased these mills and the adjoining property
and carried on the business in his own name. About the year 1864, he
purchased the large lumbering establishment and extensive lumber limits
on the River du Lievre, formerly owned by the late Baxter Bowman, and
changed his residence to the village of Buckingham, where he has since
resided. He was also largely interested for some years in the saw mills
and large lumber business carried on, on the opposite side of the River
du Lievre, as well as in the saw mills on the North Nation river. For
some years, too, he carried on a square timber business, near Lake
Temiscamangue, on the Upper Ottawa. In spite of these varied and
important occupations, Mr. Maclaren found time to establish the Bank of
Ottawa, of which he has been president since its establishment, and is
now its largest stockholder. He is also largely interested in railways,
and is the vice-president of the Ontario Central. His business
operations are not confined to Canada. At Burlington, Vermont; at
Boston, Massachusetts; and in Michigan, he is interested in large and
flourishing lumber concerns, whose success is largely due to his great
energy, clear-headedness and business sagacity. In religion, Mr.
Maclaren is a Presbyterian, and his munificent gift to Knox College,
Toronto, testifies to the interest he takes in religious education. He
is now a wealthy man, being possessed of property worth millions of
dollars. This fortune has all been acquired by hard work, honesty and
integrity, and while making his money he has retained the respect and
esteem of all who know him. In politics Mr. Maclaren is a Liberal.
* * * * *
=Denoncourt, Nazaire Lefebvre=, Advocate and Q.C., Three Rivers, Que.,
was born in the parish of La Pointe du Lac, in the county of St.
Maurice, district of Three Rivers, on May 4th, 1834. His father was
Joseph Lefebvre Denoncourt, a descendant of Ignace Lefebvre Sieur de
Belle Isle, who came to Three Rivers in 1656. His mother was Marie
Louise Panneton. The subject of this sketch was sent to Nicolet College
and received an excellent classical education. After the usual course of
study in law he was called to the bar on 1st September, 1861, and was
made a Queen’s counsel on the 11th September, 1880. He has since
practised his profession successfully in the city of Three Rivers. He
has appeared for the Crown in several cases, was appointed city attorney
on May 16th, 1878, and legal adviser of the Hochelaga Bank in 1885; has
pleaded before all the courts of the province; and successfully
maintained the rights of the local legislature before the Supreme Court
and Court of Appeal, to authorize municipalities to levy taxes on the
sale of liquors and on commercial travellers. On October 14th, 1862, he
married Marie Ann Cecile Garceau, a daughter of Louis Benjamin Garceau,
descendent of an Arcadian family. Her mother was Adele Poulin de
Courval, one of the ancient and most important families of New France.
* * * * *
=McConville, Joseph Norbet Alfred=, Advocate, Joliette, Que., was born
at Berthier (_en haut_) Que., on March 1st, 1839. His father, John
McConville, who was headmaster of the Berthier Academy from 1833 to
1846, was born at Newry, county Down, Ireland, came to Canada in 1818,
was married at Berthier, on January 7th, 1832, and died at St. Paul,
Quebec, September, 10th, 1849. His grandfather, Meredith McConville,
while living at Portadown, county Down, Ireland, joined the United
Irishmen in 1798, and died March 4th, 1838. His grandmother, Mary
McCardle, died on Easter Sunday, 1827, in church, having lived to a good
old age: her father, who died at the age of 109, was well able to plough
two years before. His mother, Mary Magdalen McKie, was born at St.
Melanie, Quebec, June 28th, 1813, was married at Berthier, January 7th,
1832, and died at Joliette, April 30th, 1878. Her father, John McKie,
surveyor, was born at Alloa, Scotland, 1767, was married at Sorel,
Quebec, September 23rd, 1805, and died at St. Melanie, October 11th,
1818. Her mother, Mary Magdalen McKay, was born at St. Cuthbert, Quebec,
about 1790, was married at Sorel, September 23rd, 1805, and died at St.
Melanie, September 25th, 1817. Angus McKay, one of his mother’s
grandparents, was of extraordinary physical strength, married Magdalen
Fauteux, at Sorel, August 19th, 1789. The subject of this sketch was
educated at L’Assomption College, Quebec, studied law at Drummondville,
and was admitted to the bar at Three Rivers, in February, 1865. He was
captain and paymaster of No. 1 Joliette Provisional Battalion, from 1872
to 1875. He was secretary-treasurer of the Municipal Council and School
Commissioners of Grantham, Windover and Simpson, from 1862 to 1866; town
councillor of Joliette from 1872 to 1875; and is now one of the school
commissioners of Joliette. He is a shareholder in the St. Jacques
Brewery; a shareholder and secretary of the Joliette Lumber Co.; was
editor and proprietor, in conjunction with his late brother, (L. Arthur
McConville) of the newspaper _L’Industrie_ in 1872-73; and is now
shareholder in _L’Imprimerie de la Gazette de Joliette_. In politics he
is a Conservative, and was the defeated candidate at the Dominion
general election in 1882, contested the election, but was again defeated
at the new election in the fall of the same year. In 1885, he was,
however, more successful, being elected a member of the Quebec
legislature in September, but was again defeated at the election in
October, 1886. In July and August, 1883, he made a foreign tour,
visiting in the course of his travels, Londonderry, Dungannon,
Portadown, Newry, Drogheda, with the Boyne battle-field, and Dublin, in
Ireland; Liverpool, Leicester and London, in England; and Boulogne,
Amiens, Paris, Rouen and Dieppe, in France. In religion, he is a Roman
Catholic. He was married at Berthier, Que., May 12th, 1874, to Annie
Magdalen Kittson, daughter of the late Alexander Kittson, merchant, and
Sophie Desantels, born in Berthier, October 12th, 1842, and a niece of
Commodore Norman Kittson, of St. Paul’s, Minnesota.
* * * * *
=Dunn, Timothy Hibbard=, Quebec, is one of the veterans of the Quebec
timber trade, and certainly one of the most conspicuous and best
respected citizens of the ancient capital, with whose history and
commerce he has been closely identified for nearly half a century. He is
of Scotch descent, but thoroughly Canadian in sentiment. He was born,
like his father (the late Charles Dunn) before him, at Ste. Ursule, near
Three Rivers, in the year 1816, and received his education in the common
school of his native place. He was early initiated into acquaintanceship
with the staple industry of the country, the lumber trade, and in 1841
entered as a clerk in the Quebec office of the great timber firm of
Calvin, Cook & Counter, of Kingston, Ontario. Four years later he was
admitted to the position of a partner of this house, and was entrusted
with the management of the extensive business of its Quebec branch,
which was thenceforward carried on under the name of Dunn, Calvin & Co.
After the dissolution of the firm in 1850 or thereabouts, Mr. Dunn,
whose ability and success had won general confidence and respect,
associated himself with the late Thomas Benson, and, in partnership with
that gentleman under the name of T. H. Dunn & Co., continued the
business at Quebec. Two years later, Mr. Benson went out, and down to
1860 Mr. Dunn remained the sole head of the house, which ranked among
the foremost of the Quebec market in making advances to timber
manufacturers in the west, and doing business on commission, especially
in hardwoods. About 1860 he formed a new partnership with the late
William Home, of Quebec, under the name of Dunn & Home, and, among other
important ventures of this firm, was the successful building of one of
the most difficult sections of the Intercolonial Railway below Quebec.
In 1872, the firm of Dunn & Home was dissolved, Mr. Home going out, Mr.
Dunn then retired from active business on his well-earned wealth and
honors, and his two sons, Logie and Stewart Dunn, assumed control of the
old house under the name of Dunn Bros. In 1877 W. A. Griffith, of
Quebec, was added to the firm, when its name was changed to Dunn,
Griffith & Co. In 1884, Mr. Griffith retired, and ever since the firm
has been Dunn & Co. In its fortunes, the subject of our sketch still
continues to take a keen paternal interest, notwithstanding his
seventy-one years, with unimpaired physical and mental vigor, which is
an object of envy to many of his juniors. He can yet be seen any day on
“Change,” and no figure is better known on St. Peter street, where the
business men of Quebec most do congregate. He is one of the last
remaining representatives of the old school who were identified with the
ancient capital in its palmier days, and a type of a class of men who,
unhappily for its present prosperity, have nearly all passed away.
Strange to say, notwithstanding his extensive mercantile connections,
Mr. Dunn never crossed the Atlantic, but he has travelled a good deal in
North America, and especially in the West. In 1845 he married Margaret
Turner, of Sorel, a niece of the late Captain Charles Armstrong, and a
cousin of the present ex-chief justice of the Windward Islands, Hon.
James Armstrong, now of Sorel, and by her had issue nine children, four
sons and five daughters. As already stated, two of the former have
succeeded him in the business at Quebec. The other two have boldly
struck out in a new field and are now successful farmers in Manitoba.
Mr. Dunn has been a widower for the last fourteen years, his wife having
died in 1874. He is a member of the Church of England, and has always
taken a hearty interest in its affairs. He was one of the founders of
St. Mary’s Church and parsonage on the Island of Orleans, where his
beautiful summer retreat, “Island Home,” is an object of admiration to
every visitor and to the passengers in every vessel passing up and down
the St. Lawrence from the harbor of Quebec. In politics he is a
Conservative, but has never taken an active part in public affairs,
though frequently pressed by his fellow-citizens to do so. He was,
however, for many years a conspicuous member of the Quebec Board of
Trade and its Council, and a director of the Quebec Bank. He was also a
delegate to the first railroad convention held in Boston in 1851. In his
younger days he held a commission as captain in the militia, and served
under the late Colonel Boucher, of Maskinonge, P.Q. Throughout all the
relations of life, Mr. Dunn has been an exemplary citizen, and his long
and successful career is only another illustration of the triumph of
well-applied industry and honorable dealing with his fellow men.
* * * * *
=Steadman, James=, Fredericton, N.B., Judge of the County Court for the
Counties of York, Sunbury and Queen’s in the province of New Brunswick,
was born at Moncton, in the county of Westmoreland, N.B., on the 27th
March, 1818. His father was William Steadman, who was born in
Cornwallis, Nova Scotia, but settled in Moncton about the first of this
century. He married in 1803, Hannah Trites, also of Moncton. Judge
Steadman was educated at Moncton. He studied law in the office of the
present Judge Botsford, of Westmoreland county, and was admitted an
attorney in the month of February, 1844. For the next twenty-four years
he practised law at Moncton and then, in the year 1866, removed to the
city of Fredericton, where he has continued to reside up to the present
time. He was elected to the Provincial legislature in 1854, and, being a
prominent man, in May 1860, was sworn in as a member of the Executive
Council and Postmaster General of New Brunswick. These offices he held
until April, 1865. Judge Steadman, thus has seen the last days of
parliamentary life in his native province, days which produced such men
as the late Governor L. A. Wilmot, the late Judge Fisher, the late Sir
Albert L. Smith, Sir Leonard Tilley, Judges King and Palmer, and many
others whose eloquence enlivened the political campaigns and the
sessions of the legislature for many years. Between the years 1836 and
1845 the battle of Responsible Government was fought out in New
Brunswick. Those were stormy times in all of the provinces of British
North America. The visit of Earl Durham to the Canadas, and his famous
report upon the lines of which all the later political movements in the
provinces have proceeded, gave an extraordinary impetus to the popular
wish for a larger measure of political power. In all of the English
speaking provinces the Reform party were steadily and fiercely opposed
by small governing bodies variously known as “family compacts,” “council
of xii,” and other suggestive appellations. Another stormy period in
which Judge Steadman was himself a prominent figure, was the era just
preceding the Confederation in 1867. As we have said, during these years
he was a member of the Executive and Postmaster General. Party spirit
ran very high in New Brunswick, and the first time that the question of
Confederation was submitted to the people it was lost. In Nova Scotia
the people were never asked to sanction the measure until the British
North America Act had been passed and the union was consummated. After
twenty years the question is still keenly debated in both of the leading
Maritime provinces. Judge Steadman is connected with the Baptist
denomination. He has for many years been a strong temperance man, having
joined the order of Sons of Temperance in March, 1848. In 1865 he was
elected Grand Worthy Patriarch, and still maintains his connection with
this leading order. In June, 1887, he was appointed judge of the County
Court. Judge Steadman has seen his native town of Moncton from the
smallest beginning expand into a city of 9000 inhabitants, and become
the headquarters of the Intercolonial Railway, with streets lighted by
electricity, daily newspapers, an extensive and increasing trade, and
all the signs of outward and moral improvement.
* * * * *
=Macdonald, Lawrence George=, Q.C., St. John’s, province of Quebec, was
born at Chateauguay, Que., on July 30th 1831. His parents were born at
Fort Howe, N.B. His father, James Macdonald, was a second son of the
late Adjutant and Quarter-master, William Macdonald, late of the 104th
Regiment of the line, and his mother Eliza Holland, a daughter of
Captain E. Holland of the same regiment. Captain Holland served in Egypt
and saw the great Napoleon while a prisoner at Elba. Adj. Macdonald took
an active part in the war of 1812-14. Mr. James Macdonald was a merchant
for many years in Chateauguay, and was actively engaged on the Loyalist
side during the rebellion of 1837-38. The subject of this sketch
commenced his studies under the Rev. Dr. Black, of Laprairie, afterwards
attending two private schools, and finally taking a full classical
course at the High School, Montreal. While studying law he continued to
take private lessons from the Rev. David Robertson, chaplain to the
forces in Canada. After leaving school he studied law in the office of
Meredith, Bethune and Dunkin, of Montreal, and four years later was
admitted to the bar in December, 1852. In 1854 he removed to St. John’s,
where he has since resided. He was appointed a Queen’s counsel under the
Joly government in March, 1878, which appointment was afterwards
confirmed by the Dominion government. Mr. Macdonald has taken an active
part in military affairs, obtaining a first-class certificate on May
12th, 1865, when he was appointed cornet in the St. John’s troop of
cavalry, and was sent to the front during the Fenian raids. He was Crown
prosecutor for several years in the Court of Queen’s Bench, St. John’s,
district of Iberville. At present he is a director of the Richelieu
Bridge Co. He is a member of the Episcopalian church, and in politics is
a Conservative. He was married at St. John’s, in August, 1856, to Louise
Gertrude, second daughter of the late Deputy Commissary-General Lister.
Mr. and Mrs. Macdonald have one daughter, who is married to Dr. Robert
Howard, of St. John’s, and who has issue four children.
* * * * *
=McCaffrey, Charles=, Lumber Merchant and Steam Saw Mill Proprietor,
Nicolet, province of Quebec, was born at Drummondville, county of
Drummond, Quebec. He is the son of Hugh McCaffrey and Rose McEvay. His
father, Hugh McCaffrey, served as a soldier In the 27th British Regiment
of the line, obtained his discharge at Chambly, and located, together
with a number of other discharged soldiers, at Drummondville. The late
Colonel Harriette procured lands for them to settle upon, and also
obtained supplies from the government for them until they were able to
build homes and clear sufficient land to enable them to supply
themselves with the necessaries of life. During the time the government
furnished the provisions, the commissariat stores were under the charge
of Hugh McCaffrey, who was authorized to distribute the provisions to
all those entitled to receive the same. The great majority of the new
settlers, not being inured to farming life, or clearing the bush land
given them by the government, sold out their claims for a nominal sum,
and left for other parts. Hugh McCaffrey, however, settled down in his
new home, and commenced getting out lumber, which he supplied to Colonel
Harriette, who owned a saw mill near by, and his son Charles, the
subject of this sketch, has continued in the lumbering business for the
past forty years, with fair success. Apart from the regular annual
output of sawed lumber, he has shipped hundreds of thousands of tamarac
railway ties to Whitehall and Plattsburgh, N.Y., for the Delaware and
Hudson Canal Co., and has contracted with the same company to supply a
large number during the present season. He received his education partly
in the common schools and partly at the hands of private tutors, high
schools being at that time few and far between. In politics, he is a
Conservative, and wields considerable influence in his locality. He has
often been requested to allow himself to be put in nomination for both
the Federal and Provincial parliaments, and in municipal and town
councils, but has steadily refused to do so, or to accept any public
office. He has travelled through several of the States, both east and
west, also through the upper and lower provinces in connection with his
lumber business. In religion he is a Roman Catholic. He was married in
1860, to Ann McLeod, a native of Campbelltown, N.B., who is of Scotch
origin, and Presbyterian in religion. Mr. McCaffrey has resided in
Nicolet for twenty-five years, and is much respected by the residents.
* * * * *
=Seymour, James=, Collector of Inland Revenue, St. Catharines, was born
in Limerick, Ireland, in 1824, came to Halifax with his father four
years later, and died in St. Catharines on the 9th of January, 1888. Mr.
Seymour spent his boyhood in the maritime provinces, and after leaving
school learned the business of printer. He then came west and worked in
several offices, among others the Toronto _Globe_ and the Hamilton
_Spectator_. In 1856 he purchased from Mr. Giles the St. Catharines
_Constitution_, an influential weekly newspaper, which he continued to
publish until he received the appointment of collector of inland
revenue, and this office he held until the day of his death. In 1851 he
joined St. George’s Masonic lodge, and very soon, through his
faithfulness and zeal, became to be looked upon as one of the main
pillars of the order. In 1871 he was elected Grand Master of the Grand
Lodge of Canada, and this position he filled during the term of his
election with great credit. He was a member of the Scottish Rite, and a
P.G.M.G. of Royal and Oriental Freemasonry 33-96°⁂90°. He was buried
with Masonic honors.
* * * * *
=Tims, Frank Dillon=, Deputy Provincial Auditor of the Province of
Quebec, is a prominent figure in official life at Quebec, and few
members of the Civil Service enjoy a larger share of the public respect.
He is the youngest son of the late William and Catherine Dillon Tims,
and was born in Oldcastle, county Meath, Ireland, on 26th December,
1829. The family came to Canada in 1834, and settled in the city of
Quebec, where Mr. Tims, sr., died in 1836 and his widow in 1862. An
elder brother of the subject of this sketch, Thomas D. Tims, now
occupies the important position of Financial Inspector of the Dominion
of Canada, at Ottawa, and their sister, the Reverend Mother St.
Catherine, who entered the Monastery of the Ursulines at Quebec many
years ago, is still living, after having occupied for two consecutive
terms, the longest period permitted by the regulations, the high
position of Lady Superior. Our subject was educated at the Seminary of
Quebec and the Quebec High School, and subsequently studied law with
Charles Alleyn, Q.C., subsequently Provincial Secretary of Canada, and
now sheriff of Quebec. Seized with the “gold fever” in 1849, he gave up
the study of the law, and on the 12th November, 1849, sailed on the
barque _Rory O’Moore_, the first vessel leaving Canada bound for
California, by the way of Cape Horn, finally reaching San Francisco
after a five and a half months’ voyage. He remained in California,
engaged principally in mining, until the fall of 1851, when he started
on his homeward journey down the Pacific coast, stopping at San Juan del
Sur and Lake Nicaragua for some weeks and then proceeding to Panama,
where he crossed the isthmus and took steamer to New York from Chagres
in January, 1852. He reached Quebec in February of the same year, and on
the 23rd October following, was married at Sherbrooke, to Caroline
Dudley, youngest daughter of the late Captain John Fraser, of H.M. 76th
regiment, formerly town mayor of Quebec. He next removed to Upper
Canada, where he was principally engaged in mercantile pursuits down to
1857, when he went to Illinois, entered the lumber business for some
time, and while there in 1859, was licensed to practice as an attorney
and counsellor-at-law in that state. Returning to Canada in 1861, he
entered the employ of the late Hon. Jas. Skead, senator, then one of the
largest lumber producers of the Ottawa district, where he remained in
charge of the business until January, 1868, when he was appointed to the
Audit branch of the Treasury department of the province of Quebec, and
promoted to the office of Deputy Provincial Auditor in 1884, which he
still holds. In religion, Mr. Tims is a Roman Catholic. In 1856, he held
a commission as lieutenant and adjutant in the Waterloo (Ont.) Militia.
He is a past president of the St. Patrick’s Society of Quebec, and has
taken a prominent interest in the progress of the Geographical Society
of Quebec, of which he has been the secretary for several years. In this
last capacity, he was one of the principal promoters of the government
exploring expedition, which was sent out within the last few years to
endeavor to solve the mystery surrounding Great Lake Mistassini, in
north eastern Canada. By his marriage, he has had issue thirteen
children, seven of whom are living, four sons and three daughters. Of
the former, three are actually settled in the Canadian North-West, at
Swift Current and Beaver Lake, near Edmonton, where they are largely
engaged in commercial pursuits. One of them, F. F. Tims, had the honor
to be the first to erect a building at Regina, the present capital of
the province of Assiniboia. During the late rebellion this son rendered
valuable public service in freighting for the troops and in provisioning
the Battleford contingent and Mounted Police.
* * * * *
=Ostigny, Joseph Henry=, Manager of the Bank of Hochelaga, at Joliette,
Quebec, was born at St. Hilaire, county Rouville, Quebec, on the 5th of
January, 1849. His father, Zephirin Ostigny, was an agriculturist, and
lived for more than thirty years in the parish of l’Ange Gardien, county
Rouville. His mother’s name was Sophie Montplaisir. The subject of this
sketch, when fifteen years of age, told his father of his wish to give
up farming, and get his livelihood in some other way. For that he
required more education, and through the kindness of a father, who
sacrificed his own personal interests to promote those of his children,
he was sent to school at St. Césaire from 1863 to 1866, and from 1867 to
1869 at the Jacques Cartier Normal School, at Montreal. In the year
1870, he took the course at the Montreal Business College, and was for
nearly two years a professor of that institution. When the Bank of
Hochelaga commenced operations, April 6th, 1874, he entered it, and
since then has worked up to be manager, which position he has held since
January 25th, 1885. In religion he is a Roman Catholic. He was married
on February 9th, 1886, to Maria Georgiana Athala Piché, daughter of
Urgel Piché, broker, of Joliette.
* * * * *
=Ratcliffe, John=, was born in Lanarkshire, Scotland, on the 9th
September, 1813. His father, Daniel Graham Ratcliffe, was a native of
Cumberland, England, but removed to Scotland in early manhood, married
Elizabeth Latham, a native of Hamilton parish, Lanarkshire, and spent
the remainder of his days mostly in Avondale parish. The father was
suddenly cut off in the prime of life, leaving a heavy burden to rest
upon the shoulders of his son John, the eldest of the family. Before he
had completed his twentieth year, in the spring of 1833, he sought the
shores of Canada, in the hope of securing a better home and portion for
the family. The township of Whitby, county of Ontario, was the part of
Upper Canada to which he was directed. He purchased from the government
the north half of lot 6, concession 6, where he settled. The following
year the family removed to Canada, where they found a home ready for
them. On October 31st, 1836, Mr. Ratcliffe married Margaret Hepburn,
eldest daughter of John Hepburn, a native of Lanarkshire, who also came
to Canada in 1833. To them were born seven sons and three daughters, all
of whom are still alive. The subject of this sketch was a man of more
than ordinary ability. Not having educational opportunities beyond a few
months in the parish school, his pathway was made more difficult, but
this loss was largely compensated for by extensive and careful reading.
Time for reading was not abundant in the life of a pioneer, but moments
were utilised, and to such good advantage that, having the misfortune to
break his leg, he was, during the time of enforced rest from work,
chosen to teach a school opened in the neighbourhood. When municipal
affairs began to demand attention, he was alive to every question that
agitated the public, and occupied a seat at the council board for many
years, presiding as reeve over its affairs during the greater portion of
the time. In the year 1863 he occupied the warden’s chair, thereafter
retiring from public municipal life. For many years he was an active
justice of the peace, and in the discharge of the magisterial functions
won the respect and confidence of the whole community. During the years
that East Whitby was without a township hall, his house was the
court-room in which most of the petty trials of the township had a
hearing. He always counselled a harmonious settlement of difficulties;
and many a quarrel was satisfactorily disposed of, without “going to
law,” by having the parties meet and talk over the trouble with him. In
politics he was a consistent and pronounced Liberal, and for many years
held the honorable and responsible position of president of the South
Ontario Reform Association. His name was frequently mentioned when a
candidate was to be selected, but he always declined the honor. In
religion he was a loyal Presbyterian. With all his interest in public
affairs, his relation to the church of Christ, and his responsibility to
its Head were never allowed to be interfered with. In the year 1856 he
was ordained to the eldership of the United Presbyterian church, which
office he adorned until called higher. Only ill-health or absence from
home ever kept him from his accustomed place in the house of God, or
from his class in the Sabbath school. He was a most successful teacher,
personally interested in every member of his class, and many were by his
instrumentality led to decide for Christ. In his home he was tender and
affectionate, yet firm, and his children remember with gratitude his
kindly, wise counsel, and, above all, his Christian instruction and
personal example. Suddenly, on March 9th, 1878, he was called to his
rest and reward.
* * * * *
=Torrington, Frederic Herbert=, Organist of the Metropolitan Methodist
Church, Toronto, Conductor of the Toronto Philharmonic Society and of
the great Toronto Musical Festival, 1886, and without doubt the most
prominent executive musician in Canada, was born at Dudley,
Worcestershire, England, October 20th, 1837. He commenced playing the
violin at the early age of seven years, and as he even then showed
marked ability, he was placed under competent musical instructors at
Birmingham, and articled, after the good old English fashion, to James
Fitzgerald, then organist and choirmaster of St. George’s and Mary’s
Churches, Kidderminster. At the age of sixteen he became organist and
choirmaster of St. Anne’s Church, Bewdley. In 1857 he left England for
Montreal, where he was, immediately on his arrival, appointed organist
of Great St. James street Methodist Church, a post which he occupied for
twelve years. During this period he founded several vocal societies and
the Montreal Amateur Musical Union Orchestra, and was for two years
bandmaster of the 25th regiment (regulars). Visiting Boston in
September, 1868, he gave a performance on the Great Music Hall organ,
which was warmly noticed in _Dwight’s Journal of Music_ and the Boston
daily press. Shortly after, at the invitation of P. S. Gilmore, he
formed the Canadian orchestral contingent for the first great Boston
jubilee. A few weeks after the close of the festival, Mr. Torrington
accepted the position of organist at King’s Chapel, Boston, and held it
for four years. During this period he was one of the regular solo
organists at the Music Hall, one of the first violins in the Harvard
Symphony Orchestra, a teacher of the piano at the New England
Conservatory of Music, and conductor of six vocal societies. On several
occasions he was solo organist at the concerts in Henry Ward Beecher’s
church, Brooklyn. In 1873 he came to Toronto, and was appointed organist
and choirmaster of the Metropolitan Church, and conductor of the
Philharmonic Society. This society was, at this time, in its infancy,
and in a languishing condition, but Mr. Torrington’s energy and the
enthusiastic music-lovers with whom he was able to surround himself
enabled him to develop it into the greatest factor in the musical world
of Canada, and into one of the greatest societies on the American
continent, as will be shown by a glance at the society’s performances in
fourteen years:—“Messiah” (4), “Elijah” (5), “Creation” (3), “Lay of
the Bell” (2), “Fridolin” (2), “St. Paul” (2), “Stabat Mater” (2), “May
Queen” (3), “Hymn of Praise” (2), “Walpurgis Night,” “Naaman” (2),
“Spring’s Message,” “Bride of Dunkerron,” “Judas Maccabæus” (2), “Gypsy
Life,” “The Last Judgment,” “Acis and Galatea,” “Preciosa,” “Redemption”
(2), “Rose Maiden,” march and chorus (Tannhæuser), “March Cortege”
(Reine de Saba), “Crusaders,” “Fair Ellen,” “Rose of Sharon,” “Mors et
Vita,” “Spectre’s Bride,” “Golden Legend.” To this imposing list of
choral works must be added numerous unaccompanied part songs, and the
following orchestral works:—Larghetto, Second Symphony (Beethoven),
Larghetto, Jupiter Symphony (Mozart), Surprise Symphony (Haydn), Hymn of
Praise Symphony (Mendelssohn), the Maritana, Martha, Oberon and Preciosa
overtures, Andante, First Symphony (Beethoven), G minor Concerto
(Mendelssohn), Beethoven’s Piano Concerto, Beethoven’s Emperor Concerto,
Arditi’s L’Ingenue Gavotte, and Delibes’ Valse lente e pizzicati, many
of these works being heard for the first time in Canada, and some for
the first time on this side of the Atlantic. The influence of the
Philharmonic Society is most strikingly reflected in the immense
improvement in the condition of church choirs throughout the city, and
in the establishment of other flourishing vocal societies. But Mr.
Torrington’s greatest work in the cause of music was undoubtedly the
initiation and successful performances of the great musical festival of
1886. In this a monster chorus of over nine hundred voices, accompanied
by an orchestra of one hundred skilled musicians, sang Handel’s “Israel
in Egypt” and Gounod’s “Mors et Vita” with a degree of musical splendor
that astonished every auditor. The soloists were of world-wide repute,
being Fraulein Lilli Lehmann, Mrs. E. Aline Osgoode, Mrs. Gertrude
Luther, Miss Agnes Huntington, Mr. Albert L. King, Mr. Max Heinrich, Mr.
D. M. Babcock, Mr. Frederic Archer, Mr. Otto Bendix, Mme. Josephine
Chatterton, Herr Henry Jacobsen, and Mr. Fred Warrington. Two
miscellaneous concerts were also given in which the soloists and
orchestra were assisted by a chorus of over one thousand three hundred
school children, in whose training he was ably assisted by E. W. Schuch
and A. P. Perrin. Mr. Torrington conducted these performances, which
have been unparalleled outside of four or five of the largest American
cities. The support and interest of the public were most gratifying, the
receipts being $13,561.48, yielding a net profit, after all expenses
were paid of $599.19, and entirely obviating the necessity of calling on
the immense guarantee fund of $35,000. In the respect of being
self-sustaining, the festival was unique, this rarely being the case,
even in the largest cities of the United States. The ability of the city
to provide such immense choral forces, and to support such an
undertaking so liberally, may clearly be traced to the confidence placed
in Mr. Torrington by the musical public, and to the great influence
exerted by his unwearied efforts to advance and popularise the cause of
true and pure music in Toronto. Mr. Torrington has laboured assiduously
to organise a permanent orchestra in Toronto, and his efforts have been
crowned with success; an efficient orchestra of sixty instrumentalists
being now one of the chief musical features of the city, and one of its
principal musical educators. Mr. Torrington’s wisdom in introducing the
amateur element into this orchestra is shown by the fact that a
well-balanced band, which is capable of performing oratorio
accompaniments, is now in active life in the city. His labors have
extended to Hamilton, where, as conductor of the Hamilton Philharmonic
Society, he has produced “The Lay of the Bell,” “Messiah,” “Elijah,”
“Hymn of Praise,” “Naaman,” “Rose of Sharon,” “The Three Holy Children,”
and “Samson.” As conductor of the University College Glee Club, he has
produced Mendelssohn’s music to “Antigone,” and Max Bruch’s “Frithjof.”
As a composer, he has produced several church services, hymn tunes,
organ voluntaries, secular choruses and songs. Mr. Torrington was
brought up a member of the Church of England, but has for many years
been connected with the Methodist church as organist. He is a Freemason,
being a life member of Ionic lodge, Toronto, and is a fellow and gold
medallist of the Society of Science, Letters and Art, London, England.
He has also been, for the past five years, director of the musical
department of the Ontario Ladies’ College, Whitby.
* * * * *
=Owens, John=, St. John, New Brunswick, an enterprising ship-builder and
shipowner, but better known in these latter days as a public spirited
and philanthrophic citizen, was born in St. John, New Brunswick, in the
year 1790, and died in his native city in the year 1867. The Owens Art
Institution of St. John is the outcome of his bequest “to be applied by
his executors for the purpose of establishing a gallery, or school of
art, for the instruction of young persons in drawing and other works of
art.” The fact of this institution having been created without any
outside assistance, and of its being operated with the view to be
self-sustaining through voluntary support on its merits alone, warrants
some reference to the circumstances which led up to its present
efficiency as a thoroughly equipped art educational establishment.
Hence, it may be said, the amount left for art purposes proving to be
quite inadequate to effect the object as set forth, led the executors to
believe the testator intended the amount so left to be merely a nucleus,
to be added to by other persons desirous of promoting a love for the
fine arts. From the outset the money was much sought after, but the fund
remained unapplied, in consequence of all propositions for its use being
destitute of the practical and financial accompaniments which the
executors deemed absolutely necessary for the accomplishment of the
object, in accordance with the terms of the will. A church property,
together with a limited endowment fund, formed another bequest, vested
in five trustees and their successors, the clergyman officiating in the
church to be of either the Methodist, Presbyterian, Baptist, Independent
or Episcopal persuasion. By reason of a combination of restrictions and
limitations governing the trust, so much difficulty was experienced in
its administration that a cessation of the church services took place in
the year 1882, with little prospect of their early renewal. In this
state of the two interests it became the opinion of the then sole
surviving executor, Robert Reed, and the trustees of the church estate,
namely, Robert Reed, Francis Jordan, Thomas Jordan, John Hegan, and
Andrew D. Robertson, the latter having succeeded John Duncan, deceased,
who was Mr. Owens’ business partner for about forty years, under the
firm of Owens & Duncan, that if the several trusts were concentrated
upon art, that object which the testator had in view might possibly be
carried out; whereupon they joined in an application to the legislature
to change the trusts, which was done by an act passed in the session of
1884. Immediately thereafter steps were taken, by the same trustees, to
remodel the church edifice into what now appears to be a building
thoroughly adapted for the purpose of art education, with the view of
making the institution as attractive and as useful as possible under the
circumstances; thereby hoping to create a more general interest in the
fine arts, the trustees have put forth the whole strength of the means
at their command, resulting in the gallery walls being covered with high
class work, consisting mostly of examples from the brush of English
Royal Academicians and other eminent artists of the present and previous
two centuries, besides a very full and complete school outfit of casts
from the antique, and drawing examples by leading artists,
characteristic of the South Kensington schools. In consequence of the
funds being thus exhausted, the institution is now solely depending for
its income upon its school fees and a charge for admission to the
gallery, but its being thus sustained solely on its intrinsic merits, is
a problem now in course of solution. If the experiment succeeds in its
aims it will prove to be a new departure in the maintenance of
educational establishments of a kindred character. The school is in
charge of John Hammond, a native of Montreal, who, in addition to being
a professional artist of many years’ standing, has, since his connection
with the Owens Art Institution, spent two years in European art study,
and his works having been repeatedly hung in the annual exhibition of
the Royal Academy of London, and the Paris Salon, gives him rank as
among the leading artists of the day. In addition to the patronage from
the city and outlying districts of New Brunswick, the school has thus
far attracted pupils who have registered respectively from Nova Scotia,
Prince Edward Island, Quebec, Ontario, Maine and Massachusetts.
* * * * *
=Corning, Thomas Edgar=, Barrister, Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, is of English
descent. His ancestors came to America in 1640, and settled in Beverley,
Massachusetts. His great grandfather removed in 1764, and was one of the
first settlers in Yarmouth. His father is Nelson Corning, of Chegoggin,
Yarmouth. Mr. Corning was born at Chegoggin on the 11th April, 1842. He
received his early education in Acadia College, Wolfville, Nova Scotia,
and graduated on the 6th June, 1865. Besides holding the degree of
bachelor of arts, he has been elected a scholar and member of the senate
of the University of Acadia. This latter event occurred in 1883. Having
finished his classical studies, Mr. Corning entered upon the study of
the law, and was admitted to the bar on 30th October, 1869. His
thoroughness and practical business turn of mind soon secured to him a
fair share of the legal business in Yarmouth, and he now enjoys the
reputation of being one of the best lawyers in Yarmouth county. He is
head of the firm of Corning & Chipman. In politics he is a
Liberal-Conservative, but resides in a constituency which has always
been intensely Liberal. However, at the general elections in 1882, Mr.
Corning was elected as a supporter of the then Liberal-Conservative
government led by the Hon. J. S. D. Thompson, now minister of justice at
Ottawa. This government resigned shortly after the elections, giving
place to the Liberal government first led by the Hon. Mr. Pipes,
afterwards by the Hon. Mr. Fielding. In the House of Assembly Mr.
Corning took a leading part in all the debates, and carefully considered
every question upon its merits, aiming to give an intelligent vote
always. Although staunch to his party, his candor and fairness made him
popular and respected by the dominant party. On the dissolution of the
house, in 1886, he was nominated by his party. But the secession
agitation had begun, and the Fielding ministry went to the country with
the cry of “Repeal.” To this issue Mr. Corning presented an unwavering
opposition, but the popular enthusiasm was too great for him, and he was
defeated in June, 1886, by a majority of one thousand. Since then he has
continued in private life, but his integrity and ability will, no doubt,
before many years bring him again to the fore in political matters. Mr.
Corning has never travelled much outside of his native province. He has
held the office of treasurer of the municipality of Yarmouth since 1874.
Although one of the largest towns in the province, Yarmouth has never
been incorporated, and is still managed in the old way. Nine of the
county councillors, elected in the limits of the polling district of
Yarmouth town, manage its affairs. Mr. Corning married, on the 25th
August, 1880, Jane Alden Baxter, daughter of John Baxter, of Yarmouth.
He is a Baptist in religion.
* * * * *
=Black, J. Burpee=, M.D., Windsor, N.S., was born at St. Martin’s, New
Brunswick, on the 15th August, 1842. Dr. Black is of Irish extraction,
his father, Thomas Henry Black, having been a native of county Armagh,
Ireland. His mother’s maiden name was Mary E. Fownes, and resided in St.
Martin’s. Dr. Black received his early education in St. Martin’s, and
continued his course in St. John, New Brunswick, and at the Mount
Allison Wesleyan Academy, Sackville, N.B. His family were Baptists, but,
owing probably to his educational associations, Dr. Black has for
twenty-five years worshipped with the Methodists, and has for some years
been an active member of their church. Having completed his studies at
Sackville, where he made the acquaintance of the lady who afterwards
became his wife, he studied medicine at Berkshire Medical College, in
Massachusetts, and received the degree of M.D., after finishing his
course at the University of Philadelphia. He commenced the practice of
his profession in the village of Hantsport, Hants county, N.S., but
after residing there for five years removed to Windsor, where he has
since resided, and has worked up one of the largest practices in Nova
Scotia. Hantsport has been in its growth one of the most prosperous
villages in Nova Scotia. It owes the greatest part of its success to the
business ability, integrity and enterprise of the Hon. Ezra Churchill,
who worked his way up from the humblest beginnings to the position of
M.P. in Nova Scotia before confederation, and a senator of the Dominion.
When he died, at Ottawa, in the spring of 1874, he owned a fleet of
upwards of forty ships of various sizes, and his property was estimated
at $800,000. He literally made Hantsport, most of the houses there
having been erected under his supervision. His daughter, Bessie, was
married to Dr. Black at Hantsport, on the 11th May, 1864. They have been
blessed with a family of ten children, nine of whom are living, and one,
the eldest, is married. Like his father-in-law, Dr. Black has always
been a Conservative in politics, and in some campaigns has taken the
stump in behalf of his friends. He has also been freely spoken of as a
possible candidate for legislative honors. He was elected a member of
the town council of the town of Windsor in October, 1882, and held the
position until his time of service expired in 1884, when he was elected
warden of Windsor without opposition. Windsor became an incorporated
town in the year 1878. Previous to this time its affairs had been
administered by justices of the peace sitting at quarter sessions. Its
public moneys were voted at a town meeting held once a year. The chief
officers were the town clerk, the commissioner of streets, and the
collector of rates. During Dr. Black’s period of service as councillor
the town was supplied with water from a reservoir on Fall Brook, a
stream of water running from lakes on the South Mountain, six miles in
rear of the town. The actual length of the water mains is about three
miles. The cost of this public work, the greatest yet undertaken by the
town, was $48,000, and $8,000 has since been expended in extending the
system. Debentures paying five per cent in two half-yearly instalments
were issued to raise this sum, which was readily procured, and has
proved to be excellent stock, the bonds now selling considerably above
par. All parts of the town are supplied cheaply and plentifully with
excellent water, while the pressure, 86 lbs., is so great that the town
has no need of fire engines, the supply from the hydrants being
sufficient to quickly extinguish any fire which has yet broken out. Dr.
Black was chairman of the water committee, and the works under his
management were constructed for a less cost than that estimated by the
engineer—a result very rare in public works. Dr. Black has also been
interested in most of the new manufacturing enterprises of the town. On
the expiry of his first term of service as warden, in 1884, he was
re-elected by acclamation, and held the office until he retired in 1885.
He is connected with no secret society except the Masonic fraternity. He
was made a Mason in Mount Lebanon lodge, R.E., Prince Edward Island, in
1866. He held the office of master of Poyntz lodge, at Hantsport, from
1867 to 1870. In 1873 he became high priest of Hiram Chapter, at
Windsor. He was also district deputy grand master of the Nova Scotia
Grand Lodge in 1883 and 1885.
* * * * *
=Bingay, Thomas Van Buskirk=, Yarmouth, N.S., was born in 1814, at
Shelburne, Nova Scotia. He comes of an old loyalist family. His mother,
Sarah Van Buskirk, was the daughter of Jacob Van Buskirk, who saw
stirring times during the American revolution. In the first American war
he held the position of major, and during the war of 1812 he was
colonel. Later on he became a judge of the old inferior court of Common
Pleas, of Nova Scotia, in the list of the judges of which court occur
some of the brightest names of Nova Scotians, such as Judge Haliburton
(“Sam Slick”), John G. Marshall, and Peleg Wiswell. Jacob Van Buskirk’s
father was Abraham Van Buskirk, who was colonel in the 4th battalion of
New Jersey Volunteers, and second in command to Brigadier-General Arnold
in his expedition to New London (being specially mentioned in his
despatches for active exertions), and who, at the close of the
revolutionary war, in 1784, settled in Shelburne. Shelburne was then a
city of some ten thousand inhabitants, and Abraham Van Buskirk was its
first mayor. Mr. Bingay is the eldest son of the late John Bingay, of
Shelburne, who for some years represented the county of Shelburne in the
provincial parliament, and who was deputy-sheriff of the county of
Yarmouth, and subsequently, in 1836, first high sheriff of the county,
which office he held until his death, which occurred in 1851. He was
educated at Church Point, in Digby county, with the venerable Abbé
Sigogne, for many years parish priest of the Acadian district of Clare,
in which settlement he exercised great influence, and where his name is
still held in great reverence. The abbé was a great friend of T. C.
Haliburton whilst that author practised law in Annapolis Royal and
represented the county of Annapolis in the House of Assembly. He was not
only a very learned man, but also a typical country clergyman, being
consulted by his flock on all occasions about affairs of every class.
Mr. Bingay subsequently attended school in Halifax. He began to study
law in Liverpool, N.S., but completed his term of apprenticeship in
Halifax, where he was enrolled as attorney in 1835. In those days, a
year elapsed before an aspirant for forensic honours after becoming an
attorney, could be admitted to practice at the bar of this province. In
1835, Mr. Bingay became a barrister and began the active duties of his
profession in Yarmouth. In 1839, he was appointed judge of probate, and
in the next year, master in chancery. He was also a captain of the
Yarmouth militia in 1839. In 1852 he left Yarmouth and made a voyage to
Australia. On his way home he stopped in California, where his son,
Thomas V. B., was born. He returned to Yarmouth in 1857, and has resided
there ever since. Mr. Bingay has lived through the most prosperous times
of Yarmouth. Has seen the rise, good times, and decadence of one of the
most enterprising shipbuilding eras of this province, and has been
professionally connected with most of the leading enterprises of his
town. His first wife was Lois, daughter of the late Joseph Tooker, by
whom he had two sons, who both died in early manhood, and a daughter who
died in infancy. His second wife was Margaret J., daughter of the late
James Budd Moody, who was a brother of the late Elisha W. B. Moody, and
grandson of Col. James Moody, of New Jersey. Col. James Moody, at the
close of the American war, settled in Weymouth, N.S. Of this marriage
there were eight sons and a daughter, of whom two sons and the daughter
died in infancy. Of his sons, the oldest three reside in Yarmouth. These
are James Wentworth Bingay, Q.C., revising barrister, and major of
Yarmouth county militia; George Bingay, barrister and captain of
militia, and Thomas V. B. Bingay, accountant in the Exchange Bank of
Yarmouth. All of these are men in first-rate standing. Mr. Bingay and
his two oldest sons constitute the legal firm of Thomas V. B. Bingay &
Sons. They are the solicitors of the following local corporations,
viz.:—The Bank of Yarmouth; The Western Counties Railway Company (James
Wentworth Bingay, sec’y.-treasurer); The Mutual Relief Society of Nova
Scotia (James Wentworth Bingay, director and trustee); and the Yarmouth
Water Company (George Bingay, sec’y.-treas.). Of the latter company
George Bingay was one of the three original corporators. From his family
antecedents, as well as his professional and social environment, as may
be supposed, Mr. Bingay’s sentiments lean strongly towards Conservatism.
He is the oldest representative of a family, which for a hundred years,
has held a very prominent position in the western counties of Nova
Scotia. His ancestors made great sacrifices for British connection. The
family are Episcopalians in religion.
* * * * *
=Shields, John=, of Toronto, was born at Crammond Bridge, nine miles
from Edinburgh, Midlothianshire, Scotland, on the 26th day of June,
1842. His father was Alexander Shields, a farmer from Fifeshire,
Scotland, and mother, Margaret West. They came to Canada in 1854, and
settled in the township of Markham, afterwards removing to the township
of the Gore of Toronto. The subject of this sketch commenced his
education at Edinburgh, and afterwards attended the Collegiate
Institute, Toronto, graduating with prize honours. He then passed a
regular examination which enabled him to take a position as head master
of a school in the township of Toronto, which occupation he continued at
for two years. He then successfully passed the civil service and excise
examination, taking a clerkship with John Morrow, who now holds the
position of inspector of Inland Revenue, Toronto. At the time excise
duty was put on petroleum he was sent to Petrolia and Sarnia by the
Dominion government to organize the staff for the Inland Revenue
department. After getting this branch of the service in active
operation, he resigned in 1872 and commenced the production of oil by
sinking a large number of wells on his own account. After a very short
time he became one of the largest Canadian oil operators, continuing in
this business a number of years. During this time his fellow operators
and the citizens generally having seen that his administrative talent
would be of great service to the town of Petrolia, they elected him in
1875 to the office of reeve, he being the youngest member ever elected
to the county council. This was his first experience in politics, and
from that time forth he took an active part in the interests of the
Liberal-Conservative party by fighting in that Reform stronghold the
Hon. Alexander Mackenzie and his brothers. From oil he gradually began
the formation of railway companies, and was largely interested with the
late F. C. Cline, in promoting and building the Kingston and Pembroke
Railway. About this time, while still reeve of Petrolia, he organized
the Erie and Lake Huron Railway, which was afterwards carried out to a
successful issue in 1876. He removed again to the city of Toronto, since
which time he has been actively engaged in building railways, canals,
bridges and other large works of a public character, among which may be
mentioned that most difficult engineering undertaking of the Canadian
Pacific Railway between Lake Superior and the city of Winnipeg. This
part of the line was considered the most inaccessible part of the road
between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. He and his _confrère_ finished
this difficult task one year before the allotted time, much to the
surprise of the government, the officials of the board, and the public
generally. This unheard of result showed to great advantage his ability
in controlling a large body of men. After finishing the line, he
operated the same for traffic purposes for a year, and inaugurated the
first through train service, when it was taken over by the company.
During this time he saw the opportunity and necessity for a large
business in the lumber trade, in which he, with his usual enterprise, at
once embarked, and built the first saw-mill and the first house in
Brandon, Manitoba. He also built several other extensive saw-mills in
various parts of the province. In 1886-7 he rebuilt and enlarged the
Welland Canal, and also built a considerable portion of the St.
Catharines and Niagara Central Railway, being the sole contractor for
that line. In 1887 he commenced to build the Harvard bridge, between the
cities of Boston and Cambridge. This bridge will have twenty-six spans,
will be over half a mile long, and when completed will doubtless reflect
great credit on Mr. Shields as a builder, justifying the confidence his
American cousins have placed in him. He also owns and develops large
granite quarries on the coast of Maine, particularly at Deer Isle. Mr.
Shields is a consistent member of the Church of England, and was first
married on the 8th of October, 1870, to Essie Annis Smiley, of St.
Catharines, who died on the 20th July, 1881, at Rat Portage, leaving
four children to mourn her loss, two sons and two daughters. Mr. Shields
afterwards married a second time Matilda Esther Gould, at Rochester,
N.Y., on the 5th of November, 1884.
* * * * *
=Hale, Hon. John.=—The late Hon. John Hale belonged to an ancient and
distinguished family, and was a descendant of Nicholas de Hales, of
Hales Place, one of whose sons, Sir Robert, treasurer of England, prior
of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem, temp. Edward III., 1381, was
killed by the insurgents in Wat. Tyler’s insurrection; and of Thomas
Hale, who, in 1400, held Codicote, the family seat in Hertfordshire,
England, as per inscription in the old mansion there, which was pulled
down and rebuilt in 1774; and of Richard Hale, of King’s Walden and
Stagenhoe, in Hertfordshire, temp. Elizabeth, 1567 and 1588. His father,
General John Hale, came to Canada with General Wolfe in 1758, and as
colonel commanded the 47th Regiment at the memorable battle on the
Plains of Abraham, September 13th, 1759, and was the one chosen by
Wolfe, during his dying moments, to carry home the despatches. We give
an extract from _The Literary Gazette_, London, December 11th, 1847:—
For a change of subject we proceed to an original notice of an
eminent native of Cleveland, General Hale, a companion of Wolfe
at Quebec, from the pen of an affectionate daughter, the eldest
representative of the family, which can hardly fail to be
interesting to readers:—
“My father, General Hale, was born in 1728. Being intended for
the bar, he entered Trinity College, Cambridge, but becoming
associated with his brother Bernard, then in the Guards, he
finally determined to follow the profession of arms. He obtained
a commission in the 47th Regiment (then called Lascelles), and
in 1752 was ordered to join in the disastrous struggle in
America. The war with France in 1755 caused the attack, in 1758,
on Louisbourg and Cape Breton, which were taken by the army
under Wolfe. In the spring of 1759 Wolf attacked Quebec, whilst
Amherst attacked Montreal, and the battle of September 13th,
1759, decided the fall of the province. My father commanded the
47th on that day. I have heard him state that he remonstrated
with Wolfe for wearing a new uniform, as he thereby became
conspicuous to the Indian marksmen. My father was dispatched
home in the _Lowestoke_ frigate, with the news of that glorious
battle and the death of that brave commander, in the arms of
victory. For that Service he was rewarded with the sum of £500,
and an order to raise the 17th Light Dragoons, which regiment he
resigned on being appointed governor of Londonderry and Culmore
forts. (This regiment he raised at his own expense.) He married,
in 1764, on his return from the Havanna (where he went as
military secretary to Lord Albemarle, and received prize money
to the amount of £10,000), Mary, second daughter of William
Chaloner, Esq. Her dower was the estate of Tockett’s Hall,
afterwards called ‘Plantation,’ about a mile north-east of
Gisborough, where was an ancient house to which the General
added largely and made it his residence.”
Mrs. Hale was sister of Anne, Countess of Harewood, and was one of the
celebrated beauties of the day, her portrait having been painted by Sir
Joshua Reynolds as “Euphrosyne.” This life-size painting now forms the
centre picture in the gallery of the Earl of Harewood. The portrait of
her husband, the general, also painted by Sir Joshua, is now in the
possession of his great-grandson, Edward John Hale, of Quebec.
“Mrs. Hale died in 1803, and General Hale in 1806, and both are
buried in Gisborough Church, leaving issue ten sons and eleven
daughters; but of this large family not one is now to be found
in the Vale of Gisborough. ‘Plantation’ was purchased in 1809 by
Robert Chaloner, Esq., and again added to the Gisborough estate,
and the mansion demolished in 1829. In addition to the above, we
append the following particulars in a letter to the late Thomas
Small, of Gisborough, by the same writer:—‘I have read the copy
of your letter to my nephew, George Grote, M.P. (the historian),
and as I am now left the eldest member of the Hale family, being
sister of the late Mrs. Lewin, whose daughter Mr. Grote married.
I cannot but thank you for the faithful history of the late
General John Hale. With regard to my father being _aide-de-camp_
to General Wolfe, I think you are incorrect, for Wolfe’s words
were, after receiving his mortal wound, “I am aware it is the
_aide-de-camp’s_ privilege to carry the despatches home; but I
beg as a favor to request that my old friend, Colonel Hale, may
have that honour.” Also, General Hale’s portrait is not inserted
in that fine print of Wolfe’s death, and why? Because he would
not give the printer the sum of £100, which he demanded as the
price of placing on a piece of paper what his own country knew
so very well, viz.: that he (General Hale) fought in the hottest
of the battle of Quebec, whether the printer thought fit to
record it or not. In reply to another part of your letter
respecting the quantity of land granted to my father, for his
services at Quebec, the whole of it merged, through lapse of
time, to the Crown, and was never available to my brothers; but
my brothers possessed very extensive property there, and such
property is termed in Canada, seigniory, or what we should call
here a lordship. My eldest brother, Mr. Hale (the Hon. John),
died at Quebec last Christmas (1838), at the age of 73 years,
leaving the office of receiver-general to his second son,
Jeffrey.’”
The Hon. John Hale came to Canada as A.D.C. and military secretary to
his Royal Highness, Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, in 1793. Returning to
England in 1798, he married, in April of that year, at St. George’s,
Hanover Square, London, Elizabeth Frances, the talented and highly
accomplished daughter of Gen. Wm. Amherst, and sister of Earl Amherst,
who was governor-general of India in 1825. In June, 1799, he returned to
Quebec as paymaster-general of the forces, which office he held until it
was merged into the duties of the commissariat. He was a member of the
Legislative Council of Lower Canada. He purchased from the De Lanaudière
family the seigniory of St. Anne de la Pérade, where he lived to a ripe
old age, at the manor house, on the best of terms with his tenants,
amongst whom he introduced many improvements. He returned with his
family every winter to Quebec, where he and Mrs. Hale were prominent
leaders in the social life of the ancient capital. In 1824 he was
appointed receiver-general of the province, which office he held up to
the time of his death, the duties being discharged during the
infirmities of his last illness by his son, Jeffrey Hale, who retired
from the navy and devoted his life to good works, and established in
Quebec the first savings bank, the first Protestant Sunday school, and
was the founder of the Jeffrey Hale Protestant Hospital. Mrs. Hale died
in June, 1826, and Mr. Hale in December, 1838; both are buried in Mt.
Hermon cemetery, Quebec. There were twelve children issue of this
marriage, eight sons and four daughters. Three died in their infancy. Of
the surviving seven the Hon. Edward, of Sherbrooke, was in public life;
Jeffrey, captain in the Royal Navy; Bernard, a barrister-at-law, in
London; Richard, captain in the 81st regiment; William Amherst, captain
in the 52nd regiment, and George Carleton remained at the seigniory of
St. Annes after the death of his father. Frances Isabella died
unmarried; Mary married Rev. Henry Hotham; and Elizabeth Harriot married
Admiral Orlebar. Mr. Hale was of the old school, with the usual
liberality and independence of an English gentleman. He had some strong
hereditary feelings about the duties of a public officer, which were
better securities than the strictest laws and superintendence in those
times when offices were frequently sought and obtained through intrigue
and popular favor. He neither gave nor asked for favors, but ever
prepared to do all that he was authorized to do. Both in public and
private life he carried out to the full the family motto, “_Vera
sequor_.”
* * * * *
=Trenaman, Thomas=, M.D., City Medical Officer, Halifax, N.S., was born
in Halifax, July 16th, 1843. He is a son of Samuel and Mary Ann
Trenaman, who settled in Nova Scotia from the West of England, about the
year 1835. Dr. Trenaman was educated at King’s College, Windsor, N.S. He
pursued his preparatory medical studies in the office of Hon. D. McN.
Parker, M.D., Halifax, and graduated in 1869 at the College of
Physicians and Surgeons, New York. The degree of doctor in medicine _ad
eundem_, was conferred by the University of King’s College, Windsor,
N.S., at its Ericœnia in 1887. From the date of the formation of the
66th Volunteer Battalion of Infantry—the Princess Louise Fusiliers—in
1869, to the spring of 1885, he was one of its surgeons. The pressing
nature of professional duties, which were continually increasing,
necessitated his retirement, at this date, from active service. In the
year 1876 Dr. Trenaman was chosen by acclamation to represent his fellow
citizens in the city council for ward two, the one in which he resides,
and was for three successive terms, of three years each, returned as
alderman for that ward. From 1879 to 1882 he was, a member of the Board
of School Commissioners of the city of Halifax, the last year of which
he was honored by his brother commissioners in being made chairman of
the board. Dr. Trenaman was elected county physician in 1881, and in
1883 was chosen by the city council, city medical officer, to fill the
vacancy caused by the death of the previous incumbent. Our subject is
also, at this writing, attending physician to the Victoria General
Hospital, visiting physician to the Poor’s Asylum, and also to the city
prison, as well as being police surgeon and surgeon to the fire
department. Dr. Trenaman was initiated into the mysteries of the Masonic
craft in St. Andrew’s lodge, No. 1, R.N.S., F. & A. M., in 1871. In 1877
was elected its worshipful master, and at the present time fills the
office of district deputy grand master for district No. 1, R.N.S., and
is also representative of the Grand Lodge of Connecticut, near the Grand
Lodge of Nova Scotia. Dr. Trenaman is a companion of Royal Union
Chapter, No. 1, R.A.M. The doctor is also a member of Mystic lodge, No.
18, I.O.O.F., and a patriarch of Halifax Encampment, No. 12, belonging
as well to the Manchester Unity of that order, being a member of Prince
of Wales lodge, No. 5291, and its surgeon, and that of Lansdowne lodge,
No. 6703. Dr. Trenaman is surgeon to the St. George’s Society of
Halifax, and is the medical examiner for some of the leading life
insurance companies doing business in Halifax. In June, 1881, our
subject was elected president of the associated alumni of King’s
College, Windsor, and has been continued in that office uninterruptedly
since that time. In 1883 he was selected by the Dominion government
statistical officer for the registration of mortuary statistics in the
city of Halifax. Dr. Trenaman has travelled extensively through Canada
and the United States, but has not as yet visited the old world. In
religious belief he is a Methodist. In 1871, he married Harriett Helen
Robinson, of Windsor, N.S. The doctor is, in the fullest sense of the
term, a busy man, yet he finds time, notwithstanding his large and
lucrative practice, to take an active interest in everything that
pertains to the welfare of his native city. He is an enthusiastic
supporter of its clubs for the development of aquatic and field sports,
and generally is a citizen of whom Halifax has a right to be proud.
* * * * *
=Machin, Henry Turner=, Assistant Provincial Treasurer, and Secretary of
the Treasury Board, Quebec, is one of the best known and most esteemed
citizens of the ancient capital. He is of English and Scotch extraction.
His father, the Rev. Thomas Machin, a clergyman of the Church of
England, came of an old Gloucestershire family; and his mother, Emily
Mackintosh Chisholm Fraser, a daughter of Simon Fraser, of Alvie,
Inverness-shire, who was a cousin of the distinguished statesman and
historian, Sir James Mackintosh. Mr. Machin was born at
Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire, England, on the 26th November,
1832, and came to Canada with his parents in 1840, the voyage from
Liverpool to New York being made in the steamship _Great Western_, one
of the first two passenger steamships that regularly crossed the
Atlantic. He was educated at the Brockville Grammar School, and at Upper
Canada College, Toronto. He entered business life in 1849, in the office
of the British American Land Company, at Sherbrooke, P.Q., the
commissioner of the company at that time being Sir A. T. Galt, and
remained in the company’s service until 1860, when he retired from it to
engage in commercial business in Portland, Maine. Respected by the whole
community, he was, on leaving Sherbrooke, presented with a farewell
address, to which the following reference was made at the time by the
leading local newspaper:
It affords us a sincere pleasure, which will be shared by the
numerous friends and admirers of Mr. Machin, who may peruse it,
to insert the following address and reply. Mr. Machin, though a
young man, has resided sufficiently long in Sherbrooke to
develop those qualities which have secured for him the esteem
and confidence of his numerous acquaintances and friends. On
Monday last Rev. Mr. Reid, accompanied by several of the most
respectable inhabitants, representing the signers of the
following document, waited on Mr. Machin, to perform the
pleasant duty of presenting him with a flattering, though only
just, testimony of the public appreciation of his character.
There is a feeling of regret at Mr. Machin’s departure from
Sherbrooke, but that feeling is joined to hearty wishes for his
future welfare and success. It must be a source of honest and
legitimate pride to this gentleman to reflect that last week he
was presented by his brother Free Masons with a testimonial of
their esteem, and that this week a more general expression of
the sentiment is spontaneously given by the public here.
In 1873, Mr. Machin returned to Canada, and in 1874 he was appointed the
first inspector of public offices of the province of Quebec. His
executive and financial abilities soon pointed him out for preferment,
and in October, 1874, he was elevated by the Quebec government to the
still more important and responsible position of assistant treasurer of
the province, which office he still holds. In his official capacity he
has been connected with all the financial operations of the province
since 1874, and in 1878 he was sent by the government to New York, where
he materially assisted in the successful negotiation of the provincial
loan for $3,000,000. He has been chiefly instrumental in bringing the
organisation of the treasury department to its present state of
efficiency. He has never taken a leading part in politics, but has had
the confidence and respect of every administration, whether Conservative
or Liberal, that has been in office since his appointment as a deputy
minister of the Crown. As one of the founders of the Quebec and Levis
Electric Light Company, of which he is a director, the city of Quebec is
indebted to his enterprise and spirit for a vast improvement in street
and interior lighting, the electric current being generated at the famed
Falls of Montmorency, nine miles from the city. Mr. Machin is a member
of the Church of England, is a Freemason, and has held a commission in
the militia. In 1863, he married Lucy Anne, daughter of the late Hon.
Edward Hale, of Sherbrooke, a member of the Legislative Council of
Quebec, and grand-daughter of the late Hon. Chief Justice Bowen, of
Quebec.
* * * * *
=Martin, Joseph=, LL.B., Advocate, Quebec, is one of the rising members
of the Lower Canadian bar, and a young man of considerable note and
influence in the politics of that province. He was born at Champlain, in
the Three Rivers district, on the 1st May, 1855, his parents being
Zephirin Martin and Sophie Vivier, both French Canadians. He was
educated at the Christian Brothers’ Commercial School, Three Rivers, and
the De La Salle Institute, Toronto, and studied law at the Montreal
branch of the Laval University, where he took his degrees. Admitted to
the bar of the province of Quebec, after a brilliant examination, on the
14th January, 1881, he practised law in Montreal till 1882, when he was
appointed one of the secretaries to the commission named to revise and
consolidate the statutes of the province, and took up his residence in
Quebec. A Conservative in politics, he separated from the party
represented by the Ottawa government on the question of the North-west
rebellion, and the execution of its leader, and took a very active and
prominent part in the Riel agitation and the formation of the National
party in the province of Quebec, besides contributing in no slight
degree by his exertions to the wave of popular opinion which carried the
present premier of that province, Hon. H. Mercier, and his friends, into
office at the general elections in October, 1886. In January, 1887, on
the eve of the general elections for the Dominion, Mr. Martin resigned
his position of secretary to the commission, on being chosen as the
National-Conservative or Opposition candidate for the important county
of Quebec, against the minister of militia, Sir A. P. Caron, and,
although almost a complete stranger to the constituency, was only
defeated by a very narrow majority. In religion, Mr. Martin has always
been a Roman Catholic. On the 9th May, 1883, he married Olierie de
Bondy, daughter of Dr. A. Douaire de Bondy, of Sorel, by whom he has had
three children.
* * * * *
=Mackay, William=, M.D., M.P.P., Reserve Mines, C.B., was born on 11th
Sep., 1847, at Earltown, in the county of Colchester, Nova Scotia. For a
sketch of his parents, John Mackay and Dolina Mackay, see “Paterson’s
History of the County of Pictou,” page 278. His father was one of the
pioneer settlers in Earltown, and took a prominent and leading part in
all the public affairs of the place from the time of settlement there
until his death, in 1869. A granite monument from his native hills,
Rogart, Sutherlandshire, Scotland, presented to the family by his Grace
the Duke of Sutherland, was shortly afterwards erected to commemorate a
life largely devoted to advancing the interests and ameliorating the
wants of the inhabitants of the neighbourhood in which he lived. His
mother is still living and among the few who can recall the incidents
relating to the early history, both of church and state in eastern Nova
Scotia, her residence being often the temporary home of churchmen and
statesmen. The subject of this sketch was educated at Truro, and
graduated at Bellevue Hospital Medical College, New York, in 1873, and
after graduating he practised medicine for one year with his brother,
Dr. D. G. Mackay, at Little Glace Bay, Cape Breton. In May, 1874, he was
appointed resident physician to the Loway, Emery, and Reserve
collieries, in Cape Breton county, In 1879, Dr. D. G. Mackay removing
from Little Glace Bay, he received the appointment (in addition to the
former) of physician to the Little Glace Bay, Caledonia, and Ontario
collieries, and in 1885, was appointed physician to the old Bridgeport
mine, in addition to the above. The appointment to the Caledonia mine he
has since resigned. He was instrumental in organizing and perfecting a
system of quarantining of infectious and contagious diseases for the
mining districts which worked so satisfactorily that the municipal
council have caused it to apply to the whole county. He has been a
member of the board of health of Cape Breton county for the last five
years, and is also a member of the provincial medical board. He has been
twice elected president of the Cape Breton Medical Society, and is now
president of the Nova Scotia Medical Society; he is also a P.M. of
Tyrian Youth Lodge, No. 45, R.N.S., A. F. & A. M., and a past high
priest of Prince of Wales Chapter No. 10, R.A.M., of Nova Scotia. Dr.
Mackay is a Liberal-Conservative in politics, and was elected to
represent Cape Breton county in the local legislature of Nova Scotia at
the election in June, 1886. A liberal government being in power, and it
having been sustained at the election, Dr. Mackay was, at the first
meeting of the newly elected legislature, honoured with the position of
leader of the opposition. In religion, he is a consistent and honoured
member of the Presbyterian church. He was married on November 10th,
1875, to Catherine Campbell Sutherland, youngest daughter of Gilbert
Sutherland, of “the Falls,” Colchester county, N.S., by whom he has one
son and two daughters.
* * * * *
=Carson, Rev. W. Wellington=, Pastor of the Dominion Methodist Church,
Ottawa, Ontario, was born in the township of Osgoode, county of
Carleton, Ontario, on the 7th of January, 1845. He is a son of Thos. and
Maria Carson, who came to Canada from Ireland in the year 1833, and who
were among the pioneer settlers in that now prosperous part of Ontario.
The subject of this sketch attended the Ottawa Grammar School, and the
academy in Iroquois, being assistant teacher in the latter previously to
commencing a course of theological study. He was called to the ministry
of the Methodist church in 1867, and was received into full connection
and ordained by the late Rev. W. Morley Punshon, in 1871. After
ordination he held the pastorate of the First Methodist Church,
Hamilton; Brant Avenue Church, Brantford; the Woodstock Church, and
Centenary Methodist Church, Hamilton. He was missionary treasurer of the
London conference four years; examiner of ministerial candidates on
apologetics and hermeneutics, and also held the office of chairman of
district, 1884-5. He has travelled extensively over this continent, and
over nearly half the world, including, of course, various parts of
Europe, England, and France, all this being done with the view of
enlarging his knowledge of mankind, and the religious institutions of
other nations. His religions views may be known by his identification
with the Methodist church, but his credal beliefs are wider than those
of any denomination. His present charge is the Dominion Church, Ottawa,
where he is exceedingly popular and, what is better, useful. His
congregations are large, and the church prosperous. An intimate friend
of the reverend gentleman writes as follows: “I have known Mr. Carson
from the time of his commencing his theological studies, and his
entrance on the work of the ministry. He is one of the most devoted and
studious of the Methodist ministry, not confining himself to the
literature of his own sect, but making himself master of most lines of
modern thought. His firm and unwavering belief in the verities of Holy
Scripture guards him against the reception of every wind of doctrine
that blows from this or that point of the compass. In preaching, he is
calm at the beginning, energetic as he proceeds, fervent and eloquent in
his perorations. Hearing him frequently, it may be added that he is
progressive, and capable of grasping the highest and best form of
thought, distinct in annunciation, and clear in his modes of expressing
his conclusions.”
* * * * *
=Reed, Robert=, St. John, New Brunswick, was born in the north of
Ireland, on the 28th April, 1814. After a shipwreck on the Atlantic in
1820, he arrived with his parents at their original destination, St.
John, New Brunswick, in June of the following year. In January, 1830, he
became chief clerk in the shipping and steam-boat office of James
Whitney, who was then entering upon that fuller development of steam
communication on the Bay of Fundy and River St. John for which he
afterwards became famous. In 1835 Mr. Reed joined his brother in general
business, the partnership continuing until 1886, under the firm of J.
and R. Reed. The fact of this name having now, after a successful and
creditable career of half a century’s duration, passed from the arena of
commercial life with an honorable record for the strictest business
integrity, into a mere historical item, warrants more than a passing
notice. Hence it may be said the affairs of this house were from the
first of a progressive character, reaching to business relations with
nearly every important sea-port in the several oceans and seas, and thus
their operations as importers, as exporters, as manufacturers and as
shipowners became at times among the largest of a New Brunswick
character. And in order to show the business habits and precautionary
financial arrangements of its members, it may be mentioned that
throughout the many commercial panics and business convulsions which
occurred during the long period of the firm’s existence, its financial
engagements,whether at home or abroad, were in all cases duly met, free
from protest. Mr. Reed having had no aspirations towards political
distinction, holds no office or title in the gift of any government. His
political record is embraced in the following. In 1856 he consented to
be one on a ticket formed to run a provincial election in support of a
prohibitory liquor law passed the previous session; but the whole party
being defeated, a repeal of the law followed. This, and the acceptance,
during a temporary residence in England the following year, of a
government appointment in connection with the purchase of rails and
bridge material for the European and North American Railway, then under
construction, embrace his entire association with active political life.
But as a private citizen he has ever been noted for a generous public
spirit, willing to assist in any movement which he deemed for the
interest of the city and province of his adoption. He has travelled
much, coupled with observation, consequently his ideas, whether of a
private or public character, have always kept pace with the progress of
the age. He is president of the Owens Art Institution, of St. John, to
the development of which, as a leading art educational establishment, he
has, from its inception in 1884, devoted much of his personal attention.
His latest effort for the general good is set forth in a prospectus for
a first-class hotel, of large capacity, having in view making St. John
“a grand central rendezvous and diverging centre” for summer tourists
visiting the maritime provinces. For that purpose he proposes the
utilization of his private residence, with other and prospective
erections within a plot covering eight acres, situate on the summit of
an eminence overlooking the city and its surroundings as far as the eye
can reach. The scheme appears feasible, and got up with a due regard to
existing facts bearing upon its financial success. Its consummation
would undoubtedly be a benefit to St. John, and the province generally.
Mr. Reed, though well advanced in years, is at this writing still full
of energy, and bids fair to yet see many years of usefulness added to
his already full and useful life.
* * * * *
=Girouard, Theophile=, Quebec, is one of the most prominent,
enterprising and successful of the French Canadian businessmen of the
ancient capital, and its subsidiary districts. Born at Gentilly, Nicolet
county, on the 1st December, 1826, of the marriage of Joseph Girouard
and a French lady named de Cormier, he is essentially a self-educated
and a self-made man, and an admirable specimen of the class of his
fellow-countrymen who have done so much of late years to develop the
resources of their native province. As a lad, he laboured hard to
instruct himself, and thus succeeded in acquiring a good French and
English education. As a man, he has, with similar energy and
perseverance, striven to make his way in the world, and his efforts have
been crowned with equal success. His experience has been varied. In
1849, he was impelled by the gold fever to California, like many other
young and enthusiastic spirits of the time, but unlike not a few of them
he was fairly successful during his stay of four years there. Returning
to Canada, he engaged in the lumber business, in the province of Quebec,
and has been connected with it ever since. For a number of years the
principal seat of his operations was in the eastern townships, where he
also resided; but in 1872 he extended them to the region along the north
shore of the St. Lawrence below the Saguenay, where he founded the
outpost of Betsiamits for the purpose of manufacturing and shipping
lumber, and where he erected extensive saw mills at a cost of $152,000.
These mills are supplied with the raw material from 750 square miles of
limits, and the establishment employs from two to three hundred men. Mr.
Girouard has also been the promoter of some of the largest manufactures
in the province. Nor has he been without honours marking the respect and
confidence of his fellow citizens. He has been a captain of militia and
a justice of the peace, and the important municipality of Stanfold, in
the eastern townships, elected him its mayor during seven years. In
politics, he was a Conservative down to the time of the Riel affair,
when he seceded, joined the Liberal ranks, and became a Nationalist. His
travels have been extensive. Including his voyages to and from
California, he has crossed the ocean over thirty times, has visited most
of Europe, and by a singular coincidence which has happened in the lives
of few men, was carried by a gale of wind to latitude 62½° south below
Cape Horn, while he went on another occasion as far in the opposite
direction as 62½° north during his travels in Sweden and the Gulf of
Bothnia. In religion, he has always been a Roman Catholic. On the 9th
October, 1861, he married Alexneia Pacand, daughter of Charles Pacand,
of Arthabasca, by whom he has had issue five children. His eldest son,
Raoul, has distinguished himself as an electrician at Ottawa.
* * * * *
=Pacaud, Gaspard=, M.P.P., Windsor, Ontario, editor of _Le Progress_,
and M.P.P. for North Essex, was born at St. Norbert d’Arthabaska,
province of Quebec, on the 24th June, 1859. He was educated at St.
Joseph Grand Seminary, Three Rivers, P.Q., and graduated therefrom in
1880. He then entered the law office of his brother, Ernest Pacaud, well
known in Quebec city as a man of ability and learning, but the spirit of
activity within him was such as to induce him to forsake the law for the
equally honorable and more exciting profession of journalism, and
accordingly, in 1881, he became editor of _Le Patriote_, published in
Bay City, Michigan, by another brother, H. A. Pacaud. In 1884 he
returned to Canada, and took the editorial chair of _Le Progress_,
published in Windsor by still another brother, Aurèle Pacaud, and has
edited this paper ever since. _Le Progress_ is the only French paper
published in Western Ontario, and has a high standing among the reform
papers of the province. At the last general election Mr. Pacaud was
returned by the Reformers of North Essex as their representative in the
Legislative Assembly of Ontario, and there is no member of that body who
tries more to advance the interests of his constituents than he does. A
fact which may be taken as strong evidence of the magnetism and personal
popularity of Mr. Pacaud is this, that although such a young man—young
in years as well as in political life—and although resident but a short
time in a county which never before elected a Liberal, yet he defeated
Mr. Sol. White, who was so well known as the leader of the Opposition’s
first lieutenant. The attention which Mr. Pacaud has given to his
parliamentary duties, and the fluency of his speech when he has
addressed the house, are evidences to his friends that, although the
youngest member of the house, Mr. Pacaud is destined to make his mark,
and possibly to rise to a yet higher position in the future. Mr. Pacaud
is the son of Philippe Napoléon Pacaud, who so powerfully seconded
Papineau, in 1837 and 1838, by putting his life and his immense wealth
at the service of the great cause of his fellow countrymen, and is one
of five brothers, three of whom are journalists, and two lawyers. Every
reader of Canadian history knows the name of Pacaud, the bearers of this
name having distinguished themselves in many ways. The Pacaud family,
indeed, is well known as one of the oldest and most distinguished in the
province of Quebec.
* * * * *
=Mowat, Hon. Oliver=, Q.C., LL.D., Premier of the province of Ontario,
is descended of a stock that has given Canada many of its foremost men
in almost every public department in the land, namely, the
Canadian-Scotch. His father, John Mowat, was from Canisbay,
Caithness-shire, Scotland. He was a soldier who had seen stern service
during the Peninsular wars. His wife, Helen Levack, was also a native of
Caithness-shire. They came to Canada in 1816, and settled in Kingston,
where their son Oliver was born, on July 22, 1820. His education was as
good as the schools of that city afforded at that date. At about the age
of seventeen he entered the law office of Mr. (now Sir) John A.
Macdonald, who, a young man but five years his senior, had just been
admitted to the bar, and had settled down to practise his profession. At
the outset of his student life young Mowat was called on to serve as a
volunteer in the rebellion of 1837. It may well be supposed that the
state of parties and affairs in Canada to which his attention was thus
early and practically called must have afforded him food for thought,
and had much effect in shaping his after course. It is certainly
noteworthy, as indicating both mental independence and moral earnestness
of no common order, that, born as he was of Conservative parents,
surrounded with Conservative influences, and trained in the study of a
profession which is more closely related to politics than any other, in
the office and under the direct influence of a man whose brilliant
talents and personal magnetism have long been and still are the
strongest forces on the side of Conservatism in Canada, Oliver Mowat
should have chosen that broad-minded, moderate Liberalism, of whose
principles he has ever since been so able an exponent, and so steadfast
a promoter. He was called to the bar in 1842, and commenced his practice
in Kingston, but very soon afterwards came to Toronto, where he has ever
since resided. At a time when the line of demarcation between common law
and equity was much more clearly drawn than at present, Mr. Mowat chose
the latter branch. He rose quickly to eminence at the Chancery bar. In
1856 he was appointed by the government of which Hon. John A. Macdonald
was a member, as commissioner for consolidating the Statutes of Canada
and of Upper Canada respectively, a position which he held until 1859.
In 1857 he was elected to parliament as member for South Oxford, and
continued to represent that constituency until 1864. Upon the fall of
the Macdonald-Cartier government, in 1867, he was selected, though he
had been but one year in the house, to fill the office of provincial
secretary in the Brown-Dorion administration. He held the portfolio of
postmaster-general in the Coalition government formed by Hon. John
Sandfield Macdonald, in 1861, a position which he retained until the
defeat of that government, in 1864. He was also a member of the
memorable Union Conference which met at Quebec in 1864, and framed the
confederation scheme; but his acceptance, a few months later, of the
vice-chancellorship of Upper Canada deprived the framers of the
Confederation Act of his services in the subsequent deliberations. When
the Dual Representation Act compelled the retirement of Messrs. Blake
and Mackenzie from the leadership of the Ontario legislature, in 1872,
he was called on by the lieutenant-governor, acting no doubt on the
advice of the retiring premier, to form an administration. His descent
from the bench and re-entrance into political life gave occasion for a
good deal of discussion at the time, on the part of those who thought,
or affected to think, that the purity of the judicial ermine must be in
some way contaminated by the change. The answer, if any is needed, to
those who think that the position of head of the Provincial government
is one requiring either mental or moral qualifications of a lower order
than those of even the chancellor’s bench, is to be found in the record
of sixteen years of able, upright, and progressive government of the
affairs of Ontario. Those must be wilfully purblind who cannot now see
that the judicial temperament and habit, with all of mental training and
capacity, and of moral integrity they imply, furnish the very best of
qualifications for the responsible and honorable position of virtual
ruler of a great province. Sound discretion, marked ability, and
sterling integrity have characterised Hon. Mr. Mowat’s career in each
division of his professional and official life. As a lawyer, his talents
quickly gained recognition, and, reinforced by his clear judgment and
scrupulous conscientiousness, soon won for him a high place in the
confidence of the profession and of the court in which he practised.
Though not fluent, he was energetic, forcible, and convincing as a
pleader. His patience was admirable, his industry untiring, his
fertility in resources great. He was said to be endowed in large measure
with the power of “thinking out” a subject, and was believed to be
stronger in ability to go to the bottom of the subject than any of his
contemporaries. As a judge, he exhibited qualities of both head and
heart which, while they won for him respect and admiration, gained also
esteem and friendship in high degree. His great business and executive
ability quickly showed itself in the improved conduct and quicker
despatch of the business of the court. As the head of the government,
his record has long been before the people of Ontario. The mere
enumeration of the reforms that have been effected, and the beneficial
acts passed during his _régime_, would occupy more space than we have at
our disposal. The judicious settlement of the vexed question of the
municipal loan fund; the liberal and salutary provisions of the local
Railway Acts; the consolidation of the Provincial Statutes; the local
option principle reduced to practice in the Liquor Acts; the General
Incorporation Act, by which so much economy of time has been secured in
the Legislative Assembly; the well-considered and systematic aid to
public charities; the changes by which the education department has been
relieved of irresponsible and bureaucratic character, and put in charge
of a responsible minister; the progressive legislation in connection
with higher education and the University of Toronto; the introduction of
the ballot in political and municipal elections; the liberalising of the
franchise up to the verge of universal suffrage; all these, and many
other legislative reforms wrought under this _régime_, will be lasting
monuments of his statesmanship. Mr. Mowat’s legislation, though
uniformly Liberal and progressive, has never been sensational. His
opponents have sometimes charged him with timidity. That wise caution
that refuses to move blindly under irresponsible pressure, that waits to
look on all sides of a question, and goes forward only when the way is
made clear, is certainly his. But that cowardly fear of censure which
shrinks and hesitates on the brink of what is seen to be right and just,
for fear of consequences, cannot be laid to his charge. No really urgent
legislation in the interests of Liberalism and progress has been unduly
delayed through his fault. The manner in which he has met and
vanquished, not only in the local political arena, but in the highest
court of the realm, Sir John A. Macdonald, with all the power and
prestige of his own high reputation and the Dominion premiership at his
back, sufficiently attests his courage in doing what he deems the right.
The vindication of provincial rights in the matters of the Boundary, the
Rivers and Streams Bills, and the license question, are services
rendered by Oliver Mowat which will long be remembered by a grateful
province. As leader of the Ontario government, in the house and out, Mr.
Mowat’s address and tactics are admirable. Clear-headed and logical in
debate; cautious in committing himself, yet, when occasion demands,
prompt in decision and firm in action; uniformly courteous and affable,
yet ready and keen in retort, and often turning the tables on an
opponent most effectively; keeping himself thoroughly informed on all
important questions; exhibiting on all occasions a sound judgment,
combined with a ready wit, he inspires his colleagues and followers with
confidence, and generally holds at bay or discomfits his most eager
assailants. In some of these respects, notably in the extent and fulness
of his knowledge of the subjects under debate, and in the soundness and
acumen of his opinions on juridical and jurisdictional questions, his
record compares most favorably with that of his great antagonist, the
veteran leader of the Dominion government. To say that he may have
sometimes made mistakes in judgment and policy, and that he has not
uniformly steered clear of the dangerous reefs which abound in the
streams of patronage, is but to admit that he is human and consequently
fallible. Hon. Mr. Mowat has always taken a deep interest in social and
religious questions. He is a member of the Presbyterian church, and was
for many years president of the Evangelical Alliance. Like most men who
have wrought earnestly and conscientiously for the public good in any
sphere, his philanthropy and integrity are, no doubt, deep-based upon
the firm foundation of religious principle. It has been sneeringly
insinuated that he has claimed for himself the high honor of being a
“Christian politician;” but it is unnecessary to say that the charge is
without foundation. It seems to have originated in a perversion of a
hypothetical allusion in one of his speeches to what might be considered
the duty of a Christian politician, in some specified case. To arrogate
to himself the distinctive title was farthest from his thought, and a
boast would be as repugnant to his good sense and taste as to the
modesty for which he is distinguished. That he is a faithful and devout
member of an influential Christian church is a crime which will be
readily forgiven him in view of the great services he has rendered to
society and the state.
* * * * *
=Desaulniers, Denis Benjamin William=, Nicolet, Governor of the College
of Physicians and Surgeons of the Province of Quebec, was born on the
5th of December, 1839, at St. Anthony de la Rivière du Loup, near
Maskinonge. His father, Antoine Lesieur Desaulniers, was an
agriculturist of Rivière du Loup. His mother was Maria Emelie Beland.
The Lesieur-Desaulniers were a numerous family, and inhabited a large
portion of the parishes of Yamachiche and Rivière du Loup. Our present
subject was brought up with his family until the age of thirteen, and in
the month of September, 1853, he entered the seminary of Nicolet, where
he made his classical course with great success. In the month of May,
1860, he obtained from the Board of Physicians his license for the study
of medicine, and studied two years under the patronage of Dr. Alexis
Milette. In 1862, in the month of September, he entered the Laval
University at Quebec to complete his course, and was the most solid and
substantial of all the students of his time. During his last two years
he carried off the first “Morin,” this prize having been only twice
offered to the pupils whilst pursuing his course. On the 10th October,
1865, he was admitted to the practice of medicine, after a severe
examination before the Provincial Board of Physicians, and the same year
he established himself in the parish of Rivière du Loup, now
Louiseville. A year after, in October, 1866, being equally successful in
the practice of his profession as well as literary pursuits, he was
called to Nicolet to take charge of the seminary there, the pupils and
all connected with this important institution, a post which he still
fills. Later, upon the establishment of the convent of the Sœurs de
l’Assomption at Nicolet, he was made physician to the institution. In
1886, when L’Hotel Dieu of Nicolet was inaugurated by the Sœurs Grises
of St. Hyacinthe, he was again selected as first acting physician to the
house. Dr. Desaulniers has been very fortunate in the practice of his
profession, but his great specialty has been midwifery. He has closely
followed the progress of medicine in its many branches, and therefore is
one of the foremost physicians of the day. His unprecedented success in
the past promises a brilliant future. On the 31st of August, in the year
1881, he was appointed coroner, in conjunction with Dr. S. Ed. Badeau,
for the district of Three Rivers, and occupied this office for two
years, when he was obliged to resign to fulfil the requirements of his
profession. Seven years after Dr. Desaulniers arrival at Nicolet, the
village was raised to a town, and it then became necessary to form a
town council, of which he was chosen and elected by a large majority
first mayor of Nicolet. Of course he had everything to do, and the
greater part of the rules and regulations now in force were passed
during his administration. At the completion of his term of office he
retired, and gave himself up entirely to the practice of his profession,
which had become very extensive. In 1877, he was elected governor of the
College of Physicians and Surgeons of the province of Quebec for the
district of Three Rivers, and has held that position since that date. He
was born in the Roman Catholic religion, and has ever remained faithful
to his church principles. Dr. Desaulniers married on the 12th January,
1869, Marie Rose de Lima Proulx, second daughter of Hubert Proulx, of
Nicolet, and in May, 1879, his wife died, leaving three infant
daughters. He was married the second time, on July 13th, 1880, to Marie
Célanire Gagnon, widow of late Louis Ludger Richard, and daughter of
Antoine Gagnon, agent for the Crown lands at Arthabaskaville. In May,
1884, he again had the misfortune of losing his wife, who left an infant
daughter.
* * * * *
=King, James=, Quebec. Few men engaged in the staple trade of the port
of Quebec hold a more conspicuous position or enjoy a larger share of
public confidence and respect than the subject of this sketch, not only
for his business enterprise and success, but for his integrity in all
the relations of life. Mr. King is the Quebec member of the great
lumbering and lumber exporting firm of King Brothers and King Brothers &
Co., which are among the largest operators in the province, their
establishments being scattered all over, from the Eastern townships to
Gaspé. In fact, few commercial houses have been or are more powerful
contributors to Lower Canadian development. Their _chantiers_ and saw
mills at St. Jean Deschaillons, Lyster, Levis, River Ouelle, Cedar Hall,
Grand Pabos, and Robertson Station, give employment and support to
considerable communities, the products of whose industry, chiefly in the
shape of pine and spruce deals, are annually exported to the United
Kingdom and the continent of Europe. The firms, of which Mr. King is a
leading member, are also largely interested in the important asbestos
industry of the province of Quebec, being the proprietors of extensive
areas of asbestos-bearing lands in the eastern townships, and notably of
the “Hampden” and “Thetford Royal” mines in Thetford, Megantic county;
and Mr. King himself is a director and manager of the Asbestos Mining
and Manufacturing Company of Canada. He is further largely interested in
rural real estate, being the seigneur of the seigniories of St. Jean
Déschaillons and Lake Matapedia. He is the youngest son of the late
Charles King, of Lyster, Megantic, and was born at St. Antoine de Tilly,
in Lotbinière county, P.Q., on the 18th February, 1848. Educated at
Lennoxville, he took his degrees of B.A. in 1867, and of M.A. in 1873,
at the University of Bishop’s College, and during his university course
was a member of the college volunteer corps. In religion he belongs to
the Church of England, and has been a lay delegate to the Synod of the
diocese of Quebec. In politics he is a Liberal-Conservative, and has
frequently been pressed to offer himself for Parliamentary honors, but
has hitherto refused to accept nomination at the hands of his party,
feeling that his business engagements absorbed too much of his time and
attention. Nevertheless he has always taken a strong interest in
educational matters. His travels have extended to the United Kingdom and
the continent of Europe. He is unmarried, and a member of the Garrison
Club, Quebec.
* * * * *
=Davidson, Hon. Justice Charles Peers=, Montreal, was born at
Huntingdon, province of Quebec, where his family had long been prominent
in the development of the county, and defence of the frontier. His
grandfather, Colonel Davidson, came from Scotland, and was in command of
the Huntingdon volunteers, in which his father held a captaincy, and
which formed part of the brigade under the command of the late
Major-General Campbell. Colonel Davidson, at the commencement of the
troubles of 1837 and the following year, was sent for by the
commander-in-chief of the British forces in Canada, Sir John Colborne,
who requested him to raise a regiment. He accepted, and soon after his
return to Huntingdon, succeeded in enrolling about six hundred stalwart
men from among the farmers, most of whom were immigrants from the old
country. The regiment, which was called “The Huntingdon Frontier
Volunteers,” numbered in its ranks many men who afterwards became
prominent in political and social life. One company was stationed at
Russelltown, a second at Covey Hill, and the third as far as
Hemmingford. Colonel Davidson, for the first year, was in command, not
only of the regiment, but of the whole district; in the second year,
Colonel Campbell, subsequently major-general, assumed command of the
district, and the volunteers were enrolled in the brigade which was
afterwards under the gallant Sir George Cathcart, then only colonel, who
fell at the battle of Inkerman at the head of the 1st Dragoon Guards,
which he commanded. One company of this regiment was commanded by
Captain Reid, a veteran of Waterloo. In this company also was Sir John
Rose, the eminent statesman and financier, now of London, England. The
Huntington volunteers did good service, but were only in one action,
that of St. Regis. From the foregoing it will be seen that Justice
Davidson comes of a military family, his mother, Marion Peers, being the
daughter of the late Lieutenant Peers, of Her Majesty’s Dragoon Guards.
He went to the Huntington Academy, subsequently attended at Victoria
College, Cobourg, and thence passed to McGill University, from which he
received the degree of B.A. and M.A. in arts, and B.C.L. and D.C.L. in
law, and was for a number of years one of its fellows. Even while a
student he studied the public questions of the day, being a welcome
contributor to the press, and for a time was assistant editor on the
_Daily News_. Had he followed the profession of journalism, he would
have achieved marked success. The press proved a good training school,
and those who listened to Justice Davidson’s eloquent speeches gave him
a high place among public speakers. He studied with the present Justice
Cross, and subsequently entered that gentleman’s law firm as junior
partner. Several years ago he was created Queen’s counsel by the
Provincial government, but the Supreme Court holding that the provinces
were without authority to confer this title, he subsequently received a
new patent from the Dominion authorities. He has been a life-long
supporter of athletic exercises, having been for sometime president of
the Beaver Lacrosse Club, of the Montreal Snow-Shoe Club, and of the
Victoria Skating Club. During the _Trent_ affair in 1862, which
threatened to involve Great Britain in hostilities with the United
States, he was one of the first to enrol himself in the ranks of the
newly formed Victoria Rifles, and rose by successive promotions until he
became its commanding officer. His _bonhommie_ and dash render him very
popular in his regiment, while his pre-eminence in athletic sports and
engaging social qualities, make him as popular in society as his legal
attainments, quick perceptive faculties, convincing oratory, devoid of
florid ornamentation, did among the shrewd practical plutocrats of
Montreal. In politics Mr. Davidson was a Conservative, having been
president of the Junior Conservative Club for several years. In 1881 he
was a candidate for the Quebec parliament for Montreal Centre, but was
defeated by George Washington Stephens, a powerful opponent, by
ninety-eight votes. He married Alice, daughter of the late Wm. Mattice,
of Cornwall, who for a number of years represented Stormont in the
parliament of the united Canadas. Mr. Justice Davidson was called to the
bench of the Superior Court in June, 1887, upon the death of the late
Justice Torrance.
* * * * *
=Coursol, Captain Charles Joseph Quesnel=, St. John’s, Quebec, was born
17th August, 1856, at Montreal. His parents are Charles J. Coursol,
Q.C., M.P., and Helen Taché. The subject of this sketch was educated at
the Jesuits’ College, Montreal, taking a full classical course. He
received a commission as lieutenant in the Victoria Rifles of Canada in
October, 1877; was transferred to the 65th Batt. in November, 1880, and
promoted to a captaincy in April, 1881. He served for eighteen months
with A Battery, R.C.A., and also several months with H.M. 19th or
Princess of Wales’ Own Regiment, then stationed at Halifax. On the 21st
December, 1883, he received a commission in the Infantry School Corps,
now stationed at St. John’s, Quebec. In religion he is a Roman Catholic.
He was married on the 18th October, 1882, to E. F. Pearce Serecold,
daughter of the late Captain Pearce Serecold, of H.M. 66th regiment, and
Miss Duval, daughter of the Hon. Justice Duval. Captain Coursol is also
a grand nephew of the late Hon. F. A. Quesnel of the Legislative
Council.
* * * * *
=Pim, Richard=, Toronto. This gentleman, who was a resident of Toronto
for over fifty years, died on the morning of the 14th February, 1888, in
the seventy-eighth year of his age. He was a native of Herefordshire,
England, and spent part of his early life in Russia, whither his father
had gone to erect paper mills of the then most improved description for
the Russian government. Upon the death of his father, at Helsingfors,
near St. Petersburg, he returned to England, and married Mary Hargrave,
grand-daughter of William Lane, a poet of considerable local distinction
in Buckinghamshire. He emigrated to Canada in 1834, and during the
stirring political events of 1837, served in the militia called out to
repress the rebellion of that year, and was on guard below the Falls of
Niagara when the American steamer _Caroline_ was cut loose by a British
attacking party, and sent burning over the Falls. Mr. Pim led a quiet
life, and was well-known in Toronto.
* * * * *
=Irvine, Hon. George=, Q.C., D.C.L., one of the best known and most
eminent members of the Quebec bar, is the eldest son of the late
Lieut.-Colonel Irvine, principal A.D.C. to the Governor-General of
Canada, and grandson of the Hon. James Irvine, for many years a member
of the Executive and Legislative Councils of Lower Canada, and of the
Hon. Matthew Bell, of Three Rivers, P.Q., at one time member for St.
Maurice in the Legislature of Lower Canada, and afterwards a member of
the Legislative Council of that province. He was born at Quebec on the
16th November, 1826, and was educated at Dr. Lundy’s school in that
city. Having chosen the law as his profession, he was called to the bar
in 1848, after the usual course of study, and rapidly rose to
distinction, his services being retained in nearly every important case,
especially of a commercial nature. In partnership with the late C. G.
Holt, Q.C., afterwards judge of the sessions of the peace for the Quebec
district, and subsequently with E. H. Pemberton, he practised his
profession with steady success and honor, and in 1867 was created a Q.C.
in recognition of his leading position at the Quebec bar. Some years
previously to this, in 1863, the electors of Megantic county, P.Q., had
marked their appreciation of his abilities and exalted character, by
returning him at the general election of that year to represent them in
the Canadian House of Assembly, in which he continued to sit until
confederation, when he was returned for Megantic to the Commons, and
represented that county at Ottawa until the abolition of dual
representation and the general election of 1872, when he declined
re-election. He also represented the county in the Legislative Assembly
of the province of Quebec from confederation until January, 1876, and
during this period successively held the important Cabinet offices of
solicitor-general and attorney-general of that province in the Chauveau
and Ouimet administrations, being regarded as the leader of the English
element in those governments, and the special champion of the
English-speaking and Protestant minority in Lower Canada. In January,
1876, he resigned his seat in the Legislature, on being appointed one of
the railway commissioners for the province, which office he also
resigned in 1878, in order to present himself for re-election as a
supporter of Mr. Joly’s administration, in which he was offered, but
declined, a seat. At the general election of that year, he was again
returned to represent Megantic in the Legislative Assembly, and once
more at the general election of 1880, when he went with his leader, Mr.
Joly, into opposition to the Chapleau and Mousseau governments, until
June, 1884, when he resigned his seat on accepting the appointment of
judge of the Vice-Admiralty Court at Quebec. Throughout his public
career, Mr. Irvine was one of the most conspicuous men in the house and
before the country, and the organization and legislation of the province
of Quebec, under confederation, still bear the impress of his powerful
mind. A gentleman of wonderful tact and suavity of manner, a skilful
parliamentarian, and a man of rare executive ability, he wielded an
immense influence in the councils of that province, and on public
opinion. As a speaker and debater, he was not only remarkable for his
ready eloquence, but above all for his clearness, precision and logical
force. He was a host in himself, and the side which received his support
seldom failed to score a victory. As the representative of the
English-speaking minority, he retained the public confidence to the
last, as much by the independence and personal purity of his character
as by his commanding talents. A Conservative by tradition and instinct,
he nevertheless did not hesitate to separate himself from the party in
provincial politics when the acts of some of his colleagues in the
“Tanneries Land Swap” and other matters brought disgrace upon its
escutcheon, and his conduct was not only ratified by his own immediate
constituents of Megantic, but warmly approved by his fellow-countrymen
generally. During the Joly administration he was the “power-behind the
throne,” and afterwards, until his resignation of his seat in the house
for good, the most conspicuous figure in the Provincial Opposition, next
to the leader himself. Although actually the judge of the Vice-Admiralty
Court at Quebec, an Imperial appointment, the subject of this sketch
still practises his profession in the other courts, and is generally
found engaged in all the more important cases, both civil and criminal.
He was formerly professor of commercial law in Morrin College, Quebec,
and was also chancellor of the University of Lennoxville, P.Q., from
which he received the honorary degree of D.C.L., in 1875. He has also
been _bâtonnier_ of the Quebec bar and a vice-president of the Union
Bank of Canada, at Quebec, which he helped to found. In religion he is a
member of the Church of England, and has always taken a keen and active
interest in its affairs. He has travelled a good deal on public and
professional business, and has repeatedly crossed to England to plead
before the Privy Council in appeals of great importance. Has two
brothers living, the elder, Commissary-General Matthew Bell Irvine,
C.B., C.M.G., and the younger, Lieut.-Col. Acheson Gosford Irvine, a
member of the Council of the North-West Territories, and late
Commissioner North-West Mounted Police. He married, in August, 1856, the
third daughter of the late Henry Le Mesurier, a well-known merchant of
Quebec, and formerly an officer in H.M. 48th regiment, and by her has
had issue ten children.
* * * * *
=Cadman, James=, Civil and Mining Engineer, Quebec, is a good type of
the men to whose professional skill and energy the eastern section of
the Dominion is indebted for so much of its development by railways
within the last twenty years. An Englishman, by birth, he has all the
Englishman’s well known doggedness of character, and all the trained
engineer’s abiding faith in the invincibility of science and the power
of mind over matter. The word “impossible” has long since been erased
from his lexicon, as illustrated especially by the great undertaking
with which his name has been more prominently connected of late, the
construction of the railway from Quebec to Lake St. John through a
region of unparalleled difficulty from the engineering point of view.
Mr. Cadman was born in Dudley, Worcestershire, England, on the 31st
January, 1832, his father’s name being also James Cadman, and his
mother’s originally, Sarah Forrest Brown. He received a good plain
English education at the Blue Coat School, Dudley, and studied civil and
mining engineering under S. H. Blackwell, of Russell’s Hall Colliery,
Dudley, of which he was afterwards appointed resident engineer. He
subsequently distinguished himself in the same capacity in a number of
the other great English collieries and iron works until 1862, when he
came to New Brunswick as mining engineer for the New Brunswick Charcoal
and Pig Iron Company. In 1867, he became connected as resident engineer
with the European and North-American Railway, and in 1868 was appointed
assistant engineer of the Intercolonial Railway, in the location and
construction of which he took an active part until 1875, when he was
retained for the survey of the Newfoundland Railway. On his return from
Newfoundland, he was named locating engineer of the North Shore Railway,
in which position he continued to act until 1879, when he was raised to
the still more prominent and responsible post of chief engineer of the
Quebec and Lake St. John Railway, which he still holds with great
advantage to the success of that arduous and important enterprise. Mr.
Cadman is a member of the Church of England, and a Freemason. He has
never taken any part in politics in England or Canada, not even to vote.
In his early manhood, he was for three years a member of the South
Staffordshire Rifle Volunteers. In 1860, he married Margaret Doughty, a
niece of the celebrated mining engineer, John Yardley, of East
Worcestershire, by whom he has had a family of five children, three of
whom are still living.
* * * * *
=Kelly, Francis=, J.P., Joliette, Quebec province, is a native of
Ireland, having been born in Carlow, Leinster, on the 17th of March,
1819. His parents were James Kelly and Margaret Crosby, both natives of
the same place. When he came to Canada he took up his residence in
Montreal, where he received a commercial education. In 1845 he removed
to New York, where he remained till 1850, and then went to California,
and for some time worked in the gold mines. He spent four years
travelling through the far west, and also visited Mexico and Cuba.
Becoming surfeited with travel, he returned to Canada, and settled in
Joliette. Here he began the lumbering business, in which he succeeded,
and is now spending the remainder of his days in peace and comfort. In
religion Mr. Kelly is a member of the Roman Catholic church; and in
politics a Liberal. He was married on the 10th January, 1854, to Mary
Collins.
* * * * *
=Howe, Henry Aspinwall=, T.C.D., M.A., LL.D., Rector of the High School,
Montreal, province of Quebec, was born near Guildford, Surrey, England,
8th July, 1815. He is the elder and only surviving one of two sons of
the late Captain Aspinwall Howe, formerly of the war office, Somerset
House, latterly of her Majesty’s 88th regiment (Connaught Rangers), and
Mary, eldest and very beautiful daughter of Charles Wickens, of
Turnbridge, Surrey, England. The Howes are a branch of the Aspinwalls,
an old county family in Lancashire. The subject of the sketch was
educated at Elizabeth College, Guernsey, and Trinity College, Dublin,
passing through both with high credit. He resided afterwards for some
years in France, where he acquired a complete knowledge of the French
language. Soon after leaving college he became private tutor to the
youngest son of the Earl of Ellesmere, in whose family he became
domesticated, and was indebted both to the Earl and his amiable Countess
for their kind consideration and firm friendship. Mr. Aspinwall Howe was
not desirous of making teaching his profession, but Lord Ellesmere
considering that he was peculiarly fitted for it, persuaded him to
accept the head mastership of the Montreal High School, which Lord
Colbourne and Professor Pillans, of Edinburgh University, offered him.
Thus, in 1848, he came to Montreal as rector of its High School, which
office he has held with eminent success since that date, very many of
his pupils having attained high and honorable positions in the Dominion,
in the Mother Country and elsewhere. On first entering, however, upon
his school duties, he had great cause for disappointment. The Board of
High School Directors received him with marked kindness, but the school
was undisciplined, and, still worse, in a bankrupt state. A regular
income with residence had been promised—the former could not be
realized from the funds of the school, the latter was a “mistake”—and
many years elapsed before the school was prosperous enough to pay its
rector a tolerably fair income. This proved a serious loss and trial,
and obliged the rector to draw assistance from his resources at home. In
the reconstruction of McGill College, some twenty-eight years ago, Dr.
Aspinwall Howe, while retaining his position in the High School,
occupied also the chair of mathematics and of natural philosophy in
McGill College, _without remuneration_, retiring from these with the
title of emeritus professor of three branches, when the university was
sufficiently re-established to pay independent professors. He is also a
fellow of the University, and has long been matriculation examiner to
the medical faculty of McGill College. He has likewise for some years
been president of the Board of Examiners for the preliminary examination
of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of the Province of Quebec. Dr.
Aspinwall Howe is a prominent member and liberal supporter of St. John
the Evangelist Church of England, in Montreal. His moral influence over
the many young people who come in contact with him in school and
elsewhere is excellent. Dr. Aspinwall Howe is an exception to most
highly educated scholars in that his attainments are varied; he excels
in classics as well as in mathematics, and has a taste for the arts and
for games of skill. He attained a high degree of perfection in drawing;
is an accomplished amateur musician, and is well known as a strong
player of the royal game of chess. In 1847 he married Louisa, daughter
of the late Rev. J. C. Fanshawe, formerly of Franklin Hall, near Exeter,
of Coelhaey’s Park, Devon, etc., and of Fanny Delia, daughter of
Chancellor Carrington, of Evington, in Devonshire, by whom he had issue
as follows:—Louisa Blanche Fanny, married to Hon. Henry, second son of
Right Hon. Lord Aylmer; Amelia Egerton; Catharine Maria Fanshawe Coke,
deceased; Henry South Leïdebach; Arthur Fanshawe Vernon, deceased;
Fanshawe Gardiner, deceased; and others. Mrs. Aspinwall Howe is also
Countess Nürenallen de Leïdebach, an honorable recognition given to her
branch of the family for valuable service, rendered during the
continental troubles of 1814-15.
* * * * *
=Guest, Sheriff Geo. Hutchinson=, Yarmouth, N.S., was born on 14th July,
1849, at Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, and is the son of Robert and Mary
(Utley) Guest. His grandfather, John Guest, was born in Waterford,
Ireland, and settled in St. John’s, Newfoundland, in the latter part of
the eighteenth century. He was for some years a leading merchant in St.
John’s. He married Dorothy Eustace, of Tor Bay. Robert Guest, the father
of the sheriff, arrived in Yarmouth, in the year 1827, and became
identified with the business of shipping, then, as now, the leading
industry of the place. Robert Guest died February, 1867. His wife, Mary
Utley, was a daughter of Nathan Utley, and grand-daughter of the Nathan
Utley who represented Yarmouth county in the Provincial legislature from
1800 to 1806. Mrs. Guest died in September, 1887. Sheriff Guest was
educated at the Yarmouth Academy. He engaged in the shipping business,
and is a shipowner. He was a director of the Yarmouth Marine Insurance
Association until it ceased to do business. In politics he is a Liberal,
and when T. B. Flint resigned the office of high sheriff of the county,
in January, 1887, Mr. Guest received the appointment from the local
government. He is connected with the Methodist church, holding the
position of a trustee of Providence Church. On the 11th of November,
1874, he married M. E. Lovitt, youngest daughter of the late John
Lovitt, who was a grandson of Andrew Lovitt, who settled in Yarmouth in
1766. The Lovitts have always been identified with the best interests of
Yarmouth. They have been prominently connected with the shipbuilding and
other industries, and the county is at present represented in the
Dominion House of Commons by one of the family.
* * * * *
=Moore, Alvan Head=, Magog, Quebec, was born in Hatley, county of
Stanstead, province of Quebec, April 20th, 1836. His father, Thomas
Moore, was born in Concord, N.H., United States, Dec. 5th, 1787. His
mother, Margaret Moore, whose maiden name was Margaret Dickey, was born
near Concord, N.H., July 24th, 1795. They were married Dec. 6th, 1812,
and came to Canada in the beginning of the present century. They were
amongst the early pioneers who settled Stanstead county. His father was
on duty during the war of 1812-14 and the rebellion of 1837-8. He held a
commission dated August, 1811, as lieutenant in the Eastern Townships
Royal Volunteers and ensign in the militia of 1837-8. The subject of
this sketch was liberally educated in Canadian academies and United
States collegiate institutes, and at the present time is mayor of Magog,
postmaster, commissioner of Superior Court, superintendent of the
Government Fish Hatchery, justice of the peace for the district of St.
Francis, president of the Waterloo & Magog Railway Company, director in
the Stanstead, Shefford & Chambly Railroad Company, director in the
Magog Textile and Print Company, was for years president of the
Stanstead County Agricultural Society, chairman of the school
commissioners of Magog, and secretary and treasurer of the above
mentioned W. & M. R. Co., which office he resigned in 1887 to take the
presidency of the company. He has been connected with and was one of the
principal promoters of all the public enterprises of the place, the most
important of them being the Waterloo & Magog Railway and Magog Textile
and Print Works. He was an active promoter of both schemes, and has a
large amount of money invested in them. He is an active politician, and
has been engaged in every political contest which has taken place in the
county since confederation. Being a protectionist, he is consequently a
Conservative. He has been looked upon as the successor of the present
member in the House of Commons, but so far has steadily refused to
accept any nomination for parliamentary honors. He is and has always
been a temperance man and opposed to the license system, and one of the
few men of his age who never signed a requisition for a license. The
adoption of the Temperance Act of 1878 in the county of Stanstead was
largely due to his exertions. He is a Protestant in religion, and in
favor of the alliance and amalgamation of all Christian denominations,
and the destruction of sectarian walls that serve to divide and weaken
the members of the Christian church. He was married August 12th, 1858,
to Julia Ann Merry, eldest daughter of the late Ralph Merry, of Magog,
who was one of the most prominent and most public-spirited men of his
time, and was for many years mayor of Magog. At the time of his death he
was president of the Waterloo & Magog Railway Company; vice-president of
the Stanstead, Shefford & Chambly Railroad; and one of the early
promoters of both schemes. Mrs. Moore was born at Magog, March 13th,
1838, was educated in Canadian and United States academies, and was also
for some time a student in the convent at Longueuil, near Montreal.
Immediately after their marriage they went to Kentucky, U.S.A., where
they lived for nearly two years and engaged in teaching in the Pleasant
Green Seminary until it was accidentally burned, Jan. 1, 1860. The war
cloud being about ready to burst over the slavery question, they
returned to Canada in the spring of 1860. Mr. Moore became associated in
that year with his father-in-law (Mr. Merry) in building the Waterloo &
Magog Railroad and in mercantile business. They continued in partnership
until 1867, when Mr. Merry retired from the firm and Mr. Moore
continued, and is now one of the largest and most successful merchants
in the eastern townships. They have three children living, Ralph Merry
Moore, born in Kentucky; Catharine Louise Moore and Elizabeth Florence
Moore, the two last born in Magog, province of Quebec.
* * * * *
=Freer, Lieut. Harry Cortlandt=, 1st Battalion, South Staffordshire
Regt., and Lieutenant and Brevet Captain and Adjutant, B Company,
R.S.I., St. John’s, Quebec, was born at Sherbrooke, Quebec, on the 9th
of May, 1859. His father, Cortlandt Freer, of the Grand Trunk Railway
engineer staff, is a son of Noah Freer, late captain in the Nova Scotia
Fencibles, and at one time A.D.C., or military secretary, to Sir George
Prevost. His mother, M. A. Sicotte, is the eldest daughter of the Hon.
L. V. Sicotte, judge of the Superior Court, St. Hyacinthe. The subject
of this sketch was educated at Trinity College School, Port Hope, and
afterwards graduated at the Royal Military College, Kingston. He entered
the British service, and served a year each in Malta and Ireland. On the
breaking out of the Egyptian war he served with the 1st battalion South
Staffordshire regiment, and served throughout the campaign of 1882,
receiving the Queen’s and Khedive’s medals for his gallantry. After his
return to Canada, the Northwest Rebellion of 1885 again called him to
active service, and he was appointed A.D.C. to Major-Gen. Sir Frederick
Middleton, K.C.M.G., and was present at Batoche. For his gallantry on
that occasion he was mentioned in the despatches, and received the medal
with clasp. He has been an extensive traveller both in Europe and the
East, as well as in our own country, having travelled as far west as
British Colombia. In religion he is a member of the Roman Catholic
church, and is unmarried.
* * * * *
=Montgomery, Donald=, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Chief
Superintendent of Education for Prince Edward Island, was born at
Valleyfield, 3rd May, 1848. His parents came to the island from Scotland
in 1840. Mr. Montgomery received his education at Prince of Wales
College in Charlottetown, the foremost seat of learning in Prince Edward
Island, and at McGill University, Montreal. He progressed rapidly in his
chosen profession of teacher, and in 1874 was appointed principal of the
Provincial Normal School. This position he held for three years. The
progress of education in the island has been very gradual. At the
original distribution of the land in 1767, thirty acres were reserved in
each township for a schoolmaster, and there the matter rested until
1821, when a national school was opened at the capital. Later on a board
of education was appointed for the island and other schools were opened.
In 1836 a central academy was established in Charlottetown. In 1837,
John McNeil was appointed the first superintendent of schools. At this
time the total population of the island was about thirty-five thousand,
and there were only fifty-one schools, with a total attendance of 1,533.
Means were scanty and the schoolmaster was literally “abroad” most of
his time, removing from house to house, as he got his board among the
different families of his district. In 1842, there were 121 schools and
4356 pupils. In 1852, a free school act was passed by the Legislature.
In 1853, the office of general superintendent for the island, abolished
in 1848 (a county superintendent for each county being substituted), was
re-established. In 1855, a bill was passed establishing a Normal School,
which was opened in 1856. The question as to whether the Bible should be
read in the Central Academy and the Normal School was earnestly debated
by the people and brought to the notice of the Legislature in 1858. The
House decided against the use of the Bible in the schools. In 1861,
however, was passed an act admitting the Bible into the schools. The
Prince of Wales College was established in the same year. Many of the
best men in the island have received their earlier education at this
institution, which, however, they frequently supplement by a course at
other seats of learning in the Dominion, the United States and Great
Britain. In 1878, Mr. Montgomery embarked in politics, and on the 20th
September in that year was elected to a seat in the local legislature
for his native district of Belfast. This was a bye-election caused by
the resignation of William Welsh. At the general election, Mr.
Montgomery again offered, and was re-elected in April, 1879. He was a
moderate Conservative. He resigned his seat in the House in the summer
of that year, and on the 26th September, 1879, was appointed to the
position of chief superintendent of education. This position he has
continued to hold up to the present time. He is connected with the
Presbyterian denomination. He married, on 10th August, 1887, Mary
Isabella, daughter of William McPhail, of Orwell. His residence is
situated on Prince street, in Charlottetown. A man in the very prime of
life and usefulness, Mr. Montgomery occupies a position of the highest
importance.
* * * * *
=Rivard, Antoine Majorique=, M.D., Sheriff for the district of Joliette,
was born on the 24th September, 1838, at St. Leon, district of Three
Rivers, province of Quebec. He is descended from a family that came from
France, and settled at Batiscan, province of Quebec, in 1660. His father
was Pierre Celestine Rivard, merchant at St. Leon, and his mother Marie
Angèle Caron. He was educated at the Lanigan Academy, Three Rivers, and
Nicolet College. He was admitted as a physician and surgeon on October
8th, 1861, and practised at St. Leon until 1865, when he removed to
Joliette, where he has since resided. He has been councillor and mayor
of the town of Joliette, vice-president of the Agricultural Society,
county of Joliette, president of School Commissions, director of La
Compagnie Manufacturier de Tabac Canadien de Joliette, secretary of the
Medico-Surgical Association of the district of Joliette, and surgeon of
the 83rd battalion since 1874. He was a governor of the College of
Physicians and Surgeons of the province of Quebec from 1877 to 1880,
collector of inland revenue from 1880 to 1882, and was made sheriff on
the 24th February, 1885. Dr. Rivard was married on the 16th February,
1863, to Marie Corine Asilda Lemaitre Angé, of Rivière du Loup, _en
haut_, and has always been a strict adherent of the Roman Catholic
faith. He is an ornament to the profession which he has made the study
of his life, and his talents are only second to his indomitable energy
and perseverance.
* * * * *
=Cartier, Sir George Etienne.= This illustrious statesman was born in
the village of St. Antoine, in the county of Verchères, on the 6th of
September, 1814. It was claimed for him that he was descended from one
of the nephews of Jacques Cartier, the adventurous Breton navigator, who
showed to France the ocean pathways to a western empire. But George
Etienne stood in no need of the dim and flickering lustre reflected from
remote family achievement. He made for himself, in the history of his
country, a name and a fame which, by right of native ability and
resolute and fortunate effort, are permanently his own. His immediate
ancestors were of the better class of French Canadians. His grandfather,
a successful merchant, was one of the first members chosen for the
county of Verchères, when the Constitutional Act of 1791 gave to Lower
Canada the right to representative institutions. In Lower Canada, in the
early days of George Etienne Cartier, two avocations possessed, and
still possess, a strong attraction for the more gifted amongst the
younger population. These avocations were the church and the bar.
Cartier chose the latter. To qualify himself for his intended
profession, he pursued, for eight years, a course of study at the
college of St. Sulpice, in the city of Montreal. There is no tradition
to show that he was a brilliant student. In this respect he adds another
to the number of eminent men who reserved, not for the ideal world of
the school-room, but for the actual world of after life, powers and
faculties previously unsuspected, because undisplayed. After leaving
college he entered upon the study of the law, and in 1835 he began
practice in the city of Montreal. The legal profession, crowded at that
period, overcrowded at the present time, still affords, to use the
simile of Daniel Webster, “room in the upper story.” To that place of
vantage Cartier made his way. The explanation of his success is not far
to seek. He possessed at that time, and until the end of his life, an
industry that never knew cessation, an energy that never faltered, and
an ever-present consciousness of his own ability. But, for young
Cartier, another pursuit besides law presented imperative claims to
attention. This was politics. To him, and to the majority of his
countrymen, they seemed to mean political existence, and the
preservation of their language and institutions. Cartier had scarcely
begun the practice of his profession when he was drawn into the vortex.
Louis Joseph Papineau, speaker of the Legislative Assembly since the
year 1817, had been flaming, like a portentous meteor, in the troubled
sky of Canadian politics. Under his influence, Cartier, like the
overwhelming majority of French Canadians, fell. It was no wonder.
Papineau was an impetuous leader; he had a popular cause; he appeared to
be fighting an unequal battle. To narrate in detail the causes which
created a leader out of Papineau, and which attracted to his banner all
the more enthusiastic among the French Canadians, would be to fill
volumes: to write a history of a country, and not the brief biography of
a man. But a few words may serve to convey a faint idea of the political
condition of Lower Canada, at the time when Cartier ventured into the
perilous pathways of the provincial politics of that epoch. From the
conquest of Canada, in 1760, to 1791 (the year of the passing of the
Constitutional Act), Canada was a portion of the British empire, but was
an alien in respect to British institutions. This Act divided what was
known as the Province of Quebec into two new provinces—Upper and Lower
Canada. A legislature was, by the Act, established in each province. It
consisted of a House of Assembly and a Legislative Council. The people
elected the Assembly; the Crown nominated the Council. Herein lay the
monstrous defect of the Constitutional Act; the poisonous leaven that
corrupted the body politic in Upper and Lower Canada; the pestilent germ
that developed into outrageous misgovernment, jeopardy of British
connection, and ultimate rebellion. The Upper House, nominated by the
Crown, was not only irresponsible to the people, but set their wishes at
absolute defiance. The popular Assembly might pass necessary measures;
the Council expunged the provisions that made them useful, or trampled
them under foot. The oligarchy, which was continually in a minority in
the Assembly, but always in a majority in the Council, lorded it over
Lower Canada in contemptuous indifference to the wishes of the French
Canadian majority.[4] The Governor, who was commissioned to represent
the King, was the mere puppet of the oligarchy. While they flattered him
they ruled him, and cajoled while they enslaved. Thus, for long and
weary years, was enacted the wretched drama of despotism under a
constitutional mask. There seemed no sign of relief. The governors and
the oligarchy, by their machinations, had gained the ear of the imperial
authorities, and tricked them into the belief that to rule in contempt
of British institutions was the only means of perpetuating British rule
in Upper and Lower Canada. With the intention to act justly, the British
government, above all others, seemed, at this period, to be beyond the
reach of the warnings of experience; seemed doomed never to know the
truths as to the dismal history of colonial misgovernment. The loss of
the thirteen colonies had been a lesson taught in vain. Not until the
Earl of Durham, in a state paper which eclipses, for ability,
conscientiousness, vast industry, and fearless truthfulness, any other
of the kind in the diplomatic literature of the British American
colonies—not until he laid bare the ulcers and festering wounds on the
Canadian body politic, did the imperial authorities learn the truth, and
set themselves to prepare a remedy. In the year 1837 the patience and
prudence of the French Canadian leaders gave way. The pleading for
reform had been scouted as treason; now insurrection was about to take
the place of argument. Among the deplorable elements engendered in the
long struggle for a better state of things was that of race-hatred. For
this dangerous passion, Papineau, often violent in language and unwise
in denunciation, was more responsible than his opponents. To this
passion, Cartier, even in his hot youth, would not surrender himself.
But, when the movement which Papineau for nearly a quarter of a century
had fostered, burst away from his control, and leapt from agitation into
rebellion, George Etienne Cartier, throwing to the winds considerations
of selfishness and prudence, boldly took his life in his hand, and
appealed to the arbitrament of the sword. The autumn of 1837 was ominous
of coming troubles. The government, even if no other source of
information had been at their command, could not fail to perceive in the
speeches of the more impetuous of the French Canadian leaders that an
appeal to arms was in immediate contemplation. After waiting for a
period which to their friends seemed perilously prolonged, the
authorities determined at length to grapple with the incipient
insurrection. On the 16th of November, 1837, warrants for high treason
were issued against the Montreal agitators who were inciting the people
to rebellion. Papineau was included in the number, but he had been
warned in time. He placed the St. Lawrence between himself and arrest,
and made good his way towards the Richelieu river. His arrival in that
locality brought to a focus the latent elements of revolt. The
disaffected peasantry of the surrounding districts trooped to their
headquarters, a village named Debartzch, in the parish of St. Charles.
But, in addition to the encampment at St. Charles, there was another and
more memorable mustering-place of the “patriots.” This was at St. Denis,
on the Chambly river. The leader of the patriots was Dr. Wolfred Nelson,
a man whose energy, courage and principles won him the unshaken
confidence of the peasantry. At St. Denis we find George Etienne
Cartier. A British force under Colonel Gore, a Waterloo veteran, was
sent against St. Denis. Accompanying the expedition was a deputy-sheriff
armed with a warrant for the arrest of Dr. Wolfred Nelson on a charge of
high treason. On the morning of the 23rd of November, 1837, the troops,
after twelve hours’ march through the sloughs, mud, and pit-falls of a
winter road in Lower Canada, approached the village of St. Denis. A
contemporary account thus narrates the result of the attack on the
position of the insurgents:—
The necessary orders were given for the troops to advance; an
order which was promptly obeyed, notwithstanding the harassing
and fatiguing march of the night. Towards the north-eastern
entrance of the village of St. Denis there is a large stone
house, of three or four stories, which was discovered to be full
of armed men, who opened a sharp and galling fire upon the
troops. The skirmishing party here consisted of the light
company of the 32nd, under Captain Markham. Within a quarter of
an hour after the firing commenced, Captain Markham was severely
wounded in the leg; and, almost at the same moment, received two
dangerous wounds in the neck, which brought him to the ground.
In conveying him to the rear, he received another wound, a proof
of the dexterity and precision of the fire kept up by the
patriots. It was found by Colonel Gore that the infantry,
deprived of the assistance of Colonel Wetherall’s force, was
inadequate to cope with the terrible fire of the musketry that
was kept up and directed against them from the stone house. The
field-piece, accordingly, was brought to bear upon this fort of
the insurgent army, and injured it considerably, sending many of
the inmates to their final account. Notwithstanding, as the
ammunition was nearly exhausted, it was deemed prudent to
retire, in order to maintain the communication with Sorel, as
many of the inhabitants were seen gathering from all directions
to the scene of action. About half-past two in the afternoon,
the order to fall back was given; and, with the loss of six men
killed and ten wounded, a retreat was commenced. The roads were
so bad it was impossible to get farther than three miles that
night, and Colonel Gore was under the necessity of bivouacking
till daylight of Friday morning (24th), when he again commenced
his march upon Sorel, which he reached that afternoon.
On the 25th of November, 1837, Lieutenant-Colonel Wetherall and a
British force drove the patriots from their position at St. Charles. A
few days after this event Colonel Gore, with his command reinforced
marched upon St. Denis. But the victory at St. Charles had caused
defections in the ranks of Dr. Nelson. He did not wait a second attack,
but abandoned his position, and sought to make his escape to the United
States. Thus ended the operations on the Richelieu, and with them the
rebellion south of the River St. Lawrence. George E. Cartier was with
Dr. Nelson in the combat at St. Denis. In after life, a political
opponent would sometimes taunt him with cowardice on that occasion. To
such reproaches he never replied, and hence there were some persons who
suspected that there might be truth in the accusation. But Cartier
himself knew better, and could afford to be silent. Ten years or so
after St. Denis his conduct was described by Dr. Nelson, who was
qualified to speak on the subject. In _La Minerve_, of Montreal, under
date of September 4th, 1848, Dr. Nelson’s “attestation,” dated Montreal,
21st August, 1848, was published in French. “Seeing,” says the Doctor,
“that an appeal has been made to me to give my testimony concerning
certain events at St. Denis, in 1837, I will do so in the interest of
truth and justice. I owe this to my friends, and to the country in
general.”
It is true that _M. Henri Cartier_[5] remarked that it would be
well to retreat, seeing the destruction caused by the discharges
of the enemy, the want of munitions, and the flight of a number
of persons of consequence. I strongly opposed this retreat; but,
notwithstanding that, Mr. Henri Cartier vigorously supported us
during all the day. M. GEORGE CARTIER never made allusion to the
retreat, and he like his cousin, M. H. Cartier, valiantly and
effectively contributed to the success of this struggle. And
these gentlemen only left me when I was myself obliged to leave,
nine days after this event, when the second expedition of troops
moved against St. Denis; resistance then having become
impossible, I sent M. George Cartier, towards two o’clock in the
afternoon, for some stores to St. Antoine, and he promptly
returned with succour, after about an hour’s absence. Mr. George
Cartier did not wear a _tuque bleu_[6] on the day of the battle.
WOLFRED NELSON.
MONTREAL, _21st August, 1848._
The authority of Dr. Wolfred Nelson must be accepted as conclusive
evidence respecting the personal courage of Cartier, who, it would seem,
acted in the capacity of _aide-de-camp_ to the valiant doctor. Cartier,
at this battle, was in the twenty-third year of his age. It was also
charged against him by some of his political opponents, that for his
participation in the events of 1837, a reward was offered for his head.
The present writer has not been able to verify this fact. The name of
Cartier does not appear in the lists of those for whose apprehension the
governor proclaimed rewards. Some time after the fight at St. Denis,
Cartier took refuge in the United States. Although he was unnamed in the
proclamations, his course of action was well known to the government. He
would have been arrested at the time if it had been possible, and his
fate would probably have been like that of his commander at St.
Denis—banishment. He returned secretly from the United States to
Canada, and remained in hiding for a time. His seclusion, however, was
not of very long duration. An intimation from the authorities assured
him that on presenting himself in public he would not be arrested. The
promise was faithfully kept. The result of Mr. Cartier’s participation
in the rebellion of 1837 was that for nearly ten years after its close
he took no active part in public life. In 1848, yielding to the pressure
of his friends, he was returned to parliament as the representative of
his native county of Verchères. He could not have made his entry into
public life at a more favorable moment for a man of the liberal
tendencies which then dominated him. The governor-general was the Earl
of Elgin, the greatest man, with the exception of the Earl of Durham,
ever commissioned by the British government to perform the functions of
viceroy of Canada. The Lafontaine-Baldwin cabinet, never before or since
excelled for ability and administrative talent, swayed the political
destinies of the province. A seat in the House of Assembly, for two
sessions, in the time of Baldwin and Lafontaine, was in itself a
political education. Cartier was an apt learner. In the session of 1850
he showed how well he understood the needs of his native province. In
that year Lafontaine proposed, in the House of Assembly, a series of
resolutions for the abolition of the Seignorial Tenure. Like every other
abuse which has the plea of age for its defence, the Seignorial system
found determined advocates. But its opponents were not only more
numerous, but had an infinitely better cause. Some great debates arose
on this subject, for it was one that went home to the whole body of the
French Canadian peasantry. It appealed, also, to the dearest interests
of the seigneurs. Cartier was one of those who offered strong opposition
to the tenure. As the representative of a purely agricultural county he
could take no other course, but the position he assumed was in
accordance with his convictions. In his place in the house he boldly
stated that that portion of the province which had been settled under
the Seignorial Tenure had not made as much progress as the part which
had been settled under the Free Tenure. He contended that it was as much
the advantage of the seigneur as of the tenant to abolish the Feudal
System; and that the proper time for so doing had presented itself. The
general opinion of the house was that the session was too far advanced
to deal effectively with the question. It was also considered that the
seigneurs had not had time enough afforded them to plead their cause.
The Hon. Robert Baldwin and Mr. Cartier were in favor of settling the
Seignorial question at once, and would have prolonged the session for
that purpose; but Mr. Lafontaine refused to consent. He considered that
the legal remedies proposed would not lead to a definite settlement of
the problem. He had no desire to reform and perpetuate the Tenure; he
wished to sweep it out of existence. The Tenure was abolished in the
year 1854, by the Hincks-Morin administration. Those two leaders having
retired in 1855, Sir Edmund Head, then governor-general, called upon Sir
Allan MacNab to form a Cabinet. Sir Allan allied himself with Colonel E.
P. Taché; and the latter on the 27th of January, 1855, selected Mr.
Cartier as provincial secretary. He was not eager for office. Under the
previous administration he had refused the position of commissioner of
public works. The Legislature, in 1856, devoted a great deal of
attention to the subject of public education. Mr. Cartier entered
heartily into the question. He had the principal share in preparing two
measures which were adopted by the house. The one provided for the
establishment of a Council of Public Instruction for Lower Canada, and
for allowing school municipalities to levy their own quotas. The other
authorized the establishment of Normal schools in Lower Canada, and
erected a permanent fund of $88,000, to be devoted to superior education
in that province. Part of this money was made up out of the revenues of
the Jesuits’ estates; $20,000 of it came from the Consolidated Fund. A
sum of $20,000 was at the same time voted for the purposes of superior
education in Upper Canada. The opposition endeavored to alter these two
measures. It was contended that the distribution of $88,000 by the
superintendent of education, under an Order in Council, would be placing
means of corruption in the hands of the government. It was further
contended that it was unconstitutional to deprive the House of Assembly
of the right to vote, annually, the public moneys. The arguments of the
opposition were sound, but were urged in vain, and the government
measures were carried. The MacNab-Taché administration, in 1856, fell to
pieces. There was weakness within its membership. There was, in
addition, the disturbing question of the settlement of the seat of
government. The house, at the end of a long and exciting debate,
resolved that, after the year 1859, the city of Quebec should be the
permanent capital of Canada. A considerable number of the
representatives of Upper Canada were discontented with this arrangement.
They considered that Quebec was too far removed from the centre of the
province. The government, in accordance with the resolution of the
house, placed in the estimates the sum of $200,000 for the erection of
public buildings. The Hon. Luther Hamilton Holton proposed the following
amendment:—“That the conduct of the administration on the subject of
the question of the seat of government, and on other questions of public
importance, has disappointed the just expectation of the great majority
of the people of this province.” The discussion which followed lasted
some days. The amendment of Mr. Holton was defeated by a majority of
twenty-three. But, among the forty-seven yeas, were thirty-three members
from Upper Canada; while, from that province, twenty-seven only voted
with the ministry. The vote was followed by the resignation of two
members of the government, Messrs. Spence and Morrison. These gentlemen
belonged to the Upper Canada section of the ministry. The Hon. John A.
Macdonald was the next to secede. He was of opinion that the vote on the
question of the capital had weakened the government, and as there was no
security that the same votes would not be repeated he thought it best to
remain no longer in the Cabinet. The Hon. Mr. Cayley, also from Upper
Canada, followed the footsteps of Mr. Macdonald. Sir Allan MacNab was
reluctantly forced to resign. The governor-general requested Colonel
Taché to form a new administration. He chose for his colleague the Hon.
John A. Macdonald, in the stead of Sir Allan MacNab. The new ministry
was virtually a continuation of the old one, with two exceptions: Mr.
Vankoughnet replaced Sir Allan MacNab in the Upper Canada section; Mr.
Terril replaced Mr. Drummond in the Lower Canada section. Mr. Cartier,
in passing from one ministry to the other changed his portfolio. He
became attorney-general for Lower Canada, in the place of Mr. Drummond.
His new office was no sinecure. The session which opened on the 26th of
February, 1857, was signalized by a ministerial project which was of
far-reaching importance to Lower Canada. This was the codification of
the Civil Laws, and of the Laws of Procedure. The measure was the work
of Attorney-General Cartier. He expended on it great industry; he made
it a labor of love. As he himself observed, the necessity of
codification made itself felt the more because the province was settled
by people of different races. The knowledge which everyone should
possess of the laws of his country could only be attained by
codification. The sources whence those laws were derived were so varied
that an acquaintance with them demanded great research. Part of the
civil laws of Lower Canada had been borrowed from the Roman law; part
from a body of jurisprudence known as the Custom of Paris; part was
found in the Edicts and Ordonnances, and in the Provincial Statutes. The
time was ripe for this great and beneficent work. The peasantry of Lower
Canada had been emancipated from the control of the seigneurs. The land
laws which had ruled them had been swept away, and an improved system of
jurisprudence, suited to the new state of things, was demanded. Mr.
Cartier was determined to satisfy this demand. But there were those in
parliament who wished to proceed farther than he then wanted to go. The
Hon. Mr. Drummond, attorney-general in the late administration, and an
able jurist, was of opinion that the laws of both provinces should be
assimilated, so that there might be but one code for Canada. The reply
of Attorney-General Cartier was to the effect that it was necessary to
begin first with the codification, of those laws which Lower Canada
imperatively demanded. After this, it would be time to think about
accomplishing what was proposed. The measure passed through the House of
Assembly and the Legislative Council without opposition. The
commissioners appointed by the government to codify the laws began their
labors in 1859, and finished them in 1864. Some readers of this sketch
will remember the occasion on which, in the Legislative Assembly in the
city of Quebec, Attorney-General Cartier rose to move the resolution
which would make the Civil Code the law of the land. He addressed the
house in French, and with more seriousness and deliberation than marked
his ordinary utterances. He spoke with the feeling of a man who is
conscious that he is placing the crowning stone on an edifice which has
cost him years of labor and anxiety to build. As he finished with the
words, “I desire no better epitaph than this—‘He accomplished the Civil
Code,’” the house did honour to itself and to him by a hearty burst of
applause. The eastern townships of Lower Canada are peopled mainly by an
English-speaking population. But the French Canadians, in course of
time, found their way into these districts. The result was, that there
were two systems of civil law. To remedy this evil, Mr. Cartier prepared
and carried through parliament a measure which introduced the French
Civil laws into the eastern townships, and rendered uniform the holding
of lands. Another most important measure which he succeeded in passing
during the session of 1857 was an Act for the Decentralization of
Justice. Its object was to cheapen justice, and to render it more easily
attainable. “The administration of justice in criminal cases, and in all
civil matter where the amount involved was over fifty pounds, was
confined to seven places: Quebec, Montreal, Three Rivers, St. Francis,
Aylmer, Sherbrooke and Gaspé, in a country exceeding seven hundred or
eight hundred miles in length.” The act divided Lower Canada into
nineteen judicial districts, adding twelve to those already mentioned.
It provided for the erection of courts of justice and prisons in the new
districts, increased the number of the judges of the Superior Court to
eighteen, and the number of the judges of the Court of Appeal to five.
The act provided that there should be four terms of the Court of Appeal
in Quebec, and made other regulations respecting procedure and the
salaries of the judges. The care and labor which this statute imposed on
Mr. Cartier, in originating it, in passing it through the house, and in
devising the multifarious machinery necessary to put it into successful
operation, were enough to have overcome a man of less mental and
physical energy. The majority of the people of Lower Canada welcomed the
Act with open arms, and it endeared its author to his French Canadian
fellow-countrymen. The parliament of 1857 had not been long in session
when the question of the permanent seat of government again came to the
front. In the previous session, as we have seen, the Assembly had
decided that Quebec should be the capital and had authorized the
expenditure of $200,000 for the erection of necessary buildings. But the
Legislative Council had refused its assent to the supplies. The
question, therefore, in 1857, was practically undecided: and so thought
a great many of the members. The ministry decided to overlook the
Assembly’s vote last session in favor of Quebec; and resolved to leave
the question of the permanent seat of government to the decision of the
Queen. The ministry further proposed that a vote of $900,000 should be
taken for the erection of new parliamentary and departmental buildings.
Attorney-General Cartier was of opinion that many of the members could
not have been serious in voting in favor of Quebec; his reason being
that they had voted immediately afterwards against the expenditure of
the $200,000. Besides, the Legislative Council had refused assent to the
supplies. The government would not act unless the two branches of the
legislature were in agreement; but it was impossible to have the consent
of the Council. The better plan, therefore, in his opinion, was to leave
to her Majesty the selection of the future capital of Canada. This
proposition was opposed by many members from the lower province. Mr. J.
E. Thibaudeau moved an amendment to the effect that it was not expedient
to take into consideration the question of the seat of government,
because it had been decided the previous session. He contended that the
rejection of the supplies by the Legislative Council was not a
sufficient ground for annulling the decision of the Legislative
Assembly, the more especially as many councillors from Lower Canada were
absent when the vote was taken. The amendment was lost. The same fate
befell a motion to make Montreal the seat of government. The result was
that an address to the Queen, praying her to select the capital, was
carried by a majority of nine. Her Majesty selected Ottawa as the seat
of government. On the 25th of November, 1857, Colonel Taché the nominal
head of the administration, resigned office, and the Hon. John A.
Macdonald was called upon to form a new government. He made no change in
the Upper Canada section of the cabinet. At his request, Mr. Cartier
proceeded to select the ministers for Lower Canada. His object was to
combine the two political parties in his native province. Two moderate
Liberals, Messrs. Belleau and Sicotte, accepted office under Mr.
Cartier. The offer of a portfolio to the Hon. A. A. Dorion was, with the
consent of Mr. Cartier, made through Mr. Sicotte. But Mr. Dorion refused
the inducement, and remained true to his political allegiance. The
Macdonald-Cartier administration was formed on the 26th of November,
1857. Mr. Cartier was the only Lower Canadian minister who belonged to
the old cabinet. His colleagues from that province were all new men. On
the 28th of July, 1858, Mr. Piché moved an amendment: “That, in the
opinion of this chamber, the city of Ottawa ought not to be the seat of
the government of this province.” The amendment was carried by a
majority of six. The ministry, on account of this vote, tendered their
resignation next day, the 29th of July. Sir Edmund Head requested Mr.
George Brown to form an administration. This gentleman, as the leader of
the Opposition, had for years waged a resolute battle against the party
represented by the defeated ministry. Following constitutional
precedents, it was the duty of the governor-general to ask Mr. Brown to
form a cabinet. It was also his duty to smooth the way for the
accomplishment of the object he wished Mr. Brown to accomplish. But the
governor, instead of removing obstacles from Mr. Brown’s path, was the
first to place them in that gentleman’s way. He would not give to Mr.
Brown the promise of a dissolution, but he would consent to a
prorogation, if one or two measures were passed, and if a vote of credit
were taken for the supplies. Mr. Brown was thus over-weighted from the
very beginning. Still, with that political courage which had always
characterized him, he undertook the formation of a cabinet. He chose as
his colleague, and as leader of the Lower Canada section of the
government, the Hon. A. A. Dorion, a gentleman with an untarnished
political record. On the 2nd of August, 1858, Mr. Brown had completed
his task, and the cabinet took the oath of office. The existence of this
administration was brief, in fact the shortest known to our history, it
having existed for only two days when it resigned, being defeated on a
motion of want of confidence. The governor-general having in vain
requested Mr. Galt to form a cabinet, Mr. Cartier became the head of a
new Administration. He chose the Hon. John A. Macdonald as the leader of
the Upper Canada section. The government was completed on the 6th of
August. Then followed what is known as the “Double-Shuffle.” By the
Independence of Parliament Act of 1857, it was provided that if a
cabinet minister in either house should resign his office, and within a
month afterwards accept another, he should not go back to his
constituents. Some of the members of the Macdonald-Cartier government,
who had entered the Cartier-Macdonald government, took advantage of this
law in order to avoid the ordeal of re-election. They accepted, on the
6th of August, in the Cartier-Macdonald cabinet, offices different from
those they had held in the Macdonald-Cartier cabinet. But on the 7th of
August they discarded their portfolios of the 6th, and resumed those
which they had held in the Macdonald-Cartier administration when it
resigned on the 29th of July. Mr. Cartier, when he resigned, on the 29th
of July, was attorney-general for Lower Canada. On the 6th of August he
became inspector-general. On the 7th of August he resumed the office of
attorney-general. This constituted the “Double Shuffle.” The action
cannot be defended, and he never attempted to defend it. The ministry
seemed to be ashamed of the part they had played. Many of their own
supporters blamed them. The political conscience of the country seemed
to have become sensitive, when it fully realized the extent of the wrong
which had been done to constitutional and parliamentary government. The
ministry were forced, by public opinion, to repeal the Independence of
Parliament Act, under which they had accomplished the “Double-Shuffle.”
The Cartier-Macdonald administration, after it had been formed,
announced that it would give serious attention to the question of a
Federal Union of the Provinces of North America. They further promised
that they would approach the imperial authorities on the subject, and
also enter into communication with the governments of the Maritime
provinces. After the session of 1858, Messrs. Cartier, Galt and Ross
visited England in the interest of a Federal Union. To communications
from the colonial secretary on the subject of union, the government of
the Maritime provinces answered by requesting time for the consideration
of the project. The result was that no action was at that time taken.
The Cartier-Macdonald government proceeded no farther in the direction
of union. On this visit to England, Attorney-General Cartier was, for
three days, the guest of the Queen at Windsor Castle. Parliament was
opened, in Toronto, in the month of January, 1859. The question of the
seat of government again came to the front. The ministry stated that
they were obliged to uphold the Queen’s decision in favor of Ottawa. Mr.
Sicotte, who had left the cabinet on this question, proposed an
amendment to the Address in reply to the Speech from the Throne. He had
seceded because he held that, after the vote of the Legislative Assembly
at its last session, the government could not abide by the decision of
the Queen without violating the principle that the majority should rule.
The amendment he now proposed was to the effect that the principles of
the Constitution required that the opinion of the majority should be
respected; and that, in declaring, during the preceding session, that
Ottawa should not be the capital, the house had expressed its views in
conformity with the ordinary and constitutional exercise of its
privileges. Mr. Langevin seconded the amendment. He was of opinion that
Attorney-General Cartier could not make any one believe that Ottawa was
the most convenient place for the seat of government. The capital ought
not to be fixed before the question of Confederation was decided. Mr.
Cartier argued that the conduct of the cabinet in this matter was
constitutional. The simple declaration, by the house, that Ottawa ought
not to be the capital, did not suffice to set aside the Queen’s
decision, and bind the ministry to take account of it. The choice of
Ottawa was a good one, because the immediate pressure of public opinion
would make itself less felt there than elsewhere. The French-Canadians
would find, in Ottawa, a population in part Catholic, and having the
same institutions. The result of the debate was a government majority of
only five. The Upper Canada Opposition contributed to the victory so
narrowly won. Ottawa, sorely pressed, snatched the capital from the
other competitors. The session of 1859 was marked by another advantage
secured by Mr. Cartier for his native province. This was an Act to amend
the Seignorial Act of 1854. The object of his measure was the complete
redemption of the Seignorial rights, with one exception. It was stated
that the funds provided by the Seignorial Act of 1854 had proved
insufficient for the redemption of certain feudal obligations still
pressing upon the _habitants_. For this purpose a new appropriation of
between $1,600,000 and $2,000,000 was demanded by Mr. Cartier. With the
exception of one member, Mr. Somerville, all the Lower Canada
representatives supported this measure. But the Upper Canada Liberals,
led by the Hon. George Brown, assailed the proposal with the utmost
vigor. They proclaimed that it was nothing more than an attempt to rob
Upper Canada. They opposed it in the press, and combated it with
unflinching courage on the floor of the house. But in vain: the Lower
Canada phalanx voted down all attempts to amend the measure, and with
them voted their Upper Canada allies. The end was, that the law was
carried by 66 to 28. The session of 1861 was marked by a long and
vehement debate on the question of Representation by Population. It was
opened by Mr. Ferguson proposing an amendment to the Address. The
amendment declared the regret of the house that the governor-general had
not been advised to allude to the recent census of the people, which
census the house could not but regard as preliminary to legislation upon
the great question of Parliamentary Reform, based upon the numbers and
wealth of the people, etc. The amendment was voted down by 72 to 38. The
Lower Canada phalanx and its Upper Canada allies were again victorious.
Mr. Ferguson then proposed a measure in modification of the existing
system of representation. The new project was to give to a county of at
least 15,000 inhabitants one representative; to a county of 20,000, two
representatives. Mr. Cartier, in a strong and uncompromising speech,
announced his unalterable opposition to what he styled the unjust
pretensions of Upper Canada. He maintained that the upper province had
no right under the Union Act, to claim a larger representation than
Lower Canada. The union had been consummated with the understanding that
the equality of the representation would be maintained. He concluded in
protesting that he would never sacrifice the rights of Lower Canada. The
government of which he was first minister would not yield Representation
by Population, in spite of the efforts of the members from Upper Canada
who advocated that measure. It must be admitted that, on this particular
question, Mr. Cartier shows to great disadvantage. The lawyer and the
sectionalist are seen everywhere: the statesman and the Canadian
nowhere. Because the Union Act was silent on the subject of
representation, the great upper province must chafe under a galling
injustice. Containing 285,000 people more than Lower Canada, this vast
number was to remain without a voice to make known their wishes in the
councils of the country. In this instance, Mr. Cartier showed himself
devoid of that rare element, political equity: the element that
distinguishes the statesman from the politician. After a discussion
prolonged through several days, the measure of Mr. Ferguson was defeated
by a majority of 18. For the motion 49; against it, 67. Upper Canada had
49 representatives who voted for the motion, and a dozen who voted
against it. If Mr. Cartier had been a man of ordinary political
prescience on this question he would have foreseen, from this vote, that
Upper Canada was determined to have her claims satisfied, and that it
would not be possible much longer to refuse them. The parliament was
prorogued on the 18th of May, 1861. On the 16th of June following, it
was dissolved by proclamation. In the general election which followed,
Mr. Cartier defeated Mr. Dorion in Montreal East. The seventh parliament
of the province of Canada was opened on the 20th of March, 1862. In the
debate on the Address, the burning question of Representation by
Population again came up. The Hon. William Macdougall, one of its most
able and ardent supporters, moved an amendment to the Address. It set
forth that, by the recent census, the population of Upper Canada
exceeded that of Lower Canada, in February, 1861, by no fewer than
285,427 souls. The amendment expressed the regret of the house that the
governor-general had not been advised to recommend some measure for
securing to this large population in Upper Canada their rightful share
of the parliamentary representation, and their just influence in the
government. The Hon. John Hillyard Cameron, though Conservative as he
was, raised his eloquent voice in favor of the claims of Upper Canada.
But facts, reasoning, justice, pleaded in vain. The Lower Canada
majority, to a man, voted down Mr. Macdougall’s proposition; but he was
supported by forty-two of the representatives of Upper Canada. Mr.
Cartier, this session, failed again to see that the headlong voting of
his followers was paralyzing the constitution which, in their common
political blindness, they fancied they were perpetuating. But the day of
his supremacy was drawing to a close. His colleague, the Hon. John A.
Macdonald, brought forward a measure intended to increase the efficiency
of the militia. It was based on the suggestions of a special commission,
amongst whose members were Mr. Cartier and Mr. Macdonald. The
commissioners recommended that an active force of 50,000 men should
submit to a drill extending over twenty-eight days in each year; and
that a reserve of an equal number should be embodied. The opposition at
once began to question the ministry. The Hon. Mr. Galt, the minister of
finance, informed them that he would ask for $850,000 to set the new
scheme in operation. After this outlay, the annual expenditure would be
about $500,000. The French Canadian constituencies took the alarm. They
dreaded a conscription which would every year take away so many
thousands of needed workers from their homes and farms. They raised
their voices against the enormous increase of the provincial liabilities
which this new scheme would necessitate. Some of the friends of the
government sought in vain to induce them to modify the measure. They
defied a vote. On the second reading the vote was taken. The government
was beaten by 61 to 54. Mr. Macdonald was supported by a majority of
seven votes from Upper Canada; but Mr. Cartier was left in a minority of
thirteen. His political power was shattered. On the 21st of May, 1862,
he tendered his resignation. The Hon. John Sandfield Macdonald, at the
invitation of Lord Monck, succeeded in forming a cabinet. How it was
compelled to resign, and how successive cabinets were subjected to a
similar ordeal; how the scheme of Confederation was matured, as the only
way out of the dead-lock, it will be the province of other sketches to
detail. At present, our concern is with Mr. Cartier alone. To those who
can remember the political events of 1863 and 1865, it is needless to
say that Mr. Cartier succeeded in forcing the scheme of Confederation on
Lower Canada. He had managed to array on his side, amongst other
influences, those of the Roman Catholic church. Against a scheme thus
supported the efforts of the Liberals were directed in vain. The cry of
Confederation swept Lower Canada like a hurricane. Under the new system
of Confederation, Mr. Cartier was, on the 18th of July, 1867, appointed
minister of defence for the Dominion. In August, 1868, he was created a
baronet of the United Kingdom. He represented Montreal East in the
Quebec Legislature from the union until the general election of 1871,
when he was chosen as member for Beauharnois. He remained in the local
parliament until the abolition of dual representation. To his credit be
it said that the majority of the British population of Lower Canada
looked up to him, when he was a member of the Quebec Assembly, as their
special champion. This they did, to the setting aside of the timid and
trimming representatives of their own nationality. It must be admitted
that, from the era of Confederation, the political stature of Sir George
Cartier began to grow less. Larger interests than those of Lower Canada
usurped the public attention. His province had no grievances to bring
into the Confederation. He was still her foremost man, but she needed
him no longer as her champion. In the general election of 1872 he
suffered the mortification of defeat in Montreal East. He sought
political shelter in the distant Manitoba county of Provencher, a region
wherein he had never set foot. He was in England when, in 1873, the
Pacific Scandal burst, like a thunderclap, upon the people of Canada.
That Sir George was deeply implicated in the degrading bargain was only
too clear. He died in England, on the 20th of May, 1873. On the 13th of
June following, his remains were accorded, in Montreal, the honor of a
public funeral. Men of all ranks and nationalities made up the
multitudes who escorted his remains to their last resting-place, in the
cemetery on the Montreal mountain.
-----
[4] It is but justice, however, to the Legislative Council of Lower
Canada to say that, on more than one occasion, in those times of
political tumult, the refusal of that body to yield to the Legislative
Assembly was the means of preserving the interests of the British
minority from being sacrificed.
[5] The italics and small capitals are in the original.
[6] The _tuque bleu_ is the blue woollen night-cap, the distinctive
national head-dress of the _habitants_.
* * * * *
=Brown, William.=—This gentleman, in conjunction with Thomas Gilmore,
started the first printing press in Canada. Nothing is known of them
beyond that they came from Philadelphia to Quebec, in 1763, having
formed the idea of starting newspapers in Canada; that immeasurable
difficulties beset them in their arduous undertaking, not the least of
which was that Mr. Brown had to proceed to England to procure the proper
materials, such as press, ink and paper, before he could issue his first
broadsheet. On his return he opened his printing office, and on the 21st
of June, 1764, brought out the first number of the Quebec _Gazette_. He
had only one hundred and fifty subscribers, but, nevertheless, he
succeeded in introducing “a new and potent element of civilization.”
* * * * *
=Cook, Rev. John=, D.D., LL.D., Quebec, for many years minister of St.
Andrew’s Church, of that city, but now retired, was born in Sanquhar,
Dumfriesshire, Scotland, on the 13th April, 1805, and educated at the
universities of Glasgow and Edinburgh, where he studied under Dr.
Chalmers. Dr. Cook was ordained a clergyman of the Church of Scotland in
1835, and came to Canada in 1836. He has ever since taken a prominent
part, first in the affairs of the Presbyterian Church of Canada in
connection with the Church of Scotland, and since the general union of
Presbyterians, in 1875, in those of the United Church. In 1844, when
those who sympathised with the secession from the church in Scotland
withdrew from the Canadian church in connection with the Scottish
establishment, Dr. Cook was, for the second time, after the departure of
the Free Church party, elected moderator of the Synod. He opposed the
division of the Canadian church, maintaining that, without regard to the
divisions in Scotland, it was the duty of Canadian Presbyterians to
remain united in upholding the general interests of Presbyterians in
Canada. While steadily laboring to promote the extension of the old
branch of the Presbyterian church, Dr. Cook remained consistent to his
opinions of 1844, and at the Synod of 1861 proposed a resolution, the
effect of which was to promote the union of all the Presbyterians of the
province. At the time this failed, but in 1875 the union so manifestly
desirable, though long retarded by mutual prejudices, was brought about,
and by the general sense of the united church, and in recognition of his
exertions to restore union, Dr. Cook was chosen first moderator of the
Presbyterian Church of the Dominion. In connection with the church, Dr.
Cook was one of the delegates sent home to obtain a Royal charter for
the University of Queen’s College, Kingston, of which he was long a
trustee, and over which he presided as principal in 1857 and 1858. In
1855, when the clergy of the Church of Scotland in the province,
sacrificing their own interests for the benefit of the church, created
with the proceeds of their allowances a general endowment fund, Dr. Cook
acted for his brethren, and it was through him that the commutation with
the government was effected. Both before and since the union, Dr. Cook’s
great ability and energy have enabled him to render the greatest
services to the church. He has had a large share in all branches of
church work, and no clergyman is better known or more respected
throughout the dominion. In 1875, Dr. Cook was the spokesman of a
delegation from Canada to the General Assembly of the Church of
Scotland, which sought and obtained the approval of the mother church to
the then contemplated union. While zealously laboring in ecclesiastical
matters, Dr. Cook has been a useful and public-spirited citizen of
Quebec, taking part, not only in purely religious affairs, but in many
others of a public nature. In 1845, memorable in the history of Quebec
for the two great fires by which the suburb of St. Roch and the suburb
of St. John were consumed, Dr. Cook, as a member of the relief
committee, took an active part in the aid of the sufferers, and the
masterly defence of the committee at the close of its labors, in answer
to the charges of the London committee, was from his pen. In 1866, when
St. Roch and St. Sauveur suburbs were again swept by another disastrous
fire, his experience was found very valuable, and he gave it freely,
together with active assistance in promoting relief measures. At many
public meetings he has eloquently advocated what he deemed to be for the
public good. But it is perhaps in the matter of education that Dr. Cook
has been most useful in Quebec. The High School, justly regarded as one
of the best schools in the country, was established mainly through his
exertions in 1843, and for many years, as chairman of the board of
directors, he took a warm interest in its struggles and its success. Dr.
Cook was named by the late Dr. Morin as principal of the college then
about to be established in Quebec with the funds given by him for that
purpose, and since 1861 Dr. Cook has filled, as he still does, the
office of principal. In 1880, the degree of LL.D. was conferred on him
by Queen’s University, Kingston; that of D.D. he holds from the
University of Glasgow. In 1883, Dr. Cook retired from the active duties
of the ministry, amid the hearty regrets of his beloved congregation.
Dr. Cook’s preaching accords with the straightforward energy of his
character. His sermons are distinguished by close adherence to the
special point under consideration, by logical precision and practical
earnestness. They contain many passages marked by beauty as well as
power. A volume of them has been lately published, which has been
reviewed in a very favorable light by both the secular and religious
press. We extract the following from a review in the Halifax
_Presbyterian Witness_:—
These doctrinal treatises give us a glimpse of the teaching
which has ministered to the people of St. Andrew’s Church,
Quebec, for a long period. They bring up before our minds many a
quiet Sabbath, and many a solemn and impressive service in that
old historic town. These addresses, replete with true and
unpretending eloquence, must have been listened to with the
breathless attention and stillness of beating hearts. These are
evangelical inasmuch as they give prominence to the great facts
and dogmas of Christianity. Not to present these in their proper
place, connexion and views, is not to present the divine remedy
for man’s spiritual disorders, but something else. They do not
present the gospel as if it were a system of ethics merely, or
even a scheme of moral duties. They do not ignore the fact of
sin or the need of regeneration in order to holy obedience. But
they are also evangelical in this higher sense, that, while they
build upon evangelical fact and evangelical dogma, and assume
that the teachings of Christ and the Apostles are divine, they
do not merely reiterate, but explain, defend, illustrate and
enforce these evangelical elements. There is throughout an
endeavor to show the reasonableness of gospel truth—its
internal harmony—its conformableness to the fitness of things,
and its agreement with the natural impressions of the human mind
and the demands of the moral sense. In this respect these
sermons are like those of Vinet, F. W. Robertson, and the great
preachers of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, and they
are as able and eloquent. Dr. Cook’s discourses are especially
adapted for cultivated readers. By such a class they cannot fail
to be greatly appreciated. They are calm and elevating treatises
upon great gospel themes. The preacher has utterly discarded the
traditional sermon mould. Unshackled by pulpit traditions, he
handles each subject with the skill of a great orator and
teacher. The language is impressive, and the metaphors and
illustrations are appropriate. His starting-points are skilfully
chosen, and from these he advances, gradually opening up his
subject, so that it becomes more and more luminous to the close.
Whatever the subject be, it is made to appear reasonable and
accordant with those principles upon which men reason and act in
common life. Sometimes he states and accentuates an apparent
incongruity in morals or religion, and the discourse is then
devoted to its solution. It is to be hoped that many persons,
and especially many ministers, may be induced to read discourses
so full of instruction, so admirable as models of pulpit
teaching, and so interesting as a memorial of the pulpit of St.
Andrew’s Church, Quebec, and its noble and venerable occupant
for so many long and eventful years.
Dr. Cook has a family of five surviving children, all of whom are now
grown up to man’s and woman’s estate. One of his daughters is the wife
of Andrew Thomson, of Quebec, president of the Union Bank, of that city.
Two of his sons—William and Archibald Cook—are eminent members of the
Quebec bar, in large practice, and the former is a Q.C. His youngest
daughter is the wife of Edward Greenshields, a merchant in Montreal, and
a director of the Montreal Bank.
* * * * *
=Macdonald, Hon. John=, Toronto, Senator of the Dominion of Canada, is
one of the most enterprizing and successful of the merchants Canada is
proud of. He is a Scotchman by birth, having been born in Perthshire, in
December, 1824, and when a mere lad came to this country. He received
his educational training, first at the Regimental School of the 93rd
Sutherland Highlanders, in which regiment his father served;
subsequently at Dalhousie College, Halifax, and then at the Bay street
Academy, Toronto, which at that time was conducted by the late Mr. Boyd,
father of Chancellor Boyd, of Ontario. In this academy our future
senator had the honor of winning the medal for classics. After leaving
school, he chose the mercantile profession, and leaving Toronto, entered
the employ of C. & J. Macdonald, general merchants at Gananoque, where
he served for two years. Returning to Toronto, he took a position in the
mercantile house of the late Walter McFarlane, on King street east, who
at that time was doing perhaps the largest business in Upper Canada.
After working in this establishment for about six years, he was
compelled, through failing health, to give up his situation, and seek
change of climate. With this end in view, he sailed for Jamaica in 1847,
and, after resting for a short time, entered the mercantile house of
Nethersoll & Co., the largest on the island. Here Mr. Macdonald remained
for somewhat less than a year, when he returned to Toronto. In 1849 he
commenced business on his own account, in a shop on Yonge street, near
Richmond street, and made the then bold attempt to establish there an
exclusively dry goods business. The venture having proved a success, in
1853 he moved to larger premises on Wellington street, not far from his
present warehouse, and here was laid the foundation of the present large
wholesale importing house of John Macdonald & Co. After a period of nine
years of successful business in this warehouse, Mr. Macdonald removed to
larger and handsomer premises on the south side of Wellington street,
which after a while proved too small for his ever-increasing business,
and a few years ago he was compelled to enlarge these premises, which he
did by adding another pile of buildings, which now occupies the ground
formerly covered by the North American Hotel and the Newbigging House on
Front street. These premises were bought at a great outlay of capital.
They have a frontage of 100 feet, with 140 feet in depth, and are six
stories high. About one hundred men are employed, including the buyers
in the British and American markets, and the establishment is, without
doubt, the largest of its kind in Canada, and will compare favorably
with any of the wholesale houses in the largest cities in the United
States. Mr. Macdonald, realizing the idea that the world had claims upon
him outside his warehouse, entered public life as member for West
Toronto, in the Legislative Assembly of Canada. His opponent on this
occasion for parliamentary honors was the Hon. John Beverley Robinson,
late lieutenant-governor of Ontario, whom he defeated by a majority of
462 votes, and then sat in parliament until confederation was
accomplished. At the next general election he was defeated for the House
of Commons by the late Robert Harrison, who afterwards became chief
justice of Ontario. In 1875, a vacancy having occurred in Centre
Toronto, a constituency established in 1872, Mr. Macdonald was invited
to become a candidate, and having consented, he was returned by
acclamation. In 1878, however, when the national policy cry was raised,
and people imagined they could be made rich by Act of Parliament, Mr.
Macdonald was defeated by Robert Hay, by a majority of 490 votes. In
politics Mr. Macdonald has always been what may be styled an independent
Liberal, discarding party views when they seemed to trammel his settled
convictions. He opposed the coalition of 1864, and voted against the
confederation of the provinces. This attitude towards party, when its
claims conflicted with duty, he clearly defined in his reply to a
request asking him to be a candidate in 1875. He promised to give the
government a cheerful support, but declined to promise more; and, to the
credit of the requisitionists, they conceded to him in advance a perfect
freedom of judgment in deciding upon all questions. Mr. Macdonald takes
a deep interest in all public questions, and is never afraid to speak
out boldly when the occasion demands it. During the exciting debates
that took place in the Board of Trade during the fall of 1887, on the
question of commercial union with the United States, he was present, and
made his voice to be heard. Indeed, he has the honor of being the author
of the resolution which carried, and was the means of allaying the
political feeling that was beginning to show itself in that important
body. The resolution alluded to was as follows:—
That this Board desires to place on record the conviction that
the largest possible freedom of commercial intercourse between
our own country and the United States, compatible with our
relation to Great Britain, is desirable.
That this Board will do everything in its power to bring about
the consummation of such a result.
That in its estimation a treaty which ignored any of the
interests of our own country or which gave undue prominence to
any one to the neglect or to the injury of any other, is one
that could not be entertained.
That in our agricultural, mineral, manufacturing, and our
diversified mercantile interests, in our fisheries, forests, and
other products, we possess in a rare and in an extraordinary
degree all the elements which go to make a people great,
prosperous and self-reliant.
That these are fitting inducements to any nation to render
reciprocity with Canada a thing to be desired, and such as
should secure for us a reciprocal treaty with the United States
of the broadest and most generous character which, while fully
recognising these conditions, would contain guarantees which
would prove of mutual and abiding ad vantage to both nations;
but that this Board cannot entertain any proposal which would
place Great Britain at any disadvantage as compared with the
United States, or which would tend in any measure, however
small, to weaken the bonds which bind us to the Empire.
Education has claimed some of Mr. Macdonald’s time, and for some years
he has been a senator of the Provincial University, Toronto, a visitor
of Victoria College, Cobourg, and a member of the High School Board. In
all religious and moral movements he has lent his aid, and is always
ready to help everything calculated to elevate humanity, by tongue, pen
and purse. Mr. Macdonald is a member of the Methodist church, and had it
not been that his health failed him when a young man, and on the advice
of his physician, he would have studied for the ministry, and to this
church he has for many years devoted much time and talents. He has long
been a member of the executive committee of its General Conference, and
treasurer of the Missionary Society. Outside of his own denomination he
has taken a conspicuous part in the work of the Evangelical Alliance,
the Bible Society, the Temperance reform, the General Hospital, and the
Young Men’s Christian Association, and has been twice elected president
at the united convention of Ontario and Quebec. Mr. Macdonald has been a
director in several business companies, and was, at the last annual
meeting of the Board of Trade, elected a member of its executive
council. In 1887 he made the handsome donation of $40,000 towards the
erection of a new city hospital, as a memorial of his daughter Amy, who
during her lifetime took a very deep interest in this kind of charity.
And since then he has also donated a large sum of money to enable his
church to carry out its scheme of establishing a university in Toronto.
Mr. Macdonald has written two very interesting _brochures_, “Business
Success,” originally a lecture, and a practical address to “The Young
Men of his Warehouse,” both of which should be in the hands of young
men. In November, 1887, he was chosen a senator of the Dominion, a
choice which reflects great credit on Sir John A. Macdonald, and which
has been approved of by all political parties. Mr. Macdonald’s career is
a striking instance of what energy and perseverance, combined with
integrity and uprightness, may accomplish for a young man just starting
upon life’s battle.
* * * * *
=Gouin, Antoine Nemese=, Sorel, Quebec, was born on February 25th, 1821,
in the parish of Ste. Anne de la Pérade, Quebec. He is a son of Charles
Gouin, merchant, and Marguerite Elizabeth Richer Lafleche, his wife,
first cousin to his grace Bishop Lafleche. In 1825, Mr. and Mrs. Gouin
removed from Ste. Anne to Sorel, then called the borough of William
Henry. The subject of this sketch attended the College of St. Hyacinthe,
from 1832 to 1839, and on leaving this seminary of learning entered the
office of Cherrier & Mondelet, in Montreal, to study law, and was
admitted to the bar in November, 1843. He practised his profession in
Montreal for two years, when he removed to Sorel, where he has resided
ever since. At the general election in December, 1851, he was elected
member of parliament for the county of Richelieu, as a
Liberal-Conservative, and, as such, took part in the discussions on all
the leading questions of the day, such as the clergy reserves, the
seignorial tenure, the Grand Trunk Railway, etc. On May 18th, 1858, he
was appointed prothonotary of the Superior Court, clerk of the crown, of
the peace, and of the circuit court, in and for the district of
Richelieu, which office he is still holding. Mr. Gouin is a French
Canadian and a Roman Catholic. He was married March 18th, 1863, to Adele
Catherine Penton, daughter of Henry Penton, sen., of Pentonville,
England, and of Catherine Cordier de la Houssaye, a French lady. Mrs.
Gouin was born in Calais, France, on October 25th, 1825, and died at
Sorel, on February 19th, 1886, leaving two daughters and a son—the
issue of her first marriage with Assistant Commissary-General James
Lane.
* * * * *
=Clinch, Robert Thomson=, St. John, N.B., is descended from an old Irish
family of record in Ireland since the time of Edward the Second. His
ancestors, Peter and Simon Clinch, took an active part on the Stuart
side, in the troublous times of James the Second and William the Third.
He was born at St. George, New Brunswick, June 27th, 1827, and is the
seventh son of Patrick and Eleanor Clinch, and grandson of Captain Peter
Clinch, who, for special services rendered the British government during
the American revolutionary war, was awarded a large tract of land.
Nearly half of the land on which the city of St. John now stands, and
where at that time Captain Clinch resided, was ungranted. Taking with
him two Indians, Captain Clinch traversed the province of New Brunswick,
and on reaching Charlotte county was so struck with the beauty of
Magaguadavic Falls that he resolved to select his land grant in this
neighborhood. He then retired from the army, and became the first
settler, and the founder of the town of St. George. This gentleman
represented Charlotte county in the first House of Assembly in New
Brunswick, which was opened in St. John, January 3rd, 1786, by Governor
Thomas Carleton. His son, Robert Clinch’s father, also represented
Charlotte county in the House of Assembly, some eight or ten years, and
was a justice of the court of common pleas, and for several years editor
of the _Provincialist_, a newspaper, published in St. Andrews. Mr.
Clinch has been connected with the telegraph service ever since its
introduction into New Brunswick, and for the past twenty years has been
superintendent in the provinces of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. He is
a member of the Church of England, and has been four times elected
representative to the Provincial Synod, and in 1880 was appointed one of
the delegates from the Provincial Synod to the convention of the
Protestant Episcopal Church of the United States, then assembled in New
York. Mr. Clinch, for thirty-four years, has been an active member of
the Masonic fraternity. In 1866 he was appointed district grand master
by the late Earl of Zetland, and after the formation of the Grand Lodge
of New Brunswick was thrice elected grand master. He is now the
representative of the Grand Lodge of England to the Grand Lodge of New
Brunswick, and is also past commander of the Knights Templars of St.
John, and a member of the supreme council of the 33rd Ancient and
Accepted Scottish Rite for the Dominion of Canada. He married in 1860,
Henrietta, daughter of George W. Cleary, barrister, who died April 3rd,
1862. In 1866 he married Helen E., daughter of Thomas Barlow, a member
of the old late house of E. Barlow & Sons.
* * * * *
=Baudouin, Philibert=, St. John’s, province of Quebec, was born at
Repentigny, Quebec, April 27th, 1836. He is a son of Pierre Baudouin and
Margaret Hétu, his wife. He is a descendant of Jean Baudouin, who was a
resident of Montreal in 1663, and whose son, Guillaume, settled at
Repentigny, on the estate where M. Baudouin was born, and which has been
in the family since its cession by the seigneur in 1698. The family name
of Baudouin is derived from the language of old Gaul, and is the origin
of the name Baldwin, which was first spelled Baudwin. The subject of
this sketch was educated at L’Assomption College, and took a full
classical course. He is a notary public for the province of Quebec, and
in 1858 resided at Coteau Landing; in 1860, at Iberville; from 1862 to
1873, he was county clerk, clerk of the circuit court, etc., for
Iberville county, and town clerk of Iberville; from 1875 to 1877, he was
manager of the agency of the Banque de St. Jean, at Farnham; from 1877
to 1886, cashier of the Banque de St. Jean, at St. John’s; and since
1886 he has been manager of the agency of the Banque du Peuple, at St.
John’s. He has travelled through the Eastern States, and was one of the
many thousands at the Philadelphia exposition of 1876. He is a Roman
Catholic in religion. Mr. Baudouin is a total abstainer from liquor, and
is in the enjoyment of perfect health, although a hard brain-worker. He
was married, August 22nd, 1864, to Caroline Annie Marchand, of the
Marchand family, long established in St. John’s, the most prominent of
which now are the Hon. F. G. Marchand, M.P.P., speaker of the Quebec
legislature, etc., and Henri Marchand, prothonotary, S.C., at St.
John’s; and on her mother’s side, a granddaughter of Isaac Phineas, long
agent at Maskinonge of Seigneur Pothier’s estate, and one of the English
Jews who settled in Canada about a century ago.
* * * * *
=Lamarche, Felix Oliver=, Mayor of Berthierville, province of Quebec,
was born at Montreal, Quebec, on 1st December, 1837. He is the son of
Charles Lamarche and Marguerite Tranque, his wife, who is descended from
an ancient Norman family, who, on leaving the old land, settled in
Montreal. The subject of this sketch received an elementary school
education at Berthier-en-haut. In 1839, he left Montreal for that town,
and has resided there since. He was for several years actively engaged
in the shipping interest, being the owner of several vessels, and for
nine years commanded a vessel sailing on the St. Lawrence river. As a
sailor, he was on several trips down the gulf to St. John’s, N.F.;
Halifax, N.S.; St. John, N.B.; La Baie des Chaleurs, P.E.I., etc. For
the past sixteen years he has been in the hay and grain business, and is
now one of the largest hay shippers in the province of Quebec, having
nine hay barns or sheds, with eleven hay presses, employing fifty men,
and shipping some five thousand tons of hay annually to the United
States and local markets. He is president of the Compagnie Industrial of
Berthierville, and of the bolt manufactory; was a shareholder in the
late Stadacona Insurance Company; and also in the Union Steam Navigation
Company. In politics, he is a strong Conservative, and a liberal
subscriber to its funds. He has been repeatedly solicited to allow
himself to be brought forward as a candidate in the Conservative
interest, but invariably refused. He was also offered government
positions, but would not accept them in view of his business
connections, and also because his busy life could not stand the
restraint such a position would place upon him. In religion, he is a
fervent Roman Catholic. He has been married twice—first to Alphonsine
Ducharme, on the 7th November, 1858, by whom he had two children. This
lady died on the 22nd August, 1861. Again to Caroline St. Cyr, on the
30th August, 1875, and by whom he has had seven children. Of the nine
children, three only are living.
* * * * *
=Bresse, Hon. Guillaume (William)=, Quebec, is the leading boot and shoe
manufacturer of the ancient capital, and a member of the Legislative
Council of the province of Quebec. An admirable type of the self-made
man, Mr. Bresse has risen from obscurity to a commanding position of
industrial eminence and affluence by the sheer force of native talent
and enterprise. With no other educational advantages than those afforded
by the parish school of St. Athanase, d’Iberville, P.Q., at which the
present premier of the province of Quebec, Hon. H. Mercier, also
received the rudiments of his education; he has climbed the ladder of
fortune until he now stands on the topmost rung of wealth and influence,
while still a comparatively young man. But he has not forgotten that he
was once a workingman himself. One of the largest employers of labor in
the province of Quebec, his workmen and women are more his friends than
his employees, and the interest he takes in their comfort and welfare is
altogether paternal. Born in Chambly, near Montreal, he is now in the
fifty-third year of his age. His parentage was humble, but respectable.
His father was a farmer, a typical French-Canadian _habitant_, and his
mother was a member of the Rocheleau family, of Chambly. His uncle,
Major Bresse, served in the Canadian militia under De Salaberry, at
Chateauguay, during the war of 1812, and was the Lower Canadian hero’s
most trusted lieutenant. After receiving such education as the school of
St. Athanase could impart, our subject went out into the world to earn
his own livelihood, and his life down to about 1863 was that of the
ordinary workingman, laboring for his day’s wage in Montreal and the
manufacturing centres of the New England States. During his sojourn in
the latter, he formed a close intimacy with another workingman and
fellow countryman, who has also since risen to wealth and fame in his
native province—Louis Coté, the great boot and shoe manufacturer of St.
Hyacinthe, P.Q., for many years the popular mayor of that city, and now
a member of the Dominion Labor Commission. The two young
French-Canadians were kindred spirits. Both were of an observant turn of
mind and actuated by a laudable ambition to advance themselves. Happily,
too, for themselves and their native province, they were both gifted
with more than the usual pluck and enterprise of their race. Noting the
preference given to their countrymen as factory hands in the United
States, on account of their peculiar adaptability to the work, their
orderly character, and their contentment with moderate earnings, they
quickly came to the conclusion that if the French-Canadians were so
profitable to their employers abroad, where the cost of living was high,
they would be much more so at home. They accordingly returned to Canada
with the determination to start in the business of boot and shoe
manufacturing on their own account. The old city of Quebec seemed to
offer the most favorable field for their undertaking. One of its staple
industries, shipbuilding, was declining, and a large element of the
local population were out of employment and ready to embark in any new
branch which promised steady work. The tanneries of Quebec, already
famous for the abundance and excellence of their leather, also offered
the attraction of a cheap, plentiful, and convenient supply of the raw
material, and altogether the situation appeared exceedingly propitious
to make a bold bid for the Canadian trade. But the two young adventurers
were without means or friends to help them, and their beginning was,
consequently, on a very small and humble scale. By the merest accident,
when they reached Point Levis, opposite Quebec, on their return from the
United States in the winter of 1863, they met François Langelier, then a
young lawyer returning, after completing his studies in Europe, and now
the Hon. François Langelier, mayor of Quebec and member of the House of
Commons for the electoral division of Quebec Centre. While being
conveyed through the floating ice of the St. Lawrence over to Quebec, an
acquaintanceship was formed between the three young men, which has since
ripened into a warm and lasting friendship, personal and political. The
encounter was a fortunate one for all three. To Messrs. Bresse and Coté
it was particularly so, for a few days afterwards a reference to Mr.
Langelier enabled them to secure the lease of a building in St. John’s
suburbs, on favorable terms, suited to their purpose. It has often been
asserted that the Messrs. Woodley were the pioneers of the great boot
and shoe industry of Quebec city, but such is not the case. The Woodleys
did not start in it until 1866, or three years after the firm of Coté &
Bresse, who began manufacturing with machinery in St. George street, in
St. John’s suburbs, in the spring of 1863. To these two enterprising
French-Canadians rightfully belongs the credit of leading the way in a
branch of trade which is now the most important of Quebec, and furnishes
a means of support to a larger body of the population even than the
lumber trade. From St. George street they removed to Des Fosses street,
in Quebec East, when the partnership was dissolved, Mr. Coté going to
St. Hyacinthe, and Mr. Bresse remaining in Quebec and removing to St.
Paul street. His present factory and palatial residence on Dorchester
street, Quebec East, erected in 1871, cover an entire block, and the
factory itself is the largest and finest of its kind in the city. It
gives constant employment to an average of four hundred hands, male and
female, and the quantity of boots and shoes it turns out is enormous,
while their excellence has rendered Mr. Bresse’s name famous all over
the Dominion. From Newfoundland in the east to Vancouver in the west,
his goods find a ready market, and his numerous hands are kept busy all
the year round in filling orders. In addition, Mr. Bresse is the
patentee of several valuable labor-saving machines of his own invention,
and owns a large tannery at Arthabaska, several farms in the district
surrounding Quebec, and property in Winnipeg, Montreal, and elsewhere.
He also holds a controlling interest in the St. Hyacinthe Water Works
Company, of which he is a director. He was a member of the Senecal
Syndicate which purchased the North Shore Railway from the provincial
government of Quebec, under the premiership of Hon. Mr. Chapleau, the
present Dominion secretary of state, and acted as administrator of that
road until it passed into the hands of the Canadian Pacific Railway
Company. In fact, there are but few local undertakings, financial or
industrial, in which he has not been, or is not now, concerned, and he
may be truly said to be an eminently successful man. As a citizen, he is
deservedly held in the highest respect, and his fellow townsmen some
years ago marked their confidence in him by electing him as one of their
representatives in the city council for Jacques Cartier ward. He sat in
the council for one term, after which he declined re-election on account
of the demands of his extensive business upon his time. As an employer
of labor, he is probably one of the most popular in Quebec, having a
genuine workingman’s sympathy for workingmen, and treating them more as
his children than his servants. In politics, Mr. Bresse has always been
a warm and consistent Liberal, and the opposition leader in the Dominion
parliament, the silver-tongued Laurier, has no stronger admirer or
supporter in his constituency of Quebec East. Hon. H. Mercier, the
present premier of the province, is also one of his warmest friends, and
it was by his government that Mr. Bresse was, in December, 1887, called
with general public approval to the Legislative Council as the
representative of Les Laurentides division upon the resignation of Hon.
J. E. Gingras. On that occasion, the pleasant relations existing between
him and his employees was marked by their presentation to him of a
congratulatory address. In religion, he is a Roman Catholic, like the
great majority of his fellow countrymen. He is unmarried.
* * * * *
=Moreau, Right Rev. Louis Zephirin=, Bishop of St. Hyacinthe, St.
Hyacinthe, Quebec, was born at Becancourt, province of Quebec, the 1st
of April, 1824. His father was Louis Moreau, farmer, and his mother,
Marie Margaret Champoux. He followed a classical course of study at the
seminary of Nicolet, from 1839 to 1844, and taught in the same college
for upwards of two years. In September, 1846, he went to the palace of
the Bishop of Montreal, where he was ordained a priest in December of
the same year. From 1846 to 1852, he remained at the palace in the
capacity of chaplain to the cathedral, and assistant secretary of the
diocese. On the 2nd of November, 1852, he left Montreal for St.
Hyacinthe, as secretary to the first bishop of that place, Monseigneur
J. C. Prince. He then occupied the position of parish priest and
vicar-general of the diocese. On the 19th of November, 1875, he was
appointed by His Holiness Pope Pius the IX. the fourth bishop of St.
Hyacinthe, and was consecrated on 16th January, 1876. Since then his
lordship has made two trips to Rome in the interest of his diocese,
which is comprised of 120,000 Roman Catholics, and 18,000 Protestants,
containing seventy-six churches, one hundred and sixty priests, two
seminaries, three colleges, two male communities, five communities of
women, and five hospitals in charge of nuns. The St. Hyacinthe Cathedral
is one of the finest edifices in the Dominion, and it is owing to Bishop
Moreau’s indefatigable efforts and energy that the citizens are indebted
for its erection, as well as for the establishment of the other
above-mentioned institutions of learning and benevolence.
* * * * *
=Stevens, Hon. Gardner Green=, Waterloo, province of Quebec, was born on
13th December, 1814, at Brompton, Quebec. His father was born at
Newfane, Windham county, Vermont, and his grandfather, Lemuel Stevens,
at Petersham, Worcester county, Mass. The family moved into Canada soon
after the close of the struggle for the independence of the colonies,
they being strong adherents of the British crown. His mother came from
Brookfield, Vt. His father, Gardner Stevens, was one of the early
settlers in Brompton, and was, in his day, an industrious, well-to-do
farmer, and a prominent citizen. He met with an accident in 1845, when
sixty-three years of age, which terminated fatally. The subject of this
sketch received the ordinary education of farmers’ sons in this locality
fifty years ago; aided his father in cultivating the soil until of age;
then took charge of a farm, mill, and store at Waterville, county of
Compton, and was thus employed for ten years, when, in March, 1851, he
became agent for the British American Loan Company, taking up his
residence at Waterloo, and he has since devoted his attention almost
entirely to that agency. Except four years spent at Roxton Falls, he has
resided there for thirty years, holding various positions of trust and
honor, both at Roxton and Waterloo. While at the former place, he was
municipal councillor and mayor of the town. Here he has been justice of
the peace for a long period; has been councillor, mayor of the township
from 1870 to 1875 inclusive, and warden of the county. While warden he
was _ex-officio_ a director of the South-Eastern Railway. He has been a
director, and is now president, of the Stanstead, Shefford, and Chambly
Railway, of which company he was the first treasurer. He is one of those
enterprising men who like to have a hand in any movement calculated to
benefit the country—its material interests, or for the improvement of
the people. Since February 19th, 1876, he has represented the
constituency of Bedford in the Senate of the Dominion, taking the place
of Hon. Asa B. Foster, who resigned that year. In 1847, Senator Stevens
married Relief Jane, daughter of Sidney Spafford, of Compton, and has
issue five children—three sons and two daughters. The family attend the
Methodist church. It was during the first term of Senator Stevens’
service in the mayor’s chair that Prince Arthur visited Waterloo, June
13, 1870, and he had the honor of presenting an address to His Royal
Highness. The _Chronicler_ of Shefford thus speaks of our subject: “Mr.
Stevens is emphatically a self-made man, and like all men of his class,
his perceptive faculties, sharpened by cultivation, made him keenly
cognizant of whatever affects his own interests, or anything committed
to his trust. A man of extensive reading and retentive memory, with
ready powers of conversation, he is eminently qualified to amuse or
instruct. Accustomed to habits of industry, he appreciates this quality
in others, and while he is ever ready to assist the young man who is
bravely fighting the battle of life, he has no sympathy for one who
shrinks from hardships, or who, with everything in his favor, makes
shipwreck of his possessions.”
* * * * *
=Wood, Rev. Enoch=, D.D.—This reverend gentleman, who died at
Davenport, Toronto, on the 31st January, 1888, was among the early
missionaries sent out to America from the old country. He was born in
Lincolnshire, England, in 1804, and entered the service of the Wesleyan
Missionary Society in 1825. After serving for three years in the West
Indian missions, he was transferred to the province of New Brunswick,
where he labored for nineteen years. At the close of this term of
service he was appointed by the British conference superintendent of
missions in Canada, when he removed his residence to Toronto. Dr. Wood
had pastoral charges in St. John, N.B., in 1829, 1836, 1838, 1841, and
1844, and in Fredericton in 1846, in addition to others in New
Brunswick. Of his work in that province, a writer says:—“The older
Methodists of New Brunswick still treasure the memory of his long and
powerful labors among them with emotions of almost filial gratitude, and
recall his gentle, lovable manner and character with ever fresh
delight.” In 1874, Dr. Wood came to Toronto as superintendent of
missions, and afterwards as missionary secretary, and continued to hold
that office while he was president of the Wesleyan Conference for seven
years, from 1851 to 1857. He was again president of the conference in
1862. The honorary degree of D.D. was conferred upon him by Victoria
University, in 1860. He was elected first president of the Toronto
Conference in 1874, after the union of the several denominations in that
year. He was on the list of superannuated ministers at the time of his
death. Dr. Wood had been suffering for several years, and had been
confined to his room, but he bore his illness with great patience and
Christian resignation. He was strongly attached to the old-fashioned
Methodism, and was a conservative with regard to any changes. He was a
man of great tenderness, and of a very sympathetic nature, which made
him a very impressive preacher. His sermons were suggestive rather than
exhaustive. He possessed a very considerable amount of administrative
ability, and presided with dignity over the conference during the time
he was president. The death of his son-in-law, Rev. Dr. Nelles, some
months ago, gave him a great shock, which doubtless hastened his end. He
left behind him a daughter, the widow of the late Rev. Dr. Nelles, and
two sons, John and R. A. Wood, of Toronto.
* * * * *
=Courtney, Rev. Dr. Frederick=, Episcopal Bishop of Nova Scotia, is a
native of Plymouth, England, and is fifty years old. He was educated in
part at Christ’s Hospital, first at the preparatory school at Hartford,
then the Bluecoat School in Newgate street, London. After that he
graduated in the first class from King’s College, London, in 1863. He
was curate of Hadlow, near Pembridge, Kent, from 1864 to 1865; incumbent
of Charles Chapel, now St. Luke’s, Plymouth, from 1865 to 1870;
incumbent of St. Jude’s, Glasgow, Scotland, from 1870 to 1876, and
assistant minister of St. Thomas’ Church, New York, of which Dr. Morgan
is rector, from 1876 to 1880. He began his labors with St. James’
Church, Chicago, in 1880, and remained in that pastorate until March,
1882, when he removed to Boston. He was elected Bishop of Nova Scotia in
1888. Dr. Courtney is tall, erect, and well formed. He has greyish blue
eyes. His cast of mind is not one-sided, and yet it is logical,
analytical, and acute, rather than emotional, poetical, or imaginative.
In theology, he describes himself as “high, low, and broad.” It is
sufficiently evident, however, that he has no doctrinal sympathy with
ritualism, and that he is decidedly evangelical and spiritual in his
views of the Christian religion. As a preacher, Dr. Courtney in many
respects, at least, has very few equals. His sermons are about
thirty-five minutes in length. He uses no manuscript or notes, and yet
his discourses have a rhetorical finish which is marvellous. In a whole
sermon he will not hesitate for a word, or use one infelicitously. His
diction is not floral, but copious and expressive, and includes a fair
proportion of metaphor. His illustrations are drawn mostly from
Scripture, and he seems to carry the very words of the whole Bible on
his tongue’s end. His delivery is generally calm and deliberate, but
occasionally becomes impassioned. His enunciation is distinct, and his
emphasis always correct.
* * * * *
=Aubrey, Rev. François Fortunat=, Parish Priest, St. John’s, Quebec, was
born in the parish of St. Lawrence, near Montreal, in July, 1830. He is
the son of Hyacinthe Aubrey, a farmer, and Genevieve Leduc, his wife.
The great-grandfather of Hyacinthe Aubrey was an Irishman, born in
Ireland, and bearing the name of Cornelius O’Brennan. The subject of
this sketch went through his classical course of studies in the College
of Ste. Therese, county of Terrebonne, Quebec, and at 22 years of age
entered the clerical order, and was ordained priest in September, 1855.
He was professor in Ste. Therese college from 1852 to 1857, teaching
rhetoric and natural sciences. In 1857 he was curate at Longueuil, and
St. John’s, Quebec; in 1858-9 he was missionary at Prince Edward Island,
and in the fall of 1859 he was appointed parish priest at Ste. Marthe,
county Vaudreuil, diocese of Montreal. In the fall of 1862 he was called
by the late Bishop Joseph Larocque, to be parish priest of the Cathedral
of the city of St. Hyacinthe; but in the fall of 1864 he returned to
Ste. Marthe, and remained two years. In the fall of 1866, he was called
to succeed as parish priest of St. John’s, the late Bishop Charles
Larocque, who had been appointed Bishop of St. Hyacinthe. He
established, in 1868, an hospital conducted by the Grey Nuns of
Montreal, and the same year had the Brothers of the Christian schools to
teach the young boys. In the spring of 1878, he left for Europe; where
he spent five months, visiting in the course of his tour the chief
cities of France, Italy, Belgium, etc. Father Aubrey was always and
hopes to be always a devout child of the Roman Catholic church, knowing
quite well that the Holy Catholic Roman church is the only one founded
by our Saviour Jesus Christ.
* * * * *
=Lefebvre, Joseph Hubert=, Waterloo, province of Quebec, was born March
3rd, 1853, at Lawrenceville, township of Stukely, county of Shefford,
Quebec. He is the eldest son of Joseph Lefebvre, a notary by profession,
and who died May 11th, 1884. This family came from France and settled in
Lower Canada, in the early part of the 17th century. His mother, Eulalie
Boisvert, was a resident of the township of Stukely. The subject of this
sketch received an excellent education, spending six years at an English
Academy in Knowlton; then taking a classical course at St. Hyacinthe
College; and afterwards a business course at the Montreal branch of
Bryant & Stratton’s College. In 1870, he was articled to his father as a
law student, and was admitted as a notary public, his commission being
dated October 4th, 1877. From 1873 to 1876 he was in the lumber business
with his brother, William R. Lefebvre, to whom he sold out his interest
when he left the place. On being admitted to the notarial profession,
Mr. Lefebvre practised a while at Granby, and in May, 1879, settled in
Waterloo, where he succeeded to the business of Mr. Brassard, who had a
large practice which was transferred to the hands of our subject, and
his business consequently was brisk from the start. He was
secretary-treasurer of the municipalities of the village of Waterloo,
and township of Shefford, and of the schools of the village of Waterloo,
and was secretary-treasurer of the municipality and schools of the
parish of St. Joachim, when it was erected into a separate municipality,
but he only held that position for a short time in order to get the
municipality and school board into working order. He resigned all these
secretaryships upon being appointed successor to his late father as
registrar of the county of Shefford, his commission as such being dated
November 7th, 1884. He was president of the Board of License
Commissioners appointed under the License Act of 1883, and was appointed
revising barrister for the county of Shefford, under a commission of the
governor-general, dated October 26th, 1885. He is one of the promoters
of the Shefford Agricultural Park Association, was instrumental in
getting it incorporated, and has been its secretary-treasurer since its
inception. He is largely interested in real estate, having purchased
several thousand acres in the township of Minerve, in the county of
Ottawa, which he is now colonizing. He was a volunteer in the frontier
corps at the time of the Fenian raid in 1870; and was graduated at the
Military Academy at Montreal, in 1872. He is a Conservative in politics,
and has taken part in some of the political campaigns in Shefford and
Brome counties; but is not a bitter partisan. He is a Roman Catholic in
religion. He was married April 10th, 1877, to Clara Dorval, a daughter
of the late Cajetan Dorval, formerly a merchant and postmaster of St.
Césaire, and they have had seven children—six of whom are living and
one is dead.
* * * * *
=Howe, Hon. Joseph.=—The late Hon. Mr. Howe was born at the North-west
Arm, about two miles from Halifax, in December, 1804. His father was
John Howe, a U. E. loyalist, who was at one time a printer in Boston,
but who subsequently became a writer for the newspapers. Young Howe went
to school in an irregular fashion in Halifax, and picked up the
rudiments of a rough-and-ready sort of education. He was of a rugged
frame, had an exuberance of animal spirits, and was fond of crag, and
forest, and hill. He had, indeed, those who knew him say, the “poetic
temperament,”—though it must be confessed that he did not show much of
it in the verses, by so many called poetry, which he afterwards wrote.
In 1817 he began to learn the printing business at the _Gazette_ office,
Halifax. This paper was owned by his younger brother, John. He served
out his full apprenticeship, and then engaged himself in journeyman
printing work. While learning his trade young Howe is said to have read
voraciously every book that he could lay hands upon. He also published
in the _Gazette_ a lot of verses, which, however, did not amount to very
much as poetry. “One morning,” says a Canadian writer, “while taking a
solitary swim in the Arm, he was seized with cramp and felt himself
sinking. He cast an agonized look round, and caught sight of the
dearly-loved cottage on the hillside, where his mother was just placing
a lighted candle on the window-sill. The thought of the grief which
would overshadow that woman’s heart on the morrow inspired him with a
strength to give a last despairing kick. The kick dispelled the cramp,
and, hastily swimming ashore, he sank down exhausted, but thankful for
his deliverance. It was long before he could summon courage to acquaint
his parents with the circumstance.” Joseph Howe began a newspaper
business on his own account, in 1827, becoming part proprietor of the
_Weekly Chronicle_, the name of which was afterwards changed to that of
the _Acadian_. He, however, soon sold out the latter, and purchased the
_Nova Scotian_. In this newspaper he wrote with great earnestness,
eloquence, and force. His style was pregnant, trenchant, and sometimes
overwhelming. Mr. Howe’s celebrated _Legislative Review_ began to appear
in 1830, and attracted wide notice. In 1835 he published an article
which the oligarchists could not tolerate, and he was indicted for
libel. He consulted various lawyers. “There can be no successful defence
made for you,” they all said, and some invited him to make a humble
apology, and throw himself upon the mercy of his prosecutors. He
borrowed a lot of law books, read all he could find on libel, and
convinced himself that the learned men of the law were wrong. He pleaded
his own case, and his heart became comforted, as he saw among the jurors
an old man, with tears streaming from his eyes. The jury returned in ten
minutes with a verdict of “not guilty,” and the lawyers who had said,
“he who pleads his own case has a fool for a client,” were in a way
dumbfounded. From this day forward Mr. Howe was a noted man. In 1836 he
was elected to parliament for the county of Halifax; and two years later
he travelled through Europe, in company with Judge Haliburton, better
known as “Sam Slick.” Mr. Howe returned in 1838, and plunged into public
work again. Sir Colin Campbell, the iron-headed autocrat, who was then
governor, could not understand what the “common” people meant by talking
about their “rights,” and with him, Mr. Howe, it need not be said, was
at issue. On petition of the province, Governor Campbell was recalled,
and was succeeded by Lord Falkland, a son of William IV., by Mrs.
Jordan. After a time Falkland became a cat’s-paw in the hands of the
Tories, and provoked fierce hostilities from the Liberals, at the head
of whom was Joseph Howe. In 1848, the day of triumph came for the
Liberals. Mr. Mackie was called upon to form a government, and Mr. Howe
became provincial secretary. In 1851 he retired from the representation
of Halifax; and in 1863 he became premier, in the place of Mr. Young,
who was elevated to the bench. Since the entry into public life of Dr.
Tupper, in 1855, there had been a steady, often a furious, hostility
between himself and Mr. Howe. The strife was greatest between them on
the question of union, to which Mr. Howe was opposed. But Dr. Tupper
prevailed, not that he was a greater man than Mr. Howe; but because luck
was on his side—there being a general movement in the direction of
union, and the Imperial government desired the measure. When
confederation was accomplished the now almost broken-down veteran was
made to see, by Sir J. A. Macdonald, that he could be loyal to his
province, by accepting the inevitable, and making the best of the new
order of things. Hence he entered the Dominion cabinet in 1869 as
president of the council. Ten months later he became secretary of state
for the provinces and superintendent-general of Indian affairs. His
health was now all the while growing feebler, and his mental
retrogression seemed to keep pace with his physical. In 1873 he was
appointed lieutenant-governor of Nova Scotia; but he died a few weeks
afterwards. As an orator, Joseph Howe was the greatest man that the
provinces which compose Canada have ever produced. He married, in 1828,
Catharine Susan Ann, a daughter of Captain John McNab, of the Nova
Scotia Fencibles.
* * * * *
=Coté, Louis=, Manufacturer, St. Hyacinthe. St. Hyacinthe is one of the
most flourishing cities of the province of Quebec, and probably also its
greatest manufacturing centre. Its tanneries, and its manufactories for
boots and shoes, of woollen and knitted goods, of machinery, organs,
etc., are not only numerous, but important and thriving establishments.
These great industries impart to the local trade an extraordinary amount
of activity, which is further enhanced by the well-known fertility of
the surrounding agricultural region, and moreover, provides business for
a local bank and two branch banks, in addition to the business of the
same kind done in Montreal. When a stranger visits this pretty little
town, he is always struck by the pervading air of ease, progress, and
prosperity. Its buildings are noted for the remarkable taste shown in
their construction. The streets are fine, straight, well kept, generally
lined with handsome shade trees, and, after dark, lit with the electric
light. Besides the magnificent promenade provided by Girouard street,
there are also those of the Park, which will be a charming spot when the
plantations of trees, made within a few years back, shall have increased
in growth. Altogether, the place bears the stamp of activity,
enterprise, and progress in every shape. Although founded upwards of
seventy-five years ago, it is only about twenty years since St.
Hyacinthe entered upon its present era of extraordinary development. In
and about 1860, it was still nothing more than a big country village,
inhabited by a sleeping population. The magnificent water power of the
Yamaska river was only utilized to run two grist mills and a rope
factory, the remainder of the water running to waste, while no one
dreamt of making use of it for manufacturing purposes calculated to
furnish employment to a working population steeped in want. The only
establishments which gave the city any importance were its splendid
college and convents. A few years before this, the two Coté brothers, in
partnership with Guillaume Bresse, had introduced into Quebec the boot
and shoe industry, which has since developed to such an extraordinary
extent in that city. The Messrs. Coté had been born and reared in the
environs of St. Hyacinthe, and their native city had naturally a warm
place in their regard. They had long been sensible of the adaptability
of its advantages to manufacturing industry, and only an occasion, some
happy circumstance, was needed to induce them to turn them to account.
Mr. Bourgeois, now judge of the Superior Court at Three Rivers, was then
a practising lawyer at St. Hyacinthe, where he wielded an amount of
influence as extensive as it was well deserved. A gentleman of broad and
patriotic views, sincerely anxious for the progress of his town, he
believed it had all the requirements of a manufacturing centre, and, as
the cousin and intimate friend of Louis Coté, he pressed the point upon
his attention, and urged him to establish himself in St. Hyacinthe,
convinced that, with the assistance of so intelligent and enterprising a
man, the place could not fail to fulfil its manifest destiny. The
proposition was favorably entertained by Louis Coté, for whom Judge
Bourgeois also found a partner with some capital in the person of Victor
Coté. Leaving Mr. Bresse at Quebec, Louis Coté removed to St. Hyacinthe
in 1863, and in partnership with his brother George and Victor Coté, he
opened the establishment which marked St. Hyacinthe’s first step towards
manufacturing eminence. The success of this establishment, now one of
the largest in the country, is too well known to be dwelt upon. But it
is not alone as a successful business man that Louis Coté has
distinguished himself. He is also famous as an inventor, and the boot
and shoe industry is indebted to his ingenuity for several machines
which have largely contributed to its development. Most of his
inventions have, in fact, become so indispensable to the trade that no
one dreams at present of manufacturing shoes without them any more than
of driving nails without a hammer. Attempts have been made to infringe
his patents, and, to vindicate his rights, Mr. Coté had even to do
battle for them before the Supreme Court of the United States, but he
won his case, and to-day his machines are deservedly regarded as the _ne
plus ultra_ of perfection. His inventions are now in use all over in the
great boot and shoe factories of Canada, the United States, England,
Germany, and France. It will be easily understood that a man so
intelligent and enterprising as our subject could not fail to exercise a
marked influence on the progress of the city which had the advantage of
counting him among its population, and the still more direct advantage
of having him as its mayor during a number of years. In concert with
Judge Bourgeois, who was also for many years a councillor and mayor of
St. Hyacinthe, he always favored and stimulated industrial progress, or
the encouragement of promising branches of manufacture. His own example,
his prosperity, and the ever increasing success of his own
establishment, were the means by which St. Hyacinthe was raised to the
pinnacle of manufacturing importance on which it stands to-day, and on
which it rests its claim to the dignity of the greatest industrial
centre, in proportion to population, not only of the province of Quebec,
but of the Dominion of Canada. But Mr. Coté’s beneficial influence was
not alone felt in the commercial and industrial departments. As a member
of the city council, and especially as mayor, he did much towards
endowing St. Hyacinthe with improvements which are usually found only in
the most populous and advanced cities. The superb waterworks which
supplies the city and protects it against the recurrence of the
disastrous conflagrations which ravaged it in the past, was built by a
company of which Mr. Coté was the initiator, and is the principal
stockholder and president. In the work of reform of the local school
system, Mr. Coté labored hand in hand with the Rev. Mr. Gravel, then
parish priest of St. Hyacinthe, and acting bishop of Nicolet; Jos. Naud,
registrar; Euclide Richer, stationer; Charles Ledoux, and Mr. Chenet,
all of whom gave in the matter proof of a zeal and devotion which
entitles them to the lasting gratitude of their fellow citizens. He
inspired, and was to a large extent the author of all the measures
adopted to make the place the most prosperous and attractive
manufacturing centre, not only in the province of Quebec, but in all
Canada, outside of the great commercial cities. In a word, Mr. Coté, by
his industry and example, made St. Hyacinthe. The brilliant and fruitful
career of this good man furnishes a striking illustration of what can be
done by intelligence, industry, good conduct, and love of country. He
started out in life without education or pecuniary resource. After
learning his trade in the United States, he returned to Montreal, where
he soon secured a position as foreman in one of the great shoe factories
of that city. There he devoted all his leisure time to study, and saved
his earnings in order to procure for himself a good education. He
followed the courses of the Jacques Cartier Normal School, and, thanks
to the kindly interest taken in him by the Abbé Verrault, principal of
that institution, he completed his studies there, and left it with that
superior education in which so many of our great manufacturers and
mechanics are deficient. Since then he has continued to instruct
himself, and his library to-day offers him a source of information upon
which he draws abundantly. The money which he saved by his self-denial
not only furnished him with education but with a small capital which
enabled him to start business on his own account, and to conquer
fortune. By his intelligence and good conduct he has also given to the
great question of capital and labor the only practical solution of which
it is susceptible—he acquired capital by labor. To-day Mr. Coté is one
of the wealthiest manufacturers in his line. He enjoys, in the fullest
measure, the esteem and gratitude of his fellow citizens, and is known
all over the country as a remarkable man. Although a Liberal in
politics, the Federal government has paid homage to his merits and
abilities, by appointing him a member of its labor commission, and,
thanks to his intimate acquaintanceship with economic questions, his
experience and practical knowledge, he is sure to make his mark in that
connection as he has done in all others in the past. Louis Coté is still
a comparatively young man, being only in his fiftieth year, so that, if
he should be spared, there is still a bright career of usefulness before
him for the good of his native city and the country at large. In
religion, he is a Roman Catholic. He married, in 1868, Louise, daughter
of Charles Pigeon, a most charming and distinguished lady; he has no
family.
* * * * *
=Casavant, Joseph Claver & Samuel=, St. Hyacinthe, Quebec. Joseph was
born on 16th September, 1855, and Samuel on 4th April, 1859, in the city
of St. Hyacinthe. These two gentlemen compose the firm of Casavant,
Frères, organ builders, St. Hyacinthe, Quebec province. They are the
sons of Joseph Casavant, who died the 9th March, 1874, aged 67 years,
after a successful career as an organ-builder, in the course of which he
built the organs for Kingston and Ottawa Roman Catholic Cathedrals, and
many others. The subjects of this sketch were educated at St. Hyacinthe
college, and after leaving this seminary of learning they were entered
as apprentices with a prominent firm of organ builders. After acquiring
a thorough insight into the details of the business, they went to Europe
in 1878 and made an extensive tour of England, Holland, Belgium,
Germany, Switzerland, Italy and France, the primary object of their
travels being to gain an idea of the more recent improvements made by
the more prominent organ builders in the countries visited. Returning to
Canada in 1880, they entered into business on their own account, and
have built many organs which testify to the ability of the builders, and
the thoroughness with which they have grasped every detail of their
profession. Among the best specimens of their work are the organs in the
St. Hyacinthe Roman Catholic Cathedral, Varennes parish church, Notre
Dame de Lourdes, in Montreal, etc. Ever on the watch for improvements,
and determined to have a knowledge from personal investigation, of every
new invention relating to their business, the brothers, in 1886, took
another tour through the principal centres in Europe, returning by way
of the United States. In the course of this tour they obtained many
valuable hints which they have turned to good account in their latest
instruments. They are now building an organ for Notre Dame French Church
in Montreal, which will contain eighty-five sounding stops (one hundred
knobs), and is estimated to cost thirty thousand dollars. It will be
provided with all the modern improvements, and will contain several new
features which have not yet been used in Canada, the most important
being that of electric action. This magnificent organ will be the
largest in Canada, and will be a credit alike to the builders and to the
Dominion of Canada.
* * * * *
=Kincaid, Robert=, M.D., Peterboro’, Ont., Surgeon-Major, was born June
10th, 1832, in the county Donegal, Ireland. He is the son of George
Kincaid, and Elizabeth Virtue, his wife, daughter of George Virtue, a
wealthy mill owner of Donegal. She was also related to the Virtues of
the great publishing house, London, England. Dr. Kincaid, the subject of
this sketch, came to Canada in 1847, and received his education at
Queen’s University, Kingston, graduating with honors in 1863. He has
been the surgeon of the 57th battalion, Peterborough Rangers, since it
was gazetted in 1866, and now holds the rank of surgeon-major. He
entered the service of the United States in 1863, and served until the
termination of the war, being present at the engagements of the
Wilderness, Mine Run, Coal Harbor, Spottsylvania Court House and
Petersburg. He was for a time surgeon in charge of Governor’s Island
Hospital, at the foot of Broadway, N.Y., the most important medical
office in the gift of the government of the United States; and was
afterwards, in 1864, transferred to Maine, as medical director of that
state, with headquarters at Portland. Upon the conclusion of the war he
returned to Canada, and in 1865 settled in Peterborough, where he has
resided ever since and built one of the largest and most important
practices in the midland district. In addition to his medical practice
he conducts a large stock farm of about 400 acres a few miles from town,
and has been prominently identified with the different agricultural
societies for some years. He has been surgeon of the county of
Peterborough since 1867; surgeon to the corporation of the town of
Peterborough since 1868, and he still holds both offices; he is also
senior surgeon of the Nicholls’ Hospital, examining surgeon for the
Canada Life, North American Life, Equitable Life, Federal Life and the
Manufacturers’ Life Insurance companies. In politics he has been a life
long Conservative, and still holds the same views, although at the last
Dominion election he warmly supported George A. Cox, the Reform
candidate, on strong personal grounds. In 1883, upon the death of the
late W. H. Scott, Q.C, M.P.P., the doctor was elected by acclamation to
represent West Peterborough in the Ontario legislature, he being the
only man in the riding acceptable to both parties, and the only man in
Canada who was ever nominated for parliament by both political parties
at the same time. At the end of his term, he declined re-nomination. Dr.
Kincaid is a fluent speaker. For many years he held the office of
coroner for the town and county of Peterborough, and in that capacity
conducted many important inquests; but upon his election to parliament
he resigned the office, and has since declined re-appointment. He has
frequently been asked to run for municipal honors, but always declined,
preferring to devote all his time to his profession. He was chosen to
the Senate of Queen’s University in 1886. For many years he was
prominently identified with the Masonic order, and held all the
different offices until he reached the high position of district deputy
grand master of Ontario district. He was initiated into Masonry in 1863,
in St. Lawrence lodge, Montreal, under the Grand Lodge of England. The
doctor has travelled through every state in the American Union and
through all parts of the Dominion. He was brought up in the faith of the
Episcopal Church, and was confirmed by John Toronto. He is still in
sympathy with the doctrines of that church, but being opposed to the
high church views which prevail in Peterborough, he does not attend the
services. Has attended the Presbyterian churches here, and for some time
was chairman of the Board of Managers of St. Andrew’s Church, but left
that body, consequent upon the change of ministers, when the Rev. D. J.
Macdonnell left Peterborough for Toronto. Dr. Kincaid was married in
1865 to Margaret M., daughter of James Bell, then manager of the
Commercial Bank of Canada, at Perth, now registrar of the county of
Lanark; niece of the Rev. Dr. Bell, of Queen’s College; niece of Judge
Malloch, of Brockville, and cousin of Prof. Bell of the Geological
Survey of Canada. The union has been blessed with several children, one
girl and three boys of whom are now living.
* * * * *
=Laurier, Hon. Wilfrid=, B.C.L., Q.C., Quebec, M.P. for Quebec East,
leader of the Liberal party in the House of Commons at Ottawa, was born
at St. Lin, L’Assomption, Quebec province, on the 24th November, 1841.
He is descended from a distinguished French family, who were among the
first to settle in Canada. His father was the late Carolus Laurier, who
in his lifetime was a provincial land surveyor. The future leader of the
Liberal party was educated at the college of L’Assomption, and having
finished his literary course there, he was entered for the study of the
law in the office of the Hon. R. Laflamme, Q.C. Here he devoted himself
diligently to the study of his chosen calling, and in due time was
called to the bar of Lower Canada. This was in the year 1865; but the
year previous he had taken, at McGill University, the degree of B.C.L.
In October, 1880, he was appointed a Queen’s counsel. Hon. Mr. Laurier
always from a very early age took a deep interest in public questions,
and was resolved, when the first opportunity offered, to seek a position
in the legislature. With this object in view, he gave his attention to
literature and journalism, and for a period edited _Le Defricheur_
newspaper. He was an earnest advocate of temperance, and was a delegate
to the Dominion Prohibitory Convention, held in Montreal, in 1875. At
the general election of 1871 his ambition to get into public life was
realized, he being that year elected to the Legislative Assembly of the
province of Quebec for Drummond and Arthabaska. He remained in the
legislature till January, 1874, when he resigned in order to contest the
same seat for the House of Commons. In the provincial parliament his
record had been excellent. He was known to be a sincere, upright, able
and well-informed public man, and had proven himself a genuine Liberal
in the truest and best sense of the word; so when he came to ask his
constituents to send him to the wider sphere of usefulness they did not
refuse him. On taking his seat in the House of Commons, his brilliant
abilities and his high character were at once acknowledged. Sir John A.
Macdonald, through his Pacific Railway transaction, had been relegated
to the opposition benches, and the Hon. Alexander Mackenzie had been
called upon to form an administration. Mr. Laurier was invited by the
new premier to enter his cabinet, and he was sworn in as member of the
Privy Council, September, 1877, and given the portfolio of Inland
Revenue. This office he held until the following year, when the
Mackenzie government resigned. On seeking re-election in his old
constituency, at the general election which followed, he was rejected;
but the Hon. I. Thibaudeau having resigned his seat in Quebec East, Hon.
Mr. Laurier was elected as his successor, and he has represented that
constituency ever since. On the retirement of the Hon. Edward Blake in
1887, in consequence of ill health, from the leadership of the Liberal
party in the House of Commons, Hon. Mr. Laurier was unanimously chosen
as his successor, and his friends have great hopes that he will prove a
leader worthy of the name. He is calm and reasonable, and always
receives respect and attention when he rises, and has always, on such
occasions, something to say. He speaks with a very pure French accent,
and is a very effective speaker. Hon. Mr. Laurier is a director of the
Royal Mutual Life Insurance Company. In religion he is a Roman Catholic.
He was married on the 13th May, 1868, to Miss Lafontaine.
* * * * *
=O’Sullivan, Dennis Ambrose=, M.A., D.C.L., Barrister-at-Law, etc.,
Toronto, Ont., is the youngest son of the late Michael O’Sullivan, of
Campbellford, farmer. His father came to this country from Cork,
Ireland, in 1832, and was one of the most respected men in his county.
His mother belongs to the family of Hennessys, well known to this day in
the south of Ireland. In the early days of this province, farmers’ homes
were frequently used for the purpose of having divine service therein,
and for many years, in the parish of Seymour, mass was said every second
Sunday in the house of Michael O’Sullivan, every year, in fact, up to
the building of the present Roman Catholic Church at Campbellford. He
brought up his children strictly within the church, and died in 1866,
greatly regretted. One of his sons, the late Dr. J. O’Sullivan, was well
known as a professional man; and in political life sat for eight years
as Conservative member for East Peterboro’. Dr. D. A. O’Sullivan was
born on the 21st February, 1848, in Seymour, Northumberland county,
Ontario. He is a practising lawyer in Toronto, and was called to the bar
in 1875. He was educated in a common school and in St. Michael’s
College, 1866-72, and graduated in the latter year in the University of
Toronto. He received the degree of M.A. in 1876, and the degree of LL.B.
in the following year, having been scholar and prizeman in the Toronto
University during each year of the course. Since that time he has
applied himself to the study of the law, and devoted his leisure hours
to legal and historical literature. In 1879 he published the first
edition of his “Government in Canada,” and a second edition of the same
work in 1887. This book is the text book on the Canadian constitution in
the Law Society of Ontario, and is extensively used in colleges
throughout Canada. In 1881 he published a volume on “Practical
Conveyancing,” and another on “How to Draw a Simple Will,” a little
volume intended for clergymen and doctors of medicine, and containing a
good deal of instructive and curious matter. In the following year he
was named a member of the senate of the University of Toronto by the
lieutenant-governor, and subsequently appointed one of the commissioners
of the Ontario government to inquire into the workings of the Central
Prison, and to report on prisons generally. He has lately devoted
himself to historical studies regarding the church in Canada, and the
origin of the Canadian laws. For essays and other productions in this
direction, published in American magazines, and by the Canadian
Institute annals, and for some light literature, the University of Laval
conferred on him, in June, 1887, the honorary degree of Doctor of Laws.
He is a regular contributor to several magazines and reviews, and is a
member of a number of historical societies in Canada and the United
States. He does not belong to any national, political or other
societies, except charitable societies; is secretary and one of the
managers of the House of Industry; a director of the Toronto
Conservatory of Music, etc. He is solicitor for all the Roman Catholic
charities in Toronto, for the Roman Catholic Episcopal Corporation, and
the colleges in the city. He was married, in 1881, to Emma Mary, the
eldest daughter of W. H. Higgins, editor of the Whitby _Chronicle_.
* * * * *
=Tartre, Joseph Raphael=, Notary Public, Waterloo, province of Quebec,
was born at St. Hyacinthe, Quebec, on the 3rd October, 1843. His father,
Charles Tartre, was a farmer and bailiff, of Roxton Falls, Quebec, and a
son of Charles Tartre and Marie Legros _dit_ St. Pierre, who settled on
the south side of the Yamaska river during the first years of the
present century. His mother, Marie Adelaide Beaudry, is a descendant of
the Beaudry family which settled in St. Jean Bte. de Rouville, Quebec,
early in the present century. His father was settled first in St. Pie,
county of Bagot, and moved thence to Roxton Falls, in September, 1851.
The subject of this sketch is the second of eleven children, the oldest
being a grey nun (called in religion Sister Ste. Elizabeth), since 1858.
He was educated at St. Hyacinthe College, from 1856 to 1861. When
twenty-one years of age, on account of ill-health, he was admitted, on
the 13th May, 1864, a bailiff of the Superior Court, and settled at
Waterloo on the 24th May, 1864. While practising as a bailiff, he began
the study of the notarial profession on the 15th June, 1866, and was
admitted to practise on the 3rd May, 1871. He was acting deputy
registrar of the county of Shefford, from May, 1874, to August, 1876;
and was secretary of schools for the township of Shefford, Waterloo
included, for 1872 and 1873. He has been secretary-treasurer of the
municipality of the county of Shefford since the 11th June, 1879; and a
member of the Roman Catholic school board of examiners of the district
of Bedford since 1875; also secretary-treasurer of the Roman Catholic
schools of Waterloo since April, 1883, the date of their organization;
and a commissioner of the Superior Court since 1872. He has also been
secretary-treasurer of the Waterloo Imperial Building Society since the
1st May, 1877. He has always taken a moderate part in politics, and in
municipal matters, and was mainly instrumental in having the parish of
St. Joachim de Shefford erected into a municipality, and was one of the
many who helped in starting the newspaper in Waterloo, called _The
Independent_. He is a staunch Roman Catholic in religion. He was
married, on the 29th January, 1866, to Malvina, second daughter of
Gabriel Hubert and Justine Marchessault, of Contrecœur, Quebec, and has
had issue ten children, eight of whom are still living. The eldest, C.
U. R. Tartre, twenty-one years of age, has just completed his classical
course at the St. Hyacinthe College, and is now studying the notarial
profession with his father. Mrs. J. R. Tartre is now (March, 1888,) a
candidate in the election of popularity, the object and proceeds whereof
are to erect, if possible, a commercial college in Waterloo. This
election closes on the 2nd July, 1888.
* * * * *
=Edgar, James David=, Barrister, Toronto, M.P. for West Ontario, was
born in the Eastern Townships, Quebec province, on the 10th August,
1841, where he received his early educational training. He is descended
from the elder branch of the Edgars of Keithock, Forfarshire, Scotland,
a family which has impressed its name on the annals of that country. Mr.
Edgar adopted law as a profession, and having gone through the usual
course of study, was called to the bar of Upper Canada, in Michaelmas
term, 1864. Since then he has successfully practised his profession in
Toronto, and is at present the head of the firm of Edgar, Malone &
Garvin, barristers, solicitors, notaries, etc. He first presented
himself for parliamentary honors at the general election of 1872, when
he was elected, and sat in the House of Commons at Ottawa until the
general election in 1874, when he was defeated. In 1872 he
unsuccessfully contested Centre Toronto, but on the 22nd August, 1884,
upon the resignation of the sitting member, he was elected by the
Reformers of West Ontario to represent them in parliament. At the last
general election he was again chosen by the same constituency, and
continues to sit in the House of Commons as their representative. In
1874, Mr. Edgar was sent by the Dominion government to British Columbia
to arrange terms for the postponement of the construction of the Canada
Pacific railway. He is of a literary turn of mind, and, apart from his
books on law, such as “Insolvent Act of 1864, with Notes, Forms,” etc.,
published in 1864; “An Act to Amend the Insolvent Act of 1864, with
Annotations, Notes of Decisions,” etc., published in 1865, he frequently
contributes to the columns of our daily press and periodicals. Indeed,
he has entered the realm of poetry, and a couple of years ago published
a no mean volume on a Canadian subject. He is a director of the
Confederation Life Association, of the _Globe_ Printing Company, and of
the Midland Railway Company. In politics he is a staunch Liberal, and in
religion belongs to the Episcopal church. In September, 1865, he was
married to Matilda, second daughter of the late T. G. Ridout, of
Toronto.
* * * * *
=Price, Herbert Molesworth=, Timber Merchant, Quebec, was born on the
31st of August, 1847, at Benhall, Ross, Herefordshire, England. His
father was William Price, gentleman. He was educated at private schools
at Hereford, and Norwood, near London, where he made rapid progress,
English and mathematics being his principal studies. Having at an early
age evinced a predilection for banking, a position was secured for him
in the West of England and South Wales District Bank, at Ross. He
entered on his duties in 1864, and remained in the service of that
institution until January, 1869, when he relinquished his situation for
a higher post in the Bank of British North America, London. He was soon
after transferred to the Montreal branch of that bank, and successively
filled positions at the following branches, viz., St. John, N.B.,
Halifax, N.S., New York and Hamilton, Kingston, Brantford, and
Dunnville, Ont., and Quebec. After serving at the latter branch as
accountant for four years, with great acceptance to the board, he
resigned his office and entered the Merchants Bank of Canada, Quebec, as
manager. This responsible position he held from 1879 until March, 1884,
when he retired from banking, after a continuous service of twenty
years, and joining the important firm of Hall Brothers & Co., in
connection with the Montmorency mills, embarked into business. His firm
is now composed of Peter Patterson Hall, and H. M. Price. Their
operations are confined to two mills besides those of Montmorency. The
firm makes 300,000 logs per annum on the rivers Chaudière, Gentilly,
Nicolet, Bécancour, Duchene, and Montmorency, employing in the work a
large number of men. In politics, Mr. Price is a Conservative of
independent and broad views. A member of the Church of England, he has
always taken a deep interest in religious thought and movement, and his
active mind has found expression in the conduct of the temporal affairs
of his church, where for some years he has been a member of the select
vestry of the English cathedral. He has held several prominent offices,
among which may be named those of the first vice-president of St.
George’s Society; provisional director of the Quebec Railway Bridge
Company; member of the council of the Quebec Board of Trade; member of
the Central Board Church Society, and member of the council of the
Literary and Historical Society of Quebec. In this latter position his
literary, historical, and antiquarian tastes find ample development. He
is a qualified justice of the peace. Mr. Price has always taken
considerable interest in athletic sports and pastimes. He has been
captain of the Quebec Cricket and Football clubs, and was a member of a
Football team for Canada which played against the Harvard University
Club of Cambridge, Mass., in Montreal, in 1875. J. M. LeMoine has given
an interesting sketch of Mr. Price, and of his summer residence,
Montmorency cottage, in his late book, “Monographies et Esquisses.” In
March, 1877, Mr. Price was married to S. A. Martha Hall, daughter of the
late George Benson Hall, of Montmorency Falls, P.Q., a lady of fine
social qualities and culture.
* * * * *
=Phelan, Cornelius J. F. R.=, M.D., C.M., Waterloo, Quebec, was born on
the 10th of May, 1840, at St. Columbin, county of Two Mountains, Quebec.
His father, John Phelan, was born 10th June, 1787, at Kilkenny, Ireland.
He was major of militia, mayor and magistrate. As magistrate he
generally settled disputes amicably and to the perfect satisfaction of
the litigants, thus saving acrimony and heavy law costs; he was also a
merchant and farmer, and did a very extensive business; he was generous
to a fault, always the poor man’s friend, and died the 9th April, 1862,
deeply mourned by all who knew him far and near. Dr. Phelan’s mother,
Mary Phelan, was born on the 15th August, 1798, and died on the 26th
July, 1874. She was a pious woman, a loving mother, and a devoted and
industrious wife. The late Bishop Phelan, of Kingston, was her brother.
He was a first-class administrator, a general favorite alike among
Protestants and Catholics, and his untimely death was universally
regretted. The subject of this sketch was educated at the seminary of
Ste. Therese de Blainville, Quebec, taking a full classical course,
afterwards pursuing his medical studies at McGill College, Montreal, and
graduating therefrom in 1865. In the spring of 1865, he began to
practise at Iberville, and in November of the same year removed to
Knowlton, Brome, Quebec, where he remained until January 8th, 1880, when
he went to Waterloo, his present home. As he took up the study of
medicine from pure love of the profession, it is not strange that his
success has been far above the average; and that the older he grows the
more he is in love with his calling. He is a member of the district of
Bedford Medical Association; a leading member of the Board of Health of
Waterloo; medical examiner for several leading Life Insurance companies
and has been physician to the Maple Wood Convent since 1881. This is one
of the finest institutions of the kind in the province, and is under the
direction of the Sisters of J.M.J., of Hochelaga. The house was formerly
the residence of the Hon. A. B. Foster, and is a splendid edifice
surrounded by beautiful and well-kept grounds. Dr. Phelan has been
secretary of the St. Patrick’s Benevolent Society of Shefford, and also
president of the St. Joseph Society of Waterloo. He has always been a
Conservative, but the duties of his profession have prevented him from
taking any active part in politics though often strongly urged to do so.
In 1864 he travelled through the United States, making a prolonged stay
at Washington to visit the military hospitals there, they being such
excellent schools for surgery. In religion he is a Roman Catholic. He
was married on the 8th November, 1864, to Mary Eledeanne M. Guindon, of
Montreal, a cousin-german of Judge Ouimet; she was educated in the
Congregational convent there. They have one daughter who is now pursuing
her studies at Maple Wood Convent.
* * * * *
=Bernier, Michel Esdras=, St. Hyacinthe, Quebec, Notary, J.P., and M.P.
for St. Hyacinthe, was born at St. Hyacinthe, on the 28th September,
1841. His ancestors came from France, and settled in the county of
L’Islet, Quebec, removing afterwards to St. Hyacinthe. He is the
youngest son of the late Etienne Bernier, farmer, and Julie Lussier, his
wife. The subject of this sketch was educated at the St. Hyacinthe
Seminary, afterwards studying law under H. St. Germain, notary and
registrar for the county of St. Hyacinthe, and was admitted to practise
as a notary in June, 1867. He was a member of the volunteer force from
1862 to 1865, and held the rank of captain. He served as a member of the
notarial board for the district of St. Hyacinthe, from 1867 to 1870, and
for the provincial board from 1873, and president for the same from 1882
to 1885, and is still a member of the board; was secretary-treasurer of
the municipal council and school commissioners of the parish of St.
Hyacinthe, from 1864 to 1878, and of the municipal council of the county
of St. Hyacinthe from 1864, and still holds that position; also official
assignee for the county of St. Hyacinthe from 1869 to 1874, and for the
district of St. Hyacinthe from 1874 to 1880. He has been a director of
the St. Hyacinthe Agricultural Society from 1881, and its president
since 1884, and holds that position to-day. He is a director of the Bank
of St. Hyacinthe; also of the St. Hyacinthe Manufacturing Company,
owners of the water powers, flannel mill, grist mill, and carding mill,
at St. Hyacinthe; of the St. Hyacinthe Gas and Electric Light Company;
of the St. Hyacinthe Macadamizing Company, and of the United Counties
Railway Company. He is the head of the firm of N. Bernier & Co., grain
and flour dealers; of the notarial firm of Bernier, Morin & Bordua; is a
commissioner for the provinces of Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia, and New
Brunswick, and a commissioner _per Dedimus potestatem_; is also engaged
in farming, and owns the “Bellevue farm,” near the city limits. Mr.
Bernier is a staunch Liberal in politics, and has taken an active part
in political movements since 1867; was offered, but refused, the
candidature for the county of St. Hyacinthe for the House of Commons, in
1878, and for the Quebec house in 1879; but in June, 1882, he accepted
the nomination of the party for the House of Commons, and was elected,
his opponent being the Hon. L. Tellier, now a judge of the Superior
Court. Mr. Bernier ran again in 1887, and was again successful. His
interest in agricultural, industrial, and commercial pursuits has been
of the most active character. In religion, he is a Roman Catholic. He
was married, on the 28th November, 1865, to Alida, a daughter of the
late Simeon Marchesseault, one of the chiefs of the rebellion of 1837,
and who was afterwards exiled to the Bermudas. Two daughters were born
of this marriage, the eldest being married to Dr. L. V. Benoit,
physician and apothecary at St. Hyacinthe.
* * * * *
=d’Orsonnens, Lt.-Col. the Count Louis Gustave d’Odet=, was born at
L’Assomption, April 17th, 1842. He is a descendant of a Swiss patrician
family of the Canton of Fribourg, who, according to Blanc de Charney, in
his history of the patrician families of Fribourg, “came towards the end
of the fourteenth century to settle in that city, and continue there its
_lustre_.” The General Lexicon of Switzerland, by Leu, published at
Zurich, in 1758, mentions the d’Odet d’Orsonnens with honor. Later, in
1789, Jean Jacques Holtzhalb, in his supplement to the Lexicon or
Dictionary of Leu, has also continued its history. The first member of
this distinguished family who came to this country, was Prothais d’Odet
d’Orsonnens, patrician of Fribourg, who came to Canada about the year
1810, with the famous Meuron’s regiment, as captain of the grenadier
company. After the disbandment of his regiment, Captain d’Orsonnens went
to the Red River with a strong party, and took Fort William for Lord
Selkirk, who was the governor of the Hudson Bay Company. The conduct and
bravery of Captain d’Orsonnens on this occasion was highly commended by
his superiors. He finally settled at St. Roch de l’Achignan, where he
built a house in the style of the manors of that time, and which he
named “La Chaumière Suisse.” He died suddenly of heart disease on the
16th March, 1834, leaving two sons and two daughters to mourn his loss.
The eldest, Thomas Edmond d’Orsonnens, was born at St. Roch de
l’Achignan, on 30th October, 1818, and was for many years president of
the medical faculty of the Victoria University in Montreal, knight of
St. Gregory, etc. His eldest son, Louis Gustave, the subject of this
sketch, upon whom the family nobility and titles were recognised with
the title of count, by his holiness Pope Pius IX., was educated for the
army, and was to have joined the Swiss regiment at Naples, in which his
cousin was captain, when the kingdom of Naples was overthrown by the
revolution. He joined the 1st battalion of rifles as ensign, on the 17th
of November, 1859; in 1860, he exchanged into the 2nd troop of cavalry,
being gazetted a cornet; was promoted to the rank of lieutenant on 3rd
June, 1861, and commanded the troop for nearly a year. He resigned his
command to study law, and was soon called to the bar. He then re-entered
the service and joined the 4th battalion of Canadian Chasseurs, and was
gazetted lieutenant on the 15th December, 1865. He served on the
frontier at Niagara, in 1866, as ensign and adjutant, and was promoted
to rank of captain in the 4th Chasseurs on the 8th of March, 1867. His
subsequent promotions are brigade-major, 3rd January, 1868, and
lieutenant-colonel, 19th February, 1869. In 1871, he held the temporary
command of the 6th military district at the divisional camp of
Laprairie. Lieutenant-Colonel d’Orsonnens holds certificates from all
the schools, as follow: Infantry school, 1st class, 24th August, 1864;
gunnery, 1st class, 4th July, 1868; cavalry, 1st class, 27th March,
1869. Towards the close of the year 1869 he went to Switzerland, where,
upon the invitation of the president of the Confederation he joined the
federal staff at Berne, and followed the army in its autumn manœuvres.
In 1874, inspired, doubtless, by the remembrance of the manœuvres of the
Swiss army, he published a pamphlet on the military organization of the
Canadian Confederation. He also was the first who, in 1867, suggested
the idea to his co-religionists to send military aid to the papal See,
and was instrumental in the decision of the movement which sent to Rome
more than 600 Canadian Zouaves. This expedition, which resembled, in
more respects than one, that of the first crusades, has, it is affirmed,
contributed more to make Canada known to Europe than many other things.
In 1883 he was sent, along with the other commandants of the infantry
schools, to England, by the Dominion government, to study the
organization of and follow the Imperial service, preparatory to taking
command of one of the infantry schools now in existence in Canada. Like
many other old families, the d’Odet family retains many souvenirs and
marks of appreciation from distinguished personages, such as autograph
letters from kings, princes, and others; amongst some of these in their
possession is a letter dated 8th of March, 1670, signed by Emmanuel, Duc
of Savoie, and King of Cyprus, in which the duke invites the family to
ask for favors in return for services rendered him. The Count d’Odet
d’Orsonnens was married in 1870, to Marie Louise Adèle Desbarats, and
has issue four sons and one daughter. The eldest, Viscount George Joseph
Gustave was born in 1872. ARMS: Azure, a lion, or, rampant, holding a
horn of plenty, of the same. COUNT’S CORONET; MOTTO: _Certa fides, certa
manus_.
* * * * *
=Guilbault, Edouard=, Joliette, Quebec, Mayor of Joliette, was born at
d’Aileboust, county of Joliette, on the 14th April, 1834. He is the son
of Charles Guilbault, and Marie Blanchard, whose ancestors came from
Normandy, France, in 1697, and were among the first settlers of
Charlesbourg, Quebec. The subject of this sketch was educated at the
College of Joliette, where he took a commercial course. He sat in the
Joliette town council for twenty years; was elected mayor in 1875, and
has continued to fill that responsible position since, having been
re-elected on the 10th January, 1888, for a further term of three years.
He is a Conservative in politics; is now president of the Conservative
Association, and has long taken an active interest in political affairs.
He was first returned to parliament at the general election, in 1882;
but resigned, and was re-elected, 7th December, 1882, and again, at the
general election of 1887. He organized the Agricultural Society of the
county in 1854; filled the position of secretary for twenty-five years,
and is now the president. He is the proprietor of several large farms,
in which he takes a deep interest, always working hard to improve
agriculture. In 1871 he formed a company which engaged in the lumber
business, and he continues as director of this company still; he is also
a director in a large foundry and agricultural implements works. In 1865
he established a boot and shoe factory, which he conducted under his own
name, and which he superintends personally, and has succeeded in
building up an extensive trade in that line. In the year 1884 he formed
a company to enter into the manufacture of Canadian tobacco, and is
president of this company, to which he gives considerable attention.
This is an industry which will bear a great deal of development. In 1885
he visited Europe, and made an extensive tour, with the object of
acquiring information as to trade and agriculture. He is a Roman
Catholic, but believes in liberty of conscience. He was married, in
1858, to Marie Hermine Lemaitre Auger, daughter of Major Desire Lemaitre
Auger, of Louisville.
* * * * *
=Dawson, Sir J. William=, C.M.G., LL.D., F.R.S., Principal of the McGill
University, Montreal, was born at Pictou, Nova Scotia, on October 13th,
1820. His parents had come from Scotland several years before, and, if
the Biblical knowledge of their son is any criterion, they were
doubtless good examples of that high piety and religious education which
distinguish the Scottish people. Young Dawson seems to have shown an
early interest in natural history and geology, and the opportunity for
an intellectual career was placed within his reach. He attended the
school and college at Pictou, and was then sent to Edinburgh University,
where he took the degree of M.A. at the age of twenty-two. Natural
history and practical chemistry occupied his attention chiefly at
Edinburgh; and it may be supposed that he listened with deep interest to
the fading echoes which would be heard then regarding the respective
claims of the Wernerian and the Huttonian hypotheses in geology. Here he
made his first attempts at authorship, which were published in Edinburgh
newspapers. He returned to Canada in 1842, and accompanied Sir Charles
Lyell in his geological exploration of Nova Scotia. He entered into the
work with characteristic enthusiasm, and the valuable assistance which
he was able to render to the great English geologist was not
unrecognised. Sir Charles Lyell has paid many tributes to the abilities
of Sir William Dawson as a geologist. He was then appointed to the
direction of a geological survey of the coal fields in that province,
and his report to the government proved a very valuable one. In 1850 his
attention was taken, so far as the business of his life was concerned,
from geology to education. He was appointed superintendent of education
for Nova Scotia. It was a reforming period in educational matters in
that province, and the new superintendent was entrusted with the work of
putting a new School Act into operation. His interest in education, to
judge from the articles which he published at that date, was not less
pronounced than his interest in science. The work was, therefore,
congenial, and the experience afforded in the task of administering the
affairs of the Nova Scotia schools doubtless proved valuable to the
future principal of McGill. His appointment to the principalship of
McGill in 1855 marks the beginning of an epoch in Canada’s intellectual
development. It is not a matter of ordinary course that McGill should be
the university she is to-day, or that she should wield the influence
that she does. It is a matter of surprise. The conditions which fifty
and a hundred years ago favored the advancement of great institutions of
learning in the American republic have ever been absent from Canada. The
wealth which poured into the treasuries of American colleges has only
been represented in Canada by dribbling subscriptions and small
legacies. Our colleges have struggled up with the aid of trusty and
generous, but seldom very wealthy, friends. The fortunes of McGill were
at a low ebb in 1855, and Principal Dawson had an extensive work before
him. The work of a college principal and president is supposed to be
limited to the duties of administration, but the financial condition of
McGill at that time made it necessary for the new principal to undertake
several laborious professorships as well. His influence, however, soon
began to make itself felt throughout the country, and the fortunes of
the university steadily advanced. Its stability is now assured, and from
being a matter of anxiety to Montrealers it has become an object of
pride. That the result is largely due to the vast energy and
administrative abilities of the principal there can be no question; and
it is a significant fact that when the university came in sight of the
horizon of prosperity he annually contributed to its resources by still
retaining arduous and unpaid work which he had taken upon his shoulders
at the outset. Leisure might seem to be an unknown experience in the
midst of labors indicated by the foregoing, but in addition to many
pamphlets on educational matters, and some excellent text-books on
geology and zoology, Sir William Dawson has published the following
volumes: “Archaia,” (1860); “Air Breathers of the Coal Period,” (1863);
“The Origin of the World,” (1869); “The Story of the Earth and Man,”
(1873); “Fossil Men and Their Modern Representatives” (1880). As
indicated by their titles, the three latter volumes deal more
particularly with the vexed questions concerning the nature of man’s
first appearance upon the earth, and the apparent conflict between
Biblical history and the result of modern scientific research. If his
treatment of the subject is not in all respects satisfactory to the
present schools of scientific thought, it is at least independent and
earnest. Whether his interpretations of the archæological facts bearing
upon prehistoric man will stand the test of time or not, time only can
show. At present he stands alone with regard to that subject, as far as
his scientific peers are concerned. The fact, however, has not prevented
the scientific worlds of Britain and America from recognizing and
honoring him for his many and valuable contributions to the science of
the day. These have comprised an extensive amount of original research
in biology, chemistry, mineralogy and microscopy, which has been
distinguished not only for its high scientific merits, but for the
attractive literary form in which it has been presented to the world.
For many years he has been an active and esteemed member of the British
Association for the Advancement of Science, and was elected president of
that learned body for 1886. It was also through his instrumentality that
the British Association met in Montreal in the summer of 1884, and it
was at the opening meeting in the Queen’s Hall that Lord Lansdowne
announced the honor of the knighthood. The American Association
testified to its appreciation of his scientific labors by electing him
to the presidency in 1883. The recognition which Sir William Dawson’s
scientific attainments have received abroad, however, should not
withdraw attention from the valuable services he has rendered, and is
rendering, to Canada’s intellectual development. With this every
Canadian is more or less practically concerned. The fact that a united
nationality can never be built up in this Dominion without an
educational foundation has been recognized by a good many of our public
men, but by none more earnestly than by Sir William Dawson. He early
took a broad view of the duties and privileges of a university as an
intellectual centre. Besides taking an active part in scientific and
other societies in Montreal, he has paid close attention to the
interests of struggling schools and colleges in the province, and for
many years has been perhaps the most active worker in connection with
elementary education. This latter subject has all the importance, in
Quebec province especially, which he attaches to it, and his efforts
should be more generally seconded. Like Principal Grant, he is also a
strong advocate for the higher education of women, who are now admitted
to McGill, thanks to the generosity of Sir Donald A. Smith. This sketch
would be incomplete without a reference to the annual excursions of the
Montreal Natural History Society. It is on occasions like these that Sir
William Dawson’s qualities as a teacher are well displayed. The members
go by rail to some point likely to be interesting to varied scientific
tastes, and then disperse for the purpose of collecting whatever
specimens, mineralogical, geological, or botanical, the district will
afford. A few hours generally suffice to bring in a large heap of
“booty,” which is placed before the president, usually Sir William
Dawson, who explains the nature of the specimens in clear and simple
language. These excursions have been the means of awakening an interest
in natural science in the minds of many who have been inclined to think
that “the long, learned names of agaric, moss, and fern” were invented
chiefly as a form of modern torture. Sir William Dawson is a pleasing
speaker, and it is a tribute to the real taste of the day to say that he
is always listened to with interest in spite of the fact that he does
not indulge in the cheap fire-works of oratory. The charm of his address
lies in this, that he conveys clear and definite ideas in clear and
definite language. His pronouncements at convocation are always awaited
with interest, and seldom fail to have a weighty effect upon the
deliberations of the governing board of the university, or upon
educational matters of the province when these are touched upon. His
university lecture, a short time ago, on the question of examinations
for the learned professions, was awaited by the friends of Protestant
education in the province of Quebec with as much interest as British
politicians await a premier’s speech at the Mansion House banquet. This
question, which affects not only the interests of the Protestant
universities of the province of Quebec, but the rights of the English
minority, is doubtless familiar to all who take an interest in
education. The action of the Council of the Bar of Quebec bears with
great severity upon McGill, and the Council is supported by the immense
power of the Catholic majority; but Sir William Dawson has opened the
battle for the Protestant universities in such a manner that there can
be no question about the ultimate removal of the difficulties. He is
relying upon a determined use of the weapons of irrefragable logic and
appeal to the highest courts of the empire for victory. The battle will
be a severe one, and it will result not only in winning security for the
universities, but in establishing the principle that the rights of the
minority in Quebec must be recognized. At such a crisis in the history
of Quebec education, it is a matter for the deepest congratulation that
such a man as Sir William Dawson should be leading the fight of liberty
and justice. Canada, indeed, is fortunate in having able, broad-minded,
and progressive men at the head of her principal universities. No other
circumstance can tell so strongly in the future for the building up of
all that is best and lasting in the nation. Like all growth, the effect
of educational work is imperceptible to the observer watching its
progress, but the growth and effect are there. When the historian in the
next century takes account of the elements concerned in the development
of Canada during this century, he will not neglect to mark the broad and
solid lines of our educational progress attributable to Sir William
Dawson.
* * * * *
=Cockburn, George Ralph Richardson=, Toronto, M.P. for Centre Toronto,
was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, 15th February, 1834. He received his
education in the High School and University of his native city, where he
graduated in 1857, with the highest classical honors, carrying off the
Stratton prize. He subsequently prosecuted his classical studies in
Germany under the celebrated Professor Zumpt. On his return home he
engaged for several years as a teacher at Merchiston Castle Academy and
at Montgreenan House Academy. In 1858 he came to Canada and began his
career here as rector of the Model Grammar School, having been appointed
to this position by the Council of Public Instruction for Upper Canada.
Some time afterwards he was commissioned by the government of Canada to
inspect the higher educational institutions of the province of Ontario,
and the results of this investigation, which extended over a period of
two years, were given to the public in two comprehensive reports, in
which the condition and modes of higher education were carefully and
elaborately set forth. Mr. Cockburn then visited a number of the
principal institutions of learning in the United States, in order to
make himself familiar with their methods. In 1861 he was appointed
principal of Upper Canada College, and a member of the Senate of Toronto
University. For over twenty years he had a successful career as an
instructor of youth, and his able management of Upper Canada College
raised the institution high in public estimation both for the
thoroughness of its teaching and the excellent moral influence which
prevailed within its walls. After the resignation of the rectorship, Mr.
Cockburn travelled for two years in Europe, making himself acquainted
with the various systems of government on that continent. There are few
men in Canada who have done more than Mr. Cockburn for the cause of
education. The celebrated Dr. Schmidt, of Edinburgh, said of him that he
was no ordinary scholar, but a thorough philologist, possessing a good
insight into the structure, the relation and affinities subsisting
between the ancient and modern languages of Europe, and always
characterized him as one of the best Latin scholars that Scotland has
produced. Mr. Cockburn takes an interest in all public questions, and is
one of the live citizens of Toronto. He is president of the Toronto Land
and Investment Company; a director of the London and Canadian Loan and
Agency Company, the Building and Loan Association, the Glasgow and
London Assurance Company, and of the Ontario Bank. He was a member of
the Senate of the University of Toronto for over twenty years. At the
general election of 1887 Mr. Cockburn presented himself to the electors
of Centre Toronto for parliamentary honors, when they returned him by a
large majority—his opponent being Mr. Harvey. In religion he is a
Presbyterian; and in politics a Conservative. He is married to Mary,
daughter of Hampden Leane, of Kentucky, United States.
* * * * *
=Prior, James=, Manager of the Lybster Cotton Mills, Merritton, Ontario,
was born in Toronto, on the 12th November, 1849. His father, Richard
Prior, was a British soldier, who settled in Canada about the year 1847.
James was educated in the common schools of his native city. Shortly
after leaving school he went into a grocery store, where he served about
four years, and then into the warehouse of Gordon, Mackay and Co.,
wholesale dry goods merchants, Toronto. Here he remained about a year,
when in 1868 he was transferred to that firm’s cotton mills at
Merritton. Here he began his upward career, and worked in a subordinate
position until 1878, when he was appointed manager. Since then he has
steadily devoted himself to the business, and we can say there is now
not a more competent manager of a cotton mill in the Dominion. For
several years Mr. Prior has travelled through the New England States to
visit the New England mills, and pick up all the new ideas introduced,
and by this means he has been able to produce in the Lybster mills the
finest cotton fabrics in the Canadian markets. Mr. Prior has been a
temperance man from youth, and has in consequence exerted a good
influence among the employees in the mill and in the neighborhood in
which he resides. He has in his day taken a lively interest in the
Liberal-Conservative cause, especially in its protective policy; does
not favor commercial union with the United States. In religion he is an
adherent of the Episcopal church. He was married in October, 1878, to
Sara Ann, daughter of Alexander and Mary Winslow, of Thorold, Ontario,
and has a family of four children, two boys and two girls.
* * * * *
=Lemieux, François Xavier=, Barrister, M.P.P. for the county of Levis,
province of Quebec, is the leading criminal lawyer of the district of
Quebec, and well-known throughout the Dominion as the principal counsel
for the defence in the Riel case, in which he was associated with
Messrs. Fitzpatrick, of Quebec, and Greenshields, of Montreal. His
connection with this great _cause célèbre_, and the popular excitement
to which it and its tragic sequel gave rise throughout the country, but
especially in the province of Quebec, made his name very familiar at the
time. Mr. Lemieux was born at Levis, on the 9th of April, 1841. His
parents were of the farming class, but his uncle, the late Hon. François
Lemieux, was a man of great public note in his day, a leading member of
the Quebec bar, member for Levis county in the Legislative Assembly of
Canada, and one of the commissioners of crown lands and public works
before confederation. His memory is still warmly cherished by the people
of Levis. Our subject was educated at the Levis College and Quebec
Seminary, and studied law at Quebec with Hon. M. A. Plamondon, then a
prominent practitioner and now resident judge of the Superior Court in
the Arthabasca district, whose daughter, Diana, he afterwards married.
Called to the bar in 1872, he soon distinguished himself, especially as
a criminal pleader, and his fame in that branch of the profession has
since risen to such a pitch that no prisoner arraigned for trial before
the criminal courts of the Quebec and surrounding districts considers
his interests at all safe unless Mr. Lemieux has been retained for the
defence. This popular confidence in his abilities is undoubtedly
warranted by his wonderful success in the great majority of the cases
with which he has been connected. It has almost passed into a proverb
among the French Canadians of the Quebec district, that if any man can
cheat the gallows of its due, François Xavier Lemieux is the man to do
so. Indeed, as in the Boutel poisoning case, he has been known to save
his client from the last penalty of the law, even after the gallows had
been actually erected and within a few hours of the time fixed for the
execution. A man of rare eloquence and knowledge of human nature, deeply
versed in the criminal jurisprudence of the country and always armed at
all points for the fray, and endowed with marvellous energy and
versatility, he may be said to have no equal, and certainly no superior
in his specialty at the Lower Canadian bar to-day. The secret of his
forensic triumphs must unquestionably be looked for in his skill in
cross-examination and his power to sway juries, and it was these
characteristics which pointed him out as the fit and proper person to
lead for the defence in the Riel case at Regina. It was thought in Lower
Canada that if any one could snatch the half-breed leader from his
perilous position, Mr. Lemieux was the man, and, when he volunteered his
services for the purpose, his offer was accepted with an enthusiastic
burst of gratitude from a great body of his fellow-countrymen. For these
hopes on the occasion, the result of the trial proved disastrous, but
the effort he made to save Riel from the scaffold, as well on the trial
as afterwards, only served to increase Mr. Lemieux’s popularity and to
intensify the bitterness of the agitation which followed the rebel
leader’s execution. In that agitation Mr. Lemieux took a most active and
prominent part, figuring and speaking with his impassioned eloquence at
nearly all the great meetings at Quebec, Montreal, Levis, etc., to
protest against Riel’s hanging and the oppression of the half-breeds. In
fact, few men contributed more to the success of the so-called national
movement, which overthrew the Ross administration and brought the
Liberals and Conservative bolters into power under Hon. H. Mercier in
the province of Quebec after the general election of October, 1886. For
some years before the Riel trial, Mr. Lemieux had been a member of the
Quebec Legislature. He had been an unsuccessful candidate for
Bonaventure during the Joly administration in 1878, and again for Beauce
at the general election of 1882; but in November, 1883, on the
resignation of Hon. T. Paquet to accept the shrievalty of Quebec, he was
returned after a hard contest as the representative of Levis county, and
re-elected for the same constituency at the last general election, when
he passed over with his friends from the Opposition to the treasury
benches in the Legislative Assembly on the defeat of the Ross and the
formation of the Mercier government, during the session of 1887. In the
house, Mr. Lemieux is a ready debater, and few of his adversaries care
to cross swords with him. He belongs to the Roman Catholic faith; and in
politics is a Liberal.
* * * * *
=Jolicœur, Philippe Jacques=, Q.C., Assistant Provincial Secretary,
Quebec, is one of the prominent figures of official life at the ancient
capital, and a gentleman who has made his mark in the profession of the
law. He was born in Quebec, on the 30th April, 1829, and was educated in
the classics at the Quebec Seminary, which has turned out so many
eminent men in the church and the learned professions. On the completion
of his classical course, in 1849, he began the study of the law under
Sir N. F. Belleau, then a prominent practitioner at the Quebec bar, and
afterwards first lieutenant-governor of the province of Quebec, and on
his admission to the bar, in 1854, the two entered into a law
partnership which was only dissolved in 1858, when Sir Narcisse entered
actively into politics. Down to 1867, Mr. Jolicœur continued to divide
his attention between his extensive law practice and his duties as a
member of the city council of Quebec, in which he occupied a seat for a
number of years with honor to himself and advantage to his
fellow-citizens. During his career in the council, he was elected by his
colleagues to act as pro-mayor for the city in the absence of the
regular incumbent of that office, and gave public satisfaction in the
position of chief magistrate. A sound lawyer and one of the most
respectable and self-respecting practitioners, with talents rather of
the solid than the brilliant order, he was elevated to the silk and
created a Q.C. in July, 1867, and later on in the same month, on the
organization of the provincial departments at Quebec, at the outset of
confederation, he was offered and accepted the important post of
assistant provincial secretary, which he still holds, though he has been
tempted to accept more exalted appointments. The position of resident
judge of the Superior Court at Gaspé was in this way tendered to him,
but family bereavements and failing health compelled him to decline. As
an official, Mr. Jolicœur is noted for his efficiency, urbanity, and
assiduity and generally esteemed by all who come into contact with him
officially or otherwise. Though he never took a very active part in
politics before he entered the civil service, he was always an adherent
and supporter of the Conservative party. In religion he is a Roman
Catholic; and as a French Canadian he has ever taken a deep and
intelligent interest in the advancement of his race, holding office for
years in the St. Jean Baptiste Society of Quebec, and filling for some
time, also, the position of president of _L’Institut Canadien_ of that
city. In 1858, he married Honorine Matte, of Quebec, by whom he has had
issue eleven children, all of whom except four boys were carried away by
the hand of death while still young.
* * * * *
=Cabana, Hubert Charon=, Sherbrooke, Quebec, Prothonotary of the
Superior Court for the province of Quebec, district of St. Francis, was
born on the 14th of June, 1838, at Verchères, a parish situate on the
south side of the St. Lawrence river, about thirty miles from Montreal.
He is the son of Lambert Charon Cabana, a well-to-do farmer, of
Verchères, and of Marie Louise Endfield, granddaughter of Colonel Thomas
Endfield, who came direct from England to what is now the province of
Quebec, in 1760, and died in 1812, being eighty-two years of age. The
subject of this sketch was educated at the College of L’Assomption, in
the town of L’Assomption, a classical college, incorporated as such over
fifty years ago. He took a full classical course, leaving the college in
June, 1858; entered on the study of the law in October, 1858; was
admitted to practice on October 7th, 1862, at Sherbrooke, and practised
there as advocate, solicitor, and attorney, until the 17th September,
1885, when he was appointed prothonotary. On the 3rd October, 1880, the
degree of _Law Licentiate Magister_ was conferred on him by Lennoxville
University; has been professor of civil law at the Lennoxville
University since 1880; made Queen’s counsel on the 26th June, 1883;
elected _bâtonnier_ of the bar, district of St. Francis, on the 1st May,
1884; elected member of the city council of Sherbrooke, for the first
time, in January, 1876, and was continued in office until his
appointment as prothonotary, which appointment rendered him by law
unable to act any longer as councillor, when he was unanimously elected
mayor of Sherbrooke, in January, 1880, and again in 1885. On the 13th
October, 1866, he established the _Pionnier de Sherbrooke_, it being now
the oldest established French newspaper published in this part of the
province of Quebec, known as the Eastern Townships, in partnership with
L. C. Belanger, now practising in Sherbrooke as advocate. He bought out
Mr. Belanger’s interest in the paper on the 24th July, 1874, and
continued to publish it till April, 1878, when he sold it to “La
Compagnie Typographique des Cantons de l’Est,” of which company he was
chosen president, and continued to act in that capacity until September,
1885. In September, 1883, he went to Europe, and in the course of his
tour visited the principal cities and places of interest in France,
Belgium, and Italy. He is a Roman Catholic in religion. On the 13th
July, 1866, he was married to Marietta, eldest daughter of Francis Carr,
a well-to-do farmer of the township of Compton, about twelve miles from
Sherbrooke, and who had become a Catholic some time before her marriage,
her family being Protestant.
* * * * *
=Botsford, Hon. Bliss=, Moncton, N.B., was born on the 26th November,
1813, at Sackville, N.B. The Botsford family have taken a prominent part
in New Brunswick and Canadian history. He is the seventh son of the late
Hon. William Botsford, who was speaker of the New Brunswick Assembly,
and one of the judges of the supreme court of the province. His
grandfather, Amos Botsford, was a United Empire loyalist, from Newton,
Conn., and was the first speaker of the New Brunswick Assembly after it
became a separate province, and held that office for twenty-eight years.
Hon. Lieut.-Col. Amos E. Botsford, senator from New Brunswick, is an
elder brother of the subject of this sketch. Hon. Bliss Botsford was
educated at King’s College, Fredericton; studied law with the late
William End, of Bathurst; was admitted as an attorney in 1836; called to
the bar of New Brunswick in 1838; and practised his profession at
Moncton from 1836 to 1870. During those thirty-four years he had a fair
share of criminal as well as an extensive civil practice, and gained
well-merited distinction at the bar of his native province. He was
brought into special prominence by the celebrated Albertite suit, in
which he was the defendant’s attorney, and won the case. While at the
bar, his vigorous, earnest, and persuasive style of delivery always made
a favorable impression on a jury, being, like most of the members of his
family, of commanding presence, with a personal magnetism that was often
irresistible. He sat for Westmoreland in the New Brunswick Assembly,
from 1851 to 1854, from 1857 to 1861, and from 1865 to October 24th,
1870, when he was elevated to the bench. As a judge, he is held in high
esteem by the profession, being very painstaking, carefully weighing in
his mind all cases presented for his consideration, and is logical and
concise in his charges to the jury. He is not over-exacting in his
requirements of younger members of the profession, generally allowing
them considerable latitude and freedom; but when called upon to decide
any point of a relevant or irrelevant character, he is prompt and firm
in his decision. He was appointed surveyor-general in 1865, and was a
member of the executive council during the administration of the late
Hon. Sir Albert Smith, and speaker from 1867 until the general election
in 1870, his politics being Conservative. Judge Botsford was married in
1842, at Moncton, to Jane, daughter of John Chapman, from Cumberland,
England, and has had five children, three daughters and one son living,
all married, and another son who died. Sarah L., the eldest daughter, is
the wife of William J. Croasdale, civil engineer, Moncton; Eliza is the
wife of George C. Peters, son of Dr. George Peters, deceased, St. John;
Robert L. married Emily C., eldest daughter of Lewis Carroll, and is a
physician and surgeon, practising at Richibucto, N.B.; and Florence is
the relict of the late Thomas Byers, Moncton.
* * * * *
=Bain, James William=, St. Polycarpe, Quebec, M.P. for Soulanges, was
born at St. Polycarpe, Quebec, on the 22nd June, 1838. Mr. Bain is one
of that very large class of French Canadians who, though thoroughly
identified with their fellow-countrymen, are partly of Scottish blood.
The father of the subject of this sketch was Daniel Bain, from
Caithness-shire, a thorough Scot, having all the best characteristics of
his race. The mother was Adelaide Lantier, a descendant of an old French
Canadian family, sister of the late J. P. Lantier, M.P. for Soulanges.
The son has the Scottish cast of countenance, and might readily be
mistaken for a native of the “land of the mountain and the flood.” He
was educated in his native town, where he has ever since resided. On
arriving at man’s estate, he entered business with his father, who
carried on a large trade as a merchant in Polycarpe. Though taking an
active and prominent part in public affairs in his own district from an
early age, he has continued to devote his attention to his business,
extending it in every way, until it has brought him a large amount of
worldly prosperity. Mr. Bain first devoted attention to school affairs,
and when elected to the school board was soon made president of that
body, a position which he has retained for ten years. At the death of J.
P. Lantier, in 1882, the Conservatives of the county chose Mr. Bain as
their candidate in the election which was to follow. The contest was a
keen one, and resulted in the election of his opponent, G. R. S. De
Beaujeau, by a majority of two votes. Mr. Bain protested the election,
and an appeal being made to the Supreme Court, Mr. Beaujeau was
unseated. A new election followed in February, 1885, and Mr. Bain was
returned by a majority of twenty-six votes, and took his seat in the
House of Commons at Ottawa. The lot of the French Conservative member of
parliament was not altogether a happy one during the contest in 1887,
owing to the prejudice stirred up in relation to the unfortunate Riel
affair; but Mr. Bain did not shrink from the contest, and again accepted
the nomination of his party. The struggle was one of the keenest ever
known in the district; but the people had faith in their old
representative, and so he still sits in the house as the representative
for Soulanges. Though differing from the younger school of French
Canadian politicians, in that he lays little claim to being an orator,
and makes no effort to shine in the theatrical way so many of them
affect, Mr. Bain performs the duties of a representative of the people
faithfully and well. He is strictly regular in his attendance, and
brings to bear upon the legislation of the house practical experience in
business affairs, and good common sense. In 1877 Mr. Bain married
Georgiana, daughter of the late J. O. Lantier, well known in Montreal
for many years as a prominent merchant.
* * * * *
=Chisholm, Mrs. Addie=, Ottawa, President of the Women’s Christian
Temperance Union of Ontario, is a native Canadian, having been born in
the city of Hamilton, Ontario. Her early life was spent there, excepting
a few years devoted to study in the Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, at Lima,
New York, where she was distinguished for diligence, aptitude, and
general proficiency. Both before and after her marriage she was known as
an enthusiastic worker in every religious and charitable movement, and
many benevolent institutions had the advantage of her wise counsel,
gentle sympathy and bright encouragement. As an infant class teacher in
one of the Methodist Sunday schools of Hamilton, she was remarkably
successful in developing on right lines the tender minds that were
entrusted to her care, and here she passed through just the training to
fit her for the broader sphere of usefulness that was waiting her riper
talents and attainments. Sympathizing very deeply with the temperance
reformation, she could not but be drawn strongly towards the crusade
work which was so successful in the United States some years ago, and
when that great uprising of loving, ill-treated womanhood, was
crystalized into the effective and permanent form—the Women’s Christian
Temperance Union organization, Mrs. Chisholm at once came to the front
as one of its enthusiastic supporters, warmest advocates, and most
efficient directors. Mrs. Yeomans was the first president of the Ontario
Union, and was succeeded by Mrs. Chisholm, several years ago, and has
held the position up till to-day, being annually reinstated by the
unanimous vote of her appreciative sisters. Her success in this sphere
of responsibility must be judged by the facts already so well known in
regard to the results attained by this great organization—results that
were only possible through the united, prayerful, determined work of
many loving hearts and heads, as well as a skilful leadership possessed
of the faculty to govern, and guided and blessed by the wisdom and
strength without which all labor is in vain. Not merely in the many
organizations with which she has been connected, chief among which, of
course, is the Union, has Mrs. Chisholm shown her genius and skill. For
near four years she has been publisher and editor of the _Woman’s
Journal_, the Canadian organ of the White Ribbon Army. She has also
written tracts and pamphlets that have blessed and helped the temperance
cause everywhere. She has visited, spoken, organized, and worked with an
untiring energy that could only come from deep sympathy and fervent
zeal; while every act has been characterized by Christian gentleness and
kindness, that won where more openly aggressive methods would be sure to
fail. We earnestly hope that our good sister may long be spared to aid
with her tongue, her pen, and her brain, the cause that is so near to
our heart, and that under the management and direction of such as she,
and “the blessing that maketh rich and addeth no sorrow,” the Women’s
Christian Temperance Union may continue a mighty power for good, until
the end for which it was organized has been fully attained.
* * * * *
=Noyes, John Powell=, Q.C., Advocate, Waterloo, Quebec province, was
born at Potton, county of Brome, Quebec, on the 15th September, 1842.
His father, Heman B. Noyes, was of English descent, coming to Canada
from Tunbridge, Vermont, where six generations of the family are buried.
His mother, Sarah Powell, is also of English descent, but was born at
Potton, Quebec. The subject of this sketch was educated at Bangor,
Franklin county, N.Y., and at Fort Covington Academy. In 1861 he settled
at Waterloo, studied law first with Huntington & Lay, and afterwards
with Hon. Mr. Laframboise; graduated at the law school connected with
St. Mary’s College, Montreal; was admitted to the bar in October, 1866,
and was created a Queen’s counsel in 1879. He has held the offices of
secretary-treasurer of the township of Shefford and village of Waterloo,
chairman of the Waterloo school board, special commissioner of Bolton
lands, _bâtonnier_ of the Bedford bar, and is at present
_bâtonnier-general_ of the bar of the province of Quebec. He has been
secretary-treasurer of the Stanstead, Shefford, and Chambly Railway for
more than ten years. In 1864 he became editor of the Waterloo
_Advertiser_, and continued to be so until 1875, making the paper a
strong exponent of the principles of the Liberal party, as well as a
very readable general newspaper. He is a leading member of the Masonic
Order in his district; was worshipful master of his lodge for three
terms; first principal of the R.A. Chapter; and grand Z. of Grand
Chapter of R.A.M., of Quebec, for 1885 and 1886. He has taken part in
all political contests, and in municipal affairs, since 1860; has been
secretary, and later chairman, of Shefford County Reform Club for many
years; and this has kept him in politics a great deal, as it has been
remarked that this county seems to have a political contest always on
hand. As if to make good our words, a contest is now (February, 1888)
going on, and Mr. Noyes has been selected by the Reform or national
convention of the county as its candidate; but in a county where the
parties are so evenly divided, it is always difficult to tell in advance
who will be elected. In religion, he is Protestant, and belongs to the
Church of England; has often been a delegate to the Synod, and a valued
member of various committees there. He was married, in November, 1867,
to Lucy A., daughter of Joseph Merry, of Magog, Quebec, whose father was
one of the early pioneers there, by whom he had issue six children, only
four of whom are now living. Mrs. Noyes graduated before her marriage,
at McGill Normal School, with academy diploma, and is at present
provincial superintendent of the department of physiology and hygiene of
the Women’s Christian Temperance Union of the province of Quebec.
* * * * *
=Pope, Hon. James Colledge=, was born at Bedeque, Prince Edward Island,
on the 11th June, 1826. He was the second son of the Hon. Joseph Pope,
and his mother was Lucy Colledge, daughter of Capt. Colledge, of the 1st
regiment of foot, who married a daughter of the Hon. Thomas Wright,
several times administrator of the government of the island, and who was
one of the commissioners appointed to administer the oath to the members
of the first parliament which met in Charlottetown in 1773. The subject
of this sketch received his early education on the island, and was
afterwards sent to England to complete it. In early manhood he entered
upon a mercantile career, as merchant, shipbuilder and shipowner, at
Summerside, P.E.I., where he lived for many years, and which he was
largely instrumental in building up. He was one of the passengers by the
brig _Fancy_ to California, when the gold fever broke out there in 1849.
In 1863 he took up his residence in Charlottetown, where he remained
until 1878, when his acceptance of the portfolio of minister of marine
necessitated his removal to Ottawa. The last three years of his life he
spent at Summerside, his old home, where he died on the morning of the
18th May, 1885; and was buried at St. Eleanor’s, in St. Mary’s
churchyard (Episcopal), where a very handsome granite obelisk, erected
as a tribute from his many friends, marks the last resting-place of one
of Prince Edward Island’s most gifted and patriotic sons. Mr. Pope
entered political life in 1857, and from that time onwards he was
engaged in a constant turmoil of political excitement, having his ups
and downs like most politicians. On the 10th September, 1870, he became
leader of a coalition government, which, however, only lasted two years;
but he was, on the dissolution of the house, triumphantly returned for
Charlottetown, although he failed to secure a majority in the new house.
On the 19th October, 1878, he was sworn a member of her Majesty’s Privy
Council for Canada, and received the portfolio of minister of marine and
fisheries, a position he held but a short time, when in 1881 he was
forced, to the inexpressible grief of his many friends, by a general
breaking up of his mental and physical powers, to retire from the active
duties of his office, never, as the sequel proved, to resume them again.
He always occupied a foremost place among those with whom his lot was
cast. In his early life he took a very active interest in the volunteer
movement, and passed through the various grades, retiring with the rank
of lieutenant-colonel. Besides being one of the most prominent
merchants, he was also one of the largest landholders on the island, and
farmed more extensively than any other man on it. He was also engaged in
fishing industries, besides being interested in many other business
ventures. He, however, attempted too much for his powers of endurance,
and thus brought a useful life to an early close. In everything that he
undertook, however, whether political, commercial or agricultural, he
had the interests of the island at heart, and his memory will ever be
revered by his countrymen, who possess monuments of his energy and worth
more enduring than brass. The Prince Edward Island Railway is a memento
of his public career that will ever serve to keep his memory green. In
1852 he married Eliza, second daughter of Thomas Pethick, of
Charlottetown, by whom he had issue eight children.
* * * * *
=Germain, Adolphe=, Barrister, Sorel, province of Quebec, was born in
St. Ours, in the same province, in June, 1837. His father was François
Germain, an old patriot of 1837-38. Mr. Germain received a classical
course of education at St. Hyacinthe College, Quebec province, and
afterwards studied law; and for over fifteen years he has successfully
practised his profession in Sorel, first alone, but latterly under the
firm name of Germain & Germain, his partner being his eldest son, S.
Adolphe Germain. In 1878 he was created a Queen’s counsel. He has been
frequently called upon to represent the attorney-general of Quebec
province in Crown cases, and was one of the joint counsel in the
celebrated Provencher trial, in which the accused was found guilty,
along with his paramour, of poisoning the latter’s husband, and
afterwards executed for the murder—the woman being sent to the
penitentiary for life. Mr. Germain has been mayor of Sorel, and is dean
of the bar of Quebec, for the district of Richelieu. He is a
public-spirited gentleman, and has identified himself with the leading
improvements—among others the fine public buildings recently
erected—in the thriving town in which he resides. He has also taken an
active interest in all the political movements of the country, and
stands high in the estimation of his fellow-citizens. In religion he is
an adherent of the Roman Catholic church; and in politics is a staunch
Liberal. In February, 1862, he was married to Marie Louise Demers, and
the issue of the marriage has been five children.
* * * * *
=Sears, James Walker=, Lieutenant South Staffordshire regiment, was born
in St. John, New Brunswick, on the 22nd January, 1861. He is a son of
John Sears, of St. John, N.B., and Ann, daughter of the Rev. William
Blackwood, of Nova Scotia, and grandson of Thatcher Sears, a United
Empire loyalist, of the former place. He received his primary education
in various private schools in his native city. He left St. John in 1877,
and after spending a year at the Collegiate Institute at Galt, Ontario,
became a cadet at the Royal Military College at Kingston. Here, on the
25th June, 1881, after a course of studies lasting for three and a half
years, and having passed a successful examination, he was awarded a
commission in the Canadian militia, and a commission in Her Majesty’s
38th South Staffordshire regiment of foot. In this regiment he served
throughout the Egyptian campaign of 1882, was present at the
reconnaissance in force at Kafr-el Dwar on the 5th August, the surrender
of Damietta by Abdulal, and the subsequent occupation of Cairo. For
those services he received a medal and the Khedive’s star. He visited
the Holy Land in April, 1883, and in May of the same year returned to
Malta from Egypt with his regiment. He was appointed Lieutenant in the
Infantry School corps by the Canadian government in December, 1883, in
which corps, at Toronto, he has since held the appointment of adjutant.
He served in the North-West rebellion of 1885 as brigade major of the
Battleford column, and was present at the battle of Cut Knife Hill, and
subsequently commanded the scout corps of the Turtle Lake column in the
pursuit of Big Bear. He was mentioned in despatches, and received the
medal and clasp. He became brevet captain in the Canadian militia on the
21st December, 1887.
* * * * *
=Proulx, Hon. Jean Baptiste George=, Nicolet, province of Quebec, was
born at Nicolet, on the 23rd April, 1809, and died on the 27th January,
1884. He was the son of J. B. Proulx and Magdalen Hébert. His great
grandfather was one of the oldest settlers of Nicolet, having settled
there in 1725. The subject of this sketch was educated at Nicolet
College. He was elected, in 1860, for De La Vallière, and sat in the
Legislative Council until the union. In 1867, he was appointed to the
Legislative Council for life. He was a Liberal in politics. He was one
of the patriots of 1837; and was charged with having cast bullets, but
was not arrested. He was married, on the 20th January, 1835, to Julia,
daughter of Dr. Calvin Alexander, a graduate of Harvard, and had issue
as follows:—Rev. M. G. Proulx, of Nicolet College, and Revs. Edward and
Stephen Proulx, of the Society of Jesus.
* * * * *
=Charlebois, Alphonse=, Contractor, Quebec, is well known throughout the
Dominion as an extensive and successful undertaker of great public
works. A French-Canadian, he is endowed with more than the ordinary
energy and versatility of his race, and his career furnishes an apt
illustration of the triumph of tact and pluck over adverse
circumstances. He was not of the fortunate class who are said to come
into the world with “a silver spoon in their mouth.” His parents were
simple Lower Canadian _habitants_, and our subject was born of their
marriage at the town of St. Henri, Hochelaga county, on the outskirts of
Montreal, on the 15th December, 1841. His father, Arséne Charlebois, was
a native of Pointe Claire, in Jacques Cartier county, P.Q., and his
mother was Edwidge Chagnon, of Verchères, P.Q. On his father’s side he
is closely related to the late Mr. Charlebois, M.P.P. for Laprairie; to
the Rev. Mr. Charlebois, curé of Ste. Therese, and to the late Dr.
Charlebois, of Bleury street, Montreal; and, on his mother’s, to the
late Sir George Etienne Cartier, who owed his election for Verchères,
then one of the most Liberal constituencies in Lower Canada (after his
defeat in Montreal East by the present Chief Justice Sir A. A. Dorion),
mainly to the exertions and influence of her brother, the late Paschal
Chagnon, of Verchères. Young Charlebois was educated partly at the
Christian Brothers’ School and partly at Maxwell’s Commercial School,
both in Montreal, receiving a fair commercial training, in French and
English. After leaving school he served about a year to the builder’s
trade in Montreal, and then entered the hardware trade in that city as a
clerk to the late Mr. Brewster, with whom he remained nine years down to
1865, when he bought out the business on the retirement of his employer.
Two years later, he abandoned hardware, and boldly took up the lumber
trade in Montreal, making advances to the lumberers on the Gatineau, and
otherwise speculating in the great staple of the country with more or
less success until 1872, when he took a new and still more enterprising
departure. Since the days of the Hon. François Baby in Lower Canada, no
French-Canadian had figured prominently as a public contractor. In that
field, the English speaking element were virtually without competition.
Mr. Charlebois pluckily resolved to enter it, and the results have more
than justified this step on his part. He is to-day known from Halifax to
Vancouver as a leading contractor, and the country is indebted to him
for the successful execution of some of its most important public works.
His first undertaking in this line was on the Lachine canal, and since
then he has been connected with the contracts for the Dufferin
improvements at Quebec, the graving dock at Levis, the Georgian Bay
branch of the C.P.R., the construction of four sections of the same road
in British Columbia, and the erection of the new parliament buildings at
Quebec, and of the new departmental buildings on Wellington street,
Ottawa. The two last mentioned structures remain as lasting monuments,
as well to his taste and skill, as to his energy as a builder. He is a
director of the Clemow syndicate for the construction of the Great
North-Western Central Railway, Manitoba, and before his removal from
Montreal to Quebec, which is now his residence, he was during three
years an alderman, and afterwards, during four years, mayor of his
native town of St. Henri. He belongs to the Roman Catholic faith, and
during his residence in the Montreal district was elected people’s
trustee for life of the Roman Catholic parish church of St. Henri. He
has travelled exclusively in Canada and the United States, chiefly on
business. In 1865 he married Marie Flore Charlotte Valois, daughter of
the late Dr. Valois, of Pointe Claire, and at one time M.P. for the
county of Jacques Cartier, P.Q., and by her has had issue four children,
all of whom are still in their teens.
* * * * *
=Dupré, Rev. L. L.=, Sorel, province of Quebec, was born in Sorel, in
1841, and educated at the Seminary of St. Hyacinthe, P.Q. In 1868, he
was ordained a priest, and placed as vicar in the Roman Catholic
cathedral. In 1873, he was called as vicar to his native town, and in
1875 was appointed to the important post of curé of Sorel. Sorel being
the most considerable place in the Roman Catholic diocese of St.
Hyacinthe, requires the unremitting exertions and oversight of the
pastor, and no one could perform the duties more zealously and
unremittingly than does the present worthy incumbent. The rev. father
has, in addition to his special duties, assisted in many ways in
promoting the material welfare of his native town. As an instance, it
may be mentioned that in 1880, by his exertions amongst his parishioners
subscriptions were raised to an amount sufficient to build a large
addition to the general hospital of Richelieu county, rendering that
institution much more comfortable for the patients, and more suitable to
the growing requirements of the town. He was also mainly instrumental in
furthering the erection of the new college building, which is
acknowledged to be the finest structure of the kind in the province.
Since his incumbency, he has had the former parish of St. Peter’s
divided into three distinct parishes—St. Peter’s, Ste. Anne, and St.
Joseph. The parish of Ste. Anne, of which parish Mr. Dupré is the curé,
is quite a populous one, and through his active exertions, a commodious
stone church was soon built in the parish, on one of the finest sites of
the St. Lawrence. That the curé possesses very superior administrative
abilities is sufficiently proved by the foregoing, and is further
attested by the manner in which he performs his onerous ecclesiastical
duties. He has a remarkable memory, is a fluent speaker, and as a pulpit
orator is unequalled by few. He is an ardent admirer of art, which he
patronises liberally, and is possessed of a considerable collection of
valuable and rare books, engravings, etc., proving a literary and
cultivated taste. He is much esteemed by his parishioners and by the
community of Sorel generally.
* * * * *
=Tessier, Jules=, Barrister, Quebec, M.P.P. for Portneuf, is one of the
most conspicuous and popular figures in the legal, political and social
life of the ancient capital. His distinguished father, Hon. U. J.
Tessier, is a judge of the Court of Queen’s Bench for the province of
Quebec, and was formerly member for Portneuf in the Canadian parliament,
commissioner of public works in the Macdonald-Sicotte administration,
speaker of the Legislative Council before confederation, and at one time
mayor of Quebec. Between the careers of the father and son there are
many points of resemblance. The father was one of the most prominent
members of the Quebec bar in his day; the son is a rising member of the
same bar. The father represented Portneuf in the Canadian parliament;
the son represents the same constituency in the Quebec legislature.
Lastly, the father was a member of the city council and mayor of Quebec;
the son to-day is one of the councillors for St. Louis ward of that
city, and a prominent member of the civic body, though still quite a
young man. He was born at Quebec, in 1852. His mother, now deceased,
before her marriage, was a Miss Kelly, and a member of the Drapeau
family, seigneurs of Rimouski. His maternal grandfather was of Irish
extraction, but the remainder of his parentage is French-Canadian on
both sides. Educated in the classics at the Quebec Seminary and the
Jesuits’ College, Montreal, he afterwards studied law, and was called to
the bar in 1874, and soon acquired a considerable practice, together
with the confidence of the public and the esteem of his professional
brethren. He is one of the editors of the ‘Quebec Law Reports.’ In
politics, Mr. Tessier, like his father while in public life, is what is
termed a moderate Liberal, but almost from his youth he has been
actively identified with all the struggles of the Liberal party in the
Quebec district. He was secretary of the National Convention held in
1880, and was elected president of the Quebec Liberal Club after its
reorganization for the last provincial and federal electoral campaign,
which office he still holds. As such, he was selected as the party’s
candidate to oppose ex-Mayor Brousseau, of Quebec, in Portneuf county,
for the Legislative Assembly of the province, at the general election of
October, 1886, and defeated his adversary, who had been the sitting
member, by a very heavy majority. In the house, he is recognized as one
of the staunchest supporters of the Mercier government, and has proved
himself a most useful member. To his exertions Quebec was mainly
indebted for its selection for the holding of the Provincial Exhibition
of 1887, which was so great a success. Mr. Tessier is a member of the
Church of Rome; and for many years past one of the principal officers of
the St. Jean Baptiste Society, of Quebec. He is a director of the Lake
St. John Railway Company, and a member of the Provincial Board of Arts.
He is married to a daughter of Edmund Barnard, the well-known Q.C., of
Montreal, and his two sisters are the wives respectively of the Hon.
Alexander Chauveau, who was solicitor-general in the Joly
administration, and is now police judge at Quebec, and of Lieut.-Col.
Duchesnay, deputy adjutant-general for the Quebec military district.
* * * * *
=Aikins, Hon. James Cox=, P.C., Lieut.-Governor of Manitoba and Keewatin
Territory, was born in the township of Toronto, Peel county, Ontario, on
the 30th of March, 1823. His father, the late James Aikins, emigrated
from the county of Monaghan, Ireland, to Philadelphia, in 1816, and
after a residence of four years there he removed to Upper Canada, and
took up a quantity of land in the first concession north of the Dundas
road, in the township of Toronto. The subject of our sketch was the
eldest son, and was brought up on his father’s farm, and was early
inured to the hardships of rural life in Canada in those primitive
times. He united with the Methodist body at an early age. He attended
the public schools in the neighborhood of his home, and afterwards spent
some time at the Upper Canada Academy, at Cobourg, which subsequently
developed into Victoria College and University. At the first collegiate
examination, which was held in 1843, he figured as one of the merit
students. After completing his education he settled down on a farm in
the county of Peel, a few miles from his paternal homestead. In 1845,
soon after leaving college, he married Mary Elizabeth Jane Somerset, the
daughter of a neighboring yeoman. In 1851 he was tendered the nomination
as the representative of his native constituency in the Legislative
Assembly, and declined, but at the general election held in 1854, he
offered himself as a candidate on the Reform side, in opposition to the
sitting member, George Wright, and was elected. Upon taking his seat he
recorded his first vote against the Hincks-Morin administration, and
thus participated in bringing about the downfall of that ministry. He
voted for the secularization of the clergy reserves, and his voice was
occasionally heard in support of measures relating to public
improvements. In the election of 1861, owing to his action on the county
town question, which excited keen sectional opposition, he was defeated
by the late Hon. John Hillyard Cameron. The following year he was
elected a member of the Legislative Council for the Home Division,
comprising the counties of Peel and Halton. He continued to sit in the
council so long as that body had an existence; and when it was swept
away by confederation he was called to the Senate of the Dominion. On
the 9th of December, 1867, he accepted office in the government of Sir
John A. Macdonald, as secretary of state, and has ever since been a
follower of that statesman. During his tenure of office the Dominion
lands bureau was established—which has since extended until it has
become an independent department of state under control of the minister
of the interior. The Public Lands Act of 1872, is another measure which
dates from Mr. Aikins’ term of office. The disclosure with reference to
the sale of the Pacific Railway charter resulted, in November, 1873, in
the overthrowing of the government. Upon Sir John A. Macdonald’s return
to power in October, 1878, he again accepted office as secretary of
state, and retained that position until the month of November, 1880,
when there was a readjustment of portfolios, and he became minister of
inland revenue—which he held until his resignation, 23rd May, 1882. On
the 22nd September, 1882, he was appointed lieutenant-governor of the
province of Manitoba, and Keewatin Territory. He is major of the 3rd
battalion Peel Militia, and chairman of the Manitoba and North-West Loan
Company.
* * * * *
=Taschereau, Hon. Jean Thomas=, LL.D., Quebec, late Judge of the Supreme
Court of the Dominion of Canada, is a gentleman, the simple mention of
whose name recalls a family famous in the political annals of Lower
Canada, and which has given more eminent men to the church and bench
than probably any other in the country. It has almost passed into a
proverb among the French Canadians of the province of Quebec that “there
is always a Taschereau on the bench.” As a matter of fact, three
generations of the family have been represented on it, and five
Taschereaus in all have exercised the highest judicial functions in the
province or in the dominion. In the case of our distinguished subject
not only was he himself a judge, but his father before him was a judge,
his son after him is a judge of the Superior Court of the province, and
another of his relatives, the Hon. Elzear Taschereau, is at present one
of the judges of the Supreme Court of the Dominion. Still another member
of the family, Hon. Andrée Taschereau, now deceased, was resident judge
of the Superior Court in the Kamouraska district, and one of the most
eminent jurists of his day. Others again have held the office of sheriff
of the Beauce district; one is now a prominent member of the bar of that
district, and was the representative of Beauce county in the Canadian
House of Commons during the last parliament; and one, Lieutenant-Colonel
Taschereau, holds one of the most important military commands in the
Quebec district. But the judicial, political, and military distinction
of the Taschereau family is altogether eclipsed by the lustre conferred
upon it by the fact that the first Canadian wearer of the Roman purple
was selected from among its members. His Eminence, Cardinal Taschereau,
Archbishop of Quebec, is a brother of our subject, and the “bright
particular star” whose elevation to the exalted dignity of a Prince of
the Roman Catholic church, has made the name of Taschereau famous all
over the civilized world. The family is also one of the oldest and most
distinguished in Lower Canada, its founder there being Thomas Jacques
Taschereau, of Touraine, France, who was a son of Christopher
Taschereau, King’s counsellor, director of the mint and treasurer of the
city of Tours, and who came to New France towards the beginning of the
last century, was appointed by the French viceroy as treasurer of the
marine, and in 1736 obtained from the French Crown the grant of a
valuable seigniory along the banks of the river Chaudière in Beauce,
P.Q. Our subject’s father was the Hon. Jean Thomas Taschereau, senior,
long a prominent member of the parliament of Lower Canada, and one of
the advocates and champions of constitutional liberty in that province,
who suffered imprisonment for their opinions in 1810. He was afterwards
raised to the dignity of puisne judge of the Court of Queen’s Bench for
his native province, and distinguished himself as an able and upright
magistrate. Our subject was one of his sons by his wife, Maria Panet,
daughter of the late Hon. Jean Panet, first speaker of the Lower
Canadian House of Assembly (an office which he held for twenty
consecutive years), and was born in the city of Quebec, on the 12th
December, 1814. He was educated at the Quebec Seminary, where, like his
brother, the present cardinal, he greatly distinguished himself in
different branches, taking the leading prizes, especially for Latin,
mathematics, etc. On the completion of his classical course, he studied
law with two of the most eminent local practitioners of the day, Hon.
Henry Black, afterwards judge of the Vice-Admiralty Court at Quebec, and
Andrew Stuart, Q.C., afterwards Her Majesty’s solicitor-general for
Lower Canada, and was called to the bar of that province in 1836,
subsequently following several law courses in Paris, France. On his
return to Canada, he opened a law office in the city of Quebec, and for
the next twenty years practised his profession with success and
distinction. In 1855, he was honored by Laval University with the title
of LL.D., and in September of the same year he was called by the
government to act as assistant judge of the Superior Court in the place
of one of the regular judges of that court, during the sitting of the
special court formed under the act to abolish feudal rights and
seignorial dues in Lower Canada. Twice afterwards, in 1858 and in 1860,
in which last mentioned year he was also created a Q.C., was he honored
by a similar mark of the government’s appreciation, and in 1865 he was
definitely appointed to the bench as a puisne judge of the Superior
Court, as successor to the Hon. A. N. Morin, deceased. On the 11th
February, 1873, he mounted another rung of the judicial ladder, being
appointed puisne judge of the Court of Queen’s Bench for the province of
Quebec, and some two years later on, the 8th October, 1875, he was
elevated to the still more exalted position of puisne judge of the
Supreme Court of the Dominion, which he retained until the 19th October,
1878, when he resigned on account of ill-health, and retired on his
well-earned pension, after having served the public in all nineteen
years on the bench as a judge. Our subject enjoyed to the utmost the
confidence of the bar and the people, as well for his scrupulous and
painstaking character, as for the almost invariable soundness of his
decisions. It is needless to say that his religion is the Roman
Catholic. In the spring of 1887, the Roman Pontiff, Leo XIII., conferred
on him the decoration or cross of the Order of St. Gregory the Great. He
has been twice married—firstly, in 1840, to Louise Adele, daughter of
the late Hon. Amable Dionne, M.L.C., who died in 1861; and lastly in
1862, to Marie Josephine, daughter of the late Hon. R. E. Caron, second
lieutenant-governor of the province of Quebec, and a sister of Sir A. R.
Caron, Dominion minister of militia. He is the father of twelve
children, ten of whom survive. His eldest son, Hon. Henri Thomas
Taschereau, formerly Liberal M.P. for Montmagny, has been a judge of the
Superior Court for the province of Quebec since 1878; and another son,
by his second union, is now a rising member of the Quebec bar.
* * * * *
=Morin, Eusebe=, St. Hyacinthe, Quebec province, was born on the 14th of
July, 1853. He is the son of François Morin, merchant, and Marguerite
Maheux. At the age of ten years he entered the St. Hyacinthe Seminary,
which he left after taking a classical course of education. At the age
of sixteen years he entered as clerk with L. V. Sicotte, dry goods
merchant, but after spending one year in this establishment he left, and
entered into partnership with Mr. Lamoureux, and traded under the firm
name of Lamoureux & Morin for about fifteen months, when he bought his
partner out, and assumed the business himself. When he entered into this
business, a friend lent him $800 to start with, and this money he
honorably paid with interest about a year after he had received it. He
continued alone in business until he was twenty-three years of age, in
the meantime becoming the first merchant in St. Hyacinthe, in his line,
thus proving what can be done by close attention to business. After
this, and by the time he had reached his twenty-seventh year, he had
established small wholesale and retail houses, trading under the various
names of Morin & Lamothe, Morin & Dion, Morin & Robitaille, Morin &
Brodeur, both in the city of St. Hyacinthe and the neighboring country.
Being of delicate health, he was almost given up by the doctors, and was
obliged to liquidate the firms in order to proceed to Europe for the
benefit of his health. After an extensive tour through England,
Scotland, Ireland, France and Italy, he returned to Canada with a large
and varied assortment of European goods, and was thus enabled to
re-establish his trade on a sound and more extensive basis than ever,
creating the following firms:—Morin & Co., in the liquor trade; Morin &
Laline, general store; Morin & Bergeron, dry goods, all in St.
Hyacinthe, with a capital of $200,000, he being principal partner in all
the above establishments. When thirty-two years of age, becoming tired
of the retail trade, he sold to his partners his interest in all the
stores he had established, with the object of embarking in real estate
transactions, and in this he has proved equally successful. He has built
one of the finest private residences in the city of St. Hyacinthe, and
finds himself, at the age of thirty-three, the most important property
owner in the county of St. Hyacinthe. He enjoys a good reputation, and
his numerous partners and friends have reason to be thankful to him for
his aid at various times. The city of St. Hyacinthe is also indebted to
him for the erection of numerous blocks of magnificent stores, and
several private residences. Although Mr. Morin is yet comparatively
young, he is exceedingly popular in his district, and has been several
times requested to enter public life, but has invariably declined, on
the ground that he could be of greater use to his friends and the
country at large, in promoting private and public enterprises. He is
looked upon as the Vanderbilt of St. Hyacinthe.
* * * * *
=MacDowall, Day Hort=, Prince Albert, M.P. for Saskatchewan, North-West
Territory, was born in 1850, at Carruth House, Renfrewshire, Scotland.
He is the second son of Henry MacDowall, of Garthland, Renfrewshire,
Scotland, _vide_ “Nesbitt’s Heraldry.” Mr. MacDowall was educated at
Windlesham, Surrey, England, and Trinity College, Glenalmond, Scotland.
He was a captain in the Renfrewshire Rifle Volunteers from 1872 to 1879.
He accompanied Gen. Middleton’s force through the Northwest rebellion of
1885, and took charge of the party dispatched by the general through the
rebel district from Humboldt to Prince Albert. He was a member of the
North-West Council for the district of Lorne, from June, 1883, to
October, 1885; and was returned to Parliament, as the member for
Saskatchewan, at the general election in 1887. He is a Conservative in
politics. He was married August 12th, 1884, to Alice Maude Blanchard,
daughter of Charles Blanchard, Truro, N.S. He is a member of the
Manitoba Club, Winnipeg; Wanderers’ Club, Pall Mall, London, Eng., and
Rideau Club, Ottawa, Ont.
* * * * *
=Prévost, Oscar A.=, Brevet-Major, (late of the regiment Canadian
artillery, then A and B batteries, permanent artillery), Quebec, was
born in Montreal on the 9th of May, 1845. His father, Amable C. Prévost,
was a descendant of an old French family of Anjou, (Prévost de la
Boutèlière). He was a merchant of Montreal, very successful in business,
leaving an estate of over half a million dollars. He died in February,
1872. His mother, Rosalind E. Bernard, was born in Montreal, educated at
Notre Dame congregation, and was married to Amable C. Prévost, March,
1838. The subject of this sketch was educated at St. Mary’s College,
Montreal, taking a classical course, including mathematics and natural
philosophy; he afterwards studied law; was admitted to the bar of Lower
Canada in October, 1866, and practised his profession until 1870. He
joined, as lieutenant, the 4th battalion in the year 1865; served on the
frontier during the Fenian raid of 1866; was transferred in 1870 to the
Quebec rifle regiment of the North-West expeditionary force under
Colonel (now General, Sir) Garnet Wolseley; remained stationed in the
North-West till February, 1872, being transferred in July, 1872, to the
School of Gunnery, Quebec, and gazetted to B battery as lieutenant with
rank of captain; was adjutant of the School of Gunnery B battery,
August, 1873, till February, 1880. He went to Woolwich, England, for a
special course in the Royal Arsenal, and on his return was appointed
superintendent of the government cartridge factory at Quebec, and still
holds that appointment. In 1882 he was sent by the minister of militia
and defence, Sir A. P. Caron, to England to purchase machinery required
for a small ammunition factory to be erected in the government buildings
in Quebec. The plans, specifications, alterations to buildings, placing
machinery, including boilers and steam engines, and putting the whole
plant in working order, was done under his immediate supervision,
bringing forth his ability as a practical engineer, and his scientific
attainments. This factory has now been at work since 1883. It produced
2,000,000 rounds of ball ammunition, in three months, during the
North-West rebellion of 1885, and now supplies the whole Dominion with
service ammunition. It can give employment to four hundred hands. He
submitted to a board of artillery officers in September, 1886, a new
projectile for light and heavy rifled guns, which increased the range
and accuracy of guns in a remarkable degree. A foundry, in connection
with the cartridge factory, was erected for the manufacture of these
projectiles, in July, 1887, and the work now goes on daily. Thus two
entirely novel industries have been started in Canada, and the military
efficiency of the Dominion increased. In 1876 he travelled through
France, Italy, Austria, Hungary and Germany, being authorized to visit
the imperial arsenal at Vienna, and obtain information with regard to
the new field ordnance and carriages at that time introduced into the
Austrian service. Major Prévost was married on 25th May, 1874, to Louisa
J., daughter of Hon. Juschereau Duchesnay, of Quebec, ex-senator for the
division of Lassale, province of Quebec; seigneur of the seigniories of
Fossambault and Gaudarville. Hon. Mr. Duchesnay’s father commanded a
company of _Voltigeurs_ under Colonel de Salaberry, his cousin, at the
victorious battle of Chateauguay, in 1812. The Juschereau Duchesnay
family were connected to Robert Giffard, first seigneur of Beauport,
near Quebec, to whom this seigniory had been granted in 1635 by the
“Compagnie de la Nouvelle France,” under authority of the French King.
The Duchesnays inherited this seigniory in 1668, and they owned it for
over two hundred years.
* * * * *
=Champlain, Samuel de.=—Standing on the summit of one of the rocky
eminences at the mouth of the Saguenay, and looking back through the
haze of two hundred and eighty-five years, we may descry two small
sailing craft slowly making their way up the majestic stream which
Jacques Cartier, sixty-eight years before, christened in honor of St.
Lawrence. The vessels are French build, and have evidently just arrived
from France. They are of very diminutive size for an ocean voyage, but
are manned by hardy Breton mariners for whom the tempestuous Atlantic
has no terrors. They are commanded by an enterprising merchant-sailor of
St. Malo, who is desirous of pushing his fortunes by means of the fur
trade, and who, with that end in view, has already more than once
navigated the St. Lawrence as far westward as the mouth of the Saguenay.
His name is Pontgravé. Like other French adventurers of his time, he is
a brave and energetic man, ready to do, to dare, and, if need be, to
suffer; but his primary object in life is to amass wealth, and to effect
this object he is not over-scrupulous as to the means employed. On this
occasion he has come over with instructions from Henry IV., King of
France, to explore the St. Lawrence, to ascertain how far from its mouth
navigation is practicable, and to make a survey of the country on its
banks. He is accompanied on the expedition by a man of widely different
mould; a man who is worth a thousand of such sordid, huckstering
spirits; a man who unites with the courage and energy of a soldier a
high sense of personal honor and a singleness of heart worthy of the
Chevalier Bayard himself. To these qualities are added an absorbing
passion for colonization, and a piety and zeal which would not misbecome
a Jesuit missionary. He is poor, but what the poet calls “the jingling
of the guinea” has no charms for him. Let others consume their souls in
heaping up riches, in chaffering with the Indians for the skins of wild
beasts, and in selling the same to the affluent traders in France. It is
his ambition to rear the _fleur-de-lis_ in the remote wilderness of the
New World, and to evangelize the savage hordes by whom that world is
peopled. The latter object is the most dear to his heart of all, and he
has already recorded his belief that the salvation of one soul is of
more importance than the founding of an empire. After such an exordium
it is scarcely necessary to inform the student of history that the name
of Pontgravé’s ally is Samuel De Champlain. He had already figured
somewhat conspicuously in his country’s annals, but his future
achievements were destined to outshine the events of his previous
career, and to gain for him the merited title of “Father of New France.”
He was born some time in the year 1567, at Brouage, a small seaport town
in the province of Saintonge, on the west coast of France. Part of his
youth was spent in the naval service, and during the wars of the League
he fought on the side of the King, who awarded him a small pension and
attached him to his own person. But Champlain was of too adventurous a
turn of mind to feel at home in the confined atmosphere of a royal
court, and soon languished for change of scene. Erelong he obtained
command of a vessel bound for the West Indies, where he remained more
than two years. During that time he distinguished himself as a brave and
efficient officer. He became known as one whose nature partook largely
of the romantic element, but who, nevertheless, had ever an eye to the
practical. Several important engineering projects seem to have engaged
his attention during his sojourn in the West Indies. Prominent among
these was the project of constructing a ship-canal across the Isthmus of
Panama, but the scheme was not encouraged, and ultimately fell to the
ground. Upon his return to France he again dangled about the court for a
few months, by which time he had once more become heartily weary of a
life of inaction. With the accession of Henry IV. to the French throne
the long religious wars which had so long distracted the country came to
an end, and the attention of the government began to be directed to the
colonization of New France—a scheme which had never been wholly
abandoned but which had remained in abeyance since the failure of the
expedition undertaken by the brothers Roberval, more than half a century
before. Several new attempts were made at this time, none of which were
very successful. The fur trade, however, held out great inducements to
private enterprise, and stimulated the cupidity of the merchants of
Dieppe, Rouen and St. Malo. In the heart of one of them something nobler
than cupidity was aroused. In 1603, M. De Chastes, governor of Dieppe,
obtained a patent from the King conferring upon him and several of his
associates a monopoly of the fur trade of New France. To M. De Chastes
the acquisition of wealth—of which he already had enough, and to
spare—was a matter of secondary importance, but he hoped to make his
patent the means of extending the French empire into the unknown regions
of the far West. The patent was granted soon after Champlain’s return
from the West Indies, and just as the pleasures of the court were
beginning to pall upon him. He had served under De Chastes during the
latter years of the war of the League, and the governor was no stranger
to the young man’s skill, energy, and incorruptible integrity. De
Chastes urged him to join the expedition, which was precisely of a kind
to find favor in the eyes of an ardent adventurer like Champlain. The
King’s consent having been obtained, he joined the expedition under
Pontgravé, and sailed for the mouth of the St. Lawrence on the 15th of
March, 1603. The expedition, as we have seen, was merely preliminary to
more specific and extended operations. The ocean voyage, which was a
tempestuous one, occupied more than two months, and they did not reach
the St. Lawrence until the latter end of May. They sailed up as far as
Tadousac, at the mouth of the Saguenay, where a little trading-post had
been established four years before by Pontgravé and Chauvin. Here they
cast anchor, and a fleet of canoes filled with wondering natives
gathered round their little barques to sell peltries, and
(unconsciously) to sit for Champlain for their portraits. After a short
stay at Tadousac the leaders of the expedition, accompanied by several
of the crew, embarked in a batteau and proceeded up the river past
deserted Stadacona to the site of the Indian village of Hochelaga,
discovered by Jacques Cartier in 1535. The village so graphically
described by that navigator had ceased to exist, and the tribe which had
inhabited it at the time of his visit had given place to a few Algonquin
Indians. Our adventurers essayed to ascend the river still farther, but
found it impossible to make headway against the rapids of St. Louis,
which had formerly presented an insuperable barrier to Cartier’s
westward progress. Then they retraced their course down the river to
Tadousac, re-embarked on board their vessels, and made all sail for
France. When they arrived there they found that their patron, De
Chastes, had died during their absence, and that his company had been
dissolved. Very soon afterwards, however, the scheme of colonization was
taken up by the Sieur, de Monts, who entered into engagements with
Champlain for another voyage to the New World. De Monts and Champlain
set sail on the 7th of March, 1604, with a large expedition, and in due
course reached the shores of Nova Scotia, then called Acadie. After an
absence of three years, during which Champlain explored the coast as far
southward as Cape Cod, the expedition returned to France. A good deal
had been learned as to the topographical features of the country lying
near the coast, but little had been done in the way of actual
colonization. The next expedition was productive of greater results. De
Monts, at Champlain’s instigation, resolved to found a settlement on the
shores of the St. Lawrence. Two vessels were fitted up at his expense
and placed under Champlain’s command, with Pontgravé as lieutenant of
the expedition, which put to sea in the month of April, 1608, and
reached the mouth of the Saguenay early in June. Pontgravé began a
series of trading operations with the Indians at Tadousac, while
Champlain proceeded up the river to fix upon an advantageous site for
the projected settlement. This site he found at the confluence of the
St. Charles with the St. Lawrence, near the place where Jacques Cartier
had spent the winter of 1535-6. Tradition tells us that when Cartier’s
sailors beheld the adjacent promontory of Cape Diamond they exclaimed,
“_Quel bec!_”—(“What a beak!”)—which exclamation led to the place
being called _Quebec_. The most probable derivation of the name,
however, is the Indian word _kebec_, signifying a strait, which might
well have been applied by the natives to the narrowing of the river at
this place. Whatever may be the origin of the name, here it was that
Champlain, on the 3rd of July, 1608, founded his settlement, and Quebec
was the name which he bestowed upon it. This was the first permanent
settlement of Europeans on the American continent, with the exception of
those at St. Augustine, in Florida, and Jamestown, in Virginia.
Champlain’s first attempts at settlement, as might be expected, were of
a very primitive character. He erected rude barracks, and cleared a few
small patches of ground adjacent thereto, which he sowed with wheat and
rye. Perceiving that the fur trade might be turned to good account in
promoting the settlement of the country, he bent his energies to its
development. He had scarcely settled his little colony in its new home
ere he began to experience the perils of his quasi-regal position.
Notwithstanding the patent of monopoly held by his patron, on the faith
of which his colonization scheme had been projected, the rights
conferred by it began to be infringed by certain traders who came over
from France and instituted a system of traffic with the natives. Finding
the traffic exceedingly profitable, these traders erelong held out
inducements to some of Champlain’s followers. A conspiracy was formed
against him, and he narrowly escaped assassination. Fortunately, one of
the traitors was seized by remorse, and revealed the plot before it had
been fully carried out. The chief conspirator was hanged, and his
accomplices were sent over to France, where they expiated their crime at
the galleys. Having thus promptly suppressed the first insurrection
within his dominions, Champlain prepared himself for the rigours of a
Canadian winter. An embankment was formed above the reach of the tide,
and a stock of provisions was laid in sufficient for the support of the
settlement until spring. The colony, inclusive of Champlain himself,
consisted of twenty-nine persons. Notwithstanding all precautions, the
scurvy broke out among them during the winter. Champlain, who was
endowed with a vigorous constitution, escaped the pest, but before the
advent of spring the little colony was reduced to only nine persons. The
sovereign remedy which Cartier had found so efficacious in a similar
emergency was not to be obtained. That remedy was a decoction prepared
by the Indians from a tree which they called _Auneda_—believed to have
been a species of spruce—but the natives of Champlain’s day knew
nothing of the remedy, from which he concluded that the tribe which had
employed it on behalf of Cartier and his men had been exterminated by
their enemies. With spring, succours and fresh immigrants arrived from
France, and new vitality was imported into the little colony. Soon after
this time, Champlain committed the most impolitic act of his life. The
Hurons, Algonquins, and other tribes of the St. Lawrence and the Ottawa,
resolved upon taking the war-path against their enemies, the Iroquois,
or Five Nations—the boldest, fiercest, and most powerful confederacy
known to Indian history. Champlain, ever since his arrival in the
country, had done his utmost to win the favor of the natives with whom
he was brought more immediately into contact, and he deemed that by
joining them in opposing the Iroquois, who were a standing menace to his
colony, he would knit the Hurons and Algonquins to the side of the King
of France by permanent and indissoluble ties. To some extent he was
right, but he underestimated the strength of the foe, an alliance with
whom would have been of more importance than an alliance with all the
other Indian tribes of New France. Champlain cast in his lot with the
Hurons and Algonquins, and accompanied them on their expedition against
their enemies. By so doing he invoked the deadly animosity of the latter
against the French for all time to come. He did not foresee that by this
one stroke of policy he was paving the way for a subsequent alliance
between the Iroquois and the English. On May 28th, 1609, in company with
his Indian allies, he started on the expedition, the immediate results
of which were so insignificant—the remote results of which were so
momentous. The war-party embarked in canoes, ascended the St. Lawrence
to the mouth of the Richelieu—then called the River of the
Iroquois—and thence up the latter stream to the lake which Champlain
then beheld for the first time, and which until that day no European eye
had ever looked upon. This picturesque sheet of water was thenceforward
called after him, and in its name his own is still perpetuated. The
party held on their course to the head waters of the lake, near to which
several Iroquois villages were situated. The enemy’s scouts received the
intelligence of the approach of the invaders, and advanced to repel
them. The opposing forces met in the forest on the south-western shore,
not far from Crown Point, on the morning of the 30th of July. The
Iroquois, two hundred in number, advanced to the onset. “Among them,”
says Mr. Parkman, “could be seen several chiefs, conspicuous by their
tall plumes. Some bore shields of wood and hide, and some were covered
with a kind of armour made of tough twigs, interlaced with a vegetable
fibre, supposed by Champlain to be cotton. The allies, growing anxious,
called with loud cries for their champion, and opened their ranks that
he might pass to the front. He did so, and advancing before his red
companions-in-arms stood revealed to the astonished gaze of the
Iroquois, who, beholding the warlike apparition in their path, stared in
mute amazement. But his arquebuse was levelled; the report startled the
woods, a chief fell dead, and another by his side rolled among the
bushes. Then there arose from the allies a yell which, says Champlain,
would have drowned a thunder-clap, and the forest was full of whizzing
arrows. For a moment the Iroquois stood firm, and sent back their arrows
lustily; but when another and another gunshot came from the thickets on
their flank they broke and fled in uncontrollable terror. Swifter than
hounds, the allies tore through the bushes in pursuit. Some of the
Iroquois were killed, more were taken. Camp, canoes, provisions, all
were abandoned, and many weapons flung down in the panic fight. The
arquebuse had done its work. The victory was complete.” The victorious
allies, much to the disgust of Champlain, tortured their prisoners in
the most barbarous fashion, and returned to Quebec, taking with them
fifty Iroquois scalps. Thus was the first Indian blood shed by the white
man in Canada. The man who shed it was a European and a Christian, who
had not even the excuse of provocation. This is a matter worth bearing
in mind when we read of the frightful atrocities committed by the
Iroquois upon the whites in after years. Champlain’s conduct on this
occasion seems incapable of defence, and it was certainly a very grave
error, considered simply as an act of policy. The error was bitterly and
fiercely avenged, and for every Indian who fell on the morning of that
30th of July, in this, the first battle fought on Canadian soil between
natives and Europeans, a ten-fold penalty was exacted. “Thus did New
France rush into collision with the redoubted warriors of the Five
Nations. Here was the beginning, in some measure doubtless the cause, of
a long succession of murderous conflicts, bearing havoc and flame to
generations yet unborn. Champlain had invaded the tiger’s den; and now,
in smothered fury the patient savage would lie biding his day of blood.”
Six weeks after the performance of this exploit, Champlain, accompanied
by Pontgravé, returned to France. Upon his arrival at court he found De
Monts there, trying to secure a renewal of his patent of monopoly, which
had been revoked in consequence of loud complaints on the part of other
French merchants who were desirous of participating in the profits
arising from the fur trade. His efforts to obtain a renewal proving
unsuccessful, De Monts determined to carry on his scheme of colonization
unaided by royal patronage. Allying himself with some affluent merchants
of Rochelle, he fitted out another expedition, and once more despatched
Champlain to the New World. Champlain, upon his arrival at Tadousac,
found his former Indian allies preparing for another descent upon the
Iroquois, in which undertaking he again joined them; the inducement this
time being a promise on the part of the Indians to pilot him up the
great streams leading from the interior, whereby he hoped to discover a
passage to the North Sea, and thence to China and the Indies. In this
second expedition he was less successful than in the former one. The
opposing forces met near the confluence of the Richelieu and St.
Lawrence rivers, and though Champlain’s allies were ultimately
victorious, they sustained a heavy loss, and he himself was wounded in
the neck by an arrow. After the battle, the torture-fires were lighted,
as was usual on such occasions, and Champlain for the first time was an
eye-witness to the horrors of cannibalism. He soon afterwards began his
preparations for an expedition up the Ottawa, but just as he was about
to start on the journey, a ship arrived from France with intelligence
that King Henry had fallen a victim to the dagger of Ravaillac. The
accession of a new sovereign to the French throne might materially
affect De Monts’ ability to continue his scheme, and Champlain once more
set sail for France to confer with his patron. The late king, while
deeming it impolitic to continue the monopoly in De Monts’ favor, had
always countenanced the latter’s colonization schemes in New France; but
upon Champlain’s arrival he found that with the death of Henry IV. De
Monts’ court influence had ceased, and that his western scheme must
stand or fall on its own merits. Champlain, in order to retrieve his
patron’s fortunes as far as might be, again returned to Canada in the
following spring, resolved to build a trading post far up the St.
Lawrence, where it would be easily accessible to the Indian hunters on
the Ottawa. The spot selected was near the site of the former village of
Hochelaga, near the confluence of the two great rivers of Canada. The
post was built on the site now occupied by the hospital of the Grey Nuns
of Montreal, and even before its erection was completed a horde of rival
French traders appeared on the scene. This drove Champlain once more
back to France, but he soon found that the ardor of De Monts for
colonization had cooled, and that he was not disposed to concern himself
further in the enterprise. Champlain, being thus left to his own
resources, determined to seek another patron, and succeeded in enlisting
the sympathy of the Count de Soissons, who obtained the appointment of
lieutenant-general of New France, and invested Champlain with the
functions of that office as his deputy. The count did not long survive,
but Henry de Bourbon, Prince of Condé, succeeded to his privileges, and
continued Champlain in his high office. In the spring of 1613 Champlain
again betook himself to Canada, and arrived at Quebec early in May.
Before the end of the month he started on his long deferred tour of
western exploration. Taking with him two canoes, containing an Indian
and four Frenchmen, he ascended the Ottawa in the hope of reaching China
and Japan by way of Hudson’s Bay, which had been discovered by Hendrick
Hudson only three years before. In undertaking this journey Champlain
had been misled by a French impostor called Nicholas Vignan, who
professed to have explored the route far inland beyond the head waters
of the Ottawa, which river, he averred, had its source in a lake
connected with the North Sea. The enthusiastic explorer, relying upon
the good faith of Vignan, proceeded westward to beyond Lake Coulange,
and after a tedious and perilous voyage, stopped to confer with
Tessouat, an Indian chief, whose tribe inhabited that remote region.
This potentate, upon being apprised of the object of their journey,
undeceived Champlain as to Vignan’s character for veracity, and
satisfied him that the Frenchman had never passed further west than
Tessouat’s own dominions. Vignan, after a good deal of prevarication,
confessed that his story was false, and that what the Indian Chief had
stated was a simple fact. Champlain, weary and disgusted, abandoned his
exploration, and returned to Quebec, leaving Vignan with the Indians in
the wilderness of the Upper Ottawa. His next visit to France, which took
place during the summer of the same year, was fraught with important
results to the colony. A new company was formed under the auspices of
the Prince of Condé, and a scheme was laid for the propagation of the
gospel among the Indians by means of Recollet missionaries to be sent
out from France for the purpose. These, who were the first priests who
settled in Canada, came out with Champlain in May, 1615. A province was
assigned to each of them, and they at once entered upon the duties of
their respective mission. One of them settled among the Montagnais, near
the mouth of the Saguenay; two of them remained at Quebec; and the
fourth, whose name was Le Caron, betook himself to the far western
wilds. Champlain then entered upon a more extended tour of westward
exploration than any he had hitherto undertaken. Accompanied by an
interpreter and a number of Algonquins as guides, he again ascended the
Ottawa, passed the Isle of Allumettes, and thence to Lake Nipissing.
After a short stay here he continued his journey, and descended the
stream since known as French River, into the inlet of Lake Huron, now
called Georgian Bay. Paddling southward, past the innumerable islands on
the eastern coast of the bay, he landed near the present site of
Penetanguishene, and thence followed an Indian trail leading through the
ancient country of the Hurons, now forming the northern part of the
county of Simcoe, and the north-eastern part of the county of Grey. This
country contained seventeen or eighteen villages, and a population,
including women and children, of about twenty thousand. One of the
villages visited by Champlain, called Cahiague, occupied a site near the
present town of Orillia. At another village, called Carhagouha, some
distance farther west, the explorer found the Recollet friar Le Caron,
who had accompanied him from France, only a few months before, as above
mentioned. And here, on the 12th of August, 1615, Le Caron celebrated,
in Champlain’s presence, the first mass ever heard in the wilderness of
western Canada. After spending some time in the Huron country, Champlain
accompanied the natives on an expedition against their hereditary foes,
the Iroquois, whose domain occupied what is now the central and western
part of the State of New York. Crossing Lake Couchiching, and coasting
down the north-eastern shore of Lake Simcoe, they made their way across
country to the Bay of Quinté, thence into Lake Ontario, and thence into
the enemy’s country. Having landed, they concealed their canoes in the
woods and marched inland. On the 10th of October, they came to a
Seneca[7] village, on or near a lake which was probably Lake
Canandaigua. The Hurons attacked the village, but were repulsed by the
fierce Iroquois, Champlain himself being several times wounded in the
assault. The invading war-party then retreated and abandoned the
campaign, placing their wounded in the centre, while armed warriors
guarded the front and rear, returning to where they had hidden their
canoes, in which they embarked and made the best of their way back
across Lake Ontario, where the party broke up. The Hurons had promised
Champlain that if he would accompany them on their expedition against
the Iroquois, they would afterwards furnish him with an escort back to
Quebec. This promise they now declined to make good. Champlain’s
prestige as an invincible champion was gone, and, wounded and
dispirited, he was compelled to accompany them back to their country
near Lake Simcoe, where he spent the winter in the lodge of Durantal,
one of their chiefs. Upon his return to Quebec in the following year, he
was welcomed as one risen from the dead. Hitherto, Champlain’s love of
adventure had led him to devote more attention to exploration than to
the consolidation of his power in New France. He determined to change
his policy in this respect, and crossed over to France to induce a
larger emigration. In July, 1620, he returned with Madame de Champlain,
who was received with great demonstrations of respect and affection by
the Indians upon her arrival at Quebec. Champlain found that the colony
had rather retrograded than advanced during his absence, and for some
time after his return various causes contributed to retard its
prosperity. At the end of the year, 1621,[8] the European population of
New France numbered only forty-eight persons. Rival trading companies
continued to fight for the supremacy in the colony, and any man less
patient and persevering than the Father of New France, would have
abandoned his schemes in despair. This untoward state of things
continued until 1627, when an association, known to history by the name
of “The Company of the One Hundred Associates,” was formed under the
patronage of the great Cardinal Richelieu. The association was invested
with the vice-royalty of New France and Florida, together with very
extensive auxiliary privileges, including a monopoly of the fur trade,
the right to confer titles and appoint judges, and generally to carry on
the government of the colony. In return for these truly vice-regal
privileges the company undertook to send out a large number of
colonists, and to provide them with the necessaries of life for a term
of three years, after which land enough for their support and grain
wherewith to plant it was to be given them. Champlain himself was
appointed governor. This great company was scarcely organized before war
broke out between France and England. The English resolved upon the
conquest of Canada, and sent out a fleet to the St. Lawrence, under the
command of Sir David Kertk. The fleet having arrived before Quebec, its
commander demanded from Champlain a surrender of the place, and as the
governor’s supply of food and ammunition was too small to enable him to
sustain a siege, he signed a capitulation and surrendered. He then
hastened to France, where he influenced the cabinet to stipulate for the
restoration of Canada to the French Crown, in the articles of peace
which were shortly afterwards negotiated between the two powers. In
1632, this restoration was effected, and next year Champlain again
returned in the capacity of governor. From this time forward he strove
to promote the prosperity of the colony by every means in his power.
Among the means whereby he zealously strove to effect this object, was
the establishment of Jesuit missions for the conversion of the Indians.
Among other missions so established was that in the far western Huron
country, around which the _Relations des Jesuites_ have cast such a halo
of romance. The Father of New France did not live to gather much fruit
from the crop which he had sown. His life of incessant fatigue at last
proved too much even for his vigorous frame. After an illness which
lasted for ten weeks, he died on Christmas Day, 1635, at the age of
sixty-eight. His beautiful young wife, who had shared his exile for four
years, returned to France. But few particulars have been preserved with
reference to Madame de Champlain’s life. Her maiden name was Helen
Boullé, and she was the sister of a friend and fellow-navigator of her
husband’s. After her return to France she renounced the Protestant
faith, and became a devout Roman Catholic. Having resolved upon adopting
a conventual life, she became an Ursuline nun, under the name of Mother
Helen de St. Augustine. She founded a convent at Meaux, in which she
immured herself during the remainder of her life. She survived her
husband nearly nineteen years, and died on the 20th of December, 1654,
at the age of fifty-six. There was no issue of the marriage, and the
patrimony descended to a cousin of the founder of New France.
Champlain’s body was interred in the vaults of a little Recollet Church
in the Lower Town, Quebec city. This church was subsequently burned to
the ground, and its very site was not certainly known until recent
times. In the year 1867, some workmen were employed in laying
water-pipes beneath the flight of stairs called “Breakneck Steps,”
leading from Mountain Hill to Little Champlain street. Under a grating
at the foot of the steps, they discovered the vaults of the old Recollet
Church, with the remains of the Father of New France enclosed.
-----
[7] The Senecas were one of the Five Nations, composing the redoubtable
Iroquois Confederacy. The Tuscaroras joined the League in 1715, and it
is subsequently known in history as the “Six Nations.”
[8] In this year, Eustache, son of Abraham and Margaret Martin, the
first child of European parentage born in Canada, was born at Quebec.
* * * * *
=Lacerte, Elie=, M.D., Three Rivers, was born on the 15th November,
1821, at Yamachiche, county of St. Maurice, district of Three Rivers,
province of Quebec. He is a son of Pierre Lacerte, farmer, of the same
place, who was born 11th September, 1792, and died 29th April, 1885, in
the suburb of Three Rivers. His grandfather emigrated from the city of
Angers, France, in 1671. In 1812 this gentleman enlisted as lieutenant
in the Canadian militia, under the late Lieut.-Colonel C. B. A. Gugy,
and served up to 1815. On his return he married Louise Blais, of
Yamachiche. After a classical course at Nicolet College, Elie Lacerte,
the subject of our sketch, began the study of medicine at Three Rivers,
and in 1843 went to continue them at the University of Harvard,
Cambridge, Mass., where he graduated doctor of medicine on the 5th of
March, 1845. He practised as a physician in Boston for some time, then
returning to Yamachiche on the 19th November, 1847, where he continued
to practice. On the 26th June, 1853, he was appointed justice of the
peace for the district of Three Rivers; and in March, 1857, was
appointed as postmaster of his town. In 1864 the Post-Office department
entrusted him with the conveyance of mails from Montreal to Three
Rivers, and this service he faithfully performed up to 1868, when he was
elected member of the House of Commons for the county of St. Maurice. In
1872 he was re-elected by acclamation, and in the following session he
presented the address in answer to the speech from the throne, but in
1874 he was defeated on the Pacific Scandal question. In 1875 he was
elected to a seat in the Legislative Assembly of Quebec, and he sat in
this house until the 2nd of March, 1878, when the De Boucherville
cabinet was dismissed by Lieut.-Gov. Le Tellier. He then withdrew from
active public life, without, however, becoming indifferent to the
success of the Liberal-Conservative party to which he always belonged.
On the 13th October, 1886, he accepted the agency of the lands and
forests of the Crown, in the district of St. Maurice, and that position
he still holds. Some years ago Dr. Lacerte commenced a mercantile
business, and succeeded very well, but growing tired of this kind of
life, in 1884 he handed the business over to one of his sons, who has
successfully conducted it ever since. In religion the doctor is a Roman
Catholic. He married, 1848, Louise Lamy, and by her has had eleven
children, six sons and five daughters. Four sons are still living, and
the eldest, Arthur, succeeded his father in 1868 as postmaster.
* * * * *
=Kerr, William Warren Hastings=, Q.C., Montreal, was born at Three
Rivers, in November, 1826. He was the son of James Hastings Kerr, a
respected land agent of Quebec. His grandfather, a distinguished English
barrister, settled at Quebec in 1797, and was appointed by Imperial
commission as judge of the Vice Admiralty Court at Quebec, on the 19th
August, 1797; appointed judge of the King’s Bench, in 1807; called to
the Executive Council in 1812; to the Legislative Council in 1821, and
later on was speaker of the Legislative Council. Mr. Kerr received his
early education at Lundy’s College, Quebec, and ultimately he proceeded
to Queen’s College, Kingston, and at both institutions his love of legal
studies was made conspicuous. He completed his legal studies at Quebec,
first with Mr. (later on judge) Jean Chabot, and lastly with Mr. (now
Sir) Andrew Stuart, chief justice, S.C. On the 1st May, 1854, he entered
into partnership at Quebec with J. M. Le Moine, under the style of Kerr
& Le Moine. In May, 1858, this partnership having been dissolved, he
entered into partnership with Archibald Campbell, an old friend and
fellow student. After practising with success for a few years at Quebec,
under the well remembered style of Campbell & Kerr, he sought in
Montreal a wider field for his splendid talents. The silk gown of a
Queen’s counsel was conferred upon him in 1873, and McGill University
granted him the degree of D.C.L. in the same year. He was dean of the
Faculty of Law in McGill University and professor of International Law.
He was elected _bâtonnier_ of the bar in 1878. In politics, Mr. Kerr was
always of a markedly independent turn of mind, and it is generally
conceded that if he had taken a more decided position in the political
world he would have been elevated to the bench, which he would have
ornamented. Twice he unsuccessfully contested parliamentary seats, once
running against Sir John Rose in Huntingdon, in the first parliament;
and secondly against the late H. A. Nelson for the Quebec legislature.
Mr. Kerr’s position at the Montreal bar was one of the very foremost. In
every branch of law, civil, criminal, international and constitutional,
his opinion was generally regarded as final. Among the prominent trials
in which he has figured may be noted the case of the St. Albans’ raiders
and the Consolidated Bank; in the latter he defended the directors and
secured their final acquittal. His contention as to the status of
lieutenant-governors was accepted as final in the famous Letellier case.
The news of his death on 12th February, 1888, was received with the
deepest regret by his _confrères_ at the bar, and the courts were
adjourned out of respect to his memory, in order that the members of the
bar might attend his funeral in a body. Hon. Mr. Justice Davidson, at
the opening of the Superior Court, in speaking of the death of Mr. Kerr,
said: “During the years that I led in the Crown business of this
district, there were few great cases in which he was not retained. As a
consequence, I had many opportunities of being impressed with his deep
knowledge of the principles and intricacies of criminal jurisprudence,
his fertility of resource and his subtle powers as a cross examiner. On
the civil side of the courts he also occupied a notable position. It is
not often that the same mind achieves so large a mastery over two so
dissimilar systems of laws. During my earlier practice I often turned to
him for counsel, and it was given with a kindliness and sympathy which I
have never forgotten. In later years our relations went much beyond
those of an ordinary professional intimacy. Such a connection cannot end
forever without personal sorrow, compelling the utterance of this more
than formal eulogium to his attainments and character. And not only is
the Queen’s counsel dead, a husband and father of rarely sweet and
affectionate qualities is also to be buried out of our sight.” He was
married to a daughter of the Rev. Mr. Arnold, by whom he had two
children.
* * * * *
=Sutherland, Hugh McKay=, Winnipeg, ex-M.P. for Selkirk, Manitoba,
President of the Winnipeg and Hudson Bay Railway Company, is the
descendant of an old Sutherlandshire (Scotland) family, and was born in
New London, P.E.I., on 22nd February, 1843. His parents removed with
their family to Oxford county, Ont., where the subject of this sketch
was educated. Mr. Sutherland was engaged in lumbering and contracting
for a considerable period, but, though leading an active life, he found
time to take part in politics, becoming a man of considerable prominence
among the members of the Liberal party with which he was identified. In
1874 he was made superintendent of Public Works in the Northwest
Territories for the Dominion government, a position for which his
knowledge and executive ability well fitted him. During his absence he
was nominated for the Provincial legislature of Ontario by the Liberals
of East Simcoe in the general election of 1875. Though unable to attend
to the elections he made a good run, but was not successful. In 1879 he
settled permanently in Winnipeg, after having made it his headquarters
during the four or five years he was in the service of the Dominion
government, and has ever since been identified with the progress of
Manitoba and the development of some of its most important resources. In
1882 he contested Selkirk in the Liberal interest, and was returned for
that constituency to the House of Commons at Ottawa by a majority of
about 450. In the general election of February, 1887, he was nominated
to oppose W. B. Scarth for the city of Winnipeg, but was defeated by the
narrow majority of eight. He was the principal promoter of the Hudson
Bay Railway scheme, an enterprise which is on a par with the Suez Canal
or the Canadian Pacific Railway in its possibilities of influence upon
the trade of the world; and was chiefly instrumental in procuring a
charter from the Dominion parliament, in 1880, incorporating the
Winnipeg and Hudson Bay Railway Company, of which he has ever since been
president. Through countless difficulties he has guided this, his
greatest enterprise, and has succeeded in building already about forty
miles of the road. Notwithstanding the apathy of the mass of Canadians
and the active opposition of many great interests, Mr. Sutherland still
has faith in the scheme, and feels satisfied it will attract
capitalists. He hopes soon to have arrangements completed for continuing
the line on to Hudson Bay, and the placing on the route to Britain of a
fleet of steamers specially built for the trade. This done, the result
must be the revolutionizing of the trade, not only of Manitoba, but of
the whole Canadian and American North-West. In energy, tact and
organizing ability Mr. Sutherland is preeminently the man to have charge
of a gigantic undertaking of this kind. He has been twice married;
first, on the 10th February, 1864, to Mary, daughter of Alex. Dickie, of
Brant. This lady having died on 11th October, 1875, he married his
second wife, Mary, only daughter of Hon. T. Banks, of Baltimore, U.S.,
on the 10th December, 1878.
* * * * *
=Otter, Lieut.-Colonel Wm. Dillon=, Toronto, was born near Clinton,
Ontario, on the 3rd of December, 1843, and is of English descent. His
parents were Alfred William Otter and Anna Dela Hooke. He received his
education at the Grammar School, Goderich, and at the Model School and
the Upper Canada College in Toronto. He joined the Victoria Rifles,
Toronto (now F Company Queen’s Own), in October, 1861, and was promoted
to a lieutenancy in the Queen’s Own Rifles in December, 1864. He served
in that rank on the Niagara frontier during the winter of 1864-5, in the
2nd Administrative battalion. Appointed adjutant of the Queen’s Own in
August, 1865, and was present throughout the Fenian raid of 1866,
including the action at Limeridge. Promoted major in June, 1869, and
went to England as second in command of the Wimbledon team in June,
1873. Promoted brevet lieutenant-colonel in June, 1874, and appointed to
the command of the corps a year later. He commanded the regiment during
the “pilgrimage riots,” Toronto, in the latter part of 1875, and also
during the riots consequent upon the strike of the Grand Trunk engineers
at Belleville, in January, 1877. In 1881 Colonel Otter compiled and
published “The Guide,” a manual of military interior economy, etc., a
book now extensively used in the present schools of military instruction
and throughout the militia force. In 1883 he was appointed to the
command of the Wimbledon team, and subsequently sent to Aldershot for
three months to acquire information in the conduct of military schools.
He received the appointment of commandant of the School of Infantry at
Toronto, in December, 1883, and organized C company, Infantry School
Corps, with the school of instruction attached thereto. During the
Northwest rebellion of 1885, Colonel Otter commanded the centre or
Battleford column, making therewith a forced march across the prairie
from Saskatchewan Landing to Battleford, a distance of 190 miles, in
five days and a half. He was in command of the successful reconnaisance
against the Indian chief, Poundmaker, and in the action at Cut Knife
Hill, which prevented that chief’s junction with Big Bear and their
projected assistance to Riel. He afterwards, at the close of the
rebellion, commanded the Turtle Lake column sent in pursuit of Big Bear.
Appointed to the command of military district No. 2, in July, 1886, in
conjunction with the charge of the Royal School of Infantry at Toronto.
In religion the colonel is an adherent of the Church of England. He was
married in October, 1865, to Mary, second daughter of the late Rev.
James Porter, inspector of public schools, Toronto, and previously
superintendent of education, New Brunswick.
* * * * *
=Hart, John Semple=, Bookseller and Stationer, Perth, Ontario, is a
Scotchman by birth, having been born in Paisley, on the 15th July, 1833.
His father, John Hart, is a native of the town in which his son was
born; and his mother, Jean Mason Semple, was born in the city of London,
England. The Hart family is a very old one—one of the name appearing in
the records of the old Paisley Abbey, as master mason and builder, in
the thirteenth century. Since then it has continuously occupied public
positions of trust in that old borough town. Mr. Hart and family sailed
from Glasgow for Canada on the 15th April, 1842, and arrived in Perth on
17th June, of the same year, after a fairly prosperous voyage across the
Atlantic in the old style of sailing vessel that now belongs to a past
generation. Mr. Hart, sen., only intended to stay in Perth a few days
and then go on to Toronto—then only a large town, but the principal
town of Upper Canada—but whilst here, he was persuaded to remain and
make it his home. Perth at this time was an active town, with a
population of about 800 inhabitants, but its progress was comparatively
slow in consequence of its being inland from the St. Lawrence and off
the Rideau canal route. All emigrants passed over these highways of
travel at this time to Upper Canada, where new tracts of farming lands
were opening up of fine quality and on easy terms of purchase. These
cheap lands and the attractions of pioneer life drew not only the
emigrants but the young and active men from the older settlements, and
thus Perth and its surrounding country was made tributary to the
settlement of the “Huron Tract,” as all Ontario has been lately to the
great Northwest. The progress of the town was therefore not as rapid as
its citizens wished; business was also in a very unsatisfactory state at
this time; money as a medium of exchange was not unknown, but was a
scarce commodity; barter or trade was the principal means of exchange in
buying and selling, and in the stores of that day you could get anything
required for the household use from a “needle to an anchor.” Times were
hard, and rigid economy the rule, and all members of the family were
expected to do what they could to help. John S., the subject of this
sketch, being the eldest of the family, had to make himself generally
useful, give his father a helping hand at his trade, and embrace every
chance offered for attending school. Fortunately, however, for him, he
had received a good grounding in educational matters in schools in his
native town and in Glasgow before coming to Canada, and suffered less in
this direction than many a young man before him. In 1853 he and his
father opened a book and stationery store; with a small stock of goods,
but enough to meet the wants of the community. Business prospered, and
in 1857 they removed to their present store, one of the best in Perth.
Here for the past thirty years Mr. Hart has been carrying on business,
and by close attention to it, and studying the wants of his numerous
customers, he has succeeded in building up a good, paying book and
stationery business. Mr. Hart has taken an active interest in military
affairs, and served in the ranks for several years under the old militia
system, until he was appointed a lieutenant, and after a while he was
further promoted to the rank of major in the sedentary militia. During
the _Trent_ excitement he became an active member of the local drill
association, which was formed for home protection at that time. During
the Northwest rebellion in 1885, when it was decided to establish
hospitals for the wounded and sick soldiers and to send trained nurses
to manage them, Mr. Hart, on learning that one of the ladies of the town
had volunteered and was accepted as a nurse, and that it was necessary
to send additional medical appliances and stores to those provided by
the government, at once took an active part in equipping the “Perth
Ward,” and the generous response of his fellow-townsmen was afterwards
attested to by many a poor fellow who benefited by these auxiliary
stores. And, in this connection, it may also be said that after the
death of young Lieut. Kippen, of Perth (who was killed at Batoche), when
it was decided to erect a monument to his memory, Mr. Hart exerted
himself in procuring subscriptions, and was an active member on the
committee appointed to see that the wishes of the subscribers were
carried out, and, as a result of their united efforts, the Kippen
memorial monument now forms the most conspicuous of the many beautiful
monuments in Elmwood Cemetery, Perth. In 1864, Mr. Hart was placed on
the list of justices of the peace, but not being ambitious for public
positions, he has always declined to serve in this capacity, as he has
almost invariably done in municipal offices. He has been connected with
several local manufacturing companies, the Tay Navigation Company, etc.,
and it may almost be said that the Perth Cemetery Company owes its
existence to him, for he was instrumental in getting the majority of the
stock subscribed in 1871 or 1872, and for the successful working of the
company. He has now held the office of treasurer and manager of this
company for over fifteen years, and the beautiful grounds of the
cemetery are a credit alike to the town and manager. Mr. Hart is a
Conservative, and takes an active part in provincial and federal
politics. He supports the Conservative party because it represents his
ideas on trade and commerce, he having advocated the national policy
long before it was introduced. In municipal affairs he is also
interested, and is always willing to help in anything that has for its
object the building up of the town of Perth—railways, education, etc.
In religion, he belongs to the Presbyterian church. Mr. Hart has not had
time to revisit his father-land; but he has visited nearly the whole of
Canada from east to west, making the tour of the lakes from the Saguenay
to Duluth, and the principal towns and cities of Ontario, on various
occasions, and all the principal cities of the Northern and New England
States, either for pleasure or business. He is a citizen that Perth
could ill spare. He was married on January 1st, 1857, to Margaret Brown,
daughter of the late William Brown, of Glasgow, Scotland, and later, of
Perth, Ontario. She died in 1863, leaving a family of two sons and one
daughter. He was married again in Feb., 1870, to Mary Irving, daughter
of the late John Irving, of Montreal, and who came from Scotland and the
parish where his kinsman, the celebrated Edward Irving, was born.
* * * * *
=Lafrance, Charles Joseph=, City Treasurer, of Quebec, is one of the
best known and most respected public citizens in the ancient capital.
His true name is Charles Joseph Levesque, _dit_, or called, Lafrance.
The possession of two names in this way is an institution peculiar to
many of the French Canadians of the province of Quebec, the first being
the original or real family appellation, and the other more in the
nature of a distinguishing _sobriquet_, given in the remote past for
some reason which cannot now be traced, but eventually crowding the real
name out of daily and general use. Thus, the late Hon. Joseph Cauchon,
ex-lieut.-governor of Manitoba, was better known by that name than by
his real patronymic, which was Laverdière _dit_ Cauchon. The same remark
applies to the city treasurer of Quebec, who is better known to his
fellow citizens by the name of Lafrance than by his real family name of
Levesque, though his brother, the present parish priest of Matane, P.Q.,
was ordained under the name of Levesque, and is known by no other. In
fact, nine-tenths of them would hardly recognize him by any other. He
was born in the St. Roch suburb of Quebec, on 13th November, 1833, of
the marriage of the late Charles Levesque _dit_ Lafrance, carpenter, and
Marie Prevost. His parents were not blessed with a superabundance of
this world’s goods, but they were actuated by a laudable ambition to
give their boy a good education and ultimately a profession. He was
accordingly placed at the Quebec Seminary with the intention of
following a complete classical course in that institution in order to
prepare himself for the study and practice of the law. He was an apt
scholar, and the progress he made in his collegiate studies was
remarkable, but, before he could complete them, circumstances over which
he had no control compelled him to abandon them, and relinquish—as he
then thought, only for a time—the legal career which he had laid out
for himself, and to turn his attention to school teaching as a means of
livelihood. In the fall of 1850, he secured the appointment of teacher
at Cap Rouge, near Quebec, and for the next three years he “taught the
young idea there how to shoot.” He then removed to Batiscan, P.Q., where
he taught for another year. In June, 1854, he wedded Catherine Stegy
_dit_ Angers, daughter of the late Olivier Stegy _dit_ Angers, and his
wife, Catherine Bilodeau, of St. Roch’s of Quebec. After his marriage,
he bade adieu for good to his long cherished idea of becoming a member
of the legal profession, and took charge of the school at Beauport, some
three miles out of the city of Quebec, on the road to Montmorency Falls.
In this field he again labored for some time, until tiring of the
position and prospects of a country teacher, he resolved to establish
himself in the city where there was a greater opening for his talents.
Accordingly on 1st May, 1859, he opened in the St. John suburb of
Quebec, an independent school under the name of the “St. Jean Baptiste
Commercial Academy,” which he continued to superintend until July, 1876.
During the interval, he devoted all his leisure time from his pupils to
study and the compilation for his classes of a number of valuable works
on French, English, and book-keeping. Among these may be more specially
mentioned, the very useful French grammar which he published in 1865,
and his treatise on arithmetic, published in 1867. He also took a great
interest in the affairs of the Teachers’ Association, of which he was
long a member, and several times secretary and president, besides being
chosen as a delegate to represent the teachers of the Quebec district at
the great convention of the teachers of the province of Quebec, held at
Montreal in May, 1861. In the educational interest, he also started in
1864, at Quebec, jointly with N. Thibault and Joseph Letourneau, both
professors of the Laval Normal School, the publication of _La Semaine_
(_The Week_), a weekly paper devoted to the cause of education and the
teaching profession. The promotion of a strong national feeling among
his French Canadian fellow-countrymen was another of his ambitions, and
he early became a prominent member of their great national society, the
St. Jean Baptiste, of Quebec, of which he was elected secretary in 1866.
He filled this office during eight years, then that of vice-president
during two years, and lastly that of president during two years more. It
was while he was still an office-holder of the society in 1874, that he
was named with the Hon. Hector Fabre, now the Canadian commissioner in
Paris, and J. P. Rheaume, ex-M.P.P. for Quebec East and an alderman of
the city, as one of the delegates to represent Quebec at the great
celebration of the national festival at Montreal that year. The active
and intelligent interest which Mr. Lafrance had also taken in municipal
affairs, his large fund of information and ready eloquence, marked him
out as early as 1868 for civic honors, and in that year he was pressed
to stand as a candidate for one of the seats for St. John’s ward in the
city council of Quebec. But, politically, he was a liberal of the
liberals; toryism was then in the ascendant in the ancient capital, and
he had to make a desperate fight against terrible odds. He won, however,
and after that he was constantly re-elected without opposition down to
1876, when he declined further re-election, though pressed thereto by a
requisition signed by the majority of the electors of both political
parties. In the Quebec city council, Mr. Lafrance was one of the most
conspicuous figures, leading in all important debates, and generally
taking a prominent part in all committee and council work for the good
of the city. On financial questions, he was especially strong, and was
altogether a valuable municipal representative, his course throughout
being marked by great independence, and his name unsullied by the breath
of scandal. It has already been stated that Mr. Lafrance was an ardent
liberal in politics. Even in his school-days, he was noted for the
intensity of his liberalism, and as he grew to manhood he threw himself
with all the enthusiasm and self-denial of his nature into all the
struggles of his party in the Quebec district. But the liberal fortunes
were at a low ebb in Lower Canada in those days, the cause was
unpopular, and the very name of _Rouge_ was a bugbear. It required great
moral courage for a young man to cast his lot with the Dorions, the
Holtons, the Lauriers, the Fourniers and the other ardent spirits, who
were then considered the advocates’ of revolution among the French
Canadians, and condemned accordingly from hustings and pulpit. All the
worldly, and, it may be added, spiritual inducements of the day were on
the other side. But Mr. Lafrance never hesitated even for a moment in
his choice between principles and interest. He at once took his place in
the van of the Liberal party militant, and boldly lifted its fallen
banner in the Quebec district. Prompt to perceive that the great want of
his fellow-countrymen was political education, and that the chief
drawback of his party was the absence of organs to supply that education
and to denounce the wrong doing and short comings of their adversaries
in power, the hard-working school teacher threw himself also into
journalism, and started paper after paper in the interest of his party.
His confidence in the eventual success of that party’s mission was
unbounded; but his means and support were necessarily limited, and
though his papers were ably, nay, brilliantly, conducted, they were
short lived. Each failure, however, seemed to encourage him to new
exertion. Thus, in 1866, he assumed the publication of _L’Electeur_, and
upon its death embarked his fortunes in _L’Echo du Peuple_, which he
published during 1867 and 1868. In 1870, he brought out _L’Opinion
Nationale_, and in 1871 and 1872 _L’Opinion du Peuple_, the last named
being an open advocate of annexation to the United States as the only
remedy for existing evils from which escape then seemed to him otherwise
hopeless. In this view, it will be remembered that he did not stand
alone at the time. But he had the courage of his convictions and boldly
advocated them. It was, however, up-hill work to do so, and his life
history at this stage was one of prolonged struggle and self-sacrifice.
In 1874, he was the candidate chosen by the Liberal party to contest
with the government candidate the seat for Quebec Centre in the
Provincial legislature, and his personal popularity with the mass of the
electors was so great that his return was confidently anticipated. But
the government delayed the issue of the writ from January to April, and
in the interval the late Hon. Joseph Cauchon was commissioned to
announce to him that the government would allow him to be elected by
acclamation, provided he signed a pledge to give them a certain amount
of “fair play.” Mr. Lafrance’s reply to this tempting offer was
characteristically consistent. He said: “I have always been a Liberal.
If to have the honor of representing Quebec Centre I must begin by
making concessions of this kind, I prefer to remain at home.” This reply
cost him the active support of Mr. Cauchon, who was then a great
political power in Quebec, and the English vote of the division was also
alienated from him by a pamphlet which he had published towards the end
of December, 1873, under the title of “Our Political Divisions.” Bribery
and corruption on an extensive scale, coupled with the treachery of
several of his chief election managers, did the remainder of the work
and secured his defeat at the polls. In 1876, the Liberal government of
Mr. Mackenzie was in power at Ottawa, and our subject was named as
inspector of gas at Quebec, when he abandoned school teaching. But he
continued to contribute to the local press and especially to
_L’Evenement_, of which he assumed the complete editorial management
from the fall of 1876 to the close of 1877, during the absence of its
proprietor and usual editor, Senator Fabre, at Ottawa and in France. In
1878, the important and responsible office of treasurer of the city of
Quebec became vacant, and, recalling the financial ability he had
manifested as a member of the city council, public opinion at once
designated Mr. Lafrance for the office and he received it. This
appointment, and successive family bereavements about the same time,
determined his abandonment of politics and the devotion of his remaining
years of usefulness to the finances of the city and the interests of his
family. Under his able and cautious management, Quebec’s financial
situation as a city has since very materially improved, and its credit
stands high in the money markets of the world—the latest quotation of
its bonds on the English market being 118. He has also very thoroughly
and effectively re-organized the book-keeping and audit systems of the
Quebec corporation, and is the originator of a scheme for the
consolidation of the city debt, which still claims very serious
attention and may probably at no distant day be carried out. In
religion, Mr. Lafrance is a Roman Catholic. He has seven surviving
children. One of his sons is assistant accountant of the Quebec
corporation, and one of his daughters not long since left Quebec with
thirty self-sacrificing young ladies to devote herself as a nun to the
care of the sick and infirm in the convent of the Incarnate Word at San
Antonio, Texas.
* * * * *
=Scarth, William Bain=, Winnipeg, M.P. for the city of Winnipeg,
Manitoba, was born in Aberdeen, Scotland, on the 10th November, 1837.
His father was James Scarth, a scion of the family of the Scarths of
Binscarth, Orkney Islands; and his mother, Jane Geddes, of Stromness in
the same islands. He received a general classical education in schools
in Aberdeen and Edinburgh. Mr. Scarth came to Canada in 1855, when
seventeen years of age, and after several years spent in mercantile life
in Hamilton and London, Ontario, he removed, in 1868, to Toronto, where
he resided till 1884. Soon after his removal to Toronto he began to take
a prominent part in public affairs. For two years he occupied a seat in
the city council as representative of St. James’ ward; was a high school
trustee, and was manager of the North British-Canadian Investment
Company and the Scottish Ontario and Manitoba Land Company. He was also
president of the Conservative Association of Centre Toronto. After
removing to Winnipeg, in 1884, he became managing director of the Canada
Northwest Land Company; secretary and director of the Canadian
Anthracite Coal Company, and director of the North British-Canadian
Investment Company. He presented himself for parliamentary honors in
1887, and was elected to serve in the House of Commons at Ottawa as
representative for Winnipeg, and this seat he still occupies. Mr. Scarth
has travelled a good deal, and long before railway days traversed the
far North-west. He has also visited Cuba, and is familiar with every
part of the United States and Canada. In politics he is a Conservative;
and in religion, a member of the Presbyterian church. In 1869 he was
married to Jessie Stewart Franklin, daughter of the late Dr. John
Macaulay Hamilton, R.N., a native of Stromness, Orkney, and cousin of
Lord Macaulay, the historian. Her mother was Miss Rae, sister of Dr.
Rae, the Arctic explorer.
* * * * *
=Hould, Jean Baptiste Ludger=, LL.B., Barrister, Three Rivers, who is
one of the most prominent lawyers in Three Rivers, was born on the 3rd
of September, 1841, at St. Angèle de Laval, and is the son of Jean
Baptiste Hould, who for many years was mayor and member of the council
of the latter place. His mother was Olive Tourigny, of the same place.
Mr. Hould was educated at the Seminary of Nicolet, where he succeeded in
securing a good education. He afterwards studied law at Laval
University, during which term he was engaged in the office of the then
well-known firm of Casault, Langlois & Angers, the Hon. Mr. Casault, now
judge of the Superior Court, and the Hon. Mr. Angers, the present
lieutenant-governor of Quebec, being members of it. Mr. Hould was
admitted to the bar of Lower Canada in July, 1864, and commenced
practice at Three Rivers in 1865, and since then he has enjoyed by far
the most lucrative practice in that city. Amongst his many duties, he
has pleaded at the Court of Review, in the Queen’s Bench and in the
Supreme Court. He held office for many years in the city council, but
his multifarious duties in connection with his practice compelled him to
relinquish his connection with municipal affairs. He was elected twice
president (_bâtonnier_) of the bar of Three Rivers, and in May, 1883,
was also chosen president (_bâtonnier_-general) of the bar of the
province of Quebec. He is acknowledged by his _confrères_ as possessing
a great amount of professional ability; is greatly respected by the
community at large, and highly deserving of the confidence for integrity
reposed in him. Mr. Hould helped to have the tax of $4.00 abolished
which each advocate was formerly compelled to pay for the publication of
the Lower Canada Reports; and he established a law library for the bar
of Three Rivers. He is one of the founders and the first president of
the literary and scientific society called _Société Basault_, which was
founded in 1863, at Laval University, in Quebec. He acted as advocate
for F. H. B. Methot, H. Montplaisir, H. G. Mathiot and F. Trudel when
their elections were contested. He married on the 30th June, 1869,
Sarah, daughter of the late Francis Xavier Turcotte, who was for many
years clerk of the peace for Three Rivers. By this marriage there has
been issue nine children, five of whom survive.
* * * * *
=Taschereau, His Eminence Elzéar-Alexandre=, Cardinal and Archbishop of
Quebec, was born on the 17th February, 1820, at St. Marie de la Beauce,
Quebec province. This illustrious prince of the Roman Catholic church is
descended from Thomas Jacques Taschereau, a gentleman who came to Canada
in the early part of the seventeenth century from Touraine, in France,
and whose descendants have ever since occupied prominent positions in
the province of Quebec. Soon after the arrival of the founder of the
Canadian branch of the family, he was appointed to the office of marine
treasurer, and in 1736 received a grant of a seigniory on the banks of
the Chaudière river. The Cardinal’s grandfather was the late Hon.
Gabriel Elzear Taschereau, who, during his lifetime, was a member of the
Legislative Assembly. His father was Jean Thomas Taschereau, who was a
judge of the King’s Bench and died in 1832. His mother, Marie Panet, was
a daughter of the Hon. Jean Antoine Panet, who was the speaker of the
first Legislative Assembly of Canada. This estimable lady died in 1866.
The future Cardinal, when a mere lad, was sent to the Quebec Seminary,
where he soon became distinguished as a student. Here he pursued a
course of classical studies, and then entered the Grand Seminary, where
he began the usual course of theology. In 1836, when he was in his
seventeenth year, he visited Rome in company with Abbé Holmes, of the
Seminary, and in the following year received the tonsure at the hands of
Monsigneur Piatti, archbishop of Trebizonde, in the Basilica of St. John
Lateran. Shortly after this he returned to Quebec and again took up his
theological studies, which, with other branches of learning, occupied
his attention for about six years, when, though he was still under
canonical age, he was ordained priest. His ordination took place on the
10th September, 1842, at the Church of St. Marie de la Beauce, his
native place, in the presence of Monseigneur Turgeon, then coadjutor,
and subsequently successor to Archbishop Signal. Within a short time
after his ordination he was appointed to the chair of philosophy in the
Seminary, and this important position he held for twelve years. Previous
to this, even in 1838, he held the professorship of Latin and Greek, and
in 1841 he was professor of rhetoric. A very interesting episode in this
illustrious clergyman’s life occurred shortly after this date, which we
cannot help recording here, and which deserves to be written in letters
of gold. About thirty miles below the port of Quebec, in the St.
Lawrence river, and nearly opposite St. Thomas, is a small island known
by the name of Grosse Isle, which has been used for a great number of
years by the government of Canada as a quarantine station, where all
ships carrying emigrants are required to report before sailing further
up the river. In 1847 a malignant fever broke out among the emigrants
there which ran a rapid course, and the victims died in great numbers.
At this time the emigrants coming in were chiefly Irish Roman Catholics
who had been driven by poverty and famine to seek a home in Canada;
their vitality had been greatly impaired by starvation before leaving
home, and they fell easy victims to the ship fever then so prevalent,
which in some cases carried them off in a few hours. The greater part of
the island was for a time little better than a mass of loathsomeness and
pestilence, and the heroism that would enable a man to face such a state
of things is much more praiseworthy than the courage required to enable
him to walk up to the mouth of a cannon. Father Taschereau felt the call
of duty and volunteered his services to assist the Rev. Father Moylan,
who was then chaplain at Grosse Isle, to minister to the spiritual
necessities of the victims of the fever. His kind offer was thankfully
accepted, and he landed on the island where he remained until he himself
was stricken down by the scourge and brought literally to death’s door.
His conduct at this time endeared him very much to the Irish Roman
Catholics in Quebec and their countrymen throughout the west. But, to
resume, Father Taschereau was appointed professor of theology in the
Seminary in 1851, and three years afterwards, in 1854, he again visited
Rome, charged by the second Provincial Council of Quebec to submit its
decrees for the sanction of his Holiness the Pope. He spent two years at
this time in the Eternal City, during which period he occupied himself
chiefly in studying the canon law, and while here (July, 1856) the Roman
Seminary conferred upon him the degree of doctor of canon law. On his
return to Quebec, he was appointed director of the _Petit Seminaire_, a
position which he filled until 1859, when he was elected director of the
_Grand Seminaire_, and appointed a member of the Council of Public
Instruction for Lower Canada. In 1860 he became superior of the Seminary
and rector of Laval University. In 1862 he accompanied Archbishop
Baillargeon to Rome on business connected with Laval University, and on
his return the same year, was appointed vicar-general of the
arch-diocese of Quebec. Again in 1864 he paid a visit to Rome on similar
business connected with Laval. In 1866, his term of office as superior
of the _Grand Seminaire_ having expired, he was again appointed
director, and three years afterwards, on the expiration of another term,
he was re-elected superior. In 1870 he paid another visit to Rome, this
time as secretary to Monseigneur C. Baillargeon, archbishop of Quebec,
who went there to attend the Vatican Council, and on his return the same
year he resumed his duties as superior of the Seminary and rector of
Laval University. After the death of Archbishop Baillargeon in October,
1870, he administered the affairs of the arch-diocese conjointly with
Grand Vicar Cazean. On the 13th Feb., 1871, it was announced that he had
been appointed successor to the late archbishop, and on Sunday, the 19th
of March, following, he was consecrated to this high office in the
presence of a vast concourse of people, many of the clergy of the
diocese and of the bishops of Quebec and Ontario,—the Archbishop of
Toronto officiating. In 1872 and 1884, business again led him to Rome.
And in 1887, on his last visit to the capital of Christendom, he was
presented with the Cardinal’s hat. His Eminence is the first Canadian
who has thus been so honored by his church, and his Protestant
fellow-countrymen are as proud of the honor conferred upon him as his
co-religionists, for he is held in high esteem by persons of all classes
and creeds in the Dominion for his work’s sake.
* * * * *
=Curry, Matthew Allison=, M.D., of Halifax, N.S., is a native of
Windsor, Hants Co., N.S., where he was born about thirty years ago. The
Curry family are of Irish extraction, but have been long settled in this
province, where they are principally engaged in farming and
manufacturing. It is now nearly forty years since five brothers,
William, Mark, Levi, Elisha and Edward started what is known as Curry’s
Factory at Curry’s Corner, a point on the junction of the Halifax and
Chester roads about a mile from Water street, Windsor. They were all
young men and first-rate mechanics. They manufactured sashes, doors and
all kinds of work in connection with house-building, carriages, railway
cars, and had a machine and carriage shop. William the oldest brother,
was at the head of the concern. Mark was a house joiner, Levi managed
the blacksmith shop, Elisha was a painter, and Edward looked after the
carriage factory. They employed nearly thirty hands, had plenty of work,
but were relentlessly pursued by fire. About the year 1855 their works
were completely destroyed by a fire which broke out in the night. Again
in 1860 fire consumed all their property, among other valuable goods,
being a number of railway cars which Edward had contracted to build for
the Nova Scotia Railway. About the year 1870 Mark and Elisha started the
furniture factory in Windsor, which has always done a very large
business, its goods being sold all over the Maritime provinces. It is
now managed by A. P. Shand. Previous to this time, however, Mark Curry
had, in conjunction with A. P. Shand, carried on an extensive grocery,
lumber and flour business in Windsor, under the firm of Curry and Shand.
Elisha and Levi Curry died a few years ago. Mark Curry has charge of the
government savings bank in Windsor, and Edward Curry is sheriff of Hants
county. William Curry, the father of the subject of this sketch, has
stuck to the original business at the corner, which still retains nearly
its former dimensions. The last fire occurred about five years ago, when
the premises were again totally consumed. William Curry, being a man of
iron will and unbroken courage and perseverance, went at once to work
and rebuilt his factory, which, in conjunction with his second son
James, he continues to conduct. Dr. Curry is the eldest son of the above
William Curry, his mother being Martha, daughter of the late Matthew
Allison, of Windsor, in his lifetime a farmer and shipowner. He received
his classical education at the Grammar School at Curry’s Corner,
afterwards at the school conducted by the late Thomas Curren, and at the
Collegiate School at Windsor, where he carried off the first prize. He
entered King’s College, Windsor, in October, 1877, and graduated in
June, 1881. During his course he won one of the General Williams prizes
and also one of the Stevenson scholarships. After leaving college he
studied two years at the Medical College, in Halifa,. N.S., subsequently
spent a session at the University of New York, and graduated from the
medical department of that institution in 1883. Not content with such
experience in his profession as he had already obtained, he decided to
cross the Atlantic, and accordingly, spent the year 1884 principally in
attending the medical course in Trinity College, Dublin. He made a
specialty of midwifery and the study of the treatment of the diseases
peculiar to women. After completing his post-graduate studies, he
availed himself of the opportunity to make a trip through Scotland and
England, previous to returning home. He visited Edinburgh, Liverpool and
London, and took note of the famous educational endowments and the
professional resorts of those cities. After returning to this province
he was in some doubt as to whether to begin practice in one of the
country shire towns such as Yarmouth, or to commence in Halifax. He
finally decided that, upon the whole, the chances of advancement in the
metropolis were the best. The expenses of a beginner in one of the
learned professions in a city are greater at first than those of a
country practitioner, but in the long run a man of brains and tact will
not regret the incidental outlay, in consideration of the many
advantages of counsel with brother-workers, and the other opportunities
open to competition in the city. Dr. Curry opened an office in Hollis
street, Halifax, in the spring of 1885, and has since worked up a very
prosperous practice in the south end of the city. Many young men begin
among the poorer classes and gradually work into a wealthier _clientèle_
but Dr. Curry was fortunate enough to secure rich patrons at the start.
When the Medical School was established on a new basis two years ago,
Dr. Curry was offered a position as lecturer, which offer, however, he
declined, having some scruples about accepting an office which might
seem to place him in opposition to some of the older members of the
profession. In religion he is a Presbyterian, and is connected with St.
Andrew’s Church in John street. He is unmarried. Being a man of great
sociability and geniality of manners he is a great favorite in any
society in which he happens to find himself. These traits are very
helpful to a physician whose practice lies among all classes of the
community, and who must freely give and take in the rough and tumble of
professional work and class competition.
* * * * *
=Price, Evan John=, Quebec, is the present head of the great lumber
manufacturing and exporting house of Price Bros. & Co., of that city,
and of the Saguenay, the oldest and probably the best known to the
trade, not only throughout the Dominion, but all over the continent of
America and in Europe. It was founded nearly three quarters of a century
ago, by our subject’s father, the late William Price, of Wolfesfield,
Quebec, who died in 1867, and who was frequently styled in his day the
“King of the Saguenay,” from the controlling interest he exercised over
that section of the province of Quebec, through the employment afforded
by his extensive lumber limits and numerous saw mills to its local
population. Indeed, the Saguenay country, and it may be added, much of
the region on both shores of the St. Lawrence, below Quebec, owe their
development in a large measure, if not wholly, to the enterprise of the
Price family. Their agents explored the whole country, and upon every
stream, where prospects warranted it, a saw mill was erected with the
usual result. Hundreds flocked to the place, and soon made comfortable
homes for themselves. Villages sprang up, mills were erected, churches
built, and localities which but a few years before, were a barren waste,
rapidly blossomed into thriving communities. The present prosperous town
of Chicoutimi and the outlying settlements around Lake St. John had
their origin in this way, and if is not surprising that the name of
Price should be venerated by their populations as few other old country
names have been venerated by the French Canadian element of Lower
Canada. In fact, it is no exaggeration to say that the Price family have
made the Saguenay region what it is to-day in point of material
progress. To their enterprise, their fostering care and their unstinted
generosity, the _habitants_ of that region are indebted for the
assistance which enabled them to tide over the hardships and
difficulties always incidental to the early life of the pioneers of
settlements at points remote from the centre of civilized life. Mr.
Price was born some forty years ago, at his late father’s beautiful
country residence of Wolfesfield, on the outskirts of Quebec, and in the
immediate vicinity opposite the spot where Wolfe died victorious, at the
battle of the Plains of Abraham. He was educated at a private school in
England, and entered his father’s office, while still young, to learn
the business to a share of which he was in due course admitted, his
elder brothers, Hon. David E. Price, afterwards a senator of the
Dominion, and William E. Price, afterwards M.P. and M.P.P., for the
united counties of Chicoutimi and Saguenay, both now deceased, being
already members of the firm. On the death of the venerable founder of
the house in 1867, its extensive business was continued by the brothers,
under the old name, which is still retained, notwithstanding the deaths
of the elder brothers. The surviving partner, Evan John Price, is now
the head of the house, which still holds its prominence in the trade,
shipping annually a large amount of lumber of its own manufacture, both
from Quebec and the Saguenay to the European market. The Price family is
of Welsh descent, and their home, “Scipwick,” was at Elstree, in
Hertfordshire, up to the time of his father’s death. Mr. Price’s father
was born at Hornsey, near London, England, but his grand parents were
both natives of South Wales, the one of Glamorganshire, and the other of
Cardiganshire. On the maternal side, Mr. Price has good old Scottish
blood in his veins. His mother was a Stewart, his father having married
Jane, third daughter of the late Charles G. Stewart, in his lifetime
comptroller of the imperial customs at Quebec. In religion Mr. Price is
a member of the Church of England, and in politics, a Conservative, like
all his family before him. He is unmarried.
* * * * *
=Larue, Jules Ernest=, Q.C., Quebec, Puisné Judge for the province of
Quebec.—Jules Ernest Larue was born at Quebec on the 7th July, 1844. He
is the son of the late W. Larue, N.P., and Louise B. Panet, daughter of
the late Hon. Louis Panet, senator and M.L.C. Mr. Larue followed a
classical course of studies at the Seminary of Quebec, and having taken
his degrees at Laval University, was admitted to the bar of Quebec on
the 6th February, 1866. He then became a member of the important firm of
Larue, Angers and Casgrain, of Quebec. He was for ten years editor of
the Quebec “Law Reports.” In recognition of his legal attainments he was
made a Q.C. in 1882, and was appointed a puisné judge of the Superior
Court for the province of Quebec on the 10th of April, 1886. He married
on the 22nd September, 1880, Marie Louise, whose parents were the late
François Angers, Q.C., and Marie Louise Panet, a daughter of the late
Charles Panet, Q.C.
* * * * *
=Elliott, George=, Guelph, Ontario, formerly one of the leading
merchants of that city, and largely identified with its municipal
history, is a native of Rochester, county of Kent, England, having been
born there on the 27th May, 1819. His father, George Elliott, a country
gentleman, was descendent from an ancient Scottish family, and his
mother, Elizabeth Moulden, from an old Kentish family. Mr. Elliott, the
subject of our sketch, who received a good education, including
mathematics and classics, came to Canada with the family in the autumn
of 1832. He was in business in Toronto and Cincinnati, Ohio, for several
years, and coming to Guelph in 1850, carried on business as a general
merchant until 1865, when he retired, having been very successful in his
business operations. His father died in Guelph a few years ago, in his
ninety-fifth year, much lamented by many friends. Mr. Elliott served in
the town, city and county councils at various times, for over twenty
years, and held the positions of town councilman, deputy reeve, reeve,
warden and mayor. He has performed a great deal of valuable work in the
interests of Guelph and the county of Wellington, and was chairman of
the building committee when the town hall and other public buildings
were erected. He was chairman of the old Board of Public Instruction,
and for six years was a member of the High School Board of Trustees. He
took great pleasure in aiding in the elevation of the standard of public
instruction, and found many earnest and efficient co-operators in this
noble work in the town. When in the council he was almost constantly
chairman of the finance committee, having fine business talents, and
thoroughly trustworthy. He was arbitrator on behalf of the town, upon
the adjustment of the indebtedness between it and the county, when
Guelph was raised to the dignity of a city. Is a justice of the peace.
When the Guelph General Hospital was organized and opened in 1875, he
was made chairman of the board of directors, which position he still
holds. Mr. Elliott is a Reformer, and quite an influential member of
that party, having been for some time, president of the Reform
Association for the South Riding of Wellington. He is also president of
the St. George’s Society, Guelph. In religion, he is a member of the
Church of England, was warden of St. George’s Church, Guelph, for
several years, and is a continuous lay delegate to the Diocese of
Niagara, and also to the Provincial Synod which meets at Montreal. He is
a prominent member of these bodies, and takes a very active part in the
proceedings and discussions. Mr. Elliott is an efficient and able
speaker on public matters, and a clear writer on questions of a
financial and public interest. He was a member of the building
committee, and treasurer, when the St. George’s magnificent house of
worship was erected, and continues to be indefatigable in church and
other work. The poor find a warm friend in Mr. Elliott, and his equally
benevolent wife, and his sister, who resides with him. His residence,
“Vinehurst,” on the Paisley street hill, is one of the most sightly and
pleasant homes in the young and beautiful city of Guelph.
* * * * *
=Ives, Hubert Root=, Montreal, was born in the town of Farmington,
Hartford county, state of Connecticut, United States, on the 15th
September, 1833. His father was at one time a prominent farmer and
breeder of full-blooded stock. In the same county also for a number of
years he held the responsible position of judge of probate in the town
of Farmington, and on resigning the office he removed to New Haven,
Connecticut, when he entered into the manufacture of hardware, and
became after a short time one of the most successful manufacturers of
that busy city. Mr. Ives received his early education at the Hopkins
Grammer School, New Haven, Conn., where he received a full classical
course, after which, unlike most young men, he took a full and complete
commercial training, which fitted him in after life for the large and
various experiences that he passed through as a manufacturer. After
leaving school, young Ives was sent on a lengthy tour through the United
States and Canada, with the object of selecting a suitable place wherein
he could build up for himself a name worthy to be looked upon with
respect and admiration by those who were to follow after him. In 1856
Mr. Ives also travelled extensively over the continent of Europe,
visiting all the capital cities of renown. In 1859 he settled in
Montreal, and became the founder of the large business now carried on by
the firm of H. R. Ives & Co., one of the largest in Canada. The firm,
then known as Ives & Allen, was the first to establish a foundry and
hardware manufactory in Canada, in which was manufactured small
hardware, and the obstacles to be overcome, in order to find a market in
a young country for their productions were very great, but eventually
the perseverance which has ever characterized Mr. Ives, soon prevailed,
and the new venture proved a great success. In the year 1868 he still
further enlarged the firm’s operations by the manufacture of stoves, and
this branch is now a leading feature of their business. The quality of
the work turned out by the firm speaks as a sample of the firm’s work.
We need only point to the fine wrought iron gates and railings which
surround the parliament buildings at Ottawa, which for graceful form and
beauty of design are not surpassed on this continent. When the firm
received the contract from the Grand Trunk Railway for making the
locomotive and car castings, and which necessitated the enlargement of
their already extensive works, the municipality of Longueuil immediately
offered them a bonus of $10,000 and exemption from taxes for ten years,
if they would establish a branch of their foundry in the village of
Longueuil. They at once availed themselves of this offer, and buildings
being promptly erected, the new establishment was soon ready for
business. The new foundry is well worthy of a visit. Its capacity is
such that $200,000 worth of castings can be made in a year, and a great
number of hands are constantly employed in the works. Mr. Ives has been
for a long time a member of the Board of Trade of Montreal; and for many
years sat in its council. Mr. Ives holds the position of honorary
secretary to the Egypt Exploration Fund for the Dominion of Canada. This
society conducts systematic and scientific explorations and excavations
in Egypt, on sites of Biblical and classical interest, under special
powers delegated by the Egyptian government. The officers of this
society are persons of the highest scientific and social standing in
Britain, and most important discoveries have already been made. In early
youth he was an adherent of the Presbyterian church, but is now a member
of the Church of England. He was first married in 1858, to a daughter of
the Rev. Dr. Chester, of Buffalo. This lady died in 1884. In June, 1887,
he was again united in marriage to a daughter of the late Judge Daniell,
judge of the united counties of Prescott and Russell.
* * * * *
=Macdonald, Duncan=, St. John’s, province of Quebec, was born in
Kingston, Ont., on the 24th June, 1815. His father, Major William
Macdonald, was a native of Inverness, Scotland, a captain in the
celebrated “Black Watch,” or 42nd Highlanders, and came to Canada at the
critical period in the history of our country when the war of 1812 was
just beginning. He was attached to the 104th regiment, commanded by
Colonel Drummond, and took a most active part in the campaign which
followed. On his arrival at Halifax, he was ordered at once to the
front, and with his regiment marched from Halifax to Quebec. This was in
the depth of winter, and during the thirty-one days of the march he did
not enter a house but slept in snow banks or such sheltered spots as
could be found. His first battle in this country was at the Windmill
Point, Prescott, and he afterwards participated in the battles of
Lundy’s Lane and Sackett’s Harbor. The Macdonalds came of an old
military family, the captain’s father having been killed at the battle
of Bunker’s Hill, Boston, while fighting with his regiment, which like
his son’s, was the “Black Watch.” The subject of this sketch was
educated at Montreal and Laprairie, taking a commercial course. He then
engaged in the drug business in Montreal for seven years, and afterwards
removed to St. John’s, Que., where, in conjunction with his brother
Edward, in 1837, he started a general store. They dealt largely in
grain, and were soon known as the most extensive shippers of grain in
the province. As the years went on they saw the lack of banking
facilities in the neighborhood, and in 1858, decided to supply this want
and started as private bankers. In 1873, the partnership was dissolved,
Edward retiring therefrom; and then Duncan entered into the manufacture
of stone chinaware, and the business has steadily increased until it has
developed into the now well-known St. John’s Chinaware Factory, which is
to-day the largest of the kind in the Dominion. Under the able
management of Alexander, the son of Duncan Macdonald, the products of
the factory have been brought to great perfection, and have been placed
on exhibition and taken gold medals at Philadelphia, Toronto, Antwerp,
Belgium, and London, England. A recent large addition to the already
extensive works, now enables the firm to give employment to about four
hundred people. Mr. Macdonald has visited Europe twice, and has
travelled extensively in Canada and the United States. He is a justice
of the peace, and mayor of St. John’s, Que. In politics he is a
Conservative, and in religion a Roman Catholic. He was married in 1845,
to Miss De Lisle, daughter of Benjamin De Lisle, Montreal, and has had
issue three children, only one of whom is now living.
* * * * *
=Beaubien, Hon. Louis=, Montreal, born in the city of Montreal, on 27th
July, 1837, is son of Dr. Pierre Beaubien, of the University of Paris.
He is descended from Trottier de Beaubien, who came from St. Martin
d’Ige, in the province of Perche, in France, and settled in Canada near
Three Rivers, in 1650. His father was a professor in the Victoria
Medical School, Montreal, and its president for many years, attending
surgeon to the Montreal gaol and reformatories; and had been elected to
parliament twice, for Montreal in 1841, and for Chambly in 1848. His
mother, Dame Justine Casgrain, was a daughter of Pierre Casgrain,
seigneur of Rivière Ouelle. She had been married first to Dr. A.
Maguire, a surgeon in the British navy. Hon. Louis Beaubien was educated
at the St. Sulpice College, Montreal, and after a successful course of
studies, devoted himself to agriculture and stock-breeding. He entered
political life in 1867, when he was elected for Hochelaga to the Quebec
legislature. He succeeded in defeating successively such opponents as
Mr. Dorion (now Sir A. A. Dorion, chief justice, Queen’s Bench), Victor
Hudon, and others. Mr. Beaubien was elected to the Dominion parliament
in 1872, and held both seats until the year 1874, when he resigned his
seat in the House of Commons on account of the dual representation being
abolished, but retained his seat in the local house. He was elected
speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Quebec, 11th November, 1876,
which position he held until April, 1878. He was re-elected for the same
county in 1878 and again in 1882. But at the last general election in
1886 he declined re-election on account of ill health. Besides his
agricultural pursuits, the Hon. Mr. Beaubien was an active promoter of
the Northern Colonization Railway, which developed into the Quebec,
Montreal, Ottawa and Occidental Railway, now the eastern division of the
Canadian Pacific Railway. He was opposed to the sale of the eastern
branch of the Quebec, Montreal, Ottawa and Occidental Railway, and on
that account, along with the Hon. Dr. Ross, Hon. Mr. de Boucherville,
and other well-known Conservatives, withdrew his confidence from the
Chapleau government. He has taken a great interest in the improvement of
Canadian agriculture. After retiring from politics, he went to France
for his health, and to get an operation performed on the eye of his
eldest son. Being successful in this he came back to Canada, but was
taken again with his former disease which for a time laid him very low.
He has, we are glad to say, now recovered completely, and is as active
as ever working for the establishment of an elevated railway in
Montreal. Hon. Mr. Beaubien is a member of the Provincial Council of
Agriculture of the Ayrshire Breeders’ Association, of the Montreal
Horticultural Society, etc. He married in 1864, Susanna Lauretta,
daughter of Sir Andrew Stuart, chief justice of the Superior Court,
Quebec, and for some time administrator of the province.
* * * * *
=Wright, Philemon.=—The late Mr. Philemon Wright was appropriately
called the “Father of the Ottawa.” He was a native of Woburn, State of
Massachusetts, United States, where he was born in 1760. Mr. Wright
emigrated to this country in the year 1800, and with a steady
perseverance, he determined on ascending the river Ottawa in quest of a
tract of land suitable for an agriculturist. With this object in view,
he steadily penetrated into the country, at a great expense of mental
and bodily exertion, for sixty miles beyond any previous settler, where,
finding a spot adapted for his purpose, he obtained, after many efforts,
and irritating delays, from government, permission to settle upon and
survey the township of Hull, in the county of Ottawa, Lower Canada. This
being accomplished, he went to work with a will characteristic of the
early New England pioneers, and was in a few years rewarded for his toil
and hardships by witnessing a thriving settlement growing up around him.
In furtherance of his agricultural pursuits, he, at a very heavy cost,
imported from Great Britain some of the most approved breeds of cattle,
and thereby contributed in the most efficient manner to promote the
interests of the settlers in that section of the country. He was also
the projector of some of the greatest improvements on the Ottawa. He
died at Hull, C.E., on 2nd June, 1839. He left a numerous offspring, to
all of whom he was endeared by the tenderest ties of affection and
esteem. His epitaph will be recorded in the beautiful and prosperous
settlement of Hull, or, as it was sometimes called, Wrightstown, which
he commenced and lived to see attain a degree of magnitude, where his
name will be long remembered with the highest respect.
* * * * *
=Quinton, William A.=, Fairville, N.B., Farmer and Lumber Dealer, M.P.P.
for the county of St. John, New Brunswick, was born on the 4th April,
1847, in the parish of Lancaster, county of St. John, N.B., and is
descended from a family who has made its mark in the world. In looking
over the history of the early settlers in New Brunswick, we find that
among the party who arrived at the mouth of the St. John river, August
28th, 1762, was Hugh Quinton and wife, and that their son James was
noted as being the first child of the new settlers born here, having
first seen the light in Fort Frederick the evening of their arrival.
Hugh Quinton was born in New Hampshire and had been a soldier in the old
French war. He enlisted when quite a youth, as did many others, but at
that time recruits for military service were enlisted at an early age.
In the Revolutionary war, in some, if not all of the colonies, all who
were sixteen years old were compelled to do military duty. Hugh Quinton
first enlisted from Windham, formerly part of the town of Londonderry,
New Hampshire, March 5th, 1757, in a company in which Hercules Mooney
was captain and Alexander Todd lieutenant, and was discharged March 5th
of the same year. The following spring he again enlisted, April 12th, in
a company in which Alexander Todd was captain, and he was discharged
October 30th. He again enlisted, the following year, for the third time,
on the 11th of March, 1760, and on the 24th of October was discharged
sick, and it is said he went to Albany, N.Y. The expeditions in which he
was engaged were four operations at Crown Point and Fort William Henry,
on the north shore of Lake George. Fort William Henry was captured by
the French and Indians in August, 1757, and out of two hundred New
Hampshire soldiers, eighty were mercilessly slaughtered by the Indians
after they had surrendered. Some of Hugh Quinton’s relatives early
settled not far from Albany, in that part of old Whitehall township
known as Hampton. Among them were Josiah and John Quinton and their
sister Ann, who married a McFarland. In 1806 Josiah removed across the
State line to Fairhaven, in Vermont, a short distance from Hampton.
Fairbank’s History of Fairhaven names a number of descendants. In an old
family bible of the Quinton family it is stated that Hugh Quinton was
born at Cheshire, New Hampshire, in 1741; that Elizabeth Cristy was born
at Londonderry, N.H., 1741, and that they were married in 1761. In the
lower tier of counties of New Hampshire, is one called Cheshire, but the
writer has found no mention of the name of Quinton among early settlers,
but in the town now called Chester, which was originally called
Cheshire, in Rockingham county, was a prominent early settler named
James Quenton. The first settlers of Cheshire or Chester, Londonderry,
Windham and vicinity were mainly Scotch Presbyterians from the North of
Ireland. In the “New Hampshire Provincial Papers,” volume 4, is copied a
petition to the governor from sundry inhabitants of Chester, in 1737,
which states that “the present inhabitants of Chester, aforesaid,
formerly belonged (most of them) to the Kingdom of Scotland and Ireland,
where they were educated in the principles of the Kirk of Scotland, for
which they have great veneration,” and the petition proceeds to refer to
some differences about calling a minister. Among the signers is the name
of James Quenton. He is named again in a list of tax-payers, 1741, and
again in the minutes of the Presbyterian church, Sept. 14, 1753, as
parish clerk. As he is the only Quenton or Quinton named in the full
list of tax-payers at that place, it is reasonable to presume that he
was the father of Hugh Quinton. The latter had two half-brothers named
Jonathan and Joshua. In 1771, a John Quinton is named at Dorchester,
N.H. In the revolution, David Quentin enlisted Oct. 1, 1777, at Windham,
and he is again named in New Hampshire Provincial Papers, vol. 11, in an
order for pay of a soldier’s dues in 1790. After this, the writer has
found no mention of the name of Quinton in copies of New Hampshire
records. Hugh Quinton the St. John pioneer, had sons, James, John, David
and Jesse. In the early days of the settlement of the city, when fears
were entertained of Indians, Hugh Quinton, it is said, was appointed
captain of a militia company, organized for defence of the settlers. In
Hotten’s list of emigrants it is stated that a Henry Quinton, aged 20,
left London, Jan. 2, 1634, for Virginia, and Roger Quintin left London,
July 24, 1635, for the same place. This was about a century before the
name of James Quinton appears in New Hampshire. In the same work is
named Henry Quintyne of Barbadoes as a person to whom were consigned
“convicted rebels” from Bristol, England, in 1679 and 1685. This may be
the same “Henry Quinton of Barbadoes” named in a will of Samuel Spicer
of Boston, Dec. 24, 1664, who speaks of him as “my loving father-in-law,
Henry Quinton.” This will is quoted in the New England Historical and
Genealogical Register, volume 16, page 330. In the New Hampshire
records, the name of this family is given by town and parish clerks as
Quinton, Quenton, Quanton and Quentin. The latter was probably the
spelling when the name was first introduced into England as a surname,
and it eventually became Anglicized to Quinton. It appears to belong to
that class of surnames brought into England about the time of William
I., derived from French towns or places. The town of St. Quentin in
Picardy was so called in honor of Quentin, an early Christian martyr.
Sir Walter Scott names the leading character in his novel of Quentin
Durward for this saint. The first or founder of the Quentin family in
England was Sir Herbert St. Quentin, a companion in arms of William the
Conqueror, who granted him the manor of Skipsey and other lands in
county Notts. Sir Herbert St. Quentin, a grandson, was summoned to
parliament in 1294, and had two daughters; first Elizabeth and second
Lora, who eventually became sole heir and married Robert de Grey of
Rothersfield. The barony of St. Quentin passed through Grey, Fitzhugh
and Parr to the Earl of Pembroke, descending from William St. Quentin,
eldest surviving son of Edward II., and fourth in descent from the
founder of the county. The last baron was Sir William St. Quentin, who
died 1795, when the baronetcy became extinct. His nephew, Wm. Thomas
Darby, of Sunbury, Middlesex, was his heir, and upon succeeding to the
estates, assumed the surname and arms; he was succeeded by his son,
Matthew Chitty Downes St. Quentin. There appears to have been several
branches of this family beside the above direct line, which show the
gradual changing of the name from St. Quentin to Quentin and Quinton.
The arms and crest of the different branches are given in both Burke’s
and Fairbanks’ Armory of families of Great Britain and Ireland. The arms
and crest of the first of the family, Sir Herbert, is thus given; Arms:
Or, three chevronels, gu. a chief vair. Crest: Out of a ducal coronet
gu. A pearise, ppr., on the top of a fluted column between two horns,
or. A representation of the crest of the “Quintons of England” is given
in Fairbank’s Armory, and it is thus described: “An arm, in armour,
couped, embowered, in hand, a sword, ppr.” Mr. Quinton, the subject of
our sketch, is the son of James Quinton, who was a farmer and the
leading contractor and builder in St. John, and served two terms in the
New Brunswick legislature, and was one of the first confederate members.
His mother was named Elizabeth Tilley. Young Quinton received his
educational training in the city of St. John; and when only twenty years
of age, having begun early in life to take an interest in military
affairs, enlisted in the militia, and has since kept up his interest in
militia life, being now major in the force. For four years he has been
member of the city council; and for five years he was a member of the
municipal council. In 1882 he entered political life, and was returned
as member for the county of St. John, N.B., and has since represented
that county in the New Brunswick legislature. Over eighteen years ago he
joined the Masonic order; and is also connected with the Orange order.
He has travelled extensively through the United States, and during the
late war visited the Southern States. In religion, Mr. Quinton is an
adherent of the Episcopal church; and in politics, a Liberal. He was
married 6th December, 1877, to Kate, daughter of R. R. Allan, of
Carleton, St. John, N.B. Mr. Quinton resides on the old family
homestead, and follows the business of farming and dealing in lumber.
* * * * *
=Chagnon, Hon. Hubert Wilfred=, residing in the town of St. John’s, in
the district of Iberville, Judge of the Superior Court of the province
of Quebec, now retired, was born in the parish of Verchères, district of
Montreal, on the 22nd of March, 1833, from the marriage of Eloi Chagnon,
farmer, of said parish, with Justine Brousseau. He followed a classical
course of study at the College of Montreal, and was articled as a law
student in November, 1852, under Forréol Pelletier, then a practising
advocate in Montreal, and since assistant judge of the Superior Court in
Montreal. He followed the course of the law faculty, under the
professorship of Maximilien Bibaud, at the Jesuits’ College, in
Montreal, and was admitted to the bar in November, 1855. He remained in
the office of Mr. Pelletier, practising with him, up to July, 1856, when
he entered into partnership with A. Papineau, then practising advocate
in St. Hyacinthe, and now a judge in the Superior Court in Montreal In
December, 1857, he left Mr. Papineau, and took a partnership with L. V.
Sicotte, then practising advocate in St. Hyacinthe, and practised with
him up to 1863, when Mr. Sicotte was appointed judge of the Superior
Court of Quebec. Since then he went into partnership with Mr. Sicotte’s
son, and during a certain time with Magloire Lanctot, since a district
magistrate for the district of St. Hyacinthe, and finally he was
appointed a judge of the Superior Court of Quebec province on 27th
September, 1873. He administered justice in the district of Iberville
from 27th September, 1873, to November, 1887, when, on account of
ill-health, he was obliged to retire, with the ordinary pension. He is,
and has always been, an adherent of the Roman Catholic church. He was
married, in January, 1858, to Marie Elizabeth Varin, daughter of Jean
Baptiste Varin, registrar of the county of Laprairie, in the district of
Montreal.
* * * * *
=Chapleau, Hon. Joseph Adolphe=, Q.C., LL.D., M.P. for Terrebonne,
Secretary of State for Canada, was born at Ste. Therese de Blainville,
in the county of Terrebonne, province of Quebec, on the 9th November,
1840. His ancestors emigrated from France, and were among the early
settlers, of the seigniory of Terrebonne; but the father of Mr. Chapleau
was an humble, hard-working mechanic, of whom the son was not ashamed,
and who instilled into the latter principles of honor and devotion to
duty. From the earliest age the boy displayed a taste for learning, and
his mind was so active that means were found to put him to school, where
he grounded himself in the elements of grammar. Thence he was sent to
the neighbouring village of Terrebonne, where a college had been
established by Madame Masson, mother of the ex-lieutenant-governor of
the province of Quebec, and where he pursued his studies until
transferred to St. Hyacinthe, and put through a course which left its
impression on the whole of his subsequent career. On leaving college he
wended his way to Montreal, in search of a profession suitable to a
youth of his tastes and aptitudes. He chose the law, and, encouraged by
his success, devoted himself to criminal practice, acquiring a position
therein which set him, within a short time, in the highest rank among
his youthful associates. But this was not sufficient for his buoyant
nature. He launched into politics at the age of nineteen, mounting the
hustings with assurance, and maintaining himself thereon in the midst of
the most violent campaigns. He went further, and took up the pen in
defence of his political views and principles. With a couple of
congenial spirits he founded a newspaper called _Le Colonisateur_, and
for three years used its columns in an attempt to reach those readers
whom his voice could not attain. From these very beginnings Mr. Chapleau
made his mark, and the political leaders soon foretold that he would
lose no time in taking high rank. His physical appearance was in his
favor. Tall, well built, with a shapely head, wavy black hair thrown
back over his neck like a plume, a musical, flexible voice, an abundance
of animal energy, a fearless spirit that shrank from no difficulty, he
readily placed himself at the head of his companions, with their full
acquiescence, and as if by natural right. Another advantage which the
future statesman enjoyed at the opening of his career was that he found
himself the representative of the young men coming after the radicalism
of 1848, when the French revolution of that year had its echo on this
side, and the cry of annexation rang through the whole of Lower Canada.
This period of acute crisis was followed by a long term of bewilderment
and unrest, called the decade of transition, when party lines were only
faintly drawn, because every one felt that there should be a reunion of
all forces in order to insure the future of the common country. From
1860 to the year of Confederation the young men kept on growing in the
school of strife and trial, but none grew more perceptibly, and with
fuller promise of future strength, than the subject of this sketch. His
opportunity came at length, and he was not slow to seize it. In 1867 the
British North America Act proclaimed to the world a new nation, and the
province of Quebec, without knowing it, and almost in spite of herself,
entered into full possession of her autonomy. She was presented with her
own lieutenant-governor; her own legislature, consisting of two Chambers
and a long scroll of rights and privileges, which practically made the
people of French Canada their own masters. The general election took
place, and Mr. Chapleau, going straight into his native county, asked to
be made its first representative in the Provincial parliament. He was
returned by acclamation, and retained the seat till 1882, through the
ordeal of at least a half-dozen elections. That first session at Quebec
was a memorable one, with such members as Chauveau—a man of high temper
and noble spirit—as premier; Joly, the political Bayard, as leader of
the opposition; Cartier, Langevin, Irvine, Chapais, Marchand, and others
of hardly less note. In such a presence the representative of Terrebonne
took his place, at the age of seven and twenty. Within a few hours he
arose, and the eyes of a crowded house were fastened upon him, as he
proceeded to discharge the honorable function of moving the Address in
reply to the Speech from the Throne. His first effort settled his
position at once, both as an orator and a public man, and thenceforth
the legislative career of Mr. Chapleau was secure. He went along quietly
for several years, making himself acquainted with the new order of
things under Confederation, when the province took an upward bound, and
everything revived—business, agriculture, literature, and the national
spirit—imbuing himself with the principle of practical politics,
whereby the development of the country’s material resources should be
fostered. The time came soon when he was called upon to apply these
schemes in a higher sphere, and another forward step was taken. Mr.
Chapleau was sworn in of the Executive Council, and appointed
Solicitor-General in the beginning of 1873, with the sanction of his
whole party and the approval of his political adversaries. And away, in
a quiet London street, and on a bed of sickness from which he was never
to rise, Sir George Cartier heard of the promotion, and wrote that it
was no more than the reward of merit. The great man, who was the friend
of young men, and who took pains to train them in public life, was
comforted at the last with the thought that one of his favorites had
entered on the paths of responsible office. But this new period, from
1873 to 1879, was a stormy one, and not the least exciting incident was
the defence, at Winnipeg, by Mr. Chapleau, of Lépine and other
Half-breeds, implicated in the North-West troubles of that period. In
September, 1874, the Ouimet government went down on the outcry about the
Tanneries Land Swap, and Mr. Chapleau, after a vigorous defence of his
conduct in a public speech, withdrew into private life. But in January,
1876, he was recalled as provincial secretary, and remained in office
till the disruption of the Boucherville cabinet, by Governor Letellier
de St. Just, in 1878. Another opportunity was here afforded, of which he
took prompt advantage. In a mass meeting, held in Montreal, he was
chosen leader of the Conservative party and of the Opposition, and at
once set to work to prepare the way for the downfall of the Joly
ministry. This he accomplished within a little beyond the year. In
October, 1879, Mr. Joly resigned, and his opponent was summoned to form
a government, which he at once did, adding to his position as first
minister the department of Agriculture and Public Works. The same tact,
energy, and general ability which he displayed as leader of the
Opposition, where the best qualities of a public man are tested, Mr.
Chapleau manifested as head of the government, and lost no time in
turning to a business policy. The chief measure of his administration
was the sale of the North Shore railway, to relieve the exchequer of the
province. The subject gave rise to violent debates, and led to a
division in the Conservative party itself, but subsequent events have
justified it in a measure, and effectually removed the danger of a
powerful corporation being turned into a mere party machine, with
nameless resources of corruption. The general elections came on in 1881,
and Mr. Chapleau swept the province, carrying fifty-three seats out of
sixty-five. This seemed to crown his provincial career, and the project
long cherished by his friends of his promotion from Quebec to Ottawa was
urged upon him with great force. Strong objections were adduced on the
other hand, however, and Mr. Chapleau was warned against taking a false
step; but there is reason to believe that the state of his health,
shattered by the wearing and worrying labors of the previous two years,
turned the scales at the end. In the summer of 1882 Mr. Chapleau
resigned his position, as prime minister, and accepted the portfolio of
State in the government of Sir John Macdonald. It is only those who are
acquainted with the modes, the habits, and the general situation of
French Canada who can measure the difference existing between Quebec and
Ottawa. Many of Mr. Chapleau’s critics foretold that he would be out of
place in his new field; that the showy qualities which had won him so
much distinction and power among his own people would go for very little
with the cool, practical politicians of the Dominion capital, and that
while he was supreme in the provincial arena, he would prove only third
or fourth rate in the federal competition. Our readers can judge for
themselves how far these predictions were fulfilled. Foes will agree
with friends in stating, as a simple matter of justice, that the
influence of Mr. Chapleau has not waned since he became a member of the
Queen’s Privy Council for Canada. On the contrary, he increased his
strength before the whole country by the bold and consistent stand which
he took in the Riel affair. None but those who know the French Canadian
people, how they are attached to their race, some of them cherishing the
odd feeling that they are not treated with becoming justice and respect
by the other elements of the population, and none but those who dwelt in
the province at this time, and witnessed the morbid excitement, the
hopes, the fears, the anxiety which prevailed throughout the whole
crisis, can have the faintest notion of the gravity of the situation.
Against this universal outburst Mr. Chapleau, with his two Quebec
colleagues, had to make a stand, and in the large Montreal district,
over which he has recognized control, he was obliged to bear the brunt
of the onset alone. All agencies were set to bear against him. At first
he was tempted and cajoled. If he put himself at the head of the
movement, all parties would join in his wake, and he would be the master
and idol of the province. Then intimidation was hinted at. If he
ventured to set his foot in Montreal, he would be hooted and mobbed.
There were several weeks, after the meeting in the Champ de Mars, when
the tide of passion ran high, argument was useless, and but for the good
sense and honest purpose of the best classes, a serious rupture might
have ensued. From their point of view this indignation was natural, and
it was respectable, springing from motives of injured patriotism, and
aggravated by the definite promises which the party papers published,
even on the eve of the unfortunate man’s execution. There are two sides
to every question of this kind, and the readers in Ontario and the other
provinces should take the particular circumstances into consideration in
judging of the movement which almost rent the province of Quebec
asunder. The record is that the Secretary of State remained calm and
collected through it all. Knowing his people as he does, he understood
all that he was risking, and the bright prospects which his ambition was
throwing away; but, on the other hand, he seems to have seen his duty
clear from the start, and, like a man, he did it. Without being defiant,
he was fearless throughout. And he was outspoken. In a letter addressed
to his countrymen, on the 28th November, 1885, he broaches the question
face to face, saying that his oath of office was inviolable, even at the
risk of losing friendships and emoluments, and that he had the profound
conviction of the injustice of what was demanded of him as detrimental
to the best understood interests of the province. “I saw,” he adds, “as
a logical consequence of this movement, the isolation of French
Canadians, causing an antagonism of race, provoking retaliation,
combats, and disasters. I felt that there was more courage in breasting
the current than in drifting with it, and, without failing in my duty, I
let pass the misguided crowd who overwhelmed me with the names of
traitor and poltroon.” The letter then goes on to discuss the whole
question in all its bearings, and coming from a statesman, on his
defence, who was acquainted with even the most secret details of the
controversy, it possesses an intrinsic value which future historians
will not overlook. Mr. Chapleau closes with these brave words: “My
conscience tells me that I have failed, in this instance, neither to my
Maker, nor to my Sovereign, nor to my countrymen. . . . I have served my
native land, as a parliamentarian, for eighteen years with joy and
pride. I shall continue to do it on one sole condition, that of keeping
my freedom, with no other care than my honor and my dignity.” In other
respects, as minister of the Crown at Ottawa, Mr. Chapleau may be said
to have pressed hard the claims of his province in the cabinet and in
parliament, and in certain cases he is charged with having done so at
the risk of serious dissensions in the ministerial ranks. Here, as
elsewhere throughout, the difficulties of the French Canadian province
must be taken into account, and many things, very well meant from that
point of view, are quite inexplicable when judged according to Saxon
standards. Very few, if any, among partizan writers, will refuse Mr.
Chapleau the quality of statesmanship, however they may differ on the
principles that actuate it, or the results which it is likely to
accomplish. But on the question of eloquence there can hardly be two
opinions. He is a born orator, with almost all the physical gifts which
go to the making of the perfect master of speech. A volume of his
speeches has just been published, a perusal of which gives the further
assurance of solidity, logical reasoning, rhetorical taste, and generous
sentiment. To the persons who have the pleasure of his acquaintance he
is the accomplished gentleman, lettered and sociable, full of agreeable
information, and willing to oblige. Having married, on the 25th
November, 1874, Marie Louise, a daughter of Lieutenant-Colonel King, of
Sherbrooke, Mr. Chapleau is thoroughly conversant with the English, and,
indeed, uses it in public speeches with judgment and fluency. As he is
still a young man, there is reason to hope that he may long be spared to
serve his country, and, while naturally leaning a little to his own
Quebec, devote his fine gifts to the welfare of the Dominion at large.
* * * * *
=Magnan, Adolphe=, Notary Public, Joliette, Quebec province, was born at
Berthier (_en haut_). His father, J. B. Magnan, was a brave and honest
farmer of that place, and his mother was Marie Louise Raymond. The
subject of this sketch was educated at the College of L’Assomption,
where he took a classical course of studies. L’Assomption College, it
may be mentioned, has given to the church and state many eminent men.
Mr. Magnan entered college in 1838, and left it in 1845. In November of
the same year he entered as a student in the office of Firmin Perrin, a
notary at Berthier, and in 1847 left this place for Montreal, where he
engaged in the office of Mr. Denis Emery Papineau, who was then
practising in partnership with the late Pierre Lamothe. He was received
as a notary in 1850, and shortly afterwards settled in the village of
L’Industrie, now the town of Joliette. Mr. Magnan created for himself in
a short time an excellent practice as a notary and as a man of business.
He was soon appreciated as a laborious, honest and conscientious notary,
and commanded public confidence on account of his legal knowledge
acquired under so distinguished a patron as D. E. Papineau. He, in
company with Dr. Michel S. Boulet, founded in 1851, at Joliette, the St.
Jean Baptiste Society, of which he was for several years the president.
Mr. Magnan was official assignee for the Joliette district, under the
acts of 1869 and 1875, and also occupied the position of justice of the
peace for the same district. He was member also of the board of notaries
for the province of Quebec, as well as councillor for the town of
Joliette, and acting mayor for some time. Mr. Magnan has been agent for
the Seigneurial lands of Tarrieu, Joliette and Taillant, in the old
seigniory of Lavaltrie, for more than thirty years; and was also agent
for the seigniory of Daillebout and Ramsay. He practises as a notary at
Joliette, in partnership with Alexis Cabana; and has been notary to the
Bank of Hochelaga at Joliette, since 1874, the date the bank was first
opened at this place. Mr. Magnan is a Liberal in politics. Since 1854 he
has taken an active part in electoral struggles on behalf of that party.
He has always refused to become a candidate, preferring to remain
quietly at home. Mr. Magnan has been twice married, his first wife
having been Aurelie Blanchard. His second wife is Marie Louise Lefleur,
who bore him three children. Albina, his daughter, is married to Dr.
Louis L. Anger, of Great Falls, New Hampshire, U.S.; Arthur and Rosario,
his sons, are both engaged in Montreal in the hardware trade.
* * * * *
=Jones, Rev. Septimus=, M.A., Rector of the Church of the Redeemer,
Toronto, Ont., was born June 4th, 1830, at Portsmouth, county Hants,
England. He is the seventh son of Rev. James Jones, a presbyter of the
English church, and of Esther Budge, both natives of England. Rev. Mr.
Jones received his preparatory education at the city of London School,
England; and in 1848, the family having removed to Canada, he
matriculated at the University of Bishop’s College, Lennoxville, in the
province of Quebec. Having graduated in arts, and finished the
theological course in 1853, he filled for a year the position of
classical master in the St. John’s High School, P.Q. In 1854 he was
ordained deacon by Bishop Fulford of Montreal, and preached the
following Sunday in the cathedral, and in St. George’s Church, of which
Bishop Bond, of Montreal, was then assistant minister under Venerable
Archdeacon Leach. His first charge was the mission of Cape Cove and
Percé, in the district of Gaspé, P.Q. In 1854, the only mode of reaching
that remote region, some five hundred miles below Quebec, was by means
of small schooners, in the fish carrying trade, the passage occupying
from three days to three weeks, and the fare, meals included was
$5,—and dear even at that price. The field was unpromising. The people
of the coast were given over to drunkenness, and a very low tone of
morality prevailed. Education, too, was at a very low ebb, and the
people were split up into factions. His nearest clerical neighbor was
forty miles distant on the one side, and sixty on the other. Mr. Jones
gave two hours each morning to the school. The Sunday’s work at Cape
Cove was, at 8 a.m. Sunday school; 10 a.m. morning service; 2:30 p.m.
Sunday school at Percé, nine miles distant, and had to travel this
distance often on foot owing to the state of the roads; 3:30 p.m.
afternoon service; and 7 p.m. evening service at Cape Cove. Cottage
lectures each week evening from house to house. The diet was almost
exclusively salt cod and potatoes; but on Sundays beef or mutton was
served. The mail came in once a week in summer and once a fortnight in
winter. Such is a fair specimen of a missionary’s life in those days. In
1855 Mr. Jones was admitted to the order of presbyter by Bishop Mountain
of Quebec. In the following year, his health having suffered from
overwork and the rigor of the climate (the snow lying from November to
the middle of May), he was removed to Quebec and appointed incumbent of
St. Peter’s Church in that city. In 1859, he went to Philadelphia,
Penn., where he was appointed rector of the Church of the Redeemer; but
in 1861, there being at the time imminent danger of war between Great
Britain and the United States, he returned to Canada. After filling, as
a temporary appointment, the position of assistant minister of St.
Thomas’ Church, Belleville, Ontario, he was appointed the first rector
of Christ Church in that city. In 1870 he was chosen as the first rector
of the Church of the Redeemer, Toronto, which since then has enjoyed a
large measure of prosperity. The present handsome edifice of stone, next
in seating capacity to St. James’ Cathedral, was erected in 1879,
opposite the north gate of Queen’s Park, one of the choicest sites in
the city of Toronto. Rev. Mr. Jones acted for some years as inspector of
schools in Belleville, and subsequently as one of the board of
Intermediate Examiners in Ontario. He has also been connected with
Wycliffe College, since its inception, as one of the council, and as a
teacher, chiefly of the subject of apologetics. He has acted in the
capacity of chaplain for the St. George’s societies, in Quebec,
Belleville, and Toronto. He takes an active part in the work of the
Anglican Synod, and, owing to his administrative ability, he is always a
member of its principal standing and special committees; and he took the
chief part in the preparation of that most useful handy-book, “The
Churchwarden’s Manual,” and was the author of the canon on the
superannuation fund, passed at the 1887 session of the Diocesan Synod.
In the Ministerial Association of Toronto he is greatly interested, and
seldom fails to attend its meetings; and also, when occasion calls, he
is found advocating every movement having for its object the spiritual
and moral improvement of the people. On the 28th April, 1862, Mr. Jones
married Catherine Eliza Bruce Hutton, youngest daughter of the late
William Hutton, secretary to the Bureau of Agriculture. The issue of the
marriage has been eight children, two of whom died in infancy.
* * * * *
=Payan, Paul=, St. Hyacinthe, Quebec province, is a member of the firm
of Duclos & Payan, Tanners, Manufacturers of buff, split-leather, shoe
stock and curriers’ grease. He is the son of Louis Payan and Sophie
Susanne Beranger, and was born the 14th day of February, 1840, in the
city of Mens, department de l’Isère, France. At the early age of twelve
he entered as apprentice in a tailoring establishment. In 1854, when the
Crimean war broke out, his father, who had served under Napoleon the
1st, and accompanied the emperor in most of his campaigns, decided to
send his two sons to America, feeling unwilling to expose them to the
hardship of war, as his eldest son had attained the age of conscription.
On the 7th of July they left for Havre, from which seaport they sailed
for New York, leaving behind them their father and mother to dispose of
their business of smallwares and stationery. After forty-six days’
sailing, the _Arlington_ dropt her anchor in the bay of New York. Then
began their anxieties, greatly increased by the fact that they could not
understand the language of the country. Abused by overcharges in a
hotel, and threatened by bullies, they passed out into the street where
they wandered the whole night. It was only at the close of the next day
that they bought their tickets for Champlain by boat to Albany; and
after many troubles, baggages lost, delays, and disappointment of all
kinds, they landed at Rouse’s Point, where sad news awaited them. A
sister, the wife of the Rev. Mr. Charbonnel, then living at Roxton, had
gone to her rest a few weeks before. His elder brother soon got
employment in a carpenter’s shop, and Paul Payan entered as an
apprentice in a tin shop; but soon discovering it would take a life-time
to make a mere living, he followed the advice of his brother-in-law;
gave up tailoring and the tinsmith business, and concluded an engagement
with the owner of a small tannery. He soon passed to a larger leather
establishment at Roxton Falls, and later on came to St. Pie and St.
Hyacinthe. By that time he had learned his trade and made some money. He
was married to Louisa Tenny, but having to support his young family, and
his father and mother, who arrived in America a year after their son,
his capital did not accumulate very fast. He made two unsuccessful
attempts at starting a tannery business at Roxton Pond and at St.
Hyacinthe. He then went into the bark business, but freight being high,
he reduced its bulk by planing it thin; and was the first to send to the
State of Massachusetts pressed bark. Competition having soon reduced the
profit to a minimum, he gave this up, and went into the grocery business
in Granby. After the death of his wife, he left Granby and became an
agent for J. Daigneau, in an extensive and remunerative bark business.
While in his employ he met with an accident, having broken his leg.
After another attempt at bark business with a young friend, he came back
to a long cherished idea of starting a tannery. With this object in
view, he visited the western part of the United States and Canada; but
finding no more advantages there than in the province of Quebec, he
returned, and was married to his second wife, Olympe Duclos. In 1873 he
formed a partnership with his brother-in-law, Silas Duclos, and began to
put up a building of 75 feet long. In 1879 he bought Cotes’ tannery, and
in 1882 doubled its capacity, which now employs 120 hands.
Notwithstanding severe losses through failures, Mr. Payan grew in wealth
and influence. In 1880 he was elected city councillor, which position he
held till 1884, when he resigned. It was during his wise administration
that the city of St. Hyacinthe underwent many improvements, that a
public park was planned, a fire engine house and police station built, a
more efficient fire service organized, the granite mill and a large shoe
factory started, and a gas company put on a working footing. In 1881 Mr.
Payan visited Europe in the interest of his business, seeking a new
market for their manufactured goods. He is a worthy offshoot of a most
faithful Huguenot family, was born and educated a Protestant, and is
still a strong, quiet, unostentatious and consistent professor of the
Presbyterian church of Canada.
* * * * *
=Wells, Hon. Rupert Mearse=, Toronto, Barrister, was born in Prescott
county, Ontario, on the 25th November, 1835. He is descended, on the
paternal side, from an English family, members of which emigrated to
America, and settled in the town of Scituate, in the state of Rhode
Island, towards the end of the seventeenth century. His
great-grandfather, James Wells, came to Canada during the American
revolutionary war. James Pendleton Wells, the father of the subject of
our sketch, was born in Montreal, in 1803, and while a young man removed
to the county of Prescott, where he resided for upwards of fifty years.
He took an active and prominent part in public and political affairs,
and for many years, until he was appointed sheriff, was the recognized
leader of the Reform party in that county. Few men in that district were
more widely known or more generally respected than Sheriff Wells. His
wife was Emily Hamilton Cleveland, a native-born Canadian of
Scotch-English descent. Hon. Mr. Wells, the subject of our sketch,
received his educational training at home and at Brockville, and in 1850
was sent to the University of Toronto. Here he won the Jameson gold
medal for history, and was silver medallist in ethics. Graduating B.A.
in 1854, he began the study of law with Alexander McDonald, then one of
the firm of Blake, Connor, Morrison & McDonald, leading barristers in
Toronto, and on the completion of his law course, was called to the bar
of Upper Canada, Trinity term, 1857. He then removed to L’Orignal, the
county town of the united counties of Prescott and Russell. Mr. Wells
remained here for about three years, during which time, in addition to
his professional duties, he edited and published _The Economist_
newspaper. Removing to Toronto, in 1860, he associated himself with the
Hon. Edward Blake in the law business—the firm name being Blake, Kerr &
Wells. A dissolution of this partnership having taken place in 1870, he
formed another with Angus Morrison, Q.C., who for several years was
mayor of Toronto, the new firm being known by the name of Morrison,
Wells & Gordon. On the death of Mr. Morrison, a few years ago, a change
took place in the firm, and now Mr. Wells carries on his law business in
partnership with Angus MacMurchy, B.A., under the name of Wells &
MacMurchy, barristers, 110 King street west. In 1871 Mr. Wells was
appointed to the office of county attorney for York county and Toronto
city, but this office he only held for about a year when he resigned, to
become the Reform candidate for the South Riding of Bruce, for which
constituency he was elected to the Ontario legislature in October, 1872.
Shortly after entering the house, on the resignation of the Hon. J. G.
Currie, 7th January, 1872, he was elected Speaker, and this high and
honorable position he held until the dissolution of the parliament. He
was elected to the same office on 23rd November, 1875, and held it until
January, 1880. In 1882 he resigned his seat in the Ontario legislature,
and was elected to represent East Bruce in the House of Commons. This
seat he held until the general election of 1887, when he failed to
secure his re-election. The Hon. Mr. Wells is now solicitor for the
Canadian Pacific Railway. In politics he is a staunch Reformer.
* * * * *
=Stuart, Sir Andrew=, Knight, Quebec, is the distinguished Chief Justice
of the Superior Court of the province of Quebec, and one of the most
eminent of living Canadian jurists. Chief Justice Stuart may be said to
have been “to the manner born,” and to have inherited the profound legal
abilities, and splendid judicial mind, which make him one of the
greatest ornaments of the Lower Canadian bench. “_Bon chien tient de
race_” is a favorite French-Canadian maxim, which seems to have much
application to his case. Legal and judicial talent runs, so to say, in
his blood. His father, the late Andrew Stuart, Q.C., of Quebec, was her
Majesty’s solicitor-general for Lower Canada, just before the union, and
one of the most brilliant and remarkable lawyers of his day. Sir James
Stuart, baronet, one of the most conspicuous figures in Canadian
history, and for many years chief justice of the Court of Queen’s Bench
for Lower Canada, was another member of the gifted family, as was also
the late Hon. George O’Kill Stuart, for some years one of the
representatives of the city of Quebec in parliament, and, at the time of
his death, judge of her Majesty’s Vice-Admiralty Court at the port of
Quebec. Our distinguished subject’s patronymic indicates his Scottish
extraction. He was born at Quebec, on the 16th June, 1812, and was
educated at Chambly, P.Q., in the Rev. Mr. Parkin’s school, which was
conducted under the auspices of the Lord Bishop of Quebec. After the
usual course of legal study in those days, he was called, in 1834, to
the Quebec bar, and rapidly rose to distinction among his brethren of
the long robe. On his father’s death, he succeeded to the most of his
extensive and lucrative practice, and became the trusted adviser of the
leading merchants and business men of the ancient capital, his services
being retained in nearly all the important cases which came before the
Quebec courts during the next twenty years. In 1854, he was raised to
the dignity of a Q.C., in recognition of his eminent professional
talents, and in the course of the same year he was also appointed a
commissioner to consolidate the Statutes of Canada. In 1859, on the
appointment of the late Hon. Justice Morin, as a member of the
codification commission, he was named an assistant judge of the Superior
Court for Lower Canada, and appointed a puisné judge of the same court
at Quebec, on the death of Hon. Justice Chabot, in 1860. In 1874, he was
offered a seat in the Court of Queen’s Bench for the province of Quebec,
but declined it, and in March, 1885, on the retirement of Sir William
Collis Meredith, he was elevated to the more important position of chief
justice of the Superior Court for the province of Quebec, which he still
fills, with honor to himself, satisfaction to the bar, and benefit to
the country. In fact, Sir Andrew Stuart is one of the most popular, as
he is also one of the most eminent, of the Lower Canadian judiciary.
Throughout his career at the bar, his practice was so extensive that he
may be said to have had no time to take any part in politics. At all
events, he never adventured actively on that stormy sea, and, even to
this day, his party proclivities, if he can be stated to have any,
remain in doubt, so evenly did he hold, and has always held, the
balance. This marked characteristic, together with his exalted office as
chief justice, naturally pointed him out as the fit and proper person to
represent the Crown on different occasions in the province of Quebec,
and during the illness of Lieut.-Governor Masson, he was appointed
provincial administrator, in April, 1886, and again in February, 1887,
acquitting himself on both occasions of his high and delicate trust with
a tact and impartiality which won golden opinions from all political
parties in the province. On the 9th May, 1887, Chief Justice Stuart
received, in the honor of knighthood, from her Majesty, a mark of his
Sovereign’s appreciation of his eminent services, in which the whole
country rejoiced, and none more so than the people of Quebec, his native
city and home. Although now past the scriptural three score and ten, Sir
Andrew is still a hale and vigorous man, with well preserved powers of
mind and body, and doubtless has yet many years of public usefulness
before him. On the bench, he is a model of dignity in his demeanor and
lucidity in his judgments, and especially kind to the younger
practitioners before him. In private life, he is essentially the
well-bred gentleman, noted for his affability, geniality, and the
old-time courtliness of his manners. In 1842, he married Elmire Aubert
de Gaspé, a daughter of the late Philip Aubert de Gaspé, seigneur of St.
Jean Port Joly, and a member of one of the oldest and most aristocratic
French families of Lower Canada, who received large grants of land from
the French kings before the conquest. One of Mrs. Stuart’s sisters is
the wife of Hon. Charles Alleyn, formerly commissioner of public works
in the government of Canada, and at present sheriff of Quebec; and
another is the widow of the late Hon. William Power, in his lifetime a
judge of the Superior Court of Quebec. By his marriage, Sir Andrew has
had issue eight children, four sons and four daughters. One of the
former, Henry McNab Stuart, now in British Columbia, is a barrister by
profession. His second son, Andrew Charles Stuart, now deceased, was
also a barrister, and for many years the popular lieut.-colonel and
commanding officer of the 8th battalion of Quebec Royal Rifles. A third
son, Gustavus G. Stuart, is a prominent and successful practitioner at
the Quebec bar, and one of the legal firm of which Sir A. P. Caron,
Dominion minister of militia, is also a member. His eldest daughter,
Lauretta Stuart, is the wife of Hon. Louis Beaubien, of Montreal,
formerly M.P.P. for Hochelaga, and speaker of the Legislative Assembly
of Quebec. Another daughter, Maud Margaret, is the wife of William G.
Lemesurier, and now in India with her husband. Sir Andrew Stuart is a
member of the Church of England.
* * * * *
=Dorion, Hon. Sir Antoine Aimé=, Knight, Montreal, Chief Justice of the
Province of Quebec, was born at Ste. Anne de la Pérade, district of
Three Rivers, on the 17th January, 1818. He is a son of Pierre Antoine
Dorion, who was a member of the House of Assembly for Lower Canada for
the county of Champlain, prior to the troubles of 1835 and 1837, and
Genevieve Bureau, his wife. He is a grandson of P. Bureau, who sat in
the Assembly for the county of St. Maurice, and nephew of Hon. Jacques
O. Bureau, who is a Senator for DeLorimer division. The subject of this
sketch received an excellent education at Nicolet College. After a
course of study in law he was called to the bar of Lower Canada,
January, 1842; was appointed a Q.C. in 1863, and created a knight in
1877. He has occupied a distinguished position at the bar; was elected
several times _bâtonnier_ of the Montreal bar, and was also
_bâtonnier-general_ of the bar of the province. He began at an early age
to take an interest in politics, and from 1854 to 1861 he sat in the
Canadian Assembly for Montreal, and for Hochelaga from 1862 until the
union. He represented the same county in the House of Commons until
1872, when he was returned for Napierville, for which he continued to
sit until his elevation to the bench. He was leader of the _Rouge_ or
French Canadian Liberal party of the province of Quebec, from his
entrance into political life until his retirement. In August, 1858, the
Macdonald-Cartier government was succeeded by the Brown-Dorion
administration, when Mr. Dorion became attorney-general. He was sworn in
a member of the Privy Council November 7th, 1873, and was minister of
justice from that date until appointed chief justice of the province of
Quebec. During his career in parliament, he held the offices of
commissioner of crown lands in 1858; provincial secretary from May,
1862, to January, 1863, when he resigned on the Intercolonial Railway
question; attorney-general for Lower Canada, and co-leader of the
government (with Hon. John Sandfield Macdonald as premier), from May,
1863, to March, 1864, when the ministry resigned from office. He acted
as administrator of the province of Quebec, in December, 1876, during
the illness of Lieut.-Governor Caron. He was married, in 1848, to a
daughter of the late Dr. Trestler, of Montreal.
* * * * *
=Tupper, Hon. Sir Charles=, G.C.M.G., C.B., D.C.L., Minister of Finance
for the Dominion of Canada, M.P. for Cumberland, Nova Scotia, was born
at Amherst, N.S., on the 2nd July, 1821. The family is of Hesse-Cassel
origin. After having settled for a time in Guernsey, one of the British
channel islands, the forefathers of the future Canadian minister of
finance, with the object of improving their condition, left for
Virginia, in America, and subsequently, at the termination of the
American revolutionary war, removed, with other United Empire loyalists,
to Nova Scotia, where they settled. The family was also connected with
that of the late Major-General Sir Isaac Brock, the hero of Queenston
heights. His father was the late Rev. Charles Tupper, D.D., of
Aylesford, N.S. Young Tupper received a classical education at Acadia
College, Nova Scotia, and graduated from that institution with the
degrees of M.A. and D.C.L. He subsequently went to Edinburgh, Scotland,
where he studied medicine, and took the degree of M.D., and also
received the diploma of the College of Surgeons of the same city, in
1843. On his return he began the practice of his profession, and soon
succeeded in building up a lucrative business. A man of Dr. Tupper’s
ambitious turn was likely, sooner or later, to take that road which
leads so many men to high public distinction, and probably when he did
so, few men in this country were ever so well equipped for such a
venture. He had a good presence, a hearty, genial address; he had read
widely, observed keenly, and could discourse volubly and captivatingly
upon any topic that arose. His extensive professional practice made him
known to nearly everybody in Cumberland; and he had the tact—as the
time was near that he had chosen for embarkation on public life—to be
less prompt in sending in his accounts, and less rigid in enforcing
payment than heretofore. Indeed, the robust and correct business man
soon attained the name of being generous. Dr. Tupper was always a
Conservative, and for the Conservative party he always expressed his
preferences. But he could not be called a Tory. There was nothing
retrogressive or narrow about him, and he did not care three straws for
custom or tradition if it stood in the way of any condition of affairs
that he considered desirable. In 1855 a general election took place in
Nova Scotia, and, in response to a call from a number of prominent
Conservatives, he offered himself for Cumberland, and was successful.
And successful, too, over an opponent no less redoubtable than the then
great lion of the Reform party, Joseph Howe. Howe was a most generous
opponent. In that contest he did not suppose that he would be defeated,
but he recognised the strength of his young opponent. From hustings to
hustings he went, at each one saying that he had no fear of the result,
but bearing testimony to the power of his opponent, and predicting that
the time was near when he would be heard from, and render a creditable
account of himself. The result of the fight, as we have said, was that
Dr. Tupper was returned to represent his native county in the Nova
Scotia legislature, where the young member for Cumberland at once
attracted notice. As a speaker he was astute, ready, sarcastic, and
often overwhelming, and for downright thunderous strength of style, no
one could come near him. In 1856 he became provincial secretary in the
Hon. James W. Johnston’s administration; in 1858 he went to England on a
mission connected with the Intercolonial Railway; and in 1864 he became
premier, on the retirement of the Hon. Mr. Johnston to the bench. In
1869 he moved the resolutions providing for a conference in Prince
Edward Island to consider a scheme for a maritime union, but that
project was afterwards merged into the larger one, which aimed at a
confederation of the whole of the British North America provinces. In
the confederation movement, Dr. Tupper took a leading part, attending
the Quebec conference, and afterwards going to England when the question
was discussed before the members of the Imperial government. In 1867 he
was created a C.B., and in the same year was invited to take a seat in
the Privy Council of Canada. This he refused, remaining a private member
of the House of Commons till 1870, when he consented to become president
of the council. In 1872 he became minister of inland revenue, and in
1873 minister of customs, which office he was soon obliged to surrender,
by reason of the defeat of the ministry. During the campaign of 1878 he
was like a lion in the fight, and his great battle-cry infused courage
into the hearts of thousands of men who wavered between the two parties.
That year the Liberals were defeated, and Dr. Tupper became minister of
public works till that department was divided, when he took the
portfolio of railways and canals. In 1879 he was created a knight of the
order of St. Michael and St. George. His connection with the Canadian
Pacific Railway is in everybody’s mind. To him more than to any other
man in Canada is due the success of that great enterprise. In 1883 he
was appointed high commissioner of Canada to the Court of St. James in
London, retaining his position as minister of railways and canals. In
this connection, Sir John Macdonald passed an act relieving the
honorable gentleman from penalties under the Independence of Parliament
Act; but after the close of the session of 1884, Sir Charles resigned
his seat in the cabinet, and retained the high commissionership. He,
however, soon re-entered active politics again. He was returned at the
last general election by his old constituency, and was appointed finance
minister on the 27th January, 1887, which office he still holds. Sir
Charles Tupper was appointed executive commissioner for Canada at the
International Exhibition held at Antwerp in 1885, and executive
commissioner at the Colonial and Industrial Exhibition held in London in
1886. At the close of 1887 he was appointed by the Imperial government
to act, in conjunction with the Hon. Joseph Chamberlain, in negotiating
a treaty with the government of the United States of America in relation
to the Canadian fisheries, and the commissioners brought their labors to
a close during the month of February, 1888. While in the Nova Scotian
legislature, Sir Charles introduced and saw carried through many
important measures, which are now bearing good fruit. Among the measures
he introduced into the House of Commons at Ottawa, and saw pass into
law, we may mention the act prohibiting the manufacture and sale of
intoxicating liquors in the North-West Territory, the Consolidation
Railway Act of 1879, the act granting a charter to the Canadian Pacific
Railway Company in 1881, the act of 1884 granting a loan to that
company, the Railway Subsidies Acts of 1883 and 1884, and the act of
1884 respecting an agreement between the province of British Columbia
and the Dominion of Canada. Sir Charles was appointed by Act of
Parliament, in 1862, governor of Dalhousie College, Halifax; and was
president of the Canada Medical Association from its formation in 1867
until 1870, when he declined re-election. In October, 1846, he was
married to Frances Morse, of Amherst.
* * * * *
=Inglis, George=, Owen Sound, Ontario, was born at Inglis Falls, three
miles from Owen Sound, on the 26th July, 1850. He is the second son of
Peter Inglis, who was one of the first pioneers in the town of Owen
Sound, having first arrived there in 1843. The subject of this sketch
was educated at the Owen Sound Grammar School. Leaving school in
January, 1867, he entered his father’s woollen mills, and remained there
three years, during which time he thoroughly mastered the details of the
business. In 1870 he was put in charge of his father’s office, in the
court house, his father at that time holding the position of deputy
clerk of the Crown, clerk of the County Court, and registrar of the
Surrogate Court, and had charge of the office until 1877, when his
father resigned, and he was appointed in his stead. In 1885 he was made
local registrar of the High Court, and in 1886 he also received the
appointment of deputy registrar of the Maritime Court. In 1879 he was
appointed a high school trustee by the county council, which position he
has held ever since. At the present time he fills the position of
chairman of the Board of Education, and has had the honor of being
elected thereto for the last six years in succession. He is the
president of the Cricket Club in the town, and also secretary-treasurer
of the Curling Club. He takes an active interest in secret and
benevolent societies, being a member of the Masonic order, and of the
Independent Order of Odd Fellows, a pastmaster of the Ancient Order of
United Workmen, and a past chancellor of the Knights of Pythias. On
account of holding government offices, Mr. Inglis has never taken an
active part in politics or municipal affairs. He is a Presbyterian, and
a regular attendant at Knox Church, Owen Sound.
* * * * *
=Partridge, Rev. Francis=, M.A., D.D., Rector of St. George’s Church,
Halifax, Secretary of the diocese of Nova Scotia, and late Canon of
Christ Church Cathedral, Fredericton, was born at Dursley,
Gloucestershire, England, on the 2nd April, 1846. He is a son of Charles
Partridge, of the old Gloucestershire family of Partridge, of Wishanger,
near Cirencester. The earliest record of this family dates from _temp._
Richard II. Miles Partridge, esquire of the unfortunate Protector, the
Duke of Somerset, was knighted for his gallant conduct on the field of
Pinkie. William Partridge, the London police magistrate, and Richard
Partridge, the noted surgeon, are of the same stock. His mother is
Catherine Gilmour, of the family of Gilmour, whose seat is at
Craigmillar, near Edinburgh, Scotland. Her grandfather, Colonel James
Lyon Gilmour, was quartermaster-general for many years at Quebec. The
Rev. Mr. Partridge was educated at Lady Berkeley’s Grammar School,
founded in 1300, at Wootton-under-Edge, Gloucestershire. He was a
foundation scholar from 1855 to 1862, and from 1862 to 1864, tutor in
the family of the Rev. Isaac Williams, B.D., a friend of Newman and
Pusey, and one of the original writers of “Tracts for the Times,” and
closely associated with the Oxford Tractarian movement. During 1864 and
1865 he was classical master at the grammar school at Dursley. In 1865
he matriculated at St. Augustine’s College, Canterbury, having been
strongly moved to take up missionary work, and expecting to obtain the
best training for that purpose at this college. He was mission essay and
Whytehead prizeman for Greek Testament in 1866, and also took the first
place in final medical examination, in 1867. After finishing his college
course, he received the appointment of principal of the county Grammar
School at St. Andrew’s, New Brunswick, the duties of which he assumed in
1868. Being too young for ordination, he remained in the school,
prosecuting his theological studies, until June, 1869, when he was
ordained a deacon by the Bishop of Fredericton, the Right Rev. John
Medley, D.D., in the parish church of St. Andrew’s, N.B. He was then
appointed curate of St. Andrew’s, in which position he served the church
for three and a half years, still retaining the mastership of the
school. He was ordained priest in June, 1870, by the same bishop. In
November, 1871, he was unanimously elected rector of Rothesay, Kings
county, N.B., which he accepted, and took up his residence at Easter,
1872. In 1872 he received the degree of hon. M.A. from Trinity College,
Hartford, Conn. In 1876 he was elected secretary of the Diocesan Synod
of Fredericton. About this time he began to take a great interest in
missions, or systematic preachings, and for a continuous period studied
the question, and finally, in 1877, began to give his services in this
direction, holding missions in several parishes in the diocese of
Fredericton. In 1879 he was appointed canon of Christ Church Cathedral,
Fredericton, by the bishop, for his service to the church. In the same
year, the degree of Bachelor of Divinity at King’s College, Windsor,
being thrown open to clergymen of six years standing, on passing the
required examinations, he went to Windsor and passed the examination,
and received that degree in June of the same year. In November, 1881, he
was elected to the parish of St. George, Halifax, N.S., to which
position he went at Easter, 1882, leaving Rothesay and the diocese of
Fredericton with much reluctance. In 1884 he received his degree of D.D.
at King’s College, by special examination, taking the cognate dialects
of the Old Testament, Chaldee, Syriac, and Assyrian, as the subjects of
his theses. In 1884 he was appointed secretary of the diocese of Nova
Scotia, which he still holds, in connection with his parish of St.
George. In 1882 he restored the church, and in 1887 built new schools.
In 1888 he was elected fellow of his own college, St. Augustine’s,
Canterbury, an honor conferred only upon four out of five hundred
alumni, “in consideration of his highly honorable career, and the great
services he has rendered to the Canadian church.” He has been a member
of the Provincial Synod of Canada since 1874, and has served on several
of its committees. In the year 1885-6 the question of the confederation
of the colleges in the province of Nova Scotia was warmly discussed,
and, after mature consideration, he took the side of confederation,
advocating the fusing of King’s and Dalhousie colleges, with removal, if
necessary, of King’s College to Halifax. Though supported by many of the
most earnest and thoughtful churchmen, this scheme was defeated by the
opposition of the graduates of King’s College, who imagined that their
cherished privileges were being betrayed. In spite, however, of Dr.
Partridge’s views on the confederation question, he was unanimously
elected a governor of the college by the Synod of Nova Scotia, in 1886.
He has been divinity examiner for degrees, also for prize essays and in
Hebrew, at the college since 1884, when he was also appointed lecturer
in apologetic theology, delivering six lectures on this subject each
year. He has made canon law a special study, with reference chiefly to
its bearing on the church in this country. But his chief delight is the
study of the Old Testament, in connection with the recent discoveries in
Assyria and Egypt, which throw so much light upon the criticism and
interpretation of the Scriptures. He has delivered many popular lectures
upon this subject, and has studied the cuneiform so as to be able to
speak with authority. Dr. Partridge was the first to take up church army
work in Canada, which he introduced into his parish in 1886, being
anxious to adopt every measure which would influence the masses for
good. He has for many years been an advocate of temperance, and total
abstinence where necessary, and is the chairman of the Coffee House
Committee in Halifax, which has been successful in making temperance
coffee rooms pay, though surrounded by taverns. He is vice-president of
the Church of England Institute; president of the Church Sunday School
Teachers’ Association; president of St. George’s Benefit Society,
containing over three hundred working men as members; member of the
committee of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, and
president of the Halifax Emigrants’ Home. He is an ardent Freemason,
having been initiated in the Royal Lodge of Faith and Friendship,
Berkeley, England, in 1868. He received his W.M. degree in St. Andrew’s,
N.B. He joined the Royal Arch Chapter in St. Stephen, N.B., in 1869; R.
and S. Master’s in St. John, in 1872; K. T. and K. M. and Red Cross, in
1873; assisted in forming a Consistory 32° of the Ancient and Accepted
Scottish Rite in St. John; and has filled various offices in connection
therewith. He was grand chaplain of the Grand Lodge of New Brunswick
from 1873 to 1879, when he was elected deputy grand master, and would
afterwards have been elected grand master but for his removal to
Halifax. He is now P.D.G.M. and G.C. of Nova Scotia. He found the A. and
A. Scottish Rite in a moribund condition in Nova Scotia, and
rescusitated it and organized a Consistory 32°, of which he was the
first G. Com. In 1884 he was elected a member of the Supreme Council,
33°, for the Dominion of Canada, and appointed deputy for Nova Scotia.
In religion the doctor is a moderate High Churchman, believing
thoroughly in the doctrines and position of his own church, but
recognizing the good in all. He has published various sermons and
tracts. He married, in 1868, Maria Louisa, youngest daughter of John J.
Gillett, of Bristol, England, by whom he has a family of four sons and
four daughters.
* * * * *
=Poupore, William Joseph=, Mill Owner, Contractor and Farmer,
Chichester, province of Quebec, M.P.P. for Pontiac, is of Norman-French
descent. He was born on Allumette Island, P.Q., on the 29th April, 1846.
His parents were William Poupore and Susan McAdam. He received his early
educational training in the place of his birth, and completed it at the
Ottawa Commercial College. He also studied law for a year. He commenced
business as a storekeeper at Chichester in 1870; in 1872 he built a saw
and carding mill, and in 1875 a grist mill, in the same village. He
ceased this line of business in 1878, and began operations as a
contractor. He obtained a contract from the Dominion government for the
construction of the Roche-feudu and the Calumet dams, which were
completed in 1883. In 1884 he entered into lumbering operations, and in
1886 obtained the government contract for the construction of the du
Lievre locks and dams, and on this contract he is still engaged. Mr.
Poupore was warden of the county of Pontiac from 1880 to 1881; has been
mayor of Chichester from 1872 to the present (1888), and from 1872 to
1882 was chairman of the school commissioners of Chichester. He has been
connected with the Pontiac and Pacific Junction Railway, and also with
the Bryson and Calumet bridge, the erection of which bridge cost
$22,000. Mr. Poupore is a Conservative in politics, and first took part
in the general election of 1878. He was returned to the seat he now
occupies in the Quebec legislature in March, 1882, on the death of T. M.
Bryson, the sitting member; and at the general election of 1886 was
re-elected, beating his opponent, Henry Porteous, the Liberal candidate,
by a majority of 1,147 votes. In religion Mr. Poupore is a Roman
Catholic. On the 31st August, 1870, he was married to Barbara Elenore,
second daughter of John Poupore, who represented Pontiac in the Quebec
legislature from 1862 to 1875, and the same county from 1878 to 1882 in
the House of Commons of Canada, when he retired from public life.
* * * * *
=Bourgeois, Hon. Jean Baptiste=, Three Rivers, Quebec, was born in the
parish of St. Dominique, county of Bagot, Quebec, on the 19th May, 1835.
He is the son of François Bourgeois and Scholastique Coté, his wife. His
grandparents came from Acadia. The subject of this sketch was educated
at St. Hyacinthe, taking a full classical course; afterwards studied law
in the offices of Maurice Laframboise and Augustine C. Papineau, both
since appointed judges of the Quebec Superior Court, and was called to
the bar on 1st May, 1858. At the bar he soon distinguished himself,
especially as a municipal lawyer. He rose rapidly, and soon took his
place among the leading lights of the fraternity, ranking with such
foremost lawyers as Messrs. Sicotte, Chagnon, and others. After the
elevation of Mr. Sicotte to the bench, Mr. Bourgeois was the
acknowledged head of the bar of St. Hyacinthe, and for sixteen years
thereafter he enjoyed a large, and, needless to say, a lucrative
practice. He was appointed one of the judges of the Superior Court for
the province of Quebec, in June, 1876; his appointment being looked upon
by his numerous friends as a fitting compliment to his learning,
ability, and integrity. On his appointment he moved to Aylmer, the shire
town of Ottawa county, and of the judicial district of Ottawa, which
includes two counties. Before his departure, a banquet was tendered him
by the leading men of all parties, who took this opportunity of
expressing publicly their pleasure in the just recognition of his great
talents, and their sorrow at the loss to the city of so worthy and
eminent a man. In November, 1880, he was removed to Three Rivers,
_chef-lieu_ of the judicial district of the same name (the most
important judicial district of the province after Montreal and Quebec).
During his law practice at St. Hyacinthe, Mr. Bourgeois was in
partnership with the late Hon. P. Rachaud, provincial treasurer during
the Joly administration; and again with the Hon. Honoré Mercier, who was
solicitor-general during the same administration, and who is now premier
of the province. Mr. Bourgeois always took a prominent part in the
educational and municipal affairs of St. Hyacinthe. He was school
commissioner for a long time; alderman for several years; president of
the Literary Association, and first president of the St. Lawrence and
Missisquoi Junction Railway. He also took great interest in politics,
supporting the Reform party, and in 1874 was a candidate for the county
of Bagot, in the House of Commons, but was defeated by a small majority
by J. A. Mousseau, the Conservative nominee. On the 6th of May, 1859,
Mr. Bourgeois was married to Mary Frances, daughter of William C.
Gilson, of Aylmer, and has had issue eight children, of whom only three,
two daughters and a son, Corinne, Adèle, and John F. L., are now living.
Judge Bourgeois is in every sense of the word a self-made man, and is an
excellent example of what can be accomplished by push, energy, and a
determination to succeed. His father was only a day-laborer, and unable
to give his son more than an elementary education. But the son, nothing
daunted, determined to take a course at the Great Seminary at St.
Hyacinthe; and to accomplish this, he went among his friends and
solicited their aid. Seeing the pluck and energy of the lad, his appeal
was quickly responded to, and the result shows that the confidence of
his friends of his younger days was not misplaced, but was, on the
contrary, well-merited and worthily disposed.
* * * * *
=Boivin, Charles Alphonse=, Collector of Inland Revenue, St. Hyacinthe,
province of Quebec, was born the 25th of December, 1844, at St.
Hyacinthe. His father, Leonard Boivin, was a successful merchant, and
who, previous to his demise, in November, 1868, also held the office his
son now holds. His mother, Marie Zoe Lagorce, is a descendant of an old
French family, who left the old land long years ago and settled in the
New France. The subject of this sketch was educated at the Seminary at
St. Hyacinthe, taking a classical course with honors. After leaving
college in 1863, he entered mercantile life as assistant to his father,
and continued in business until the death of his father, January 18th,
1869, when he retired to assume the position he now occupies. It is
conceded on every hand, by all who have had business relations with him,
that he has filled the office to the satisfaction of all who have had to
deal with the government through him. In 1869 he passed his examination
as a notary for the province of Quebec. A remarkable fact which must be
mentioned is that Mr. Boivin is the only public officer in the Dominion
who never took part in politics, nor did he ever exercise the right to
vote, yet his leanings are, and always have been, Conservative. He is a
Roman Catholic in religion. On January 25th, 1871, he was married to
Marie Julie Valois, of Quebec, whose father was a customs officer for
many years, and has issue seven children—four boys and three girls.
* * * * *
=Hodder, Edward M.=, M.D.—The late Dr. Hodder was the son of Captain
Hodder, R.N., and was born December 30th, 1810, at Sandgate, Kent,
England. He entered the navy in 1822, as midshipman under his father,
but only took one cruise, leaving the service at the expiration of one
year, having a strong desire to study medicine, for which profession he
had a preference. Educated as a boy, first at Guernsey Grammar School,
afterwards at St. Servans, France, he began his medical studies in
London, under the late Mr. Amesbury, very celebrated as a surgeon, with
whom he spent five years. At the close of his career as a student, he
passed the Royal College of Surgeons of England. He afterwards went to
Paris, where he spent two years more in the study of his profession, and
subsequently he visited Edinburgh, and there, too, passed a considerable
time in seeing the hospital practice of the then famous teachers of that
city. He began practice in London, where he remained but two years, and
thinking his prospects would be improved by removal to St. Servans, in
France, he settled there for a time. His French home being too quiet for
his tastes, after remaining a single year, he took it into his head to
visit Canada, in 1835, returning to France again in a few months. For
the next three years he practised his profession in this French town,
when, having still a longing after Canada ever since he visited it, he
left, never to return, and henceforth resolved to make his home in
Ontario. He settled in the neighborhood of Queenston, in the Niagara
district, where he remained, doing a very extensive practice, for five
years. In 1843 he removed to Toronto, where he continued to practise up
to the time of his death. In 1834 he married Frances Tench, daughter of
Captain Tench, H.M. 87th Royal Irish Fusiliers, who survives him.
Besides his widow, he leaves a large family of sons and daughters, who
mourn the loss of one who, year by year, during a long and most active
life was ever unwearying for their comfort and happiness. In 1854 he was
elected a fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of England, and in
1865 a fellow of the Obstetrical Society of London, and was, at the time
of his death, and for some years past, one of its honorary local
secretaries. In 1845 he received the degree of C.M. from King’s College,
Toronto, and M.D. from Trinity College in 1853. In 1850 he established,
in concert with Dr. Bovell, the Upper Canada School of Medicine, which
that year became the medical department of Trinity College. For several
years, while Trinity College Medical School was in abeyance, Dr. Hodder
was a member of the faculty of the School of Medicine. But on the
revival of his old school, in 1870, he was, by the unanimous wish of his
colleagues, appointed dean of the faculty, which position he held at the
time of his death—having been re-appointed in 1877, when the act
incorporating the school passed the provincial legislature. From 1852 to
1872 he was the leading member of the acting staff of the Toronto
General Hospital, and at decease was senior consulting surgeon to both
of these institutions, as well as to several others of like character.
Although devoted to his professional work, Dr. Hodder found time in the
way of recreation to gratify his continued love for the water. He was
mainly instrumental in forming the Royal Canadian Yacht Club, of which
he was commodore for many years previous and up to his death, in 1877.
* * * * *
=Child, Marcus.=—The late Mr. Child, of Coaticook, Quebec province, was
one of the early settlers of the Eastern Townships and during his
lifetime, took an active interest in public affairs. He was born in West
Boylstone, Mass., United States, in the year 1792, and when only
nineteen years of age, came to Canada, and took up his abode with his
uncle, Captain Levi Bigelow, who was engaged in trade at the place now
known as Derby Line. He remained with this uncle until about the time of
the breaking out of the war of 1812, when he left him, and commenced
business on his own account in Stanstead Plain, and was very successful
in trade. He was early appointed postmaster and magistrate, but was
deprived of his office of postmaster on the outbreak of the Canadian
rebellion of 1837-8, on account of his political views. Previous to 1837
he was elected to represent his county in the Provincial parliament of
Quebec, and after the union of the provinces he still continued to sit
in the Legislature of Canada. In 1845 he was appointed school inspector
for the district of St. Francis. In 1855 he removed his family to
Coaticook, where he continued to reside until his death, in March, 1859,
leaving many to regret his early demise, but feeling that one who had
faithfully performed his duty in this world had gone to his reward in
the higher life. In 1819 he was married to Lydia Chadwick, of Worcester,
Mass., United States, by whom he had two children, the eldest of whom,
wife of Lewis Sleeper, died in June, 1858; and the other, the mother of
G. M. Child, in February, 1878.
* * * * *
=Methot, Joseph Edouard=, Advocate, Three Rivers, province of Quebec,
was born in the parish of Ste. Anne de la Pérade, county of Champlain,
Quebec, on the 24th May, 1855. He is the son of Joseph Telesphore
Methot, a well-known merchant, and Celine Mathe, his wife, a daughter of
Olivier Mathe. The subject of this sketch was educated at the Three
Rivers Seminary. Having completed his course in that institution, he was
admitted to the study of the law in the office of A. Turcotte, the
speaker of the Quebec Legislative Council, and was called to the bar in
July, 1875. That he will make his mark as one of the foremost men in his
profession, is looked upon as a foregone conclusion by his friends. A
notable case which brought him into special prominence was the question
which was of so much importance to commercial travellers, and which was
contested at Three Rivers, as to whether the corporation by-law taxing
commercial travellers could be enforced. Mr. Methot so ably conducted
the case against the municipal authorities that he gained it for his
clients, and at the same time got the objectionable by-law annulled. He
is a Conservative in politics, and has been the attorney for the members
of that party in almost all the election petitions for the district of
Three Rivers since 1881. He served in the 79th battalion from 1873 to
1878. He is a Roman Catholic in religion. He was married on the 12th
January, 1881, to Alide, daughter of L. T. Dorias, of St. Grégoire le
Grand, Quebec, M.P.P. for the county of Nicolet.
* * * * *
=Ross, Hon. James Gibb=, Quebec, Senator of the Dominion of Canada, is a
merchant in the ancient capital, occupying a prominent position among
the commercial men of the city, and wields an influence over several
branches of the local trade and industry. Hon. Mr. Ross is eminently a
self-made man. He was born, about sixty-eight years ago, in the small
village of Carlake, about eighteen miles from the city of Glasgow, and,
after receiving such education as the parish school could afford, came,
while still young, to Canada, where he entered as a clerk the office of
his maternal uncle, the late James Gibb, president of the Quebec Bank,
and then doing an extensive wholesale grocery business in the Lower Town
of that city. Here Mr. Ross acquired his business training and habits of
industry. On the uncle’s death, Mr. Ross continued the business, with
his brother, John Ross (deceased in September, 1887), and the
partnership was continued down to 1868, when it was dissolved. Long
before this, however, Hon. Mr. Ross had begun to turn his attention to
other investments for his large and increasing capital. The
ship-building industry at Quebec was then in its palmiest days, and in
it he became largely interested, advancing large sums of money to the
local ship-builders, and the Western timber producers. From
ship-building to ship-owning there was but a step, and a number of his
vessels, both sail and steam, soon dotted the St. Lawrence. He also
purchased large timber limits, built mills, became interested in
railways, steamboats, etc., and by this means helped to develop to a
large extent the resources of Canada and build up the local industries
of the city of his adoption. Quebec owes to him, in a large measure, the
successful construction of the Lake St. John and Quebec Central Railway,
and few local undertakings can be specified to which he has not given a
helping hand, and in which he is not concerned. At present, although a
wealthy man, he is still as punctual and hard working as the humblest
clerk in his office. He is to be found at his post early and late, and,
though he has considerably restricted his shipping interests of recent
years, his investments and speculations in other directions continue as
extensive as ever. He is president of the Quebec Bank, a large
stockholder in other institutions, financial and industrial, and
naturally wields a large amount, of local influence. A Conservative from
predilection, his life has, nevertheless, been always too busy a one to
allow of his taking an active part in politics. However, much against
his will, he yielded in 1873 to the solicitations and pressure of a
large body of his fellow-citizens, and at the general election of that
year for the Canadian House of Commons, he offered himself as a
candidate for Quebec Centre against that veteran politician, the late
Hon. Joseph Cauchon, then the vigorous editor of _Le Journal de Québec_,
and afterwards lieutenant-governor of Manitoba. The division was largely
inhabited by a French-Canadian population, party feeling ran very high
at the time, and religious and national prejudices were invoked against
Mr. Ross, with the result that, after a very severe and exciting
contest, he lost his election. At the general elections of 1878, he
again offered for the same division, against Jacques Malouin, who had
succeeded to the seat after Mr. Cauchon’s appointment to the
lieutenant-governorship of Manitoba, but was again defeated. But in
January, 1884, on the death of the Hon. David E. Price, he was called by
the government of Sir John A. Macdonald, to the great satisfaction of
the citizens of Quebec, to a seat in the Senate for Les Laurentides
division. He has always taken a deep interest in the political welfare
of Canada.
* * * * *
=Nelson, Hugh=, Victoria, Lieutenant-Governor of British Columbia, was
born at Larne, county of Antrim, Ireland, on the 25th May, 1830. He
settled in British Columbia in June, 1858, and engaged in mercantile
pursuits until 1866, when he became a partner in the lumbering firm of
Moody, Dietry & Nelson, at Burrard Inlet. He was vice-president and
manager of the Moodyville Saw Mill Company until 1882, when he retired
from business. In November, 1870 he was elected to represent New
Westminster in the British Columbia legislature, which seat he held
until its dissolution in 1871, when the colony entered into
confederation with the Dominion of Canada. He was then returned to
represent the same constituency in November, 1871, and again at the
general election in 1872 by acclamation, when absent from the province.
He was a member of the Yale convention, and among the first promoters of
confederation in British Columbia. He received a diploma of honor for
services rendered in connection with the International Fisheries
Exhibition, in London, England, in 1883. He was called to the Senate of
Canada on the 12th December, 1879, and remained until the 8th February,
1887, when he was appointed lieutenant-governor of British Columbia. He
was married on the 17th September, 1885, to Emily, youngest daughter of
the late J. B. Staunton, civil service of Canada.
* * * * *
=Pugsley, Hon. William=, D.C.L., St. John, Speaker of the House of
Assembly of New Brunswick, is of Loyalist stock. One of his paternal
ancestors was an Englishman, and was one of the earliest settlers on the
Croton river, New York. After the Revolutionary war, John Pugsley, the
great-grandfather of the subject of this sketch, came to New Brunswick
and settled on the Hammond river, in Kings county, but afterwards
returned to New York, and subsequently removed to England. His son,
Daniel Pugsley, settled in Cardwell, Kings county, N.B. Hon. William
Pugsley is a son of William Pugsley, sen., who worked a farm with much
success near Sussex, in one of the most fertile districts of New
Brunswick. Like so many of our best men, Mr. Pugsley received his
education in the common school. Having finished his preliminary studies
at Sussex, he entered the University of New Brunswick, at Fredericton,
and here he was highly successful. In his junior year he was gold
medallist, and he also took several scholarships. About this time the
Gilchrist scholarships, founded out of the savings of a wealthy and
eccentric Scottish doctor, were thrown open to competition in the
provinces of the Dominion. Mr. Pugsley was among those who tried for the
coveted distinction, and in 1868 took second place in the list of
competitors. He took his degree of B.A. in the same year. Shortly
afterwards he began the study of the law, and was called to the bar the
27th June, 1872. He at once secured a large and lucrative practice, and
soon after his admission to the bar was appointed reporter and editor of
the decisions of the Supreme Court _in banco_. He held this position for
ten years. Mr. Pugsley has always taken a warm interest in the politics
of his native province. For some years back, in the local house, the
government has been conducted by a virtually coalition cabinet. Mr.
Pugsley is an Independent Conservative, and was elected to the House of
Assembly in July, 1885, a vacancy having been created by the death of
Dr. Vail, M.P.P. In the debates of the house, Dr. Pugsley at once came
to the front, and was considered so well versed in parliamentary
procedure, that on the 3rd March, 1887, he was elected speaker of the
house. In this position his wide knowledge of law as well as his
acquaintance with the _personnel_ of the house and his unfailing tact
and good judgment, have stood him in good stead. The office of speaker
is one which calls for great patience and circumspection, and it is also
one which is eagerly sought for by politicians of every degree of
ability and popularity. A speaker must be also possessed of great
swiftness and sureness of decision, as in the many turns of debate, and
the inevitable clashing of opinion and personal jarrings, a delicate
adjustment of the rights of members may come up for settlement. Mr.
Pugsley has continued his early love of scholastic studies and
associations, and holds the degree of D.C.L. of Fredericton University.
In religious principles he is a Methodist. He married, on the 6th
January, 1872, Fannie, daughter of the late Thomas Parks, of St. John.
Though residing at Rothesay, Kings county, he practises his profession
in St. John.
* * * * *
=Slaven, John Wallace=, Druggist, Orillia, Ontario, is a native
Canadian, having been born in the county of Prince Edward, Ontario, on
the 16th August, 1834. His father, P. Slaven, and mother, Eliza Walsh,
both come from the county of Wexford, Ireland. Mr. Slaven received his
educational training in the public and grammar schools of his native
county. He holds a medical degree from an American medical school, but
preferring business, he has never practised his profession. He first
commenced the drug business in Wellington, Prince Edward county, in
partnership with the late Dr. Archie Campbell, of that place, and in the
fall of 1862 removed to Orillia, where he has continued the business
with fair success up to the present. Mr. Slaven attended the Military
School at Kingston, and in 1866 graduated from that institution. He
afterwards became lieutenant and then captain of the 7th company Simcoe
Foresters, which position he held for some time. He has served several
years in the Municipal council of Orillia, and was deputy reeve of the
same for two and a half years. He was elected once by a large majority
and twice by acclamation. He was appointed a justice of the peace for
the county of Simcoe by the Mowat government about eight years ago. Mr.
Slaven is public-spirited, and takes an active part in every thing that
tends to advance the town he has chosen as his home. He is a
Conservative, and in 1882 was induced to enter the field of politics,
and became a candidate of his party for the Ontario legislature, in
opposition to Charles Drury, of Oro township, Simcoe, but failed to be
elected. He at present is president of the Liberal-Conservative
Association of the riding of East Simcoe. He has found some time to
travel, and has visited the Pacific coast, the West Indies and many
other parts of the North American continent. In religion Mr. Slaven
belongs to the Roman Catholic church. He was married to Maggie McDonell,
of Barrie, in June, 1867.
* * * * *
=Pope, Hon. John Henry=, Minister of Railways and Canals for the
Dominion of Canada, M.P. for Compton, Quebec province, was born in 1824,
and received his educational training in the High School at Compton,
P.Q. The earlier period of his life was directed to agricultural
pursuits. Mr. Pope was fond of military life, and took a lively interest
in the volunteer movement. He commanded the Cookshire Volunteer Cavalry
for many years, and retired in 1862, retaining his rank as major. He is
president of the International Railway Company of Maine, and also of the
Compton Colonization Society. He takes a deep interest in education, and
for many years has been a trustee of the St. Francis College, Richmond,
P.Q. He is also a director of the Eastern Township Bank. In 1854, at the
general election of that year, Mr. Pope offered himself as a candidate
for the Legislative Assembly of Canada, for Compton, and was defeated;
but in 1857 he succeeded in carrying his election, and sat in this
legislature until the union of the provinces under confederation. He was
then elected a member of the House of Commons by acclamation, and has
been returned ever since by his old friends each time he has appealed
for their suffrages. On the 25th October, 1871, Hon. Mr. Pope was sworn
in a member of the Privy Council, and made minister of agriculture, and
this office he held until the defeat of the Macdonald ministry, on the
Pacific scandal question, in November, 1873, when he retired with his
leader. On the return of his party to power, on the defeat of the
Mackenzie administration, he was, on the 17th October, 1878, reinstated
into his old office of minister of agriculture. On the 25th September,
1885, he was made minister of railways and canals, and this office he
still retains. During the summer of 1880, Hon. Mr. Pope in company with
Sir John A. Macdonald and Sir Charles Tupper, visited England, and took
an active part in the negotiations which led to the Pacific railway
contract, subsequently ratified by parliament. He is a
Liberal-Conservative in politics. The Hon. Mr. Pope is not given to
debate, but whatever he has to say, in or out of parliament, he says
with a terse vigor and conciseness of language that make a mockery of
ornate phrases. He has the disposition to work, an intelligent
appreciation of the wants of the country, and a well-studied
parliamentary experience of nearly half an average lifetime.
* * * * *
=Shorey, Hollis=, Wholesale Clothier, Montreal, was born in Barnston,
Eastern townships, Quebec province, on the 2nd December, 1823. His
father, Samuel E. Shorey, who was of English descent, was a native of
the United States, but came to Canada when a lad of eight years of age.
On reaching manhood, he married Fanny Jones, of Three Rivers, Quebec
province, who was of Welsh descent, and to this couple was born the
subject of our sketch. Hollis Shorey was sent to the academy at Hatley,
Eastern Townships, where he took a commercial course of education. On
leaving school, having reached the age of sixteen years, he entered
himself as an apprentice to a local tailor, and having faithfully served
the allotted term, he began business on his own account, at Barnston,
his capital amounting to a very small sum. Just as he had reached his
nineteenth year, his father died, and the responsibility of assisting to
bring up a family of eight children was thrust upon him. Mr. Shorey’s
first essay at his trade was the making of men’s, boys’ and youths’
clothing for customers who found their own cloth. He then took in a
partner, and for four years they worked together amicably, keeping a
general store as well as a tailoring establishment, but at the end of
this period he made certain discoveries not at all to the credit of his
partner, and a dissolution of the partnership ensued. This threw Mr.
Shorey again back to his starting-point, but he was not discouraged. A
short time after this event he entered into partnership with F. & J. H.
Judd, which continued for four years, when he left the place and came to
the city of Montreal. This was in 1861. Here he found employment, and
for six years travelled for the firms of Macfarlane & Baird and Wm.
Stephens & Co. (the now Sir George Stephens being then a member of the
latter firm), soliciting orders for ready-made clothing, dry goods, etc.
His field of operation was chiefly in the Eastern Townships, and he made
many friends during his journeys. Getting thoroughly tired of travel, he
resolved to begin business again on his own account, and then was laid,
December 1866, the foundation of one of the largest wholesale clothing
establishments in the Dominion. After two years he took in as a partner
his son-in-law, E. A. Small, to assist him. This partnership lasted for
about eighteen years when it was dissolved, and Mr. Shorey then
associated with him as partners his two sons, S. O. Shorey and C. L.
Shorey, who before this time had been very successful travellers for the
old firm. They now employ as outside hands, tailors, etc., 1450 persons,
and 150 more in the establishment. The firm, we are told, deals very
liberally with their employees, and the most kindly feelings exist
between them and their employers. For about fifteen years Mr. Shorey has
been a member of the Board of Trade of the city of Montreal, and takes a
deep interest in all its proceedings. During the small pox epidemic, in
1885, he was chairman of the citizen committee, which did so much to
alleviate the sufferings of those afflicted by the pest, and remove the
causes that produced it. Mr. Shorey has travelled a good deal, and found
time to visit the continent of Europe, as well as the United States. In
religion he is an adherent of the Episcopal church. He has been twice
married. First, in 1844, he espoused Fanny Wheeler of Barnston, province
of Quebec, who, dying in 1850, left two children, a boy and girl, and
since then he has been united to Clara Gilson, of Vermont, who has also
borne him a boy and a girl. His four children are all married, and he
has now fourteen grand-children.
* * * * *
=Tomkins, Rev. John.=—The late Rev. Mr. Tomkins, during his lifetime a
minister of the Methodist church, was born Nov. 12th, 1797, in the
county of Stafford, England. His father, James Tomkins, and also his
grandfather and great grandfather were natives of the city of Hereford,
and as his parents returned thither shortly after his birth, he was
accustomed to speak of that ancient cathedral town, as his native city.
His parents were devout members of the Established church, and in that
church his early religious training was received. He was naturally
serious and thoughtful, and while still a lad was led through the
preaching of a devout Anglican clergyman, the Rev. C. Glasscott, to turn
his attention earnestly to religious concerns. It was, however, through
the preaching of a Wesleyan Methodist minister, the Rev. Wm. Adams, that
he found that rest of spirit which he had sought in vain for several
years, in attendance upon the ordinances of his own communion. He
immediately united with the Wesleyan society, and soon began to exercise
his talents as a local preacher. Feeling called to devote himself wholly
to the work of the ministry, he abandoned his worldly pursuits, and
after due training, sought and obtained ordination in the old
Spitalfields Chapel, London, at the hands of that distinguished divine,
the Rev. Richard Watson, on the 18th of April, 1827. A few days after he
left his native shores forever, to engage in missionary labor, first in
Newfoundland and after in Canada. After a tedious voyage of nine weeks,
he reached St. John’s on the 22nd of June, 1827. His first appointment
was to Hants Harbor, a small fishing station, with less than three
hundred inhabitants. Here he labored one year, and was then removed to
Bona Vista, and the year following to Trinity, where he spent two years.
Two more years were spent at St. John’s and Harbor Grace. During these
six years of arduous toil among the scattered fishermen of Newfoundland,
he endured many hardships, and on one occasion came near perishing of
cold and hunger, having lost his way in a snow storm, while travelling
on foot with another missionary, the Rev. Mr. Knight, from one station
to another. In June, 1833, he was removed to the city of Quebec, where
he remained two years. At the expiration of this time he received his
first appointment to the Eastern Townships, where he spent forty-three
years of his active ministry and thirteen years in a superannuated
relation. His first circuit was the St. Armand, extending from the
Richelieu river to Sutton, a distance of about fifty miles. The Rev.
John Borland was associated with Mr. Tomkins on this field of labor,
which has since been divided into about seven circuits. In the year 1836
the Wesleyan Methodist church had in Lower Canada, including the cities
of Montreal, Quebec and Kingston, fourteen circuits, and a membership of
about as many hundred. At the time when Mr. Tomkins closed his ministry,
there were within the same territory eighty-one circuits, or stations,
and the number of members had increased fivefold. From St. Armand Mr.
Tomkins was removed to Odelltown, where he spent two years. His
subsequent appointments were as follows:—In 1838, he went to Shefford,
where he spent three years, in 1841 to Compton, where he remained three
years. In 1844 he returned to Odelltown, and spent three years. In 1847
to Dunham, three years, and in 1851, he was moved to Stanstead where he
spent four years. In 1854 he was chosen chairman of the Stanstead
district, which office he held during the following six years. In 1855
he removed to Clarenceville, and thence, in 1858, to Dunham, for a
second term of service. In 1861 he was re-appointed to Shefford, and
during the two years of his pastorate there he held the office of
Financial Secretary of the district. In the year 1863 he was again
appointed to Stanstead, and re-elected to the chairmanship, which he
held, with an interruption of a little more than a year, till the time
of superannuation. In 1866 Mr. Tomkins removed to Hatley, where he spent
three years, and in the summer of 1869 he retired from active work and
took up his residence at Stanstead, where he remained till the close of
his long and useful life, and where he continued to assist by every
means in his power in advancing the interests of his Master’s cause. As
a man, Mr. Tomkins was of a mild and equal temperament, of a most
affectionate disposition, and of a character marked by singular
transparency and simplicity. His judgment was reliable in matters
connected with the interests of the church, his conclusions being
generally justified by the event. As a preacher, he was clear in
exposition, sound in doctrine and happy in expression, often rising into
true eloquence as he kindled with his theme. All his ministrations were
marked by deep and serious feeling, and he impressed his hearers by
being so evidently impressed himself. As a pastor he was at once tender
and faithful, and his name and memory are still loved and honored
wherever he exercised his ministry. He departed this life September
21st, 1881, in the eighty-fourth year of his age, having been a
Methodist preacher for fifty-three years. In February, 1836, he was
married to Maria Whitcher, daughter of Dr. Isaac Whitcher, of Stanstead,
Quebec province. His son, Edwin F. Tomkins, is at the head of the
Cascade Narrow Fabric Company, Coaticook, P.Q., and was the first to
introduce into Canada the manufacture of mohair braid, etc.
* * * * *
=Unsworth, Joseph Lennon=, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, acting
superintendent of the Prince Edward Island railway, was born in
Liverpool, Great Britain, May 12th, 1840. His father was James Stanley
Unsworth, and his mother Mary Hatton, who was a sister of the celebrated
music composer, John L. Hatton, of London, England. Mr. Unsworth,
senior, was born in Goshen, in the eastern part of the county of
Lancashire, of an old-time family. An ancient tradition published in
“The Pictorial History of the County of Lancaster,” gives the following
legend of the Unsworth family: “One of the most interesting places in
this part of the country, at Goshen, about a mile and a half on the
south side of Bury, is an old farm-house, the residence in former times
of a family of some note, and still occupied by a lineal descendant. The
family of Unsworth has possessed this property, according to tradition,
ever since the time of the conquest, and there are certainly relics to
prove its antiquity. Amongst other curiosities, the house contains a
carved oak table, which is a source of some interest as being connected
with an old legend. The story is that in olden times there lived near
here a fierce and terrible dragon, which resolutely defied the prowess
of sundry brave heroes, who would fain have immortalized their names by
freeing the country from such a scourge. One, Thomas Unsworth, a warrior
of the beforementioned family, more courageous, or more fortunate, than
the rest, at last succeeded in the attempt, which he accomplished in a
manner that certainly did much credit to his ingenuity. Finding that
bullets were of no avail, he inserted his dagger in a petronel, and,
rousing the anger of the dragon, shot it under the throat at the moment
of raising its head. The table was made after this event, and, it is
said, carved with the dagger by which the monster was shot. Round the
table are St. George and the dragon, the lion and unicorn, the Derby
crest, and the veritable dragon which the aforesaid Thomas Unsworth
killed. There is also hung over the table in the old parlour, a painting
of the Unsworth arms, which were given them in former times for deeds of
honor, surmounted by another carving of the dragon. The crest is a man
in black armour, holding a hatchet in his hand, and it is said to be the
portrait of the renowned family ancestor, in the armour which he wore
during the battle, and in which he was encased at the time he performed
the celebrated feat which won him so much fame. Whatever credence may be
given to this story (and the present family firmly believe in its
truth), it is certain that a portion of land was once granted to one of
their ancestors for having freed the country from some dire monster, of
whatever kind it might be, and of course the property granted was that
said to be the favorite resort of the dragon; nor is it improbable that
the large and adjoining township of Unsworth, has originally derived its
name from some one of this family. They also possess several very old
books, treasured with due ancestral pride, and other relics more or less
interesting.” Mr. Unsworth, the subject of our sketch, received his
education in Montreal, and at St. Hyacinthe, in the province of Quebec.
Shortly after leaving school, in 1855, he entered the service of the
Grand Trunk railway company, at Longueuil, as an apprentice, under W. S.
McKenzie, and was employed by that company until March, 1872. From May,
of the same year, to November, 1874, he was engaged on construction of
the Inter-colonial railway between Rivière du Loup and Causapscal; from
November, 1874, to November, 1881, he was master mechanic on the same
railway at Rivière du Loup, and from November, 1881, to May, 1887, he
was mechanical superintendent of the Government railways in Prince
Edward Island, and from May, 1887, to the present time (Feb., 1888), in
addition to the latter duties, he has been the acting general
superintendent of the above government railways. For six years he was
lieutenant in the Grand Trunk railway volunteer regiment. He is a member
of the Canadian society of civil engineers. Mr. Unsworth, during his
busy life, has found time to devote to travelling, having crossed the
Atlantic and visited his fatherland. He has also travelled the greater
part of Eastern Canada and the United States. In religion he is an
adherant of the Episcopal church. He was married June 27th, 1866, to
Mary Jane Lomas, daughter of Adam Lomas, woollen manufacturer, of
Sherbrooke, P.Q., and sister of Alexander Galt Lomas, mayor of
Sherbrooke.
* * * * *
=Shearer, James Traill=, Contractor, Montreal, is a specimen of what
well-directed energy and perseverance can accomplish. Born at Rosegill,
parish of Dunnet, not many miles from far-famed John O’Groat’s,
Caithness-shire, Scotland, on the 31st of July, 1822, he received his
education in the parish school of Dunnet, and at Castletown, in the same
county. Leaving school before he had scarcely entered his teens, he was
obliged like many a lad in the far north of Scotland, to begin work
early, and was accordingly apprenticed to a carpenter and millwright in
the village of Castletown, and with him he faithfully served the alloted
term. To perfect himself in his trade, he removed to Wick, and worked
for about a year under D. Miller, a builder, who was erecting a church
in Putneytown. When he reached his twenty-first year he resolved to try
his fortune in Canada, and taking passage in a sailing vessel, on 30th
May, 1848, reached Montreal, where he has since resided. Shortly after
his arrival he entered the employ of Edward Maxwell, an extensive
carpenter and builder, as a general house-joiner and stair-builder,
branches of the business at which he was very proficient. After
terminating a three years’ engagement with Mr. Maxwell, he went to
Quebec city to take charge of the joiner and carpenter work on a new
bomb-proof hospital then being built by the British government on Cape
Diamond. Finishing the job to the entire satisfaction of the British
officers in charge, he returned to Montreal, and began the study of
steamboat architecture, especially cabin work, and soon became an adept
at the business. Work flowed in upon him, and he found many customers,
among others the late John Molson and David Torrance, for whom he fitted
up many steamboats for the St. Lawrence and Ottawa rivers, and he still
carries on very extensively this branch of business, along with the
manufacture of other kinds of wood-work for house building purposes. Mr.
Shearer is the inventor of what is known as the hollow roof, for houses
and large public buildings, which is considered the best suited to the
climate of Montreal. This roof is of a concave design, and carries the
water down the inside of the building, instead of the outside, thereby
avoiding the freezing up of pipes. It was used on the Windsor hotel,
Montreal, and has since been adopted generally throughout America. He
has also been the chief promoter of what is known as the “Shearer
scheme,” the object of which is to improve the harbor of Montreal and
prevent the flooding of the city, but owing to the strong opposition
urged against it by the Grand Trunk authorities, he has had to abandon
it for the present. However, it will have to be considered at no distant
day. If once adopted it will greatly improve the harbor of Montreal, and
prove a source of wealth to the inhabitants. The plans are now in the
possession of the Dominion government, and although he has twice applied
for an act of incorporation for the “St. Lawrence Bridge and
Manufacturing Company,” who are prepared to carry it to completion, he
has not yet succeeded in getting this company incorporated. Mr. Shearer
a few years ago designed and built for himself a house on Mount Royal,
and it is perhaps the best finished house in that city of fine
dwellings, all the internal work being of purely Canadian wood. The view
from it is most charming, and cannot be surpassed in the Dominion. A
visitor can take in at a glance the Chambly hills, Belle Isle, Mount
Johnston, the river St. Lawrence for many miles, the Victoria bridge,
the Lachine rapids, and the full extent of the beautiful city of
Montreal. In politics Mr. Shearer is a Liberal; and in religion one of
those who does his own thinking, and has no objection to others doing
the same. He was married in Montreal, on the 23rd of June, 1848, to
Eliza Graham, and the fruit of the union has been eight children. The
two eldest sons are now engaged with their father in business.
* * * * *
=Armour, Hon. John Douglas=, Cobourg, Judge of the Court of Queen’s
Bench, was born in the township of Otonabee, Peterborough county,
Ontario, on the 4th May, 1830. He is the youngest son of the late Rev.
Samuel Armour, who was for many years rector of Cavan, county of Durham,
and was during his lifetime widely and favorably known through that part
of Upper Canada. In his boyhood Judge Armour attended the schools in the
neighborhood of his home, and on the 27th January, 1843, entered as a
student Upper Canada College, Toronto. In 1847 he matriculated at King’s
College (now Toronto University), and his career at college was very
creditable. He gained the first university-scholarship in classics, and
subsequently the Wellington scholarship. He graduated in 1850, carrying
off the gold medal in classics. This same year he entered the office of
his brother, Robert Armour, and began the study of law, and completed it
in the office of the late Hon. P. M. M. VanKoughnet, who afterwards
became Chancellor of Upper Canada. He was called to the bar in
Michaelmas term, 1853, and removing to Cobourg, began to practise his
profession there, forming a partnership with Sidney Smith, who some
years afterward became postmaster-general of Canada. This partnership
lasted until the 7th November, 1857, when Mr. Armour began to practise
alone. He subsequently formed a partnership with H. F. Holland, which
lasted between three and four years, when Mr. Armour was raised to the
bench, and a dissolution consequently followed. During these years,
various public offices were held by Mr. Armour from time to time. On the
28th March, 1858, he was appointed county attorney of the united
counties of Northumberland and Durham, and during the following year he
held the position of warden of those counties. On the 2nd May, 1861, he
was appointed clerk of the peace for the same counties. On the 8th
January, 1859, he was elected a member of the Senate of the University
of Toronto. On the 26th June, 1867, he was created a Queen’s counsel. In
1871 he was elected a member of the Law Society of Upper Canada, and on
the 30th of November, 1877, was appointed puisné judge of the Court of
Queen’s Bench, a position he has ever since filled with honor and
dignity. Hon. Judge Armour is a man of wide reading, multifarious
knowledge, and great shrewdness and common sense. By heredity and
tradition he is a Conservative both in religion and politics, but,
nevertheless, he is a Liberal in thought and education, and a firm
believer in the great future the land of his birth has before her. On
the 28th of April, 1855, he married Eliza Church, daughter of the late
Freeman S. Church, of Cobourg, by whom he has had eleven children, ten
of whom are now living.
* * * * *
=Molony, Thomas J.=, LL.B., Advocate, Quebec, is a prominent member of
the Quebec bar, and one of the representative Irishmen of the ancient
capital, honored with the confidence of his own element and esteemed by
all classes of the community for his abilities as a lawyer, and his
sterling integrity as a professional man and a citizen. He was born at
Kingston, Ontario, on the 4th July, 1846, and is the youngest son of the
late John Molony, and his wife, Catherine O’Connor, of that city. Thus
on both sides, he sprang from good old Irish stocks. His father’s family
were natives of the County Clare, Ireland. McGeoghegan, the Irish
historian, ranks the Molonys among the oldest settlers of the Green
Isle, and the county of Clare is the part of it around which the
traditions of the family or sept have principally clustered from time
immemorial. The old family, too, seem to have retained their territorial
influence and social importance in the home of their ancestors down to a
comparatively recent date. Up to the celebrated Daniel O’Connell’s time,
they appear to have practically controlled the representation of Clare
in Parliament, and readers of Irish history will readily recall the name
of Sheriff Molony, in connection with the memorable election for that
county which resulted in the signal defeat of Vesey Fitzgerald and the
English government, and opened the door of the British Parliament to the
great Irish Liberator, and to Catholic Emancipation. Burke, in his
genealogy of the Landed Gentry of Great Britain and Ireland, says, pp.
1022-3; speaking of their lineage:—
The Milesian family of Molony is one of great antiquity in the
sister island. O’Halloran (Hist. of Ireland, Vol. III, p. 498),
says: From Cormac Cas (who was of the line of Heber, eldest son
of Milesius) are descended 1st, O’Brien, chief of Thomond
. . . . Besides these hereditary officers the following noble
families are derived from this great source: O’Dea, . . .
O’Mollowney and others, and in his “List of Ancient Irish
Territories, and by what Milesian families possessed before and
after the invasion of Henry II,” Ceiltannan, (otherwise
Kiltanon) is mentioned among the rest as the estate of O’Molony.
The Molonys were formerly princes of Clare, where they possessed
a large tract of country called the O’Molony’s Lands, as may be
seen from the old maps of that county. In Catholic times, three
members of the family attained the mitre, as appears from the
epitaph on the tomb of John O’Molony, Bishop of Limerick in 1687
(second son of John O’Molony, of Kiltanon), who after the siege
of that city, followed King James II. to Paris, where he
assisted in the foundation of a university for the education of
Irish priests, in the chapel belonging to which he was buried in
1702. The bishop’s nephew, James Molony, of Kiltanon, the first
of the family who laid aside the prefix “O,” served first in
King James’ army, but subsequently sided with William.
Mr. Molony’s maternal ancestors, the O’Connors, bear a name even still
more famous in Irish annals, and though his mother was born in London,
the metropolis of England, she was as noted as her husband, our
subject’s father, for love of Ireland, and knowledge of and preference
for the old Irish tongue, alas! now so rapidly dying out. Our subject
was chiefly educated at his birth-place, Kingston. At a suitable age, he
began the study of the classics there under the late John O’Donnell, a
graduate of Trinity College, Dublin, and one of the most accomplished
classical scholars that Canada has ever had, as well as one of the most
successful teachers of his day. Among the pupils who issued from his
school to grace the learned professions may be mentioned Sir John A.
Macdonald, the present premier of the Dominion, the late Hon. John
Sandfield Macdonald, premier of Ontario, and several others of their
most distinguished contemporaries. In 1860 Mr. Molony entered Regiopolis
College, Kingston, which was then under the rectorship of the Rev. John
O’Brien, afterwards the most Reverend Dr. O’Brien, Roman Catholic Bishop
of Kingston, and it is touchingly noteworthy that eighteen years
afterwards, when that prelate was suddenly stricken down by the hand of
death at Quebec, while on his way back from Europe, Mr. Molony was the
one acquaintance in the ancient capital upon whom devolved the sad duty
of making the necessary arrangements there for the funeral of his old
college rector, and the transportation of his remains on to Kingston.
After a full course of philosophy and mathematics, our subject completed
his studies at Regiopolis, and having decided on the law as his future
profession, in December, 1865, he entered into articles of clerkship at
Kingston, with the late Daniel Macarow, barrister, at one time a partner
of the well-known James O’Reilly, Q.C., and afterwards county judge. In
June following, he left Kingston to study for the legal profession in
Lower Canada, and entered for the purpose at the office of M. A. Hearn,
Q.C., ex-_bâtonnier-general_ of the Quebec bar, and senior member of the
legal firm of Hearn, Jordan & Roche, of Quebec city. At the same time he
followed the courses of Laval University, from which he took his degree
of Bachelor of Laws on the 4th July, 1879. On the 19th of the same
month, he was admitted as a practitioner at the Quebec bar, and on the
12th of September following he married Isabella, daughter of the late
John Jordan and Catherine James, of Quebec, by whom he has had issue
four children, three of them surviving and all in their teens. For some
years after his admission to the bar, Mr. Molony held a provincial
government appointment as English Translator to the Queen’s printer’s
department, from which he rapidly won success and distinction by his
talents, punctuality and devotion to the interests of his clients. At
present, his standing at the Quebec bar is among the highest, and few
practitioners enjoy a larger share of the respect of the bench and the
public. He has been a commissioner for the province of Ontario, at
Quebec, since 1874, and for the province of Manitoba, since 1883.
Journalism has also successfully occupied our subject’s attention, and
his contributions to the local press have been much remarked for their
masterly and vigorous dealing with the subjects handled. Having always
taken an active interest in municipal matters, he was twice elected by
acclamation a member of the Quebec City Council for Montcalm Ward in
1884 and 1886, and rendered himself conspicuously useful to his fellow
citizens by his able support of Mayor Langelier’s policy of reform of
the civic administration, including the improvement of the city
water-works checks. During his connection with the council, he also
served on several of its most important committees, was a member of the
civic deputation sent some three years ago to Ottawa to press Quebec’s
claims to the C.P.R. short line to the seaboard on the favorable
consideration of the Federal Government, and, though the youngest member
of the council, has been called upon in the absence of the mayor to
preside at important meetings, on account of his intimate acquaintance
with the rules of debate, and recognized ability in the solution of
points of order or knotty questions of procedure. As secretary of the
relief committee for the benefit of the sufferers, he further did good
service to Quebec and the cause of humanity, after the disastrous
conflagration which swept St. John and Montcalm wards almost out of
existence in the summer of 1881. On the temperance question, Mr. Molony
holds advanced views, and every movement on the subject in Quebec for
the last fourteen or more years, has had his earnest advocacy and
support. He was long the president of the St. Patrick’s Total Abstinence
Society, and at the monster meeting held a few years since in the
skating rink, in the interests of the temperance cause, under the joint
presidency of Archbishop, now Cardinal, Taschereau, the Anglican Lord
Bishop of Quebec, and the local clergy of all denominations, he appeared
on the platform with other leading citizens, as the special
representative of the Irish Catholic body. As might be expected from the
stock from which he has sprung, Mr. Molony has taken a most active and
patriotic interest in Irish national matters since his boyhood. For the
last twenty years he has acted a leading part in all the Irish national
societies and movements at the ancient capital. From 1871 to 1875 he was
treasurer of the St. Patrick’s Society, and in 1876 he was chairman of
the meeting at which the first branch of the Home Rule League in Quebec
was organized. Some years later, he was one of the organizers of the
Irish Land League in Quebec, and in 1878 he was elected
1st-Vice-President of the Catholic League, formed at Montreal. Mr.
Molony was called upon at the last moment to preside at the monster
meeting held on Durham terrace, Quebec, when the French and Irish
Catholic population assembled to protest against the Orange processions
in Montreal, during Mr. Beaudry’s mayoralty. On this last occasion his
remarks and conduct met with general approval, Protestants and Catholics
alike joining in praising his tact and moderation under the most trying
circumstances, and Hon. H. G. Joly, then Prime Minister of the province,
warmly congratulated him on the skill which he had shown in controlling
an excited gathering, while upholding the views which it had come
together to assert on one of the most burning questions of the hour. Mr.
Joly told him personally that he had heard from members of the Local
Legislature, who were present, the highest encomiums of his action,
adding that in his opinion it was an awful responsibility to assume the
management of a crowd of people excited to the highest pitch. Indeed the
crowd on the occasion wanted to proceed straight off to wait on Mr.
Joly, but to give time to their excitement to cool down, Mr. Molony, as
chairman, wisely insisted on their only sending a delegation to
represent their views to the premier, and finally carried his point,
when they peaceably dispersed. A fervent Roman Catholic, and a member of
the St. Patrick’s congregation of Quebec, he was elected a trustee of
their beautiful and historic church in 1876, and thrice afterwards,
making twelve years of office in succession, but, at the last triennial
elections, he refused to serve any longer, deeming it unfair to other
prominent members of the congregation that one set of hands should
continually monopolize the honors. During his trusteeship of St.
Patrick’s, it was his good fortune also to be chosen to present the
address of the Irish Catholics of Quebec, to their distinguished
countryman, His Excellency the Papal Ablegate, the late lamented Bishop
Conroy. Although a Liberal in his political principles, Mr. Molony never
took part in politics, except to record his vote for parliamentary
candidates on personal grounds, until 1883, when he interfered actively
for the first time. Since then he has rendered good service to the
Liberal cause in the district of Quebec, the Irish Catholic vote there,
which had previously gone almost always Conservative, being won over to
it largely by his vigorous advocacy on the hustings and in the press, as
well as by his personal influence, and this result being made evident by
the Liberal triumphs of the last few years in Quebec west, Levis,
Megantic, Dorchester, Montmorency and Portneuf counties. Mr. Molony is a
passed cadet of the Kingston Military School, and holds a commission as
ensign in the Quebec Reserve Militia. His travels have been confined so
far to Canada and the United States. Though educated at an English
college, he has since acquired a thorough knowledge of, and is a ready
and fluent writer and speaker of, the French language. Firmly attached
to his own religious tenets, he has always evinced the highest respect
for the convictions and rights of his fellow citizens of every other
creed. A young man still, he has already attained an enviable position
in the section of the Dominion which he has made his home, and the
future probably holds in store for him a career of still greater
distinction and public and private usefulness.
* * * * *
=Haythorne, Hon. Robert Poore=, Senator, Marshfield, Charlottetown,
Prince Edward Island, was born at Clifton, Bristol, England, in the year
1815. He is a son of John Haythorne, a wool merchant of Bristol, and who
was an alderman, and four times mayor of that ancient city. He was
likewise a justice of the peace for Gloucestershire, in which county his
residence, “Hill House” was situated. R. P. Haythorne’s grandfather,
Joseph, was likewise a Bristolian, and was a banker and glass
manufacturer. John Haythorne married Mary Curtis, of “Mardyke House,”
Hotwells, Bristol, who became the mother of our distinguished Canadian
senator. R. P. Haythorne was educated at private schools in his native
place. His early life was spent at his father’s residence, but later on
he devoted several years to travelling, visiting the Island of Madeira,
the South of Spain, Portugal, France, Switzerland, and Italy. In 1842 he
emigrated to Prince Edward Island, having, in connection with an elder
brother, (subsequently the Hon. Edward C. Haythorne, a nominated member
of the Legislative Council), acquired a tract of 10,000 acres of land in
that colony. This land was partly wilderness, partly let to tenants for
999 years, and partly occupied by squatters. For many years the brothers
devoted themselves to agricultural pursuits, and to the settlement of
their estate; but the brother referred to dying in 1859, R. P. Haythorne
revisited England in 1860. Returning in the following year, he married
Elizabeth R., eldest daughter of Thomas Scott, of Belfast, Ireland, then
of Falconwood, Prince Edward Island. Two sons were born of this
marriage, one in 1862, and another in the following year, both of whom
survive. Mr. Haythorne became a widower in 1866, his wife dying at
Liverpool, England. About this period the free land and tenant league
agitation prevailed in Prince Edward Island. Mr. Haythorne and his
tenants, however, settled their differences by mutual agreement, which
was faithfully carried out, the tenants becoming freeholders, by paying
a sum about equivalent to $2 per acre by instalments. In 1867 Mr.
Haythorne, being invited by his former tenants, became a candidate for
the second electoral district of Queen’s county (Legislative Council),
and was returned to that chamber by a respectable majority. Not many
weeks later, the local Conservative Government led by the Hon. J. C.
Pope resigned, and was succeeded by a Liberal Government led by the Hon.
G. Coles, the present Judge Hensley being Attorney-General, Messrs.
Haythorne, Alexander Laird, Peter Sinclair, Callbeck Howlan, and A. A.
Macdonald, the present Lieut.-Governor of Prince Edward Island were
members of the Executive Council. The policy of this government was the
further abrogation of the leasehold tenure, by purchase on voluntary
agreement if practicable, otherwise by decision of a court to be
established for the purpose of deciding the sum to be paid for
expropriation. Mr. Coles’ health failing, he resigned, and was succeeded
by Mr. Hensley, the policy of the Government remaining unchanged as
regards the land tenures. Much attention was also paid to the
improvement of the highways, and the extension of steam navigation to
the outports of the colony. About the year 1868, Mr. Hensley accepted a
seat on the bench, and Mr. Haythorne succeeded him as Premier and
President of the Executive Council. The land policy of the Government
was much obstructed by the Colonial Office, the Secretary of State, the
Duke of Buckingham and Chandos refusing to listen to the demands of the
Executive for a compulsory expropriation law, which he condemned as “a
direct interference with private property.” For the present, therefore,
the efforts of Mr. Haythorne and his colleagues were limited to the
purchase of such estates as could be acquired by voluntary agreement,
and during the Liberals’ tenure of office some progress was made; the
estates of the Hon. J. C. Pope, the Hon. T. H. Haviland, and some others
being purchased by Government, and that of the Rev. James Montgomery by
private agreement between the proprietor and the tenants. In the
following year Lord Granville having become Secretary of State for the
Colonies, Mr. Haythorne’s council again approached the Colonial Office
with renewed demands for a measure of expropriation. Meantime the land
owners, native and absentee—some of the latter being persons of much
influence—opposed the efforts of the Government. What has now come to
be recognized as the “unearned increment of value,” the Island
Government claimed as the heritage of the men and women who had landed
boldly in the wilderness, cleared away the forests, built houses,
cities, school-houses, and churches, made roads and wharves, and caused
“the wilderness to blossom as the rose.” Lord Granville proved less
obdurate than his predecessors. He would not sanction an expropriation
bill, but seeing the urgency of another great question in the near
future, he softened his refusal in words something like these: “Having
regard to the evident uncertainty, whether the colony of Prince Edward
Island will or will not soon unite with the Dominion of Canada, I am not
prepared to enter on the consideration of the land question, with which
if such union were to ensue the Imperial Government would probably cease
to concern itself; the land question therefore, should in my opinion be
left as far as possible for the decision of those who under the altered
circumstances of the colony would have to carry into execution any
measures connected with it.”—Granville, 13th March, 1869. This despatch
was generally interpreted in Prince Edward Island to mean that the land
question would be settled in exchange for Confederation. Thus for the
present the land question rested, to be again resuscitated on the
occasion of the introduction of “a Tenants’ Compensation Bill for
Ireland,” a measure nearly identical with one introduced years before,
during a former administration of Hon. Mr. Coles, and passed through the
Island Legislature, but vetoed at the Colonial Office. During these
years the fishery question had caused some trouble. The American fishing
vessels had been admitted to the British-American waters on payment of
tonnage license dues, but in 1868 Canada declined to continue the
system, resolving to exclude the Americans, who had recently terminated
the reciprocity treaty. Meantime, in the island, the Americans were
admitted to their usual privileges, as regards frequenting the harbours,
transhipping cargoes, and obtaining supplies. But the attention of the
Imperial Government being called thereto, the Admiral on the Halifax
station (Wellesley), and the officers commanding the smaller vessels of
his squadron, were ordered to put a stop to the “alleged illegal
practices.” These orders gave rise to long correspondence between the
officers of Her Majesty’s ships, notably Captain E. Hardinge, of the
frigate _Valorous_, and the Island Executive. The former interfered with
the island and colonial coasters on very trifling grounds, and prevented
the American fishing vessels from transhipping their cargoes and
renewing their outfits on the island ports, causing much discontent
amongst shipowners and the numerous class of traders interested. (_Vide_
L. C. Journals, 1871.) In consequence, a minute of council for the
information of the Secretary of State was drawn up, September 2nd, 1870,
protesting against such interference with “our best customers the
Americans, who transhipped cargoes in our ports—renewing their supplies
of salt, barrels, provisions, and general outfit in our markets.” This
memorial was “drawn up,” the Secretary of State, Lord Kimberley,
observes, “with much ability and moderation,” and his Lordship
authorized the Lieut.-Governor Robinson (now Sir William Robinson, South
Australia), “to suspend the restrictions the local Government felt
called upon to impose.” This was the last public act of Mr. Haythorne’s
first administration. Shortly afterwards finding his supporters in the
House of Assembly in a minority, caused by the secession of the two
Catholic members of his government, he resigned, and was succeeded by a
coalition Government led by the Hon. J. C. Pope, the two Catholic
members of the late Government accepting seats in the Executive. During
the late Liberal Administrations the island had been visited by Prince
Arthur, by Lord and Lady Lisgar, and a Canadian deputation, including
Sir L. Tilley, Sir Geo. E. Cartier, and Sir E. Kenny; the object of this
“descent” being to attract the Islanders into Confederation by an offer
of “better terms.” These, however, were declined, 90 out of 100
Islanders at that juncture being opposed to Confederation. An informal
Congressional deputation, of which the well-known General B. Butler was
a member, also visited the island, their object being to ascertain
whether any approach to reciprocity could be made. This visit, though it
was without results, indicated a kindly disposition on both sides. It
obtained for the Executive of the Island a snub from the Secretary of
State, the Lieutenant-Governor (Dundas), having taken short leave to
visit Halifax at this period. During the later months of 1870, through
1871, and till April, 1873, Mr. Haythorne was in Opposition. This was
the period of the development and adoption of the railroad policy, which
by the financial embarrassment it caused, ultimately drew the island
into Confederation. Mr. Pope’s Government being supported by
considerable majorities, carried his railway bill for the construction
of a trunk line connecting Charlottetown with Summerside and Alberton on
the west, and with Georgetown on the east, and providing for future
extensions to Souris and Tignish. Soon, however, after the rising of the
legislature, Mr. Pope’s majority began to fade away, and in 1872, being
defeated in the Assembly, and again on an appeal to the people, he
resigned, and Mr. Haythorne being again called on to form an
Administration, succeeded, and carried the law relating to the railway
extensions into effect. In the latter part of the year 1872, and the
commencement of 1873, the financial and other difficulties which his
Government encountered were almost overpowering. The trunk line was
under rapid construction, and interest on debentures began to accrue
half yearly at a rapidly increasing rate. Large drafts on the local
treasury were also required in payment of rights of way, and land
damages, which added to the ordinary expenditure seemed beyond the power
of the island to meet by increased taxation. The Government therefore,
re-opened communication with the Dominion Government, then led by Sir
John Macdonald, with a view to ascertain the terms on which the island
would be admitted to Confederation. Being invited to send a deputation
to Ottawa, Mr. Haythorne and his colleague in the Executive, the Hon.
David Laird, were chosen to perform this duty. They arrived in the
capital a few days before the meeting of Parliament, in February, 1873,
Lord Dufferin being Governor-General. The delegates were put in
communication chiefly with Sir L. Tilley, and negotiated terms which
seemed highly advantageous to the island. These comprised six seats in
the Commons, the taking over and operating of the Island railway by the
Dominion, the assumption of the island debt, the providing of a sum of
$800,000 for the acquisition of proprietary lands, and the vesting of
the same in local legislature. Continuous steam communication summer and
winter with the mainland was also guaranteed. Before signing these
preliminaries which the delegates undertook to introduce to their
respective branches of the legislature, the House of Assembly was
dissolved, and writs forthwith issued for the election of a new
parliament. The following telegram from Lord Dufferin to Gov. Robinson,
P.E.I., 12th March, 1873, may be quoted: “The delegates from your
Government have left Ottawa, having succeeded in effecting a provisional
arrangement. I congratulate you on P.E.I. having obtained such liberal
terms. My ministers are of opinion, in which I fully concur, that no
additional concessions would have any chance of being accepted by the
Parliament of Canada.—Dufferin.” Though the new terms were very
generally approved, the policy of the Opposition led by Mr. Pope
prevailed. It was to send another deputation to Ottawa, and demand
further concessions. And it succeeded, proving more attractive to the
majority of electors. Mr. Haythorne finding his government in a minority
resigned, and Mr. Pope resumed office. On the assembling of the new
parliament, Messrs. J. C. Pope, T. H. Haviland, and G. W. Howlan were
sent to Ottawa, and after some delay, secured some further concessions,
which were finally adopted in addition to the so-called Haythorne-Laird
terms, and being ratified, the island entered Confederation on July 1st,
1873. The following autumn Mr. Haythorne was summoned to the Senate, and
took his seat during the short session of that year, when the Pacific
Railway scandal led to the resignation of Sir John Macdonald’s
Government, and the advent of Mr. Mackenzie and his friends to power. In
the Senate Mr. Haythorne has been a pronounced freetrader, and a
supporter of the general policy of the Liberal party. He dissented,
however, from so much of their election law as went to substitute
(temporarily) the franchise of the Legislative Council of Prince Edward
Island, for the manhood suffrage which had long existed there, and
supported an amendment moved by Senator Haviland, which provided for the
continuance of the existing franchise in that province, until
registration courts should be established. This amendment being carried
in the Senate, it was agreed to by the Commons. He supported the Scott
Act, though somewhat doubtful respecting the fitness of some of its
clauses. He has steadily opposed all attempts to circumscribe its
operation, or diminish its efficacy. During the session of 1885, he
avowed a change of opinion, as to its principles and policy. This
contention being briefly: (1st) That the Canada Temperance Act, 1878, is
practically inoperative against the drunkard; while it abridges the
natural liberty of sober consumers of fermented liquors; (2nd) That the
optional theory is unsound, because where most needed in a community
addicted to intemperance, it receives least support, and would be
generally carried where least needed; and because it is the duty of
Government to propose to Parliament such measures as are necessary to
obviate a national tendency to intemperance; (3rd) Prohibition tends to
produce smuggling, illicit trading, and sale of pernicious spirits, and
experience proves that perjury sometimes results on the prosecution of
offenders.
* * * * *
=Gingras, Hon. Jean Elie=, ex-Member of the Legislative Council of the
Province of Quebec, is one of the oldest and best known citizens of
Quebec city, where he was born on the 5th of June, in the year 1804, of
humble but respectable French Canadian parents, then residing in the
shipping quarter of the city known as Diamond Harbor, which extends
along the river front beneath the citadel. The educational advantages he
enjoyed in his youth were limited, as he had to face the stern
necessities of life at an age when other lads, more fortunately
situated, are still considered in their teens. Put to learn the trade of
the ship carpenter, he worked for a number of years in the ship-yard of
the late Mr. Black, the builder of the _Royal William_, the first steam
vessel that successfully crossed the Atlantic, and eventually became his
foreman. He afterwards engaged in the ship-building business on his own
account. This was in the palmy days of that great industry in Quebec,
and Mr. Gingras, by dint of skill, energy and enterprise, rapidly worked
himself into the front rank of those engaged in it, employing a large
amount of labor, and acquiring considerable wealth and influence in the
community. During this stage of his long and useful life, his
fellow-citizens marked their appreciation of his worth by electing him a
member of the city corporation, and the government of the day by
appointing him a member of the Quebec Trinity House. A Conservative in
politics, he was also nominated by his party in 1864 to contest the seat
for the Stadacona division in the Legislative Council with the then
mayor of Quebec city, A. Tourangeau, who afterwards became M.P. for
Quebec East, and is now city postmaster. This was before confederation,
when the Legislative Council of Canada was elective. After a severe
contest, Mr. Gingras was returned at the head of the poll, and
represented the Stadacona division in the Council from 1864 until the
union, when he was appointed by the Crown a member of the Legislative
Council of the province of Quebec for life. During the decline of wooden
ship-building at Quebec, Mr. Gingras lost heavily, and finally retired
from business with a remnant of his once large fortune. He continued,
however, to hold his seat in the Legislative Council of the province
until the close of 1887, when, on attaining his eighty-fourth year of
age, he resigned it and was succeeded by Hon. G. Bresse, the great boot
and shoe manufacturer of Quebec East. Notwithstanding his advanced age,
Mr. Gingras is still hale and hearty, and few men enjoy a larger share
of public respect. He was thrice married. His last wife, as were her
predecessors, being a Quebec lady, whom he married in 1887. Like the
vast majority of his fellow-countrymen, he is a Roman Catholic.
* * * * *
=Weldon, Richard Chapman=, B.A., Ph.D., Halifax, Nova Scotia, M.P. for
Albert County, New Brunswick, is a native of Sussex, N.B., where he was
born on the 19th January, 1849. He is the grandson of Andrew Weldon, a
native of Yorkshire, England, who emigrated and settled in Westmoreland
county, N.B., about a hundred years ago. The greater part of the
province was then a wilderness, and Andrew Weldon was one of its
foremost pioneers. Dr. Weldon’s paternal grandmother was Sarah Black,
sister of Rev. William Black, the founder of Methodism in the maritime
provinces. The late Rev. Dr. Matthew Richie wrote an interesting
biography of the Rev. Mr. Black, and a centenary memorial hall at Mount
Allison College, N.B., marks the esteem in which his name is held by the
church which he labored to establish, and will long keep his memory
green. The cause, under his zealous advocacy, made great headway, until
now, the Methodist church is one of the largest and most progressive in
the maritime provinces. Dr. Weldon received his earlier education at the
Superior School, in Upper Sussex. He matriculated at Mount Allison and
took the degree of B.A. after a very successful course. After leaving
Sackville he went to Yale College, in the United States, and after
prosecuting his studies there with great zeal for two years took the
degree of Doctor of Philosophy. The success of his post-graduate course
was so great as to tempt him to enjoy the advantages of European travel
and study. Having decided that his vocation lay in the department of
international law, he went to the famous University of Heidelberg, which
two years since celebrated its tercentenary, and there worked hard at
its chosen subject of study. Heidelberg enrols about thirteen hundred
students, from all parts of the world. The situation of the university,
under the old schloss (in ruins since the middle of the last century,
when it was the seat of government of the old palatinate), and
over-looking the valley of the beautiful Neckar flowing swiftly by amid
it opulent vineyards, is one of the prettiest in the whole world. Many
of the ablest jurists, statisticians and publicists in Germany have
received their training in Heidelberg. After enjoying the pleasure of
visiting some of the greatest resorts in the old world, Dr. Weldon
returned home, and in 1875 accepted the position of a professor at Mount
Allison College. He held this office until 1883. As a professor at his
Alma Mater he was careful and painstaking, and earned the reputation of
being the ablest man in the college. He continued his studies in law and
was called to the bar of his native province, but never practised. About
1882 the princely donations of George Munro, the New York publisher, to
Dalhousie College, Halifax, gave a great impetus to that seat of
learning, and it was resolved to establish a chair of constitutional
law. In casting about for a man to fill it, no better name was suggested
than that of Dr. Weldon. This was a rare honor, coming as it did from a
neighboring, and, in some respects, a rival college. Of this law school
there are two professors and six lecturers, the latter being selected
from among the ablest practitioners at the bar of Nova Scotia. Dr.
Weldon is dean of the school, and delivers lectures in constitutional
law and history, conflict of laws and international law. There are about
fifty students, coming from all parts of the maritime provinces. The
school possesses a fairly equipped and serviceable law library. To this
library Dr. Weldon is one of the largest donors, having contributed
$500. Having passed the required examinations, Dr. Weldon was, on the
9th December, 1884, admitted to the bar of Nova Scotia. His lectures are
very popular, and he is held in high esteem by the students and the
faculty of Dalhousie at large. Although he had resided at times long out
of his native province, Dr. Weldon never ceased to feel a warm interest
in her affairs as well as in the larger political movements in the
Dominion. His sympathies lay with the Conservatives. Previous to the
general election of 1887 he was nominated by the Conservatives of Albert
county. He at once entered into the canvass and conducted a series of
public meetings, in which he made a favorable impression. The opposition
candidate was a very strong man, Mr. Alexander Rogers. The vote stood:
Weldon, 1,047; Rogers, 923. Dr. Weldon signalized his entrance into the
Commons by seconding the Address. He had carefully studied the fishery
question in its larger bearings, and won applause by saying that if the
sixty million people of the United States insisted upon their
contentions, five millions on this side of the border would stand by
their rights. Dr. Weldon is a man of modest bearing, and is always
listened to with respect by the house. He is connected with the
Methodists; his wife, whom he married in 1877, being Marie, eldest
daughter of Rev. G. W. Tuttle, at that time stationed in the
Stellarton—Pictou county, N.S.—circuit.
* * * * *
=McNicoll, David=, Montreal, General Passenger Agent, for the territory
east of Port Arthur of the Canadian Pacific Railway, is still a young
man, though his position is one of large responsibilities. He was born
in the seaport town of Arbroath, in Forfarshire, Scotland, in April,
1852, and was only just beginning his fourteenth year when, in August,
1866, he entered the railway service as clerk in the goods manager’s
office of the North British Railway. In that position he remained until
1873, when he removed to England and obtained a similar berth in the
Midland Railway of that country. When he was in his twenty-first year he
was induced to come to Canada, where his previous experience proved of
service in procuring him employment in the same business. He became
associated with railway enterprise in the Dominion in the year 1874. His
first introduction to it was in the capacity of billing clerk on the
Northern Railway, at Meaford and Collingwood. Before the close of his
first year on Canadian railways, he was promoted to be chief clerk in
the office of the general manager of the Toronto, Grey and Bruce
Railway, at Toronto. He remained in that position until 1881, when he
became the general freight and passenger agent of the same railway, and
general traffic agent of the Owen Sound steamship line, trading on the
upper lakes. In 1883 he received the appointment of general passenger
agent of the Credit Valley, Toronto, Grey and Bruce, and Ontario and
Quebec railways, and when these lines were amalgamated with the Canadian
Pacific Railway, and operated as the Ontario division of the same, he
retained his position as general passenger agent at Toronto until the
spring of 1885, when his office was removed to Montreal. He then
received the appointment of general passenger agent of all the lines of
the Canadian Pacific Railway east of Port Arthur, which position he now
holds. Mr. McNicoll is well known in Toronto and Montreal, and enjoys
the confidence and esteem both of his superiors and colleagues and of
the travelling public.
* * * * *
=Ellis, Wm. Hodgson=, B.A., M.B., L.R.C.P., Toronto, is a native of
Derbyshire, England, where he was born on the 23rd of November, 1845.
His father, Dr. John Eimeo Ellis, was an English physician of some note,
and his grandfather, the Rev. William Ellis, was the famed missionary to
Madagascar, at the beginning of the century, and well known by his
admirable work dealing with missionary labor on the large and
interesting island in the Indian ocean, which lately came under the
protection of France. When he was in his fourteenth year, young Ellis
came to Canada, and in 1863 he matriculated at University College,
Toronto, and four years afterwards took his B.A. degree. During his
university career, he was a diligent and successful student,
particularly distinguishing himself in science, for the study of which
he had an inherited taste, and a great natural aptitude. While an
undergraduate, he became a member of the University Rifle corps, of
which he was afterwards made captain; and in June, 1866, was with the
“Queen’s Own,” at the historic field of Ridgeway, where the university
corps took a memorable part in the engagement with the invading Fenians.
On taking his arts degree, Mr. Ellis devoted himself to the study of
medicine, and in one course won his M.B. degree, at the Toronto School
of Medicine; after which he proceeded to London, England, there to
complete his professional studies. These he pursued at St. Thomas’
Hospital, where he soon obtained the degree of Licentiate of the Royal
College of Physicians, London. He now returned to Canada, and in 1871
was appointed Professor of Chemistry in Trinity Medical School, and
lecturer of chemistry in Trinity College, Toronto. Five years later he
was appointed by the Ontario government instructor in chemistry in the
Provincial College of Technology, now the School of Practical Science,
in affiliation with Toronto University. When the college was removed to
the Queen’s Park and attached to the university, Dr. Ellis resigned his
professorship in Trinity College, and assumed his present position, the
Professorship of Applied Chemistry, and was at the same time appointed
by the Dominion government Public Analyst for the Inland Revenue,
district of Toronto. To these important positions the learned professor
brings great natural and acquired powers, an alert, widely stored, and
comprehensive mind, and, though still young, a large experience, and the
fruits of wide study and research. He is moreover an interesting
lecturer and a successful instructor; and his genial manner, no less
than his high attainments, wins for him the regard and confidence of all
with whom he comes in contact. Dr. Ellis is an active member of the
Canadian Institute, and for two years was its president. He is also a
Fellow of the Chemical Society of London, England, and a Fellow of the
Society of Public Analysts of Great Britain. Dr. Ellis married in 1875,
Ellen Maud, daughter of Charles Mickle, of the city of Guelph, by whom
he has had two children. He is a member of the Anglican church.
* * * * *
=Robitaille, Louis Adolphe=, Quebec, is a well-known and much respected
citizen of the ancient capital. He is a brother of Hon. Theodore
Robitaille, fourth lieutenant-governor of the province of Quebec, and
now a senator of the Dominion, and, like him, was born at the family
residence at Varennes, P.Q. His father, who was a notary, was descended
from one of the oldest French families in Lower Canada, and figured very
prominently among the patriots during the insurrection of 1837-38, even
to the extent of suffering imprisonment for his political opinions until
after the pacification of the province. On the maternal side our subject
claims descent from the Monjeaus and the Brodeurs, two more of the good
old Lower Canadian families. He was educated at the Ste. Therese, St.
Hyacinthe, and Montreal Seminaries. He was offered and accepted an
appointment in the Crown Lands department of Canada sometime about 1855.
Before confederation, Mr. Robitaille was promoted and placed in charge
of the Woods and Forests branch of Canada, and in this position he was
continued until confederation, when he became superintendent of Woods
and Forests for the province of Quebec. He afterwards left this branch
of the service for an appointment in the Railway department of Quebec
province, which position he held until shortly after the transfer of the
North Shore Railway, and was then superannuated. Though retired from the
government service, Mr. Robitaille is still in active employment as
secretary-treasurer of the Baie des Chaleurs Railway. He is a
brother-in-law of Mr. Riopel, M.P. for Bonaventure. Having been a public
officer from early life, serving under different administrations, Mr.
Robitaille has never taken an active part in politics.
* * * * *
=Caron, Hon. Sir Joseph Philippe Rene Adolphe=, B.C.L., K.C.M.G., Q.C.,
Ottawa, Minister of Militia, M.P. for Quebec county, was born in the
city of Quebec in 1843. He is the eldest surviving son of the late Hon.
R. E. Caron, lieutenant-governor of the province of Quebec. The Caron
family is ancient, and many members of it from time to time held
distinguished places in the state. Sir Adolphe was educated at the
Seminary of Quebec, at Laval University, and at the University of
McGill, in Montreal. In 1865, he graduated from the last mentioned
institution, taking with him the degree of B.C.L. Mr. Caron had as
preceptors in the offices wherein he studied his profession, very
distinguished lawyers. At first he studied with L. G. Baillairgé, Q.C.,
and subsequently with the Hon. (now Sir) John Rose, bart. In 1865, he
was called to the bar of Lower Canada, and in May, 1879, was appointed a
Queen’s counsellor. He is the only remaining member of the widely known
firm of Andrews, Caron & Andrews, Quebec city, Mr. Andrews, sr., having
died a few years ago, and Mr. Andrews, jr., was appointed to a
justiceship. The firm is now re-organized and known as Caron, Pentland &
Stuart. Besides his attention to law, he has formed prominent
connections in other directions. He has been a director of the Stadacona
Bank, and was vice-president of the Literary and Historical Society of
Quebec in 1867. But above all other interests, he found himself
attracted to public life, and first sought parliamentary honors in 1872,
at Bellechase, but failed to secure his election. In March, 1873, he was
more successful, having been then returned to represent the county of
Quebec in the House of Commons at Ottawa, and has sat in the House of
Commons ever since, and has been twice elected by acclamation. He always
showed himself to be an industrious and practical member of the house,
and those who observed him closely had no difficulty in predicting that
sooner or later he must obtain a substantial recognition of his
abilities. Sir John A. Macdonald always keeps his eyes about him for
talent, and Mr. Caron was long under his scrutiny. A very great friend
and warm admirer of Sir John A. Macdonald declares, however, that the
premier does not want to have near him any ability, or brilliancy that
could ever be likely to cast his own in the shade. Nevertheless, we are
pretty certain that he is shrewd enough to seek to gather about him the
best brains that he can lay hold of, and, as a rule, he has always
succeeded in doing this. He perceived that the subject of our sketch
would not alone make a good minister, but that he would likewise make a
popular one, and Mr. Caron was sworn in a member of the Privy Council,
9th November, 1880, and appointed minister of militia. To some men,
indeed to most men, come that one opportunity, at some period or another
in their lives; that one opportunity arose for the Hon. Mr. Caron,
minister of militia, in 1885. We need not, so close to the event which
furnished the opportunity, dwell at length upon it here. Like a
thunderbolt upon our ears came the tidings that several policemen and
civilians had fallen before a body of armed rebels in the North-West. It
was the winter of the year, the theatre of revolt was far away; it could
not be reached by railroad, but almost interminable stretches of
wilderness lay before whomsoever should go there to re-assert the
majesty of the law. A weak or incapable minister of militia would have
been at his wit’s end in the face of a problem, grave as this, thrust
upon him for immediate settlement. But Hon. Mr. Caron was not dismayed;
he did not hesitate at all, but promptly and firmly grappled with the
difficulty. Looking back upon it now, it naturally gives us ground for
the heartiest approbation to think of the celerity with which troops
were placed at different points in the territories, in the face of long
and difficult marching, and at an inclement season. It is perhaps
doubtful if there is to be found in the history of ordinary wars a
record showing more promptness of design and action than this uprising
put in the way of our militia department to display. It is a fact that
the decision and speed of our movements elicited the highest approbation
from disinterested military spectators. His Excellency, the
governor-general, who is a gentleman of very superior judgment,
recognized the efficiency of the minister in this time of peril, and had
no hesitation in communicating the fact to the Imperial government, and
recommending that he should obtain recognition from the Crown. That
recognition came, and there was no room to doubt that the minister of
militia well deserved to become Sir Adolphe Caron. Of late it has come
to be the custom in certain quarters to sneer at distinctions like the
knighthood, and to declare that they have been conferred at random; but
in the selection of Sir Adolphe for such an honor, no reasonable man can
make this criticism. In politics Sir Adolphe is a Liberal-Conservative,
and in religion a Roman Catholic. In 1867, he married Alice, only
daughter of the late Hon. François Baby, who represented Stadacona
division in the Legislative Council for many years.
* * * * *
=Edgar, William=, General Passenger Agent, Grand Trunk Railway,
Montreal, was born at Birkenhead, on the Mersey, opposite Liverpool, on
the 14th of June, 1841. When quite young he came to Canada, and on the
13th of October, 1856, entered the stationery department of the Great
Western railway as a clerk. During the twelve years following, he filled
various capacities in connection with the same important line, being at
different times, clerk of the stores department, clerk of the audit
department and chief clerk to the general ticket agent. In discharging
his duties, he was always able to give satisfaction to his employers,
and never failed to command the respect of those with whom he came in
contact. In July, 1869, he was appointed passenger agent for the western
division of the Great Western, being stationed at Detroit, a post which
he held until the succeeding January, when he became general ticket
agent on the same road and on the Michigan Central. In that position he
remained until November, 1875, when he was offered and accepted the
office of general passenger agent on the Great Western line. In
November, 1882, another change in his career took place, as he was then
appointed assistant-general passenger agent of the Grand Trunk Railway
which included the Great Western system. His new functions necessitated
his removal to Toronto, where he made many friends during his stay of
some twenty months. In July, 1884, Mr. Edgar was further promoted to the
important position which he now holds, that of general passenger agent
of the Grand Trunk, with headquarters at Montreal. He enjoys the esteem
of many friends, both among his colleagues and in the community at
large.
* * * * *
=Perley, William Dell=, Wolseley, N.W.T., M.P. for East Assiniboia, was
born at Gladstone, Sunbury County, New Brunswick, 6th February, 1838.
Among his ancestors were the pioneers of America as well as the pioneers
of New Brunswick. On his father’s side the family traces its descent
back to Allan Perley, who emigrated from Wales to Massachusetts in 1630.
When the Revolutionary war broke out a number of members of the family
remained true to the British cause, and being expelled with the other
Loyalists, settled in New Brunswick. The father of the subject of this
sketch was Hon. W. E. Perley, of Sunbury, a prominent man in the
politics of New Brunswick in ante-Confederation times. He was educated
in the best school of the province, concluding his collegiate course at
the Baptist Seminary at Sackville. In 1860 Mr. Perley married Phebe
Augusta Slipp, of Hampstead, N.B. Being a man of public spirit and
unusual energy, he early became prominent in public affairs. His first
training as a legislator he received in the municipal council of his
native county, to which he was elected for seven consecutive years, this
fact alone being sufficient proof of the esteem in which he was held by
those among whom he had spent his life. The opportunities afforded to
men of energy and capital in the Canadian North-West has had great
attraction for Mr. Perley from the earliest public announcements of the
great resources of that country. Going to the North-West in 1882 he
became from the first a leading citizen of what is now Assiniboia
district. He was a member of the first municipal council of Wolseley,
and was elected chairman of that body. In this capacity he had most to
do with completing the municipal organization. He became a member of the
North-West council in September, 1885, and was appointed one of the
delegates from the North-West Territories to confer with the Government
of the Dominion, in relation to important questions affecting the
North-West which were then pending. In 1887, Mr. Perley resigned his
place in the North-West council to contest the newly established riding
of East Assiniboia for the House of Commons. The elections in the
North-West were of absorbing interest owing to the close results of the
elections for the Eastern Provinces, and they were fought with keenness
throughout. Mr. Perley succeeded in carrying his district, as also did
the other Conservative candidates. Though but a short time in the House,
Mr. Perley has already taken a respectable place and has shown himself
to be possessed of qualities which would win him distinction in any
legislative body. He speaks seldom, but has already made it plain that
he possesses independence of spirit which is unfortunately too rare in
Canadian politics. He is an active promoter of a number of great public
enterprises, such as railways and others, and has, even in his short
career in parliament, won important advantages for his constituents in
hastening the construction of the North-West Central Railway, a most
important enterprise, and in various other ways.
* * * * *
=Stephenson, Major James=, Superintendent of the Grand Trunk Railway,
Montreal, was born in England in the very year and month in which our
Gracious Queen ascended the throne, June, 1837, and in a place renowned
in history for its association with a line of English kings, the ancient
town of Lancaster. It is the capital of the important county which
comprises those great centres of trade and industry, Liverpool and
Manchester. But Mr. Stephenson was not destined to spend more than his
early years on the banks of the Lune. Early in life he was induced to
come to Canada, where the railway movement initiated by the enterprise
of British capitalists, seemed to hold out prospects of success to
energetic young men. It was not, however, in the railway, but in the
telegraphic service that he began his career. In 1855 he obtained a
situation in the British American Telegraph Company, and in the
following year, on the amalgamation of that company with the Montreal
Telegraph Company, he was offered a position on the Grand Trunk, and
severed his connection with his former employers. It was at the Don
Station, Toronto, that, in September, 1856, he made his _début_ in the
new calling which was henceforth to be the business of his life. Two
months later an event occurred, which may be regarded as the
starting-point of a new era for Canada—the great Grand Trunk
celebration at Montreal, inaugurating the completion of the connecting
link between Montreal and Toronto. To have been a railway man at that
date, makes good his title to the ranks of veteran. The first duties
that were entrusted to Mr. Stephenson were those of ticket clerk and
operator, but in 1858, he succeeded to the agency of the station. It was
the first of many steps forward. In 1860, he was appointed
train-despatcher; in 1862, divisional telegraph superintendent and agent
at Belleville; in 1864, assistant superintendent; and in June, 1881,
general passenger agent. But the promotion of Mr. Stephenson did not
stop here, for in July, 1884, the Company recognizing his great ability,
he was promoted, to the satisfaction of his colleagues and the public,
to the responsible position which he still holds. Mr. Stephenson is a
true Briton, and was not the man to look on inactive, when in 1866—a
year which not a few of our people have had cause to remember—Canada
was the victim of unprovoked attack from the Fenian element of the
United States. He buckled on his armour with thousands of other brave
men to meet and repel the invader. He was quickly raised to the rank of
captain, and in March, 1867, had earned his majority. In October, 1871,
he retired, retaining his rank. His certificates of qualification are
dated 2nd class, March, 1867; 1st class, May, 1867. He married in
September, 1866, Agnes Frances, eldest daughter of the late Captain
Richard Arnold, of Toronto. In private life Major Stephenson is much
respected and has many friends.
* * * * *
=Masson, James=, Q.C., Barrister, Owen Sound, Ontario, M.P. for North
Grey, was born on the 17th February, 1847, in Seymour township,
Northumberland county, Ontario. He is the eldest son of Thomas W. S.
Masson, of Seymour, and grandson of Captain Thomas Masson, R.N., St.
Andrews, Scotland. James Masson, the subject of this sketch, received
his educational training in the public school of his native place and at
the Grammar School, Belleville, and having selected law as a profession,
he entered the office of W. H. Penton, Belleville, where he completed
his legal studies. He was called to the bar of Ontario, Michaelmas term,
1871, and removing to Owen Sound, commenced the practice of his
profession shortly afterwards, and has succeeded in building up a good
business. He occupied the position of Master in Chancery at Owen Sound
from 1873 to December, 1885; and in October, 1885, he was created a
Queen’s counsel. In 1873 Mr. Masson first began to take an interest in
politics, and at the general election of 1887 he was chosen to serve in
the House of Commons at Ottawa as the representative of North Grey. He
is a Liberal-Conservative in politics, and was for many years previous
to this an advocate and supporter of the national policy. He served with
the 15th battalion of volunteers at Prescott in 1866. He married in
July, 1873, Jessie, fourth daughter of the Rev. D. Morrison, of Knox
Church, Owen Sound.
* * * * *
=Mills, John Burpee=, M.P., of Annapolis, N.S., was born at Granville
Ferry, in Annapolis county, 24th July, 1850. Granville Ferry is very
prettily situated, being on the opposite side of the Annapolis river,
about three miles from Annapolis Royal, the seat of so many historic
associations. The country about there is occupied by many
comfortable-looking, square-built, old English houses, built by military
people in the days when Annapolis was a garrison town and the capital of
Nova Scotia. There is a fine field for writers of imaginative literature
in the early and even the later story of Annapolis. Of a pleasant
afternoon in September there is no pleasanter drive to be enjoyed than
that along the road from Bridgetown to Granville Ferry, on the right
bank of the Annapolis river, when the tide is in. All along the highway
is a succession of orchards of apples and plums. On the low meadows
beside the river, stacks of hay stand on roughly made frameworks. The
breeze comes down from the north mountain and sweeps through orchard and
meadow. Mr. Mills belongs to a Baptist family and received his college
education at Acadia College, Wolfeville, N.S., the headquarters of
Baptist educational forces in the maritime provinces, which was founded
and long sustained by the self-denying labors of “Father” Manning, Rev.
Theodore Harding, the venerable and accomplished Dr. Crawley—who is
still living near the seat of his life-long labors—Rev. Dr. Cramp, the
historian of the Baptist denomination, and other able scholars and
business men. Mr. Mills completed a successful course in May, 1871, when
he took his bachelor’s degree, graduating with honors. He took an active
interest in field sports whilst pursuing his studies with assiduity, and
was for some terms captain of the college cricket eleven. In those days
Acadia boasted a good cricket team, and in contests with elevens of
neighboring towns, scored numerous victories. Continuing his love of
Alma Mater after striking out in active life, in 1877 he presented
himself again at old Acadia, and was honored with the degree of M.A. He
has long been a member of the alumni of Acadia College. But before this
he attended the law school of Harvard for one year, and completed his
studies in law in Nova Scotia. He was called to the bar on 20th July,
1875. Immediately upon entering into business, he obtained a large
practice which he still holds, being at the head of the firm of Mills &
Gillies. They do a large business in conveyancing and real estate
transactions. Mr. Mills’ father, John Mills, of Granville Ferry, is a
merchant and shipbuilder, and the subject of this sketch is also largely
interested in shipping. He has for some years taken a great interest in
politics, and two years previous to the last Dominion general election,
was nominated as candidate of the Conservative party in Annapolis
county. He at once entered upon the canvass, and for a year previous to
the election devoted much of his time to political work. His opponent
was Colonel W. H. Ray, a man widely known and popular in the county, and
then representing it at Ottawa. Parties are pretty evenly matched in
Annapolis, and a candidate’s work is never easy there. Mr. Mills
canvassed the county thoroughly, visiting every section of it, and
seeing the leading men everywhere. In the May election for the local
house in 1886, one Liberal, Attorney-General Longley, and one
Conservative, Frank Andrews, were returned by very narrow majorities.
The question of Repeal had decided the local contest in favor of the
Liberals, and it was not known how far the same cry might prevail in the
Dominion election. Mr. Mills secured 1758 votes, against 1730 polled by
Col. Ray. He took his seat in the House of Commons last winter as a
supporter of the government. As yet he has not taken a leading part in
the debates, but with experience, may be expected to give a good account
of himself in the political arena. At Ottawa it is only the men of many
fights as a rule that are expected often to address the House. The
principal part of every debate is by mutual consent relegated to the
acknowledged leaders on either side, and younger and less practical
statesmen have opportunities of studying the moves in the play of the
principals. While devoting so much of his time to law and politics, Mr.
Mills has taken an interest in most of the business enterprises of his
native town, and is a director in several local corporations. A large
part of the apple crop of the Annapolis valley is exported from
Annapolis Royal. There is a direct line of steamers plying between the
town, Portland, Me., and Boston. The town has suffered much from the
ravages of fire, otherwise it would be one of the largest and most
flourishing towns in the province, its natural resources and advantages
being so great, and public-spirited citizens having at various times
expended large sums of money in many business and industrial
enterprises. Mr. Mills was a member of the municipal council from 1882
to 1887. He married, 23rd Oct., 1878, Bessie, daughter of A. W. Corbett,
of Annapolis.
* * * * *
=Roy, Rouer Joseph=, Q.C., Barrister, Montreal, was born on the 7th
January, 1821, in Montreal, province of Quebec. His father was Joseph
Roy, who represented the city of Montreal in the Quebec legislature,
before 1837. On the occasion of his death, which occurred in 1856, the
Hon. Joseph Papineau thus spoke of him:—“The one we have lost has left
us none but noble examples to imitate, and not one act or one word that
requires to be excused.” His mother, Miss Lusignan, belonged to a family
of Italian origin, which was allied to the noble house of the Rouer de
Villeroy of France. Mr. Roy, the subject of our sketch, was educated at
the Montreal College, where he took a full classical course, under
Messire Baile, completing his studies in 1838. He then began the study
of law under the Hon. M. O’Sullivan, formerly solicitor-general for
Lower Canada, and afterwards chief justice of Quebec. On Mr. Sullivan
being elevated to the bench as chief justice in 1840, Mr. Roy continued
his studies under the Hon. Andrew Stuart, also one of the
solicitor-generals of the province, and completed them some eighteen
months before he became of age. He was called to the bar of Quebec in
February, 1842. After a brilliant career as a barrister and leading
attorney, he was, in 1862, appointed joint city attorney for the city of
Montreal, and acted in that capacity up to the year 1876, when he became
the sole legal adviser of the city, which position he still holds. In
1856 he was unanimously elected by his brother barristers syndic of the
bar of Quebec, which position he held for four years. He was appointed
Queen’s counsel in 1864, and since 1864 he has been president of the
library committee of the bar. In 1887 he was elected _bâtonnier_ of the
bar of Quebec. He was appointed by the Fabrique, in 1870, churchwarden
of the parish of Notre Dame. This is an honor conferred upon a very
limited and selected number of persons, Mr. Roy being only the second
member of the profession who has held this honorable position. He is a
linguist of no mean ability, is a thorough Latin and Italian scholar, is
well versed in Greek lore, and is familiar with the English language, as
well as his native French. He was a captain of the Voltigeurs in 1849,
shortly after the burning of the parliament buildings in Montreal.
During his career as a practising barrister, he had the important case
of Grant vs. Beaudry, arising out of the Orange troubles of 1878, which
was carried to the Supreme Court and there decided in favor of his
client. He has been intrusted with several cases before Her Majesty’s
Privy Council in England, notably the St. James street case, which was
the cause of much excitement at the time, also the case of Castonguay
and LeClere, and more particularly the case of Lachevrotiere _dit_
Chavigny and the city of Montreal. This case arose out of a dispute with
regard to one of the principal squares of the city. Mr. Roy was married
on the 22nd of January, 1857, to Corinne Beaudry, daughter of the Hon.
Jean Beaudry, who, for many years was a member of the Legislative
Council of Canada, and mayor of the city of Montreal. Mr. Roy has a
family of eight children, seven daughters and a son, who to-day ranks
among the rising civil engineers of Canada.
* * * * *
=Weeks, Otto Swartz=, Halifax, Nova Scotia, M.P.P. for the county of
Guysborough, is a native of Nova Scotia. His father was the Rev. Otto
Weeks, a clergyman of the Church of England, who entered King’s College,
Windsor, in the year 1820, and graduated B.A. in 1824, taking his degree
of M.A. in 1827. The family is of New England extraction. Mr. Weeks
received his early education in Halifax and studied law with A. James,
judge in equity for Nova Scotia. His talents attracted the attention of
the late Hon. Joseph Howe, who took a great interest in his progress.
Mr. Weeks began life as a newspaper reporter, and it being one of his
duties to report the speeches in the House of Assembly during the palmy
days of provincial eloquence and statesmanship, when giants like the
late Hon. J. W. Johnston, George R. Young, William Young, late Chief
Justice of Nova Scotia, James B. Uniacke, Joseph Howe, Herbert
Huntingdon, and many others strove for the honors, limited enough, which
the province had to offer, he early acquired a style of colloquial and
forensic speaking which materially aided him in later life. He was
admitted to the bar, 28th November, 1853, began practice at Brooklin,
Hants county, but shortly removed to Windsor, the shire town and seat of
the courts and public offices. Here he built up an extensive practice,
his partner for some years being his cousin, John W. Ouseley, at present
clerk of the House of Assembly. His business extended over the counties
of Hants, Kings and Annapolis, and he became leader of the midland
circuit, having for opponents at the bar, among others, John C. Hall,
Hiram Blanchard, Hon. John W. Ritchie, ex-equity judge, and Hon. James
McDonald, Chief Justice of Nova Scotia. His wife is Miss Ruggles, a
sister of T. W. Ruggles, barrister, of Bridgetown, Annapolis county,
N.S. Mr. Weeks has always been identified with the Liberal party, and in
December, 1874, was invited to fill the office of attorney-general in
the government of which Hon. P. Carteret Hill, D.C.L., was premier. He
at once took the field in the constituency of Guysborough, and having
for an opponent Captain Hadley, a well-known local politician, was
elected by a narrow majority in 1875. After this victory, Hon. P. C.
Hill, Mr. Weeks, and others, made a tour of the western counties holding
public meetings in Windsor and Bridgetown. Mr. Weeks brought great
strength to the government, especially in the debates in the house,
where his most formidable antagonist was Douglas B. Woodworth, ex M.P.
for King’s county, Nova Scotia. He held the office of attorney-general
for one year when he resigned it, but still kept his seat in the house,
and maintained his reputation as a keen and incisive debater. At the
general election in 1878 Mr. Weeks again contested Guysborough but was
defeated, there being a third Liberal candidate, D. C. Fraser, of New
Glasgow, N.S., in the field. After assuming the duties of the
attorney-generalship, Mr. Weeks relinquished his practice in Windsor,
and removed to Halifax where he has since resided. At the general
election of 1882 and 1886 he was elected for Guysborough. In former
years he occasionally came before the public as a lecturer on literary
topics, and always with marked success. Among his lyceum efforts
delivered in Windsor may be mentioned those on Music and on the modern
English poets. He excels as a reciter of poetry, and has a keen
appreciation of the beauties of English literature. Although a great
admirer of Hon. Joseph Howe, when that gentleman engaged in the famous
campaign of 1869, after accepting a seat in the cabinet of Sir John A.
Macdonald, Mr. Weeks took the stump against him and met him on many
platforms in the county. As a lawyer he possesses the most wide-spread
reputation of any man in the province, having great influence with
juries. His manner is very deliberate, but gives added force to the
pungency of his repartees, in making which he has no equal in Nova
Scotia. He has not been prominently connected with any of the social
movements of the time, although he took some degree of interest, in its
early days, of the volunteer movement. His whole attention has been
absorbed in the struggles of politics and the practice of his
profession. A bill which passed the house whilst he was a member of the
Hill government gave rise to the somewhat celebrated Great Seal Case of
1877. The point was raised by J. Norman Ritchie, now one of the judges
of the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia, as to whether the local legislature
could interfere with the precedence which his letters patent as Queen
counsel appointed by the Canadian Government. This question was decided,
after being argued with great ability by the full benches of the Supreme
Court of Nova Scotia and of Canada, in favor of Mr. Ritchie’s
precedence.
* * * * *
=Purcell, Patrick=, M.P. for Glengarry, was born in Glengarry, Ont., May
1st, 1833. He unites in himself the best qualities of the two great
branches of the Celtic race, his father having been a native of
Kilkenny, Ireland, while his mother was from the Western Highlands of
Scotland, a native of Argyleshire. He had but slight educational
advantages in his youth, and, though quick of perception and remarkable
from an early age for great shrewdness, was not of a temperament to be
much improved by the merely literary methods of the schools. Had he been
privileged in his younger days to attend some institutions such as the
great technical colleges of today, in which not the memory only but the
perceptive faculties and manual abilities are trained and developed, he
would undoubtedly have made even a greater mark in life than he has
done. But in the great technical school of life in which he had to make
his own way from an early age, Mr. Purcell secured a training which has
brought him out as one of Canada’s most remarkable citizens. When but 19
years of age Mr. Purcell married Isabella McDonald, daughter of Angus
McDonald, a Glengarry farmer. Beginning life as a laborer, he worked his
way rapidly forward until he began to take small contracts on his own
account on some of the works on which he was employed. While still a
young man he was the sole contractor on some important government works
such as great capitalists band together to undertake. In this respect he
is a worthy son of Glengarry. It is hard to say what America, and
especially Canada, would have done to carry on its remarkable industrial
development had they not had such shrewd, hard-working, responsible men
as the great contractors who have come out of Glengarry. Dozens of names
could be mentioned, and many will suggest themselves to the mind of the
reader who is at all acquainted with the history of great public works
in America. But among them all, none has shown more remarkable qualities
as a business man or earned more signal success than Patrick Purcell.
Among the great works which he has constructed are St. Peter’s Canal,
Nova Scotia; section 21 of the Intercolonial Railway; 250 miles of the
Canadian Pacific Railway west of Port Arthur (this last a work of
greater difficulty under the circumstances probably than any section of
railway of equal length in the world), and many others both in Canada
and the United States. In the last general election he was elected to
the Commons in the Liberal interest for his native county of Glengarry
after a hard contest, his opponent being the sitting member, Mr. Donald
McMaster, also a native of the county. The seat has been contested, and
at this writing the case is still pending before the Supreme Court. Mr.
Purcell is not only a shrewd business man, but a man of broad and
generous sympathies. He uses his great wealth to help his friends,
loaning money at nominal interest in a way to win the gratitude of many
men who but for him would find it impossible to get a good start in
life. He also gives large sums for charitable and benevolent purposes.
In religion Mr. Purcell is a Roman Catholic.
* * * * *
=Nantel, Guillaume Alphonse=, St. Jerome, Quebec, M.P.P. for Terrebonne,
Editor of _La Press_ and _Le Nord_ newspapers, was born in November,
1852, at St. Jerome, in the county of Terrebonne, Quebec province. His
father, Guillaume Nantel, was in his lifetime a lieutenant in the
militia, and although he came from St. Eustache, was a thorough
loyalist. He died in February, 1857, leaving a family of nine children.
His mother, Adelaide Desjardiner, was born in Ste. Therese, Terrebonne
county. One of his brothers, the Rev. A. Nantel, has been superior of
the Ste. Therese Seminary for about fifteen years, and in 1883
established a fine college in that place. Another brother, P. Nantel, is
a school inspector, and his youngest brother, Bruno Nantel, has been for
a long time a law partner of the Hon. M. Taillon, and is now practising
at St. Jerome. He is the rising barrister for the county of Terrebonne.
Young Nantel, the subject of our sketch, received his education at the
college of Ste. Therese, and was a very successful student, having
carried off several first-class prizes. In 1873 he obtained a second
class certificate at the Montreal military school, and in 1881 he was
made first lieutenant in the eighth company of the 65th battalion. He
takes a deep interest, with Father Labelle, in colonization, and is
greatly interested in the settlement of the northern townships of the
Ottawa valley. He is a director of the Montreal and Western Railway
Company, which proposes to build a railroad—already largely subsidized
by the government—from St. Jerome to Nominingue Lake, in the county of
Ottawa, and from Nominingue Lake up to Torrierdeninque Lake, which line
when built will cross the most fertile belt, in which is found the
finest timber and minerals in Ottawa and Pontiac counties. Is also
interested in the “Le Grande Nord” railway from St. Jerome to St.
Julienne, in Montcalm county. Mr. Nantel was called to the bar of Quebec
province on the 10th July, 1875, and practised his profession alone in
Montreal, up to January, 1877, when he joined in partnership the Hon. M.
J. A. Ouimet, M.P., and now Speaker of the House of Commons. This
partnership having been dissolved, he again practised alone for a year,
when, in 1881 he left Montreal, and joining his brother, B. Nantel, in
St. Jerome, successfully carried on business in that place till the 1st
of May, 1886. In April of that year, Mr. Nantel, along with C. Marchand,
purchased _Le Nord_, a local and colonization newspaper, but his partner
having given up his connection with the paper the following December, he
has himself since then conducted it. In November, he and Mr. Wintele
bought out _La Press_, one of the leading French papers. In 1882, at the
general election of that year, he was elected a member of the Quebec
legislature for the county of Terrebonne, beating his opponent, E. A.
Poivier, by a majority of seven hundred and fifty-three votes. Mr.
Nantel is a strong Conservative in politics, and contends that Canadians
should govern Canada, and each province be permitted to stand by itself,
that we must have a national policy, such as shall foster our own trade
and commerce, agriculture, etc., so as to make our country independent
of all outsiders. He strongly advocates in his papers the building of
railways, the opening up of mines, the advancement of agriculture, the
creation of factories, industrial learning, manual training in our
seminaries of learning, and everything else possible that can make the
people more learned and prosperous. In 1884, while a member of the
Quebec legislature, Mr. Nantel was one of the commissioners appointed to
investigate the charges preferred against Hon. Mr. Mercier and the late
Judge Mousseau. In religion he is a Roman Catholic, but favors the most
liberal tolerance to all other sects. He thinks there is room enough in
Canada for people professing all the different creeds of Christendom,
and also for men of all nationalities, and would be only too happy to
see the indigent and down-trodden people of Europe make their home with
us, and become partakers with us in all the liberty and independence we
possess. He was opposed to the execution of Riel.
* * * * *
=Macdonald, Right Hon. Sir John Alexander=, K.C.M.G., D.C.L., LL.D.,
Premier of Canada, was born in Glasgow, on the 11th January, 1815. He
came to Canada in 1820 with his parents, who first settled near
Kingston, but after a few years removed to a farm on the Bay of Quinté.
Meanwhile the future premier of Canada was left at Kingston, the grammar
school of which he attended until he was about fifteen years of age,
when he began the study of law. When he had reached his twenty-first
year he was called to the bar. He has been described by a writer in _The
Week_ as a lively youth, a good scholar, and a voluminous reader; but
his talents were not considered extraordinary and he owed his election
as member for Kingston, thirteen years after his call to the bar, more
to his personal popularity than to his abilities. In a democratic
country a good memory for faces and names, a frank and cordial manner of
speech, a willingness to say yes rather than no, are wonderful aids to
an aspirant in public life. Add readiness of speech in public, and
self-confidence, and they will outweigh, for a time at least, the
soundest judgment, the most extensive knowledge, and the warmest
patriotism. It is not wonderful, therefore, that Mr. Macdonald’s popular
address should have brought him early into the political field. In 1841
(says the writer from whom we have already quoted), Canada was granted a
constitution, as the Liberals understood it, a transcript of that of
Britain—the Governor in place of the Queen, bound to accept the
legislation voted by the people’s representatives, and to receive
advisers of whom they approved. Sir Charles Bagot accepted this view of
the constitution, but when Sir Charles Metcalfe became governor there
came a change of tactics. Responsible government was a new idea in
colonial politics, and to very many unwelcome. Metcalfe was an honest,
and in some ways, an able man; but he had served in India, and could not
accept readily the notion that a dependency of the empire could be at
once free and loyal. He refused to make an appointment asked by his
ministers; they resigned; he called in others and appealed to the
people. In Upper Canada he was sustained by an enormous majority; in
Lower Canada he was defeated as decisively; his ministers had only a
small majority, varying from two to eight. Lord Metcalfe, who was in ill
health gave up the contest and his office. Lord Elgin succeeded him;
another election was held, and the friends of responsible government
returned to power, supported by a large majority in the House of
Assembly. In this contest Mr. Macdonald was a loyal supporter of Lord
Metcalfe, and took office in his government first as receiver-general
and afterwards as commissioner of crown lands. It is improbable that a
politician so shrewd as he could have been sanguine of preventing the
introduction of responsible government into Canada for any length of
time. But he was then, and is now, in spite of many concessions to
popular feeling, a Conservative of the British type, on the side of the
classes, distrusting the masses, and resolved at whatever cost to
maintain inviolate the supremacy of the Crown. In this fact is to be
found the key to his policy during his forty-three years of public life.
Fond of power, eager for success, indifferent as to the means of
obtaining it, he has throughout been true to his flag. The ministry
formed by Messrs. Baldwin and Lafontaine, under Lord Elgin, did not
remain long in power. It was assailed by the Conservatives for proposing
to pay losses incurred by residents of Lower Canada during the
rebellion, a measure not called for by the country at large, but pressed
upon the government by Mr. Lafontaine, a man of great ability and
strength of will. Mr. Macdonald opposed the bill temperately, and was
not believed to have given countenance to the violent proceedings which
followed its passage. Nor did he take an active part in the crusade
against the financial policy of the government which the Conservatives
undertook after the removal of the executive and parliament to Toronto.
In that movement the Conservatives were aided, and Messrs. Baldwin and
Lafontaine ultimately coerced into resignation, by the “original Clear
Grits,” under the leadership of Hon. Malcolm Cameron and Hon. W. H.
Merritt. Mr. Baldwin was the most venerable figure in our political
history, pure, honorable, high-minded, and during the struggle for
responsible government rendered incalculable service to his party and
cause. But he was a Whig rather than a Radical, a High Churchman, and
therefore opposed to the secularisation of the clergy reserves, and
incapable of stooping to the arts of the politician. He retired with Mr.
Lafontaine, and Mr. Hincks became premier. During his brief reign George
Brown commenced his agitation for representation by population, the
secularisation of the clergy reserves, and against the further extension
of the Separate School system in Upper Canada, and at the election of
1854 John A. Macdonald took an active part in inducing Conservative
candidates to accept the secularisation plank of Mr. Brown’s platform,
receiving in return the support of the powerful section of Reformers who
went into opposition to Mr. Hincks on that and other questions. The
result was the defeat of the government and the return of the
Conservatives to office under the leadership of Sir Allan MacNab and Mr.
Morin, Mr. Macdonald taking the office of attorney-general west, and
practically the leadership of the Legislative Assembly being infinitely
superior to his nominal chief in all that constitutes an effective
parliamentarian. Mr. Macdonald then became, for the first time, an
influential legislator, in the prime of life and fullest measure of his
intellectual power. Mr. Macdonald took care in commuting the claims of
existing clerical incumbents that great liberality should be shown.
Simultaneously with this measure—the price in fact paid to the French
Canadians for permitting the secularisation of the reserves—a bill was
passed to abolish the seignorial tenure in Lower Canada, and emancipate
the _habitants_ from their feudal dues. Hitherto Mr. Macdonald had been
opposed to French Canadians as a class, and he now appeared as their
ally. He himself had no fancy for reform or change, and rightly judged
that the French would prefer conservatism to liberalism. The alliance
thus formed was not broken till the execution of Riel, and the effects
of that deed of justice are not likely to be lasting. It must not be
inferred, however, that Sir John has placed himself under the control of
the French. He has helped to build their railways in liberal fashion,
but has resisted successfully many demands besides the pardon of Riel.
They would gladly have had a land endowment for the Catholic church in
Manitoba and aid to send French emigrants thither, but he yielded
neither. At critical moments they have forced concessions from him, but
he has always made a stout fight, and the money demanded has generally
been spent in the development of the resources of the province. Very
early in his career as minister, Mr. Macdonald was met by a demand for
further subsidies to the Grand Trunk Railway, and he gave them freely.
His warmest admirer will not say that he is an economist even now, when
old age might have been expected to bring carefulness. But in youth he
was lavish both in his own expenditure and that of the country. His best
defence as to the latter is that the country has advanced under his
care; that though the public debt is large, there is a great deal to
show for it. The inception of the great public works of the country,
however, did not come from him. The Grand Trunk was commenced by the
late Sir Francis Hincks, the annexation of the North-West was pressed
upon parliament by the late Hon. George Brown, and the Canadian Pacific
was begun, and large sums spent upon it, by Hon. Alexander Mackenzie.
But Sir John carried all these to completion, and may fairly claim
renown on their account. He cannot be said to have a creative mind, but
in dexterity, perseverance, and courage in carrying through important
measures he stands unrivalled among Canadian statesmen, and few
elsewhere can be held to have surpassed him. Sir John was singularly
favored by circumstances in the construction of the Canadian Pacific
Railway. Mr. Mackenzie helped him by the construction of the line from
Pembina and Port Arthur to Winnipeg. Sir John made a _fiasco_ with Sir
Hugh Allan in 1871, and the latter was no longer available as a
contractor in 1878. But it happened that three Canadians had lately
acquired great fortunes in railway enterprises, and were able and
willing to enter upon new efforts. But for these circumstances Sir John
might have been compelled to build the Canadian Pacific with public
loans, by very slow degrees. With the aid of these capitalists he had
but to guarantee an issue of government debentures to secure immediate
construction of the road from the Atlantic to the Pacific. His policy
was assailed, and not without reason, because the difficulties were
great and the means of overcoming them not obvious to the public. But
the result has justified Sir John’s audacity, and there are few who now
question the wisdom of his policy. The road may not pay a large return
to its shareholders at once, but it will do its work as a colonising
agent, and ultimately must be a triumphant financial success, as well as
of advantage to the great territory through which it takes its course.
It is a triumph of Canadian enterprise, energy, and liberality, and has
directed to the Dominion admiring eyes in every quarter of the globe.
Sir John’s extraordinary capacity for conciliating contending factions
and individuals has carried the confederated provinces through twenty
years of their union. Difficult questions are now coming to the front,
and the wonder is not that they should now appear, but that they should
have been delayed so long. The British-American Act is a bundle of
compromises put together to bring the provinces together, and not meant
to be permanent. If Sir John should live to assist in revising its terms
it will be a happy augury of success. At his age he cannot be expected
to be fully in accord with the spirit of the rising generation, but his
address, his personal influence, his vast knowledge, have always been of
eminent service to the State. In the settlement of difficulties at
various periods with the United States his influence has been used
wholly for good. This was manifested particularly in the Washington
treaty of 1871. His ambition and jealousy of rivals have sometimes led
him astray, but when he is called away his errors will be forgotten; it
will be said of him even by his political opponents that he was the
greatest politician in Canada, the one who spent most of his time and
strength in her service, and did more than any other to forward her
material progress. “For forty years,” (says another writer), “a
representative of the people in parliament, for thirty years the trusted
and beloved leader of the great Conservative party, and for twenty-five
years the premier of the Dominion of Canada, the career of Sir John A.
Macdonald, is in one respect at least unique in the history of
parliamentary institutions.” When the Parliamentary deadlock occurred in
1864, in consequence of the bitter antagonisms that had sprung up
between our Canadian politicians, he joined with leading men of both
parties in bringing about, in 1867, the confederation of the British
North American provinces, which had the effect at the time of smoothing
over many difficulties; and, in 1878, when the Mackenzie government
fell, he was successful in inaugurating what is known as the National
Policy, which has been instrumental in developing the industries of the
country, and in no little degree in maintaining his hold of power. In
the success of these public measures, Sir John owes much to his
astuteness and dexterity, as well as to his personal magnetism and
phenomenal influence over the great body of the electorate. Quite
recently, it has been said that the premier himself has come under an
influence which has hitherto been new to him, that of religion, and that
some Ottawa revivalists, in his old age, have brought about in his case
a change of heart. This is a matter too sacred for the biographer to
touch, and must be left to him whom alone it concerns. Though he has
never been known as what is called a religious man, and however lax have
been his political ethics, no enemy has ever charged him with being
personally corrupt. His own words in 1873, when defending himself from
charges arising out of the Pacific Railway scandal, may be accepted and
reechoed, that “there does not exist in Canada a man who has given more
of his time, more of his heart, more of his wealth, or more of his
intellect and powers, such as they may be, for the good of this Dominion
of Canada.”
* * * * *
=Weller, Charles Alexander=, Peterborough. Judge of the County Court,
Local Judge of the High Court Of Justice, and Local Master of the
Supreme Court of Judicature, was born at Toronto, on the 29th March,
1830, and took up his abode in Cobourg in 1838, with his parents,
William Weller and Mercy Wilcox Weller, now both deceased. Judge Weller
received his education at the Cobourg Seminary (now Victoria College),
and at Upper Canada College, Toronto. Having determined to adopt the
profession of law, he studied with Boulton & Cockburn, and Hector &
Weller, barristers, in Toronto. In 1852 he was admitted as an attorney,
and the following year was called to the bar of Upper Canada. Having
removed to Peterborough in 1852, he began the practice of his profession
and soon succeeded in building up a good business. In February, 1857, he
received the appointments of county crown attorney and clerk of the
peace for Peterborough; and in March, 1875, that of master in chancery
for the same place. In March, 1886, Mr. Weller was created judge of the
County Court, retaining the master’s office. Since that period he has
won golden opinions for himself as a just and upright judge, and one who
takes a deep interest in all that pertains to the building up of the
town in which he has so long resided, and the welfare of his fellow
citizens. On the 20th October, 1852, he was married to Martha, eldest
daughter of the late Dr. Gilchrist, of Colborne. The fruit of the union
was two children, a son and daughter, Henry Boucher, late of Millbrook,
barrister, deceased; and Eliza, who is married to H. B. Dean, barrister,
Lindsay, and son of Judge Dean.
* * * * *
=Belanger, Louis-Charles=, Advocate, Sherbrooke, Quebec province, was
born on 19th May, 1840, at Rapide Plat, province of Quebec (Flat
Rapids), on the Yamaska river, about seven miles below the city of St.
Hyacinthe, in the parish of Ste. Rosalie, county Bagot. He is the eldest
son of Charles Belanger, farmer and master blacksmith, and Angélique
Renault-Blanchard. The subject of our sketch, Mr. Belanger, has six
brothers and six sisters, all living, ten of whom are in the province of
Quebec, and two in Worcester, Mass. The last named two brothers edit _Le
Courrier de Worcester_, a leading French newspaper in New England. One
of his brothers, Louis-Arthur, is the managing editor of _Le Progrès de
l’Est_, a lively newspaper published at Sherbrooke, and the only
bi-weekly paper in the Eastern Townships. His paternal grandfather, Paul
Belanger, came from Beauce, and was one of the pioneer settlers in the
St. Hyacinthe district. The late Louis Renault-Blanchard, his maternal
grandfather, sat in the Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada, before
1841. This gentleman took an active part in the troubles of 1837-’38,
and was forced to take refuge in the United States, along with one of
his sons, the late L. P. R. Blanchard, C.E. and P.L.S. Mr. Belanger
studied at St. Hyacinthe College from 1853 until 1860, when he removed
to Sherbrooke, and spent two years as professor in the old Commercial
French College of those days, and in this town he has resided ever
since. He began the study of law in 1862, with the late William-Locker
Felton, Q.C., who sat in parliament for Richmond and Wolfe, during the
years 1854-’58, and took an active part in the separate school bill then
before the house,—his wife being a Roman Catholic and one of the most
accomplished women of her time—and was admitted to the bar of Quebec
province, in October, 1866. On the 13th October, 1866, he entered into
partnership with H. C. Cabana, now joint prothonotary of the Superior
Court for the district of St. Francis, as advocates, etc., and with him
established the _Pionnier de Sherbrooke_ newspaper, being the first
French newspaper published in the Eastern Townships. In July, 1874, the
partnership was dissolved, and Mr. Belanger practised law alone for a
while. In the autumn of that year, he and his brother, L. A. Belanger,
purchased the _Sherbrooke News_ and started the _Progrès_, both of which
they published until May, 1878, when they sold their establishment to a
company by which the _Pionnier_ has been published ever since. In 1882,
he started the _Progrès de l’Est_, which he handed to his brother now
with him, and to which he is an active contributor. He was a member of
the 53rd battalion from 1882 until 1885, as active captain of No. 4
company, composed chiefly of French Canadians. From 1881 until 1883, he
occupied a seat in the council, and was president of the St. Jean
Baptiste Society in 1874, at the time of the National Convention at
Montreal, and also in 1884, when the great celebration took place in the
same city. Was one of the organizers of the St. Joseph Society, a
Workingmen’s Mutual Benefit Society, in 1874. He has also been a school
commissioner ever since 1865. In August, 1874, he was made honorary
member of the St. Patrick’s Society, of Sherbrooke and vicinity. In
1876, he contested Richmond and Wolfe with Lieutenant-Colonel Hanning
for the House of Commons, secured a majority of 114 in Wolfe, but was
defeated by a larger majority against him in Richmond. Again, in
February 1887, he contested the seat in Sherbrooke with R. N. Hall, the
sitting member. There had been no contested election in that
constituency for the Commons up till this time, since 1867, but after a
most gallant fight, he was defeated. He had conducted the Crown business
(French cases), ever since 1878, and he is now the sole Crown Prosecutor
for the district of St. Francis, since February, 1887. In religion, he
is a Roman Catholic, but well-known for his liberal views in religious
and educational matters. In politics, he is an independent Conservative,
but separated from the present government on account of the North-West
troubles. On October 23rd, 1865, whilst studying law, he married
Margaret Henrietta Bradshaw Unsworth, daughter of the late James
Unsworth, who came from England to this country about the year 1852, and
was engaged on the editorial staff of the Montreal _Gazette_ for a
while, after which he removed to St. Hyacinthe, where he held the office
of agent for the Grand Trunk Railway Company, and died of cholera in
1854. Mr. Unsworth left four sons, one of whom, Joseph, is
superintendent of the government railway on Prince Edward Island. His
widow, still living in Sherbrooke, is the sister of the well-known
English composer, John Hatton, who died a couple of years ago, in
London. Mr. Belanger has only one child, a daughter, having lost two in
their infancy. Mr. Belanger’s motto is “Live and let live!” He stands up
for equal rights to all men, and is a thorough Canadian. In 1867, Mr.
Belanger’s father and family removed from Ste. Rosalie to Cookshire,
county of Compton, where he purchased a large farm, now carried on by
Mr. Belanger and his youngest brother. His father died two years ago,
much regretted by a large circle of friends.
* * * * *
=Berryman, John=, M.D., M.P.P., of St. John, N.B., is of Irish
extraction, his father, John Berryman, being a native of Antrim, who
emigrated to St. John, and married Miss Wade, a lady of U. E. Loyalist
parentage. Dr. Berryman was born in St. John, 9th December, 1828, and
received his early education at the grammar school in that city. After
leaving school he began life as a clerk in a flour store in St. John,
then in a hardware shop, and for a half year in a flouring mill owned by
his father. In 1848 he visited the West India Islands of Trinidad,
Jamaica, and Cuba; Santa Fe De Bogata and Rio Hacha in New Granada. In
1849 he built, in St. John, a steam meal mill for grinding corn, and ran
it until the fall of 1851, when he sold out and left for the Cape of
Good Hope, and subsequently Australia, where he resided for five years,
and carried on business as a miner, merchant, truckman, builder, and
carpenter. Having early manifested a strong bent for the profession of
medicine, after his return from Australia he entered upon a careful
course of studies, at first in St. John and afterwards at the University
of Edinburgh, where he assisted, in his professional labors, Professor
Sir J. Y. Simpson, and resided in his house for two years. It is part of
the course of a good student to engage in actual work either in the city
of Edinburgh or at the university. In this way a medical student
acquires in the rough duties of a city physician a practical knowledge
of the minutiæ of his arduous employment, which must afterwards be of
great service to him, especially when, as so often happens, he elects
his field of labor in some remote country town, or on the outskirts of
civilization, where books are not to be had, and consultations with
other physicians are necessarily few and far between. Students at
Edinburgh frequently attend to outside patients, furnish statistics of
mortality to the official registrars, and deliver lectures on
professional subjects. It so happened that Dr. Berryman’s fate cast him
very soon into a field of work which tested his practical knowledge and
his natural resources to the utmost. The war of the United States
rebellion broke out in 1861, and the demand for men and scientific skill
of all kinds, but particularly for skilled physicians, became enormous.
Dr. Berryman went to the front and tendered his services, which, being
accepted, found a large field. He was appointed by Surgeon-General
Hammond a member of an examining board in connection with Professors
Stillie, DeCosta, Weir, Mitchel, and Gross, of Philadelphia, and Dr.
Smith, an army surgeon, to decide what disposition should be made of the
three thousand soldiers under treatment in the hospital. He saw many
thrilling scenes in the field of battle and in the crowded war hospital.
In the rough exigencies of army life, and amid the countless horrible
cases which war engendered, he had an ample field for his abilities, and
at the same time had opportunities of perfecting himself as a surgeon in
most difficult and delicate surgical operations. The training so
acquired has been of inestimable value to him in his subsequent career
in St. John and elsewhere. After the war was over he settled down in his
native city and speedily worked up an extensive and lucrative practice.
There was a great demand for the services of an army doctor. He took an
interest in the volunteer movement, and served as surgeon of the
garrison artillery of St. John from 18th April, 1864, to September,
1875. He was also surgeon of police from 1863 to 1875. Besides these
appointments and the calls of his large city practice, he has frequently
been sent for to attend severe cases of disease in other parts of New
Brunswick and also Nova Scotia. Dr. Berryman first came before the
public in the role of a candidate at the general election held on the
26th of April, in 1886. He and his colleague, John V. Ellis, were
elected to represent the city of St. John in the House of Assembly, the
vote standing, Ellis, 1673; Berryman 1611; defeating E. McLeod, 1500;
and R. F. Quigley, 1220. Dr. Berryman is a Liberal and will, no doubt,
before long give a good account of himself on the floor of parliament.
His large practical experience of men and manners gives him a great
advantage in politics. In 1850 he was made a Mason in Hibernia Lodge,
St. John. He married, on the 16th March, 1864, Mary A., daughter of G.
S. Brodie, of London, England.
* * * * *
=Jaffray, Robert=, Toronto, is a Scotchman by birth, having been born at
Bannockburn, Scotland, in 1832. He is the second son of William Jaffray
and Margaret Heugh. His father carried on farming near the celebrated
battlefield where King Robert Bruce defeated the English army of
invasion led by King Edward, and gave Scotland her freedom. Here Robert
passed his early days, and when only twelve years of age, his father
dying, he was thrown on his own resources. After attending school at
Stirling, until he was about fifteen years of age, he entered the
service, as an apprentice, of J. R. Dymock, grocer and wine merchant,
Edinburgh, Scotland, where he remained for five years. At the expiration
of this time, he sailed for Canada, and arrived in Toronto in the fall
of 1852. Here he joined his brother-in-law, John B. Smith, grocer and
wine merchant, and was appointed as his manager. The establishment was
situated on the site now occupied by Jaffray & Ryan, corner of Yonge and
Louisa streets, then the most northern shop on Yonge street. Three years
later Mr. Jaffray became a partner in his brother-in-law’s business, and
the new firm traded under the name of Smith and Jaffray. In 1858 a
disastrous fire swept away Mr. Smith’s lumber yard and sash and door
factory on Niagara street, by which a great loss was sustained, and
shortly after this event, Mr. Smith retired from the firm, leaving Mr.
Jaffray to carry on the business alone. Being possessed of great energy
and perseverance, he soon succeeded in building up a lucrative trade,
and such was his success that in 1883 he was able to retire with a
competency, handing the business over to his brother, George Jaffray,
and James Ryan, who now carry it on. During Mr. Jaffray’s residence in
Toronto he has been, outside his own business connected with many
successful enterprises. He was appointed by the Hon. Alexander
Mackenzie, one of the directors of the Northern Railway Company, in
which capacity he served three years looking after the country’s
interests, the government of Canada having advanced a large sum of money
to that corporation at various times. From information furnished by Mr.
Jaffray, a royal commission was appointed by the government to look into
the affairs of the “Northern,” which resulted in a satisfactory
settlement of the then existing claims. He was afterwards chosen a
director of the Midland Railway Company, of which board he is at present
an efficient member. In 1874 he took an active part in organizing the
Toronto House Building Society (now the Land Security Company), of which
he is vice-president. He is president of the Toronto Real Estate
Investment Company; and is also a director of the Toronto Trust Company,
director of the _Globe_ Printing Company, director of the Sovereign
Insurance Company, director of the North America Life Insurance Company,
director of the Peterborough Real Estate Investment Company, director of
the Central Canada Land Investment Company, director of the Ontario and
Sault Ste. Marie Railway Company, director of the Imperial Bank, and
director of the Homewood Retreat or Private Asylum for Inebriates and
Insane at Guelph. He is a member of the Caledonian and St. Andrew’s
societies. In politics, Mr. Jaffray has identified himself with the
Reform party, and although often solicited to accept nominations for
civic and parliamentary honors, he has invariably declined. Immediately
after the exciting political campaign of 1879, one of the most daring
attempts was made to kidnap several of the leading men of the Reform
party, ostensibly with the object of, extorting from them a large
ransom. Among those marked for this object were the late Hon. George
Brown, Hon. Oliver Mowat, and the subject of this sketch. Through a
chain of circumstances, Mr. Jaffray was drawn into the snare, and taken
from his residence at a late hour at night under pretence of arrest, he
giving himself up to his captors on their producing a document
purporting to be signed by Judge Wilson, acting for the minister of
justice at Ottawa, directing him to be immediately brought to the
judge’s residence for examination relative to certain charges of a grave
character. Mr. Jaffray went with his captors, having no suspicion of
foul play; but instead of being taken to Judge Wilson’s home, he was
driven to a lonely spot on the east side of the Don and Danforth road,
where, it afterwards appeared, his captors intended to imprison him in a
cave they had previously prepared for his reception. The place was
afterwards discovered by two detectives while they were searching in the
neighborhood. It was dug out of the hill on a farm owned by Mr. Playter,
and was capable of accommodating several persons. Mr. Jaffray, on
alighting from the carriage, in the neighborhood of the cave, and
finding himself the victim of a dastardly plot against his personal
liberty, struggled with his captors and managed to get out of their
clutches. He then succeeded in awakening the inmates of a house in the
neighborhood, when his abductors made their escape. The officers of the
law at once made great efforts to discover the perpetrators of the
outrage, and suspicion having fallen on two brothers—Thomas and Ross
Dale, they were arrested and tried for the crime. Thomas was found
guilty, and sentenced by Judge Burton to two years in the county jail,
Ross Dale being discharged. Thus ended one of the boldest plots to
deprive several leading citizens of their liberty ever known in the
province of Ontario. In 1860, he married Sarah, youngest daughter of
John Bugg, by whom he has two sons and two daughters.
* * * * *
=Jamieson, Philip=, Clothier and Outfitter, Toronto, is a native of
Scotland, having been born in Edinburgh, on the 31st July, 1850. His
father, Hugh Jamieson, carried on the tailoring business in “Auld
Reekie,” and his mother, Elizabeth Marshall, was born near Musselburgh.
Young Jamieson received his education in Bell’s School in his native
city, and after receiving a fair commercial education, was apprenticed
to a jeweller. Here he served seven years, and at the end of his term
was considered a first-class workman. After working a short time at his
trade in Edinburgh he left for Canada, and reached Toronto in March,
1873. He brought with him a stock of ready-made clothing, and shortly
afterwards opened a store on Queen street west. Business succeeding, he
opened a branch store, further west on the same street. At this time he
had a partner named Spain, and they traded under the name of Spain and
Jamieson. This partnership continued about two years, when Mr. Jamieson
elected to carry on the business alone, and from this time may be dated
the success of his business, now grown to large dimensions. He shortly
afterwards secured the large premises he now occupies on the corner of
Yonge and Queen streets, and further extended his operations by opening
branch establishments on Queen street west, and in the city of Hamilton.
And Mr. Jamieson has now the largest retail clothing and outfitting
establishment in the Dominion of Canada. He employs eight salesmen in
his retail shop, five cutters, and over one hundred and fifty operative
tailors. In politics, Mr. Jamieson, like the majority of the intelligent
Scotch in Canada, is a hard-working and enthusiastic Reformer, and does
not hesitate when the occasion calls for it to spend both time and money
for party purposes. In religion he is an adherent of the Presbyterian
church. On the 11th of March, 1873, he was married to Dorcas Wilson
Menzies, daughter of William Menzies, of Edinburgh, and has a family of
six children, four girls and two boys.
* * * * *
=Schiller, Charles Edward=, Montreal.—The late Mr. Schiller was a
descendant of an old family which originally came from Hamburg, and was
related to the great poet of that name. His grandfather, Augustus
Schiller, was the first of the family to arrive in Canada, having come
in the capacity of surgeon to one of the Hessian regiments in 1778. His
father, Benjamin Schiller, served with great distinction and valor in
the _Voltigeurs Canadien_ at the battle of Chateauguay, under Colonel de
Salaberry, and was promoted from lieutenant to captain on the field of
battle for bravery in carrying his captain when wounded to the ambulance
under a heavy fire. Charles Edward Schiller was born on the 17th
September, 1819, at Rivière du Loup (_en haut_), and was educated at
Benjamin Workman’s Academy, Montreal. He entered the court house in
1835, where he soon became chief clerk, and in 1847 was appointed deputy
clerk of the crown and peace. He assisted at the famous trial of
Jalbert, who was accused of the murder of Lieutenant Weir at St. Denis,
during the rebellion of 1837. He also took a prominent part as officer
of the court in the trial of the St. Alban’s raiders, in 1864, as well
as in the trial of the Fenians after the invasion of 1866. Mr. Schiller
was appointed joint clerk of the peace with Mr. Carter. On Mr. Carter’s
leaving the office, Mr. Schiller was appointed clerk of the crown, and
acted as such for a number of years. At the advent of the Joly
government, at Quebec, in 1880, Mr. Brehaut, the then acting police
magistrate, was appointed jointly with Mr. Schiller, as clerk of the
crown. On the sudden death of Mr. Brehaut in 1882, the present clerk of
the crown, L. W. Sicotte, was named Mr. Schiller’s partner. Mr. Schiller
was, without doubt, the person who possessed the largest criminal
experience in the Dominion, having had cognizance of the most important
trials that took place since 1853. He was an excessively hard worker,
and the only holidays he took during his term of office of fifty years,
was one month when he went to New Orleans. Holidays and Sundays, from
morning to night, he continued his labors. His time was so much taken up
during the week in giving information and advice to gentlemen of the
bar, that the routine work naturally fell behind, but when the new week
began, the work of the past one was always completed. The employés in
the offices of the clerk of the crown always found a true and kind
friend in him, and when the supplies were refused by the Legislative
Council in 1880 to the Joly government, Mr. Schiller paid the salaries
of the clerks of the police court and of his own office out of his
private means. The late Judge Ramsay, as well as Justice Johnson and
Justice Aylwin, were warm personal friends of the deceased, and placed
unbounded confidence in his experience. Judge Ramsay frequently
consulted Mr. Schiller in criminal matters, and every crown officer who
prosecuted for the crown, always found him willing to supply them with
any information. In his entire public career, Mr. Schiller won the
confidence and esteem of all with whom he dealt, and counted as his
friends many of the most influential public men of the day. Always a
staunch Conservative, he was a special protégé of the late Sir George
Cartier, who had great confidence in him, and of the Hon. Mr. Chapleau.
Mr. Schiller at one time took an active part in the local militia, and
held the rank of captain. He nearly lost his life in the Gavazzi riots
in 1853, having been in the midst of the firing by the troops. He leaves
one sister, married to M. P. Guy, Montreal’s oldest notary. He died 25th
April, 1887, after fifty-two years of consistent attendance to his
active duties.
* * * * *
=Ouellette, Rev. J. R.=, President of St. Hyacinthe College, Quebec
province, was born at Sandwich, Ontario, on the 26th of December, 1830.
He received his education in the college he now so ably presides over.
Father Ouellette was ordained a priest at Paris, on the 20th of
December, 1856, and in 1857 was appointed assistant at St. Mary’s
Church, Toronto, under the Rev. John Walsh, now bishop of London,
Ontario. Shortly after his settlement in St. Mary’s, he was transferred
to St. Michael’s Cathedral, in the same city, as assistant, and later on
was appointed rector. Two years afterwards, in 1859, he resigned his
position in St. Michael’s Cathedral, and joined the teaching staff of
St. Hyacinthe College. In 1882, on the retirement of the Rev. Joseph
Sabin Raymond, who had been president of the college for a great number
of years, he was chosen to fill the vacancy, and has since successfully
conducted this popular institute of learning. He is one of the titular
canons of the cathedral chapter of St. Hyacinthe.
* * * * *
=Grant, Henry Hugh=, Collector of Inland Revenue, Halifax, Nova Scotia,
was born at Newport, Hants county, N.S., on the 15th April, 1839. His
parents were John Nutting Grant and Margaret McCallum. Captain John
Grant, grandfather of John N., first came to America with his regiment,
the 42nd Highlanders, or “Black Watch.” He married in New York, and
having retired from the army, he settled in Brooklyn, N.Y. He afterwards
served, under Sir William Johnston, in some provincial corps raised in
New York for operations against the Indians, and saw some hard service
in Western New York, as well as in Ohio, where he distinguished himself
in a number of engagements with the famous chief, Pontiac. His wife’s
family favoring the rebels at the breaking out of the American
revolution, induced him to leave for the West Indies, where, however,
his loyalty and sense of duty did not allow him to remain. He soon
returned and finding his regiment in New York ready to receive him, he
joined again as captain, and with it fought at the battle of Long
Island, when Washington was defeated, in 1776. At the conclusion of the
war he removed to Nova Scotia, his property in Brooklyn having been
confiscated. On his arrival there the Crown granted him a tract of land
in Kempt, Hants county, and the part of this property on which he
resided he named “Loyal Hill,” and here he remained until his death.
Margaret McCallum was the granddaughter of Jean Baptiste Moreau, who
came out to Halifax as chaplain and secretary to Lord Cornwallis. He was
the first Episcopal clergyman to land in Halifax, and his son,
Cornwallis Moreau, was the first male child born there after its
settlement. Mr. Moreau was a relative of Napoleon’s celebrated general
of that name. He was a convert from the Roman Catholic faith, having
been educated for and taken priests’ orders in that church in France,
Mr. Grant, the subject of our sketch, received his academic education in
the Collegiate School at Wolfville, N.S. He afterwards spent some years
as clerk in mercantile establishments, first in Windsor, N.S., and
afterwards in New York. He returned from New York in 1871, and engaged
in shipbuilding and mining enterprises, at the old homestead, Loyal
Hill. In October, 1879, he was appointed to the civil service as
exciseman, and served in the Toronto division until September, 1880,
when, after passing a first-class examination, he was removed to
Halifax, and promoted to the collectorship in October, 1882. He served
several years in the 7th regiment of militia in the county of Hants, and
holds a captain’s commission dated October 10th, 1867. Mr. Grant was
appointed United States consular agent at Kempt in April, 1873, but
resigned the office, on his removal from there, in 1877. He was made a
master Mason, in Walsford Lodge, No. 924, Windsor, N.S., in 1866, and
has ever since taken a deep interest in the order. He is a Conservative
in politics, and in religion leans towards the Episcopal church. Mr.
Grant was married at Newport, Hants county, on January 25th, 1872, to
Georgie, daughter of George Allison. The fruit of this union has been
five children, only two of whom are living, viz., Marion Allison, aged
13, and Frank Parker, aged 8.
* * * * *
=Webster, Walter Chester=, Hardware Merchant, Coaticook, Quebec
province, was born in Hatley, P.Q., on the 27th November, 1841. His
father, Oscar F. Webster, was a farmer. His mother, Eliza Watson, was a
native of Antrim, Ireland. Mr. Webster received a sound commercial
education at Hatley Academy. Before settling down to business he devoted
some time to travel, and spent about three years in California. On his
return to Canada, he turned his attention to farming, which he
successfully prosecuted for eight years, and then adopted a mercantile
life. In 1876 he opened a hardware and crockery store in Coaticook, and
through close attention to business he has succeeded to his entire
satisfaction. In 1873 Mr. Webster was appointed a justice of the peace
by the Joly government, and for a number of years he has been a member
of the municipal council of Coaticook, and also that of the township of
Barnston. He was one of the original promoters of the Coaticook Knitting
Company; and holds a considerable amount of this company’s stock. He is
also a director of the Stanstead and Compton Agricultural Society. Mr.
Webster takes a deep interest in the Independent Order of Oddfellows,
and is an active member of this benevolent organization. Recently he was
offered the position of mayor of the town by his fellow citizens, but
owing to the pressure of business he was forced to decline the proffered
honor. But, nevertheless, though refusing to take office, it is not to
be presumed he lacks public spirit. There is no man in the community
that does more to promote the prosperity of the place of his adoption
than he does. He is always to be found amongst its workers, and is often
consulted by both political parties when anything is on the _tapis_ for
the promotion of the interests of either town or county. In politics,
Mr. Webster is a Liberal, and in religion, a member of the Episcopal
church. He was married, on the 20th September, 1865, to Adella A.
Kennedy, second daughter of Washington Kennedy, of Hatley, and to them
have been born six girls and one boy, a very promising youth of eighteen
years, and named after his grandfather.
* * * * *
=Papineau, Hon. Louis Joseph=, was born in Montreal, 7th October, 1786.
He was the son of Joseph Papineau, a well-known notary of his day, and
one of the principal promoters of the constitution of 1791, and a member
of the first parliament after the conquest. Louis Joseph was educated
chiefly at the seminary of Quebec, and having studied law was admitted
to the bar of Lower Canada in 1811. So brilliant were his prospects and
his talents even before this that in 1809, and while still a student, he
was elected to the Legislative Assembly for the county of Kent, now
Chambly, and in 1815 was appointed speaker of the house. This office Mr.
Papineau held, with only two years’ intermission during his mission to
England as delegate of the Assembly in 1822-’23, for the long period of
twenty years, or until the year 1837, the year of the unfortunate
troubles, when he threw himself heartily into what he considered the
right and lawful course of action to gain that which the present
generation enjoys, through his and his _confrères’_ endeavors
then,—Responsible Government—and all the liberties of the British
Constitution which had so long been denied in practice. In 1820, when
Lord Dalhousie became governor, he appointed Mr. Papineau to a seat in
the Executive Council, but this post was soon declined by him, when he
found it a vain honor without the influence the council should have had
on the determination of the governor. In 1822, the union of Upper and
Lower Canada having been upon the _tapis_, and the subject being
distasteful to many, Louis Papineau and John Neilson went to England,
and were successful in getting the union postponed for the next two
years. In 1827, unfortunate difficulties arose between the governor and
Mr. Papineau, and to such a height did they reach that the former
refused to acknowledge Mr. Papineau as speaker, though duly elected to
that high office by a large majority of the Assembly. The Assembly
triumphed, and Lord Dalhousie resigned his office as governor, after
having dissolved the Assembly. He was succeeded by Sir James Kempt, who,
after the next election, duly accepted Mr. Papineau as the speaker again
appointed, and giving him, perhaps, one of the greatest triumphs ever
achieved by any person in the political arena of any country. Political
troubles grew worse as years rolled on, and in 1836 they culminated in
the events of that and the next two years, which for the time threw
Canada into a state of turmoil and anxiety, now happily all passed away,
leaving only the fruits so bravely and indomitably sought for,
constitutional government and unbiased representation. The so-called
leaders of the disturbance having had rewards for apprehension placed on
their heads, Mr. Papineau, as one, fled to the United States, where he
resided from 1837 to 1839. He then removed to Paris, France, where he
lived till 1847, when the issue of the amnesty proclamation enabled him
to return to his native land. He again entered parliament, and was
continued there until 1854, when he retired into private life, and for
the next seventeen years enjoyed the calm of a green and sturdy old age,
the love of books and horticulture, and the personal esteem of those who
best knew his character. His death took place on Saturday, the 23rd
September, 1871, at his residence at MonteBello, at the patriarchal age
of eighty-five. His son, Louis Joseph Amédée Papineau, is the present
joint-prothonotary of Montreal.
* * * * *
=Greenwood, Stansfield=, Manager of the Coaticook Cotton Company,
Coaticook, Quebec province, was born in Lancashire, England, on the 28th
of June, 1853. His father, Edward Greenwood, was a manager of a large
cotton mill in Lancashire, His mother was Mary Chadwick, a descendant of
the celebrated Sir Joshua Chadwick, of Lancashire. Mr. Greenwood, the
subject of our sketch, was educated at Longholme Normal School,
receiving an elementary education. After leaving school he entered the
cotton mill in which his father was manager, and there learned all the
details of the business. At the age of twenty-two, he came to Canada,
and took charge of one of the departments of the Valleyfield Cotton
Mills, which position he filled for six years. After that period he
entered into a partnership with Wallace Bros., and started the Chambly
Cotton Company at Chambly Canton, P.Q. This partnership lasted a year,
when it was turned into a limited liability company. After another term
of two years he retired from that company and took entire charge of the
works of the Coaticook Cotton Company. Their mill, under the skilful
management of Mr. Greenwood, has paid a good dividend, and still
continues to do so. Mr. Greenwood is a Liberal of the Gladstone style,
and in religion a Methodist. He was married on the 12th August, 1874, to
Mary Ann Bury, daughter of John Bury, of Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire, and
the fruit of the union has been three sons and a daughter.
* * * * *
=Smith, Rev. James Cowie=, M.A., B.D., Pastor of St. Andrew’s Church,
Guelph, province of Ontario, was born in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, on the
17th January, 1834. His father, James Smith, followed the calling of a
farmer. His mother was named Jane Cowie. The future divine received his
elementary education at Smith’s Classical Academy, at Fordyce, Scotland,
and on coming to Canada entered Queen’s University, Kingston, where he
graduated, taking the degrees of B.A. in 1862, M.A. in 1864 (holding the
first place in the university examinations), and B.D. in 1880. He was
licensed to preach the gospel by the presbytery of Kingston, and was
inducted into the pastorate of Cumberland and Buckingham Presbyterian
congregations, July 11th, 1864. During this pastorate, he discharged the
duties of local superintendent of schools, in the township of
Cumberland, and acted as chairman of the Grammar School board. He was
translated, in 1868, to St. Andrew’s Church, Belleville, where he
remained some years, acting as inspector of schools in the town, in
addition to his ministerial duties. About this time, having met the
requirements for county school inspector, he was officially declared
eligible for such a position by the chief superintendent of education of
Ontario. Having been called to the vacant pastorate of St. Paul’s
Church, Hamilton, Rev. Mr. Smith was translated thither about 1872, when
he was again called to succeed the Rev. Dr. Hogg, deceased, in his
pastorate charge, St. Andrew’s Church, Guelph. At different times Rev.
Mr. Smith has served, in the capacity of stated clerk, successively in
the presbyteries of Ottawa and Kingston; and while pastor in St. Paul’s
Church, Hamilton, was appointed moderator of the Synod of Hamilton and
London. For several years he has also been chosen to, and still holds at
present, the responsible position of member of university council,
Queen’s University, Kingston. He was at one time called to St. Andrew’s
Church, Peterborough, and twice to St. Andrew’s Church, St. John, New
Brunswick, both of which invitations he declined. Rev. Mr. Smith is very
popular among his congregation, and takes a deep interest in all matters
calculated to improve the social and spiritual condition of the people
among whom his lot has been cast. He is in full harmony with the
doctrines of his church, and can always be depended on to defend its
standards. He was married, June 21st, 1866, to Emily Georgina, third
daughter of the late Captain Archibald Petrie, R.N., of Cumberland,
Ontario.
* * * * *
=Carling, Hon. John=, London, Ontario, Minister of Agriculture of the
Dominion, M.P. for the City of London, Ontario, is the youngest son of
Thomas Carling, a native of Yorkshire, England, who came to Canada in
1818, and settled in the county of Middlesex the following year. The
future minister of state was born in the township of London, on the 23rd
of January, 1828, and received his education in the public school of his
native city. While quite young he became a member of the brewing firm of
Carling & Co., London, and was an active member of it for a number of
years. He took part in nearly all public matters, and was for several
years a director of the Great Western Railway Company; the London, Huron
& Bruce Railway Company; the London & Port Stanley Railway Company, and
was also chairman of the Board of Water Commissioners of the city of
London. In 1857 Mr. Carling aspired to parliamentary honors, on the
Conservative side, and was returned by a considerable majority over the
Liberal candidate, Elijah Leonard, and continued to represent London in
the Legislative Assembly of Canada continuously down to the time of
confederation. In 1862 Mr. Carling made his first appearance as a
cabinet minister, having been appointed receiver-general that year. At
the general election, after the consummation of confederation, Mr.
Carling was elected to the House of Commons, and was likewise returned
as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. In the Ontario
Assembly he was appointed minister of agriculture and public works,
under the Sandfield-Macdonald administration, and this portfolio he
retained till 1871, when fortune went against the administration, and it
was forced to resign. In 1878 Hon. Mr. Carling was again returned to
parliament, and took his seat in the House of Commons, at Ottawa, but he
did not hold a portfolio in the new cabinet. However, in 1882, he was
made postmaster-general, and this office he held until the 25th
September, 1885, when he became minister of agriculture, and he has held
this office ever since. At the general election of 1887 he was
re-elected to the House of Commons, after a lively contest with Charles
S. S. Hyman, a local Liberal, his majority over his opponent being
thirty-nine votes. Hon. Mr. Carling is not a demonstrative member, but
the same clear-headedness and calm judgment that had served him so well
in his important successful business affairs has stood him in good stead
as a parliamentary representative. He has proved himself a capable
minister of the crown, and although he seldom makes a speech in the
House of Commons, yet when he does he always speaks to the point. In
politics Hon. Mr. Carling is a Liberal-Conservative, and in religion he
belongs to the Methodist church. He is married to Hannah, eldest
daughter of the late Henry Dalton of London, Ontario.
* * * * *
=Smith, Arthur Lapthorn=, B.A., M.D., Montreal, member of the Royal
College of Surgeons of England, fellow of the Obstetrical Society of
London, lecturer on diseases of women in the medical faculty of Bishop’s
College, Montreal, consulting physician to the Montreal Dispensary, is
the second son of William Smith, deputy minister of marine, Ottawa, and
was born on the 6th June, 1855, at St. John, New Brunswick, where his
father was at that time comptroller of customs. His mother was Jane
Busby, a granddaughter of the late Colonel Bayard, of Nova Scotia, at
one time on the staff of the Duke of Kent. He received his early
education at private schools, and from tutors in St. John and Chatham,
New Brunswick, and in Melrose and Galashiels, in Scotland. He then
entered the classical course at the University of Ottawa, where, after
four years’ study, he graduated as B.A. in 1872. He then began his
medical studies at Laval University, Quebec. At the end of his second
year he took the degree of B.M., and at the end of his fourth year he
obtained the degree of M.D., and the Sewell prize in 1876. He then
proceeded to London, and studied during two winter sessions at Guy’s and
the London hospitals, after which he passed the examinations of the
Royal College of Surgeons. He spent two summers in Paris and Vienna.
During six months of his stay in London, he held the position of
resident clinical assistant at the East London Children’s Hospital. On
his return to Canada, in 1878, he began practice in Montreal, where he
has ever since remained. Shortly after his arrival he was appointed
assistant demonstrator of anatomy in Bishop’s College Medical School,
and attending physician to the Montreal Dispensary. He was also elected
a member of the Medico-Chirurgical Society, in whose proceedings he has
always taken an active part. He was for some time treasurer of this
society. He soon became demonstrator of anatomy, and two years later he
was appointed professor of botany, and held this position for two years,
when he was given the chair of medical jurisprudence. In 1887 he was
appointed lecturer on the diseases of women in the same university. He
has always taken great interest in temperance matters, and was twice
elected president of the Band of Hope, and for three years he was
president of the Young Men’s Association of St. Andrew’s Church, of
which he is now the youngest elder. He has long been a Mason, and has
held the position of secretary of Royal Albert Lodge for several years.
He has also reached the eighteenth degree in the ancient and accepted
Scottish rite. He has been surgeon of the 6th Regiment of Cavalry for
the past eight years, and has regularly camped out with his regiment
when it was necessary to do so. Although he has a large practice as a
specialist for diseases of women, he still finds time to contribute
numerous articles to the medical journals, to deliver an occasional
lecture on popular science before the Young Men’s Association, as well
as to take an active interest in everything that concerns the welfare of
his adopted city. As an instance of his energy, we may mention that,
having heard of a new application of electricity to the treatment of
hitherto incurable diseases of women, he immediately started for Paris,
and remained with the inventor, Dr. Apostoli, until he had become
thoroughly acquainted with all its details, and he subsequently
published a translation of Dr. Apostoli’s latest work on this subject.
Dr. Smith’s amiable manner and sympathetic nature has won for him the
affection and esteem of his pupils and patients, especially among the
poor. In politics, he is an ardent supporter of the policy of the
Conservative party, which he considers will be the means of ultimately
building up, in the north-west part of this continent, a great and
wealthy nation. In 1884 he was married to Jessie Victoria, third
daughter of Alexander Buntin, of Montreal, by whom he has had a son and
a daughter.
* * * * *
=Boak, Hon. Robert=, Halifax, N.S., President of the Legislative Council
of Nova Scotia, was born in Leith, Scotland, on the 19th of September,
1822. His father was Robert Boak, of Shields, in the county of Durham,
England, who, on his retirement from the army, became an officer in her
Majesty’s Customs, in Halifax in 1839, and retained that position until
he was superannuated. His son, Robert Boak, the subject of our sketch,
came to Halifax in 1831, and in 1847 became a member of the firm of John
Esson & Co., wholesale grocers. In 1854 he retired from that firm, and
formed the firm of Esson, Boak & Co., and engaged in the West India
trade. In 1864 this latter firm was dissolved, and he then continued
business in his own name, and under the firm style of Robert Boak & Son,
until 1875, when he retired from business. Mr. Boak was president of the
Nova Scotia Repeal League in 1869; became a member of the Legislative
Council in 1872, and president of that body in 1878; and a member of the
government, being treasurer of the province from December, 1877, to
October, 1878. At present he is president of the Acadia Fire Insurance
Company; vice-president of the Union Bank, and the Nova Scotia Sugar
Refinery; also a director of the Gas Light Company. He has always been a
Liberal in politics, and has done yeoman service for that party in the
maritime provinces during the last decade.
* * * * *
=Normand, Telesphore Euzebe=, Contractor, Three Rivers, Quebec, was born
on the 18th August, 1833, at Quebec city. His father, Edward Normand,
was a well-known contractor of that city, and was the leading contractor
of his time, having built the St. Maurice bridge in 1832, and again in
1841; also Montmorency, Chaudière and other bridges, as well as the
greater part of the wharves at Quebec. His mother was Louise Martin, of
Quebec. He was educated at Nicolet College; stood high in his class, and
exhibited considerable promise as a student. On leaving the college, he
went to Three Rivers, in 1851, and has resided there since then. He
began life as a notary clerk under V. Guillet, with whom he was engaged
from 1853 to 1858; and concurrently with this he was engaged in the
office of the St. Maurice public works. In 1858 he set up for himself as
a public notary, but in 1871 abandoned the legal profession for the
purpose of following his father’s business. From 1861 to 1865 he was
city councillor and school board commissioner at Three Rivers. He was
elected mayor in 1873, defeating Mr. Bureau in the contest, after which
he was elected by acclamation each year for the three following years,
when he resigned. During the time he was mayor he was the means of
consolidating the city debt, and carried out other important matters. He
was captain of the city volunteers from 1863 to 1865. In politics he is
a Conservative, and has given valuable assistance to his party. In 1871
he contested the seat for Champlain, but was defeated, by Senator
Trudel, by forty-eight votes. As a contractor he stands in the foremost
rank, and has a deservedly high reputation for first-class work. He was
the contractor for the bridge over the St. Maurice, which is considered
one of the most skilful pieces of workmanship—so far as wood bridges
are concerned—in the province, if not indeed in the Dominion. The
bridge in question is built in two sections, one of which is 1,400 feet,
and the other 700 feet in length. The whole structure is built of the
best material obtainable, and is a most excellent specimen of
first-class work. Mr. Normand has constructed many other public works,
such as wharves, piers, booms and railways, at Three Rivers, Quebec and
Crane Island. Among other projects he carried out was that of the system
of water-works which the city of Three Rivers possesses—a system which
is inferior to none in the Dominion. Not only is Mr. Normand entitled to
great credit for the energetic manner in which he pushed the work to
completion, but also, what was even more needful, for obtaining the
money wherewith to carry on the work—which he did by securing
subscriptions in Quebec and England. He is held in the highest regard by
the community, and is deservedly popular with all classes, not only in
Three Rivers, but in Quebec city, where he is well-known. He was married
in October, 1856, to Alphonsine, daughter of Joseph Giroux, one of the
wealthiest and most prominent merchants in Three Rivers, who died in
1856, universally regretted. By this marriage there have been born nine
children, five of whom survive.
* * * * *
=Duhamel, Most Rev. Joseph Thomas=, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Ottawa,
is a native of Quebec province, having been born at Contrecœur, Quebec,
on the 6th November, 1841. His parents were François Duhamel and Marie
Joseph Audet-Lapointe, both of whom were born in Quebec province, but
died in Ontario. The future archbishop’s father was a farmer, and having
removed to Ottawa, sent his son to the college there, where he was
educated under the direction of the Oblate Fathers, receiving a thorough
classical education. On the completion of his studies, he decided to
consecrate his life entirely to God, and accordingly entered the Ottawa
Seminary, where, in prosecuting his theological studies, he evinced
wonderful powers of mind. He was ordained sub-deacon, on the 21st June,
1863; deacon, 2nd November of the same year, and on the 19th December he
was ordained priest. He was then appointed to the vicarage of
Buckingham, county of Ottawa, where he proved himself to be possessed of
many noble virtues and rare administrative qualities. On the 10th
November, 1864, he went to St. Eugene, in the township of East
Hawkesbury, county of Prescott, to reside as parish priest. At that time
the parish of St. Eugene was one of the poorest in the diocese, and
hence the young priest found it hard to carry on his work, especially as
he had the difficult task before him of completing a church which was
left unfinished by his predecessor. He found many obstacles to surmount,
but by dint of persistent and energetic endeavors, and the exercise of
his great abilities, he succeeded, and completed what is now, without
doubt, one of the finest churches in the diocese, costing upwards of
$25,000. Education, previously neglected in this parish, found in him an
ardent friend and promoter, and at the present time there are many
institutions in St. Eugene which owe their existence to him, and will
long remain as monuments of his zeal. And the parishioners, too, by all
of whom he was deeply beloved, will not forget their priest and guide,
who for ten years went in and out among them. Father Duhamel accompanied
his Grace Bishop Guigues to Rome at the time of the Œcumenical Council,
but, receiving word of the serious illness of his mother, whom he loved
tenderly, he was forced to leave the Eternal City and return to Canada a
couple of weeks after his arrival there. Unhappily, he did not reach St.
Eugene in time to see his mother alive, she having expired a few days
previous to his arrival. Bishop Guigues continued to honor Father
Duhamel, and in many ways gave him unmistakable marks of his confidence
and esteem. In the month of October, 1873, Father Duhamel accompanied
Bishop Guigues as a theologian to the reunion of bishops at Quebec,
where the young priest’s talents and acquirements were generally
acknowledged. After the death of his beloved friend, Bishop J. E.
Guigues, the first bishop of Ottawa, he was chosen as his successor, on
the 1st September, 1874, and on the 28th of the following month he was
consecrated as the second bishop of Ottawa. Many persons were surprised
that such a young man—he being then only thirty-two years of
age—should have been selected to fill such an important office in the
church; but those who had known Father Duhamel for years felt that his
Holiness Pope Pius IX. had made a wise choice, and, moreover, that the
records of the church would testify that even younger men than this
father had been promoted to high positions. Mgr. Laval was only
thirty-five years of age when he was called to occupy the episcopal seat
at Quebec, Mgr. de Pontbriand was only thirty-two, and Mgr. Plessis only
thirty-seven when consecrated, and Mgr. Tache was scarcely twenty-seven
when he was appointed to succeed Mgr. Provencher, who was himself only
about thirty-three when made a bishop. His lordship Bishop Duhamel, is a
gentleman of pleasing manners, and easy of access, and possessed of
great energy and tact. He speaks with ease and fluency, and while his
sermons denote deep thought, they are not wanting in graceful form and
style. His store of knowledge is of the purest and most substantial
kind, and he speaks the French and English languages with ease. He takes
a great interest in the cause of education, and gives every
encouragement to the Catholic educational establishments in the city of
Ottawa and his diocese at large, and in his pastoral letters often calls
the attention of the clergy and the parents to the importance of the
secular and religious training of children. In 1875 he wrote: “The
future of the country and of religion depends entirely, it may be said,
on the good or bad education which youth shall receive. Parents are
strictly bound to give their children a truly Catholic education. This
obligation is founded on the law of God. We do not hesitate to add, very
beloved brethren, that parents are obliged to fully comply with this
duty to establish, encourage and support Catholic schools, and to have
the children attend them.” (Tenth pastoral letter.) In September, 1878,
he thus wrote to the clergy of the diocese: “Another scholastical year
has just commenced, numerous pupils are rapidly filling the houses of
higher education and elementary schools. Everywhere those who are
devoted to the instruction of youth rival one another in zeal and ardor
to secure the success of the great work that occupies them. These
efforts should undoubtedly be seconded by the pastors of souls, since it
is their duty to continue the mission instituted by our Divine Master,
when he said, ‘Go, teach all nations.’ You will, then, judge it right,
beloved co-operators, if I invite you to give this year, again, and
always, your whole attention and most constant care to the cause of
education. Remind parents of the strict obligation for each one to
instruct his children or have them instructed according to his condition
and the means Providence has given him. Frequently visit the schools of
your parish.” Archbishop Duhamel having made known to Pope Leo XIII. all
that the Rev. J. H. Tabaret, O.M.J., had done for education during the
many years he had been superior of the College of Ottawa, his holiness
granted this great instructor of youth the title, honors, and privileges
of doctor of divinity, as a well-merited reward, which was also given to
several of the professors. To give further encouragement to education,
Archbishop Duhamel presents every year to the College of Ottawa, to the
Literary Institute of the Grey Nuns, and to the educational
establishment of the sisters of the Congregation de Notre Dame, silver
medals to be awarded to merit, and otherwise he spares neither trouble
or expense in providing for them all possible means of attaining a good
education. Under his lordship’s care, the system of teaching has been
considerably improved, as may be seen by the present high standing of
the philosophy class in the University of Ottawa, directed by the Oblate
Fathers. One of his first acts was to order that no young man should be
permitted to begin his ecclesiastical studies before he had followed a
regular collegiate classical course, including two years of philosophy,
and then that, before he could be ordained priest, he should during four
years (three years previously required) study dogmatical and moral
theology, holy scriptures, canon law and ecclesiastical history. Shortly
after his consecration, Bishop Duhamel, with the assistance of his
clergy, had a magnificent monument erected in the interior of the
cathedral at Ottawa to the memory of the lamented Right Rev. J. E.
Guigues, his predecessor. In the autumn of 1878, Bishop Duhamel went to
Europe, and on visiting Rome was kindly received by the new Pope, and
among the favors bestowed by his Holiness was that of raising the
Cathedral of Ottawa to the dignity of minor basilica. In 1882, his
lordship spent some months in Rome, in order to have the diocese divided
by the Holy See. He was successful; the Sacred Congregation of
Propaganda having admitted that the division asked for was required for
the good of souls and the progress of religion, the Pope erected the
vicariate apostolic of Pontiac, with the Right Rev. N. Z. Lorrain as
first bishop. During his stay in the eternal city his Holiness was
pleased to honor Bishop Duhamel with the titles of Assistant to the
Pontifical Throne, Roman Count, etc. On May 8th, 1886, his lordship was
made first archbishop of Ottawa, and on the 10th of May, 1887, was made
metropolitan of the ecclesiastical province of Ottawa. Archbishop
Duhamel takes a great interest in the material as well as the spiritual
progress and advancement of the parishes and missions in his diocese,
and when paying his pastoral visit never fails to stimulate the
generosity of his flock to build churches to replace the wood chapels
built years ago, and in this he has been very successful. Since the year
1874 he has dedicated ten new substantial stone churches, of which the
smallest is one hundred feet long; and during the same period he has
formed thirty-three new missions, nearly all of which have large and
commodious churches. Twenty of these missions have become parishes with
residing pastors, which brings the number of regular parishes to about
eighty. During his administration the Cathedral of Ottawa has been
entirely renewed inside, and now presents a neat, rich and beautiful
appearance, and may be numbered among the best cathedrals in Canada. His
grace has always taken a special interest in the charitable institutions
of the diocese, which number he has increased by four, and which now
comprise four hospitals, three asylums for the orphans and aged people,
two for fallen women, and one foundling hospital. To enable these
institutions to perform their good work, the archbishop has ordered that
each institution be patronized by a few parishes and missions, _i.e._,
that the nuns to whose care these institutions are entrusted will be
permitted to take up in these missions yearly collections from house to
house. His grace has also established a monastery of the Sisterhood of
the Precious Blood, whose aim is contemplative life.
* * * * *
=Woodward, James Robertson=, B.A., General Manager of the Quebec Central
Railway, Sherbrooke, was born at Sherbrooke, on the 1st July, 1846. His
father, Albert G. Woodward, came from New Hampshire, United States, to
Canada in 1837, and is now coroner for the district of St. Francis. His
mother is a daughter of Major Longee of Compton. Mr. Woodward, the
subject of our sketch, was educated at Lennoxville, and is a B.A. of
Bishop’s College University. Some time after leaving school he joined in
a partnership with E. C. Brown, and began business as contractor. In
1869, the firm built and equipped sections of the Quebec Central
Railway, and afterwards part of the Waterloo and Magog Railway. They
also built railways in Brazil and Buenos Ayres in South America. In
1881, Mr. Woodward became the general manager of the Quebec Central
Railway, and this office he still holds. For three years he held the
position of secretary-treasurer for the county council of Sherbrooke;
and for the same length of time was a member of the city council of
Sherbrooke. He is a director of the Eastern Township’s Agricultural
Association, and at various times he held the same position in other
public bodies. In politics he is a Conservative, and at present chairman
of the Liberal-Conservative Association of the district comprising the
counties of Sherbrooke, Stanstead, Richmond and Wolfe, and Compton. He
is a public spirited gentleman, and is highly respected by his fellow
citizens. In religion he is an adherent of the Episcopal church. He is
unmarried.
* * * * *
=Hall, Robert Newton=, B.A., LL.D., Q.C., Member of Parliament for
Sherbrooke, P.Q., was born at Laprairie, 26th July, 1836. He is the son
of Rev. R. V. Hall, English church clergyman. He received the principal
part of his scholastic training in the University of Burlington, Vt.,
from which he has his degree of B.A., graduating in 1857. On returning
home he entered upon the study of law, and in 1861 was called to the bar
of Lower Canada. A year later he married Lena, daughter of the late A.
W. Kendrick, of Compton, Quebec. In his practice of the law, he has all
his life been exceedingly successful, and has long been recognized as a
leading member of his profession. He held the honorable office of
_bâtonnier_ of St. Francis section of the bar from 1877 to 1881, and in
1878 became _bâtonnier_ of the bar of the whole province. He has long
been dean of the faculty of law in Bishop’s College, Lennoxville, from
which college also he holds his doctor’s degree. All his life, Mr. Hall
has been a leader of the public enterprises of his native province, his
name being regarded as a tower of strength to any organization with
which he becomes identified. He not only has the character of a man of
spotless honor, but his public spirit, his great business ability, and
his capacity for hard work, are guarantees of the success of anything to
which he puts his hand. He was one of the chief promoters of the Eastern
Townships Agricultural Association, and became the first president of
that society when it entered upon active work. The railway development
of his own section of the country has occupied a great deal of his
attention. He is a director of the Quebec Central Railway a most
important road; and president of the Massawippi Railway, a local line of
great advantage to the district. When the first scheme for building the
Canadian Pacific Railway was arranged, he was appointed one of the
government directors on the general board, this appointment being a
flattering recognition of the prominent part he had taken in railway
affairs. When Judge Brooks, who for a long time represented Sherbrooke
in the House of Commons, was appointed to his present position, the
nomination of the Conservative party for the seat was offered to Mr.
Hall, and when he accepted it, so complete was the confidence of all
classes in his judgment and honor, that he was elected by acclamation.
In the general election of 1887 Mr. Hall was opposed for the reason that
the policy of both parties was to allow no elections by acclamation. But
there was no serious expectation of defeating him, and his second return
was received without surprise. In the house, Mr. Hall has the reputation
of a careful and painstaking representative. He makes remarkably few
speeches, considering the ability he displays when he does address the
house, and the attention and respect with which he is listened to by
both sides. Outside of the cabinet, he is by all odds the most prominent
and influential representative of the Eastern Townships’ constituencies.
* * * * *
=Raymond, Rev. Joseph Sabin=, Vicar-General of the Diocese of St.
Hyacinthe, Quebec province, was born at St. Hyacinthe, on the 13th
March, 1810. He received his classical education in St. Hyacinthe
College, and belonged to the first class that graduated from this
institution. At the early age of seventeen, he began teaching, and
continued as a teacher in the same college to the last day of his life.
He was ordained priest in 1832. In 1847 he was elected president of St.
Hyacinthe College, and occupied this position, except during an interval
of six years, till 1883. Rev. Mr. Raymond, named vicar-general in 1852,
was twice administrator of the diocese, during the absence of the bishop
in Rome, and attended the five first Provincial Councils of Quebec, in
the capacity of theologian to the bishop of St. Hyacinthe. He
contributed largely to the foundation of the Order of Contemplative
Religious of the Precious Blood in St. Hyacinthe. In 1874 he was named
domestic prelate to his Holiness Pope Pius IX., and terminated a long
and useful life in St. Hyacinthe, on Sunday, 3rd July, 1887, whilst
robing to say mass. He was considered as one of the foremost men in the
literary field of Quebec; he was a prolific and brilliant writer, and
devoted his varied acquirements to the education of youth and devotional
works. He was extensively read, especially in history and literature.
His works, if collected, would form quite an important collection.
* * * * *
=Montagu, Walter H.=, M.D., M.P. for Haldimand, Dunnville, Ontario, was
born in Adelaide township, county of Middlesex, Ontario, on the 21st day
of November, 1858, and is therefore, as we write, under thirty years of
age, and one of the youngest members of the House of Commons. He is the
youngest of the six sons of Joseph Montagu, an intelligent farmer, who
was one of the most highly-respected residents of the county of
Middlesex. His mother was a daughter of John Humphries, who came to
Canada in 1832, and settled in Adelaide. Dr. Montagu was only five years
old when his father died, when on a visit to friends in the United
States, and has had, in great measure, to carve out his own career. He
has, like many who have risen to eminence, had to educate himself, and
this he began while engaged as an errand boy in a country store. He
qualified for a teacher’s certificate in August, 1874. As a teacher he
was employed successfully at various points, after which he entered
Woodstock College, to devote himself to university studies. In 1882 he
graduated in medicine in Ontario, and, desiring to pursue this
profession, he then proceeded to Edinburgh. Here, later in the same
year, he passed the examinations of the Royal College of Physicians, and
received the diploma of the college. He then returned to Canada, and
began the practice of his profession at Dunnville, county of Monck,
where he now resides. A few months after settling at Dunnville he
reluctantly accepted the nomination of the Liberal-Conservative
Convention of Monck, to contest the riding in an election then pending
for the Local Legislature. Though only a few days in the field he polled
an immense vote, his own village giving him the largest Conservative
majority it had ever given to its parliamentary representative. In 1886
he was again asked to run, but refused. In February of the following
year he was placed in nomination for the House of Commons, as the
representative of the county of Monck, but this he also declined, though
a unanimous nomination by the party was offered him. At this time no
candidate could be found to come out against Mr. Colter, the Reform
member for Haldimand, who three months previously had been returned for
the county by 126 of a majority over his opponent, Mr. W. Hamilton
Merritt, a large property owner in the constituency, who had had the
hearty support of the leading men of the Conservative party in the
district. A new election was now to be held, and still no one dared to
come out against the opposition candidate until the day before
nomination. At almost the twelfth hour Dr. Montagu, at the urgent
solicitation of his friends, Senator McCallum and Colin G. Snider,
president of the Haldimand Conservative Association, stepped into the
breach, and after a spirited campaign carried the county, but only by a
majority of one, on a recount of ballots before the county judge. Dr.
Montagu took his seat in the House of Commons, and by his qualities of
head and heart gained the respect of both parties in parliament. His
first and only speech during the session was called forth by an attack
made upon the manner of his election. Brief and comparatively
unimportant as it was, the speaker commanded the closest attention of
the house. A protest, however, was entered against his return; and after
three days’ trial of the petition, Dr. Montagu agreed with his opponent
to hold a new election. This came on in November, 1887, and was watched
with the keenest interest by the whole country, for until the preceding
February Haldimand had never before in her history returned a
Conservative, and that return, it was alleged, was not a proper one. The
contest was fought, on the Reform side, by Mr. Colter, assisted by M.
Laurier, Sir Richard Cartwright, Messrs. Charlton and Patterson, Hon.
Jacob Baxter, and a dozen other prominent Reformers. Dr. Montagu,
representing the Conservatives, fought alone and almost single-handed;
and though the most desperate means were employed to defeat him, he
succeeded in carrying the county by seventeen of a majority. In the
contest, Dr. Montagu’s public addresses attracted immense audiences, the
people turning out everywhere in great numbers to hear him. Another
recount was demanded, the result being that the majority was reduced to
twelve. A protest was then entered against him, and tried in January
before Justice Street. During five days’ trial the petitioners utterly
failed in their charges, and not a single stain attached itself to the
representative. In the present (1888) session, he had the honor paid him
by the Dominion administration of being called to move the address to
the throne. This he did with great credit to himself and with much
gratification to his party. Dr. Montagu is a supporter of Sir John A.
Macdonald, but at the same time he holds liberal views upon public
questions, and brings a broad and comprehensive mind to their
consideration and discussion. He is thoroughly Canadian in his aims and
aspirations, and has an earnest and enthusiastic faith in the future of
the country. His wife is Angie, daughter of Elias Furry, reeve of South
Cayuga, Ontario.
* * * * *
=Willets, Rev. Charles E.=, M.A., (Corpus Christi, Cantab.), D.C.L.
(King’s, Windsor), Windsor, Nova Scotia, is a native of
Northamptonshire, England, where he was born about forty years ago. He
received his early education at Corpus Christi College, in the
University of Cambridge, where he graduated in 1872. He took holy orders
and was ordained in the same year by the Right Reverend George Augustus
Selwyn, bishop of Lichfield. After his ordination, he accepted the
position of curate of Gaily-cum-Hatherton, in Staffordshire, which
office he held for one year. In 1873 he came to Canada, and was
appointed to the position of sub-rector of Bishop’s Collegiate School,
at Lennoxville, Quebec. Here he remained for three years, teaching and
fulfilling his other duties with great success. The honorary degree of
M.A. was conferred upon him by Bishop’s College in 1874. He next removed
to the Collegiate School, Windsor, N.S., the position of headmaster of
which happened to fall vacant in June, 1876. This school was the
original seed of King’s College, which is the oldest degree-conferring
university in British America. The school was started in 1788, a scheme
for its establishment being warmly urged by the Right Rev. Dr. Charles
Inglis of New York, first bishop of Nova Scotia, and also by his son,
John Inglis, who solicited aid for it in England. A royal charter was
obtained in 1802. A large number of the sons of the wealthiest class in
the maritime provinces were educated in it during the first years of its
history. Among distinguished men who received their early training in
the school, or King’s College, may be mentioned Chief Justice Neville
and Robert Parker, master of the rolls of New Brunswick; Judge W. B.
Bliss; Judge Haliburton (“Sam Slick”); General Sir John Inglis, son of
the second bishop of Nova Scotia, and a man who made his mark in the
defence of Lucknow; the late Archdeacon McCawley; Archdeacon Gilpin of
Halifax; administrator of the diocese of Nova Scotia; R. G. Haliburton;
Rev. Dr. Hill, formerly rector of St. Paul’s, Halifax, and the late Rev.
Dr. J. M. Hensley. Among head masters of the collegiate school were Rev.
William Grey, Rev. Dr. Blackman, Dr. Salt, Rev. W. C. King, Rev. George
B. Dodwell, M.A. (Cantab.), and Rev. John Butler. The original school
building was of freestone, which was erected with great care under the
supervision of Bishop Charles Inglis, but was unfortunately burnt down,
20th September, 1871. For two years the school was carried on at Martock
House, near Windsor. A new handsome wooden building was erected on the
original site in 1877, and Rev. Dr. Willets has continued in charge of
the school ever since. The school has prospered under his management,
and now accommodates upwards of forty boarders and a number of day
scholars. There are two assistant masters, Mr. Richardson, formerly of
King Edward VI. School, Retford, England, a distinguished linguist and
chess-player, and Mr. Fullerton, B.A., of King’s College, also special
instructors in drill and gymnastics and penmanship. Boys are prepared
for matriculation in all of the provincial colleges and for the civil
service examinations, Ottawa. The school possesses one of the handsomest
sites in Nova Scotia, just below King’s College, and looking over the
king’s meadow towards the south mountain. The honorary degree of D.C.L.
was conferred upon Dr. Willets by King’s College in 1882. He was also
elected a governor of King’s College in 1885.
* * * * *
=Matheson, David=, Superintendent of the Savings Bank Branch of the Post
Office department, Ottawa, is a Scotchman by birth, he having been born
in the parish of Canisbay, near John O’Groat’s, Caithness-shire, on the
25th October, 1840, and emigrated to Canada in 1861. Mr. Matheson joined
the civil service in 1863, and was appointed private secretary to the
postmaster-general. In 1868 he, with another officer, was appointed to
organize the Post Office Savings Bank, and specially designed the plan
of accounts which has made the Canadian system of savings banks a credit
to our own country, and a model that other countries have been pleased
to adopt. Mr. Matheson, in recognition of his services, was appointed,
in 1881, assistant superintendent of the Savings Bank Branch of the Post
Office department, and in February, 1888, he was made superintendent.
* * * * *
=Cardin, Louis Pierre Paul=, Sorel, Quebec province, M.P.P. for the
county of Richelieu, is of a hardy, honest, and industrious stock, his
father being a well-to-do yeoman of Isle Madame, adjoining the
north-eastern corner of the Island of Montreal. He is still in the prime
of life, having been born on the 21st May, 1841, a year important in
Canadian annals for the consummation of the union which preceded the
system of confederation. He was educated at the College of L’Assomption,
an institution which has given to Canada a large number of men
distinguished in the church, the legal and medical professions, and the
ranks of commerce and industry. Mr. Cardin selected the honorable
calling of a notary, in which he was destined to make his way to the
front in a comparatively brief time. He was fortunate in being
associated, during his early professional career, with a worthy
gentleman of Sorel, the late Mr. Precourst, from whose office he was
admitted to practise in October, 1868. He still remained with his
esteemed employer, until his death, in 1872, when he succeeded to his
large and profitable business. Laborious, obliging and conscientious,
Mr. Cardin won the confidence and respect of all who had dealings with
him in his professional capacity, or intercourse with him in private
life. His ability and public spirit made his services in high demand in
municipal and educational affairs. It was natural, also, that he should
take a deep interest in all that concerned the agricultural progress of
his country, and he soon found ample occupation for his leisure hours.
He has been successively secretary of the council for Sorel, secretary
of the Dissentient School Board, secretary of the Agricultural Society,
president of the St. Jean Baptiste Society, secretary of the
municipality of Sainte Victoire, and has filled various other offices of
trust with entire satisfaction to the public. To him also was due the
organization of the first militia company of Sorel, and in order to
qualify himself for military command, he obtained certificate of the
first and second class, which enabled him to take, if necessary, any
commission up to and including that of lieutenant-colonel. Courteous,
benevolent, grave and affable, Mr. Cardin is a man whose character
invites confidence and wins esteem. His appearance is also in his favor.
Of middle height, he has impressive features, a large forehead and
animated eyes, while his long beard of silky texture, gives him an air
of distinction. As a speaker, he is at once fluent and choice in his
language, uniting calmness with earnestness, and can wither with scorn
or melt with pathos, as the occasion demands. In politics Mr. Cardin is
more Conservative than Liberal, but was not an active partizan until
November, 1885, when he joined the National party. In September, 1886,
he was selected by the convention of Richelieu as the candidate of his
party in that county and was victorious in the election which followed.
Since then he has acquitted himself entirely to the satisfaction of his
supporters, giving a conscientious but independent support to the Hon.
M. Mercier. He has been indefatigable in his efforts to improve the
condition of Sorel, and to ensure the county of Richelieu its fair share
of attention from the government.
* * * * *
=LaRocque, Right Rev. Charles=, was born at Chambly, November 15th,
1809. He received his education at the Seminary of St. Hyacinthe, where,
in 1828, he commenced studying theology, after completing his classical
course. From 1828 to 1831 he filled with great distinction and
efficiency a professor’s chair in the same seminary; and after one year
exclusively spent in the study of theology, was ordained priest on the
29th of July, 1832. From 1832 to 1866 he is seen displaying his
sacerdotal zeal as vicar in the parishes of St. Roch de l’Achigan and
Berthier, as curé in the parishes of St. Pie de Bagot, Ste. Marguerite
de Blainville, and St. John Dorchester, which he ruled during the long
period of twenty-two years. There he founded several educational
institutions, and built a magnificent church, of which the St. John
parishioners may well feel proud. On the 20th March, 1866, he was
elected bishop of St. Hyacinthe; on the 29th July he was consecrated,
and the 31st of the same month he took possession of the see. The chief
work of his career as bishop, a work for which he is rightly considered
the greatest benefactor of the diocese of St. Hyacinthe, was the
restoring of the finances. The heavy debt which weighed upon the
bishopric was completely paid off through his wise and prudent
financing. He died July 15th, 1875, aged sixty-five years, deeply
regretted, and, according to his own expressed will, was buried in the
vault of the Church of the Hotel Dieu at St. Hyacinthe.
* * * * *
=Prince, Right Rev. John C.=, The late Bishop Prince of St. Hyacinthe,
was born at St. Gregory, in the district of Three Rivers, on the 13th of
February, 1804. After a brilliant course of classical studies in the
College of Nicolet, he taught literature in the same college, and also
in the College of St. Hyacinthe. Whilst thus engaged, from 1822 till
1826, he also pursued a complete course of theology, and fitted himself
for the sacred order of priesthood, to which dignity he was raised in
1826. From 1826 to 1830 he was director of St. James Grand Seminary at
Montreal; from 1830 to 1840, director of the seminary at St. Hyacinthe,
and from whence he was called to Montreal by Right Rev. Bishop Bourget,
to share with him the burden of the administration of his vast and
important diocese. He was appointed canon of the Cathedral of Montreal
on January 21st, 1841. On July 5th, 1844, he was appointed coadjutor to
the bishop of Montreal and bishop of Martyropolis, and on July 25th,
1845, was consecrated. In 1851 he was deputed by the bishops of the
Ecclesiastical Province of Quebec to carry to Rome the decrees of the
first Council of Quebec. On the 8th June, 1852, whilst in Rome, he was
appointed by Pope Pius IX. bishop of the newly erected see of St.
Hyacinthe, of which he took possession on the 3rd of November of the
same year. In 1841 he founded a review, the _Mélanges Religieuse_, and
remained its chief editor for ten years. He also founded a convent of
the Sisters of the Congregation of Notre-Dame, in Kingston. Having ruled
the diocese of St. Hyacinthe with remarkable zeal and prudence for eight
years, during which he established the Sisters of the Presentation of
Mary for the education of young ladies; the Gray Nuns’ Hospital;
established twenty parishes, and built the present magnificent episcopal
residence in St. Hyacinthe. He died on the 5th of May, 1860, aged
fifty-six years. His remains now repose in the vault of the cathedral.
* * * * *
=Blake, Hon. Edward=, P.C., Q.C., Toronto, M.P. for West Durham,
Ontario, is by birth a Canadian, but by race an Irishman.[9] His father,
the Hon. William Hume Blake, was a Blake of Galway, and the son of a
rector of the Church of England in Ireland, Rev. Dominick Edward Blake
of Kiltegan. On the mother’s side he is descended from William Hume of
Wicklow, a representative of that county in parliament, who lost his
life as a loyalist in the Irish rising of 1798. “The descendant of an
Irishman myself,” Mr. Blake said in a notable speech upon a motion made
in the House of Commons, in 1882, for an address to the Queen on the
subject of Irish affairs, “my grandfather on the father’s side a rector
of the church to which I have referred, and sleeping in his parish
churchyard, and my ancestor on my mother’s side slain in conflict with
insurgents; while it might have been my misfortune, had I been born and
bred in the old land, to adopt, from prejudice, views very different
from those I have expressed this night; yet, it being my good fortune to
have been born and bred in the free air of Canada; and to have learned
those better, those wiser, those more Christian and just notions which
here prevail upon the subject of civil and religious liberty, class
legislation and home rule itself, I have always entertained, ever since
I have had an opportunity of thinking on this subject, the sentiments to
which I have given utterance this evening. I believe that these are the
sentiments native to our own sense of freedom and justice, and that we
wish to deal on this subject, as the hon. gentleman said who moved it,
in that spirit which says, ‘Do unto others as you would they should do
unto you.’” Mr. Blake’s pride of ancestry, so often evinced in
references to his father, may have led him, in the extract quoted, to
attach too great weight to the influence of environment upon his
character and opinions. Speaking on a recent occasion, he said: “I have
always discouraged and discountenanced, so far as I could, any appeal to
considerations of race or creed. My earnest desire has ever been that we
should mingle, irrespective of our origins, irrespective of our creeds,
as Canadian brethren, as Canadian fellow citizens, whether we be English
or French, Scotch, Irish or German, whether we be Protestant, Catholic
or Jew, sinking all these distinctions in the political arena, and
uniting and dividing, not upon questions of origin, not upon questions
of religion, but rather upon honest differences of opinion with
reference to the current politics of the country.” It is doubtful if,
under any circumstances or conditions, a man constituted as Mr. Blake
is, with a mind of large grasp and sensitive to jealousy of his honor,
could be ought else than the fair and liberal man he is known to be.
But, whatever views may have been held on state or church affairs by his
more remote ancestors, no one who knows the story of the life of William
Hume Blake can have reason to suspect that the son was subject to
prejudiced or narrowing influences. The elder Blake was a man of strong
but well matured convictions, and he uttered his thoughts with a
clearness and force which rarely, if ever, allowed of his being
understood in a double sense. He was also a man of tender and generous
sympathies, and by the members of his own family his memory is greatly
and deservedly revered. Indeed it may be said that Edward Blake never
strikes a merciless blow—and he has the skill and power to strike a
tremendous blow—excepting in the case of one who may speak offensively,
rudely or disrespectfully of his father. It ought not to be a matter of
surprise, perhaps, that politicians who came into collision with the
father in the stirring political times of forty years ago should retain
some of the feelings of those times; but the few who have revived the
old issues with a display of the old temper, in the presence of the son,
are not likely to reflect on the consequence to themselves with any
degree of pleasure. One of these occasions will be readily recalled by
frequenters of the House of Commons of thirteen or fourteen years ago,
when the house was kept at a white heat throughout a whole night’s
sitting. But when he has himself been the object of attack the
disposition to strike back has been carefully curbed. “Whatever I am,”
he said, in one of that remarkable series of speeches delivered in the
election campaign of 1886-7, “I stick by my friends, and that, too, even
after they have left me.” And, referring in particular to two gentlemen
whom he had befriended, who afterwards changed their views and attacked
him very bitterly and with great frequency, he said: “I have never
replied to them or retorted on them. I have preferred to remember the
old times when we worked together. I have preferred to remember, too,
that they were my fellow-countrymen, and I have borne in silence their
unjust attacks rather than retaliate. I have chosen to recollect their
acts of friendship and co-operation rather than those of hostility and
animosity. I have hoped that the day might come when they, or, if not
they, at any rate my fellow-countrymen of their race and creed, would do
me justice, and I wished to put no obstacle whatever in the way of a
reconciliation, in which I have nothing to withdraw, nothing to
apologise for, nothing to excuse.”—Edward Blake was born in the woods
of Middlesex in 1833, a year after his father and mother had left
Ireland. After two or three years’ experience of pioneer life the family
removed to Toronto, and the father began preparation for the profession
of law, upon which he entered in 1838, and in which he acquired great
distinction—for eleven years as a practising barrister, and afterwards
for thirteen years as chancellor or chief justice of the Court of
Equity. Edward’s education was looked after by his father and by private
tutors until he was old enough to enter Upper Canada College, and in
that school he was prepared for Toronto University. In the last year of
his course there (1854), his father was appointed chancellor of the
university, and had the gratification in that capacity of conferring the
B.A. degree upon his gifted son, who took first-class honors in classics
and was winner of a silver medal. This, however, was not with Edward
Blake as it has been with many graduates the closing event of his
connection with the university. He proceeded to the Master’s degree in
1858, and in 1873 he was elected chancellor by the graduates for a term
of three years, an honor which has now been bestowed on him five times
in succession. Some of Mr. Blake’s best speeches have been delivered in
his capacity as chancellor of the university. At the close of his
university career he commenced the study of the law, and in 1856 he
began practice in the Equity court. He worked hard, and, although there
were a number of excellent lawyers in the Chancery court at that time,
he attained the foremost place amongst them in less than ten years. He
was created a Q.C. in 1864, was elected a bencher of the Law Society in
1871, and was appointed treasurer of the society upon the death of the
Hon. John Hilyard Cameron, in 1879. The offer of the chancellorship of
the province by Sir John Macdonald in 1869, and the offer of the chief
justiceship of the Supreme Court of the Dominion by Mr. Mackenzie in
1875, were both declined.—Mr. Blake entered upon parliamentary life in
the confederation year, in a dual capacity, as member for West Durham in
the House of Commons, and member for South Bruce in the Ontario
legislature. In both bodies he ranked high as a debater from the first;
and although political subjects were new to him in a sense, he speedily
gained such familiarity with them that the leadership of the party
became his by right of pre-eminence. In the Ontario legislature, where
Mr. McKellar was leader during the first session, the place was forced
upon Mr. Blake (Mr. McKellar himself being the most urgent of the
Liberals in pressing for the change), but in the Commons he resolutely
refused to hold any position excepting in the ranks. The premier of
Ontario was an astute politician, and had many good qualities as a
public man; he was also an old Liberal and had a respectable following
of his party, although a majority of his supporters both in the house
and in the country were Conservatives. Mr. Blake had a difficult task in
hand, as leader of the Opposition, against a veteran politician like
John Sandfield Macdonald; but his forces were always marshalled with
consummate skill, and by the discussion of affairs and the formulating
of a well defined policy, in the line of the historic principles of the
Liberal party, the electors had clear issues placed before them when the
appeal was made in 1871, at the close of the first parliamentary term
after confederation. The actual result was in doubt until the new
legislature met in December, and a motion of want of confidence in the
government was keenly and brilliantly debated. But the Liberals
prevailed in the end; Mr. Blake was called upon to form a government,
and in the first session effect was given to the principles which had
won for the party the confidence of the people. From that time until now
the same principles have been maintained by the Liberals of Ontario,
with such expansion and development as circumstances have shown to be
desirable; and, measured by all the results, it may confidently be
affirmed that no other portion of America has in the same period been
governed so wisely or well. Owing to the abolition of dual
representation in 1872, both in the Provincial legislature and in the
Dominion parliament, Mr. Blake resigned the premiership so that he might
occupy the larger sphere at Ottawa, and upon his advice the office of
first minister of the province was committed to the Hon. Oliver Mowat.
Mr. Blake was re-elected to the Commons by acclamation for West Durham,
and was also returned for South Bruce, at the general election in 1872;
he sat in the house, however, as representative of the latter
constituency. The part he took in the overthrow of the Macdonald
government in 1873, both in the country and the house, secured for him
the highest position yet attained by a political leader and orator in
Canada. His career since that event, in office and out of it, is so
well-known that space need not be taken up with the recounting of it. It
has been largely the political history of the country, for on every
important question his voice has been heard, uttering the sentiments of
his party. He accepted the leadership in 1880, much against his own
will, and in discharging the duties of that office throughout the whole
time he held it he acted up to the full measure of his conviction, that
no abilities are too good to be given, and no effort too great to be
spent, for Canada.—Mr. Blake is not only the foremost of Canadian
parliamentary orators, but, had his lot been cast in the larger sphere
of Imperial or Republican politics, he would without doubt have attained
a place in the front rank of those great orators who have shed lustre on
the Anglo-Saxon race and helped to immortalize the English tongue. When
he was comparatively young in public life, a well-known Canadian writer,
who was by his previous experience exceptionally well qualified to
compare him with the greatest of English contemporary orators, thus
recorded the results of such a comparison after hearing Mr. Blake for
the first time, shortly after the writer’s arrival in Canada.—“The
present writer has often seen in the British House of Commons a debate
degenerate into a squabble, in which small passions and petty aims made
the moral atmosphere foul and fetid. Then Mr. Gladstone has risen up,
and immediately one felt raised into a high moral plane, with a wider
horizon and more pleasing intellectual prospect; the mere tone of his
voice—firm, sincere, truthful in its ring—acting as a spell to lay the
evil spirits which up to that time had it all their own way. Precisely a
similar effect was produced by Mr. Blake. Here was a sincere man who
‘dared not lie,’ who had principles to maintain, who was not a prey to
anxiety lest he might lose place and power, who was not driven like a
leaf in the fall wind by his own passions. His intellectual and moral
superiority was crushingly apparent. . . . Mr. Blake as an orator is
something of the same style as Lord Selborne (Sir Roundell Palmer), with
a dash of Sir J. D. Coleridge’s honeyed satire and Mr. Gladstone’s
earnestness of purpose.” A distinguished Canadian judge in a
conversation with the writer of this sketch gave an opinion of Mr.
Blake’s rank among the great English orators of the day; and, as it has
never been published before, it is perhaps worth quoting in the same
connection. When the eminent American statesman, Mr. Evarts, was in
Toronto a few years ago he was publicly welcomed by the Law Society of
Ontario at Osgoode Hall, and by members of the senate and faculty of
Toronto University, Mr. Blake being the principal officer to receive and
welcome him on both occasions. The late Chief Justice Moss, who was also
present, was afterwards asked how in his opinion Mr. Blake compared as a
speaker with Mr. Evarts, and his reply was that, so far as could be
judged by the opportunities afforded at these gatherings the Canadian
was unmistakably the superior of the American. He added that he had been
in the habit for a number of years of spending his holidays in England;
that while there he had met and heard many of the leading statesmen and
lawyers of that country; and his firm conviction was that in Mr. Blake,
Canada possessed a man who was intellectually and oratorically the equal
of any one of them and the superior of almost all. Perhaps no two
English-speaking public men of this generation have been so frequently
compared with each other in their style of oratory as Mr. Blake and his
great English prototype, Mr. Gladstone. It may be thought that the
resemblance said to exist between them is more fanciful than real; that
such comparisons have their origin in the pride—patriotic or
partisan—which Canadians feel in those of their countrymen who have
attained distinction; that Sir John Macdonald, for example, has often
been said to bear a close likeness to Mr. Gladstone’s old antagonist,
Earl Beaconsfield. In the case, however, of the two great Conservative
chieftains the likeness was supposed to be less discernible in their
oratory than in their personal appearance, and in the methods they
pursued as party leaders. But the more closely we study the speeches and
the public life of the two great Liberal leaders the more clearly will
it be seen that the resemblance between them has a far more substantial
foundation than any mere Canadian pride in a distinguished son of
Canada, although Canadians were well pleased to think that, side by side
with some of Britain’s greatest men, before a critical and cultured
Edinburgh audience a few years ago, Canada saw “her bairn respected like
the lave.” Wherein, then, does the resemblance consist, if such
resemblance there be? Does it lie in the similarity of their methods as
rhetoricians, or in qualities less superficial and less minutely
definable? The writer above quoted describes in a single phrase the
strong underlying points of resemblance between the Englishman and the
Canadian. The true secret of their power as orators lies in their
intellectual and moral superiority. Perhaps it lies even more in the
moral element than in the intellectual, though the fibres of mind and
character are so closely interwoven in the texture of their speeches
that it is difficult to decide in which quality lies their greatest
strength. True it is that the gifts and graces of rhetoric have been
bountifully bestowed upon both. Some of these they hold in common, and
in others each has been specially endowed. But to say that the
possession of these merely rhetorical accomplishments is what makes each
the greatest living orator of his country is to assign a wholly
inadequate cause for so large an effect. The fact that intellectually
they are giants, and that morally they are believed to be sincere,
high-minded, _sans peur et sans reproche_, is what largely gives them
their power as orators. Mr. Blake’s firm and comprehensive grasp of any
subject with which he grapples, the almost phenomenal way in which he
masters and then marshals all its facts, are qualities in which we doubt
if he is excelled by any living statesman. Not merely are the broad
outlines drawn with a strong hand, but, when necessary for his purpose,
the minutest details are filled in with the fidelity of a photograph. In
fact so thoroughly does he exhaust the details of his subject in some of
his more elaborate parliamentary speeches that the effect is to mar the
whole performance, viewed simply as an oratorical effect. Perhaps no one
knows this better than Mr. Blake himself, and the fact that he is thus
content to risk his reputation as an orator from the same high sense of
duty which has kept him in uncongenial public life for many years,
against his personal wishes and to the serious impairment of his health
and income, should be sufficient to secure him the indulgence of the
severest critic, for it is a failing which surely leans to virtue’s
side. His manner in speaking is earnest and forcible, such a manner as
befits an orator who seeks to convince his hearers through the medium of
their reason, and he never indulges in _ad captandum_ appeals. His
sentences, like his whole treatment of his subject, though they may be
somewhat involved, are always thoroughly in hand; he never loses himself
in a maze, seldom hesitates for the right word, and always appears to
have the whole plan of his speech before his mind’s eye. His language
unites the copiousness and variety of the accomplished scholar with the
clear cut precision of the lawyer; and the wealth of illustration with
which he adorns his best speeches, drawn as it is from every conceivable
source in life and literature, would in itself be regarded as wonderful
if it were not associated with intellectual powers which are all on an
equally high plane. He is perhaps at his best in the _rôle_ of satirist,
and herein he displays qualities in which he far excels the great
English statesman to whom it is no derogation to compare him. Earnest
and argumentative like Mr. Gladstone he habitually is, but when engaged
in thrust and parry with an opponent, wit and humor lend their aid, and
often with such merciless effect that they defeat the speaker’s purpose
by creating sympathy for his antagonist. The best specimen of Mr.
Blake’s style of oratory will be found in his shorter extemporaneous
speeches in parliament. In many of his longer speeches his best
qualities as an orator have been suppressed by too much elaborateness of
preparation. Able as they are as examples of clear consecutive
reasoning, they partake too much of the character of essays; wanting
spontaneity, they lack the fire and vim of his shorter speeches. As an
illustration of this view, take the short speech in which Mr. Blake
replied to the leader of the government in 1882, on the motion for the
second reading of the Redistribution Bill—better known as the
Gerrymander Bill. All the leading features of that measure were seized
and a complete criticism of them pronounced in the course of a twenty
minutes’ speech, with such telling force that no one on the ministerial
side dared offer a reply. It was as perfect a criticism of a large
subject as the far more elaborate speech on the bill in committee of the
whole a few days later, saving in matters of detail, and the verdict of
those who listened to both speeches doubtless was that the shorter one
was by large odds weightier and more convincing than the longer and
heavier one. There was material enough in the latter for half-a-dozen
first-class speeches, but it erred in leaving nothing for any other
member to say. Another of Mr. Blake’s speeches which showed his skill in
stating and discussing subjects tersely and vigorously is his speech at
London in January, 1886, in which he dealt with the execution of Riel
and presented a general review of the political situation. Such massing
of facts and arraying of reasons, conjoined with such judicial fairness
in balancing the weights of evidence, are rarely to be met with in the
records of political eloquence. “Though the skies be dark,” he said in
closing that speech, “yet trust we in the Supreme goodness. We believe
our cause is just and true. We believe that truth and justice shall in
God’s good time prevail. It may be soon; it may be late. His ways are
not our ways, and His unfathomable purposes we may not gauge. But this
we know, that in our efforts we are in the line of duty. We hope,
indeed, to make our cause prevail. But, win or lose to-day, we know that
we shall receive for the faithful discharge of duty an exceeding great
reward—the only reward which is worth attaining, the only reward which
is sure to last.”—Mr. Blake’s thorough honesty of purpose is one of his
most conspicuous qualities. Many proofs of this quality might be given
from his speeches, but one will suffice. In closing his speech on the
execution of Riel, in the House of Commons in March, 1886, he said: “I
know the atmosphere of prejudice and passion which surrounds this case.
I know how difficult it will be for years to come to penetrate that
dense atmosphere. I know how many people of my own race and of my own
creed entertain sentiments and feelings hostile to the conclusion to
which I have been driven. I know that many whom I esteem and in whose
judgment I have confidence, after examination of this case, have been
unable to reach my own conclusion. I blame no one. Each has the right
and duty to judge for himself. But cries have been raised on both sides
which are potent, most potent in preventing the public from coming to a
just conclusion; yet we must not by any such cries be deterred from
doing our duty. I have been threatened more than once by hon. gentlemen
opposite during this debate with political annihilation in consequence
of the attitude of the Liberal party which they projected on this
question; and I so far agree with them as to admit that the vote I am
about to give is an inexpedient vote, and that, if politics were a game,
I should be making a false move. I should be glad to be able to reach a
conclusion different from that which is said by hon. gentlemen opposite
to be likely to weaken my influence and imperil my position. But it can
be said of none of us, least of all of the humble individual who now
addresses you, that his continued possession of a share of public
confidence, of the lead of a party, or of a seat in parliament, is
essential or even highly important to the public interest; while for all
of us what is needful is not that we should retain, but that we should
deserve the public confidence; not that we should keep, but that while
we do keep we should honestly use our seats in parliament. To act
otherwise would be to grasp at the shadow and to lose the substance;
_propter vitam vivendi perdere causas_. We may be wrong; we must be
true. We should be ready to close, but resolved to keep unstained our
public careers. I am unable honestly to differ from the view that it is
deeply to be regretted that this execution should have been allowed to
take place, and therefore in favor of that view I must record my vote.”
This view of the exalted duties of a representative of the people must
commend itself to every man who esteems truth, honor and country; and it
is the knowledge of the holding of this and like views by Mr. Blake, not
less than his intellectual qualities, which secures for him the esteem
of the best men of all classes. “We are all proud of Edward Blake,”
Principal Grant of Queen’s University exclaimed when presenting him to
address a Queen’s convocation a few years ago. “Mr. Blake is a
distinguished man, a credit to any country from his ability and
eloquence and devotion to public matters,” Sir John Macdonald said when
referring to his absence from the house and country at the opening of
the 1888 session of parliament.—Many speeches delivered in the House of
Commons and out of it during the last twenty years attest Mr. Blake’s
ability and eloquence, but one extract will serve for illustration. It
is taken from the report of a speech delivered at Lindsay in 1887, on
the administration of the North-West. After sketching the principal
events leading up to the Half-breed rebellion down to the summer of
1884, he said: “The time, if ever there was a time, for conditions of
non-alienation passed away; the state of things changed, the discontent
grew, the demand became fixed and formulated for like treatment as the
Half-breeds of Manitoba, and its concession in this form was pressed on
the government by everyone in the North-West, including the council. But
all in vain! The government was deaf; the government was blind; the
government was dumb; indeed for all they did in this matter the
government might as well have been dead! Nay, better! for had they been
dead I do not believe another baker’s dozen of Tories could have been
found to succeed them who could have been as deaf, and dumb, and blind,
and dead as they; and Canada might have been saved the blow, the
dreadful blow, which they caused, if they did not actually inflict upon
their country! At length, in June, 1884, after five years of total, of
absolute inaction in this pressing matter, occurred an event so-marked
that it might have made the deaf to hear, the dumb to speak, the blind
to see, nay, might almost have waked the dead,—for then it happened
that these poor people, despairing at last of reaching otherwise the
ears of their rulers at Ottawa, sent a deputation on foot to tramp the
prairies, cross the rivers and penetrate the forests, seven hundred long
miles into Montana, to find and to counsel with their old chief and
leader, Louis Riel. They reached him; they invited his help; he agreed
to return in their company, to lead his people in an agitation for the
rights which they had so long asked in vain; he returned on this demand,
on this errand, in those relations to his kinsmen; and he was
triumphantly and enthusiastically received by a large assembly of the
Half-breeds on the banks of the Saskatchewan; and all these ominous and
portentous facts were known to the government! Now what at this juncture
was the relation of Louis Riel to the disturbed populations of the
North-West? That is a most important question to be answered when you
are measuring the situation and awarding its due responsibility to the
government. For I ask you, having asked that question, to decide, as I
believe you will unhesitatingly decide, I ask not you Liberals only, but
the most compassionate, the most faithful Tory, the blindest, the most
party-ridden Tory here, to decide,—even if he can find, what I cannot
find, in the loving kindness of his nature, in the softness of his
heart, some, I will not say justification, I will not say excuse, but
some palliation for that five long years of inaction,—yet I ask you
all, with absolute confidence, to agree with me that for the inaction
after June, 1884, there is, under heaven, no palliation whatever. What
was the relation of Riel to those amongst whom he came? I will not give
you my own comparisons; I will give you those of the first minister
himself, used in reply to me in parliament. He said that Riel was the El
Mahdi of the Metis! The El Mahdi—you know him—the Arabian priest, and
prophet, and usurping chief, who excited in the breasts of the wild
tribes of the desert such a convinced belief in his supernatural powers,
such a devoted and fanatic affection to his person, such a desperate
fidelity to his cause, that at his bidding, ill-armed and undisciplined
as they were, they flung their naked bodies in ferocious fight against
the better drilled and more numerous forces of their lawful sovereign,
the Khedive; nay, they hurled those naked bodies once and again against
the serried ranks of the British battalions; and boldly encountered at
once all the old British valor, and all the modern dreadful appliances
of war; and the sands of Africa were wet with brave English blood, and
English wives and mothers wept bitter tears for the deeds done under
these influences by the wild followers of El Mahdi. He said that Riel
was the La Rochejacquelin of the Metis! La Rochejacquelin, the young
French noble who, when all France almost beside had submitted to the
republic, raised again the white flag of the legitimate monarchy, roused
the peaceful peasantry of remote La Vendée, led them in successful
attack against strong places held by the forces of the republic, and by
virtue of the spirit he infused, the confidence they reposed, the
affection and fealty they bore towards their feudal chief, kept at bay
for a while the great enemies of the state. He said he was the Charles
Stuart, the Pretender, the leader of the lost cause of the Half-breeds!
‘Bonnie Prince Charlie, the king of the Hieland hearts,’ who, after the
lowlands of Scotland, after all England, after all Ireland had submitted
to the new rule, yet raised the clans; marched into Edinburgh; held
court at Holyrood; made a descent on England itself; and, when pressed
back into the north, fought with his irregular and ill-equipped liegemen
in unequal, but obstinate and glorious, and sometimes successful
conflict with the disciplined troops of the new dynasty! The Stuart, who
found and proved for the hundredth time the stern valor and the
enthusiastic love of his Highland followers; who found and proved it,
not only in the fleeting hour of victory, but in the dark season of
distress; when, with broken fortunes and a lost cause, with thirty
thousand pounds offered for his head, and death assigned as the penalty
for his harborer, he was safely guarded, and loved, and cherished, and
sheltered by his clansmen in the caves and glens and bothies of the
Highlands, as safe as if he had been in command in the centre of a
British square! Yes! They scorned the base reward; they contemned the
dreadful penalty; they kept him safe, and at length helped him to escape
to other climes, to wait for the better days that never came. Such were
the men to whom the first minister compared Riel, in his relation to the
Metis. And, such being his relation, I ask you was not his coming an
ominous and portentous event? He came, with all that power and influence
over that ill-educated, half-civilized, impulsive, yet proud and
sensitive people, living their lonely lives in that far land; he came
amongst them at their request; he who had led the Half-breeds of the
east in ’69, and had achieved for them a treaty and the recognition of
their rights; he came to lead his kinsmen of the west in the path by
which they were, as they hoped, to obtain their rights as well! Had the
government been diligent before, they should have been roused by this to
further zeal. But he came after five years of absolute lethargy on the
part of the government, when they knew that they had not been diligent,
and when, therefore, they had a double duty to repair, in the time God
gave them still, the consequences of their sloth. Surely, surely such a
coming should have made the deaf to hear, the blind to see, the dumb to
speak; surely it might almost have waked the dead!” This extract will
compare with the best effort of any modern parliamentary or platform
speaker, and the whole speech is probably the best specimen of moving
eloquence ever uttered by a public man in America.—The heavy and
prolonged strain of the election campaign of 1886-7 had a serious effect
on Mr. Blake’s health, and resulted in a nervous collapse which made a
holding of the position of leader of a parliamentary party no longer
possible to one of his sense of duty. He accordingly resigned the
leadership of the Liberals in the session of 1887, to the sincere regret
of his followers in the house and, it may be said, to the regret of the
whole country besides.
-----
[9] Mr. Blake’s great-grandfather was Andrew Blake, a gentleman of good
estate in the county of Galway. By his first marriage he had two
sons—Andrew, who inherited Castlegrove, and Netterville, who succeeded
to another estate close to Tuam. The latter had twenty-one children,
thirteen of whom were sons. The second wife of Andrew Blake was a
daughter of Sir Joseph Hoare, of Annabel, county Cork, by a daughter of
Sir Marcus Somerville. By this marriage he had four sons—Dominick
Edward, Joseph, Samuel and William. Dominick Edward was born at
Castlegrove in 1771; educated at Trinity College, Dublin, where he took
the degree of M.A.; presented to the livings of Kiltegan and
Loughbrickland, and appointed rural dean. He married Anne Margaret,
daughter of William Hume, M.P., who was shot by the rebels in 1798, and
they had for issue two sons and three daughters. His death occurred in
1823, and a tablet erected to his memory in Kiltegan church records that
during a period of nineteen years he was the beloved and venerated
rector of that parish: “His affectionate and afflicted parishioners have
erected this monument as a testimony of their deep sense of his worth
and of their grief at his loss.” The elder of the sons was Rev. Dominick
Edward Blake, for some time rector of Thornhill, north of Toronto, and
the younger was William Hume Blake, the chancellor. William Hume, M.P.,
mentioned above, left two sons—William Hoare Hume, who succeeded his
father in the representation of Wicklow in the Irish parliament, and
after the Union sat until his death in the Imperial parliament, and
Joseph Samuel Hume, who married Eliza, daughter of Rev. Charles Smyth,
of Smythfield and Charles Park, county Limerick. Being a younger son he
inherited only a small property in Wicklow; he died at an early age,
immediately after having received a government appointment in the castle
of Dublin. He left one son and three daughters, the eldest of the
daughters, Catharine, becoming the wife of Chancellor Blake, and the
youngest the wife of Justice George Skeffington Connor.
* * * * *
=Morison, Lewis Francis=, Advocate, St. Hyacinthe, was born in that
city, on the 30th January, 1842. His father, Donald George Morison, was
born at Sorel, P.Q., and was many years a notary. His grandfather, Allan
Morison, was born on Lewis Island, west coast of Scotland, and came to
Canada about 1770, settling in the district of Montreal. Mr. Morison’s
mother was Marie A. Rosalie Papineau, daughter of the Hon. D. B.
Papineau, and niece of the late Hon. Louis Joseph Papineau. Mr. Morison,
the subject of our sketch, was educated at the College of St. Hyacinthe,
and studied law with the late Hon. M. Laframboise and the Hon. Auguste
C. Papineau, now on the bench of the Superior Court of the province of
Quebec. He was admitted to the bar on the 2nd of February, 1863, and has
been in practice at St. Hyacinthe since that date. He does business in
all the courts, civil and criminal, and has a remunerative practice. Mr.
Morison served two years as councilman in the municipality of the city
of St. Hyacinthe, and in January, 1880, was elected, without opposition,
mayor, which office he held for two years. Being a native of the city,
and having grown with it, he naturally takes a pride in witnessing its
progress. Mr. Morison is president of the Granite Mill Company, which he
started in 1882, and which now turns out the finest quality of knitting
in Canada, and employs about six hundred hands. He was also one of the
original promoters, and is now a director, of the St. Hyacinthe,
Manufacturing Company. This concern only manufactures fine flannel,
which is in great demand, and is kept running full time all the year. He
constructed the first macadamized road in this section of the county.
The first section of five miles of this road connected St. Hyacinthe
with quarries, lime-kilns, and sand pits, greatly helping building
operations, and created a new source of wealth for its citizens. He is
also proprietor of two of the toll bridges built at St. Hyacinthe across
the Yamaska river, and has a large interest in the third one. These
bridges are built under private charters, and give more easy access to
the city. Mr. Morison is what may be called a live citizen, and he loses
no opportunity to advance the prosperity of his native place. In
politics, he is a Liberal, and in religion, a member of the Roman
Catholic church. He is a close student, and growing in reputation as a
lawyer who will add to the prestige of the profession of which he is
such a good representative.
* * * * *
=Fulton, Dr. John=, Toronto. The late Dr. Fulton was born in the
township of Southwold, Elgin county, Ontario, on the 12th February,
1837, and died at Toronto on the 15th June, 1887. The illness which
ended his useful life was the result of a severe cold, taken in the
course of ordinary professional duties. His father was a highly
respectable farmer of Irish origin. His mother’s family had originally
come from Scotland, and their son John very early showed all the
quickness of the one race and the shrewdness and perseverance of the
other. He began his early education when very young, and continued for
several years at school, always one of the best behaved and most
advanced of the scholars. He continued at home on the farm till he was
eighteen years of age, when his health, never robust, although as a rule
good, was such as to warrant him in seeking a less laborious and more
congenial occupation. He became a school teacher, having obtained
successively several certificates, and was, as usual, not very long
before reaching the highest grade. As a teacher he was, wherever he
taught, most successful—seeing clearly himself every point he desired
to teach others, he had the somewhat rare but invaluable power of making
it clear and simple to every pupil—a power which characterized him all
through life in his subsequent career as a prominent professor of
various branches of medical science. He began his medical studies under
the supervision of Dr. J. H. Wilson, of St. Thomas, a highly respected
medical man, still engaged actively in his profession. From the moment
of his entrance on his professional studies he was characterized by
unremitting zeal—never being idle, doing as much work in the way of
study in a week as would take most young men a month to master. In due
course he entered the medical school so long and so successfully carried
on by by the late Dr. Rolph; and here he at once ranked as one of the
best men of his year. He was ever most ambitious, and was not content
with matriculating as usual in medicine alone, but also matriculated in
arts at the University of Toronto, taking a high position in this
examination. After completing his course he graduated at Victoria
University, of which at that time Dr. Rolph’s school was the medical
department. He also went up for his examination and graduated in
medicine at the University of Toronto. He had hardly taken his degree in
Canada, when he went to New York and spent some time attending, with his
customary regularity, Bellevue Hospital, in that city, and very shortly
left for England, where he spent all the time at his disposal in the
hospital wards and at his studies. He successfully went up before the
Royal College of Physicians of London, and the Royal College of Surgeons
of England, and obtained the license of the one and the membership of
the other. He then visited Paris and Berlin for a brief space, and as
usual was found following the great masters of these capitals around the
hospitals, never losing sight of his great aim—the increasing of his
already large store of professional knowledge. Shortly after his return
to Canada he was married, January, 1864, to Isabella Campbell, of
Yarmouth, Ontario, whose premature decease, in October, 1884, all but
crushed his heart, and who was deservedly loved and respected by all who
knew her. Dr. Fulton settled in Fingal, Ontario, for the practice of his
profession, and had not been there long before he was tendered by the
late Dr. Rolph and accepted the professorship in anatomy, in the medical
school of which he had so recently been a distinguished student. His
duties as a professor were begun with enthusiasm, and as a medical
teacher he was a success from the very first. Not content, as most men
of his early age would have been, with the high position he had already
reached, he attended University College classes in arts, with the
intention of graduating in arts at the provincial university. This
intention, owing to constantly increasing duties, he had most
reluctantly to abandon; for he greatly disliked to give up any plan on
which he had deliberately set his heart. In addition to his professional
and professorial duties, in 1867 he began and shortly completed his work
on “Physiology,” which was for years highly prized by successive classes
of students, as giving a clear and succinct epitome of that subject in
the briefest possible compass, and which he subsequently re-wrote and
enlarged for a second edition. In 1869-70 he lectured on physiology and
botany with the same acceptance as had characterized his lectures on
anatomy. In 1870 he busied himself, in addition to other duties, in
writing a work on Materia Medica which, however, from stress of other
labors, was never completed. This year he sent in his resignation of his
chair in the college, owing to difficulties which had arisen, and in
consequence of which Drs. Rolph, Geikie, and Fulton resigned together.
Dr. Fulton consented, however, on being requested to do so, to withdraw
his letter of resignation. In August, 1870, he bought from its then
proprietor the _Dominion Medical Journal_, which had been carried on for
a short time, and into which Dr. Fulton at once infused life and vigor.
He changed its name to the _Canada Lancet_, under which title it
appeared for the first time in September, 1870, and under Dr. Fulton’s
indefatigable editorship has been continued ever since; the _Lancet_
having in that time risen from having hardly any influence and a very
small circulation, to the position it now holds, of being the most
influential and widely-circulated medical journal in the Dominion of
Canada, a change effected by its proprietor’s amazing and continuous
industry, aided by his great business tact. In March, 1871, Dr. Fulton
finally resigned his chair in Victoria College Medical School, and was
offered and accepted the professorship of physiology in Trinity Medical
College. This he continued to hold, and to discharge its duties with
distinguished ability and satisfaction to all concerned, until a few
years ago, when he succeeded his colleague, Dr. Bethune, on that
gentleman retiring from the chair of surgery. This chair he filled ably
and well till his death, and in connection with it, he was also one of
the surgeons to the Toronto General Hospital, which institution has in
his death sustained a severe loss. As an editor of a medical journal,
Dr. Fulton was earnest, painstaking, and thorough in an unusual degree.
The same, too, may be said of him as a medical teacher, and indeed in
every other relation in life where he had duties to perform. He was for
nearly twenty years before his death a member of Knox Church, Toronto,
and one of the trustees of that church. Here his advice and
clear-headedness will be much missed. His memory will be long cherished,
and his example it is to be hoped will be followed by not a few of our
young medical men. For as Dr. Fulton made himself what he was, by his
persevering efforts, for he was essentially a self-made man, they too,
by doing and working as he did, may come to occupy the highest positions
in public and professional influence and respect. He left behind him a
son and three daughters.
* * * * *
=Binney, Right Rev. Hibbert=, D.D., Bishop of Nova Scotia. The late
Bishop Binney was born at Sydney, Cape Breton, on the 12th August, 1819.
His father, the Rev. Hibbert Binney, D.C.L., was for some time rector of
Sydney, and afterwards removing to England, he became rector of Newbury,
Bucks. The future bishop was educated at King’s College, London, and in
due time proceeded to Worcester College, Oxford. He took his degree of
B.A. in 1842, and was elected fellow of his college, holding for some
years in addition the position of tutor and bursar. His career at Oxford
was a highly honorable one, he having taken a first-class in
mathematical honors, and a second-class in classical honors, thus very
nearly attaining the very high distinction of a double first. On the
bishopric of Nova Scotia becoming vacant by the death of Dr. John
Inglis, third occupant of that see, the Rev. Mr. Binney was appointed by
the Crown, at the unusually early age of thirty-one. It is said that
while the question of the appointment was engaging the attention of the
crown officers, there being several names mentioned for the vacant see,
the Hon. Joseph Howe, then in London, was consulted as to the probable
wishes of the diocese, when he at once said: “Give it to the Nova
Scotian”—which decided the matter. Mr. Binney received the degree of
D.D. from his _alma mater_, and was consecrated in Lambeth Chapel, March
25th, 1851. On his arrival in Nova Scotia, he found things not as
satisfactory as he desired; but he set to work with characteristic
vigor, and in a few years had more than doubled the number of clergy and
stations occupied by the Church of England. His greatest efforts were
directed towards the establishment of a synod or legislative body of
clergy and laity, which he finally accomplished in the face of much
opposition, and the wisdom of his action has been since amply justified.
As visitor of King’s College, the Church University at Windsor, he ever
took a deep interest in its welfare, giving ungrudging attention to all
meetings of the board of governors of which he was president. The
difficulties of his arduous post became in his later years too great for
even his iron frame and will, and after gradually failing for a few
months, he died quite suddenly in New York, where he had gone for
medical advice, on April 30, 1887, in the thirty-seventh year of his
episcopal, and the sixty-eighth of his age. The bishop was a very
strong-minded man, his views were high church, and during his long
episcopate he had moulded most of his clergy to his own ideas. He
married in 1854, Mary, daughter of the Hon. William B. Bliss, judge of
the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia, by whom he had two sons and three
daughters.
* * * * *
=Tooke, Benjamin=, Manufacturer, Montreal, was born in Montreal, on the
12th November, 1848. His father, Thomas Tooke, was a well-known citizen,
and for forty years occupied a responsible position in the Bank of
Montreal. Benjamin, the subject of our sketch, was educated at the High
School of his native city, and secured a classical and commercial
education. Shortly after leaving school he entered the establishment of
Gault Brothers, wholesale dry goods merchants, as a junior clerk, and
gradually worked his way up until he became the confidential clerk and
had the fixing of the prices of all the goods coming into the
establishment. After a period of ten years with Gault Brothers, he found
himself master of all the details of business, and otherwise fully
equipped to face the world of commerce. Therefore, in 1871, he severed
his connection with the above firm, and commenced the manufacture of
shirts and collars, conducting his operations under the name of the
Mount Royal Manufacturing Company. Business prospered, and in 1873 had
grown to such an extent, that he found himself unable to attend to all
its details, and took in as a working partner Leslie Skelton. In the
fall of 1878, Mr. Skelton having retired from the firm, Mr. Tooke
entered into a partnership with his brother, R. J. Tooke, who up to this
time had been carrying on a retail trade in gentlemen’s furnishing
goods. This partnership lasted for four years,—R. J. Tooke retiring to
take up his old trade,—and since then he has conducted his business
alone. In 1884, finding his already extensive premises in Montreal too
cramped for his steadily increasing business, he selected a building
site in St. Laurent, a few miles from the city, erected a factory
sixty-five feet by forty feet, three stories high, and put into it the
most improved machinery. This factory has proved a great success,
produces excellent goods, and finds employment for about eight hundred
and fifty hands. Mr. Tooke is highly respected by his numerous
workpeople, and the utmost harmony and good feeling pervades his
establishment. In politics he is a Conservative, and in religion belongs
to the Episcopal church. On the 5th December, 1872, he was married to
Elizabeth Eastty, daughter of W. E. Eastty, of London, England.
* * * * *
=Scott, Captain Peter Astle=, R.N., Commander of the Squadron employed
for the Protection of the Fisheries, and Chairman of the Board of
Examiners of Masters and Mates of Canada, was born on the 25th of
February, 1816, at Gillingham, Kent, England. His father, James Scott, a
paymaster in the Royal navy, was born in Virginia, and left it with his
father, a captain of the Royal army during the Revolution. Captain Scott
received his education at the Rochester and Chatham Classical and
Mathematical School, at Rochester, county of Kent. He joined the navy as
a volunteer of the first class, on board the _Basilisk_ cutter, ten
guns, at the Nore, on the 14th of February, 1829; removed to the _Prince
Regent_, 120 guns, in August, 1830, spent part of his time in the
Channel with the flag of Rear Admiral Sir William Parker, and also on
the _Scout_, eighteen guns, in the North Sea. He then joined the
_Thunderer_, eighty-four guns, and passed his examination for
lieutenant, 1st September, 1835. While returning to England in November
of that year in a merchantman, she capsized while crossing the Bay of
Biscay, but righting again, her crew were fortunate enough to get her
safely into Bristol with the loss of bulwarks, boats, and a few spars.
He next joined the _Asia_, eighty-four guns, in 1836, and proceeded to
the Mediterranean, and after serving a short time in the _Blazer_ steam
vessel, returned to England in the _Barham_, fifty guns, and was paid
off at Sheerness in January, 1839. In April, 1839, he joined the
_Terror_, under Captain F. R. M. Crozier, her consort, the _Erebus_,
being under the charge of Captain James Clark Ross. After spending a
winter at Desolation Island (Kerguelans Land), these vessels reached
Hobartown, Van Diemen’s Land, in August, 1840. It being necessary to
have magnetic observations taken at that place in connection with those
established by the various foreign governments all over the world, an
observatory was erected at the expense of the Admiralty, and Lieutenant
Jos. Kay was placed in charge, Captain Scott being first assistant, and
placed under the orders of Sir John Franklin, who was then
lieutenant-governor of Tasmania. Captain Scott, having some knowledge of
naval architecture, built a yacht for the lieutenant-governor, of about
180 tons, and two gunboats of about 100 tons each, for the defence of
the colony. He was relieved at the observatory by Lieutenant Smith in
the autumn of 1844, and returned to England in May, 1845, only a few
days too late to join the _Erebus_, of the Arctic expedition, as second
lieutenant, under the command of his old friend, Sir John Franklin. In
August, 1845, he was appointed to the _Columbia_ steam vessel, Captain
W. Owen, who was then surveying the Bay of Fundy. In 1848 the _Columbia_
was paid off at Chatham, Kent, England. Captain Scott then joined the
coast guard for six months, and in May, 1849, was reappointed to the
_Columbia_, under Commander Shortland, R.N., as assistant surveyor, to
continue the North American survey. In 1857 the _Columbia_ was condemned
and sold out of the service, and the survey was continued in hired
vessels. In January, 1862, Mr. Scott was promoted to the rank of
commander, and in 1865, on Captain Shortland retiring from the command,
he assumed the charge of the survey, and returned to England in May,
1866. In September of that year he retired with the rank of captain, and
in April, 1869, having been invited to return to Canada, he took command
of the Dominion steamship _Druid_, then employed protecting the
fisheries. In the spring of 1870, he removed to the government
steamship, _Lady Head_, and took charge of the vessels employed in the
fisheries protection service. In 1871, in addition to the above duties,
he was appointed chairman of the Board of Examiners of Masters and Mates
for Canada, which office he still holds. In November, 1879, Captain
Scott was directed to proceed to England, to bring out the corvette
_Charybdis_, of about 2,000 tons, to be employed as a training ship. As
the vessel could not be got ready until late in the winter, Captain
Scott concluded to lay her up and return for her in the following
spring. In May, 1880, he sailed her across the Atlantic, and moored her
in St. John, in July of the same year. In February, 1886, on the United
States government giving notice that the fishery clauses of the Treaty
of Washington had terminated, Canada fitted out a small squadron to
protect her fisheries; and Captain Scott again assumed the command,
embarking on the government steamer _Lansdowne_, with two guns and
thirty-three men. In August he took command of the government steamer
_Acadia_, with one gun and thirty-three men, and is still in the service
of the Canadian government. In March, 1847, he married M. A. Hobbs,
daughter of George Hobbs, a merchant in Eastport, Maine, United States.
* * * * *
=La Rocque, Rev. Paul S.=, St. Hyacinthe, Canon and Rector of St.
Hyacinthe Cathedral, Doctor of Theology and Canon Law, was born at St.
Marie de Monnoir, province of Quebec, on the 28th October, 1846. His
father was Albert La Rocque, and mother, Genevieve Daigneault. His
brother, the Rev. Charles La Rocque, is chaplain of the Good Shepherd
Convent, at Montreal; and the Right Rev. Joseph La Rocque, and the Right
Rev. Charles La Rocque, the first and second bishops of St. Hyacinthe,
were his cousins. The Rev. Father La Rocque received his education at
St. Theresa and St. Hyacinthe Colleges. He was ordained a priest on the
9th May, 1869, and from that time until 1880, was a missionary in
Florida, United States. Without any official connection during his stay
at Key West he acted as chaplain to the United States troops stationed
there. He then returned to St. Hyacinthe, and the following year, 1881,
he went to Rome, and pursued his studies in the Gregorian and the
Appolinaire Universities. He remained in the Eternal City for two years
and a half, and then made a tour of the principal cities of Europe. He
also travelled to the Holy Land, and visited Jerusalem, Nazareth, etc.
This journey was undertaken with the view of gaining all the information
possible with regard to Bible history, and to put him in a position to
communicate the most accurate information to his flock, with regard to
that far-off country. As a linguist, Rev. Canon La Rocque has few, if
any, equals in Canada, being able to speak five different languages. He
is a great favorite with his parishioners, takes a deep interest in
their material and spiritual affairs, and is very kind and attentive to
the sick and needy. The degree of doctor of theology and canon law was
conferred upon him at Rome.
* * * * *
=Bowell, Hon. Mackenzie=, Minister of Customs of the Dominion of Canada,
M.P. for North Hastings, Ontario, was born at Rickinghall, Suffolk,
England, on the 27th December, 1823, and when about ten years of age
accompanied his parents to Canada. Mr. Bowell, in early youth, exhibited
much courage and enterprise, and one is not surprised to see what he has
achieved when looking back at his career. He had a quick eye for
business, and was seldom astray in judging what sort of enterprise was
profitable, and what had better be avoided. He had also a military
enthusiasm, and assisted in 1857, in raising and organizing a rifle
company of sixty-five men, in what was known at that time as class B, to
which no assistance was given by the government, beyond furnishing the
rifles. He served on the frontier in the winter of 1864-5, during the
American rebellion, and again during the Fenian troubles of 1866. He
entered a printing office as an apprentice in 1834, and during his whole
life up to the time when heavy political responsibilities fell upon his
shoulders, he was connected with the newspaper press of Canada. He was
editor and proprietor of the Belleville _Daily_ and _Weekly
Intelligencer_ newspaper for a number of years, and at one time
president of the Dominion Editors and Reporters’ Association. In
education he has taken considerable interest, as is evidenced by the
fact that he held for eleven years the chairmanship of the Board of
School Trustees, of Belleville. He has always been a prominent
Orangeman, and was for eight years grand master of the Provincial Orange
Grand Lodge of Ontario East, which position he resigned, when in 1870 he
was elected most worshipful grand master and sovereign of the Orange
Association of British America. This office he continued to hold until
he resigned in June, 1878. He was likewise president of the Triennial
Council of Orangeism of the world, having been elected to that position
at the council held in Derry, Ireland, in 1876. From Mr. Bowell’s
connection with important public enterprises is gathered his connection
with industrial and commercial movements. He was, for many years,
president of the West Hastings Agricultural Society, and vice-president
of the Agricultural and Arts Association of Ontario; president of the
Hastings Mutual Fire Insurance Company, the Farren Manufacturing
Company, and the Dominion Safe-Gas Company, and president of the
Belleville and North Hastings Railway; and was captain of No. 1 company
of the 15th battalion while on service during the Fenian troubles, and
subsequently major in the 49th battalion of Volunteer Rifles. In 1863
Mr. Bowell contested the north riding of the county of Hastings for
parliamentary honors, as the nominee of the Conservative convention, but
refusing to join in the cries against the incorporation of Roman
Catholic institutions, and what was then termed French domination, which
were made test questions at the time, he was defeated. In 1867 he again
presented himself to the electors of North Hastings, and having stated
his views with that calm reasonableness which has always characterized
his utterances, he was elected. He entered parliament therefore at
confederation, but took no very prominent part in the debates of the
house for the first two or three years. His first success in parliament
was in his criticism of a measure introduced by the late Sir George E.
Cartier, then minister of militia, for the purpose of reorganizing the
militia force of Canada. Upon this occasion his practical experience and
knowledge of the requirements of the volunteer force had its effect upon
the house, and he succeeded in helping to defeat the government upon the
details of the bill three times during one sitting of the house. Being
an independent thinker, he was not always in accord with the leaders of
his party, having voted against them upon many important measures,
notably the Nova Scotia better terms resolutions, and upon the motion
for the ratification of the Washington treaty. He was re-elected in
1872, and, consequently, in parliament, when the Macdonald government
fell, and the Hon. Alexander Mackenzie succeeded to power. It was in
opposition that Mr. Bowell took a leading part, not only in the business
of the house, but upon the most important committees. He inaugurated and
conducted the proceedings in the House of Commons which resulted in his
moving the motion for the expulsion of Louis David Riel, member elect
for Provencher, Manitoba, for the part he, Riel, had taken in ordering
the shooting of Scott, a prisoner of his during the revolt in Manitoba
in 1879. He also took an active part in bringing before the house the
question of the violation of the provisions of the Independence of
Parliament Act, by its speaker, and by a number of its members. The
motion which he made upon this question, though defeated, led
subsequently to the resignation of Mr. Speaker Anglin, one member of the
cabinet, and four members of the house. He did not make many speeches,
but whenever he spoke, the members always listened to him, for he had
gained the reputation of being a man who had, first, something to say,
and, second, a reasonable and a satisfactory way of saying it. He has
been successful at every election since. On the 19th of October, 1878,
upon the resumption of power by the Conservative party, Mr. Bowell was
called to the Privy Council, and sworn in minister of customs, and that
office he still holds. The member for North Hastings is level-headed,
and possessed of a sound judgment. It is pleasing sometimes to sit in
the gallery of the House of Commons and watch him answer questions or
reply to allegations waged against the administration of his department.
Under no circumstances, nor by any pressure or irritation, can he be
moved to haste or ill-temper; but he sits there, disregarding feeling,
and doing what he considers to be his duty as a minister of the Crown.
Mr. Bowell married in 1847; Harriet Louise, eldest daughter of the late
Jacob G. Moore, of Belleville, by whom he has nine children, five of
whom are living.
* * * * *
=Ritchie, Hon. Robert J.=, Solicitor-General of the Province of New
Brunswick, M.P.P. for the county of St. John, was born in St. John, and
educated in the city of his birth. Having studied and adopted law as a
profession, he was called to the bar on the 16th of October, 1867. Since
then he has worked up an extensive and prosperous practice. He has for
many years taken a great interest in politics, and was first nominated
for a seat in the House of Assembly just previous to the general
election in 1878. He won his seat, and at once took a prominent part in
the debates in the house. Having offered again in 1882, he was a second
time successful. Again, at the general election on 26th April, 1886, he
scored a great victory, standing second among the fortunate candidates.
The vote was, Hon. D. McLellan, 2943; R. J. Ritchie, 2570; W. A.
Quintin, 2531; A. A. Stockton, 2531; defeating James Rourke, 2188; J. A.
Chesley, 1834; G. G. Gilbert, 1645; John Connor, 1468; A. T. Armstrong,
1823. In Nova Scotia, since confederation, the legal affairs of the
local administration have been attended to by the attorney-general
exclusively; but in New Brunswick they still keep up the office of
solicitor-general as well. The talented premier, Hon. A. G. Blair, took
the position of attorney-general when he formed his cabinet on the 3rd
March, 1883, and another lawyer of excellent standing being wanted to
complete the _personnel_ of the cabinet, the gentleman who forms the
subject of this sketch was fitly selected as the best man for the
position of solicitor-general. His appointment to the executive council
necessitated his again going to the country and he was re-elected by
acclamation. As a member of the government, he has taken an active part
in all the measures which have been presented to the house, and has well
sustained his prominent position. In addition to his duties, as an
active and leading politician, Hon. Mr. Ritchie is connected with
several of the local corporations of St. John, and his influence is felt
in social and professional circles. Although, having suffered great
losses by fire, the people of St. John have a spirit of business
enterprise which has risen superior to their reverses. The shipping and
lumbering business through which the money of her merchants was chiefly
accumulated have languished of late years, and no compensating trade has
sprung up to take their place. But the manufacturing activity of the
inhabitants has proved successful, and the population of the city has
not declined. The yield of the fisheries, as elsewhere down in the
maritime provinces during the summer of 1887, was enormous. If St. John
is favored by the Canadian Pacific Railway Company as regards making it
a winter port, the outlook for the city’s future is good. The bar of St.
John is rich in forensic talent. The head-quarters of the legal
fraternity centres in Ritchie’s and Palmer’s blocks. The nearness of the
lawyers’ quarters to one another enables the members of the bar to
obtain counsel and intercommunication which is very advantageous and
helpful. When the whirligig of politics brings the Liberals into power
again in Dominion affairs there is probably no man in the opposition
camp whose prospects of succeeding to a position on the bench are better
than those of Hon. R. J. Ritchie. His talents peculiarly fit him for the
position of one of Her Majesty’s judges.
* * * * *
=McLelan, Hon. Archibald Woodbury=, Postmaster-General for the Dominion
of Canada, M.P. for Colchester, Nova Scotia, was born at Londonderry,
N.S., on the 24th December, 1824. He is descended from a family that
emigrated from Londonderry, Ireland, during the last century, and
settled in the province of Nova Scotia. His father, the late G. W.
McLelan, during his lifetime sat for a long period of years in the Nova
Scotia legislature. The future postmaster-general received his primary
education in the schools of his native parish, and finished his
classical course at Mount Allison Wesleyan Academy. In early life, he
engaged in a mercantile line of life, and continued in it for a
considerable term, but in later years became an extensive ship-builder
and ship-owner. He began to take an interest in politics when
comparatively a young man, and represented Colchester in the Legislative
Assembly of Nova Scotia from 1858 to 1863; then North Colchester in the
same legislature from the latter year up to confederation; and
Colchester, in the House of Commons, at Ottawa, until called to the
Senate of Canada on the 21st June, 1869. In 1881, he resigned his seat
in the Senate, and on an appeal to his old friends in Colchester, they
returned him again as their representative in the House of Commons. On
his return to Ottawa, he was sworn in a member of the Privy Council, and
made president of the council on the 20th May of the same year. On the
10th July, 1882, he was appointed minister of marine and fisheries; on
the 10th December, 1885, minister of finance; and on the 27th January,
1887, postmaster-general, the office he now so ably fills. Hon. Mr.
McLelan is a director of the Cobequid Marine Insurance Company. In 1869
he was appointed one of the commissioners for the construction of the
Intercolonial Railway; and in 1883, was a commissioner from Canada to
the Intercolonial Fisheries Exhibition held in London. As a recognition
of his valuable services on this occasion, he was presented with a
diploma of honor. He is a Conservative in politics. In 1854 he was
married to Caroline Metzler, of Halifax.
* * * * *
=Reesor, Hon. David=, Rosedale, Toronto, Senator of the Dominion of
Canada, is a descendant of a German family. His great-grandfather,
Christian Reesor, who was a Mennonite minister, emigrated from Mannheim
to Pennsylvania about 1737, having under his charge a small colony, and
settled in Lancaster county, where some of the family still reside. The
original homestead, a splendid farm of three hundred acres, is still in
their possession. The first settlement of this family in the township of
Markham took place as early in its history as 1801, when Christian
Reesor, the grandfather of the senator, his father, Abraham Reesor,
together with three uncles, located in that section of the country. Here
David Reesor was born on the 18th January, 1823. His, mother Anna
Dettiwiler, was also from Lancaster county, Pennsylvania. She died in
Markham in 1857, her husband having died in 1832. The early education of
Senator Reesor was obtained in the common school of the township, but
previous to his being put to any work he received three years private
tuition from a competent instructor, which helped him considerably. His
father’s farm was the first stage on which he enacted his part in the
drama of life; then he became a merchant and manufacturer, and continued
business in these lines for five years. In 1856 he published the first
copy of the _Markham Economist_, a journal of strong Reform
proclivities, which he edited and conducted with considerable skill for
several years, and sold the business out about 1868. He has been a
magistrate since 1848, a notary public since 1862, and for a long time
was secretary and treasurer of the Markham Agricultural Society. When
the counties of York, Ontario and Peel were united in 1850, he became a
member of the county council and served several years, being warden in
1860. His career as a school trustee will not soon be forgotten, as it
was chiefly through his exertions that Markham secured a grammar school.
He has long been connected with the militia, and has held the rank of
lieutenant-colonel of the reserve since 1866. He was appointed returning
officer for the East Riding of York, July, 1854. In the more extensive
region of politics Senator Reesor has not been less true to his
principles, or less active as a general advocate of measures that tend
to the public good, than when in the limited sphere of township
councillor he supported and directed local improvements. He represented
King’s division in the Legislative Council of Canada from 1860 until the
confederation of the provinces, when he was called to the Senate by
royal proclamation, October 23, 1867. At the time when the confederation
scheme was under discussion in the Legislative Council, he moved a
resolution, which, had it been passed, would have made the office of
senator elective; but it was defeated on a division. He is a Liberal in
politics. Senator Reesor is a member of the Methodist church, and every
good cause obtains from him a hearty and willing support. He was for
many years president of the Markham Bible Society. In February, 1848, he
married Emily, eldest daughter of Daniel McDougall, of St. Marys,
Ontario, and sister of Hon. William McDougall, C.B. They have five
children, four daughters and one son, two of the former being married.
Marion Augusta, the eldest daughter, is the wife of Dr. Colburn, of
Oshawa, and Jessie Adelaide, the wife of John Holmes, of Toronto.
* * * * *
=Read, Rev. Philip Chesshyre=, M.A., Professor of Classics, Bishop’s
College, Lennoxville, Quebec province, was born on the 4th March, 1850,
at Woodend, Hyde, Cheshire, England. His father, Rev. Alexander Read,
B.A., late scholar of Trinity College, Dublin, was a descendant of an
old Scotch family from Ayrshire, who settled in North of Ireland, in
1600. His mother, Anne Whiteway, is descended from a Devonshire family
from Kingsteignton and Whiteway, and was a daughter of Philip Whiteway,
J.P., of Runcorn, Cheshire, and Anne Chesshyre, of Rock Savage, his
wife. Professor Read received his education in Manchester Grammar School
from 1861 to 1867—being captain of the school in 1866. He then attended
Lincoln College, Oxford, where he secured a brilliant record, and in
1872 was assistant lecturer in the college. In 1873 he was ordained by
his lordship the Bishop of Salisbury. In 1872 he was appointed assistant
master at Marlborough College; in 1874, secretary of the Church Council
and examiner of schools under government in Barbadoes; in 1876, head
master of the school at Newton, Lancashire; in 1877, rector of Bishop’s
College, Lennoxville; in 1882, professor of Classics and Philosophy in
Bishop’s College, Lennoxville; and in 1887 examiner to the Medical Board
of the province of Quebec. In early life Professor Read began to take an
interest in the volunteer movement, and was sub-lieutenant in the Oxford
Rifle Volunteers. He is now captain of the school corps at Lennoxville.
In 1886 and 1888 he occupied the position of chaplain in the Independent
Order of Foresters. He has travelled a good deal, and found time to
visit the West Indies, Spain, and several other foreign countries. In
religion the professor belongs to the Episcopal church, and holds
moderately broad views. On the 28th June, 1879, he was united in
marriage to Helen Rosina, daughter of John W. McCallum, of Quebec, and
Annie S. Brown, of Halifax, his wife. Mrs. Read is a lineal descendant
of an old Scotch manufacturer who settled in Quebec shortly after the
conquest of Canada. The fruit of the above union has been two promising
children, Alexander Cuthbert Read, and Philip Austin Ottley Read.
* * * * *
=Sterling, Alexander Addison=, Fredericton, N.B., High Sheriff of the
county of York, New Brunswick, was born on the 22nd of August, 1838, at
St. Marys, York county. He is the third son of George Henly Sterling,
and his wife Susan Elizabeth McLean, and grandson of Captain John
Sterling and Captain Archibald McLean, who were both loyalists and
served in the war of the American revolution, but eventually settled in
New Brunswick. He was brought up on his father’s farm at St. Marys, and
commenced his education at the local school, finishing his course of
study at the Fredericton Grammar School. He has been engaged in farming
and mercantile pursuits all his life, commencing his commercial career
as clerk in a store at Fredericton, in 1852, where he remained until
1856. In 1857 he removed to Toronto, Ontario, being employed by Paterson
& Sons, hardware merchants of that city. Relinquishing this position in
1858, he returned to New Brunswick, and commenced farming at
Maugerville, Sunbury county, in partnership with his brother, the late
George A. Sterling (who was elected a member of the Provincial
legislature for the county of Sunbury, at the general election of 1882,
but who died in October, 1883.) From 1864 to 1867 he represented the
parish of Maugerville in the municipal council of the county of Sunbury,
but during the latter year he removed to Fredericton, where he opened a
general store, which was carried on for fifteen years, and in the year
1883 this was merged into a wholesale flour business, in which trade he
is now successfully employed. He was married on the 12th of August,
1869, to Sarah Haws, daughter of John Haws, ship-builder, of Portland,
St. John, N.B., and there have been six children issue of this marriage.
Living in the cathedral city of his province he is a staunch member of
the Episcopal church. He has been an energetic worker in the
educational, parochial and municipal affairs, having been appointed a
member of the Board of School Trustees for the city of Fredericton, in
1875, and also high sheriff for the county of York, in 1883, both of
which offices he now holds. For a number of years he was connected with
the temperance movement, and was an active member of the Order of the
Sons of Temperance, and held the office of grand worthy patriarch for
the province of New Brunswick, in 1876.
* * * * *
=Torey, Edgar J.=, formerly Principal of the Hants County Academy at
Windsor, N.S., is a native of Guysborough, N.S., where he was born about
twenty-seven years ago. He attended the grammar school in his native
town and studied with such diligence that at a very early age he passed
the examination held under the Council of Public Instruction for grade
B, or first-class male teacher’s diploma. He began to teach at the age
of fifteen, and has since, with intervals of study, pursued that
employment. He has taught in Amherst town, Hantsport, Hants Co., and in
various other important schools in the province. Feeling the need of a
thorough classical education, Mr. Torey availed himself of the
advantages offered to gentlemen in the teaching profession by Dalhousie
College, Halifax, N.S. He, like many other teachers, taught during the
summer months and attended lectures in Dalhousie during the winter term,
lasting from November to April. Pursuing this course for some years with
success he took his degree of B.A. in 1882. He then took charge of the
Victoria County Academy for one year, at the end of which period he
resigned the principalship to accept a similar position in Guysborough,
and won the encomiums of all with whom he came into contact, for careful
and thorough teaching. In October, in the year 1884, the position of
Principal in the Hants County Academy at Windsor, worth $850 a year,
falling vacant, Mr. Torey applied for the situation and was selected
from among a number of other applicants. The public schools were
established in Windsor in the autumn of 1866, and now number eight
departments. The position of Principal has been held by such
educationists as S. S. Fisk; James Forrest, M.A.; J. L. Brown; Dr. Emdon
Fritz; John F. Godfrey, B.A., and H. Elliott. The schools are thoroughly
graded from the primary department and kindergarten up to the academy,
which draws a special government allowance. A three years’ course is
followed in the academy, embracing the classics and French, physics and
the higher mathematics, and chemistry. The Principal, in addition to his
labors in these branches and in preparing students for the matriculation
examinations at the various provincial colleges, has a great deal of
work to do in preparing and discussing questions for examination in the
grading of all the schools. He also has a general supervision of the
schools. The school is periodically visited by the county inspector, C.
W. Roscoe, an experienced teacher, and also by Dr. David Allison,
superintendent of education. Mr. Torey conducted the school with much
success, and has fitted several students for college. After holding the
position of Principal for three years he decided to adopt the profession
of medicine as a permanent employment. His pupils heard of his
approaching resignation with regret, and presented him with a valuable
and handsome gold-headed cane, accompanied with an address. He resigned
his position in October, 1887, and repaired to the University of New
York, in the medical department of which he is preparing himself for his
life work in the healing profession. He has the advantage of studying in
one of the best equipped medical colleges in America, and one from which
have graduated some of our best provincial medicos. He is pursuing his
studies with great success and is very popular among his
fellow-students.
* * * * *
=Blackadar, Hugh William=, Postmaster of the City of Halifax, Nova
Scotia, was born at Halifax, March 4th, 1843. He is son of Hugh William
Blackadar, proprietor and publisher of the _Acadian Recorder_, and
Sophia Coleman. Educated under George Munro (now millionaire publisher
of New York), then rector of the Free Church Academy, Halifax. He early
in life took an active part in the conduct of the _Acadian Recorder_,
and on the death of his father, June 13th, 1863, assumed the management
of that journal, which he enlarged from a weekly to a tri-weekly, and
subsequently to a daily. In 1864 Mr. Blackadar joined the volunteers,
and subsequently held the rank of lieutenant in the third brigade
Halifax artillery. He is a member of the Halifax Yacht Club. He was
elected an alderman for Ward 4 in 1867, and was re-elected in 1870,
serving altogether six years. Represented the city of Halifax as
co-delegate with Mayor Stephen Tobin at the railroad convention held at
Portland, Me., in 1868, and was one of the secretaries of the
convention. In 1869 he was made magistrate for the city and county of
Halifax; was a member of the Halifax Board of School Commissioners for
five years from the reconstruction of that body in 1868; was appointed
Queen’s printer of the province in 1869, and held that position under
the Vail-Annand and Hill administrations till 1875. He was appointed
postmaster of the city of Halifax Nov. 5th, 1874, by the Dominion
government, which office he now holds. In religion he belongs to the
Baptist denomination. He married, May 29th, 1866, Rachel Saxton, of
Halifax.
* * * * *
=Plumb, Hon. Josiah Burr=, Speaker of the Senate of Canada. The country
lost, by the sudden death of Senator Plumb, at Niagara, on the 12th of
March, 1888, a gentleman possessed of excellent qualities as a man and
as a politician. He was born on the 25th March, 1816, at East Haven,
Connecticut, United States, where his father, an Episcopal clergyman,
had charge of a parish. In 1845 he came to Canada, married a daughter of
the late Samuel Street, and took up his residence at Niagara. For many
years he lived in retirement, ample means rendering it unnecessary that
he should take part in business, and it was not until 1874 that he
turned his attention actively to politics. At that time Sir John
Macdonald was passing through he darkest period of his political career,
and it was more out of a chivalrous regard for the fallen leader than
from any desire to achieve honors for himself that Mr. Plumb threw
himself into the fight. In parliament and on the platform he was a most
effective worker. He never for a moment spared himself, nor did he
despair of success, though the outlook for his party and his leader up
to the very day of the election in 1878 was never very bright. After
that victory it was thought the indefatigable member for Niagara would
receive for his services some recognition; but at that time this was not
to be. Mr. Plumb continued to serve as a follower, and even consented in
1882 to the extinction, under the Redistribution Act, of the borough for
which he sat. Having thus been legislated out of Niagara, he ran at the
general election in the same year for North Wellington in the
Conservative interest; but owing in part to the late hour at which he
accepted the candidature, and in part to the personal popularity of his
opponent, he suffered defeat. In the following year he was called to the
Senate. As a senator he certainly made his mark. He brought to his task
in that body a ripe parliamentary experience, a well-stored mind, and
great fluency of speech. So highly appreciated was he by the
ministerialists in the Senate and by the government that on the occasion
of the withdrawal of Sir Alexander Campbell from the government, and
pending the selection of a successor, he was asked to take charge of
government measures in that chamber. The duty imposed upon him, it is
hardly necessary to say, was performed most acceptably. Mr. Plumb’s
elevation to the speakership of the Senate took place immediately after
the general election of 1887. His wide information, dignified bearing,
and fine social qualities made him a model president of the Upper House.
Yet he has departed, as he might well have wished to do, full of years
and honors. [For a more extended record of Mr. Plumb’s career, see the
first series of this work.]
* * * * *
=Peterson, Peter Alexander=, Civil Engineer, Montreal, member of the
Institution of Civil Engineers, member of the American Society Civil
Engineers, and member of the Council Canadian Society Civil Engineers,
was born on 8th November, 1839, at Niagara Falls, province of Ontario.
He is the eldest son of William Lounsberry Peterson and Susan
Macmicking. Both his parents were descended from United Empire loyalist
families who came to Canada on the conclusion of the American war,
having sacrificed their property in the cause of the mother country, and
were granted large tracts of land in Upper Canada. His maternal
grandfather, the late Major John Macmicking, descended from the old
Scotch family of Macmicking, of Miltonise and Killanbrougham, in the
county of Wigton, was an ultra loyalist of the old Tory school. He
fought in all the battles of 1812 on the Niagara frontier, and was
wounded at Lundy’s Lane and Chippewa, and carried two bullets in his
body till his death in 1863. He was out again in 1837, on the Tory side,
raising a troop of cavalry which he commanded. Mr. Peterson was educated
partly at a common school in Stamford, and partly by private tuition,
preparatory to entering the Toronto University in the engineering
course. He was articled, in 1859, to Mr. Thomas C. Keefer, C.M.G.,
member of the Institution of Civil Engineers, and remained with him as a
student and assistant till May, 1867, during which time he was engaged
upon the Hamilton & Port Dover Railway, the Hamilton waterworks, a
survey for the Georgian Bay Canal through the county of Ontario, and
upon the construction of several large dams upon the Grand River at
Paris and Brantford, besides having charge of the Toronto office, doing
a general consulting engineering practice. In the spring of 1867 he
accepted a position on the Great Western Railway of Canada, and in the
autumn of the same year was offered the position of resident engineer on
the New York, Oswego and Midland Railway, with charge from Oswego to
Oneida, where he remained till March, 1868, when he was offered a
position on the Intercolonial Railway surveys. He was appointed resident
on construction of this railway for contract number 15 at Bathurst,
where he remained till September, 1872, when he resigned to accept the
position of chief engineer of the Toronto waterworks, to carry out the
scheme recommended by Messrs. T. C. Keefer and E. S. Chesborough, the
consulting engineers for these works. In September, 1875, before the
water-works were completed, Mr. Peterson was offered by the
DeBoucherville government, who had undertaken the construction of the
railways from Quebec to Montreal and from Montreal to Ottawa, the
position of chief engineer of these lines, which offer he accepted,
arranging with the Toronto water-works commissioners to retain charge of
the works till their completion, and with the government to hold the two
positions conjointly. Mr. Peterson removed to Montreal in October, 1875,
but retained charge of the water-works in Toronto till the end of 1877,
when the works were completed, $2,000,000 having been expended upon
them. Mr. Peterson had to encounter more than the usual amount of
criticism during the early days of his official service in Toronto, but
after the election of January, 1874, when his principal opponents were
defeated, the hostile criticism ceased, and the general opinion
prevailed that he had carried out the duties entrusted to him in a
faithful, efficient and satisfactory manner. His career in the service
of the Quebec government, terminated in September, 1881, when he
resigned to accept the position of chief engineer of the St. Lawrence
bridge, which was about to be built by the Canadian Pacific Railway
Company. During the debate in the Legislative Assembly of Quebec on the
bill to authorize the construction of the Chaudière Bridge, the premier,
the Hon. Mr. Chapleau, in moving the second reading of the measure,
asked the house to let it go through without opposition, on account of
the extreme urgency of at once letting the contract. The government had
had great difficulty in making a choice between the three lowest
bidders. Each of the contractors had offered advantages, and their
offers had been most carefully weighed from every point of view, and
from an engineering point as well, and Clarke, Reeves & Co.’s had been
found the most advantageous. In this opinion he was confirmed by Mr.
Peterson, chief engineer, to whose character, carefulness and skill he
was bound to testify most fully; and that his opinion of Mr. Peterson’s
engineering reputation was further confirmed by the fact that his
original estimates for the cost of the whole bridge had been in every
case reduced instead of, as is usual in such cases, largely exceeded.
Hon. Mr. Joly consented most willingly to the second reading of the
bill, and complimented the premier on his frankness. He alluded to the
current rumor of favoritism in awarding the contract to Clarke, Reeves &
Co., but he declined to entertain the idea that the government was
actuated by any improper motives in awarding the contract to this firm,
although their tender was not the lowest. He then instanced the
excellent character and rapid construction of their work, and the
special advantages they were ready to afford; and said he had every
confidence in Mr. Peterson, and endorsed all the Hon. Mr. Chapleau had
said respecting him. Hon. Mr. Chapleau then thanked Hon. Mr. Joly, and
promised that the tenders would be submitted at once to the house. In
considering the letting of the contract he had, most fortunately, had a
professional adviser, upon whom he could rely—Mr. Peterson being, in
fact, the strictest and most rigid of engineers. During his engagement
with the Quebec government, he served under the DeBoucherville, the Joly
and the Chapleau administrations, and gained the good will and
confidence of them all, no party ever venturing to criticise his
conduct, which, however, was furiously assailed by the contractor and
his allies. On sending in his resignation to the government he was asked
to withdraw it. The line between Montreal and Quebec was to be completed
in October, 1877, and handed over to the government, but the contractor
refused to give it up and continued to run it for his own benefit,
keeping all the earnings. Two attempts were made to take possession of
it, but failed. In the summer of 1878, Mr. Peterson offered to take
possession of it for the government, which offer being accepted, a full
power of attorney was given him to act for the Quebec government in the
matter. The late Edward Carter, Q.C., was engaged with him for a
considerable time in perfecting the case, and in August, Mr. Peterson,
with the Hon. P. J. O. Chauveau, sheriff of Montreal, took possession of
the Montreal district against a large force of men who were placed in
charge of the Hochelaga and Mile End stations by the contractor, and
alone retained possession against heavy odds and in spite of an
injunction obtained by the contractor, which was served upon him the day
before the seizure, and again while at Mile End holding a train against
the will of the passengers on board of it, and the employees of the late
contractor. He held the stations from noon till 10 p.m., when troops
were obtained from the Dominion government to keep what had been gained.
The government was so satisfied with the manner in which Mr. Peterson
obtained and held possession of the railway, that he was appointed
general manager. The contractor attempted through the courts, as well as
by force on several other occasions, to regain possession of the line,
but was defeated at every point. For taking possession of the railway in
defiance of the injunction, Mr. Peterson was tried for contempt of court
and found guilty, but was only required to give bail not to do so again.
Between this time and his resignation, Mr. Peterson built the Chaudière
bridge over the Ottawa river, just above the Chaudière rapids. He also
strongly advocated the eastern entrance of the Quebec, Montreal, Ottawa
& Ontario Railway into the Quebec gate barracks, as against the proposed
site at the Papineau road, which had been commenced under the
DeBoucherville government; and having shewed the Joly government how
cheaply it could be built, got it adopted by that government, and
carried it out under the Chapleau government. On entering the services
of the Canadian Pacific Railway, in connection with the construction of
the St. Lawrence bridge, he made surveys of various sites, and among
them that recommended by the late Col. Roberts, president of the
American Society of Civil Engineers, near the Lachine Rapids at Heron
Island, but finally reported in favor of the Caughnawaga line, which was
adopted in the winter of 1882; but nothing was done till the autumn of
1885, when contracts were let. This work was successfully carried out
under Mr. Peterson’s direction during the summer of 1886, and in
addition he built the St. Anne’s and Vaudreuil bridges over the Ottawa
river, on the Ontario and Quebec section of the Canadian Pacific
Railway. The Sault Ste. Marie Bridge was built during the summer of
1887, under Mr. Peterson’s direction, for the Sault Ste. Marie Bridge
Company, which is composed of the C. P. R, the Duluth, South Shore and
Atlantic R’y, and the Minneapolis, Sault Ste. Marie and Atlantic
Railways. Mr. Peterson is now engineer of the Canadian Pacific Railway,
in charge of the lines east of Port Arthur.
* * * * *
=Costigan, Hon. John=, Ottawa, Minister of Inland Revenue for the
Dominion of Canada, M.P. for Victoria, New Brunswick, was born at St.
Nicholas, in the province of Quebec, on February 1st, 1835, and received
a sound education at the College of St. Anne’s. When his education was
completed, he moved to New Brunswick, and thereafter for many years was
connected with various pursuits, being at one time registrar of deeds
for Victoria county, and a judge of the Inferior Court of Common Pleas
for New Brunswick. At a very early age Mr. Costigan gave evidence of the
solid intellectual qualities which were to become so conspicuous in
after years. Above all, those who watched him closely perceived an
unvarying persistency in any course which he marked out for himself.
Towards 1861 several of the leading inhabitants of Victoria county
decided that they would ask Mr. Costigan to offer himself as a candidate
for the legislature, and he consenting to do so, was elected, and sat in
the New Brunswick Legislative Assembly until 1866, when on again
appealing to his constituents he failed to secure his re-election. He
was during that period regarded as one of the ablest men in the house,
both sides paying great deference to his opinions. At the general
election after confederation he was returned to the House of Commons,
and has held his seat uninterruptedly for Victoria county ever since. On
May 23rd, 1882, he was sworn in a member of the Privy Council, and made
minister of inland revenue, and still occupies that position. On the
20th May, 1872, Mr. Costigan moved an address in the House of Commons,
praying his Excellency the Governor-General to disallow the New
Brunswick School Act, on the ground “that said law is unjust and causes
much uneasiness among the Roman Catholic population.” Some time before
the introduction of Mr. Costigan’s resolutions, persons had gone up and
down through New Brunswick declaring that the province must have a
system of free, non-sectarian public schools, and children of every
denomination must attend these schools, and that one and all, according
to his real or personal property, would be taxed to maintain the
educational system. So far this was good. The province had for many
years previously made liberal grants for education, but the schools were
under denominational control; there was no thorough system of
inspection; no uniform course of instruction, and subjects were taught
on the old fashioned parrot plan, an old teacher standing behind the
educational bulwark, driving education home with a birch rod. Therefore
it was a wise and progressive movement that some one set on foot to
reduce this chaos of catechism and birch, and arithmetic and letters,
into one harmonious, efficient and enlightened system. The new idea
carried the province by storm, and then there was appointed a chief
superintendent of education. To this gentleman was assigned the task of
drawing up an educational chart, outlining courses of instruction, and
prescribing texts. He had just the qualifications needed to carry out
the will of the narrow politicians with respect to education and the
Roman Catholics, and so rancorously was he disposed towards Catholicism
that, it is averred, when writing a letter, he carried his hatred so far
as to avoid crossing his t’s. He imagined that all priests and lay
brothers were bad men, and all nuns wicked women, not fit in character
or garb to teach in the public schools, therefore he drew up a
regulation making it unlawful for any teacher employed in the public
schools to wear any badge, garb or emblem distinctive of any
denominational sect or order. This, of course, excluded nuns, lay
brothers, and people of a like ecclesiastical fashion, and the liberal
and high-minded proviso was characterized as “the government’s infamous
millinery regulation.” Holy Church had no cause for panic when the idea
of free, non-sectarian schools was at first broached, although it
fidgetted and fretted itself almost out of its vestments; now it had a
genuine grievance. It was when this narrow regulation had been put upon
the statute-book that Mr. Costigan, a Roman Catholic, raised his voice
in the House of Commons and besought parliament to interpose its hand in
justice to the minority in his province. He was ably seconded by the
Hon. Timothy Warren Anglin, who pleaded until he became pathetic for
justice to his co-religionists. Mr. Anglin’s newspaper, the _Freeman_,
week after week, was laden with complainings against the injustice of
the New Brunswick legislature. It declared it was the duty of Sir John
A. Macdonald’s government to interfere its authority and maintain right.
Then Sir John fell under his Pacific scandal load, and the Reformers
returned to power, bringing with them Mr. Anglin, whom they put in the
speaker’s chair. During the first session of the new parliament, Mr.
Costigan again arose and moved his resolution, which ended in these
words: “That the government should advise his Excellency to disallow the
Act passed by the New Brunswick legislature.” In this case Mr. Speaker
Anglin’s support ended with putting the resolution. The whole country
knew how he had the Roman Catholic interests at heart, but it was
inexpedient now to press the matter—inexpedient of course to embarrass
his government, though this was the very course that his great store of
wisdom had suggested when Sir John was in office. So Mr. Costigan had to
fight the battle alone. To dispose of the matter, the governor-general
did not disallow the New Brunswick School Act, and it would have been a
constitutional crime had he done so. Nor did Mr. Costigan desire the
repeal of such portions of the law as were just; he merely sought to
remove the intolerance and bigotry that disgraced the Act in the
“millinery regulations.” Although the Act was not repealed, Mr.
Costigan’s exertions were not without fruit, for Dr. Rand’s
anti-Catholic provision was expunged, and the doctor himself, as
political decency in New Brunswick increased, began to totter in his
chair. At last Mr. Blair asked him to resign, and he is now back in the
province, where we hope a career of usefulness shall always be open to
him. Mr. Costigan’s other great act in parliament was the submission, in
1882, of “The Costigan Irish resolution,” praying that Her Majesty might
grant Home Rule government to Ireland on the self-government colonial
plan, likewise praying for the relief of “suspects,” and asking other
ameliorations. In so far as these resolutions addressed themselves to
the question of Home Rule for Ireland, history shall always applaud
their author, for he was only asking for a country, dear to him by ties
of race, a political condition, the success of which he has tested. But
it was a pity, a sad pity, that he, and parliament behind him, should
have so far forgotten themselves as to advise another country as to what
she should do to offenders against her own laws. Mr. Costigan’s career
has been a very able one. He is a clear-headed, firm-handed
administrator, and has his department thoroughly under control. His
admirers a few years ago presented him with a splendid residence in
Ottawa. Mr. Costigan in politics is a Conservative, and in religion a
Roman Catholic. He married, in 1855, Harriet, daughter of John Ryan, of
Grand Falls, New Brunswick.
* * * * *
=Barnard, Edmund=, Advocate, Montreal, Quebec, was born at Three Rivers,
on 23rd January, 1831. He is a son of Edward Barnard, for many years
prothonotary of Three Rivers, whose family was originally from
Yorkshire, England, settled at an early day in the history of the
colonies, at Deerfield, Mass., and immigrated thence into Canada. Mr.
Barnard received his education in the Colleges of St. Hyacinthe, Nicolet
and Montreal, and took his degrees of B.A. and M.A. at St. John’s
College, Fordham, N.Y. He studied law in the office of Judge Polette, in
Three Rivers; also with Sir John Rose and the present Mr. Justice Monk,
of the Court of Appeals, and was admitted to the bar on the 23rd of
October, 1853. Mr. Barnard is known as one of the most studious,
painstaking and successful lawyers in Montreal. He has made a specialty
of certain branches, such as real estate, French law, municipal law, and
law of banks and corporations, he having a very extensive _clientèle_ in
those several departments. He often visits England to attend to Canadian
cases before the judicial committee of the Privy Council. A fellow
member of the Montreal bar gives Mr. Barnard credit for having a very
keen perception of the old French law—second to that of no other lawyer
in the province—for being a very indefatigable worker in preparing his
wises, and for being a fluent and strong advocate, equally good in the
French and English languages. In 1858 Mr. Barnard was married to Ellen
King, daughter of the Hon. C. L. Austin, recorder of the city of Albany,
N.Y., and they have had issue of ten children.
* * * * *
=Moodie, Mrs. Susanna=, was the sixth daughter of the late Thomas
Strickland, of Reydon Hall, Suffolk, England, and was born on the 6th of
December, 1803. This Strickland family was certainly one of the most
remarkable known in England, since the famous “Nest of Nightingales,”
five out of the six daughters having made themselves more or less
celebrated in the realm of letters. At the age of thirteen, Susanna
Moodie lost her father, at whose hands she had received her education.
Mr. Strickland was a man of considerable wealth, highly cultured, and
much devoted to literature, so he spent much of his means upon his
library, and instilled into his family the same love for _belles
lettres_ that he felt himself. Many have regretted that the excellent
man did not live to see the fruition of his care. Susanna, it is said,
began to write when in her sixteenth year, her early productions being
poems and tales for children. In 1829-30, she put out a volume entitled,
“Enthusiasm, and other Poems.” In the same year, during a visit to
London, she met Lieutenant J. W. Dunbar Moodie, the fourth son of the
late James Moodie, of Melsetter, Orkney Islands, to whom she was married
on the 4th of April, 1831. Lieutenant Moodie belonged to the 21st
Fusiliers, and was then on half pay. They left England in the following
year for Canada, settling at Cobourg for a few months, thence proceeding
to the township of Hamilton, eight miles from Cobourg, where they took a
farm, and remained a year, after which they permitted themselves,
unwisely, to be persuaded to settle in the backwoods, ten miles north of
Peterborough. This region was then a perfect wilderness. There was no
church, no school, no refined society, and very little cleared land near
where they took up their abode. Here, struggling with all the privations
belonging to life in the woods, they lived for eight years, in the
meantime spending all their available money in the purchase of wild
lands, and in the operation of the farm, an occupation for which the
family, gentle bred, and unaccustomed and unsuited to labour, were
singularly unfit. When, in 1837, the rebellion broke out, Lieutenant
Moodie, who, from his birth and military training was a devoted
loyalist, hastened away to Toronto, leaving his wife and four little
children, the eldest only in her fifth year, behind him in the bush. The
summer following, he remained absent, and much of the crops were lost,
because there was no help to harvest it. All this Mrs. Moodie vividly
and feelingly describes in her delightful book, “Roughing it in the
Bush.” This was the first ambitious literary effort of Mrs. Moodie, and
it attracted wide attention. The style was simple, limpid and
picturesque: it was full of movement, and contained pen portraits, which
were true to the life, of the hardships of the family’s wilderness life;
of the character of the neighbours with whom she was thrown in contact,
and of her alternating hopes and disappointments. When the book came
out, the Canadians who were pictured in it were terribly wroth, and
probably it was the sex of the author that saved her from maltreatment.
But she never once exceeded the bounds of truth in her delineations, and
invariably pictured the good traits as well as the bad ones, of the
ordinary Canadian backwoods family. The book was brought out in England
in 1850, but the greatest portion of its contents had already been
published in the _Literary Garland_, Montreal. Encouraged by the success
of this book, Mrs. Moodie afterwards brought out in quick succession,
through her London publishers, the Messrs. Bentley, “Life in the
Clearings,” “Flora Lindsay,” “Mark Hurdleston,” “The World Before them,”
“Matrimonial Speculation,” and other works of a more or less fictitious
character. It may be said here that after eight years of travail in the
woods, Mrs. Moodie received the glad tidings that her husband had been
appointed sheriff of the county of Hastings. In a late edition of
“Roughing it in the Bush,” brought out by Hunter, Rose & Co.,
Publishers, of Toronto, Mrs. Moodie writes a preface recounting the
social, industrial, educational and moral progress of Canada, since the
time of her landing. After Sheriff Moodie’s death at Belleville, in
1869, Mrs. Moodie made her home in Toronto with her younger son, R. B.
Moodie; but on his removal to a new residence out of town, she remained
with her daughter, Mrs. J. J. Vickers, and passed peacefully away on the
afternoon of April 8th, 1885, surrounded by her children and
grandchildren. Her aged sister, Mrs. Traill, was beside her at the last.
Mrs. Moodie’s often expressed wish to be laid beside her beloved husband
at Belleville, where the happiest part of her years were spent, was
carried out, and her remains were followed to their last resting-place,
close to the beautiful Bay of Quinté, by a large number of dear friends.
* * * * *
=McMillan, John=, M.D., Pictou, Nova Scotia, was born in London,
Ontario, 18th January, 1834. His parents were William McMillan and Anne
McKenzie. He received his early education at the schools of his native
place, and afterward attended McGill University, Montreal, where he
graduated in May, 1857. He then removed to Nova Scotia, and began the
practice of his profession in Wallace, Cumberland county. After
remaining there for some time he removed to Sherbrooke, Guysborough
county, then to New Glasgow, and finally to Pictou, Pictou county, where
for the last thirteen years he practised, and has succeeded in building
up a good business. He is quarantine officer for the port of Pictou. He
belongs to the Masonic order, and is a past master of Caledonia lodge.
He was married on 11th June, 1868, to Annie, youngest daughter of the
late Senator Holmes, of Pictou, N.S.
* * * * *
=Larocque, Rt. Reverend Bishop Joseph=, was born at St. Joseph, Chambly,
the 28th August, 1808, of one of the most respectable families in that
place, and from his earliest years gave evidence of unusual piety and
talent. It was no doubt owing to this fact that in 1821 he, with his
cousin Charles, who afterwards succeeded him as bishop, upon the
recommendation of Mr. Mignault, was educated at the expense of Mr. de
St. Ours, and other true friends of education, at the College of St.
Hyacinthe, then in its infancy. Young Joseph Larocque was a model
scholar, always first in his studies, and practising those virtues which
distinguished him in all the varied phases of his after life. In 1829,
after having terminated a very brilliant classical course, he entered
the ecclesiastical state, and until 1847 we find him working zealously
to conquer all difficulties and gain for the St. Hyacinthe Seminary the
great renown which it now enjoys. He received the order of priesthood at
the hands of his Lordship J. J. Lartigue, on the 15th of March, 1835,
and occupied with distinction successively the posts of professor,
director, and superior of the institution to which he owed so much. A
priest of the merit of Abbé Larocque could not long remain without
attracting the attention of Bishop Bourget, who at this time occupied
the episcopal seat at Montreal. The eminent prelate summoned him, and
conferred upon him the canonship, thereby procuring a most valuable
auxiliary in the administration of his diocese, one who, in his manifold
duties and work, exercised his natural talent, profound science, and
indefatigable zeal. He was entrusted with the editing of _Religious
Miscellany_, published under the auspices of Bishop Bourget. Mgr.
Prince, then coadjutor bishop of Montreal, being delegated to take to
the Holy Father at Rome the decree of the first council at Quebec, Canon
Larocque received orders to accompany him as secretary. During his
sojourn in the Holy City he was named Bishop of Cydonia, by his Holiness
Pope Pius IX., and coadjutor of Montreal, in place of his Lordship J. C.
Prince, promoted to the new bishopric of St. Hyacinthe. On the 28th of
the following October he was consecrated in his native parish (Chambly)
by Bishop Bourget, assisted by their Lordships Guigues, bishop of
Ottawa, and Cooke, bishop of Three Rivers. During the next eight years
Bishop Larocque fulfilled his numerous duties in a most exemplary
manner, to the detriment of his health. In June, 1860, he was
transferred to the bishopric of St. Hyacinthe, but owing to his constant
suffering and infirmities, he asked the permission of the Pope to
abdicate his charge, which was granted by a Papal decree, dated August
17th, 1865. In July, 1866, Mgr. Larocque was nominated by his Holiness
Pope Pius IX., bishop of Germanicopolis. The principal work of the pious
prelate during his short term as head of the diocese, was the founding
of the Community of the Precious Blood, which in a few years became
renowned for piety and virtue. This community owe to the venerable and
devoted father the constitution which governs them, and several
spiritual works, among others, “Manner of Devotion to the Precious
Blood,” and “Meditations for each Month of the Year;” also, “The
Liturgical Year,” comprising meditations for Sundays and all the notable
feasts of the year. The Lord remembered this faithful and earnest worker
in permitting him to see the success which crowned his many efforts, for
which the diocese of St. Hyacinthe owes him a debt of gratitude, only to
be repaid by continuing in the noble work so ably mapped out for them.
Bishop Joseph Larocque died November 18th, 1887.
* * * * *
=McDonald, Hon. James=, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Nova
Scotia, was born at East River, Pictou county, N.S., 1st July, 1828. His
family were among the first Scotch Highlanders who came to Nova Scotia
one hundred years ago. They established at Pictou a thoroughly Scottish
community which bears their impress legibly to this day. The chief
justice had very few educational or inherited advantages to help him in
his early days, but he possessed a splendid physique, unfailing
good-temper and kindliness, great shrewdness and common sense, and
laudable ambition. He obtained his preliminary education at New Glasgow,
the second town in Pictou county, being the seat of valuable collieries,
glass-works and other manufactories, and one of the most flourishing and
progressive spots in the province. After completing his course, he
studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1851. He at once obtained a
good practice, and gained a considerable reputation as a platform
speaker. He always took a great interest in politics, being a staunch
Conservative. He first came to the front as a political candidate in
1859 when he successfully contested Pictou county in the general
election of that year. The Conservative party were fast gaining strength
and bidding again for the political supremacy which had been denied them
for many years. Among the rising men was Dr. Charles Tupper, a bold and
fluent orator, and a man of great administrative force and tact. Hon. J.
W. Johnson, attorney-general and _facile princeps_ in his party for so
many years, was getting old and unfit for a hard campaign. Sir William
Young had been made chief justice, and other prominent Liberals were
dropping out of the ranks. Railways were building and there was an
impetus thereby given to the general hopefulness of the country. There
were hot debates in the House of Assembly where such men as A. G.
Archibald, Thomas Morrison, and Jonathan McCully strove for the reins of
power. Hon. Mr. McDonald again offered, in 1863, when his party achieved
a great victory at the polls. He was appointed by Dr. Tupper, provincial
secretary and premier, to the position of chief railway commissioner for
Nova Scotia, in June, 1863, and held this office until December, 1864.
In December, 1864, he was appointed to a seat in the government with the
portfolio of financial secretary. The celebrated conferences of
Charlottetown and Quebec were held in the summer of 1864. There the
preliminaries of confederation were discussed. At the latter conference
Nova Scotia was represented by Dr. Tupper, Hon. W. A. Henry, now of the
Supreme Court of Canada, Jonathan (afterwards Judge) McCully, and Hon.
R. B. Dickey, senator. The next few months were times of fierce
political debate in the maritime provinces. Confederation was
consummated 1st July, 1867, and was shortly afterwards followed by
general elections in the provinces and in the Dominion. The
Conservatives were routed at the polls. Dr. Tupper won his election in
Cumberland county, defeating Hon. William Annand by the narrow majority
of 66. Not a single Conservative member followed him to Ottawa on his
first appearance there. Among the defeated was the subject of this
sketch, who stood for Pictou. But previous to this time, and during 1865
and 1866, he had been appointed a commissioner, representing his native
province, to negotiate towards opening trade relations between the West
Indies, Mexico and Brazil and the British American provinces. In
prosecution of this mission he did some travelling in the Antilles. In
1867 he was made a Queen’s counsel. During the last years of his
residence and practice at the bar in Halifax, the city barristers, on
his attaining to the twenty-fifth year of his practice presented him
with a silk gown accompanied by an appreciative and friendly address. In
thanking the gentlemen of the long robe for their courtesy, he remarked
that he was much touched by their kindness, but that the incident
carried with it one element of regret in that it reminded him that he
was growing old. The chief justice, however, enjoys robust health, and
has probably many years before him. During these times he was working up
one of the best-known practices in Nova Scotia. He had become associated
in Pictou with Samuel G. Rigby (since Judge of the Supreme Court, a man
who died two years ago greatly regretted while yet little over forty
years of age), and removed to Halifax, establishing the firm of McDonald
& Rigby. They generally had in their office six students and copyists,
and their practice extended throughout the province. S. G. Rigby is
believed to have been the peer of any _nisi prius_ lawyer who ever held
a brief in Nova Scotia. James McDonald was skilled in all the arts of a
cross-examiner and jury lawyer, whilst as a chambers counsel he was
unsurpassed by any. Mr. Rigby generally went the Midland and Eastern
circuits, where he never wanted a client. At the general election held
in the summer of 1872, Hon. Mr. McDonald again contested Pictou for the
House of Commons, and this time successfully. He was a strong supporter
of Sir John A. Macdonald. The Pacific Scandal burst out in 1873, and in
the debate in the Commons he made one of the strongest defences of the
government. He was defeated at the general election of 1874, when the
Reform government seized the reins of power, but fought a hard campaign
in Pictou. At the general election in 1878 he returned with his party to
power, and was made minister of justice. This appointment he held with
credit until 20th May, 1881, when the late Sir William Young having
resigned, he was appointed chief justice of the Supreme Court of Nova
Scotia. He is also judge of the Vice-Admiralty Court. He resides at a
pretty villa on the North-West Arm, Halifax, called “Blink Bonnie.” He
is a member of the Halifax Club, the town resort of the _elite_ of Nova
Scotia. He married in 1856, Jane, daughter of the late William Mortimer,
of Pictou, by whom he has a large family of children. One of his sons is
in the North-West. Two are practising law in Halifax. Two of his
daughters married sons of Sir Charles Tupper, viz., Charles H. Tupper,
M.P. for Pictou county, and William J. Tupper, who saw service with the
Halifax battalion during the North-West rebellion. The Chief Justice
resides chiefly in Halifax but occasionally goes on circuit. His
judgments are marked by great liberality and breadth of view. He has
befriended many young men in their struggles to get a profession, and is
an openhearted, openhanded man. No finer specimen of the Pictou
Scotchman could be picked out than “Jim McDonald,” as he was familiarly,
though respectfully called, during his long career, at the bar and in
politics. Hon. Mr. McDonald is a member of St. Matthew’s Presbyterian
Church, Halifax.
* * * * *
=Merritt, Jedediah Prendergast=, St. Catharines, Ontario. The subject of
this biographical sketch is the eldest son of the late Hon. William
Hamilton Merritt, the well-known pioneer of the most prominent part of
the peninsula of western Canada, and the originator and principal actor
in obtaining the completion of the Welland and St. Lawrence canals, now
connecting the upper lakes with the Atlantic ocean. Mr. Merritt was born
at St. Catharines, county of Lincoln, on the 1st of June, 1820, and the
whole of his life has been devoted to the material and æsthetical
occupations which make history for the western hemisphere. At an early
period he represented his native country as a student at Cambridge,
England, and upon his return his further representation consisted in
being familiar with English and continental society as it was associated
with scholastic and political economy. His father, by the force of daily
events, was engaged in promoting public important Canadian interests,
whether included in commercial, political, or educational enterprises;
and his son, being well qualified by natural and acquired attainments,
gave these enterprises the advantage of his presence both at the desk
and by his advice in the halls of the legislature. In 1860 he was
appointed by a vote of parliament to a position now known as archivist.
He collected the ten thousand folio pages of historical matter as put
upon record by the lives of pioneers in Canada prior and subsequent to
the revolutionary war. Whether, accordingly, information of large or
small moment to families of the United Empire class or its government,
or to families generally of Canada or the United States be required, it
is derivable through the labors of the gentleman whose name is before
us. Such a task as this brought into requisition varied talents and an
unceasing industry for a number of years, and so suggestive of utility
was his report that parliament renewed an engagement with him. The
qualities of patriotism and generosity characterised his proceedings,
for he not only gave his assistant the appropriation made for the
purpose, but without opposition he permitted the adoption of a title
which directs a searcher after knowledge formulated under his guidance
to go to the Coventry Documents. On the 1st of May, 1845, he was
appointed postmaster at St. Catharines, an office which he retained for
a period of eighteen years. Mr. Merritt has distinguished himself both
in poetry and prose. At an early age, and while at school, a taste for
literature and science distinctly spoke out. And subsequently his
poetical genius shone out in many effusions relating to his own and
other countries, and in such as passed fitting encomiums upon the noble
qualities of patriotism and valor. A poem written as a memento of the
visit of the Duke of Kent to Canada received a distinguished
acknowledgment from the Prince of Wales, his Grace the Duke of
Newcastle, and the Earl of St. Germans. Many odes are also well known;
among them may be found that “On the Opening of Victoria Bridge” by the
Prince of Wales; “Ho, for Manitoba;” “Ontario;” those on the battles of
“Lundy’s Lane”—“Crook’s Mills”—“River Rasin;”—that read by the Loyal
Canadian Society at its anniversary picnic at Queenston Heights; “The
rise and progress of St. Catharines,” in prose, and concluded in verse.
Besides others in number to fill a volume, which fail to receive a
notice here. The public journals of the day, for many years past,
evidence by their columns that Mr. Merritt’s study and influence upon
subjects of administrative policy and scientific economy have given to
the public as much of instruction as of entertainment. An ingenious
historical chart published by Mr. Merritt met with the approval of the
British North American Historical Society, and commendation from the
Prince of Wales, who sent him an appropriate medal. When decimal
currency was introduced into Canada, Mr. Merritt brought before the
legislature a system of weights and measures known as the “metric.” With
these it is as easy of calculation as that of by tens with money. The
government voted in its favor $50,000 to be used if necessary. Mr.
Merritt’s life has been an unceasing application of advantages derivable
from a patrimony, for the promotion of plans equal to the dignity and
character of Canada; and his family promise to wear his mantle. He
married on the 17th of August, 1864, the eldest daughter of the late
George Prescott, for many years secretary and treasurer of the Welland
canal, by whom he has six sons and two daughters.
* * * * *
=Scott, Lieut.-Col. Thomas=, Collector of Customs, Winnipeg, was born in
Lanark county, Ontario, 16th February, 1841. He is of Irish parentage,
and has proved in all the departments of activity in which he has been
engaged throughout an unusually active life that he has inherited the
best qualities of the Celtic race braced with the increased vigor which
a fine climate and free institutions give to Canadians. The subject of
this sketch was educated at the public and high schools of his native
county, and at an early age entered on journalism, and when only twenty
he founded a journal to advocate the principles of the Conservative
party. This journal was the _Perth Expositor_, which under the energetic
management of its founder soon became a power in the county. Two years
later he married Miss Kellock, second daughter of Robert Kellock. Born
with the instincts of a soldier, young Scott joined the volunteer corps
of his town, at the time of the _Trent_ affair, and shortly afterwards
became its captain. No better commanding-officer or more enthusiastic
militiaman was to be found in the province than he. When the Fenian raid
of 1866 set the country in a ferment, Capt. Scott was one of the first
to ask on behalf of himself and his company to be assigned for active
service. They were ordered to the St. Lawrence frontier, where they were
kept on duty for four months. For his services he was raised to the rank
of major. He was next called into active service in 1870, when he was
placed in command of a company of the Ontario Rifles, part of Col. (now
Lord) Wolseley’s expedition to the North-West to suppress the first Riel
rebellion. In the toilsome journey Major Scott distinguished himself by
his power of inspiring enthusiasm in the men under his command, which
won such high encomiums from the brilliant young commander of the
expedition. When, just after his return, it became necessary to send
another expedition to the North-West to resist the threatened Fenian
invasion of Manitoba, Major Scott, raised to the rank of brevet
lieutenant-colonel, was chosen to command the force. A considerable part
of the journey through what was then an almost untrodden wilderness was
made in winter, and the men suffered great hardships, but made their way
through to Fort Garry with wonderfully few mishaps. Liking the country,
and appreciating the opportunities it offered for men of pluck and
energy, Col. Scott sold out his newspaper business and removed to
Manitoba. He at once took a prominent part in public affairs. He first
essayed in 1874 to be elected to the Legislature of Manitoba against the
then premier, Hon. R. A. Davis, but was unsuccessful. Three years later,
however, he became mayor of Winnipeg after a keen electoral contest, but
administered affairs so satisfactorily to the people, during his year of
office, that he was elected by acclamation for a second term. While
still occupying the place of mayor, he was nominated for a seat in the
Legislative Assembly, and was elected. The general election came on in
the following year, and Col. Scott was again successful. In 1880, the
seat in the House of Commons for Selkirk becoming vacant by Hon. (now
Sir) Donald A. Smith being unseated, Col. Scott resigned his place in
the legislature, and ran in the Conservative interest, defeating Sir
Donald by 169 majority. In the general election of 1882 he again was the
Conservative standard-bearer for Winnipeg, in some respects the most
important political division of the province. He was triumphantly
returned and served throughout that parliament. He was appointed
collector of customs in 1887, which position he still holds. Lieut.-Col.
Scott, while always a strong party man, and almost fiercely active in a
political contest, has those qualities of generosity and
kind-heartedness which make men who are his opponents his friends. He is
a man beloved by the people because of his strong sympathy with them,
and his manifest desire to do all in his power to defend their
interests.
* * * * *
=Ogden, William Winslow=, B.M., M.D., one of the leading medical
practitioners of the city of Toronto, was born in the township of
Toronto, county of Peel, 3rd July, 1837. His parents were William J.
Ogden, an officer in the militia of York county in those days, and
Rebecca Ogden. His father was descended from old English stock,
traceable as far back as the time of Charles the Second. One of his
ancestors, performed distinguished services for this fickle monarch at a
critical period of his career, and received at his hands in return
important recognition, and the _coat armor_ now held by his descendants.
The doctor’s mother was from Ireland, and has been dead over twenty
years, but his father, now in his eighty-sixth year, is still alive, and
resides near Port Credit. Dr. Ogden received such primary education as
the schools of his native place supplied in those early days, and then
went to the Toronto Academy (since extinct), at that time connected with
Knox College. He afterwards attended, until he was eighteen years of
age, Victoria College, taking the ordinary arts course, and from this
until he reached the age of twenty-two, he attended the Toronto School
of Medicine, taking at the same time several special subjects in natural
science in the University of Toronto. He graduated in honors in medicine
from Toronto University in 1860, and at a later date in the same science
from Victoria College, Cobourg. He then settled in Toronto, in which
city he has ever since successfully practised his profession. In 1869
Dr. Ogden was appointed lecturer on medical jurisprudence and toxicology
in Toronto School of Medicine, and lectured on these subjects, and that
of diseases of children, from that date until 1887, when, on the
creation of the medical faculty of Toronto University, he was appointed
professor of forensic medicine, which includes toxicology and medical
psychology. He takes a deep interest in all educational matters, and has
been a member of the public school board continuously since 1866, a
period of twenty-two years. He is always found at his post, is generally
a member of all important committees, for two years was chairman of the
board, and no one rejoices more than the worthy doctor at the great
progress our schools have made since he first began to take an active
interest in their management. Being a public spirited gentleman, he is
deeply interested in everything that helps to improve the social and
material condition of his countrymen. He is a member of the Middlesex
lodge, Sons of England Benevolent Society, and its medical examiner in
the beneficiary department, is president of the Royal Oak Building and
Savings Society, and of the Sons of England Hall Company of Toronto. For
many years, till recently, he was an active member of the Toronto Reform
Association, and for a long time was its vice-president. Ever since the
Brown-Cameron struggle, in 1858, he has taken an active part in all the
political contests held in Toronto, and had the distinction of being
nominated as the Reform candidate for the Ontario legislature in 1879,
but, although he succeeded in greatly reducing the majority generally
polled against the Reform candidate, he failed to secure his own
election. In religion, Dr. Ogden was brought up in, and has always taken
a deep interest in, the Methodist form of worship, and for over thirty
years has held the office of leader in the Methodist church. He has been
a member of all the general conferences save one, and of the annual
conferences up to the present. He supported and voted for the union of
the several Methodist bodies, and was well pleased when the union took
place. In politics, it is almost needless to say, he is a staunch
Reformer, and has during his long and useful life sacrificed largely in
time and labor to advance the cause he has so much at heart. On the 27th
May, 1862, he was married, to Elizabeth Price, daughter of the late
William McKown, and niece of the late George Price, who died in 1880.
* * * * *
=Burrill, James=, Merchant, Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, is the second son of
William Burrill and Catharine Sullivan, and was born on the 22nd
February, 1844, at Yarmouth, N.S. He received a common school education,
and on the retirement of his father in 1869, succeeded to his business,
in company with his two brothers, and they now trade under the style of
William Burrill & Co. The firm is largely interested in shipping. Mr.
Burrill, the subject of our sketch, is a member of the Board of Trade,
and since 1876 he has had a seat on the Board of School Trustees. In
1880 he was elected councillor for Milton, and was re-elected to the
same position in 1882, 1884, and 1886. He was chosen warden of the
municipality of Yarmouth in 1884, and again elected to the same office
in 1886. Mr. Burrill takes an interest in all social reforms and belongs
to the order of the Sons of Temperance and to the Temple of Honor. In
politics he is a Liberal, and in religion he belongs to the Presbyterian
church. Though comparatively young in years, he has devoted a good deal
of time for the benefit of his fellow-citizens, among whom he is highly
respected as he deserves to be. On the 20th September, 1887, he was
married to Jane J., eldest daughter of George H. Lovitt.
* * * * *
=Murray, Lieut.-Col. John Robert=, Superintendent of Stores and
Paymaster of Military district, No. 9, Halifax, was born at Halifax,
N.S., February 9th, 1836, and is the eldest son of Thomas Murray of
Dartmouth, N.S., (born February 11, 1811), and Caroline Maria Tapper of
Blandford, England (born March 5, 1813), who married at Halifax,
December 6, 1834. Col. Murray was educated at the National School and
the Grammar School (Academy) Halifax, and early entered into mercantile
pursuits. He became interested eventually in the hardware business as a
partner in the firm of Boggs & Ross, and Thos. Boggs & Co. Colonel
Murray served his native town for three years as an alderman for Ward 1,
from 1872, and was a justice of the peace for the town. As a young man,
he took an active interest in the militia, and this strengthened with
each succeeding year. His connection with the militia of Nova Scotia and
the Dominion covers a period of over twenty-nine years, and for over a
quarter of a century he has held her Majesty’s commissions, viz:—In the
3rd Queen’s, N.S. militia, second lieutenant, February 5, 1863; first
lieutenant, June 10, 1863; captain, December 11, 1864; adjutant, July
14, 1865, in the 66th Princess Louise Fusiliers; captain, June 18, 1869;
brevet major, September 20, 1872; brevet lieutenant-colonel, December
12, 1874. On February 1, 1884, he was appointed to the district staff,
and has since filled the offices of store-keeper and district paymaster,
in a most satisfactory manner. In religion he is a Presbyterian, being a
member of St. Andrew’s Church. He is a pleasant, agreeable citizen, a
good soldier, and a splendid officer. He was married, September 19,
1861, to Eliza Jane, eldest daughter of the late James Reeves of
Halifax, and has had issue five children, of whom three survive: James
Reeves, who occupies the position of accountant in the Nova Scotia Sugar
Refinery, Halifax; Charles Grant, gentleman cadet at the Royal Military
College, Kingston, and George William, who is a student at the Halifax
Medical College.
* * * * *
=Lawson, Professor George=, Ph.D., LL.D., F.I.C., F.R.S.C., Halifax,
N.S., was born at Newport, parish of Forgan, Fifeshire, Scotland, 12th
October, 1827. He is the only son of Alex. Lawson, of a family long
resident in the county, and his wife, Margaret McEwen, daughter of Colin
McEwen, for many years a civic officer in the town of Dundee. He was
educated at a private school, and after several years of private study
and law-reading, entered the University of Edinburgh, devoting his
attention specially to the natural and physical sciences—chemistry,
botany, zoology, anatomy, mineralogy, and geology. His studies at
Edinburgh extended over a period of ten years, during which time he was
also occupied with scientific and literary work in connection with the
university and several of the scientific institutions of that city. He
occupied the position of curator of the university herbarium, until it
was removed from the university building to the Royal Botanic Garden,
and was thus early brought into personal contact and correspondence with
the leading botanists of the time. He assisted the professor of botany,
Dr. Balfour, in his class-work and field and mountain excursions, and,
as demonstrator under the professor’s direction, conducted a select
class in histology for advanced students, teaching the practical use of
the microscope and the methods of research in regard to the minute
structure and development of plants. This class, formed in the Herbarium
room at the Royal Botanic Garden, in Edinburgh, in 1853, was one of the
first, if not the first organization of the kind in Britain
corresponding to what are now known as biological laboratories. This
Edinburgh Botanical Laboratory is now greatly extended and well supplied
with recent improvements in apparatus and implements of research. On the
death of Dr. Fleming, professor of natural science in the New College,
Edinburgh, Dr. Lawson, in conjunction with the late Andrew Murray,
continued the lectures through the winter session. He prepared, and
carried through the press, the catalogue of the library of the Royal
Society of Edinburgh, a work which was thus noticed by Sir R. Christison
in his presidential address: “The council, in noticing the completion of
this important labor, cannot express too highly the sense they entertain
of the services of Dr. Lawson, who has applied himself to the task put
before him with a zeal, diligence, method, and ability which led the
council to congratulate themselves and the society on the choice which
was made in appointing him.” He acted as secretary for several other
societies, being joint secretary with the late Sir Wyville Thomson, of
the Royal Physical Society. Being an adherent of the Church of Scotland,
he was an active member of the High Church of Edinburgh. In the year
1858 Dr. Lawson accepted the appointment of professor of chemistry and
natural history in Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario, and
relinquished the several offices held in Edinburgh. On leaving that city
for Canada, a number of the professors of the university and members of
societies, including Professor Balfour, Sir R. Christison, Sir J. Y.
Simpson, Sir J. Gibson-Craig, Sir A. Douglas Maclagan, Professor Wilson,
Sir A. Fayrer, and others, presented him with a purse of sovereigns and
a silver salver bearing the following inscription—“Presented to Dr.
George Lawson (along with a purse of sovereigns), on the occasion of his
departure from Great Britain, to fill the chair of chemistry and natural
history in Queen’s College, Kingston, Canada, by some of his friends,
who desire thus to testify their high esteem and regard for him, and
their appreciation of the services which he has rendered to science in
Edinburgh. 5th August, 1858.” One of the speakers at the farewell
meeting (father of the professor of botany in the Dublin College of
Science), remarked as a reason for the presentation: “We do not know
what the Canadians may think of you, but we want them to know what we
think of you here.” At Queen’s College, a new laboratory and class-rooms
for medical teaching being in course of construction, Dr. Lawson
organized there a system of practical laboratory teaching similar to
that then in operation by Drs. Wilson and Macadam at Edinburgh. The
college grounds were laid out as a botanic garden, and the Botanical
Society of Canada was formed, chiefly through his exertions. Whilst at
Kingston, he acted as an examiner at Toronto University. In consequence
of the disturbed state of affairs in Queen’s College, in 1863, Dr.
Lawson resigned his position there, and accepted the professorship of
chemistry and mineralogy in Dalhousie College and University, Halifax,
Nova Scotia, then being reorganized, and which he still holds. Soon
after his arrival in Nova Scotia, a board of agriculture was established
by the provincial government, and he was elected secretary. He continued
to discharge the duties of that office from 1864 till 1885, when the
board was abolished, and its duties assumed directly by the provincial
government. His services were retained under the new arrangement as
secretary for agriculture of the province. In 1857 Dr. Lawson took the
degree of Ph.D. at the University of Giessen. In 1863 the University of
McGill College, Montreal, conferred upon him the honorary degree of
LL.D. He is a fellow, and at present president, of the Royal Society of
Canada; fellow of the Botanical and Royal Physical Societies of
Edinburgh; of the Institute of Chemistry of Great Britain and Ireland;
honorary member of the Edinburgh Geological and Scottish Arboricultural
Societies; corresponding member of the Royal Horticultural Society of
London, and of the Society of Natural Sciences at Cherbourg; also member
of the following: British Association for Advancement of Science,
American Association for Advancement of Science, Royal Scottish Society
of Arts, Nova Scotian Institute of Natural Science, Historical Society,
Ottawa Naturalists’ Club, etc.; associate of the Canadian Society of
Civil Engineers. Dr. Lawson’s contributions to scientific literature
have been published chiefly in the transactions of societies and
scientific periodicals, as in “Transactions” respectively of the
Botanical Society of Edinburgh, Royal Society of Canada, Nova Scotian
Institute of Natural Science, and in the “Edinburgh New Philosophical
Journal,” the “London Phytologist,” the “Annals and Magazine of Natural
History,” the “Canadian Naturalist,” the “Chemical News,” etc. A
separate work on “Water-lilies,” and one on “British Agriculture,” were
published in Edinburgh. During his residence there he was a frequent
contributor to “Chambers’s Edinburgh Journal,” and other literary
periodicals in London and Edinburgh, and he edited and rewrote a portion
of one of the editions of “Chambers’s Information for the People.” He
married, in Edinburgh, Lucy, daughter of Charles Stapley, of Vale
Cottage, Tunbridge Wells, and King’s road, Chelsea, who died on 1st
January, 1871, leaving two daughters. At Halifax, in 1876, he married
Caroline Matilda, daughter of William Jordan, Rosehall, Halifax, sister
of Rev. Louis H. Jordan, M.A., B.D., Montreal, and widow of George
Alexander Knox, lost in the steamship _City of Boston_, which sailed
from Halifax harbor in January, 1870.
* * * * *
=Allison, David=, M.A., LL.D., Halifax, N.S., Superintendent of
Education for the province of Nova Scotia, was born at Newport, Hants
county, N.S., July 3rd, 1836. His father was James W. Allison, and his
mother, Margaret Elder, both Nova Scotians, but descendants of North of
Ireland parents, who had settled in this province. Dr. Allison’s father
and grandfather both occupied seats in the local legislature. His
preliminary education was received at the Halifax Academy, and the
Wesleyan Academy, Sackville, New Brunswick. After studying four years at
the latter institution, he entered the Wesleyan University, Middletown,
Conn., U.S.A., and graduated in 1859. He then became classical
instructor at Sackville Academy, and changed that position in 1862, to
take a similar position in Mount Allison College. In 1869 Rev. Dr.
Pickard resigned the presidency of the college, and the directorate
unanimously elected Mr. Allison to the office, a tribute to his
scholarship and character. He occupied the position of president for
nine years, and under him the college work was very successfully and
effectively performed. In the year 1877 he was appointed to the office
of superintendent of education for the province of Nova Scotia, which
position he still holds. Under his administration the whole system of
the public schools of the province has grown and developed, till it is
in the most satisfactory condition that could be desired or expected.
Dr. Allison is a member of the Methodist church, and was a delegate to
the congress of Methodism held in London, 1881. He married, June 18,
1862, Elizabeth Powell, of Richibucto, N.B., whose ancestors were
loyalists. Dr. Allison received the degree of B.A., 1859; M.A., 1862;
LL.D., from Victoria College, Cobourg, Ontario, 1873. In 1876 he was
appointed a fellow of the senate of Halifax University. In his position
as superintendent of education he has been broad in his views, and
possesses a thorough appreciation of the high problem which is being
worked out by the educational system of the province under his
guardianship and direction.
* * * * *
=Radenhurst, W. H.=, Barrister, Perth, Ontario, was born at Toronto on
14th September, 1835. He is the eldest son of the late Thomas M.
Radenhurst, Q.C., who settled in Perth in 1824. His paternal
grandfather, Thomas Radenhurst, came out from England to America in a
semi-military capacity at the time of the revolutionary war. He was from
Cheshire, and his mother was a sister of Lord Chief Justice Kenyon. When
a youth, he was sent up to London to enter the employ of the banking
firm of the Lloyds, in which his mother, who was related to them, had
some interest, but he preferred to go to America with the troops then
leaving for the war. At the close of the war, being stationed in
Montreal, he married Ann Campbell, a daughter of a United Empire
loyalist, one of the first who settled on the Bay of Quinté. An uncle of
hers, Sir John Campbell, was a distinguished soldier in India. He died
at Fort St. John, in early life, leaving a young family to the care of
his widow, a woman of energy and capacity. She obtained commissions in
the army for her two eldest sons, but her third son, Thomas, she had
educated at Dr. Strachan’s school at Cornwall, and he afterwards studied
law in Toronto. He commenced the practice of his profession in Kingston,
from where he removed to Perth, and built up a considerable law
practice. He married a daughter of Surveyor-General Ridout of Toronto.
He represented the county of Carleton in the Upper Canada Legislature
before the union of the provinces, and was afterwards, as the nominee of
the Reform or Baldwin-Lafontaine party, an unsuccessful candidate for
Lanark county. He was made a Queen’s counsel in 1849, and acted for a
considerable time as Crown prosecutor in the Eastern and sometimes in
the Midland Circuit. He was offered the judgeship of the Bathurst
district, but declined the honor. He acted as treasurer of Lanark county
for several years; and he died in 1854, in his fifty-first year, leaving
a large family. The following pen and ink sketch, of Thomas M.
Radenhurst, written in November, 1847, by a local scribe, signing
himself “Paul Pry,” gives us a very correct idea of the deceased Queen’s
counsel:—
Another personage in this court is entitled to a favourable
notice—Mr. T. M. Radenhurst. This gentleman lounges in his
chair with an easy familiarity when in court—you would imagine
that his soul was away into the fair land of romance, or
feasting with the great jury consultists in his library, or
arranging some circumstances that may have transpired in the
domestic or social circle; but when he stands up, and is roused
into action, you are both startled and pleased to find that all
this seeming abstraction, has no reality—he shows that nothing
has escaped his notice—his mind is found to be stored with
important facts, all bearing upon the point at issue; in the
management of these there is a complete absence of all
clap-trap—he does not seek to terrify and bewilder a witness,
but the witness finds that he is in the hands of a master, and
that his only mode of escape is in giving a plain unvarnished
tale. When he addresses the jury, he unfolds the capacity so
valuable in an advocate, that he believes that there is such a
thing as truth, and that he relies with full confidence for
success of his cause upon the truth being told. The moral
bearing of his case is then unfolded, and the conviction is
triumphantly carried and established in every unprejudiced mind
that whatever may be the merits of the suit the advocate is an
honest man.
W. H. Radenhurst, the subject of our sketch, his eldest son, at present
residing in Perth, was educated at Upper Canada College. He held the
office of treasurer of Lanark for sometime after his father’s death, but
afterwards studied law in the offices of the late Mr. Fraser of Perth,
and of Sir Matthew Cameron in Toronto, and was called to the bar. He was
a member of the town council of Perth, and mayor of the town from 1874
to 1878. He is now revising officer for North Lanark. In politics he is
a Liberal-Conservative, and in religion an adherent of the Episcopal
church.
* * * * *
=St. Georges, Rev. Charles=, Parish Priest of St. Athanase, Iberville,
P.Q., and Honorary Canon of the Cathedral of St. Hyacinthe, was born on
the 13th March, 1834, at Varennes, Verchères county, P.Q. He was
educated at the College of St. Hyacinthe, and ordained priest on the
15th August, 1858. The scenes of his early labors were successively
Sorel, Granby, Abbotsford and St. Charles. Since 1868 he has been in
charge of the Church of St. Athanase, Iberville, where his devotedness,
zeal, and piety have gained for him the universal esteem and affection
of his flock. His finer qualities, however, are known only to a few—his
fellow-priests and the religious under his spiritual direction—by whom
he is regarded as a model worthy of copying, and as a tender and loving
pastor. Father St. Georges has been distinguished throughout his
priestly career for the important part and interest he has taken in the
education question. Finding on his arrival at St. Athanase, that the
good Sisters of the Congregation de Notre Dame had established a convent
there, he spared no sacrifice in aiding and seconding them in their
noble efforts. For a long time it was his ardent wish to procure for the
boys of his parish a suitable educational establishment; but it was not,
however, until 1885 that this grand project was fully realized. In that
year he had the happiness of seeing opened a Commercial College under
the direction of the Marist Brothers, whose Mother-House is at St.
Genis-Laval, France. The success which has already attended the scheme
does credit to its promoter and principal supporter. At present it has
about two hundred externs and fifty boarders. Father St. Georges’ life
has been replete with all those noble virtues and fine qualities so
often met with in the priesthood, and we hope he will be long spared to
bless humanity.
* * * * *
=Burrill, William=, Merchant, Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, was born at Drumbo,
near Belfast, Ireland, on 30th June, 1802. He was the second son of
Henry and Rosanna Burrill, and came to Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, in the
year 1834, where he at once engaged in mercantile business which he
successfully pursued until 1869, when he retired. During his lifetime he
greatly distinguished himself for his zeal in the cause of temperance.
He took a leading part in the organization of the first Division of the
Sons of Temperance in Yarmouth, and was the second Grand Worthy
Patriarch of the order in Nova Scotia. He was elected a member of the
National Division of North America in the year 1851. He held the office
of warden of the municipality of Yarmouth in 1857, and the following
year was appointed a justice of the peace. He was a Liberal in politics,
and a Presbyterian in religion. He died at Yarmouth, on the 9th April,
1883, greatly regretted by his fellow citizens, among whom he was held
in high esteem. He was married to Catherine Sullivan, of Halifax, N.S.,
on the 28th of November, 1839.
* * * * *
=Charland, Hon. Justice Alfred N.=, B.C.L., St. John’s, Quebec. This
gentleman, who was raised to the bench of the province of Quebec, as one
of the judges of the Superior Court, in November, 1887, was born at
Iberville, province of Quebec, on the 28th May, 1842. He is a son of
late Joseph Charland, merchant, of the same place, one of the oldest
settlers of the county of Iberville, province of Quebec, and who was
married to Elmire Duquette, of Chateauguay, sister of the renowned
Joseph Duquette, a young patriot who was executed in 1838, when only
twenty-two years of age, for being one of the “Sons of Liberty,” an
order that existed at the time of the Canadian rebellion. This lamented
young martyr for the cause of liberty was a supporter and bosom friend
of the celebrated Papineau. Judge Charland was educated in St. Hyacinthe
College. He studied the profession of law in the office of the late Hon.
Charles Laberge and L. G. Macdonald, Q.C. (Laberge & Macdonald), in St.
John’s, province of Quebec, and was subsequently a student in the office
of Sir A. A. Dorion, now chief justice of the Court of Queen’s Bench. He
received his degree of B.C.L. from McGill University, when Judge
Torrance, Edward Carter, Q.C., and the Hon. R. Laflamme were his
professors. He was admitted to practice in September, 1863, and settled
at St. John’s, where he edited _Le Franco Canadien_ for two years, and
commenced an extensive practice with E. S. Paradis, Q.C. In 1878 Mr.
Charland was offered the judgeship of the quarter sessions for Montreal,
by the Joly government, in the place of Judge Coursol, a position which,
though honorable, he declined. The same year he was appointed Queen’s
counsel by the Quebec government, and in 1886 had this distinction
confirmed upon him by the governor-general in council at Ottawa. He was
for several years actively engaged in politics, and fought the battles
of the Liberal party till he joined the Conservatives as a protectionist
and a partisan of the ruling policy of his friend, the Hon. J. A.
Chapleau, then premier of Quebec province. Mr. Charland has particularly
distinguished himself as a criminal lawyer, having for several years
occupied the position of Crown prosecutor in the district of Iberville,
and when not so employed has been entrusted with the defence in all the
important cases which came up before the assizes of that judicial
division. He obtained great success in several murder cases. He is
considered as an authority on criminal matters. He is also acknowledged
to be one of the most eloquent and forcible speakers in the province of
Quebec, and perhaps the most correct and eloquent of our French orators.
As such he has taken an active and prominent part in numerous political
contests throughout the province, and greatly contributed to the success
of his friends in many electoral strifes. The St. John’s _News_ of the
18th November, 1887, thus kindly speaks of him on the occasion of his
elevation to the bench:—
News was received in St. John’s last Friday that Mr. A. N.
Charland, Q.C., of this place, had been appointed judge of this
district, in place of the Hon. Mr. Justice Chagnon, resigned.
While general regret was expressed at the resignation of the
latter gentleman, the appointment of Mr. Charland as his
successor gave the most unqualified satisfaction to our
community at large, and even many of those who had recently been
most strictly opposed to him on political ground, were among the
first to congratulate him on his preferment. We do not hesitate
to say that Judge Charland will be an honor to the bench. Years
ago he distinguished himself at the bar as a gifted pleader and
as a clear, incisive, and brilliant reasoner. Along with a
dignified and polished manner, he possesses that _savoir faire_
which so greatly adds to the charm of an intellectual man, and
is so especially becoming to the occupants of high positions.
Judge Charland first married, in 1865, Aglaë Ouimet, sister of the Hon.
Justice Ouimet. His second marriage was to Mary Lareau, of St. John’s,
eldest daughter of L. Lareau, manufacturer, proprietor of the St. John’s
foundry, and for a long time a councillor of said town.
* * * * *
=Lefebvre, Guillaume=, Waterloo, P.Q., was born at Laurenceville, in the
province of Quebec, on the 19th of February, 1856. He was educated at
the Knowlton academy, afterwards taking a course at Bryant & Stratton’s
business college, in Montreal. He was in the lumber trade from 1873 to
1877, with his brother, Joseph H. Lefebvre, and then bought him out. His
business as lumber dealer and furniture manufacturer, at Waterloo,
Quebec province, has continued to increase, and is now in a most
prosperous condition, employing a large number of hands. He was married
on the 16th of June, 1885, to Alphonsine Maynard, of St. John’s, Quebec,
and they have one child.
* * * * *
=McIlwraith, Thomas=, Hamilton, Ontario, Coal Merchant, and the leading
Ornithologist in Canada, was born in Newton, Ayr, Scotland, on the 25th
of December, 1824. He received an ordinary education at the schools
there, and early in 1846 went to reside in Edinburgh, where he remained
till about the close of 1848. Returning at that time to his native town,
he remained there till the latter part of 1853, when he arranged to come
to Hamilton, Canada, to superintend the gas works of that city. In
October of that year he married Mary, daughter of Bailie Hugh Park, a
friend of his school days, and he and his bride landed in Hamilton, on
the 9th November, 1853, at a point very near the property he has since
purchased, and where he now resides with his family. He remained in the
position of manager of the gas works till 1871, when he bought the
Commercial Wharf, with the coal and forwarding business then being
carried on by John Procton, and has since continued to carry on this
business in the same premises. He has been successful in business, and
has brought up four sons and three daughters, the youngest of the
family, K. C. McIlwraith, who partakes largely of his father’s love of
nature, being now attending the University in Toronto. In politics Mr.
McIlwraith has always been a Liberal, but he has never taken an active
part in political contests. Since attaining manhood he has been a member
of the Presbyterian church. He has held many prominent positions in the
directorate of banks, insurance companies, etc., and was for many years
president of the Mechanics’ Institute, and in 1878 represented the ward
in which he resides in the city council. But it is as a naturalist that
he is best known in Canada. Possessing from early childhood a strong
love of nature in all its forms, the insects, plants, and specially the
birds of Scotland were familiar to him at an early age. His first summer
in Canada was therefore to him the entrance to a new world. The liberty
of roaming at will through the woods without such restraints as exist in
older lands; the new and varied forms of plant and bird life which he
met were a continual source of delight, and made an impression which
time has not been able to efface. His attention was now specially
directed to the birds, and there being no published books to serve as
guides to the identifying of the species he might find here, he prepared
a paper on the subject, with a list of such birds as he had obtained,
and read it before the Hamilton Association, which was organized about
that time for the study of scientific subjects. The list appeared in the
_Canadian Journal_ for July, 1860, and the paper in the same journal in
January, 1861; they attracted the attention of ornithologists in the
United States, and in 1865 he prepared, by request, an extended list of
birds observed near Hamilton, which list appeared in the proceedings of
the Essex Institute for 1866. During the years that succeeded, the study
still occupied many of his spare hours, and was the subject of
occasional notes to the magazines. In 1883 he attended by invitation a
meeting of the leading ornithologists of the United States. This
meeting, which was held in the library of the Central Park Museum, New
York, was called to consider and revise the classification and
nomenclature of American birds, resulted in the organization of the now
well-known American Ornithologist Union, of which he had thus the honor
of being one of the founders. In this connection he was appointed
superintendent of the district of Ontario for the migration committee of
the union, and did considerable work in appointing observers throughout
Ontario to note the arrival and departure of the migratory birds. There
being still a want of a suitable text book for beginners in the study of
ornithology, he was urged by many to give the public the benefit of his
knowledge on this subject. This he did in a book of 300 pages, in which
upwards of 300 species of birds, with their nests, eggs, etc., are
minutely and correctly described, the MS. of which he presented to the
Hamilton Association. Sir William Dawson has highly spoken of it, and
Dr. S. P. May, superintendent of Mechanics’ Institutes and Art Schools
for Ontario, says:—“I have carefully examined the ‘Birds of Ontario,’
by Mr. McIlwraith, superintendent of the district of Ontario for the
migration committee of the American Ornithologist Union. It contains a
most graphic description of Canadian birds, their habits, nests and
eggs, and distribution, and will be of valuable assistance to persons
interested in the study of natural history. I may mention that, as an
ornithologist, I have frequently been associated with Mr. McIlwraith
during the past twenty-five years, and I consider him to be one of the
most practical and best authorities on Canadian birds on this continent.
The book should be in every mechanics’ institute and public library in
this country, and I have great pleasure in recommending it for that
purpose.” Mr. McIlwraith’s strong love of the subject led him at an
early date to preserve and mount his own specimens. His thorough
knowledge of the attitudes of the birds when in life enabled him to do
this most successfully, and he has now one of the largest, if not the
largest, and best prepared private collections in the Dominion. And what
is more, he is always pleased to show it to those interested. He has
confined his attention chiefly to birds of Britain and America, but has
also a few from the far off islands of the sea.
* * * * *
=Fiske, Edward=, Lumber Merchant, Joliette, Quebec, was born at
Abbotsford, Quebec province, on the 5th September, 1841. His parents
were Ebenezer Fiske and Eliza Bradford. He was educated in his native
place, and received a sound commercial education. Adopting commerce as a
profession, he was very successful, and is now possessed of large means.
He holds land property in Montreal and St. Jerome, and at the latter
place has a hardware store, conducted under the firm name of Treffle,
Cote & Co., and in which a paying business is done. He is also owner of
two saw mills in which a large quantity of lumber is shipped to the
Montreal and other markets in Canada. In Joliette he has erected a
handsome block of buildings, known as the “Fiske Block,” and this has
turned out a good investment. In short Mr. Fiske may be classed among
what some people call the “lucky ones,” but we are rather inclined to
the belief that his luck has come from close attention to business, and
making the most of favorable circumstances as they presented themselves,
rather than from what he could not control. He went to Montreal in 1860,
and was employed in a wholesale hardware store until 1865, and from
there he went into the cotton business in Georgia and Florida for two
years, and then returned to New York state, where he continued business,
and remained until 1869, and since then at Joliette. Last year (1887)
Mr. Fiske crossed the Atlantic, and visited Glasgow, London, Belgium,
Germany, Switzerland, France, etc.; during those travels he was very
observant, and picked up a store of useful information. On the 2nd
October, 1867, he was married to Emma E. S. Elliott, daughter of John
Elliott, wholesale grocer, Montreal.
* * * * *
=Barry, Denis=, B.C.L., Barrister, of Montreal, takes rank among the
most distinguished Irishmen of Canada. Born in the city of Cork in the
year 1835, he, early in life, emigrated from Ireland to America with his
father, James Barry, who is still living at Rockwood, Ont. The Barry
family is one of the oldest in the south of Ireland, and has furnished
many brave and able men to the army and navy, the bench and the bar, and
the other liberal professions of the United Kingdom. The father of the
American navy, Commodore Jack Barry, belonged to that branch of the
Barry family from which the subject of this sketch is descended. His
mother, Hannah Kelleher, was a daughter of Captain Kelleher, who served
with distinction in the service of the Hon. East India Company. Mr.
Barry began his education at the common school and continued his studies
at Rockwood Academy. Subsequently he went through a classical course at
Regiopolis College, Kingston, Ont. Studied theology for some time at the
Grand Seminary and at Laval University, and law at McGill University,
where he graduated as B.C.L. Entered the volunteer service of Canada as
lieutenant in the St. Jean Baptiste Company, Montreal, M. W. Kirwan,
captain, in 1877; was promoted to the captaincy of the same company and
remained in command thereof till the corps was merged in the 85th
battalion, when he retired, went through the Military School, Montreal,
and obtained the certificate that entitled him to his rank. Is now joint
fire commissioner for the city of Montreal. Has been president of St.
Patrick’s Society of Montreal, for four years consecutively. Is
past-president of the Young Men’s Reform Club of Montreal. Has taken an
active part in political contests, both provincial and federal; also in
municipal affairs, having been an unsuccessful candidate for alderman in
St. Ann’s Ward, Montreal, in 1882. Mr. Barry is of the same faith as his
forefathers—a Roman Catholic—and has never changed his religious
views. Mr. Barry had experience of backwoods life as a settler on a free
grant farm on the Hastings road in 1856, at that time one of the wildest
parts of Upper Canada, but now a beautiful and prosperous region. He
also engaged in the lumbering business for some time on the York branch
of the Madawaska river, Ontario; subsequently he was engaged in the
crown lands office, on the Opeongo road, with Mr. T. P. French, now
post-office inspector, Ottawa district. Since his adoption of the
profession of the law, Mr. Barry has resided at Montreal, where he has
achieved a very high position. He is particularly noted as a _nisi
prius_ practitioner, and has conducted a large number of famous cases
successfully. As a speaker, Mr. Barry is not surpassed at a bar
distinguished for the oratorical abilities of its members, while, in his
addresses before popular audiences, he comes up to the best standard of
the times. Personally, the writer of this sketch can bear testimony, he
is one of the most genial and kind-hearted of men. Ever foremost in all
good works, and as the champion of his less fortunate countrymen, Mr.
Barry is endeared to all who know him, and beloved in all the relations
of home and friendship. He married, in 1869, Kathleen, daughter of the
late Michael Morgan, merchant, of Sorel, P.Q., a lady distinguished as
much for amiability and goodness as for her charming personality. The
union has been blest with a large family.
* * * * *
=Pettit, Rev. Charles Biggar=, M.A., Rector of Cornwall, was born at
Grimsby, Ontario, in 1827. His father, Andrew Pettit, was an honest and
successful farmer, a leading churchman and a tory of the old school. His
grandfather was a United Empire loyalist, and one of the first settlers
in the township of Grimsby. He was educated at King’s College, Toronto,
graduated at McGill College, Montreal, and was ordained from the
Diocesan Theological Institution, Cobourg, by the first bishop of
Toronto. His first mission was that vast field lying between Guelph and
the northern shores of Lake Huron—then almost a dense wilderness, now
thickly settled and studded with churches. In 1852 he was admitted to
priest’s orders, and appointed to Burford, in the county of Brant. In
1855 he was presented to the rectory of Richmond, in the county of
Carleton, where he ministered for more than twenty-two years, and where
he took an active part in the educational work of the county, and with
what success an address presented to him in 1877 by one hundred and four
leading men of the city of Ottawa and of the county of Carleton,
accompanied by a large purse, only slightly indicates. In 1877 he was
presented to the rectory of Cornwall, and also to a canonry in St.
George’s Cathedral, Kingston, and shortly after appointed rural dean of
Stormont. The most interesting event to the public in his parochial
career at Cornwall was the consecration of the Bishop Strachan Memorial
Church, which partook of a state ceremony and was attended by his Honor
J. B. Robinson, lieutenant-governor, who read the _mandate_; by the Hon.
George A. Kirkpatrick, speaker of the House of Commons; by the clergy of
the town, by the judges, the sheriff, the mayor and members of the town
council, and by a very large number of parishioners. In 1852 he married
Helen Clara, only daughter of the late Colonel Thomas Parker, of
Belleville, by whom he has three sons and five daughters.
* * * * *
=Dunbar, James=, Q.C., Quebec, is one of the leading members of the
Quebec bar, at which he has been a successful practitioner for upwards
of thirty years. As his name indicates, he is of Scottish extraction.
His father, the late Ferguson Dunbar, was paymaster of the 74th
Highlanders, and married while serving with his regiment in Ireland,
where our subject was born in the year 1833. Educated in the Gosport
Naval Academy, and other well-known schools of the United Kingdom and at
the Quebec High School, Mr. Dunbar turned his attention early in life to
journalism, and for a time was editor of the Quebec _Morning Chronicle_,
then the leading daily of the ancient capital. The period was one of
great political excitement in Canada. The public mind was agitated by
questions of such burning importance as the secularization of the clergy
reserves, and the abolition of the seigniorial tenure in Lower Canada.
As a journalist at the head of one of the chief newspapers of the day,
Mr. Dunbar not only distinguished himself as a terse, critical and
vigorous writer, but as such did much to shape the course of events and
of legislation. He always, however, evinced a taste for the law, and
after occupying the editorial chair of the _Chronicle_ with marked
success for about five years he gave up newspaper life to devote himself
to the study of Blackstone and Pothier. In his new profession he made
rapid headway under the tuition of the late Mr. Secretan, a well-known
practitioner at Quebec, and at the age of twenty-two was duly called to
the Lower Canada bar, when he formed a partnership with Mr. Secretan,
which subsisted until the latter’s death. Thenceforward his success was
assured, but it was not won in a day. Gradually the talented and
energetic young lawyer worked his way, not only in public estimation,
but into the front ranks of the profession, and in 1873, simultaneously
with his commission from England as registrar of the Vice-Admiralty
Court at Quebec, he received from the Dominion government one of the
great objects of professional ambition, the silk gown of a Queen’s
counsel, in recognition of his abilities and standing at the bar. These
were further acknowledged in 1878 by his appointment as Crown prosecutor
for the district of Quebec. In this prominent and responsible position,
which he filled with general acceptance down to 1887, he distinguished
himself as much by his humanity as by his ability, and his name remains
honorably connected with the administration of criminal justice in
Quebec, and with all the cases of importance which were tried before the
courts of the ancient capital during a period of nine years. Always
conspicuous for his sound judgment, thorough knowledge of the law and
keen perception of the intricacies of the case, his manner of examining
witnesses was especially admirable, his questions being always to the
point and put in such a way as to bring out the needed answer even from
the most reluctant witness in the box, while his addresses to the jury
were always clear, precise and remarkable not only for their logic but
for their skill in sifting and summarizing evidence. He is a good
speaker, his manner being pleasing but forcible, and his deportment
always gentlemanly. As an exponent of maritime law he is admitted to
have few equals at the bar of Canada. In 1875 his colleagues of the
Quebec bar paid him the compliment of electing him their _bâtonnier_,
and he has been for some years chairman of the board of examiners of law
students. A churchman of broad views, he has been a delegate to the
diocesan and provincial synods of the Church of England, in which
capacity he has always maintained his own. His masonic record is
prominent. He has filled all the principal offices of the craft in the
Blue lodge, and is now a past grand principal of the Grand Chapter of
Royal Arch Masons of Canada, and past grand master of the Grand Lodge of
Quebec. In 1862 he married Emma Amelia, daughter of James Poole, jr., of
the Commissariat department, Montreal, and by her has had issue a son
(who is now also a Quebec barrister and LL.M. of Laval University), and
two daughters. Mr. Dunbar is an indefatigable worker, estimable as a
citizen and agreeable and cordial in manner. He has never entered public
life, but his politics are understood to be moderate Conservative.
* * * * *
=Meek, Edward=, Barrister, Toronto, was born in the village of Port
Stanley, Ontario, on the 27th December, 1845. His father, James Meek,
came to Canada at the early age of three years with his parents, in
1817, from Ballymena, North of Ireland, and they settled in the same
year in Talbot district, and took up a large tract of land near Port
Stanley, being one of the earliest pioneers of that part of the country.
At the time of Edward’s birth his father was conducting a foundry, which
he carried on successfully for a number of years; but owing to a
disastrous conflagration, which destroyed the whole of the extensive
establishment, he returned to his farm again, on which he has remained
till the present time. Edward received his early education at the Port
Stanley school, and afterwards at the Grammar School, St. Thomas. After
leaving school, at the age of seventeen, he was granted a certificate to
teach, which occupation he followed for three years. He then accepted a
position as bookkeeper in a grain warehouse, at which he continued for a
short time only; but thinking a short journey among strangers would
improve his prospects, he went to Boston and engaged with the publishing
house of a prominent firm there. After a short sojourn he returned to
London, Ontario, and there commenced the study of law. In 1873 he
removed to Toronto, where he continued his studies and finished his law
course in the office of Harrison, Osler and Moss, three gentlemen who
afterwards became distinguished judges. He was called to the bar of
Ontario in the spring of 1874, and he then formed a partnership with the
Hon. John O’Donohoe, which continued for three years, when it was
dissolved. He then opened an office of his own until he formed a
partnership with William Norris, of Woodstock, which lasted till Mr.
Norris returned to Woodstock. In 1877 he commenced to take an active
part in the politics of the country, and especially in the promotion of
the national policy; in fact he was one of the originators of the work,
and travelled over Ontario assisting in the formation of political
organizations to enable the government to carry their national policy to
a successful issue. He continued from that time to take an active part
as one of the leading political writers and speakers on the platform
until the winter of 1884, when he and a number of other politicians
conceived the idea of forming a coalition government for the province of
Ontario, their object being to do away with partyism in the local
legislature. Others were brought into the scheme who were impatient of
the slow method of bringing about the change by argument, and thought
that a sufficient number of the members of the legislature could be
secured by offers and promises to at once defeat the Mowat government,
when the coalition could be immediately formed during the spring session
of 1884. The plans were disapproved of by the originators of the idea,
but the hot heads could not be kept under control, and the public know
the result of the unfortunate conspiracy case which sprung from it,
involving those more actively concerned in the long and tedious
investigation and prosecution before a Royal commission and in the
criminal courts. The Royal commission brought in a divided report, which
the house never acted upon. The verdict of the jury in the criminal
court, in the trial of May, 1885, acquitted the accused. Since that time
Mr. Meek has devoted himself strictly to the practice of his profession
in Toronto, and the promotion and formation of joint stock and other
companies. Mr. Meek was joined in marriage on the 30th June, 1873, to
Anna Margaret McBride, daughter of Samuel McBride, of London, Ontario,
by which union they have issue two sons and one daughter. Mr. Meek and
family are members of the Church of England.
* * * * *
=Smith, Andrew=, F.R.C.V.S. (Eng.), Principal of the Ontario Veterinary
College, Toronto, is a native of the “Land o’ Burns,” having been born
in Ayrshire, Scotland. He received his early educational training in
Dalrymple, his native parish, and going to Edinburgh, entered the
Veterinary College of that city, where he passed a brilliant course of
study, carrying off the highest honors, and five medals. He graduated in
1861, and after coming to Canada settled in Toronto, where he has since
led a busy professional life. He is the founder and principal of the
Ontario Veterinary College, Toronto, and consulting veterinary surgeon
of the Board of Agriculture of Ontario. For three years Professor Smith
occupied the position of president of the Caledonian Society of Toronto;
was worshipful master of St. Andrew’s lodge of A. F. & A. M. during the
year 1874-5, and is a director of the Industrial Exhibition of Toronto.
He is also a member of the executive committee of the Toronto Jockey
Club, and master of the Toronto Hunt. In religion Mr. Smith is a
Presbyterian.
* * * * *
=Guy, Michel Patrice=, Notary Public, Montreal, was born at Montreal on
the 18th May, 1809. He is a son of Etienne Guy and Catherine Valée. The
Guy family is probably the oldest family in the Dominion, being
descended from the French Count, Guy de Montfort, a general in King
Charles’ army of France, and close relation to the king. The first of
the family to leave France was Pierre Guy, who came to Canada at the
commencement of the seventeenth century, and married Madame de la Lande
in November, 1723. He entered the army as an ensign, under M. de
Beauharnois, who had succeeded de Vaudreuil in the government of New
France, where he served with great distinction. He advanced rapidly,
being made captain in 1748, and greatly distinguished himself at
Louisburg. He died April, 1748. Pierre Guy, his eldest son was born at
Ville-Marie (Montreal,) 11th December, 1738, and educated at the
Jesuits’ College and the _Petit Séminaire de Quebec_. Having a great
aptitude for science, he was sent to France to complete his course; when
he returned to Canada, war was then going on with England. He entered
the army under General de Montcalm, and took part at Oswego and Fort
William Henry in the series of brilliant victories which should always
render his name dear to Canadians. He also took part in the battles of
Carillon and Montmorency, where he was greatly praised for his martial
ardor and bravery. He was also at the battle of the Plains of Abraham,
which was fatal to the French. He returned to France after the
capitulation of Montreal, where he remained until 1764, when he returned
to Canada. After some time he again took up the sword against General
Montgomery. He was made lieutenant-colonel of the militia, and a few
years afterwards, in 1802, was made colonel. He died in January, 1812.
Pierre was buried with military honors by the militia as well as by the
49th regiment, which was then garrisoned in Montreal. Louis Guy was born
on the 28th June, 1768, studied law, and obtained from Sir Robert Shore
Milnes a commission as notary in 1801. In recognition of past services,
Lord Aylmer named him notary to his Majesty (Royal notary) in 1830, a
position now abolished. When the second American invasion came, he took
arms against the enemy. He was then major of the 5th battalion of
militia, and as a recompense for his great military services, Sir James
Kempt appointed him colonel of the militia for the county of Montreal.
On the 23rd February, 1837, through the representations of Sir James
Kempt, William IV. summoned him to the Council. He was most intimate
with Lord Aylmer, who often spent days with him at his house, which was
surrounded with the largest gardens then in Montreal. He died at
Montreal in February, 1840. Hippolyte Guy, son of the Hon. F. Guy and
Dame J. Curot, was born in Montreal on the 3rd July, 1800, and was
educated for the law. He held a great reputation as a jurisconsult, and
was made judge of the Superior Court. Louis Guy, eldest brother of the
above, entered the British army as lieutenant in the 81st regiment of
the line. This command was given him by the Duke of Wellington, in
consideration of his bravery at Chateauguay, where, as captain of the
_Voltigeurs_, he commanded the advance posts. Years before entering the
British army he served in France in the body guards of Charles X. During
some time he was made deputy adjutant-general of the militia of Lower
Canada, in conjunction with the Hon. Juchereau Duchesnay. This charge
being abolished, he was recalled to his regiment, then garrisoned at
Trinidad, in the West Indies. He was hardly returned when he was
attacked with yellow fever, and died on the island of St. Kitts, on 27th
March, 1841. He had served with great distinction in Spain and Malta,
and at the time of his death held the rank of major. The officers of his
regiment erected a large monument to his memory. His eldest sister
married Colonel de Salaberry. Michel Patrice Guy was educated at
Montreal College, where he received a classical education, and
afterwards studied law. He was admitted to the practice of the notarial
profession on the 5th May, 1831. He became lieutenant-colonel in the
10th battalion Montreal militia during the troubles of 1837. He was one
of the promoters of the Montreal wharves, and one of the founders of the
Montreal College. A street, extending over a mile in length, running
through the breadth of the city of Montreal was named after him, and is
now known as Guy street. Mr. Guy was seriously wounded during the
Gavazzi riots in Montreal. He was standing some distance away from the
rioters when he was struck by a ball in the leg, and it was a question
of life or death with him for a long while afterwards, being confined in
his bed for fourteen months. Mr. Guy possesses one of the finest
collections of old family parchments and documents, as well as many
important letters. In politics he is a Liberal, and in religion a member
of the Roman Catholic church. He was married on the 19th of December,
1869, to Dame Julie F. Schiller, sister of the late Charles E. Schiller,
clerk of the Crown. His two sons, E. C. P. and G. L. H. Guy, are the
only remaining members of the family in Canada.
* * * * *
=Thompson, David=, Northwest Pioneer Geographer.—The late Mr. Thompson
was born in the parish of St. John, Westminster, England, the 30th
April, 1770. He was educated at the “Blue Coat School,” London, and was
perhaps for a short time a student at Oxford. When about nineteen he
must have entered the service of the Hudson’s Bay Company, as in
October, 1789, his journal opens at the company’s establishment at
Cumberland House. An account of various journeys and surveys in the
Northwest Territory of Canada then follows to May 23, 1797, when he left
the service of the Hudson’s Bay Company and entered that of the
North-West Company. After a number of explorations he started on foot,
February 25, 1798, with a dog-team to connect the waters of the Red
River and the Mississippi, thence over to Lake Superior. On April 27th
he reached Turtle Lake, from which flows “Turtle Brook,” which he states
to be the source of the Mississippi, since it is from here that the
river takes the most direct course to the sea. Thus to this
indefatigable, but hitherto almost unknown, geographer, belongs the
honor of discovering the head waters of that great river. The first who
is stated to have travelled through the country north of Red Cedar Lake
was J. C. Beltrami, an Italian gentleman, who accompanied Major Long’s
expedition as far as Pembina. He ascended Bloody (Red Lake) River to Red
Lake, and from thence followed Thompson’s route to Turtle Lake, whence
he descended the Mississippi to its mouth. This was in the summer of
1823, nine years after Thompson had recorded his discoveries on his map
of the North-West Territories of Canada in 1813-14, now in possession of
the government of Ontario. On May 10th he reached Fond-du-Lac House, two
miles and a half up the river from Lake Superior. From here he surveyed
the south shore of Lake Superior, arriving at the Falls of Ste. Marie on
May 28th. After several journeys in the interior, we find him at Isle à
la Crosse, where he was married June 10, 1799, to Charlotte Small, a
young girl who had not yet entered her fifteenth year. After many very
interesting explorations he re-surveyed the northern shore of Lake
Superior in August, 1812. Before October of the same year he had arrived
at Terrebonne, in Lower Canada, where he took up his residence and spent
the two following years in preparing a map of Western Canada for the
North-West Company, on a scale of about fifteen miles to an inch, from
the observations he had made and the places he had visited during the
previous twenty years. From 1816 to 1826 he was engaged in surveying and
defining the boundary line, on the part of Great Britain, between Canada
and the United States. In 1834 he surveyed Lake Francis. In 1837 he made
a survey of the canoe route from Lake Huron to the Ottawa river, and a
few years later he made a survey of Lake St. Peter. His last years were
spent either in Glengarry county, Ontario, or in Longueuil, opposite
Montreal, where he died on the 16th of February, 1857, at the age of
nearly eighty-seven years. His wife survived him by only about three
months. They are both buried in the Mount Royal Cemetery, Montreal. He
died in extreme poverty, and it was due to the kindness of some of his
old friends that he received a Christian burial. H. H. Bancroft, who has
collected very many interesting details about the old travellers and
traders in the west, gives the following account of his personal
appearance:—“David Thompson was an entirely different order of man from
the orthodox fur trader. Tall and fine-looking, of sandy complexion,
with large features, deep-set, studious eyes, high forehead and broad
shoulders, the intellectual was well set upon the physical. His deeds
have never been trumpeted as those of some of the others, but in the
westward exploration of the North-West Company no man performed more
valuable service or estimated his achievements more modestly.”
* * * * *
=Davie, George Taylor=, Levis and Quebec, is one of the prominent
figures in the shipping trade of the port of Quebec, and few men of his
day have done more to promote it, as well as to lessen the perils
incidental to the navigation of the St. Lawrence. He was born in the
city of Quebec, in the year 1828. His parents were both English—his
father being the late Alison Davie, master mariner, of Yarmouth,
England, and his mother Miss Taylor, daughter of the late George Taylor,
of Shields, who came to Canada in 1811, establishing himself at Quebec,
and was for many years a leading ship-builder at that port. In 1827, Mr.
Taylor, acting under instructions from the Earl of Dalhousie, then
governor-general of Canada, built at his yard in Quebec, a splendid
gun-brig or frigate named the _Kingfisher_, for the Imperial naval
service. The Quebec _Gazette_ of the 17th May, 1827, reporting the
launching of this vessel three days previously, and the ceremonial on
the occasion, referred in the most commendatory terms to the beauty of
its model, and to Mr. Taylor’s skill and enterprise as a shipwright,
mentioning also the presentation to him, by the governor-general, of a
magnificent silver cup as a memento of the event. This precious
_souvenir_, which is of massive silver, and valued at £40 sterling,
bears the arms of the Dalhousie family and a suitable inscription, and
is surmounted by a cover the handle of which is formed by a beautifully
chiselled figure of the unicorn. The whole is encased in a handsome
mahogany box, and preserved as a cherished heirloom in the family of Mr.
Taylor’s descendants, being now in the possession of his grandson, G. T.
Davie, the subject of this sketch. The _Kingfisher_, which carried
eighteen guns, was afterwards sent to England under the command of
Captain Rayside, who was, later on, deputy harbor-master at Quebec, and,
still later, harbor-master of Montreal. Mr. Davie was educated at Gale’s
boarding school, at St. Augustin, some twenty-five miles from Quebec,
but was taken early from school to learn the trade of the shipwright.
Arrived at the age of manhood, he went into the shipbuilding business on
his own account, and successfully built a large number of ocean vessels,
as well as river, tug and passenger boats; he came into possession of
the patent slip at Levis, opposite Quebec, on the death of his father,
who, in 1832, first introduced it, which bears his name, and which has
proved of such immense advantage to the shipping trade of the St.
Lawrence. This valuable convenience he still runs in connection with his
floating docks and the wrecking business, in which he has been engaged
with the greatest success for some years. Indeed it is no exaggeration
to say that Mr. Davie’s improved appliances for raising and saving
wrecks, and his skill and enterprise in that line, have been the means
of rescuing millions worth of property from total loss in the river and
gulf of St. Lawrence, and fairly constitute him a public benefactor.
Among the more important property of this kind which he has snatched
from destruction on Anticosti, St. Pierre, Miquelon, and elsewhere, may
be mentioned the steamships _Corean_, of the Allan line, _Vendolana_,
_Warwick_, _River_, _Ettrick_, _Colina_, _Douro_, _Amaryllis_,
_Titanic_, and _Lake Huron_. In some instances the salvages of these
vessels was a real feat of skill and daring without parallel in the
history of the wrecking business on the St. Lawrence, and Mr. Davie can
fairly lay claim to the title of the most successful of Canadian
wreckers. The first vessel to be docked and repaired in the new graving
dock was the s. s. _Titania_, which Mr. Davie had successfully hauled
off Anticosti, where it would have been otherwise doomed to destruction,
having been condemned by surveyors and bought from underwriters by him.
The execution of the repairs to this vessel, also by Mr. Davie, further
proved that work of this magnitude can now be done as well in Canada as
on the Clyde. Indeed, Mr. Davie has erected at the Levis graving dock
repair shops, as complete in all respects as the best on the other side
of the Atlantic, and the shipping trade of the St. Lawrence has been
thus provided with an important and long needed facility which must tend
to its increase and prosperity. In other respects, also, Mr. Davie is
known as a public-spirited citizen. He has served for about ten years in
the town council of Levis as the representative of Lauzon ward, and is a
large employer of labor on that side of the river. On the 3rd of
September, 1860, he married Mary Euphemia Patton, daughter of the late
Duncan Patton, of Indian Cove, in his day one of the great lumber
merchants of Quebec, and by her has issue a number of children, who are
still in their teens. He has travelled considerably in Canada, England,
and the United States, but always on business.
* * * * *
=Kenny, Thomas Edward=, M.P. for the County of Halifax, N.S., was born
in Halifax city on the 12th October, 1833. He is the eldest son of the
Hon. Sir Edward Kenny, knight, former member of the Queen’s Privy
Council for Canada. There were two young Irishmen, Thomas and Edward
Kenny, natives of county Kerry, who came to Halifax in 1824, and there,
four years later, established the wholesale dry goods house of T. & E.
Kenny. Sir Edward Kenny was born in 1800, and married, in 1832, Anne,
daughter of Michael Forrestall. He and his wife are still living in
green old age. He has been for sixty years a leading representative of
the Catholics in Halifax, having been mayor of the city, twice president
of the Charitable Irish Society (the great Irish social organization of
Halifax), a director of the Union Bank, and also of the Merchants Bank
of Halifax, and a commissioner for signing provincial notes. He sat in
the Legislative Council for twenty-six years, during eleven of which he
was president of that body. Upon the forming of Sir John A. Macdonald’s
first government under confederation, in July, 1867, Sir Edward Kenny
was sworn in a privy councillor, and appointed receiver-general in the
ministry. He held this office until October, 1869, when he was
transferred to the presidency of the privy council. He retired from the
cabinet in May, 1870, when he was appointed administrator of the
government of Nova Scotia. He was created a knight by her Majesty in
September, 1872. He never represented a constituency in the House of
Commons, but sat in the Senate from 1867 to 1870, when he resigned.
During all these years he and his brother Thomas carried on the dry
goods business, and on retiring from its management placed it in the
hands of T. E. Kenny, under whom it has grown and prospered. Thomas
Kenny built himself a handsome residence on the borders of Bedford
Basin, not far from the Duke of Kent’s classic lodge. It has recently
been sold to a corporation for the use of the ladies of the Convent of
the Sacred Heart, Spring Garden road, Halifax. The subject of this
sketch was educated at Stonyhurst College, the great educational
institution of the Jesuits in England, and also spent some time at St.
Servais College, at Liege, in Belgium. Having finished his studies and
his travels for that time, Mr. Kenny returned to Halifax, and assumed a
position in the dry goods business. Of late years he has been
extensively interested in shipbuilding, which he carried on in the
counties of Kings, Hants, Colchester, Pictou and Cumberland. He was
especially interested in shipbuilding with Alfred Putnam, of Maitland,
the popular M.P. of Hants county. In 1866 he had built in England the
iron ship Eskasoni, of 1,715 tons. A branch of the firm’s business is
carried on in London, England, under the management of F. C. Mahon. In
dry goods the firm does an extensive wholesale trade at their massive
granite emporium at the corner of Granville and George streets, Halifax,
employing a large staff of clerks and other employés, and keeping a
number of travellers on the circuit in the maritime provinces. Mr.
Kenny, like his father, is a man of great geniality, wit and
common-sense. He has been president of the Charitable Irish Society, and
is president of the Merchants Bank of Halifax, the bank doing, perhaps,
the largest business in the city, excepting the Bank of Nova Scotia. He
has been a warm friend of many new industries, having taken a prominent
part in starting the N.S. Cotton Manufacturing Co., of which he is a
director, as well as a large stockholder in the sugar refinery. When,
two years ago, there was a disposition on the part of some of the
shareholders to sell out the refinery and wind up the concern, Mr. Kenny
took an active part in organizing a new company, and was instrumental in
securing to Halifax the advantages of this great industry. Mr. Kenny is
a director of the North Sydney Marine Railway Co.; a trustee of the
Western Counties Railway Co.; and a member of the Royal Commission on
Railways. His brother and business partner, Edward Kenny, was one of
those Halifax merchants who were lost in the _City of Boston_, the Inman
liner, which left Halifax in the early part of 1869, and was never
afterwards heard of. Another of the family is a member of the Society of
Jesus, who began life as a successful lawyer, but entered the
priesthood. The youngest brother, Jeremiah F. Kenny, does business in
Halifax as an insurance agent. A sister of theirs is the wife of M.
Bowes Daly, ex-M.P. for Halifax county, and another is mother superior
of the Convent of the Sacred Heart, Halifax. T. E. Kenny was married in
New York, on the 2nd of October, 1856, to Margaret Jones, daughter of
the Hon. M. Burke, of New York. He has several children and
grandchildren. His eldest son, Captain Kenny, was an officer in the
Halifax battalion which served during the Northwest rebellion in 1885.
Mr. Kenny resides at a charming residence, called Thornvale, on the
banks of the North-West Arm, about three miles from his warehouse in the
city, and it is a lovely spot in summer, having abundant facilities for
boating and bathing. Here, in the enjoyment of every beauty of wave and
sky, surrounded by luxuries of every description, and furnished with
everything that conduces to comfort and repose, the busy merchant and
politician takes his ease. In the _rôle_ of politician Mr. Kenny,
through the absorbing nature of his commercial pursuits, has never until
lately taken a prominent position, but he has made his influence, though
silently, none the less powerfully felt in the sphere of politics for
many years. He has repeatedly been offered the nomination as
standard-bearer in the House of Commons of the Halifax Conservatives,
but, until the nomination was forced upon him, on the eve of the general
election of February, 1887, never accepted. As a well-known Catholic in
the city, his approbation of measures affecting his co-religionists has
always been sought. He and John F. Stairs were the government
candidates, and were opposed by such well-known and experienced men as
the Hon. A. G. Jones, ex-minister of militia, and H. H. Fuller. The vote
stood—Jones, 4,243; Kenny, 4,181, defeating Stairs, 4,099; Fuller,
4,098. Thus Messrs. Jones and Kenny represent Halifax county. Mr. Kenny
distinguished himself during the campaign by his unfailing good nature,
cheery Irish wit and great good judgment. In the Commons the same useful
qualities have secured for him general respect and esteem. Although
getting up in years, Mr. Kenny is possessed of a tall form and
commanding presence, and enjoys vigorous health. He has probably many
years ahead of him, during which honors and emoluments will be heaped
upon him. Electors voted for Jones and Kenny because, according to the
popular cry, they were the best men, quite independently of their
political leanings. Few, if any, counties in the Dominion are better
represented in parliament than Halifax, N.S.
* * * * *
=Rose, George Maclean=, Printer and Publisher, Toronto. A writer in “The
Scot in British North America,” says that Mr. Rose has been so long and
prominently associated with the development of Canadian literature that
his name may well be introduced in this connection. He was born in Wick,
Caithness-shire, Scotland, on the 14th of March, 1829, and learned the
printing trade in the office of the _John O’ Groat Journal_. A year
after he had attained his majority the family settled in Canada. He
entered the employ of the late John C. Becket, of Montreal, who was then
engaged in the publication of the Montreal _Witness_ and other journals.
After the death of his father, which took place in 1853, the care of the
family devolved upon him. The means at his command were but scanty, but
in partnership with his elder brother, Henry, he started a small
job-printing office, in Montreal, and by strict industry and economy
they obtained a fair measure of success. In 1856 they dissolved
partnership, George having become convinced that Western Canada offered
more scope for his energies than Montreal. In connection with John Muir
he established the _Chronicle_, in the village of Merrickville, but he
did not remain there any length of time. Among his other engagements
about this period, was that of city editor of the London _Prototype_. In
1858 he came to Toronto as manager of the printing office of Samuel
Thompson, for whom he published the Toronto _Atlas_, started in
opposition to the _Colonist_, which had taken ground adverse to the
government of the day. Mr. Thompson having obtained the contract for
government printing, Mr. Rose was assigned to take the management of the
office in Quebec, whither he removed in 1859. This arrangement did not
long continue. Mr. Thompson found himself unable financially to carry
out his contract alone, and a company was organized for the purpose,
including Mr. Rose and Robert Hunter, an experienced accountant. Mr.
Thompson retired from the business altogether soon afterwards, leaving
it to the new firm of Hunter, Rose & Co., who completed the contract and
secured its renewal. On the removal of the seat of government to Ottawa
in 1865, the firm of course followed. A large and lucrative business was
soon built up, and in 1868 a branch was established at Toronto, the firm
having secured a ten years contract for the printing of the Provincial
government. In 1871 their relations with the Dominion government
terminated, and the business was consolidated in Toronto. The firm now
entered extensively into the business of publishing Canadian reprints of
English copyright books, principally the popular novels of living
writers, for which a ready market was found. The firm honestly
compensated the authors whose works they reproduced, although this of
course placed them at a disadvantage as compared with the piratical
publishers of the United States. Another and probably a greater service
to the intellectual progress of the country rendered by this
enterprising firm, was the publication—at first for others, but
latterly at their own risk—of the “Canadian Monthly,” the last and by
far the best literary magazine ever issued in this country. This venture
unfortunately did not prove pecuniarily successful, and though sustained
for many years with a liberality and public spirit highly creditable to
the publishers, was at length discontinued. In 1877 the death of Mr.
Hunter left Mr. Rose the sole member of the firm, and a year afterwards
he took his brother, Daniel, into the concern, the well-known firm name
being still retained. Widely as George M. Rose is known to the Canadian
people as a successful and enterprising publisher, he has acquired a
still more extensive reputation by his unselfish exertions in the cause
of temperance and moral reform. A life-long total abstainer and
prohibitionist, he has taken an active part in temperance work in
connection with various organizations. He has attained the highest
offices in the gift of the Sons of Temperance in the Dominion, having
been several times chosen to fill the chair of grand worthy patriarch of
the order both in Quebec and Ontario, and has also held the second
highest position conferrable by that order for the whole continent,
having been most worthy associate of the National Division of America.
His heart and purse are always open to the appeals for the advancement
of the Temperance cause, which he regards as being of vastly more
importance than mere party issues. Though a Liberal, politically, he
regards all public issues from the standpoint of Temperance reform.
Personally Mr. Rose is genial, sociable and unassuming. As his career
shows, he has abundant business capacity, and the enthusiasm which forms
so strong a feature of his character is well regulated by a fund of
practical common sense. For a number of years Mr. Rose has been an
active member of the Board of Trade. In 1881 he was elected
vice-president of the board, and the following year (1882) was chosen
president. On the expiration of his term of office, in 1883, he was
elected treasurer, and has been annually re-elected to fill this office
ever since. For a number of years he has also been a director of the
Ontario Bank. In politics Mr. Rose is a prohibitionist, and in religion
a Unitarian. In 1856 he was married to Margaret C. J. L. Manson,
daughter of the late William Manson, farmer, Oxford county, and has had
a family of ten children—nine of whom survive, six sons and three
daughters.
* * * * *
=LaRocque, Basile=, M.D., St. John’s, province Quebec, was born at
Chambly, January 10th, 1813, of the marriage of Joseph Henry LaRocque, a
respectable and intelligent farmer of that locality, having for wife a
Miss Lafontaine, allied to the same family which has furnished to the
country the Hon. Sir Louis H. Lafontaine, whose political _rôle_ belongs
to history, and whose career at the bar was sufficiently brilliant to
make him chief justice of the Queen’s Bench for the province of Quebec.
Dr. LaRocque is the third son of a family of seven brothers, of whom the
eldest became the distinguished bishop of the diocese of St. Hyacinthe,
P.Q. The doctor completed his classical course at the College of St.
Hyacinthe, in 1828. Among the number of his schoolfellows was Louis
Antoine Dessaulles, a man of talent, a remarkable writer, author of
several works, legislative councillor under the union, and afterwards
registrar for the Crown for the district of Montreal at the end of his
career in this country. His course terminated, the doctor began his
medical studies under Dr. Vimbler at Chambly, and at Marieville under
Dr. Davignon, who played a notable part in Canadian politics, but
removed from there to the University of Vermont, at Woodstock, then in
great repute owing to its scientific professors. He ultimately settled
at Burlington, where he was prosperous and successful. On the 1st July,
1837, our subject successfully passed his examinations at Quebec, and
was admitted to the practice of medicine. He commenced his medical
career at St. John’s, but in a short time left there and settled at
Acadie, where his brother was then curate and afterwards became bishop.
Here he lived for thirty years, occupying at different periods many
prominent positions of trust and confidence, such as justice of the
peace, school trustee, judge of summary causes, etc., etc., and being
offered on several occasions by the leading men of the parish and of the
county of St. John’s, parliamentary candidature. The doctor preferred a
calm, quiet life, practising his profession for the love of science and
duty, and passing his leisure time in the contemplation of nature and
its beauties. After the decease of one of his best friends, Dr. Wright,
he was persuaded by many who fully appreciated his talents to settle at
St. John’s in 1871, where, notwithstanding his advanced age, he
continued the practice of his profession, alike attending poor and rich,
through all the inclemency and rigor of a trying climate, and bringing
hope and comfort to many weary sufferers by his kind, genial manners.
Dr. LaRocque refused on several occasions the honor of being a professor
of the School of Medicine at Montreal, his modest tastes leading him
rather to charitable acts and the pursuit of an unostentatious, useful
life. The doctor married at Acadie, on the 18th January, 1843, Melanie
Quesnel, eldest daughter of Dr. Quesnel, brother of the celebrated
lawyer, Hon. Auguste F. Quesnel, barrister, etc., and an old member of
the Legislative Council under the union. Of this marriage there were
sixteen children, of whom seven are living. One died in holy orders, and
two daughters as nuns. The eldest surviving son is Dr. Henry LaRocque,
practising at Plattsburg, where he holds an enviable position among his
American _confrères_, enjoying a splendid professional reputation;
Emile, a doctor at Malone; Alphonse, surgeon dentist at Worcester; and
Joseph, a doctor at Biddeford; Marine Hector, apothecary at St. John’s,
P.Q.; and William, manager and proprietor of a large commercial house in
St. John’s. Dr. Basile LaRocque is one of those men whose capabilities
and talents have shown themselves in spite of his humility of character
and modest tastes. Those who bear his name have reason to be proud of
it.
* * * * *
=Black, Thomas R.=, Amherst, Nova Scotia, M.P.P. for Cumberland county,
was born at Amherst, 16th October, 1832. His paternal grandfather was a
native of England, having been born there in 1727, and emigrated to Nova
Scotia in 1774, where he married the daughter of a U. E. loyalist. Mr.
Black, the subject of our sketch, received his education in the Grammar
School in Amherst, and after leaving school turned his attention to
farming and other business pursuits. He first entered the Legislative
Assembly in July, 1884, having been returned by acclamation to fill the
vacancy caused by the retirement of C. J. Townsend, who had been elected
to represent Cumberland county, in the House of Commons at Ottawa. On
the dissolution of the Legislative Assembly in May, 1886, Cumberland was
one of the few constituencies in which the question of the repeal of the
federal compact was not an essential element in the campaign; the
contest was, therefore, run on personal grounds, and at the close of the
poll the popularity of Mr. Black was evinced by the large number of
votes that had been given him. The votes stood thus: T. R. Black, 2,083;
R. L. Black, 2,064; G. W. Forrest, 1,939; C. J. McFarlane, 1,855; and G.
B. Wilson, 341. Mr. Black is a justice of the peace. That he is
public-spirited, we have only to point to the handsome block of
buildings he has lately erected in his native town. The first stone
building erected at Amherst was the passenger station of the
Intercolonial Railway, built by the Dominion government in 1867; the
second the Dominion building, containing the public offices, built by
the government in 1886; but the first erected by private enterprise is
that now under notice. It has a front of 100 ft., is 60 ft. deep, and
has three stories above basement, including Mansard roof, the whole
height being 50 ft. The material used throughout is dark red sandstone
from the quarry of A. B. Black, two and three quarter miles distant. It
is of a darker shade than that in the Dominion building, and from tests
at Ottawa and Boston has been pronounced to have, in addition to its
admirable appearance, all the requisites for a first-class building
stone, as it is easily worked, durable, and fire-resisting. The whole
work was done by day’s work under the immediate superintendence of the
owner and of his son, William, the latter spending all his time at the
building and the quarry; and the judicious manner in which he managed
the erection of derricks, hoisting of stone, and general supervision
being specially noteworthy in one so young. It is considered that if the
work had been let in the ordinary way the building would have cost
$30,000 or upwards, but Mr. Black, by taking two years to build it, was
able with his resources to construct it for a considerably smaller sum.
It is the good fortune of Amherst to have citizens like Mr. Black. The
value of building property in town, purchased, built and improved by him
within the last few years must be about $45,000. He too takes a deep
interest in farming and stock-raising enterprises, and has imported a
good number of valuable Hereford stock into his county, which has
benefited the community greatly. Mr. Black is a staunch temperance man,
and strong advocate of all movements that have for their object the
elevation of his fellow men. In politics he is a Liberal, but not an
avowed follower of any party. “Measures before Party” is his motto. He
was married on the 20th March, 1860, to Eunice, daughter of the late W.
W. Bent, who, during his lifetime, was a member of the Provincial
parliament.
* * * * *
=MacMahon, Hon. Hugh=, Toronto, Judge of the Supreme Court of Judicature
for Ontario, Common Pleas Division, is of Irish descent, and was born in
Guelph, Ont., the 6th March, 1836. The progenitors of the family were
originally from Monaghan, in Ireland, and in the troublous times of the
last of the reigning Stuarts, a number of MacMahons held important
positions in their native country. Colonel Art Oge MacMahon, besides
holding a military command, was King James II.’s lord-lieutenant for the
county Monaghan; while Hugh MacMahon, great-granduncle of the subject of
this present sketch, was lieutenant-colonel of Gordon O’Neil’s
Charlemont regiment of foot. This crack corps, upon its reorganization,
after the Treaty of Limerick (1691), took service in France with the
famous “Irish Brigade.” Reverses of fortune having impoverished the
family, Mr. MacMahon’s father came to Canada in 1819, from Cootehill,
county Cavan, Ireland, and settled in the Niagara district. He brought
with him an excellent library of classical and mathematical works; and,
as he possessed high attainments as a classical scholar, he opened
school at Grimsby, where many of the youth of the western section of
Upper Canada were prepared for the professions. Mr. MacMahon, senior,
was one of the earliest appointed provincial land surveyors, and made
the preliminary surveys of many of the townships in the lately formed
province. His wife, who still survives him, and is now in her 91st year,
is Anne MacGovern, a relative of the late Bishop MacGovern, of the
county of Cavan. In 1853, Hugh MacMahon, our present subject, then in
his seventeenth year, entered the Board of Works department of Canada,
of which the Hon. H. H. Killaly was at the time commissioner, and was
placed on the staff of Colonel W. B. Gallaway, C.E., as second assistant
engineer. In this capacity Mr. MacMahon took part in making surveys and
in preparing estimates for the projected Ottawa Ship Canal between
Ottawa and Aylmer. He was also engaged in the surveys and plans for the
Chats Canal, and was one of the resident engineers during the time these
works were under construction. In 1857, when the monetary crisis of that
year compelled the government to relinquish the latter undertaking, and
when civil engineering was much depressed by the stoppage of public
works, Mr. MacMahon left the service of the department, though strongly
urged to remain at Ottawa by the chief of the staff. The next year,
having become a matriculant of the Law Society, we find him in the law
office of Thomas Robertson, Q.C., then practising in Dundas. Pursuing
the legal profession, he was called to the bar in 1864, when he entered
into partnership with his brother, Thomas B. MacMahon, late judge of the
county of Norfolk, then practising in Brantford. Five years afterwards,
on the elevation of the late John Wilson to a judgeship of the Court of
Queen’s Bench, Hugh MacMahon removed to London, Ontario, where, in a few
years, he built up the largest and most lucrative legal business in the
west. His universally acknowledged acquirements as a commercial lawyer,
sound judgment, and scrupulous honor brought him the confidence of the
mercantile community throughout the country, and he became the solicitor
and trusted adviser of many large firms. In 1876 he was created Queen’s
counsel by the Ontario government, and in 1885 the Dominion ministry
paid him a like high honor. Mr. MacMahon’s talents as an advocate won
for him a successful career at the bar, and he has been retained as
counsel in some of the most important civil and criminal cases before
the courts. In 1877 he was retained by the Dominion government as
leading counsel in the arbitration between the Federal government and
the province of Ontario, in the protracted dispute over the western and
northern boundaries of the province; and in the following year he argued
the case before Sir Edward Thornton, British minister at Washington, and
the Hon. Sir Francis Hincks, arbitrators for the Dominion, and Chief
Justice R. A. Harrison, who represented Ontario. Their award, as our
readers are aware, settled the western boundary of the province. In
1884, Mr. MacMahon was associated with Christopher Robinson, Q.C., and
went to England as one of the counsel for the Dominion, when the
boundary question was submitted to the judicial committee of Her
Majesty’s Privy Council. The decision of this body, it is a matter of
history, virtually confirmed the award of the previous arbitrators. We
now come to a notable incident in Mr. MacMahon’s professional
career—his retention as counsel for the prisoners in the celebrated
Biddulph tragedy case. This _cause célèbre_, it will be remembered,
arose out of the revolting murder of five members of the Donnelly
family, residing in the township of Biddulph, when no less than fifteen
persons were arrested for alleged complicity in the affair, though but
five of them were subsequently prosecuted. Mr. MacMahon was retained as
counsel on behalf of the prisoners, who, in 1880, were indicted by the
grand jury for murder. Subsequently the Crown, deeming the evidence
against James Carroll stronger than against the other prisoners, he was
first brought to trial. The first jury disagreeing on their verdict,
application was made for a change of venue, owing to the intense
excitement over the tragedy at London; but this was refused. Carroll was
again placed on his trial before a special commission, composed of two
judges, and the proceedings extended over a week. The excitement was
still intense; the court-room was thronged daily by great crowds of
people; while representatives of the leading journals came from the
chief cities to report the proceedings. The chief incidents of the early
days of the trial were the skilful cross-examination of the Crown
witnesses by Mr. MacMahon, which resulted in breaking down much of the
case against the prisoner. The interest culminated in Mr. MacMahon’s
singularly able speech for the defence, which created intense excitement
in the court-room, and was favorably commented on by the legal
profession and the press of the country. The Toronto _Mail_ thus
referred to the speech:—“Mr. MacMahon rose to address the jury at 1.40
p.m., and as he took his stand in front of the jury-box, the silence of
death fell upon the immense concourse assembled in the court-room. The
address, which lasted for over two hours, was a fine effort. It was not
characterized by any remarkable flights of eloquence, nor did the
learned counsel try to play upon the feelings of the jurors. It was,
however, a clear, concise and able argument, which left a deep
impression.” The _Globe_, portraying the scene in the court-house prior
to the address of the counsel for the defence, said: “Long before the
half-hour’s intermission had been brought to a close the corridors of
the courthouse were packed with an excited throng, eagerly pressing
forward to gain admission to the court-room, which was already so
densely crowded that not another could be admitted. The scene inside the
court-room was one long to be remembered. It was not the seats alone
that were crowded. The steps leading to the bench, and every vacant
chair within the bar was occupied, while more than half of the standing
room in the aisles were occupied by ladies.” The same journal in the
course of a lengthy report of the speech, observes: “When the judges
took their places on the bench, after the adjournment, Mr. MacMahon rose
to address the jury on behalf of the prisoners. The most absolute quiet
reigned throughout the court-room, and after the learned counsel for the
defence had uttered his first few sentences the crowded court-room was
so hushed that one might almost have heard the fall of a pin. For two
hours the learned and eloquent gentleman enchained not only the
attention of their lordships and the jury, but the vast throng in the
crowded court-room. The address was not what would be called a flowery
one, but it was earnest, eloquent and exhaustive. Not a point that could
be made to tell in favor of the prisoner was overlooked, while the most
favorable and plausible construction was put upon those points that bore
hardest against him. During a part of the address the prisoner sat up in
the dock and listened attentively, while his sister seemed to devour
every word that fell from the speaker’s lips. . . . The learned counsel
for the defence closed his very able and eloquent address with a solemn
and pathetic appeal to the jury on behalf of the prisoner. . . . The
efforts of the defence had been a series of masterpieces, throughout the
long trial; but it was felt that with the eloquent and exhaustive
_résumé_ of the evidence by Mr. MacMahon, these efforts had come to a
close, and that nothing remained as an offset to what the Crown had to
present.” The prisoner was acquitted, and the scene in the court-room
and in the vicinity of the court-house was indescribable. Speaking of
the memorable trial, another Toronto journal subsequently remarked: that
Mr. MacMahon’s address to the jury “is still remembered as one of the
most brilliant efforts of oratory ever heard within the walls of London
court-house.” While a resident of London, Mr. MacMahon was mainly
instrumental, in connection with Colonel James Shanly, in founding the
Irish Benevolent Society in that city, of which both gentlemen, at
various times, were president. This successful national society has been
conducted irrespective of creed, and has been of the greatest possible
good, in allaying religious prejudices and in softening religious
rancour among the Irish residents of the Forest City. At the general
elections of 1872 Mr. MacMahon unsuccessfully contested the City of
London, for a seat in the House of Commons, against the Hon. John
Carling; and again in 1878 he was a candidate for the County of Kent,
against Rufus Stephenson, the then sitting member, but was defeated. Mr.
MacMahon removed to Toronto at the close of the year 1883, where he
successfully practised his profession. His wide legal experience,
forceful and pleasing manner in addressing juries, and great natural and
acquired abilities, made him one of the leading _nisi prius_ lawyers on
the western circuit. On the 30th November, 1887, he was appointed judge
of the Supreme Court of Judicature for Ontario, Common Pleas Division.
Outside of his profession, Judge MacMahon is a man of very considerable
culture and much fondness for art, his judgment as a _connoisseur_ of
paintings being frequently appealed to. His collection of paintings has
been much admired, and indicates a highly educated taste. In 1864 Mr.
MacMahon married Isabel Janet, eldest daughter of the late Simon
Mackenzie, of Belleville, by whom he has two sons.
* * * * *
=Ryan, Hon. Patrick George=, Caraquet, N.B., M.P.P. for Gloucester
county, was born at Bathurst, N.B., 9th May, 1838. He is of Irish
descent, his parents having come from the Emerald Isle many years ago.
Hon. Mr. Ryan received his early education at the Grammar School in
Bathurst. After finishing his studies he went into business as a
manufacturer of leather, for the preparing and tanning of which Caraquet
possesses exceptional facilities. The town is situated on an inlet of
Baie des Chaleurs, forty-eight miles from Bathurst. It is one of the
most important fishing stations in the Dominion. The lighthouse on
Caraquet Island, at the entrance to the harbor, exhibits a fixed white
light fifty-two feet above the level of the sea. Bathurst, Mr. Ryan’s
native place, is the shire town of Gloucester county, and is situated on
Bathurst Bay, a well-sheltered sheet of water, three and a half miles
long and two miles wide, opening into Baie des Chaleurs. Here an
extensive trade in the salmon fishery is carried on. The Intercolonial
Railway runs near the town. Hon. Mr. Ryan has for many years been a
leading man in his constituency, and is one of the county magistrates.
He has also held the position of warden of the municipality of
Gloucester, and has been chairman of the pilotage commission for the
district of Caraquet. He began political life in February, 1876, when he
was elected to the House of Assembly. Mr. Ryan exhibited in the house
the same forcible business qualities which had caused him to be
respected outside. At the general election of 1878 he was again
nominated, and was a second time elected. At the general election, held
15th June, 1882, he contested his constituency for the third time with
success. His great natural abilities, and his long experience as a
parliamentarian, now entitled Mr. Ryan to a share of honors, and, on the
3rd of March, 1883, he was appointed a member of the Executive Council
and chief commissioner of the board of works. He was considered to be so
sure of his seat in the house that when he went to his constituency no
opposition was offered to him, and he was re-elected by acclamation,
26th March, 1883. Hon. Mr. Ryan, as a departmental officer, amply
fulfilled the expectations formed of him by the premier and
attorney-general, Hon. A. G. Blair. The latest general election was held
26th April, 1886, and the government returned from the country unbroken.
Messrs. Young and Ryan, the sitting members, were opposed by such strong
candidates as T. J. McManus and T. Blanchard; but the former won easily,
the vote standing—Young, 1,212; Hon. P. G. Ryan, 1,177; defeating
McManus, 988; Blanchard, 835. Hon. Mr. Ryan is a staunch Liberal, and
believes in progressive measures. He married, 26th January, 1862,
Margaret, daughter of John Murphy. While yet in the prime of life,
possessed of a good private business, and well to the fore in political
position, he has probably still many years of usefulness ahead of him.
The north shore of New Brunswick, with its extensive forests and
fisheries, will come up as a manufacturing centre. Financial reverses
have to some extent, during the last few years, hindered the prosperity
of the country, but with the increase of railways and the consequent
diversion of travel in this direction, will come a new era of commercial
and industrial activity. Such men as Hon. P. G. Ryan are the backbone
and life of the country.
* * * * *
=Wainwright, William=, Assistant Manager Grand Trunk Railway, Montreal,
like not a few of the prominent railway men of North America, is a
native of England. He was born in a city which, from its situation and
industrial and commercial importance, could not fail to be closely
associated with whatever was most enterprising in the British railway
movement of from forty to fifty years ago. It was not surprising that a
young man of ability and ambition should be early attracted to a branch
of business which had prizes for those who could win them. Mr.
Wainwright, born on 30th of April, 1840, was not quite eighteen when he
entered the service in January, 1858. He applied himself diligently to
the tasks assigned him, and that he succeeded in mastering them in all
their details was shown by the successive steps of promotion of which he
was deemed worthy by his superiors. He began as junior clerk in the
chief accountant’s office, but in due time rose to the positions of
senior clerk, secretary to assistant-general manager, and general
manager of the road with which he was connected. That line was the
Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway, which traverses a most
important portion of central England. In 1862, Mr. Wainwright came to
Canada and obtained a position on the Grand Trunk. For a year, he served
as senior clerk in the accountant’s office. Then he was appointed
secretary to the managing director, and in that capacity he continued
for three years. We next find him filling the office of senior clerk in
the manager director’s department, and taking charge of the car mileage.
Thus passed six years more, and then Mr. Wainwright became general
passenger agent. As such he was widely known and gave general
satisfaction as well to his colleagues and superiors as to the public
that had dealings with him. He remained in that position for upwards of
eight years, until in May, 1881, he received the appointment of
assistant-manager, the duties of which he still so ably discharges. Mr.
Wainwright was also general manager of the North Shore Railway, from
April, 1883, until the transfer of that line to the Canadian Pacific
Railway. Mr. Wainwright is highly esteemed in private life, being as
agreeable in social intercourse as he is assiduous and conscientious in
the discharge of his official duties.
* * * * *
=Rose, Hon. Justice John E.=, LL.D., Toronto, one of the Judges of the
Court of Common Pleas, was born at Willowdale, county of York, on the
4th of October, 1844. His father, who came from the vicinity of
Kingston, was born in 1806, and is at the present time the oldest
Methodist minister in Canada, and was long and favorably known to the
denomination as the manager for many years of the Methodist book concern
in Toronto. His mother, who belongs to the Street family, was a native
of the Niagara District. Judge Rose received his early education at the
Dundas Grammar School, and after a successful academic course at
Victoria College, Cobourg, graduated there in 1864. Making choice of law
for his profession, he diligently pursued his studies in the offices of
Ross, Bell & Holden, of Belleville, and of Patterson, Beaty, & Hamilton,
of Toronto. In 1866 he took his degree in law, and in the following year
was called to the bar of the province. He commenced the practice of his
profession in Toronto, and was soon successful in building up a large
and remunerative business, the firm ultimately including five partners
and giving employment to about a score of clerks. In 1881 he obtained
his silk gown as Queen’s counsel, and with this merited honor and the
enhanced professional status, came increase of business and the
continued confidence of a large and rapidly extending circle of clients.
He was specially retained by Parkdale to procure from the railway
committee of the Privy Council an order for the construction of the
sub-way on Queen street, which was the first order of the kind made
under the Act, and was obtained in spite of the opposition of four
powerful railway companies. Mr. Rose was equally successful in
conducting the well-known case of Moore v. the Mutual Insurance Company
which eventually was decided in the plaintiff’s favor by the Imperial
Privy Counsel; and in other important suits of a commercial character
his professional abilities have won him deserved honors. From an early
age he took a deep interest in the affairs of the Methodist church, and
became an active and zealous worker in its ranks. He was at first
connected with Elm street Church, Toronto, but on the erection of the
Metropolitan Church he associated himself with those who were the
founders of that edifice, and on Dr. Punshon’s departure for England he
became an official member and trustee of the Metropolitan Church, and
the recording secretary of the board. Mr. Rose is also a member of the
Senate of Victoria University, in whose affairs he takes a warm
interest, and in 1886 that university conferred upon him the honorary
degree of LL.D. In 1883 the Dominion government appointed him to a
judgeship in the Common Pleas Division of the High Court of Justice for
Ontario, rendered vacant by the elevation of Mr. Justice Osler to the
Court of Appeal. The appointment gave universal satisfaction to the
profession, by whom the learned judge is held in high esteem, for to
this elevated and honorable position on the bench of his native province
Mr. Rose brought eminent abilities, a well read, judicial mind,
industrious and pains-taking habits, and a ready faculty of discerning
the essential points of a case and of soundly determining the law. In
not a few of his charges to juries he has shown himself a wholesome and
stern moralist, and determined to exercise for good his high position on
the bench. Judge Rose was a Liberal Conservative in politics. In 1868 he
married Kate Macdonald, of Toronto, by whom he has three children.
* * * * *
=Macallum, Archibald=, M.A., LL.B., Hamilton, Ontario, was born in the
parish of Killmichell, Argyleshire, Scotland, on the first day of
August, 1824. His parents were Donald and Mary Macalpine Macallum. He
was the third son and the eighth child in a family of eleven. When he
was about six years of age he came with the other members of the
household to Canada, and after a short delay settled in East Hawkesbury,
county of Prescott. He was, during the first fourteen years of his life,
a healthy, active boy, full of life and spirits, and always cheerful and
hopeful. But at the end of that period he had a severe attack of
inflammation of the lungs, which, owing to the heroic treatment then in
vogue, permanently weakened his constitution and probably laid the
foundation of the disease that caused his early and lamented death.
During Mr. Macallum’s boyhood he spent a number of years in attending
school and working at intervals on the farm. The facilities for securing
an education were, in those days, and in that locality, very limited.
The schools in the country sections were of an inferior character, and
books were difficult to obtain, but by availing himself of every
opportunity of securing tuition, and perseverance in private study, he
was enabled, at a comparatively early age, to fit himself, in some
measure at least, for the profession of a teacher, and taught for a few
years in his own vicinity with acceptance and success. Sometimes, in
order to keep ahead of his more advanced pupils, he was compelled to
study with great diligence in the intervals of school work, but he then
formed the habit of constant progress in the search for knowledge which
remained with him for life. He was always advancing in his attainments,
and never satisfied with the progress he had made. Once only did he
yield to the restlessness and love of change that characterize the
average boy. He tried for one winter the life of a lumbering man, and
went to Quebec on a raft during the following summer; but that life was
not to his taste, and he returned to the work of teaching. When the
Normal School at Toronto was about to be opened, the late Dr. Ryerson
proposed that each county council should send one student, who, after
taking the Normal course, at the expense of the council, should return
and illustrate and apply, in a sort of model school, the principles he
had learned in the provincial institution. In accordance with this
suggestion, the council of the counties of Prescott and Russell arranged
for an examination of candidates for this purpose to be held at
L’Orignal. Mr. Macallum was advised to attend this examination. He
succeeded in the competition, and was sent as the leading student of his
county to Toronto. He was one of the earliest pupils of the Normal
School, immediately took a high position, and obtained the first
first-class certificate ever granted by the Educational department of
Upper Canada. He was soon appointed to the position of principal of the
Provincial Model School in connection with the institution in which he
had received his training. Nothing could more fully show the high esteem
in which he was held by the instructors of the school, and by Dr.
Ryerson, who at that time took a direct personal interest in the welfare
of the Normal and Model Schools. It is worthy of remark that Mr.
Macallum’s high sense of honor would not allow him to accept the
distinguished office offered him until he had received the full
permission of the Prescott county council, and pledged himself to refund
all advances made by them on his behalf. He entered upon his duties as
principal with his usual energy, and from the first the Model School was
a success. He secured the respect and affection of his pupils, and
received many tokens of their esteem. He remained in Toronto until the
year 1858, when he removed to Hamilton to take charge of the public
schools in that city. He was principal of the Hamilton Central School
until the passing of the Educational Act of 1874, when he became Public
School Inspector. For twenty years he remained at the head of the school
system of Hamilton, and the marked progress of the institutions under
his care gave evidence of the ability and assiduity with which his
important duties were prosecuted. He died in the midst of the people in
whose service he had spent the richest and ripest years of his life. The
flags flying at half-mast in every part of the city, the distinguished
cortege that followed his remains to their last earthly resting-place,
and the resolutions of sympathy sent to his widow from all the leading
societies, told of the esteem in which he was held. Hamilton mourned for
him as for an honored father. Mr. Macallum’s career as a student kept
pace with his work as an educator. In 1864 he took the degree of B.A.,
in Toronto University; in 1866 he obtained his M.A., and in 1877 his
LL.B. As an author, Mr. Macallum occupied no mean place. His
publications were principally practical works on education. Several
valuable charts, some historical, and one relating to the animal
kingdom, were prepared by him. He was the author of a work on grammar,
and another on history, and in 1878 he published an English Literature
Primer, the merit of which was so universally recognized that in a
single year it ran through five editions. As a lecturer he met with
considerable success, choosing in almost every case scientific subjects.
As a citizen and a man of business Mr. Macallum’s abilities were known
and appreciated. He was a director of the Canada Fire and Marine
Insurance Company, the Canada Loan and Banking Co., the Hamilton Street
Railway Co., and The Hamilton Ladies’ College. In the several patriotic
and fraternal societies which draw men nearer to each other, and foster
brotherly feeling and national sentiment, Mr. Macallum found a worthy
place. As a Scotchman he had that love for his native land that
characterizes every good man and true. At the time of his death he was
the honored president of the St. Andrew’s Society in Hamilton. He was an
organizer, and chief, of the Caledonian Society. He was also a respected
member of Barton lodge, A. F. & A. M. His charities in connection with
these and other institutions were large, and so unostentatiously
dispensed, that their full extent was not known until after his death.
In politics Mr. Macallum was a Liberal. Though he held decided views on
many of the public questions of the day, he was moderate in expressing
them, and kind and considerate towards all who differed from him. He had
deep convictions of the responsibilities and duties belonging to good
citizenship, and he was never led by mere sentiment. He made up his mind
carefully on these as well as on other subjects, and was not to be moved
from his conclusions after having reached them. His piety was deep and
fervent, but undemonstrative. He was not the man to parade his cherished
emotions and experiences before a mixed multitude, yet with those of
kindred spirit he delighted to hold Christian fellowship. His parents
belonged to the Established Church of Scotland, in which communion they
remained to the end of life. Their son found his way, while yet a youth,
to a Wesleyan place of worship, and at the age of sixteen years, he
remained after the public service to a class-meeting led by the Rev.
Franklin Metcalf, and united with that church. To the day of his death
he remained a Methodist, and during his residence in Hamilton he held
the positions of class-leader, trustee, and steward, in the Centenary
Church. He was a consistent, earnest, and thoughtful Christian, and kept
himself unspotted from the world. His sympathies and efforts were not,
however, confined to his own communion, for every evangelical community
found in him a brother and co-worker. The esteem in which he was held by
the Christian public appeared in the fact that he was chosen as the
first Canadian delegate, with the Rev. Dr. Gibson (then of Montreal), to
the International Sunday School Lesson Committee from 1872 to 1879, the
year in which he died. His eminent literary abilities, his rich
scholarship, and his profound acquaintance with the word of God, made
him an exceedingly valuable workman in this important field. In
connection with these duties he visited New York, Baltimore, Chicago,
Indianapolis, Atlanta and New Haven. During the early part of Mr.
Macallum’s residence in Toronto, he married Maria, daughter of the Rev.
Ezra Adams. This union was a very happy one, though not of long
duration. Her early and unexpected death was deeply felt by him. Some
years after, in 1859, he married Mary Biggar, daughter of Herbert
Biggar, of Mount Pleasant, in the county of Brant. Mr. Biggar is still
living at the advanced age of more than eighty years. He was for some
years a member of the old Canadian parliament, and served his friends
nearer home for a length of time in the county council. Mr. Macallum’s
second marriage was an exceedingly happy one. Their home was one of
quiet comfort, made bright and beautiful by mutual kindness. All that a
wise and thoughtful affection could do to aid him in health and soothe
and comfort him during the lingering illness that took him away, was
done. His wife and five children survive him. Though he died at the
early age of fifty-five years, few names were so long and prominently
before the public as an educator. For more than thirty years he occupied
a position amongst the teachers of this province second to none. Largely
self-educated and self-developed, he was a bright example of what may be
done, with little or no aid from others. His life in the home, the
school, the church, and among his fellow-citizens was one of quiet
power. Few men did more for the educational interests of this country in
his day than he did. But his intellectual attainments and
accomplishments were rendered more influential by the unswerving
integrity of his life and the moral beauty of his character.
* * * * *
=Cooley, Rev. John W.=, Minister of Zion Tabernacle, Methodist Church,
Hamilton, was born in Toronto township, county of Peel, Ontario, on the
7th November, 1852. His parents were Thomas and Ann Cooley. The former
was born on one of the Channel islands, where his father, a British
soldier, was stationed about the date of the battle of Waterloo. He was
brought up near Belfast. His mother was a native of Fermanagh, Ireland,
and the family emigrated to Canada early in life. Mr. Cooley, senior,
was for many years a missionary agent of the American Tract Society
among the sailors on the Welland Canal, and was one of the most active
agents in securing the closing of the canal against Sunday traffic. Rev.
Mr. Cooley, the subject of our sketch, received his education chiefly in
the public and high schools in Thorold, under the Rev. John McNeely,
M.A.; Brampton High School, under John Seath, B.A., now High School
inspector; and in the Galt Collegiate Institute, under the principalship
of the late William Tassie, LL.D. In 1869 he became a public school
teacher in the Central School, Owen Sound. For five years he continued
in the profession, in different places, meanwhile prosecuting his
studies privately, and taking an examination for teacher’s certificate
each year. In the year 1873 he was appointed teacher of the Senior Boys’
School, Guelph. During this year his religious conversion took place,
and he became active in the work of the Methodist church and the Guelph
Young Men’s Christian Association, of which he was secretary. At the
beginning of the year 1874, at the request of the chairman of the
district, coupled with his own convictions, he accepted an appointment
as junior preacher on the Elora circuit of the Methodist church. His
subsequent appointments were, 1874-75, Listowel; 1876, Hamilton, Hannah
street Church; and in 1877, Stratford. In 1878 he was ordained and
stationed at Elmira, county Waterloo. Toward the end of his three years’
term a throat affection compelled his temporary retirement from the work
of the ministry. The greater part of the next two years (1881-82) was
spent in newspaper work, as a member of the editorial staff of the
Winnipeg _Free Press_. In October, 1882, on his complete restoration to
health, he resumed his ministerial work, being appointed to Jerseyville
circuit, near Brantford. Three years were spent thereon. In 1885 he was
appointed to Dunnville, and in 1887 to the pastorate of Zion Tabernacle,
Hamilton, where he now is. In August, 1878, he was married to Emily H.
Keeling, of Guelph, daughter of the late George M. Keeling, the founder
of the _Guelph Mercury_, who died in 1861. This lady was a highly gifted
musician, organist for many years, and subsequently choir leader as
well, of the Norfolk street Methodist Church, Guelph. She was a very
popular vocalist and was widely esteemed for her amiability, good
judgment and energy in social and church work. She died in April, 1885,
leaving two children, one of whom alone is now living. Rev. Mr. Cooley
is a very active and pronounced temperance advocate and prohibitionist,
and takes a deep interest in all other social movements.
* * * * *
=Young, Hon. James=, Galt, Ontario, is of Scotch descent, being the
eldest son of the late John Young and Jeanie Bell, natives of
Roxboroughshire, Scotland, who came to Canada, in 1834, and at first
took up their residence in the village of Dundas in the then Gore
District. Almost immediately afterwards the family were induced by the
Hon. Wm. Dickson to remove to Galt, and here Mr. Young engaged in
business and resided until his death in 1859. James Young, the subject
of this sketch, was born in Galt, on the 24th of May, 1835, and has ever
since resided there. He received his education in the public schools of
his native place; and at an early age displayed great fondness for
books, which he has kept up since. In his youth he had a predilection
for the study of the law, but finding he could not carry out this idea,
he chose printing as a profession, which he began to learn when he had
reached his sixteenth year. When only eighteen years of age, he
purchased the Dumfries _Reformer_, which he afterwards conducted for
about ten years. Under his management this paper attained a great local
influence, and in addition was the means of making Mr. Young well known
beyond the narrow limits of Waterloo county. During the earlier part of
the proprietorship, the political articles in the paper were written by
one of his friends, he himself taking the general supervision and
contributing the local news. Upon the completion of his twentieth year,
he took the editorial control, which he retained until 1863, when
finding his health not very robust, he sold out the _Reformer_, and
retired from the press for a while. He afterwards went into the
manufacturing business, and became the principal partner in the Victoria
Steam Bending Works at Galt, which he carried on successfully for about
five years. During his connection with the _Reformer_, Mr. Young had
necessarily taken a conspicuous part in the discussion of political
questions, and his paper was an important factor in determining the
results of several local contests. He frequently took the platform on
behalf of the Reform candidate, and was known throughout the county as a
ready and graceful speaker. He took a conspicuous part in municipal
affairs, and for six years sat in the town council; he was an active
member of the school board, and devoted a good deal of his time to
educational matters; and also took a special interest in commercial and
trade questions, on which he came to be regarded as a high authority. In
1857, the Hamilton Mercantile Library Association, having offered a
prize of fifty dollars for the best essay on the agricultural resources
of the country, Mr. Young carried off the prize. This essay was shortly
afterwards published, under the title of “The Agricultural Resources of
Canada, and the inducements they offer to British laborers intending to
emigrate to this continent,” and was most favorably received by the
public, and highly praised by the press. Eight years later (in 1865),
the proprietors of the Montreal _Trade Review_ offered two prizes for
essays on the Reciprocity Treaty, which was then about to expire, and
Mr. Young sent in a paper which carried off the second prize. His
success on this occasion led to his receiving an invitation to attend
the commercial convention held next year in Detroit, Michigan, and he
had the satisfaction of hearing on that occasion the great speech on
commerce delivered by the late Hon. Joseph Howe. He first entered
parliament in 1867, when he was elected by the Reform party of South
Waterloo, as their candidate for the House of Commons. This was the
first election under Confederation, and he was opposed by James Cowan, a
Reform Coalitionist, who was also a local candidate of great influence;
and in addition to this Mr. Young had to encounter a fierce opposition,
the late Hon. John Sandfield Macdonald, the Hon. William McDougall, and
Sir William Howland taking the field on one occasion on behalf of Mr.
Cowan. These formidable opponents were courageously encountered by him
single-handed, or with such local assistance as could be procured, and
he was returned by a majority of 366 votes. When parliament met in the
following November, he made his maiden speech in the House on the
Address. He also took a conspicuous part in the debates of the session,
and materially strengthened his position among his constituents. He was
twice re-elected by acclamation, first at the general election in 1872,
and again in 1874. Of the Mackenzie government he was a loyal and
earnest supporter throughout. He was chairman of the committee on public
accounts for five consecutive sessions, and after the death of Mr.
Scatcherd, became chairman of the house when in committee of supply.
Among his principal speeches in parliament, were those on the
Intercolonial Railway, the Ballot, the admission of British Columbia,
with special reference to the construction of the Pacific Railway in ten
years, the Treaty of Washington (which was unsparingly condemned), the
Pacific Scandal, the Budget of 1874, the Naturalization of Germans and
other aliens, and the Tariff question. Soon after entering parliament he
proposed the abolition of the office of Queen’s printer, and the letting
of the departmental printing by tender. This was ultimately carried, and
effected a large saving in the annual expenditure. In 1871 he submitted
a bill to confirm the naturalization of all aliens who had taken the
oaths of allegiance and residence prior to Confederation, which became
law. In 1873 he brought in a measure to provide for votes being taking
by ballot, and the government subsequently took up the question and
carried it. On two occasions the House of Commons unanimously concurred
in addresses to Her Majesty, prepared by him, praying that the Imperial
government would take steps to confer on Germans and other naturalized
citizens the same rights as subjects of British birth enjoy in all parts
of the world, the law then and still being that they have no claim on
British protection whenever they pass beyond British territory. In 1874
he proposed a committee and report, which resulted in the publication of
the debates of the House of Commons, contending that the people have as
much right to know how their representatives speak in parliament as how
they vote. At the election of 1878, chiefly through a cry for a German
representative, he was for the first time defeated. In the following
spring the general election for the Ontario legislature came on, and Mr.
Young was requested by the Reformers of the North Riding of Brant to
become their candidate in the local house. He at first declined, but on
the nomination being proferred a second time, he accepted it, and was
returned by a majority of 344. For many years Mr. Young’s services have
been in request as a writer and public speaker. He contributed
occasionally to the late “Canadian Monthly,” and has been a regular
contributor for many years to some of our leading commercial journals,
the articles being chiefly upon the trade and development of the
country. He has also appeared upon the platform as a lecturer upon
literary and scientific subjects. As a political speaker, he has been
heard in many different parts of the province, throughout which he now
enjoys a very wide circle of acquaintance. He has held and still holds
many positions of honor and trust. He is a director of the Confederation
Life Association; and of the Canada Landed Credit Company; has been
president and is now vice-president of the Sabbath School Association of
Canada; is president of the Gore District Mutual Fire Insurance Company;
was for eleven years president of the Associated Mechanics’ Institutes
of Ontario; and a member of the Council of the Agricultural and Arts
Association. A few years ago Mr. Young wrote and published a little
volume of 272 pages, entitled “Reminiscences of the Early History of
Galt, and the Settlement of Dumfries.” Apart from the fact that works of
this class deserve encouragement in Canada, Mr. Young’s book has special
merits which are not always found in connection with Canadian local
annals. It is written in a pleasant and interesting style, which makes
it readable even to persons who know nothing of the district whereof it
treats. On June 2nd, 1883, Mr. Young was appointed by the Mowat
Government, and sworn in as treasurer of the province of Ontario, and on
appealing to the electors of North Brant, his acceptance of office was
approved by a majority of 551. On the 29th October of the same year he
was compelled to resign his portfolio on account of his health, which,
impaired by political and literary overwork, particularly during the
preceding twelve months, was found unable for the time being to stand
the close confinement of office work. At the next election for the
Ontario Legislature in December, 1886, he wrote a letter, declining to
accept renomination to the local house. We are glad to say Mr. Young’s
health may now be said to be fully restored, evidence of which was
furnished during 1887 by the publication of a pamphlet from his pen on
the subject of the national future of Canada, and discussing the
question of commercial union and imperial federation. This _brochure_
opposes both these schemes, and takes strong ground in favour of
Canadian nationality, and has been widely read throughout the Dominion,
having gone to a second edition. In religion Hon. Mr. Young is a
Presbyterian, and in politics a Liberal. On the 11th February, 1858, he
married Margaret, second daughter of John McNaught, of Brantford.
* * * * *
=Hamilton, Robert=, D.C.L., Bishop’s College, Lennoxville, Quebec, was
born at New Liverpool, near the city of Quebec, on 1st September, 1822.
His father was George Hamilton, of Hawkesbury, and of Quebec. He was
educated under the Rev. Dr. Urquhart, of Cornwall, and was only
seventeen years old when his father died from the effects of a severe
cold caused by exposure while discharging his duties as colonel of
militia during the rebellion of 1837. His eldest son, Robert, the
subject of this sketch, at once undertook his share of the labors and
responsibilities connected with the extensive lumbering business which
had been built up slowly and painfully amid many discouragements. In
those early days of the country’s growth there were none of the modern
appliances for facilitating work of every kind. Large enterprises were
carried on under circumstances which demanded forethought, caution, and
resolution. The means of communication were limited, tedious and
uncertain. There were no railways, only a few sluggish steamers—and no
telegraphs. Even the mails were carried in a leisurely way over the
country. When parties of men were despatched in the autumn of each year
to the rivers Rouge and Gatineau for the long winter’s work of cutting
down thousands of trees and placing the logs upon the ice, it was
necessary to provide them with supplies of every kind. Pork, biscuit,
tea, sugar, and clothing were conveyed to them by sleighs from
Hawkesbury—if not from Montreal. The breaking up of the ice in the
spring was always a very anxious time. The rapid rise of the rivers
rendered the return journey of the men very perilous. The booms
stretched across the mouth of each river sometimes proved quite
insufficient to withstand the pressure of the water covered with
thousands of logs. The mills built at Hawkesbury for cutting up the logs
and preparing them for the British market were extensive and kept in a
state of admirable efficiency, being supplied each winter with every new
improvement. The season for work was very short—for the waters fell as
rapidly almost as they rose—and the difficulty of conveying the logs in
rafts to New Liverpool became serious as the summer advanced and the
rivers became shallow. Six weeks represented the long voyage of a raft
from the mills at Hawkesbury to the cove at New Liverpool. Here the
tedious process of washing each deal with buckets and brooms and then
marking its quality—whether 1st, 2nd or 3rd class—occupied many weeks.
Then followed the delivery of the deals on board the ships which in
those days were generally chartered to carry them to London, where
another washing and examination followed their delivery at the docks,
and then they were sold as promptly as the market would permit, for the
capital represented by them from first to last was very large and long
locked up—from the crown license to cut down the trees on through the
months of winter, spring, summer and autumn, and in some cases a second
winter and spring—before the London market was reached. Such a business
in its numerous departments and in its unceasing demands for judgment,
patience, endurance and persistence was an education in itself. The best
qualities of a man’s head and heart were sure to be exercised, developed
and strengthened. Robert Hamilton quickly and resolutely gave himself in
the most thorough systematic manner to his life’s work and has not only
built up a liberal fortune, but guarded and promoted the welfare of the
large family of whom he was the eldest—but seventeen years old, as he
said, at the time of his father’s death. Mr. Hamilton, in the use of his
fortune, has afforded an example much needed in every young community.
In no sense has he been brought under the power of wealth, and in no
direction has wealth spoiled or marred his character. He has studied and
realized in his family, and in his life in the community, the rare
satisfaction of using money liberally, judiciously, and with taste,
avoiding every abuse of it. His home at Hamwood on the St. Foy road,
near Quebec, is a pattern of simplicity, taste and comfort—all that an
educated gentleman of refinement should have about him, and for the
comfort and advantage of his family, he has brought together in a home
which is full of pleasant memories and rare attractions to many because
of the quiet enjoyment which its hospitalities have afforded them. He
has never taken any part in the politics of the country—his tastes and
preferences drawing him to the study and promotion of other interests.
As a member of the Church of England, he is widely known for his
generous aid to all good works. The diocese of Quebec has found in him a
true and intelligent friend. He has never put himself forward to relieve
others of their proper responsibilities, the due discharge of which has
so much to do with their characters and their happiness in life.
Recognizing the responsibilities attaching to him as a man of wealth, he
has been no easy, good-natured careless giver, but has patiently and
thoroughly studied the best ways and methods of applying his large and
generous gifts both to parishes and to the diocese of Quebec, and to the
University of Bishop’s College, Lennoxville. These have been so applied
as to call out the active energies and co-operation of others, and the
result is to be seen in the permanent and satisfactory endowments so
needful for a church whose members in such a community as the province
of Quebec must always be few in number and weak in resources. The
University of Bishop’s College, in recognition of his position and
services, conferred upon him in 1885 the honorary degree of D.C.L. In
1845 he married the eldest daughter of the late John Thomson of
Westfield, near Quebec. He has a large family, and is surrounded by an
attractive crowd of grand-children. His summer resort at Cacouna is full
of attractions—foremost amongst them being the gathering of his
children and their families about him.
* * * * *
=Lount, William=, Q.C., Toronto, Ontario, was born at Newmarket, on the
3rd of March, 1840. His father was George Lount, then registrar, and
brother of Samuel Lount, who was executed with Matthews in 1837, during
the rebellion. The subject of this sketch received his education at the
Grammar School, Barrie, studied law with Mr. (now Sir) Adam Wilson,
finishing his last years with Mowat & McLennan, and was called to the
bar of Upper Canada in 1861, when he immediately commenced the practice
of his profession in Barrie. In 1867 he ran for the Ontario legislature,
for the North Riding of Simcoe against Angus Morrison. He was elected by
a fair majority, and supported the Sandfield Macdonald government for
four sessions; but on seeking re-election he was opposed by W. D.
Ardagh, the regular Conservative nominee, and H. H. Cook, the Reform
nominee and was defeated, Mr. Ardagh being elected. He then retired from
politics owing to its taking too much of his time from his profession.
He had in the meantime formed a partnership with Mr. Boys, now the
junior judge of the county of Simcoe, which lasted for some years, when
a new partnership was formed by the admission of D’Arcy Boulton, Q.C.,
and H. D. Stewart. Five years later this firm was dissolved, Mr. Lount
retiring and forming a partnership with his brother, as Lount & Lount.
This partnership was continued until the decease of the late James
Bethune, Q.C., when Mr. Lount entered into partnership with Mr.
Bethune’s late partner, Mr. Marsh, under the name of Lount & Marsh, in
Toronto, which firm still continues. He received his patent as Queen’s
counsel from the Ontario government on 11th March, 1876, and from the
Dominion government in 1877. He has acted as Crown counsel for the
Ontario government on several important cases. He has always been
president of the North Simcoe Reform Association, taking a very active
interest in its affairs, laying all the plans and organizing the party
for the fray. He was married on the 17th July, 1874, to Miss Orris,
daughter of John Orris, on lake Erie, near Dunnville, and grand-daughter
of Colonel Cotter who fought at the battle of Waterloo, in which action
he took a very active part as captain in a British regiment of the line.
* * * * *
=Buchanan, Wentworth James=, Montreal, General Manager of the Bank of
Montreal, is one of a class of native Canadians of which the Dominion
has reason to be proud—a class of men who, beginning life with the
prestige of an honorable family record, won by industry, energy and
integrity in the professions, make it their aim to increase that
prestige by their own personal exertions. Mr. Buchanan’s grandfather
came to Quebec with the 49th regiment,—Colonel (afterwards Sir Isaac)
Brock, in command—and was a surgeon in that regiment. His father,
Alexander Buchanan, was only four years of age when he accompanied his
parents to Canada. After receiving a good education in the then
available schools, he studied law with the late Andrew and James Stuart
(afterwards Sir James), of Quebec, rose to be one of the ablest jurists
who ever practised at the Montreal bar, and was a Queen’s counsel in the
days when this honor was conferred upon very few. At the time of his
death he was the oldest judge of the Superior Court of the Lower Canada.
James Wentworth Buchanan was the second son of this venerable judge, and
was born on the 11th December, 1828. He received a sound commercial
education; and the great monetary institution in which he was destined
to attain so prominent a position was not yet thirty-five years in
operation when he began his career. That was in 1847, when he entered
the Commercial Bank as a clerk, and five and a half years later he
obtained a situation in the Bank of Montreal. From March, 1853, until
1858, he applied himself steadily to his duties, with such satisfaction
to his superiors that in the latter year he was appointed manager of the
branch at Woodstock, and, subsequently, held in succession a similar
charge at Brantford, Cobourg, Hamilton and Toronto, Ontario, acquitting
himself at each of these places in such a way that confidence in his
ability and integrity increased from year to year. In 1874 he was
promoted to the post of local manager at Montreal. In 1880, the late Mr.
Smithers being made general manager, Mr. Buchanan became assistant
general manager; and in 1881, on the election of the former gentleman to
the presidency, he was chosen his successor, and since then he has
occupied the highly responsible position of general manager.
* * * * *
=White, Hon. Thomas=, Ottawa, Minister of the Interior of the Dominion
of Canada, M.P. for Cardwell, Ontario, was born at Montreal, on the 7th
of August, 1830. His father was Irish, a county Westmeath man, and his
mother Scotch, having been born in Edinburgh. Mr. White, senior, carried
on business as a leather merchant in Montreal for many years, where he
was greatly respected. He sent Thomas, the subject of this sketch, to
the High School of that city, where he received the education which in
later years he was destined to turn to such excellent account. Having
left school, he engaged for some years in mercantile pursuits, but this
was not according to his taste, and he soon made up his mind to abandon
the calling, and accepted a position on the editorial staff of the
Quebec _Gazette_—which position was offered him in consequence of an
address he had delivered on temperance in the city of Quebec some time
before, and which attracted great attention. In 1853 he started, in
company with his brother-in-law, Robert Romain, the Peterboro’ _Review_,
which he was connected with until 1860. Then he entered upon the study
of law in the office of the Hon. Sidney Smith, Q.C., of Peterboro’, and
prosecuted his studies during the full term of four years. He then
removed to Hamilton, and, with his brother Richard White, purchased the
_Spectator_ newspaper, which they conducted with great energy from 1864
to 1870. Mr. White, from an early age, evinced a marked interest in
public affairs; and when he was yet a very young man, was chosen reeve
of the town of Peterboro’. He likewise always took a great interest in
educational affairs, and served upon the Grammar School boards in
Peterboro’ and Hamilton. In Montreal, where in later years his chief
personal interests were centred, he took an important part in civic and
general business. He was for a number of years representative of the
Montreal Board of Trade in the Dominion Board; for three years a member
of the executive committee of the Dominion Board of Trade, and
representative for five years of that body at the National Board of
Trade of the United States. But important and ever conspicuous
connection with civic matters, and with associations, did not satisfy
the ambition of Mr. White. He had been for years a close and careful
observer of political events, and a conscientious student of public
questions. So he resolved to seek admission to parliament; and when he
sought that admission he did not go as a raw recruit, who has to study
public questions after he has entered the legislature. His mind was well
stored with practical information, and his judgment ripened by a wide
experience. In 1878, he was first returned to parliament for Cardwell,
his present seat. But this success was not achieved without much
perseverance and strong efforts. In 1867, he was an unsuccessful
candidate for South Wentworth in the Ontario legislature; in 1874, for
the county of Prescott, in the House of Commons; and in 1875 and 1876,
respectively, for Montreal West, in the House of Commons. It may be
pointed out that the aggregate majority against him in the three first
elections amounted to only sixteen votes. Mr. White has retained his
seat for Cardwell since 1878. He has always been an able and very
conscientious supporter of the Conservative party’s national policy, and
is always prepared with an invincible array of arguments to defend the
position which he takes upon this question. He is one of the most
industrious members of the House of Commons, and best informed on the
government side of the house on questions of trade and commerce. Hon.
Mr. White is a graceful, polished and telling speaker; always conveys
the impression of being master of his subject, and never becomes
confused when he gets upon his feet. In 1885, affairs in the Northwest
Territories assumed a very unsatisfactory state, rebellion broke out,
and general discontent prevailed anent the government’s management of
that vast territory. At this time Sir David Macpherson, minister of the
interior, was suffering from illness and unable to cope with the many
questions forced upon him through this unfortunate state of things, and
when compelled to resign and go to Germany to restore his health, every
one began to search for a man of ability to take charge of the vacated
departmental headship. Sir John A. Macdonald selected the member for
Cardwell to fill the vacancy, and the most complete satisfaction was
evinced by the public, indeed even organs most bitterly opposed to the
government admitted that the selection was a most admirable one, for the
industry, the ability for organization, and the capacity of the minister
elect, were known to every one. Almost immediately after receiving the
appointment, Mr. White proceeded to the Northwest, and made painstaking
investigation into the many unsettled affairs in that region; and it is
not necessary to show how numerous, how tedious, and how immense this
task was, and the work which afterwards fell to him at his office in the
capital. We mention this to show the grave responsibility resting upon
the shoulders of the minister of the interior, but there is much
satisfaction in knowing that there is no public man of whom we have any
knowledge better fitted to cope with the Northwest difficulties than Mr.
White. Before closing the sketch, we think it is only fair to mention
that the Hon. Mr. White, like many of the leading men who now hold
public positions, received his early training as a speaker in the
division rooms of the Sons of Temperance, and that, when a young man and
a resident of Lower Canada, he occupied one of the highest offices in
the Grand Division of the Sons of Temperance of the province of Quebec,
and was the first in Canada to write a pamphlet explaining the aims and
objects of an order of temperance workers, that are as active to-day in
extending the cause of temperance and prohibition as it was about forty
years ago, when the order was first introduced into Canada.
* * * * *
=Duplessis, Louis Theodule Neree LeNoblet=, Advocate, Three Rivers,
M.P.P. for the county of St. Maurice, Quebec province, was born at St.
Anne d’Yamachiche, on the 5th March, 1855. He is the fourth son of
Joseph LeNoblet Duplessis and Marie Louise Lefebvre Descoteaux. His
ancestors came from France at the end of the seventeenth century, and
settled at La Pointe-du-Lac, in the district of Three Rivers. He was
educated at the Seminary of Nicolet and at the Seminary of Three Rivers.
He studied law as a profession, and in January, 1880, was called to the
bar of Lower Canada, and is now practising in Three Rivers, in
partnership with J. M. Deselets, Q.C. Mr. Duplessis did not take an
active part in politics until the general election of 1886, when he was
returned to the Legislative Assembly of Quebec for the county of St.
Maurice. In religion he is an adherent of the Roman Catholic church, and
in politics a Conservative. He is a rising man, and not many years hence
will make his mark in the legislature of his native province. On the
14th July, 1886, he was married to Bertha Cécile Genest, daughter of L.
U. A. Genest, clerk of the peace for the district of Three Rivers.
* * * * *
=Clarke, Henry Edward=, M.P.P. for West Toronto, the subject of this
sketch, and one of the rising men in the provincial capital, was born at
Three Rivers, Quebec, on the 20th of March, 1829. He is a son of Henry
Clarke, and Ellen Armstrong, both of whom came from Midhill, county of
Fermanagh, Ireland. Our subject received his tuition, which comprised a
sound and practical English education, from public teachers and private
instructors, and at fifteen years of age Mr. Clarke left home to push
his fortune in the world. Commerce drew him into its busy and active
field. At the age of eighteen he had learned the trade of saddle and
trunkmaking, and found employment in one of the largest shops in
Montreal. Here he remained until 1848, and then removed to Ottawa (then
Bytown), where, in the following year, when barely twenty years of age,
we find him foreman of the largest saddlery shop in the town. At Ottawa
he remained for about four years, working diligently, and perfecting
himself in his trade. Mr. Clarke again returned to Montreal in 1853, and
the next year he was sent to Toronto to open a branch trunk store for R.
Dean & Co., of Montreal. Mr. Clarke now resolved to carry on business
for himself, and in ten months after his arrival here he bought out the
business of R. Dean & Co. Although he had little capital at his command,
he had industry and perseverance, and the result is that we now find him
at the head of one of the largest trunk manufacturing establishments in
America, and one of the most solid and enterprising of Toronto’s
citizens. Although an active man in his own business, yet Mr. Clarke has
found some time to devote to public affairs. For eight years he was a
director of the Mechanics’ Institute; was alderman for St. George’s Ward
in 1879, and for St. Andrew’s Ward for the years 1881, ’82, and ’83. He
was chairman of the Court of Revision in 1881, and of the Executive
Committee in 1883. He was elected, in 1883, and again in 1887, to
represent Toronto West in the Ontario Parliament, and this seat he still
holds. He was also for a time one of the directors of the Federal Bank.
As a politician Mr. Clarke has achieved distinction and won a high place
for himself in the Ontario legislature. He is an effective speaker, and
has on repeated occasions ably supported his leader, Mr. Meredith, in
the active duties of legislation, and done good service to his party on
the floor of the house. As an ardent Conservative, he sits at present in
the cold shades of opposition; though did a change of government come,
Mr. Clarke would find himself not only “on the Treasury benches,” but no
doubt among the prominent members of the cabinet. He possesses an active
and practical mind, is fairly well read, and keeps himself posted on all
the leading questions of the day, in so far as they come under the
purview of politics. Lately he has taken a prominent part in opposing
the Commercial Union of Canada with the United States, feeling that it
might tend to an undesirable political alliance with the Republic, and
retard the industrial life and development of Canada. On this subject,
Mr. Clarke contributed his views on the opposition side of the argument
to the _Canadian Almanac_ for 1888, Mr. Erastus Wiman, of New York,
taking the affirmative side. On other subjects of practical moment, in
the domain of politics and legislation, Mr. Clarke has written and
spoken much, and his views always command considerable public attention.
Mr. Clarke is an Orangeman, having joined the order in 1849. He
travelled extensively in 1878, and visited London, Edinburgh, Dublin,
Belfast, Paris, Geneva, Mont Blanc, Berne, Lucerne, Munich, Vienna,
Trieste, Venice, Florence, Rome, Naples, Pompeii, and other historic
places. On his return, he delivered a lecture called “Impressions of a
Tour in Europe,” in Richmond street Methodist Church, and afterwards
published it in pamphlet form. Mr. Clarke belongs to the Methodist
denomination, and in politics is a Conservative. He married in May,
1856, Anne, daughter of the late Thomas Kennedy, of Montreal, and has a
family of three children, a boy and two girls. His son died at the age
of fourteen years. Mr. Clarke’s career has been industrious and
honorable, and he enjoys the fruits of his labors and the respect of his
fellow men.
* * * * *
=Desilets, Joseph Moise=, Q.C., Advocate, Three Rivers, Quebec, was born
on the 13th April, 1838, at Bécancour, county of Nicolet. He is the son
of Isidore Desilets and of Marie Perenne de Moras, both belonging to old
French families. He received his education at the College of Nicolet and
St. Hyacinthe. He adopted law as a profession, and was called to the bar
of Lower Canada on the 2nd September, 1862. He was appointed a Queen’s
counsel, March 9th, 1887. He was alderman for the city of Three Rivers
from 1864 to 1869; mayor of the same city from 1869 to 1872, and
district magistrate for the district of Three Rivers from 1873 to 1878.
Mr. Desilets is now practising in partnership with N. L. Duplessis,
advocate, and M.P.P. for the county of St. Maurice. In religion he is a
Roman Catholic, and in politics a Conservative. He was married, June 3,
1863, to Marie Malvina Trudel, the only daughter of the late Oliver
Trudel, notary, and of Sophia Sulte.
* * * * *
=Morris, John Lang=, B.C.L., Q.C., Barrister, Montreal, born at Perth,
Ontario, in 1835, is the youngest son of the late Hon. William Morris
and Elizabeth Cochrane, and was educated at High School, Montreal, and
McGill College, graduating as B.C.L. in 1859. He studied law under his
brother, the Hon. Alexander Morris, the late Judge Torrance and the Hon.
Judge Cross, and was admitted to the Montreal bar in June, 1859. Mr.
Morris has long enjoyed a large and influential practice—his partners
having been Robert A. Leach, son of the late Very Rev. Archdeacon Leach,
a talented young advocate whose promising career was prematurely cut
short by death; the late Judge Torrance, and subsequently the late
Thomas W. Ritchie, Q.C., and William Rose, son of Sir John Rose, Bart.
His present partner is Charles M. Holt, B.C.L., son of the late Judge
Holt, of Quebec, and the business is carried on under the firm name of
Morris & Holt. Mr. Morris is a specialist in commercial, real estate and
ecclesiastical law—is a clear, logical and convincing pleader, and has
been for many years the counsel of the Presbyterian Church. In this last
capacity he conducted successfully in all the courts of the province of
Quebec, the celebrated case of Dobie and the Temporalities Board. He was
retained by the church to plead the same cause before her Majesty’s
Privy Council in England and although the judgment of our court was
modified in some respects, he was successful in inducing that tribunal
not to grant the prayer of the anti-unionists that the funds be handed
over to them. Upon the strength of this judgment legislation was
subsequently obtained from the Dominion Parliament which set at rest the
pretensions of the minority to hold the church funds. This act, as
stated by the Rev. Robert Campbell, D.D., in his “History of the St.
Gabriel st. Church, Montreal,” “met with stout opposition in the private
bills committee of both houses of parliament—calling forth the
magnificent speeches of Principal Grant, of Kingston, Mr. Macdonnell, of
Toronto, and John L. Morris, of Montreal, in reply to Messrs. Macmaster,
Brymner and Lang.” In religion, Mr. Morris, following in the footsteps
of his father, is a “true blue” Presbyterian, and has been an elder in
connection with St. Andrew’s, and since the union of Presbyterians, with
St. Paul’s Church, Montreal. He took a very active and leading part in
promoting the union of the Presbyterian churches in 1875, both by his
speeches on the floor of the synod and professionally in successfully
defending the various suits instituted by the minority opposed to the
union. He has been a Sunday school teacher and superintendent for over
thirty years. Like his elder brother the Hon. A. Morris, he has taken a
great interest in Canadian affairs, and has delivered a number of
popular lectures upon the history of Canada. In politics, Mr. Morris has
always been a consistent Conservative, and although too much devoted to
the interests of his profession to have entered into public life, has in
a quiet but energetic way exerted a good deal of influence in supporting
his party. He is married to Agnes McCulloch, youngest daughter of the
late Dr. Michael McCulloch, of Montreal, who fell a victim to his heroic
devotion to the sick during the time of the last visitation by cholera
in 1854. His only sister is married to W. B. Lambe, of Montreal,
advocate. His brother, William J. Morris, has devoted himself
exclusively to mercantile pursuits.
* * * * *
=Shortt, Rev. William=, B.D., Rector of St. Thomas Church, Walkerton,
Ontario, was born in the city of Dublin, Ireland, in 1824. His father
was Jonathan Shortt, attorney, and six-clerk, of No. 11 Blackhall
street, Dublin, who married Anna Maria Antisell, daughter of Joseph
Antisell, of Arbourhill, in the county of Tipperary, and both descended
from a long line of highly respectable and respected ancestors. The
subject of our sketch was educated in the city of Dublin, and in 1850
emigrated to the United States; was ordained deacon of the Protestant
Episcopal Church by the Right Rev. Bishop Horatio Potter, of New York,
in 1854, and priest in 1855; was for some time assistant to the rector
of St. Thomas Church, N.Y., then assistant minister to St. George’s
Church, Flushing, and first rector of Grace Church, Whitestone, L. I.,
until 1865, when, on account of ill-health, he was obliged to resign his
charge. Finding the climate of Canada to agree with him, he was licensed
by the Bishop of Ontario, to the mission of Amherst Island, and
afterwards to Wolfe Island. In 1872 he was invited to take charge of
Christ Church, St. Catharines. In 1875 he was appointed to the rectory
of Walkerton, by the Bishop of Huron. Rev. Mr. Shortt’s parents were
attached members of the Church of Ireland, and he has ever been loyal to
her discipline and worship, has served her altars to the best of his
ability, and hopes and expects to die in her communion. He took the
purple degree in the order of Good Templars in 1875; and was chaplain of
the Saugeen lodge, 197, A. F. and A. Masons. In 1857 he was married to
Mary Amanda Haggerty, daughter of Bonnell Moody Haggerty and Martha
Phillips, both of New Jersey, U. S. Mrs. Shortt’s grand-parents were
loyal to the British government in the revolution, and were compelled to
move to Nova Scotia, but returned to their native land when the act of
amnesty was passed.
* * * * *
=Langevin, Hon. Sir Hector Louis=, K.C.M.G., Q.C., Ottawa, Minister of
Public Works of the Dominion of Canada, M.P. for Three Rivers, Quebec
province, was born in the city of Quebec, on the 25th August, 1828. He
is descended from an illustrious line of ancestry, and has proved
himself worthy of his descent. His father, the late Jean Langevin, acted
as assistant civil secretary under the Earl of Gosford and Lord
Sydenham, during the period those noblemen held the office of
governor-general of Canada; and his uncle was the Right Rev. Jean
Langevin, bishop of St. Germain de Rimouski. His mother, Sophia
Scholastique La Force, was a daughter of Major La Force, who faithfully
served his country during the war of 1812-14, and whose grandfather was
acting commodore of the British fleet on Lake Ontario during the
American revolutionary war. Sir Hector Louis Langevin, the subject of
our sketch, received his education at the Quebec Seminary, and in 1846
left school to begin the study of law with the late Hon. A. N. Morin, at
Montreal. He had an early taste for literature, and while pursuing his
studies, wrote a great deal for the press. He became editor of the
_Mélanges Religieux_ in 1847, and subsequently editor of the _Journal of
Agriculture_, both papers being published in Montreal. When Mr. Morin
retired from practice, Mr. Langevin entered the office of the late Sir
George Etienne Cartier. Thus began the connection between those two
distinguished men which was destined to last so long, to be so close and
so loyal, and of such importance to the French Canadians, as well as to
the Dominion of Canada. He was called to the bar of Lower Canada in
October, 1850. In 1856 Mr. Langevin was elected representative of Palace
ward in the Quebec city council, subsequently became chairman of the
water works committee, and during the absence of the mayor, Dr. Morrin
in England, acted as chief magistrate of Quebec city. In 1857 he assumed
the editorial management of the _Courrier du Canada_, published in
Quebec. The same year he was chosen mayor of Quebec, and also
representative for Dorchester county in the Legislative Assembly of
Canada. On entering parliament he very naturally supported the
administration, one of the leaders of which was the gentleman at whose
hands he had received his political as well as his legal training. The
Macdonald-Cartier ministry, however, held life by a very precarious
tenure, and as the difficulties thickened about it, numbers yielded up
their support, and it was forced to resign. Then George Brown was called
to office, but had to relinquish it in three days. The old ministry was
recalled to power, and a readjustment took place. On the 30th of March,
1864, Mr. Langevin became a Queen’s counsel, and on the same day entered
the Taché-Macdonald administration as solicitor-general east. In 1866 he
became postmaster-general, which office he retained till the
consummation of confederation. In the confederation movement he took a
prominent part. He was a delegate to Charlottetown, was a member of the
Quebec conference, and went to England to aid the home office in
perfecting the confederation scheme. During this entire movement, the
tact, suavity and broad statesmanship which he has shown so prominently
in later years came into light. Sir George E. Cartier was energetic,
forceful, patriotic, but he had not the _savoir-faire_ of the Hon. Mr.
Langevin, and he often exasperated where he should have conciliated. In
the first Dominion administration Mr. Langevin was secretary of state
for the Dominion, and the following year he was created a C.B., civil.
In 1869 he assumed the portfolio of public works. In 1870 he was created
a Knight Commander of the Roman order of Pope Gregory the Great. During
Sir George Cartier’s absence in England, in 1873, Mr. Langevin acted as
leader of the French Canadian Conservative party, and upon the death of
his chief became the permanent leader. In 1873, on the downfall of Sir
John A. Macdonald’s administration, he resigned office. At the general
election of 1878, he was an unsuccessful candidate for Rimouski; but
William McDougall, the member for Three Rivers, having made way for him,
he was chosen for the vacated constituency by acclamation. In the new
Conservative administration he became postmaster-general, which office
he retained till 1879, when he became again minister of public works,
and this office he still holds. Regarding his brilliant parts, and the
service he has been to the Dominion and to the French Canadian people,
the Queen conferred upon him the knighthood of the order of St. Michael
and St. George. Sir Hector Langevin is an astute and wise statesman, and
his whole aim is to create a feeling of brotherhood among his own people
and their English-speaking compatriots, and to develop a feeling of
loyalty throughout the country to the British empire. In politics he is
a Liberal-Conservative, and in religion a Roman Catholic. In 1854 he was
married to Justine, eldest daughter of the late Lieutenant-Colonel
Charles H. Peter, J.P. Mrs. Langevin died on the 30th October, 1882.
* * * * *
=Bridges, Henry Seabury=, Fredericton, Professor of Classical Literature
and History in the University of New Brunswick, was born November 23rd,
1850, at Sheffield, Sunbury county, N.B. His father was Henry Putnam
Bridges, who died in December, 1881. His mother, Eliza Ann Burpee, is
still living. Both parents have descended from the Puritan colony which
came from Rowley, in Massachusetts, in 1763, and settled in Sheffield
and Maugerville. Professor Bridges received his early education at the
Grammar School, Sheffield, and matriculated at the University of New
Brunswick, in September, 1866. He graduated in June, 1869, with honors
in classics and French; also took the Alumni Society’s gold medal for
the best Latin essay. He proceeded to the degree of M.A., in June, 1871;
and since his graduation he has followed the teaching profession. He was
appointed assistant master of the Sunbury Grammar School just after
having left college, and remained in this position till July, 1872, when
he received the appointment of second master of the Collegiate School,
Fredericton, and then removed to his new sphere of duty. In June, 1874,
he was appointed principal of the High School, and superintendent of the
other schools of St. Stephen. In September, 1877, he left St. Stephen
for Oxford, England, and then spent a year in the study of classical
literature there. Returning to his mother country, he was appointed
second master of the Grammar School in the city of St. John, in August,
1878, and principal in May, the following year. He received the
appointment of professor of classics in the University of New Brunswick
in June 1881; and that position he still holds. He has been president of
the Alumni Society since June, 1885, and was one of its representatives
on the senate of the university during the academic year, 1882-83. He
married, October 7th, 1880, Alice Middlemore Foster, daughter of the
late S. R. Foster, of St. John, New Brunswick. The fruit of this union
has been two children,—a daughter, Edith Hazlewood, born August 31st,
1881, still living; and a son, Atlee Burpee, a child of great promise,
born June 23rd, 1885, but who died of croup in November, 1887.
* * * * *
=Starnes, Lieut.-Col. Hon. Henry=, Montreal, was born at Kingston,
Ontario, on the 13th October, 1816. He is the son of Benjamin Starnes
and Elizabeth Melville, his wife. His grandfather, Nathan Starnes, was a
United Empire loyalist who left the state of New York and settled in
Canada at the close of the revolutionary war, the family being of Scotch
descent. Mr. Starnes was educated at the Academy of Rev. Henry Esson,
afterwards taking a course at Montreal College. After leaving college he
entered the service of James Leslie, merchant, was admitted a partner in
the business in 1849, and the firm of Leslie, Starnes & Co., wholesale
merchants, continued until 1859 to do a very large and successful
business. Mr. Starnes retired from mercantile life to assist in
organizing the Montreal branch of the Ontario Bank, upon the
organization of which he was appointed manager, and continued in charge
for about ten years. He is now president of the Montreal branch of the
well-known London and Liverpool and Globe Insurance Company. He has been
and still continues to be identified with a great many local enterprises
and interests. He was president of the Metropolitan Bank from its
establishment until November, 1875; has been a director of Le Banque du
Peuple; vice-president of the Montreal Board of Trade, the St. Jean
Baptiste Society, and the Montreal Warehousing Company; a director of
the Richelieu Steamboat Company, the Canada Engine and Machinery
Company, and the International Transportation Company; and was at one
time warden of Trinity house. In municipal matters Mr. Starnes has
always taken a great interest, being a public spirited man, and taking
much pride in the continued growth of the city which he had made his
home. His fellow citizens were not unmindful of his efforts in their
behalf, and he was elected mayor of Montreal in 1856-57, and again in
1866-67. In politics, Mr. Starnes is a Conservative, and sat for
Chateauguay in the Canadian Assembly from the general election of 1857
until 1863, when he retired. He contested Montreal in 1857, but was
defeated; declined a seat in the Quebec cabinet in 1867; was appointed
to the Legislative Council in the same year, and appointed speaker of
that body on the 8th March, 1878. He has for many years taken an active
interest in militia matters, and at present holds the rank of
lieutenant-colonel of the 1st Montreal Centre Reserve. In August, 1841,
he was married to Eleanor Stuart, of Quebec, and has had issue seven
children, of whom one has died, one daughter is a nun, and the other
three daughters and two sons are all married.
* * * * *
=Gravel, Rev. Joseph Alphonse=, St. Hyacinthe, Quebec, was born the 2nd
February, 1843, at St. Antoine de Richelieu, his father, Louis Gravel,
being a highly respected farmer of that place, and his mother was Emilie
Gladu. He received his early education at the St. Hyacinthe College, and
entered the Seminary at Montreal for his theological studies December
8th, 1862. After a highly satisfactory completion of these, he was
ordained the 26th August, 1866. Was vicar of Compton from August, 1866,
to September, 1868, and rector of Compton for two years. He was director
of the Classical and Commercial College at Sorel, from September, 1870,
to July 1st, 1872, at which time he became assistant secretary to the
bishop of St. Hyacinthe; January 17th, 1876, was made secretary to the
bishop, procurator of the Episcopal body, and diocesan adviser; and was
appointed vicar-general of the diocese in 1877. In April of the same
year was made canon, and in 1888 was appointed prevost of the
chapter-house,—administrator of the diocese on two occasions, in 1878
and in 1887. As will be seen by our enumeration of the many important
offices of trust and responsibility, the subject of our sketch has been
a worthy and deserving recipient of the confidence reposed in him. His
principal mission has been to restore the revenues of the Episcopal
corporation, in which laudable undertaking his indefatigable efforts and
industry have been crowned with success. He has built the beautiful
cathedral at St. Hyacinthe—a lasting monument of his energy and
talents—and under his personal supervision it will shortly be decorated
in a suitable manner, in keeping with, and worthy of, its artistic
exterior.
* * * * *
=Fraser, John A.=, Big Bras d’Or, Cape Breton, M.P.P. for Victoria
county, is a native of Boularderie, C.B., where he was born 6th of
November, 1840. He is the only surviving son of a Scotch pioneer
clergyman, the late Rev. James Fraser, who emigrated to the island of
Cape Breton from Ross-shire, Scotland, in 1835. He was employed as a
missionary of the Church of Scotland, and like many another
hard-working, self-denying pioneer minister, lived hard and travelled
far, preaching the blessings of peace and contentment among a poor and
scattered population. In many a fishing village of Cape Breton, and
through many steep mountain paths in that inclement region, the name of
Rev. James Fraser is held in reverence. The men who carried the gospel
into the wilds of Cape Breton were possessed of more than ordinary
courage. One of them, Rev. John Stewart, forty years pastor at
Whycocomagh, a profound Gaelic poet and scholar, but lately passed away.
The educational facilities of the island forty years ago being of the
scantiest, John A. Fraser removed to Halifax, N.S., and received his
scholastic training at the Free Church Academy in that city. Having
completed his course he returned to his native county and went into
business. He held the position of postmaster in Big Bras d’Or for
eighteen years, and resigned it in obedience to the wishes of his
numerous friends, in order to contest the constituency of Victoria at
the general election of 1874, and was successful. He took his seat in
the Legislative Assembly and earned a good reputation as a
parliamentarian, being listened to with respect in the debates, and
attending well to the work of committees. The great question agitating
the public mind in Cape Breton for some years past has been the matter
of railway construction. Cape Breton may be described a huge coal-bed,
much of it worked, but by far the larger part being quite unexplored.
Ocean steamers call at North Sydney and at the coal-shoot of Sydney
proper, and carry away much coal for their own consumption. A large
export of the black diamond is also carried on in coasters. Parts of the
island are admirably adapted to agriculture, notably the shores of the
Little Bras d’Or. A railway is wanted to weld together all parts of the
island, and the great question is, what course shall it take? People
living at Whycocomagh advocate a road travelling their section, whilst
the central route from Port Mulgrave to Sydney, with a branch to Mabon
and Port Hood, has many to support it. The population is rent by the
favorers of either route. Last summer the Dominion government undertook
the initial steps of the work, and every move since has been carefully
criticized. Whichever route is finally adopted, the gain to the island
will be great, and Cape Breton, which steadily increases her output of
coal year by year, will gradually become a very opulent section of
Canada. Its attractions in summer draw a great influx of visitors from
the southward. Gold and marble have also been found there, whilst
superior iron ore has been smelted. Mr. Fraser, having sat out his term
of office did not offer again until the general election of 1886, when
he was elected second on the list, there being six candidates. The vote
stood: Dr. John L. Bethune, 777; John A. Fraser, 513; defeating M. A.
McLeod, 459; John Morrison, 408; J. J. McCabe, 389; J. Munro, 468. Mr.
Fraser also sat for four years in the municipal council of Victoria. He
is a Liberal and takes a warm interest in all matters affecting the
welfare of Cape Breton.
* * * * *
=Chênevert, Cuthbert Alphonse=, Barrister, Berthierville, Quebec
province, was born in St. Cuthbert, Berthier county, P.Q., on 21st May,
1859. His parents were Theophile Chênevert and Mathilde Filteau. His
father was for many years one of the largest merchants of the county of
Berthier, and died in January, 1873. Young Chênevert studied at the
College of L’Assomption and the College of Ste. Marie, at Montreal. On
the 12th of January, 1880, he was admitted to the study of law, and
followed the course of Laval University, at Montreal, attending at the
same time the office of Longpré & David, advocates. He was called to the
bar of Quebec on the 20th of January, 1883, and began to practise his
profession at Berthierville, in partnership with the Hon. Honoré
Mercier, prime minister of the province of Quebec, and C. Beausoleil,
now member for Berthier, under the name and style of Mercier, Beausoleil
& Chênevert. But he practises his profession alone at Berthierville,
attending the circuits of Richelieu, Berthier, and Joliette. Mr.
Chênevert is a Liberal in politics, and has been in several contests. He
was a member and officer of the National Club at Montreal, and took an
active part in its management. In 1881 he delivered a very interesting
lecture before the members of this club, and _La Patrie_, on the 13th
March of that year, thus flatteringly alludes to it:—“At the last
meeting of the National Club, which was numerously attended, one of the
members, Mr. Cuthbert Chênevert, delivered a very instructive lecture,
prepared at the request of the secretary, entitled ‘The History of the
Press.’ The work is worthy of the title. It unites in the recital
didactic language, strict history and pure literature. The invention of
printing, the first attempts of Gutenberg, were related in a most
interesting manner, and the encomiums passed on Canada were to the
effect that our newspapers were the defenders of our liberties against
oligarchy and bureaucracy. This magnificent lecture was marked with
patriotic sentiments, expressed with great force. We congratulate Mr.
Chênevert on his success. His example should encourage his friends,
being one of the youngest members of the club. We hope this effort will
not be his last.” Mr. Chênevert was married, on August 27, 1884, to
Valerie Berthe Rocher, daughter of Clothilde Roy and Barthelemy Rocher,
notary and registrar of the county of L’Assomption.
* * * * *
=Robinson, D. A.=, M.D., Coaticook, Quebec, was born at West Charleston,
Vermont, U.S.A., Feb. 29th, 1836. He was the eldest son of Dr. Elijah
Robinson and Ann Eliza Smith, whose ancestry were of purely English
origin and among the early settlers of the state of Connecticut. The
great-grandfather on the father’s side was a colonel in the
Revolutionary war of the American colonies against Great Britain, and
the great-grandfather on the mother’s side, with several brothers, held
positions of honor and trust in the Federal army. Dr. Robinson’s early
education was confined mostly to the common schools. His classical
course, preparatory to his entering upon the study of medicine, was
through select schools and private teachers. His strictly medical course
was commenced under the direction of his father, then a prominent and
leading practitioner in the county in which he lived. His first course
of medical lectures commenced at Dartmouth Medical College, Hanover,
N.H., in the summer of 1858. He subsequently graduated among the first
of his class at the Vermont University Medical College, Burlington, Vt.,
June, 1859, and commenced the practice of medicine at Milan, N.H., the
following year. His successful career as a practitioner led to his
appointment as surgeon in the United States army, and during the great
American rebellion was with the Union army under Gen. Grant, and served
with it till the surrender of the Confederate Gen. Lee and the close of
the war. He recommenced civil practice at Island Pond, Vt., soon after
his services ended as army surgeon in 1866, and conducted a successful
practice in this town till the year 1874, when he moved to the
prosperous and thriving town of Coaticook, P.Q. Two years subsequently
he was made a member of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of the
Province of Quebec, after having undergone a searching examination
before the Provincial Medical Board in Montreal, by whom every applicant
but himself was rejected, which reflected considerable honor on his
ability and proficiency as a medical man. Aside from the position he now
occupies in the medical profession of his adopted country, he is a
member of the Vermont State Medical Society, and various other
societies. Dr. Robinson is now in successful practice in Coaticook.
* * * * *
=Foster, Hon. George Eulas=, B.A., D.C.L., Ottawa, Minister of Marine
and Fisheries of the Dominion of Canada, M.P. for King’s, New Brunswick,
was born in Carleton county, N.B., on the 3rd September, 1847. His
father, John Foster, was a descendant of a United Empire loyalist who
settled in New Brunswick in 1783. His mother, Margaret Haney, was
descended on her father’s side from German stock. George, the future
statesman, received his primary education in the common and superior
schools of his native county, and in September, 1865, entered the
University of New Brunswick, at the head of the matriculating class, and
was the winner in strong competition, of the King’s county scholarship
in the same university. He also took, during his first year, the Douglas
gold medal for an English essay, in a competition open to all the
classes, and won the compound achromatic microscope, as a first prize,
for natural science. His strong points at college were mathematics and
classics, with a strong liking for English literature and history. He
graduated B.A., in 1868; taught the Grammar School at Grand Falls, N.B.;
became superior of the school at Fredericton Junction, and in the
Baptist Seminary at Fredericton, one year at each. He became principal
of the Ladies’ High School at Fredericton in 1870, and was appointed
professor of classics and history in the University of New Brunswick, in
1871. He spent the years 1872 and 1873 at Edinburgh, Scotland, and
Heidelberg, Germany, prosecuting his studies, and took at Edinburgh the
medal, one first, and three other prizes. Returning to New Brunswick, he
assumed the duties of his chair in the university at the end of 1873,
and occupied the same until 1st January, 1879, when he resigned. Acadia
College, N.S., conferred upon him the title of D.C.L., in 1885. He was
examiner in Grammar and English at the Provincial Normal schools,
Fredericton, from 1874 to 1879. Early in life—in the thirteenth year of
his age—Mr. Foster identified himself with the order of the Sons of
Temperance and later with the British Templars, the United Temperance
Association, the Dominion Alliance, and the International Temperance
Association. He filled the office of Grand Worthy Patriarch in the Grand
Division of the Sons of Temperance of New Brunswick; Most Worthy Grand
Templar of the British Templars of Canada; National Chief of the United
Temperance Association, vice-president and president of the Executive of
the Dominion Alliance of Canada, and president, for four years, of the
International Temperance Association. During Professor Foster’s
occupancy of the university chair, he frequently delivered lectures and
addresses upon temperance topics, and upon his resignation, engaged in
an extensive lecturing tour, delivering addresses on the total
abstinence and prohibition questions in all the provinces of Canada, and
most of the eastern and western states of the United States. He likewise
edited several temperance papers. He has been identified for many years
with the Young Men’s Christian Association of Fredericton, and was a
member of the executive of the International Sabbath School Committee.
After a lecturing tour of remarkable success, Professor Foster resolved
to try what fortune had in store for him in the political sphere, though
considering how wide and how brilliant his achievements had been, we may
be sure he had no misgivings in taking the contemplated step. In looking
about him for a constituency, naturally that one nearest his heart, the
county wherein he first drew breath, suggested itself, and to King’s he
went, though it was represented by that stalwart politician, Major James
Domville. The friends of Mr. Domville considered the act of Professor
Foster as one that could be properly described only by the phrase
“cheeky,” but what they thought made no difference to the young
candidate—he proceeded with his canvass, addressing the people
everywhere upon the leading topics of the day. Against such eloquence as
Professor Foster brought into the field, Major Domville was powerless.
But apart from his ability as a debater, the people of King’s had put
the highest estimate upon the integrity and character of the young
candidate, and they accordingly elected him in June, 1882, to represent
them in the House of Commons at Ottawa. His election was voided; but he
was again elected in November of the same year, and still continues to
represent King’s county at Ottawa. On December 10th, 1885, he was sworn
in a member of the Privy Council, and invested with the portfolio of
marine and fisheries. Professor Foster has travelled in all the
provinces of Canada, and through the greater portion of the United
States, and has also visited England, Scotland, France, Germany and
Switzerland. In religion he belongs to the Free Baptist denomination,
and for many years has been, and is still, a prominent member of its
conference. He was president of the Union Baptist Educational Society in
1884-5. The Hon. George Eulas Foster is a Liberal-Conservative in
politics, and a full believer in the future greatness of Canada. He
favors a civil service system which shall, so far as consistent with the
peculiar circumstances of our country, conform to the system in
operation in Great Britain, a moderate protective tariff, such as shall
maintain our markets for our own manufactures, and at the same time not
conduce to the formation of monopolies, a wise, tried economy in the
administration of the finances of the country, and an enlightened,
progressive and comprehensive policy. He is one of the foremost speakers
in the country, if force and clearness of statement, fluency, and
adherence to logic can entitle him to that place. He is a man of great
energy, and of boundless nervous force. A literary grace pervades his
style, but his speeches are never florid, or beyond the bounds of good
taste in this respect. There is a singular earnestness in his manner,
and nearly every speech that he delivers resolves itself into a series
of propositions, one consequent upon the other. As we have said, he is a
speaker of much force, and sometimes his eloquence rises to the height
of passion.
* * * * *
=Leclerc, Rev. Joseph Uldaric=, Montreal, was born at Isle Bazarre,
August 7th, 1836. He is the son of Francis Leclerc, farmer, and Josephte
Demers, his wife. While still a youth, his parents determined to
dedicate their son to the service of the church, and with this object in
view his education was properly attended to. He took, first, a classical
course at Montreal College, after studying philosophy at St. Mary’s
College, Montreal, and St. Michael’s College, Toronto. He next went to
Sandwich College, as professor, in 1858, but soon resigned this position
to enter on a course of study in theology, at the Grand Seminary at
Montreal, being ordained priest in June, 1862. His first clerical charge
was at Vaudreuil, where he was curate for two years. In 1865 he left
Vaudreuil, having been appointed chaplain of the Reformatory Prison, at
St. Vincent de Paul. In 1873 he was appointed chaplain to the great
penitentiary there, and for the ten years following he filled that
important post with great acceptability to the officers of the
institution, who were deeply struck with the chaplain’s piety, and the
zeal with which he ministered to the spiritual wants of the many
unfortunate outcasts from society who were confined within its walls. In
1883 Father Leclerc was transferred to the important parish of St.
Joseph’s, Richmond street, Montreal, where he has since ministered. He
is also pastor of St. Anthony’s parish, for the English-speaking classes
of St. Joseph’s and Cunegonde, by whom he is much beloved. About four
years ago he visited Manitoba, and was much impressed with the richness
of the country, and the immense resources of the Northwest territories.
He has also twice visited the maritime provinces, and has thus a good
knowledge of the topography of the Dominion from personal observation.
* * * * *
=Sanford, Hon. William E.=, Hamilton, Ontario, Senator of the Dominion
of Canada, is fairly entitled to be classed among the business men of
Canada who have won distinction as successful merchants, and who have by
personal industry and genuine business ability succeeded in establishing
wide business relations and accumulating large fortunes. No name stands
more prominently before the public, or is worthy of more honourable
mention than he who is the subject of this sketch. His career has placed
him in the front rank of the “merchant princes” of the country. Success
is always a relative term, and is used appropriately only when employed
to describe conditions in which effort, guided by intelligence and
skill, to a definite end, accomplishes its aims. If this be true, then
no man in Canada to-day has a stronger claim to this distinction than
the Hon. Mr. Sanford. His business life has been simply a series of
triumphs over difficulties that would have daunted weaker natures, and
these victories have been won by tireless energy, unyielding
perseverance, a keen foresight of events, a skilful adaptation to the
tastes and necessities of the public, and the intelligent use of
definite means to a well defined purpose. The magnificent “Sanford
Block” in the city of Hamilton, consisting of offices, warerooms, stock,
show and packing rooms; the extensive business connections established
in every province in the Dominion, and extending from the Pacific to the
Atlantic, giving employment to over two thousand hands, and employing a
capital of about a million dollars, constitute a monument of which the
most ambitious might be proud. Senator Sanford is a lineal descendant of
Thomas de Sanford, who was knighted by William the Conqueror on the
battlefield of Hastings (see Burke’s “Landed Gentry”). The American
branch of the family settled in Redding, Connecticut, and one of its
members, Ezekiel Sanford, engineer, built Fort Saybrook, Conn., in 1626.
Born in the city of New York, in 1838, both his parents dying while he
was a mere child, he was sent, ere he had reached his seventh year, to
live with his uncle, the late Edward Jackson, of Hamilton, one of the
pioneer merchants of that city, whose singular uprightness of life and
large benefactions to religious, educational and charitable enterprises,
gained for him a widespread confidence and respect. In the home of such
a one, and surrounded by the most salutary influences, he was brought
up, and to this formative period of his life may doubtless be traced
many of those elements of character which have since distinguished his
career. He received a liberal education in one of the academies of New
York, and at the age of fifteen made his first venture in business,
entering the then well-known publishing firm of Farmer, Brace & Co., of
New York, in whose employ he continued until he reached his majority.
The remarkable business ability displayed by him, even at this early
period, won for him the esteem and confidence of the firm, and also an
offer of a partnership in the business. The death of the senior partner,
occurring about this time, caused certain changes which resulted in the
disappointment of young Sanford’s hopes. The firm was re-organized,
leaving him out. The value of his services was, however, recognized by a
rival firm, from whom he received the offer of a salary of three
thousand dollars per year. This offer he declined, determined in future
to sink or swim as master of the ship he sailed. His own words were, “I
am determined never to accept a position as clerk to any firm.” Mr.
Sanford now returned to Canada, was united in marriage to Miss Jackson,
only daughter of his friend, Edward Jackson, and then went to London,
Ontario, and entered into a business partnership with Murray Anderson
and Edward Jackson, and under the firm name of Anderson, Sanford & Co.,
carried on one of the largest foundries in western Canada. His wedded
happiness was of short duration, for at the end of about eighteen months
his accomplished wife died. Completely crushed and disheartened by the
blow, he retired from the firm, and returned to Hamilton. His restless
energies, however, refused to remain inactive, and with characteristic
energy, he, with some New York dealers, went into the wool business. In
less than a year, he was master of the situation, having obtained
control of the wool market of the province, and was soon known among
dealers as the “Wool King” of Canada. Not long after this, Senator
Sanford entered upon the business which, under his skilful management,
has grown into such large proportions, in which he has achieved his
greatest success, and with which he is still identified. He formed a
partnership with Alexander McInnes, for the manufacture of ready-made
clothing. With that keen discernment of what the public needed that has
ever characterised him, he determined, from the best goods to be found
in the market, to manufacture for the public demand clothing that would
combine cheapness with elegance and style of finish. Twenty thousand
dollars capital was invested at the beginning. The most skilful labor to
be found was employed, and samples to meet the requirements of the
public produced. Mr. Sanford put the goods upon the market himself,
while his partner attended to the office work. The goods were what the
people needed, and from that day the trade in Canada was revolutionised;
the character of the firm as “first class” established, and the
foundation of future success laid. Various changes have taken place in
the _personnel_ of the firm since its establishment in 1861. After ten
years Mr. McInnes retired, and two of the employés were taken in as
partners. These remained for a few years, and then also retired, leaving
Senator Sanford sole proprietor, who now carries on the business under
the title of W. E. Sanford & Co. Since the establishment of the firm,
and through all its subsequent changes, Senator Sanford has been the
moving and controlling spirit of the concern. He is complete master of
all the details of the several departments, as well as director of the
whole establishment. While he pioneers the great public contracts, he at
the same time keenly observes and anticipates any change in the public
taste, and invariably has the supply in advance of the demand. The
requirements of each province or community is a separate study, and
whether it be Prince Edward Island or Manitoba or the Pacific coast,
each is suitably supplied from the endless variety produced at the
central warerooms in Hamilton. While other firms are studying the
problem and counting the cost, Senator Sanford is selling his goods and
pocketing the profits. In social life Senator Sanford is most affable
and attractive; in manners he is courteous and gentlemanly, and is
always the soul of the company in which he is found. He can come from
the most perplexing concerns of business, and plunge at once into all
the mirth and merriment of the evening party, as though there was no
such thing as care in the world. For a man whose mind is so deeply
occupied with the various financial schemes with which he is identified,
one would go far to find another who has the disposition, and finds the
opportunity, to do so many acts of genuine kindness. A few flowers from
his conservatory, or some rare relish to tempt the appetite, is his
thoughtful and appropriate way of relieving the weariness of many a sick
chamber. Hon. Mr. Sanford is a leading member of the Methodist church, a
trustee and steward of the Centenary Church, Hamilton, and a liberal
supporter of the missionary, educational and other connexional agencies
of the church. To each of the recurring general conferences he has been
invariably elected by the proper constituencies, and is treasurer of
several of the most important church funds. As a citizen, he is
public-spirited, and justly held in high esteem. He has been president
of the Board of Trade, is vice-president of the Hamilton Provident
Society, a Bank director, one of the Board of Regents of Victoria
University, director of the _Empire_ newspaper, president of the
Hamilton Ladies College, and one of the projectors and vice-president of
the Manitoba and North-Western Railway Company. He is the owner of a
tract of upwards of sixty thousand acres of land on the line of the
above mentioned railway at a point commencing within a few miles of
Portage la Prairie; and upon this he has established a large cattle and
horse ranche. He has now about completed the organization of a company
for the development of his immense marble deposit in the township of
Barrie, which is claimed to be the largest in the world. In politics he
is in sympathy with the protective policy of the present administration,
and consequently gives his support to the Conservative party. A few such
men make a city, and are indispensable to its prosperity and
development. When shrewdness, ability, enterprise, and industry combine,
and succeed in accumulating wealth, the benefit is not alone to the one
who is thus gifted, but to the many to whom the means of livelihood is
afforded, and to the city and country as well, on which they bestow the
fruits of their talents and their toil. He was called to the Senate of
Canada in March, 1887, and we have no doubt he will make his influence
felt in that body for the benefit of the country of his adoption. In
1866 he was united in marriage to Sophia Vaux, youngest daughter of the
late Thomas Vaux, accountant of the House of Commons, Ottawa, a lady of
culture and dignity, whose genial and refined spirit makes the home
delightful, and whose open hand of charity is a proverb in the city in
which she lives.
* * * * *
=Routhier, Hon. Adolphe Basile=, LL.D., Quebec, rests his claim to a
prominent place in a work of this kind, not only on his eminence as a
judge of the Superior Court of the province of Quebec, but on his
well-earned fame as a _littérateur_ and a poet. He was born at St.
Placide, in the county of Two Mountains, near Montreal, on the 8th May,
1839, his father, Charles Routhier, a farmer, whose ancestors came from
Santonge, France. Educated in the classics at the college of Ste.
Therese, in the county of Terrebonne, young Routhier was the first
graduate of that institution to receive the degree of B.A. from Laval
University, Quebec, at which he also studied law. Called to the bar in
December, 1851, he settled down to the practice of his profession at
Kamouraska, P.Q., and soon won success and distinction by his abilities
as a pleader and a jurist. During this stage of his career, public
attention was also first directed to the literary talents which he has
since developed in such a remarkable degree. Newspaper writing occupied
the time snatched from his profession, and his editorial contributions
to _Le Courrier du Canada_, published at Quebec, and _Le Nouveau Monde_,
published at Montreal, showed that a new and formidable competitor had
entered the journalistic field. A Conservative in politics, he threw
himself with ardor into all the controversies of the time and, before
long, came to be recognized as the leader of the Ultramontane Catholic
or so-called Programmist party in his native province, whose cause he
championed with a vigorous pen. In 1869 he was selected as the party’s
candidate to contest the seat in the Canadian House of Commons for the
county of Kamouraska, but was defeated by his Liberal adversary, Hon. C.
A. P. Pelletier, afterwards minister of agriculture and immigration in
the Mackenzie cabinet, and now a senator of the Dominion. In 1872 Mr.
Routhier was created a Queen’s counsel, and in the following year he was
raised to the bench as one of the justices of the Superior Court by the
Macdonald government—the judicial district assigned to him being that
known as the Chicoutimi district, over which he still presides with
marked credit to himself and satisfaction to the local bar and public.
On the bench he is noted for his affability, painstaking character and
profound knowledge of the law, and his decisions are always marked by
great clearness and soundness. Indeed, Mr. Justice Routhier is a model
magistrate in the fullest sense of the term, and as such, as well as for
his fine social qualities, is very generally admired and esteemed
throughout the province of Quebec. The question of the undue influence
of the clergy of Lower Canada in politics was first raised and argued
before him by Hon. F. Langelier, M.P., the present mayor of Quebec, in
the celebrated case of Tremblay _vs._ Langevin (Charlevoix contested
election), and though his judgment, which was in favor of the clergy and
created great excitement at the time, was afterwards reversed on appeal,
its powerful arguments in its own support, and its thorough
impartiality, have never been questioned. Judge Routhier has been a
great traveller, and to this feature of his life the country is indebted
for some of his best literary works. He has made the tour of Europe
several times, and, at the time of writing, is again there. He has also
visited the Holy Land. When in Rome, in 1876, the late Pontiff Pius IX.
conferred on him the dignity of a knight commander of the order of St.
Gregory the Great, for his eminent services to the cause of religion;
and during the same visit to the other side of the Atlantic, he spent
four months in Paris, where he became acquainted with the leading
writers of the French Catholic press and the Legitimist party, and
delivered at the _Cercle du Luxembourg_ a speech which attracted the
favorable notice and praise of _L’Univers_ and _Le Monde_, the great
Catholic and Legitimist organs of the French capital. After his return
to Canada he took a conspicuous part in the Quebec national festivities
of June, 1880, and was chairman of the _Congres Catholique_ held at
Laval University, and vice-president of the _Convention Nationale_. On
these memorable occasions his addresses created a profound sensation and
won for him from _La Minerve_, of Montreal, the leading organ of the
Lower Canadian Conservatives, the title of “champion of the Catholic
party of Canada.” They were afterwards published in the _Revue
Trimestrielle_, of Paris, with the flattering recommendation of M.
Lucien Brun, the chief of the Legitimist party of France. Judge Routhier
is one of the most charming of French Canadian writers both in verse and
prose. His “_Causeries du Dimanche_,” “_Impressions de Voyage_,”
“_Poesies_,”, and “_Conférences et Discours_,” published at various
times since 1871, as well as his fugitive articles and poetical
effusions scattered through the newspaper press, are marked not only by
great vigor of thought, but by much beauty and grace; and in literary
circles his abilities are recognized as of the highest order. Indeed, by
many of the best authorities he is ranked as the greatest master of the
French language at the present day in the province of Quebec—his
writings being admired as much for their purity and polish as for their
force. As a literary critic, he is admitted to be unsurpassed in that
province, and his _Jean Piquefort_ is a perfect model of keen and
polished satire. Laval University acknowledged his literary eminence in
1881 by conferring upon him the distinction of LL.D. He is also a
prominent member of the Royal Society of Canada. In 1862 our subject
married Miss Marie Clorinde Mondelet, only daughter of the late Jean
Olivier Mondelet, advocate, and niece of one of the eminent judges of
the same name, who, some years since, graced the bench of the Montreal
district. Mrs. Routhier is one of the leaders of Quebec society and a
lady as remarkable for her gracefulness as for her social distinction.
By her he has had issue four children, three daughters and one son.
* * * * *
=Shannon, Hon. Samuel Leonard=, D.C.L., Halifax, Judge of the Court of
Probate for the county of Halifax, Nova Scotia, was born in Halifax, on
the 1st June, 1816. His father, James Noble Shannon, was a merchant in
Halifax, and his mother, Nancy Allison, belongs to Horton, Nova Scotia.
The Shannons, with which the subject of our sketch is connected, came
from Ireland, to the colony of Massachusetts, in the latter part of the
seventeenth century, and the progenitor of the family was Nathaniel
Shannon, who held the office of “navie officer,” at Boston,
Massachusetts. His descendants settled at Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and
were connected with the Vaughan and Cutts families of that place. Mr.
Shannon’s grandfather, Richard Cutts Shannon, was a prominent lawyer in
Portsmouth when the revolutionary war broke out, and by taking the royal
side became subject to persecution, imprisonment, and loss of property.
His son, the father of the subject of our sketch, left Portsmouth when
he was a boy, and came to Nova Scotia, and finally settled in Halifax,
where he carried on business as a merchant until his death in 1857. The
mother’s family, the Allisons, came from the north of Ireland about the
year 1769, and settled in Horton, Nova Scotia, on land which had been
previously occupied by the French Acadians. Hon. Mr. Shannon received
his primary education at the Halifax Grammar School, of which the Rev.
Dr. Twining was master; and in 1832 he entered the University of King’s
College, Windsor, from which he graduated B.A. in 1836. He received the
degree of D.C.L. from the same university, in 1875. He studied law with
H. Pryor, D.C.L., and was admitted to the bar of Nova Scotia, in 1839.
In 1866 he was appointed a Queen’s counsel. Having taken an interest in
military affairs, he received a commission as second lieutenant in the
2nd or Queen’s Halifax regiment of militia, in 1837,—the commission
signed by Sir Colin Campbell, the then governor of Nova Scotia. He was
promoted lieutenant in the same regiment in 1838; became captain in same
regiment in 1859,—commission signed by Lord Mulgrave, the then
lieutenant-governor, and major, in 1862. He was subsequently appointed
lieutenant-colonel of the reserve Halifax battalion, and commissioned by
the Dominion government. Entering political life, he was elected member
of the Nova Scotia legislature, for the western division of the county
of Halifax, including the city, in 1859; re-elected by the same
constituency in 1863; became member of the provincial government in
1863; and remained in the government until the province entered into
confederation in 1867. He then retired from politics, and was appointed
judge of the court of probate, for the county of Halifax, in 1881. In
1870 he received the title of “honorable” from her Majesty the Queen.
Judge Shannon is president of the Nova Scotia Bible Society; president
of the Nova Scotia Evangelical Alliance; a trustee and member of the
Young Men’s Christian Association of Halifax, and a shareholder and
member of several local mercantile companies. He has travelled
extensively in the United States and Dominion of Canada, which he has
visited repeatedly. In 1847 and 1848 he spent nine months travelling in
England, Scotland, and on the continent of Europe. He was in Switzerland
when the war of the Sonderbund took place, in 1847; in Paris, only a few
weeks before the revolution of 1848, and in London, during the Chartist
riots of the last mentioned year. He was brought up a Methodist, and has
always been identified with that denomination. He was married in
October, 1855, to Annie, daughter of Benjamin Fellows, of Granville,
Nova Scotia.
* * * * *
=Sinclair, Donald=, Walkerton, Ontario, Registrar of Deeds for the
county of Bruce, was born in the Island of Islay, Scotland, in July
1829. His parents were Neil Sinclair and Mary McDougall, first of
Kileenan, afterwards of Bowmore village. He was educated at the parish
school of Bowmore. He immigrated with his parents to Canada West, in the
summer of 1851; and came to the county of Bruce in the summer of 1853,
where he remained for a couple of years with his parents who had settled
in the township of Arran in 1852. Mr. Sinclair taught school in the Gore
area of Toronto, Chinguacousy and Toronto township, and afterwards in
the township of Saugeen; and then settled permanently in the county of
Bruce, in 1858. He has always taken a deep interest in municipal
affairs, and was deputy-reeve of Arran; and sat in the municipal council
of the united counties of Huron and Bruce in 1863, in which year he
removed to Southampton and became bookkeeper for his brother, Alexander
Sinclair, general merchant and grain buyer. In general politics, too, he
was greatly interested, and became the standard-bearer of his party, and
was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, at the general
election in 1867, as member for the North Riding of Bruce, which riding
he represented continuously till 1883. He was appointed registrar of
deeds on the 24th of February, 1883, for the county of Bruce, and this
position he still holds. Mr. Sinclair removed from Southampton to
Paisley in the year 1869, where he resided and carried on business as a
general merchant till he received his appointment. He married, 26th
April, 1871, Isabella, daughter of Thomas Adair, of Southampton. He is a
member of the Baptist church, and was always a Liberal in politics. Mr.
Sinclair is a sociable Scotchman, and is held in high esteem by his
friends.
* * * * *
=Scott, Hon. Richard William=, Q.C., leader of the Opposition in the
Senate, and ex-Secretary of State, was born in Prescott, Ontario, on the
24th February, 1825. He is of Irish parentage on his father’s side,
while, on his mother’s side he claims kinship with the McDonnells of U.
E. loyalist fame. Young Scott had the advantage of a good education, his
parents being in comfortable circumstances. He was educated by a private
tutor, William Spiller, of Prescott, until he was ready to enter upon
the study of law. He read in the office of Messrs. Crooks & Smith, of
Toronto, and was called to the bar at the age of twenty-three years. He
settled in Ottawa, then a small town, and entered upon the practice of
his profession. He early exhibited a leaning towards public affairs, and
took an active part as a young man in many warm political contests. In
1852 he was elected mayor of Ottawa, and filled his term of office with
general satisfaction to the people. In 1857 he was elected to the
Canadian Legislature for Ottawa, but suffered defeat on seeking
re-election in 1863. When confederation was consummated and the first
general election for the Ontario Legislative Assembly was held, Mr.
Scott was again elected for Ottawa, and from that time to the present he
has been continuously active in Canadian public affairs as a member of
one of the great legislative bodies. He has held high positions in
several administrations, and is to be credited with the initiation of
some of the most important laws under which the Canadian people now
live. He was elected speaker of the Ontario Legislative Assembly in
1871, but in the organization of the Blake administration he was asked
to accept a portfolio and a seat in the executive council, and resigned
the speakership after two weeks of office. He became commissioner of
crown lands, and administered the affairs of that exceedingly difficult
office with marked ability. In 1873 he was called to the Privy Council
of the Dominion, as a member of the Mackenzie administration, and
resigned his place in the Ontario government and his seat in the house.
He was chosen as the fittest man to lead the Senate in conjunction with
Hon. Mr. Pelletier, and was called to the upper house and made secretary
of state, in March, 1874. His position in the government was that of
secretary of state and registrar-general. When Hon. (now Sir) Richard
Cartwright, minister of finance, went to England in that year, Hon. Mr.
Scott acted in his place; and subsequently, in the absence of other
members of the government he acted at one time as minister of internal
revenue, and at another as minister of justice. On the defeat of the
Mackenzie administration at the polls in 1878, Hon. Mr. Scott became
leader of the opposition in the Senate, which position he still holds.
The legislative enactment by which he is most widely known, and which
forms his highest title to a high place among Canadian law-makers, is
the Canada Temperance Act of 1875, better known as “the Scott Act.” This
measure was the outcome of a long agitation on the part of the
temperance people for an advance in some way upon the license laws and
the old “Dunkin Act,” until then the ones in force. The “Dunkin Act” was
a local option measure, but was of so defective a character that it was
but lightly considered by the prohibitionists, and was not of much use
as a guide in framing another law based upon the local option principle.
The Canada Temperance Act is therefore a pioneer in the path of local
option legislation in regard to the liquor traffic, and it is a
remarkable tribute to the sagacity and legal ability of its framer that
in the ten years since it was passed, although it has been the subject
of the fiercest legal disputes, not only has its constitutionality been
upheld by the highest court of the empire, in spite of the determined
efforts of the greatest pleaders to overthrow it, but so perfect have
its details been found that even now some half-dozen amendments are all
that the prohibitionists are asking, and of these some arise out of
advance in the temperance sentiment of the country which could not have
been legislated for in the first place. Another important act which owes
its origin to Mr. Scott, and which now forms part of our constitutional
system, is the Separate School Law of Ontario, prepared and carried
through parliament by him as a private member, in 1863; a measure which
was the means of removing a vexed question from the political arena, and
of allaying much public irritation. Mr. Scott is a man of quiet,
methodical ways, but remarkable for his perseverance and tenacity of
purpose. As a speaker, he makes no oratorical flourishes, but arranges
his arguments with marked ability in such a way as to produce the most
telling effect upon a candid mind. Personally there is no man in
parliament who is held in higher or more deserved respect by
representatives of all shades of political opinion.
* * * * *
=Adam, Graeme Mercer=, Toronto, was born in 1839, at Loanhead, a village
in Midlothian, Scotland, about half-way between De Quincey’s house at
Lasswade, on the Esk, and the woodland domain of the poet Drummond, of
Hawthornden, close by the far-famed castle and chapel of the Earls of
Roslyn. His father, who died in 1841, was factor on the estates of
Graeme Mercer of Mavisbank and Gorthy, after whom he was named. The
family is connected with the Adams of Blair-Adam, in Perthshire, and on
the paternal side has given many representatives to literature and other
professional callings; while on the maternal side, numberless Wisharts
(his mother is a lineal descendant of the Scottish martyr George
Wishart), have served their country in many of Britain’s great battles
on sea and land. After receiving his education, first at Portobello and
then at Edinburgh, Mr. Adam entered an old-established publishing house
in the Scottish capital while very young, and at the age of nineteen was
entrusted with the management of one of its most important departments.
Owing to the death of the head of the house, the business was wound up,
and young Mercer Adam was offered, through the Nelsons, a post in a
large colonial book-house in Calcutta, and from the Blackwoods he had at
the same time a proposal to go to Canada, to take charge of the book
business of Mr. (now Rev. Dr.) J. Cunningham Geikie; the latter of which
he accepted, and came to Canada in September, 1858. Two years afterwards
he succeeded to this business, as a member of the firm of Rollo & Adam,
who, it may be said, were the publishers of the first of the more
ambitious native periodicals published in Canada, the _British American
Magazine_. In this native periodical Mr. Adam made his first published
contributions to literature. In 1866 Mr. Rollo retired from the business
of Rollo & Adam, and the firm of Adam, Stevenson & Co. was formed. This
book-house was well known in its day for its many publishing
enterprises, and for the aid it gave the intellectual life of Canada, in
furthering native literature and in introducing a higher class of book
importations than had hitherto found sale in the country. Unfortunately
the house for a number of years met with many and severe losses, and its
business was wound up in 1876, Mr. Adam withdrawing for a time to New
York to found a publishing house there, which has since developed into
the extensive firm of the John W. Lovell Publishing Company. Mr. Adam,
however, returned to Toronto in 1878, and since then has almost
exclusively devoted himself to a literary life. In 1879 he established,
and for five years edited, the _Canada Educational Monthly_; and in 1880
assumed the editorship of the _Canadian Monthly_, which in connection
with Professor Goldwin Smith, he was instrumental in founding in the
year 1872. Mr. Adam has also had connection with many other periodical
publications issued in Ontario, either as a writer or in business
relations therewith. His services to literature have been wide and
important, for he has been journalist, educationist, critic, reviewer
and essay-writer. In 1885 he wrote “The North-West, its History and its
Troubles,” published by the Rose Publishing Company; he edited an
edition of Lord Macaulay’s Essay on Warren Hastings; founded the _Canada
Bookseller_, a trade organ, in 1870, and has written, in conjunction
with W. J. Robertson, B.A., of St. Catharines, a “School History of
England and Canada.” This History-Primer has had a sale of 100,000
copies, and is authorized for use in all the schools of Ontario as well
as in the educational institutions of other provinces. In 1883 Mr. Adam
edited a five volume series of school reading books, known as the “Royal
Canadian Readers,” and in the following year was an extensive
contributor to _Picturesque Canada_, and to a number of publications
issued in Canada and the mother country. Mr. Adam is also the joint
author, with J. W. Connor, B.A., of Berlin, of “The Canadian High School
Word Book,” a manual of orthoepy, synonymy and derivation. In 1886, in
conjunction with Miss A. E. Wetherald, a graceful Canadian writer in
prose and verse, Mr. Adam wrote an historical romance entitled “An
Algonquin Maiden,” three separate editions of which appeared in Toronto,
London, and New York. This novel, which deals with interesting events in
connection with the early history of Upper Canada, was exceedingly well
received by the public and highly praised by the critics. Of other
recent works which have come from Mr. Adam’s pen, the chief is an
“Outline History of Canadian Literature,” published in 1887. This
admirable text book of the native authors, though modest in its scope,
has been found exceedingly useful as a companion to the Canadian
histories. Mr. Adam has served Canada in the militia for twelve years.
He was a captain in the Queen’s Own Rifles, and commanded a company of
that crack corps at the fight at Ridgeway, between our volunteers and
the Fenian marauders. He is a graduate and first-class certificate
holder of the Military school of Toronto; received a second-class
certificate in 1865 from Colonel Peacock of Her Majesty’s 16th regiment;
and in 1866 a first-class certificate from Colonel Lowry of the 47th
regiment. Mr. Adam has for the last twenty years been brought into
contact with every literary man in the country and many representatives
of other professions in Canada, and we have not probably another man who
has a larger or more intimate acquaintance with books, book-men, and the
book-trade, as vouched for by the publishing and bookselling fraternity,
as well as by the leading men in all the professions—law, medicine,
education, theology, etc. Mr. Adam married in 1863, Jane, second
daughter of the late John Gibson, of Lovell & Gibson, parliamentary
printers, and editor for many years of the _Literary Garland_. This lady
died in 1884, profoundly regretted, leaving eight children to survive
her. In religion Mr. Adam is a member of the Church of England; in
politics he is an independent and a Canadian nationalist. Besides the
literary work noted, Mr. Adam has edited and prepared for the press
innumerable manuscripts; is a constant contributor to all the Toronto
journals, and is looked upon by literary people as a sort of general
reference library. The most pretentious of Mr. Adam’s published works so
far is “The North-West, its History and its Troubles;” and this is a
book that will be certain to survive in the literature of the country.
The style of the work is like everything that proceeds from the pen of
Mr. Adam,—it is clean cut, easy, swift and direct. There is a
fascinating grace about all of Mr. Adam’s work, and one finds himself
pausing constantly to admire the grace with which a sentence has been
rounded, or to linger over its exquisitely balanced rhythm. Nature he
loves with all his heart, and many of the descriptive passages in the
work in question are delightful. There is present, likewise, the
judicial quality, and the sense of historical responsibility; while the
strong individuality of the writer is ever manifest. What we say of the
work referred to, is true of Mr. Adam’s writing generally. But to him,
as some of our recently published historical and biographical works bear
testimony, Canadian literature lies under a debt which it can never
repay. Literature the man loves, and it is not an exaggeration to say
that his life has been consecrated to it. How bitter have been the
fortunes of letters in Canada, is a fact only too well known, but Mr.
Adam has always been fighting the literary fight, and when others have
dropped out of the battle, he has kept up his courage. He is at present
engaged exclusively in letters, and has now attained his meridian
powers, and we await much from his gifted pen.
* * * * *
=Dickson, George=, M.A., Principal of Upper Canada College, Toronto, was
born in Markham township, county of York, in 1846. His father was John
Dickson, a well-known and much respected mill owner, of Markham, who
came to Canada in 1829, and lived for a time in York (now Toronto). His
grandfather, Robert Dickson, was a substantial woollen manufacturer of
Lanarkshire, Scotland. His mother, a worthy Scotch lady, was the
daughter of Robert McNair, farmer, of Paisley, Scotland, who emigrated
to Canada in 1828, and settled at Milton, county of Halton, but
subsequently removed to York Mills, Yonge street. Another branch of the
family settled in Oswego, and there carried on an extensive shipping
business. The subject of this sketch, who for nearly a quarter of a
century has been worthily identified with educational pursuits, was
himself educated at the Richmond Hill Public School, at the Markham
Grammar School, and subsequently at the Whitby Senior County Grammar
School, then under the charge of Thomas Kirkland, M.A., now principal of
the Normal School, Toronto. From Whitby he proceeded to Toronto
University, where he matriculated with honors, and attended two
sessions. Here he prosecuted his studies, as the late President McCaul
relates, with much diligence, his proficiency in mathematics, history
and English, and in natural history, gaining him honors in these
departments. Later on he graduated with honors at the Victoria
University, Cobourg; and in 1878 he was admitted to the degree of master
of arts. In the year 1865 he began his career as an educator, teaching
first in the Lloyd school section, township of Whitchurch, and in 1866-7
in the village of Laskay, township of King. In the latter school we
first recognise Mr. Dickson’s special aptitude for teaching, for in the
two years he was engaged at Laskay no fewer than twelve of his pupils
obtained first-class certificates of qualification as teachers. In 1868
Mr. Dickson was appointed mathematical master in the Chatham Grammar
School, then under the late High School inspector, S. A. Marling, M.A.
Here his success as an educator followed him, one of his earliest pupils
obtaining first-class honors in mathematics at the matriculation
examinations at Toronto University. Of the characteristics of his
educational work at Chatham, Mr. Marling, the then head master,
writes:—“Mr. Dickson is a thorough teacher, an excellent
disciplinarian, and possesses in an unusual degree the power to excite
and maintain the interest of a class.” In 1871 the subject of our sketch
was offered and accepted the important post of preparing young men for
university matriculation in the Woodstock Literary Institute, under the
late Rev. R. A. Fyfe, D.D. Here he had charge of the university class in
mathematics, English, history, and part of the classics; and in the year
he remained at Woodstock he justly earned, as the authorities
acknowledged, much of the gratifying honors won by the students of the
institute. We now follow Mr. Dickson to Hamilton, to which city he
removed in the autumn of 1872, to assume the duties of assistant
mastership of the Collegiate Institute. The then headmaster was the late
J. M. Buchan, M.A., who in the following year was made high school
inspector; the board appointing Mr. Dickson in his stead. To this
important position the new headmaster brought his now matured talents,
rare aptitude for teaching, and an industry and power of work which
enabled him not only to establish his fame as one of the most successful
of Canadian educators, but to win for the Hamilton Institute a position
in the first rank among the secondary schools of the province. These
statements find ready confirmation in the gratifying statistics of the
institute during the thirteen years Mr. Dickson remained in charge of
its affairs. In 1872, when he was appointed headmaster, the school
ranked third in the province; in 1885, when he removed to Toronto, again
to succeed Mr. Buchan in the principalship of Upper Canada College, the
school, as we have said, ranked first; from an attendance of 230 at the
former period, the attendance rose to 585 at the latter period. Not only
was the school thoroughly organized, with a specialist at the head of
each department, but a literary society was formed in connection with
it, and later on its members began the publication of a magazine, which
at first modestly appeared quarterly, then blossomed out into a vigorous
monthly, dealing with every branch of educational work, and finding its
way into almost every county in the province. In the management of this
periodical, which finally was merged in the _Canada Educational
Monthly_, Mr. Dickson took an active interest, and gave it the benefit
of his literary and scientific attainments. Meantime the institute
greatly prospered, and the most gratifying successes were won by its
pupils at the various university examinations and at those of the
educational department of the province. The university record of the
institute under Mr. Dickson’s administration shows almost phenomenal
results. Within ten years of his appointment no less than one hundred
and seventy-five of its pupils passed the university examinations. The
scholarships (nineteen in number) taken by pupils of the school within
the same period are in the same ratio. As bearing on this subject, we
extract the following from a late report of the Hamilton board:—
At Toronto University the school has ranked either first or
second in classics no fewer than ten times, in mathematics
eleven times first and three times second; in modern languages,
including English, history and geography, twice first and twice
second; and at every matriculation examination since 1873
Hamilton has won scholarships. Official university records show
that no other collegiate institute has done this. In addition to
the scholarships given above, Hamilton won six at first year
Toronto University; one at London, England, ten at Knox College;
two at McGill University; one at Trinity College, Toronto; two
at Victoria and one at Queen’s College, Kingston; in all, forty
scholarships, or an average of four each year. In 1883, in
addition to all this, five scholarships were won at university
examinations by Hamilton.
The departmental examinations show like results. Under Mr. Dickson’s
_régime_ upwards of four hundred passed the non-professional
examinations for teachers’ certificates, and over fifty matriculated in
law. From 1880 to 1885, in addition to his onerous duties as principal
of the Collegiate Institute, Mr. Dickson had charge of the organization
and management of the school system of the city of Hamilton. He also
organized the Hamilton Teachers’ Association, and was its first
president; was president for one year of the Teachers Association of the
county of Wentworth; and for a number of years a director of the
Hamilton Mechanics’ Institute. In 1885, on the lamented death of J. M.
Buchan, Mr. Dickson succeeded that gentleman in the principalship of
Upper Canada College, by appointment of the Ontario government, and
thereupon removed to Toronto. In his new sphere, Principal Dickson’s
power of organization, good discipline, and thoroughly business-like
administration, combined with his all round scholarship, fine teaching
ability and faculty of imbuing students with love of their work soon
manifested themselves, and gave a new impetus to the old historic school
of the province. Under his management not only has the institution
continued to flourish, but it has done increasingly good work, as yearly
university honors prove, and passed through a crisis in its history
which, under a less vigorous administration would probably have seen its
doom. Though it is soon to pass to new quarters in the northern suburbs
of the city, its future need cause no uneasiness to any “old College
boy,” for its interests will be in safe keeping in the hands of its
present capable head. As principal of Upper Canada College Mr. Dickson
is _ex officio_ a member of Toronto University Senate, and his large
experience as an educationist, and the fact that he has filled
successively the post of classical, mathematical, science and English
master, in high school, collegiate institute and college, peculiarly fit
him to serve in the academic senate. Personally, he is held in high
esteem for his many fine qualities of head and heart, and for those
gifts and endowments which, if they have not led him to take a prominent
part in public affairs, nevertheless attach to him many warm friends.
Though he is not what is known as a “pushing” man, for his modest
demeanor indicates him to be the reverse of this, he is a gentleman of
great and varied mental resources, which would enable him to acquit
himself with credit in any sphere he is called upon to fill. He is
withal a genial, large-hearted, and lovable man. In politics Principal
Dickson is a Reformer; in religion a Presbyterian. In 1882 he married
Mary, eldest daughter of the late Captain Thomas Flett, of Hamilton, a
lady whose musical tastes and varied graces and accomplishments endear
her to a large circle of friends.
* * * * *
=Stephen, Alexander=, Halifax, N.S., was born at Musquodoboit, Halifax
Co., March 9, 1845, and was the eldest son of Alexander Stephen of
Rothess, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, who came to Nova Scotia in 1834, and
engaged in business, founding the house of A. Stephen & Son, carried on
by his son to-day. His mother was Mary Ann Gould, a daughter of one of
the settlers of the Musquodoboit valley. The subject of this sketch was
educated at the Free Church Academy and Horton College. He early in life
became associated with his father in the firm of A. Stephen & Son,
furniture and wooden ware manufacturers, and on the decease of his
father (a few years ago), continued the business, which has increased
and developed under his management. Prior to the confederation of the
provinces he held a captain’s commission in the 9th Halifax militia, and
since 1867 holds the commission of a captain in the militia reserve. He
was elected an alderman for the city of Halifax in 1882, and was again
re-elected in 1885. During that period he has filled many responsible
positions such as chairman of the Board of Works of the city; chairman
of the Public Gardens Commission; and joint delegate with Mayor J. C.
Mackintosh and Hon. Dr. Farrell in the St. John-Halifax delegation to
Ottawa, on the Dry Dock and Short Line Railway matters, in 1885. He was
one of the executive committee of the Dominion Exhibition of 1881, and
was one of the most zealous movers in that successful exposition. He is
an active promoter of the Victoria School of Art and Design, established
in Halifax, 1887, in honor of her Majesty’s jubilee. Mr. Stephen is a
Royal Arch Mason and P.M. of Virgin lodge, No. 3, R.N.S., with which he
has been connected for twenty years. He is a Liberal in politics and an
uncompromising free trader, though engaged in, and very successfully
carrying on one of the best protected trades, viz.: furniture, wooden
ware and house furnishings. Has in his employ a large number of men at
his factory and warerooms in Halifax. The factory is situate number 162
to 166 Grafton street, and extends through to Albermarle street. The
ware rooms are on the corner of Barrington and Prince streets, adjoining
the Y. M. C. A. building, and are very extensive. He has lately added
the house furnishings branch, carpets, oil cloths, and draperies, to his
extensive business which is still carried on under the old style, A.
Stephen & Son. He is a Presbyterian. He married August 19, 1873, Sadie
Cogswell, daughter of late Rev. John Cogswell, of Halifax, and has a
family.
* * * * *
=Hill, Hon. George Frederick=, St. Stephen, N.B., is a son of the late
Hon. George S. Hill, a barrister of extensive connections, who sat for
twenty-eight years in the House of Assembly and the Legislative Council
of New Brunswick. Hon. Mr. Hill was born at St. Stephen in February,
1832. He received part of his education in that town and also pursued
his studies for some time in the neighbouring republic. Having completed
his general course of studies, he began to equip himself for the toils
of the legal profession, and was admitted an attorney of New Brunswick
in 1854. Thinking that there was more money in mercantile pursuits than
in the walk of Blackstone, he gave over his original intention of
following the varying chances of success at the bar, and engaged in
trade. Mr. Hill has never since returned to legal studies, but his early
training has been of great service to him as an active man of affairs
and politician. There have been great opportunities in general business
in the province during the last thirty years, a spirit of enterprise
having been as generally diffused in New Brunswick as in any part of
British America. Of late, bank failures consequent upon the decline of
shipping and the lumber industry, have somewhat retarded the more
ambitious movements of speculation, but still the enterprise is there,
and will in the long run do its work. Mr. Hill was official assignee for
Charlotte county, under the old bankruptcy law, from 1869 until the law
was repealed in 1878. He early manifested a great love of politics and,
being possessed of extensive business connections, was nominated as a
candidate for Charlotte county in 1865 in the Provincial Assembly. Those
were the days of intense political excitement over the mooted scheme of
confederation of the provinces. Many able politicians succumbed to the
varying successes of the two parties over this question. In 1866 Mr.
Hill was among the defeated, when the confederation movement was
successful. He still continued to take an active interest in politics,
however, and at the general election of 1878 was re-elected and held his
seat in the house until 25th May, 1882, when he was appointed to his
seat in the Legislative Council which he still holds. He is an ardent
Liberal, believing that the cause of the people is best advanced by the
principles of his party. New Brunswick has been in the main a Liberal
province ever since the period, forty years ago, when the family compact
was broken up by men like the late Governor Lemuel A. Wilmot, and
Liberal doctrines triumphed. There is a larger proportion of Liberal
members from New Brunswick at present sitting in the House of Commons at
Ottawa than from any of the other maritime provinces excepting Prince
Edward Island. Hon. Mr. Hill always held a high position in the counsels
of his party, and was appointed president or speaker of the council, 3rd
March, 1887. The position of speaker of a legislative body is one which
requires for its successful occupation a very great measure of knowledge
of parliamentary law, tact and resolution, and he has been eminently
successful in presiding over the debates in the council, and
administering the rules. He resides at St. Stephen, which is one of the
most flourishing towns in New Brunswick. An extensive trade is carried
on there with the United States, and it is the centre of the lumber
trade. Much money is also made in the fisheries. It has two newspapers
and two banks. Its population is about 4000.
* * * * *
=Thomas, Newell Wood=, Coaticook, Quebec province, was born at Barnston,
on the 25th June, 1842. His father was a native of Barnston and carried
on farming. He was also a mail contractor, being the first person who
carried her Majesty’s mails out of the town of Coaticook. He was for
many years a councillor, and afterwards warden of the county of
Stanstead. His mother, Orissa A. Norton, was also born in Barnston.
Newell W. Thomas, the subject of our sketch, received his educational
training in the common school of his native place. On leaving school he
went into the establishment of the late John Thornton, as a clerk, and
here he gradually rose, step by step, until he finally became a partner
in the business. Some years afterwards, on the retirement of Mr.
Thornton, he assumed the whole business and carried it successfully on
alone for a period of twenty-four years, when he retired from active
mercantile life. Mr. Thomas is one of the original founders of the
Cascade Narrow Fabric Manufacturing Company, and is now vice-president
of the company. This undertaking was begun in 1886, and has proved very
satisfactory to its shareholders. In politics he is a
Liberal-Conservative, and in religion belongs to the Methodist church.
On the 20th of October, 1868, he was married to Katie Barry, and the
fruit of the union has been three sons (one of whom is now a banker),
and one daughter.
* * * * *
=Bethune, Robert Henry=, Manager of the Dominion Bank, Toronto, was born
at Cobourg, Ontario, on the 5th of May, 1836. His father was the beloved
and highly respected Bishop A. N. Bethune, D.D. (the successor of Bishop
Strachan in the Toronto Episcopate), who died in 1879. The subject of
our sketch was educated at Upper Canada College and at other schools of
the province. Early in life he took to banking as a vocation, and for
the long period of now thirty-five years he has been closely and
honorably connected with banking institutions, and has become one of the
most respected and trustworthy, as well as perhaps the best known and
most successful, Bank managers of Toronto. For several years he has been
the cashier of the Dominion Bank, and, during this period, thanks to his
prudent and able management, no institution in the country has had a
more satisfactory record, or to-day stands higher in the confidence of
the commercial and financial community of Canada. Mr. Bethune’s life,
though it has been uneventful, has not been without incident or devoid
of importance. Nor has it been lacking in the kind or quality of service
which, in the course of a long career of responsibility and duty, a
trusty and competent Bank officer renders to the corporate body whom he
represents and to the public at large. In the course of this career, Mr.
Bethune has seen banks rise and fall, looked on the barometer of finance
in sunshine and storm, been confronted with all sorts of commercial
vicissitudes, and, like other old Bank managers, been at times
threatened with mercantile and financial panic. Yet has he held bravely
on his course, with a firm hand on the interests with which he has been
charged, and has faithfully and successfully done his duty. Mr. Bethune,
for the first twelve years of his business life, was connected with the
Bank of Montreal, and served that institution in various towns and
cities of the province, from junior clerk in 1853 to manager in 1865. In
1853, for instance, we find him acting as junior clerk in Brockville; in
1854 as teller in Cobourg; in 1859 as assistant accountant in Toronto;
in 1861 as accountant at New York; in 1862 as accountant at Hamilton;
and finally, in 1864, as manager at St. Catharines. At the close of 1865
he severed his connection with the Bank of Montreal, on being appointed
inspector of the Quebec Bank, and in the following year was made manager
of the Toronto branch of that institution. Here he remained until 1871,
when he received the appointment which he now holds, that of Cashier and
Manager of the Dominion Bank. Personally, Mr. Bethune is not only highly
respected, but is much beloved; and he enjoys the esteem and confidence
of the whole community. He is conservative in his ways, and is what is
known as an eminently safe banker, as may be predicted from the
stability and success of the institution which he has long guided and
controlled. In politics he is a Liberal-Conservative; in religion, a
member of the Church of England. In 1862 he married Jane Frances Ewart,
eldest daughter of the late J. B. Ewart, of Dundas, by whom he has six
children.
* * * * *
=McLeod, Hon. John David=, M.L.C., Pictou, Nova Scotia, is a native of
Pictou county, N.S., being descended from an ancient Highland family. He
is about forty-seven years of age. He received his early education in
Pictou, and having finished his academic course he entered upon the
study of the law. Having completed his four years’ apprenticeship he was
admitted to the bar of Nova Scotia on 5th December, 1866. He carried on
the practice of his profession with great success in Pictou for upwards
of twenty years. Being a man of great social popularity, he has been
several times before the people as a candidate for legislative honors,
being considered the strongest man the Liberals could put in the field.
In the local general election of 1886 he polled 2,514 votes, but failed
being elected, Pictou being one of the strongest Conservative
constituencies in the province. In the general election for the House of
Commons, February, 1887, he again entered the field but was
unsuccessful. In local affairs he has met with more success, and has
been three times mayor of Pictou. He is a fluent and ready speaker, and
is possessed of a fine presence. The local government recognized his
services to the party by appointing him, 10th March, 1887, a member of
the Legislative Council, and on 15th March he was made a member of the
executive, in which, until his retirement, he sat without portfolio, but
holding the position of Liberal leader in the council. In the following
summer failing health led him to seek a residence in a warmer climate,
and with his family he removed from the province and settled in Southern
California. Previous to his leaving Pictou his friends honored him with
a public banquet, and presented him with a complimentary address.
* * * * *
=Wilmot, Hon. Robert Duncan=, Fredericton, New Brunswick. Hon. Mr.
Wilmot, late Lieutenant-Governor of the province of New Brunswick, was
born at Fredericton, N.B., on the 16th October, 1809. His grandfather
was the late Major Lemuel Wilmot. His father, the late John M. Wilmot,
represented St. John county for many years in the New Brunswick
legislature; and his mother, Susan Harriet, was a daughter of the late
Samuel Wiggins, a prominent merchant of St. John. When about five years
of age the future lieutenant-governor removed with his parents to St.
John, where he received his education. On reaching manhood he entered
into business with his father, who at that time was a prominent merchant
and shipowner. In 1833 he was married to Miss Mowatt, of St. John, and
shortly after this event removed to Liverpool, England, where he resided
for five years. On his return he began to take an interest in municipal
affairs, and for some time he sat as alderman in the city council, and
afterwards became mayor of the city. In 1846 he entered the arena of
politics, and on presenting himself for parliamentary honors was elected
to represent the county of St. John in the New Brunswick legislature,
and this constituency he continued to represent, with the exception of
one term, until the confederation of the provinces. He was appointed
surveyor-general of New Brunswick in 1851, and held the office until
1854. In 1856-7 he was provincial secretary, and became premier of the
government formed in 1865. He was also a member of the government of
1866-7. This year he was a delegate to the conference held in London,
England, to discuss matters relating to confederation. On the 1st of
July, 1867, he was called by royal proclamation to a seat in the Senate
of the Dominion of Canada. Upon the formation of Sir John A. Macdonald’s
government, in 1878, he was sworn in a member of the Privy Council
without portfolio, and shortly afterwards was appointed speaker of the
Senate, as successor to the Hon. David Christie. This office he held
until the time of the death of Lieutenant-Governor C. B. Chandler, when
he resigned the speakership, and on the 11th February, 1880, was
appointed lieutenant-governor of his native province. In this position
he faithfully served his country until the 11th November, 1885, when he
was succeeded by Sir Leonard Tilley. In 1851 the Hon. Mr. Wilmot left
the city of St. John to reside in Sunbury county, on a farm known as
“Belmont,” owned by his grandfather and father, and on the expiration of
his term of office at Fredericton, he again selected Belmont as his
home, and here he now resides. In politics, he is a Conservative, and
for many years was a leader of this party in New Brunswick. In religion,
he is a member of the Church of England. Few men are more respected than
the Hon. Mr. Wilmot, and all hope he may be long spared to enjoy the
honors he has earned, and of which he is most deserving.
* * * * *
=Rogers, Lieutenant-Col. Robert Zacheus=, Grafton, Ontario, is a younger
brother of Henry C. Rogers, who is referred to at length on page 147. He
was born at Grafton, Northumberland county, Ontario, 29th March, 1842.
His education was completed at Upper Canada College in 1859, and soon
afterwards he was entrusted with the management of the farm and business
of his father, whom he succeeded. He was among the first to take
advantage of the military training offered by the School of Instruction
established by the government at Toronto in 1864, and subsequently took
an active part in the volunteer movement of 1866, serving as a
lieutenant during the Fenian raids of that year. After nineteen years’
service as a captain in the 40th Northumberland battalion V.M., he
assumed the command of the same in compliance with the request of his
brother officers, some of whom were senior to him. In politics, he has
always taken an active part on behalf of the Conservative party, and for
eight years was the chosen leader of the county organization in support
of the government of Sir John A. Macdonald. In the spring of 1880 he
organized an expedition to colonize and develop the valley of the Souris
river, in the Canadian Northwest, which had been partly surveyed the
previous season and most favorably reported on. The point selected as
the business centre was called Millford, near the mouth of the
Souris—at which place he started a saw mill in June of that year, and
erected the first frame building west of the old province line, range 13
west of Winnipeg, and south of the present main line of the C. P.
Railway. The following year he added the pioneer flour mill of the
district to his establishment, and for five years carried on an
extensive business, and in many ways took an important part in promoting
the advancement of that very promising agricultural district. This
enterprise, however, did not prove a financial success, and Mr. Rogers
was forced reluctantly to abandon the idea of making that his future
home. In September, 1867, he married Isabella, eldest daughter of the
late Sheriff Waddell, of Chatham, Ontario, and granddaughter of the late
Captain William Waddell, of the 1st Royal Dragoons, a veteran of
Waterloo fame.
* * * * *
=Bourgeois, George A.=, M.D., C.M., Three Rivers, was born at St.
Grégoire, county of Nicolet, P.Q., on the 1st of October, 1822. His
father was Jacques Bourgeois, a farmer, and his mother Magdeleine
Bourke. He took a classical course at the Seminary of Nicolet. He
adopted the medical profession, received his license to practise on the
1st of March, 1844, and began his professional career in his native
parish, where he practised from that year till 1867, inclusively. He
then entered the civil service and was deputy commissioner of crown
lands for the province of Quebec from the 2nd of November, 1867, to the
2nd of October, 1869, during which period he resided in the city of
Quebec. He was director of the cadastral operations in the district of
Three Rivers, from the 1st of August, 1870, to the 1st of September,
1878. He was inspector of the post offices of the Dominion of Canada in
the postal division of Three Rivers, from the 26th of July, 1879; and
also in the Quebec postal division from the 12th of February, 1886, to
the 12th of July, 1887. He has been a resident of Three Rivers since
May, 1872. Dr. Bourgeois travelled in Europe during the years 1869 and
1870, and visited England, Ireland, Belgium, Germany, France and Italy.
On the 27th of April, 1886, he was created Knight Commander of the
religious and military order of the Holy Sepulchre, and also an honorary
member of the order of the Chevaliers Sauveteurs des Alpes Maritimes, on
the 11th of July of the same year. In May, 1885, he received from the
Victoria University the degrees of M.D. and C.M. He was married on the
24th of September, 1844, to Mary Esther Lucinda Whitney, who died on the
14th of September, 1868. He was again married to Mary Malvina Ernestine
Rivard Dufresne, on the 22nd of October, 1870. In religion Dr. Bourgeois
is a Roman Catholic.
* * * * *
=Brooks, Hon. Edward T.=, Sherbrooke, Judge of the Superior Court of
Quebec, was born at Lennoxville, county of Sherbrooke, on the 6th of
July, 1830. His father, Samuel Brooks, was a native of Massachusetts,
and a member of the Brooks family with which the Adamses of that state
are connected. He was a member of the Canadian assembly for Sherbrooke
for many years, the last term being from 1844 until his death in 1849.
His mother was Elizabeth Towle. The subject of this sketch was educated
at Dartmouth College, from which he graduated in 1850; studied law with
Judge J. S. Sanborn, of Sherbrooke, and Andrew Robertson, Q.C., of
Montreal; was admitted to the bar of Lower Canada in 1854, created a
Queen’s counsel in 1875, and elected _bâtonnier_ of St. Francis bar the
same year. He has always had an honorable stand at the bar of his
district, and has done a highly remunerative and straightforward
business. In ability he stands in the front rank in his part of the
province. He was vice-president of the International and Waterloo, and
Magog Railways; president of the Sherbrooke Rifle Association; the Fish
and Game Protection Society, and the Plowmen’s Association; solicitor
for the Eastern Townships Bank, the head-quarters of which are at
Sherbrooke, and trustee of Bishop’s College, Lennoxville. He is a man
with a great deal of public spirit and very highly prized as a citizen.
He was first elected to parliament for his present seat by acclamation
in 1872, and was re-elected in the same manner in 1874, and again at the
general election in September, 1878. He was the author of the amendment
to the law of libel, passed in 1874, and seconded Sir John A.
Macdonald’s motion condemning the act of Lieutenant-Governor Letellier,
of the province of Quebec. He was a Conservative, and a steadfast and
earnest supporter of the policy of that party, believing the best
interests of the country are promoted by protecting home industries and
encouraging internal improvements. These were his views, as many of his
friends know, long before they were embodied in the so-called “national
policy,” and were made a distinct party issue. Mr. Brooks was elevated
to the bench of St. Francis district on the 1st October, 1882. He was
married in 1856, to Sarah Louise, daughter of Eleazer Clarke, revenue
inspector and high constable, Sherbrooke, and they have three children.
* * * * *
=Cooke, Richard S.=, Advocate, Three Rivers, was born at Three Rivers,
province of Quebec, on the 23rd of January, 1850. He is the son of the
late John Richard Cooke, a saddler by trade, and Marie Emilie Cloutier,
and nephew of the late Right Rev. Thomas Cooke, first bishop of the
diocese of Three Rivers. Mr. Cooke received his early education at the
Christian Brothers’ School, and went through a regular course of
classical studies at the St. Joseph College, taking first prizes every
year at both institutions, and distinguishing himself among his
schoolmates by his talented application. He was admitted to the bar in
July, 1874, and has practised his profession without interruption since
then, making a specialty of commercial law business. From 1874 to 1879
he practised with the Hon. H. G. Malhiot (then a member of the Quebec
government, and now mayor of Three Rivers), under the name and title of
Malhiot & Cooke. Mr. Cooke was an alderman of the council of Three
Rivers from 1880 to 1885, and was chosen as pro-mayor and president of
the finance committee. He has been connected with nearly every amateur
association of his native city, and founded the Three Rivers Fish and
Game Club, duly incorporated and holding fishing rights on Lake Archange
and others in the province of Quebec. He has taken a prominent and very
active part in all political and municipal matters, and has always been
an independent supporter of the Conservative party, and an earnest
advocate of progress in municipal affairs. Mr. Cooke is an eloquent and
impressive speaker, and as such is highly appreciated and generally
considered to be an undoubted authority on financial matters. He has
visited nearly every important place in Canada, the United States and
Europe. He belongs to the Roman Catholic church, of which he is a strict
member, but thoroughly liberal in his views, and in no way given to
bigotry. Mr. Cooke married on the 23rd August, 1877, Louisa Lajoie, only
daughter of the late J. B. Lajoie, first mayor of Three Rivers, but
unfortunately lost both his wife and newly-born child the following
year. His efforts and energy greatly assisted in the building of the
Lower Laurentian Railway, extending from the Piles branch of the
Canadian Pacific Railway towards Lake St. John, on part of which trains
are running through the parishes of St. Tite and St. Thècle. Still in
the prime of life, and possessing an unusual amount of energy and
talent, Mr. Cooke will no doubt occupy a prominent position in the
affairs of his country.
* * * * *
=MacGillivray, Hon. Angus=, of Antigonish, N.S., was born at Bailey’s
Brook, Pictou county, N.S., on the 22nd January, 1842. He is of Scottish
extraction, his grandfather, Angus MacGillivray, having emigrated from
Arisaig, in Inverness-shire, Scotland. His father and mother were named
John and Catharine MacGillivray. When a mere lad, Angus removed, in
1845, with his parents to Antigonish, where he has since resided. He
received his education at St. François-Xavier College, Antigonish—where
his studies embraced the languages, mathematics, and philosophy—and
from this institution he graduated with the degree of M.A. The counties
of Antigonish and the eastern portion of the county of Pictou are
largely peopled with Scotch Catholics, and a man of Mr. MacGillivray’s
abilities would naturally possess a great influence among his
coreligionists. The inhabitants of Pictou county are said to be more
Scotch than the Scotch, no less an authority than the late Rev. Norman
McLeod, the eminent Scottish divine, having pronounced them to be as
tenacious of Scotch prejudice and national custom and turn of thought
and speech as any section of the people in old Scotland. Gaelic is
commonly spoken by all classes; original Gaelic poems are often to be
seen in the weekly newspapers of Pictou and Antigonish; and Highland
gatherings, those nuclei of national sentiment and national manly
contests, are celebrated every year in either of the eastern counties or
in Prince Edward Island. “Tigh-Dhe” (House of God) is the inscription
cut in the granite over the portal of the great cathedral in Antigonish,
which edifice is considered to be the largest and handsomest religious
structure in Nova Scotia. After graduating, Mr. MacGillivray entered
upon the study of the law in the office of H. (now judge) Macdonald, and
finished in the office of Blanchard & Magher, Halifax, was called to the
bar on the 22nd of July, 1874, and immediately afterwards formed a
partnership with A. McIsaac (now judge of the County Court). A
dissolution taking place on the elevation of Mr. McIsaac to the bench,
Mr. MacGillivray formed another partnership, and is now head of the law
firm of MacGillivray & Chisholm, barristers, etc. Being a most popular
man in his professional and social relations, he was returned to the
House of Assembly by acclamation at the general election in 1878, and
was re-elected in 1882. In February, 1883, he was elected speaker of the
house, and discharged the duties of that responsible office with great
discrimination and acceptance until the dissolution in May, 1886. Being
again nominated by his constituents, he contested the county at the
general election on the 15th June, 1886, and was returned at the head of
the poll, the vote standing—Angus MacGillivray, 1,378 votes; C. F.
McIsaac, 1,273, defeating C. B. Whidden, 900; and R. McDonald, 487. He
was appointed a member of the Executive Council in the Hon. Mr.
Fielding’s cabinet, on the 28th June, 1886. Yielding to the urgent
solicitations of his party, he resigned his seat in the Nova Scotia
legislature in January, 1887, in order to run for the House of Commons
at Ottawa at the general election, his opponent being the Hon. John S.
D. Thompson, minister of justice. Even against so strong a man, the Hon.
Mr. MacGillivray polled 1,207 votes, being defeated by only 40 votes.
However, being again nominated for a seat in the local house, there was
no one bold enough to take the field against him, and he was returned by
acclamation on the 1st March, 1887. On the 7th March following he was
reappointed a member of the government. Hon. Mr. MacGillivray was one of
the commissioners appointed by the government in 1878 to investigate the
claims of laborers and others against absconding and insolvent
contractors on the Eastern Extension Railway; and in October, 1887, he
was one of the delegates to the Inter-Provincial Conference held at
Quebec. He is connected with improvements relating to agriculture, and
takes part in the better encouragement of that industry. In religion he
is a Roman Catholic, and in politics a Liberal. He married, on the 5th
February, 1878, Maggie, daughter of the late Alexander McIntosh, of
Antigonish. This lady died on the 8th September, 1879. On July 15th,
1884, he married May E., daughter of John Doherty, of New York.
* * * * *
=Castle, Rev. John Harvard=, D.D., Principal of McMaster Hall, Toronto,
was born in Milestown, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1830. He received his
early education at the Central High School of Philadelphia. In the year
1847 he entered the University of Lewisburg, Pa., where he graduated
with honors in 1851, and from that institution of learning he received
the degree of Doctor of Divinity in 1866. He completed his ministerial
studies at Rochester Theological Seminary, N.Y., in 1853, and was
licensed to preach by the Broad Street Church, Philadelphia, the same
year. He was ordained at Pottsville, Pa., where he labored for two years
and a half, after which he took charge of the Baptist Church at
Newburgh, N.Y. In 1859 he returned to his native city and entered upon
the pastorate of the First Baptist Church, West Philadelphia, where he
remained for fourteen years, universally beloved by the members of his
church and community. Here he gave much time and labor to the missionary
cause and educational interest, serving on the boards of the publication
and education societies, and the general association. He was also a
trustee of the University at Lewisburgh, and of Crozer Theological
Seminary. He served as moderator of the Philadelphia Baptist
Association, and was also elected president of the ministerial
conference. In the spring of 1871 he commenced a tour of Europe. In 1872
he was urgently invited to take charge of the Jarvis Street Baptist
Church of Toronto, Ontario, which invitation he accepted after mature
consideration, and commenced his pastorate on 1st February, 1873. In
this field of labor he remained in close and affectionate relations with
his congregation for years, although strongly urged to accept the
principalship of the Woodstock College. When its Theological department
was removed to Toronto on the completion of McMaster Hall, the leading
men of his denomination turned to him as eminently fitted to become the
principal. This position he accepted, and has filled, as also the chair
of systematic theology and pastoral theology, with that success which
was expected of him. A secular journal of Toronto, under date of October
5th, 1877, thus speaks of him: “Into the work of the denomination and
all Christian movements he has thrown himself with all his heart and has
become a leading spirit therein. His congregation has increased rapidly,
and erected a handsome church building at the cost of $100,000, of which
the Hon. Senator McMaster contributed $35,000 towards it; this building
is now one of the recognized sights of the city. He is a strong
temperance advocate, and a consistent enemy of frivolity of all
descriptions. His oratorical powers are of a high order, his enunciation
being singularly distinct, and his manner graceful and effective. Though
an earnest upholder of the doctrines of his denomination, he seldom
gives utterance to any remarks which members of other communions cannot
listen to without impatience. Never slow to do battle when controversies
arise, he proves an adept in polemics, but is ever ready to recognize
and admire all that is Christ-like beyond his own ecclesiastical
boundaries.” Mr. Castle was joined in wedlock on the 15th of September,
1853, to Mary Antoinette Arnold, of Rochester, N.Y., by whom he has five
children, two daughters and three sons.
* * * * *
=Ball, George=, Lumber Manufacturer, Nicolet, Quebec province, was born
at Champlain, Quebec, 11th September, 1838. His parents were Reuben Ball
and Flavia Fontaine. Mr. Ball is one of our many self-educated men, as
in his early days schools were not as numerous as they are now, and he
had to satisfy himself with a few months at a grammar school. In early
life he decided to enter into mercantile business, in which he soon
evinced marked ability, and his future success fully proved the wisdom
of his choice. He is now one of the largest lumber manufacturers in the
province of Quebec, his mills at Nicolet having a capacity of over
10,000,000 feet of lumber per annum. He has taken an active part in the
municipal affairs of his town, and in 1885 was elected mayor, being
re-elected to the same office in 1887, and is held in the highest esteem
by his fellow-townsmen and all who know him. In politics Mr. Ball is a
Conservative. He was married in 1864 to Eliza Thurbar.
* * * * *
=Boulton, D’Arcy Edward=, Cobourg, Ontario, Lieutenant-Colonel of The
Prince of Wales’ Canadian Dragoons, headquarters at Cobourg, was born at
York, Upper Canada, on the 2nd of February, 1814. He is the present
surviving son of the late D’Arcy Boulton and Sarah Robinson, of The
Grange, Toronto, nephew of Sir John Beverley Robinson, and grandson of
the late D’Arcy Boulton, one of the judges of the Queen’s Bench of then
Upper Canada, at that time a Crown colony, all of that party known as
the Family Compact. Judge Boulton brought his young family to Canada in
1796, and on a voyage to England a few years after, the vessel he was in
was captured by a French frigate after an engagement, in which Mr.
Boulton received a cutlas wound, and was carried a prisoner of war to
France, where he remained on his patrol of honor at Verdun for three
years prior to Bonaparte’s march to Moscow. The wound on his arm grew so
as to affect the circulation of the blood, so much so that he went to
England in 1830, and an operation by Sir Benjamin Brodie removed the
part, by cutting out a pound of flesh at the risk of life. He afterwards
returned to Toronto cured of this trouble. The subject of this sketch
was educated first under the late Bishop Strachan, and in 1829 went to
complete his education in England, at Tiverton, Devon, in Blundell’s
school. He returned to Canada in 1832, and adopted the profession of the
law. He was made a barrister in 1837, and practised in the profession
from that date at Cobourg, his place of residence. In 1836 he was
elected a member of the board of police, and sat for years in it, and
afterwards as a member of the town council; he was also a member of the
county council. He was mayor of Cobourg in the year 1853 and three
following years, and devoted himself to the promotion of harbor
extension and the construction of gravel and plank roads leading from
Cobourg into the country, east, west, and north to Rice Lake, and in
1855 carried through the legislature a charter to build the railway to
Peterboro’, as a feeder to the Grand Trunk Railway. He was afterwards
largely interested as shareholder and director in the Midland Railway,
and for a period was president of the company. He was a commissioner of
the Cobourg Town Trust, and in 1883 was appointed by the Dominion
government one of a Royal commission with George M. Clarke, judge, and
Frederick Broughton, manager of the Great Western Railway, to
investigate numerous old standing claims by contractors against the
Dominion government, amounting to several millions of dollars. This
inquiry was very thorough, extending over a period of about two years,
till every claim was disposed of. In 1854 he was engaged by Col. Sloo,
possessor of a Mexican grant or charter, confirmed by treaty between
Mexico and the United States of America, to procure English contractors
to build a railway from Vera Cruz on the Gulf of Mexico to the Pacific
ocean, known as the Tehuantepec Railway, and to assist at Washington in
getting a confirmation of the treaty by Congress. The result of his work
was a contract with Messrs. Sykes, of England, to advance $600,000 to
Mexico, the price of the charter, and to build the railway, for which
service he was handsomely rewarded by the railway company, of which
Colonel Sloo was president. The contract afterwards fell through, by the
loss of the senior Sykes, with engineers and full staff, who were lost
in the steamer _Arctic_, which went down at sea with all hands. In 1854
Mr. Boulton was named by a Conservative convention to contest the West
Riding of Northumberland, but was defeated by the corrupt expenditure of
very large sums of money. He was a consistent Conservative, and
president for several years of the Liberal-Conservative Association from
its first organisation. At the beginning of the rebellion in 1837 he
joined the order of Loyal Orangemen, and in 1846 entered the Masonic
order and the order of Oddfellows, Manchester Unity, about the same
period; and is now one of the oldest members of the Masonic and Orange
fraternities, is one of the senior members of the bar, and is senior
officer of the active militia service on duty. In 1837 he raised a
company of infantry and volunteers, and as captain, was enlisted with
his men—into the incorporated regiment of the Queen’s Own, under
Colonel Kingsmill, and served in Toronto and on the Niagara frontier
till the troubles were over. When the active militia was reorganised in
1855, Captain Boulton raised a volunteer cavalry troop, known as The
Prince of Wales’ Canadian Dragoons, wearing the scarlet uniform of the
English regiment. This troop was increased to a squadron in 1857, when
the captain was promoted to lieutenant-colonel in November of that year,
and in 1875 the corps was increased to a regiment, with head-quarters at
Cobourg, and has always been efficient for duty. From his birth a member
of the Church of England, he has served at different periods as
churchwarden and delegate to the Synod. In 1826 he rode on horseback
with his brother William from Toronto to Peterboro’ to visit the located
site of the town, it being founded by his uncle, the Hon. Peter
Robinson, commissioner of crown lands, who brought the first Irish
emigrants as colonists to Upper Canada. At that time the townships north
of Port Hope were receiving their first settlers, and a dozen or so log
huts were erected on the banks of the Otanabee river to receive the
immigrants prior to going upon their lands. Colonel Boulton in 1838
married Emily Heath, daughter of Lieutenant-Colonel Charles Heath, of
the East Indian Company’s service, who died in India when his three
children were in childhood. His widow spent many years on the continent,
in Italy and Paris, where she educated her children, and in 1836 brought
them to Toronto, Canada. The mother died in 1874 at Cobourg. Her son,
Charles Wallace Heath, of Toronto, and her two daughters, are still
living. Colonel Boulton’s family consists of three sons and four
daughters living. The eldest son, Major Boulton, entered the army,
receiving a commission in the first organization of the Royal Canadian
regiment. He was stationed at Gibraltar and Malta for some years, and
returned with his regiment to Canada. He sold out, and joined the active
militia; and in 1885, when settled in Manitoba, he raised and commanded
the corps known as Boulton’s Scouts, and did good service quelling the
Indian rebellion. After entering into the organization and business of
railways, Colonel Boulton in 1865 ceased the practice of his profession,
and devoted his latter life to agriculture. He organised the first
Farmers’ Institute in his riding, over which he was elected to preside.
He has been for years a member of the local Agricultural Association,
and was one of the originators of that association in 1835 or
thereabouts. He was a zealous supporter of the turf and the hunt, and is
now a breeder of thoroughbred stock of horses, short-horns, and
Shropshire Down sheep, and still pursues an active, busy life. Two sons
and four daughters are married, and have families growing up.
* * * * *
=Baptist, George=, Three Rivers, Quebec. The late Mr. Baptist was born
in the town of Coldstream, Berwickshire, Scotland, 7th January, 1808,
and came to Canada, after arriving at the years of manhood. Being
possessed of great natural talent and a practical machinist as well as a
millwright, he was entrusted with the management of the Etchemin saw
mills, owned by Sir John Caldwell, then the largest lumber merchant at
the time in Canada. After spending some years as manager of those mills,
he leased the Point Levi mills from the government, and here he
continued till his final removal to the town of Three Rivers, in 1846.
On his arrival there he bought the Cache mill situated on the river St.
Maurice. Feeling that the amount of business being done at the mill was
not nearly as large as the demand required, he went on a prospecting
tour, and finding an eligible location for a more extensive business,
built what was known as the grey mills, with a capacity of 12,000,000
feet of lumber. Finding that this mill was not large enough for his
still growing trade, he built another mill adjoining the first, which
enabled him to cut double the quantity produced by the first mill; this
mill was however destroyed by a freshet in 1873. He then built a steam
saw mill on Baptist Island, with a capacity of 15,000,000 feet of lumber
annually. In consequence of the large volume of business transacted in
connection with the mills established by Mr. Baptist necessitating the
employment of a large staff of men and material, the present location
which is still in possession of his sons—a place which was once a
barren wilderness—has been transformed by his enterprise and industry
into a well populated district of villages and fine cultivated farms.
From the time of Mr. Baptist’s first settlement on the St. Maurice his
business progressed with remarkable rapidity, and is still another proof
of what can be accomplished by perseverance, joined with industry and
shrewdness, aided by a thorough practical knowledge of the mechanical
part of his business acquired in his native land. He founded a lumber
business in the province of Quebec, which still rivals that of any in
Canada, and to-day his son, Alexander, is one of the largest dealers and
exporters on the continent. Mr. Baptist was married at Point Levi, in
the year 1834, to Isabella Cockburn, who was born in the same town as
himself. Mrs. Baptist was of great assistance to her husband in his
efforts to achieve the success which he so successfully won. In politics
he was a Liberal-Conservative. He always took an active part in local
contests, and at one time contested the Senatorial division of
Shawinigan in opposition to the Hon. Dr. Malhiot. Mr. Baptist was a
member of the Presbyterian church. He died on the 11th May, 1875, well
beloved by his fellow townsmen for his genial, reliable, and strictly
upright character. His family consists of two sons and five daughters.
The property left by Mr. Baptist to his heirs amounted to half a million
dollars.
* * * * *
=Klein, Alphonse Basil=, Barrister, Walkerton, Ontario province, was
born on the 11th of September, 1851, at the town of Berlin, county
Waterloo, Ontario. His father was John Klein, a well-known newspaper
writer, and his mother was Ludovika Lang, and were both natives of
Baden, Germany, who settled in Canada many years ago. Mr. Klein was
educated by his father and in the Berlin Grammar School, and speaks and
writes the German language. He commenced to study law in 1868, was
admitted to practise as attorney and solicitor in May, 1874, and called
to the bar in 1879. He began practice in 1874 in Walkerton, in
partnership with W. Barrett, now junior judge of Bruce. The same year he
joined the 32nd battalion, Bruce Volunteer Militia, and received the
commission of paymaster in the same battalion in June, 1881. During the
North-West rebellion, in 1885, his battalion was called out, but after
laying at Southampton for a week, it was ordered to return home. Mr.
Klein was public school trustee for Walkerton from 1876 to 1883, and was
chairman of the board in 1882. He was elected mayor of Walkerton for
1883, and re-elected by acclamation to the same office in 1884. He has
been president of the Walkerton Horticultural Society for the last four
years. Is a member of Branch 46, C.M.B.A., located at Walkerton. Was
president of the South Bruce Liberal-Conservative Association in 1884,
1885, 1886; and secretary-treasurer from 1874 until 1884, of the same
association. He received the unanimous nomination of the
Liberal-Conservative party to contest South Bruce in the local elections
in 1886 against Mr. O’Connor, the Liberal candidate, but failed to
secure his election. In politics Mr. Klein is a Liberal-Conservative,
and in religion a Roman Catholic. He was married on the 9th September,
1879, to Sophia A. Klein, daughter of the late Richard Morden, one of
the first settlers in Brant township, near Walkerton. Her father’s
family were U. E. loyalists, and are of Welsh descent, and in former
times were Quakers. Her mother was born in England. The fruit of this
marriage has been one daughter.
* * * * *
=Honey, John Sleep=, Montreal, Joint Prothonotary of the Superior Court
of Quebec, and Joint Clerk of the Circuit Court of the same province,
was born in the borough of Callington, county of Cornwall East, within
three miles of the river Tamar, on the borders of Devonshire, England.
His father was a master builder, and for many years was extensively
engaged as such. He was a man distinguished for his industrious habits
and high probity of character. At the age of thirteen John S. Honey
entered the office of a distinguished lawyer in his native borough as
clerk, and continued in this employment for four years. In the month of
July, 1832, the family sailed from Plymouth for Canada, and fortunately
arrived in Montreal in the month of September, just as the cholera,
which had been so fatal that year, had begun to abate. Mr. Honey was
favored when leaving the office of his patron in Callington, and through
his influence, with a kind letter of introduction from Sir William
Pratts Call, baronet, to Lord Aylmer, then governor of Lower Canada. In
December following his arrival, Mr. Honey had the good fortune to find
employment in the office of Monk & Morrough, the joint prothonotaries of
the then Court of King’s Bench. He was first employed as enquette clerk,
and at the end of the engagement, which lasted only about a week, he
became clerk in the inferior term of the Court of King’s Bench, whence,
after two weeks’ service in this office, he was promoted to the
permanent staff of the Court of King’s Bench. In six months after his
promotion he was articled for five years as a law student in the office
of the prothonotaries, who were both lawyers, and at the end of his term
was duly admitted to the bar, but as his services in the department were
considered valuable by the prothonotaries, and his salary having been
handsomely augmented, he declined to enter upon the practice of his
profession. In the course of four years Mr. Honey’s administrative
capacity effected many important changes in the office, which continue
in operation to the present period. The most valuable of these
improvements was the introduction of the Court Book, known as the
“Repertoire,” in which he embodied particulars of the cases which had
been instituted since 1827. This laborious work was performed after
office hours, and extended over a period of twelve months. It was
presented to the prothonotaries on the 1st of January, 1837, and was so
highly appreciated by the authorities of the court, the bar and even the
mercantile community, that a handsome gift in money was handed by the
prothonotaries to Mr. Honey. In 1850 the fees of the court in Lower
Canada were ordered by law to be funded. About the same period, under
another enactment, further decentralization of the administration of
justice took place, which, by establishing several courts in new
localities, so reduced the fees in all the old districts that the
government was obliged to pay from the general revenue a large amount
annually to meet deficiencies. In order to remedy this defect in the
working of these several courts, Mr. Honey submitted to the government
in the year 1860 a re-adjustment of the Montreal tariff of fees for the
Superior Court, which was adopted in 1861, and extended uniformly to all
the districts. As a result of this change, instead of a deficiency in
the district of Montreal of $5,932 in the year 1857, there was an annual
surplus, the amount of the year 1874 not being less than $6,825. In the
year 1862 Mr. Honey rendered important services to the legal profession
by the publication of a “Table of Fees and Disbursements Payable to
Attorneys and Officers of the Courts in Suits at Law”; also “Rules of
Practice of the Court of Queen’s Bench, and Tariffs of Fees for
Registrars, Advocates, and Officers of the Courts, including Schedule of
Taxes upon Proceedings in Courts of Civil and Criminal Jurisdiction in
Lower Canada.” In the year 1834, on the death of Mr. Morrough, he was
appointed deputy prothonotary of the Superior and Circuit Courts, and so
continued till the year 1865, when, upon the demise of Mr. Monk, he
received the appointment of joint prothonotary, and this office he still
continues to fill.
* * * * *
=Dessaint, Major Alexander=, LL.B., Kamouraska, Quebec province, M.P.
for Kamouraska, was born at Kamouraska, on the 16th July, 1847. He
received the beginning of a first-class collegiate training in the
College at St. Anne’s, whence he graduated to the larger and more
advanced institution at Three Rivers, proving himself an apt scholar.
His parents determined to fit him for the practice of the law, and he
entered upon the reading for that profession at Laval University. He
completed his college course in Victoria University. He was called to
the bar of his native province when but twenty-one years of age, and
began practice in Kamouraska. In 1873 he married Marie Blanche Henriette
Paradis. His father, having been a prominent merchant of Kamouraska, Mr.
Dessaint, from his entrance upon man’s estate was one of the leading
citizens of the place, and his natural abilities enabled him to improve
the advantages of his position. Having a taste for military affairs, he
connected himself with the 88th battalion, of which, he soon became
major, which rank he still retains. He has been over and over again
elected mayor of Kamouraska, and is a commissioner of the Superior Court
for the county. Being a public-spirited citizen, he naturally took an
interest in public affairs. He allied himself with the Liberal party, of
which he soon became one of the leading spirits for the district. The
county had for a long time been a close one, and the contests were
proportionately arduous. In 1882, Mr. Blondeau, a Conservative, was
elected and sat out his term; but when the general election of 1887 was
called, Mr. Dessaint was nominated as the Liberal standard-bearer. Being
successful in the contest, he entered parliament with the _éclat_ of one
who had “redeemed” a seat from the opposing party. In his brief
parliamentary career, Mr. Dessaint has proved himself one of the most
scholarly and thoughtful members of the Liberal opposition. He is an
able speaker also, as was shown by his contribution to the debate on
unrestricted reciprocity with the United States, which took place during
the session of 1888.
* * * * *
=Honan, Martin=, Barrister, Three Rivers, Quebec province, was born in
1845, at Fermoy, Cork county, Ireland. His parents were Kernon Honan,
and Mary Burns. His father was a corporal in the 94th regiment of foot,
and served for twenty-one years in the army. The parent pair with their
three children, Patrick, Martin and Margaret, all under eleven years of
age, emigrated to Canada in 1848. A short time after their arrival in
Montreal—having been taken sick on the boat while on the passage from
Quebec to that city—father and mother and little sister died, and
Patrick, eleven years of age, and Martin, the subject of our sketch,
three years of age, were left to the tender mercy of the world. They
were at first taken to the hospital, and afterwards conveyed by a
Catholic priest (now Monsignor Marquis of St. Celestine, county of
Nicolet, P.Q.) to Becancour, in the latter county. The little party
taken to the country at this time consisted of fourteen orphans, and all
were adopted by French-Canadian farmers. Patrick was adopted by Nazaire
Comeau, and Martin by Olivier Tourigny. He remained three years and
three months at Nicolet College, and on the 1st of May, 1862, having
completely forgotten the English language, he went to St. Patrick’s
Hill, in the township of Tingwick, county of Arthabaska, and settled in
the midst of an Irish settlement to pick up again his native language.
Here he hired as a clerk in a store, where he remained four months. He
then resolved to adopt a profession, and in July, 1861, began to study
for the position of notary public. In 1863, having been retained by the
late Mr. Parker, a celebrated lawyer of his day, to take notes of the
evidence in a celebrated murder trial then going on, he was so impressed
with Mr. Parker’s eloquent address to the jury, that he decided to
abandon the notaryship and begin the study of law. But having had only
three years of a classical course, he found he could not be admitted to
study without further education. Nothing daunted he bought a lot of
books, and perused his studies alone, and when he thought he could pass
an examination he went to a person authorised by our law and passed his
examination. Having received from him the necessary certificate of
qualification, he went to Quebec, passed his examination before the
Board of Examiners, of which Mr. Parker was a member, and was admitted
to the study of law. He studied hard, and had the satisfaction of being
admitted to the bar of Lower Canada on the 5th of August, 1867, and
began the practice of his profession at Arthabaskaville, where he
remained until the 2nd of October, 1872, when he removed to Three
Rivers, where he now successfully does business. Mr. Honan was deputy
registrar of deeds at Arthabaskaville, in the county of Arthabaska, from
the 7th September, 1862, to December, 1865, and from the latter date to
October, 1866, clerk in the prothontary’s office. From this time to
June, 1867, he followed the law lectures at St. Mary College, Montreal,
and studied under the Hon. Senator Trudel. He is a Liberal in politics,
and has taken part in all political contests since 1867. He was married
on the 6th September, 1868, to Marie Louise Annabella Stein, second
daughter of Adolphus Stein and Marie Genevieve Buteau. Mrs. Honan’s
father emigrated from Germany when only seventeen years of age.
* * * * *
=Gilmour, Lieut.-Col. Arthur H.=, Banker, Stanbridge East, province of
Quebec, was born at “The Manor,” Nicolet, Quebec. His grandfather was
the late Assistant Commissary-General Gilmour; and his father the
widely-known Dr. Gilmour, master of surgery, F.R.H.S., Glasgow,
Scotland, and now located as a practising physician and surgeon at
Waterloo, Quebec. His mother was a de Cressy, daughter of the late
Michael de Cressy, seignior, of Nicolet. His parentage, therefore, is
half Scotch and half French. Colonel Gilmour, the subject of the present
sketch, received his education principally in the French College,
Nicolet, and is equally conversant with the French and English
languages. In 1864 he entered the Military School in Quebec city, where
he took a full course of instruction, and passed a highly creditable
examination, receiving a first-class diploma, and was immediately
gazetted as captain in the militia service of Canada. The following year
he received his commission of lieutenant in the 52nd (Brome and
Shefford) battalion, in which he served about four years, during which
time he was called to the front with his company on the occasion of a
threatened invasion by Fenians. He was afterwards transferred to the
60th (Missisquoi) battalion, with the rank of senior major, and was
shortly afterwards elevated to the rank of lieutenant-colonel, a
position which he now holds. Colonel Gilmour also holds a prominent
position in the Masonic order, having entered the Sussex Encampment,
Dunham, in 1874, and was installed and proclaimed knight-preceptor of
the Order of the Temple in 1877, and past eminent preceptor in 1883. He
is a director of the Montreal and Vermont Junction Railway Company, and
secretary-treasurer of the board. He is also vice-president of the M. P.
and B. Railway, and, besides, holds several important local positions,
such as president of the Stanbridge Agassiz Association, president of
the Missisquoi County Ploughing Association, and vice-president of the
60th battalion Rifle Association. In June, 1885, the two latter
associations united in a grand demonstration in his honor, to show their
appreciation of the valuable services he had rendered these bodies
during his connection with them. The event was one long to be remembered
by the hundreds who participated in it, and was the grandest affair of
the kind ever held in the township. Colonel Gilmour is now the owner of
the most valuable real estate properties in Missisquoi county, having in
his possession about one thousand acres of extra tillable land. He is
also the proprietor of the _Missisquoi Record_ newspaper, published in
Stanbridge East, a journal established June 5th, 1885, and devoted to
the interests of the Eastern Townships of Canada. His banking
institution was established in 1867 by J. C. Baker, his late
father-in-law, to which he succeeded in 1880. Since Colonel Gilmour
assumed control of its affairs the business of the bank has nearly
doubled. Although a private and non-incorporated institution, “Gilmour’s
Bank” is known far and wide, and its numerous customers are among the
best and most prominent people and firms in the province.
* * * * *
=Deschenes, Geo. Honore=, St. Epiphane (oû Viger), province of Quebec,
M.P.P. for Témiscouata, was born at Cacouna, on the 16th August, 1841.
He is a farmer and takes an active interest in public affairs. He has
been for thirteen years secretary-treasurer of his municipality and of
the school board of the parish. He is also a director of the St.
Lawrence & Témiscouata Railway Co. He has always taken a part in the
management of the Agricultural Society of Témiscouata county, and is its
vice-president. In 1875 he was returned to represent Témiscouata in the
Legislative Assembly, and was re-elected in 1882 by acclamation. He was
again elected at the last general election. In politics he is a
Conservative, and in his county is held in high esteem. On 26th January,
1864, he married Susan Michand.
* * * * *
=Duchesnay, Lieutenant-Colonel Henri Jules Juchereau=, was born in
Quebec on the 6th July, 1845, and in his unexpected and untimely death,
not only those who know him lost a true friend, but the parliament of
Canada lost a member who, had he lived, would doubtless have taken a
leading part in the councils of the nation. He was a descendant of some
of the most distinguished French families of the province of Quebec, the
Duchesnays having settled in Canada in 1645, and held several
seigniories, including Beauport, Gaudarville and others. His father was
a member of the Dominion senate, and the mother of the present sketch
was of the famous Taschereau family, which has given to Canada its first
cardinal and one of its greatest politicians and most able judges. Young
Duchesnay received a liberal education, studying both at Laval and
McGill Universities, after having passed through a sound preliminary
training in the Seminary of Quebec. After reading a course in law, he
was, at the age of twenty-one years, called to the bar of the province
of Quebec. Being in a position to do so, he gave a great part of his
time and attention to public affairs and to great public enterprises. He
identified himself with the 23rd (Beauce) battalion of the active
militia, and became lieutenant-colonel of the regiment, a position which
he was eminently fitted to hold. In 1869 he married Caroline Tetu,
daughter of C. Tetu, a well-known member of the old family of that name.
He served several terms as mayor of St. Mary, Beauce, and also as warden
of Beauce county, in which positions he qualified himself to engage in
the higher legislative duties which he was afterwards elected to
perform. He was for a time president of the Levis and Kennebec Railway
Company, of which enterprise he was one of the most active promoters. In
the general election of 1877 he was nominated as the nationalist
Conservative candidate, and succeeded in defeating his opponent by about
five hundred majority. During the short time he was in parliament he
made many friends, and his untimely death, a short time after the
session of 1878, was a subject of general regret among his
fellow-members.
* * * * *
=Duclos, Silas T.=, of the firm of Duclos & Payan, St. Hyacinthe, is the
third living son of Antoine Duclos, J.P., and Julie Philibothe, of St.
Pie, county of Bagot, province of Quebec, and was born the 23rd of May,
1846. He went through the elementary schools of his parish, then was
sent to the mission school of Pointe aux Trembles, and for one year
attended the commissioners school, in Montreal, with a view of learning
English and qualifying himself for business, for which he showed an
early disposition. In 1864 he became a clerk with Mr. Williamson, dry
goods merchant; later on he entered the establishment of Henry Morgan &
Co., Montreal; then he went to H. Vallee’s store in Ogdensburgh, New
York state. In 1868 he returned to Montreal, and again found employment
with Henry Morgan & Co. Finding that little money could be made in
clerking, and having no means to start business as a drygoods merchant,
he resolved to seek some other means of earning a livelihood. Several of
his friends and acquaintances were doing well in the bark business, so
he made a temporary arrangement with J. Daigneau, then largely engaged
in this line of business. When the engagement expired, he visited
Europe, and on his return entered into partnership with Paul F. Payan.
They soon got tired of the risky bark business, not having enough
capital to exert an influence on the market. In 1873 they decided to go
into the tanning business, secured a lot, and put up a building 75 feet
long. During their first few years in business they suffered heavy
losses by the failure of some of their customers, and the capital with
which they started was considerably reduced. But they worked steadily
on, nevertheless, having adopted the motto, “Honesty is the best
policy.” Mr. Payan devoted all his attention to the shop, and Mr. Duclos
to the finances, and they soon got out of difficulty. In 1876 their
goods got a first prize at the Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia. In
October of the same year, Mr. Duclos was married to Elizabeth Finley.
Better days began to dawn on him and the firm he belonged to. In
steering safely through the hard times, without wrecking, while so many
apparently stronger were failing on all sides, they won for themselves
the enviable reputation of an honest and well managed firm. In 1875 they
bought a rival tannery of V. Coté, and in 1882 they doubled the size and
tripled the capacity of their own tannery. With the property came the
influence in local affairs. In 1880 Mr. Duclos was elected councillor,
which position he has held ever since to the great satisfaction of the
electors. During his effective administration the city of St. Hyacinthe
underwent several important improvements; a public park was created, a
fine police station built, an effective fire service organized, the
granite mills, and a large boot and shoe factory started, and a gas
company put on a working footing. Thanks to his influence, a tannery for
the manufacture of morocco leather was started in St. Hyacinthe, and its
proprietors are now doing a good business. Mr. Duclos was brought up a
Protestant, his parents having seceded from the Church of Rome in 1840.
He and his family belong to the Presbyterian church.
* * * * *
=Robertson, Norman=, Treasurer of the County of Bruce, Walkerton,
Ontario, was born on the 27th June, 1845, in Belleville, Ontario. His
father, Peter Robertson, merchant, was born in Scotland; and his mother,
Sarah Ross, was born in England. His grandfather on the paternal side
was David Robertson, a Presbyterian minister; and his mother’s father
was one of those who entered England with Prince Charles Edward Stuart
in 1746. Norman Robertson, the subject of our sketch, was educated at
the Belleville Grammar School, where at an early age he gave evidence of
the talent and ability which afterwards distinguished him in commercial
pursuits. He left school when only eleven years of age; and from 1856 to
1863 was engaged in his father’s shop at Kincardine; from 1863 to 1869
with Lewis, Kay & Co., wholesale dry goods, Montreal; from 1869 to 1874
with John Birrell & Co., London, Ontario, as English buyer; from 1874 to
1877 English buyer for Robertson, Linton & Co., of Montreal, and from
1877 to 1887 he carried on business on his own account in Kincardine. He
became a member of the Kincardine company of volunteers at the time of
the _Trent_ affair; and in 1866 joined the Victoria Rifles of Montreal,
and went to the front with them that year. Mr. Robertson commenced his
present official duties on May 6th, 1887, prior to which he resided in
Kincardine, and sat for three years at the School Board. He was
president of the Board of Trade there for two years, one year town
councillor, and was also superintendent of the Sunday school for nine
years. In all of these capacities he acquitted himself with perfect
satisfaction to all concerned. In politics he was a Reformer until the
initiation of the national policy, in 1878, but since then he has been a
supporter of this policy. As buyer for the two wholesale dry goods
houses noted above, he frequently visited the British markets, and has,
during his lifetime, crossed the Atlantic no less than twenty-four
times. He is thoroughly familiar with Canada and its needs, having
during his commercial career visited nearly every town in it from Sarnia
to Halifax. In religion he is a Presbyterian. Comments on the career of
Mr. Robertson are needless, as the above facts speak for themselves, and
he ought to be proud of being, in the true sense of the word, “the
architect” of his own fortunes. He was married in Montreal on August
3rd, 1871, to Lilla May Warren, daughter of S. R. Warren, organ builder,
afterwards of Toronto, and has a family of four children, two girls and
two boys.
* * * * *
=Gibsone, William Cuppage=, Advocate, Quebec, is a leading member of the
Quebec bar, in large practice. He was born at Quebec on the 12th March,
1841, and is a son of the late George Farar Gibsone, merchant, of that
city, and his wife, Elizabeth Cuppage. On the father’s side he is of
Scotch, and on the mother’s Welsh descent. He was educated classically
at the Quebec High School under the late Doctors William Stewart Smith
and Wilkie, and studied law in the office of Campbell & Kerr. On his
admission to the bar, in 1862, he entered into partnership with his
patron, Mr. Archibald Campbell, now one of the prothonotaries of the
Superior Court at Quebec, and rapidly rose to distinction in his
profession as much by his industry and application as by his talents and
high character. On the retirement of Mr. Campbell, he formed a new
partnership with the late Mr. Leveson Lewell, and on the death of the
latter, with his present associate, T. C. Aylwin, a nephew of the late
Judge Aylwin, and one of the city councillors of Quebec. His practice is
now one of the largest in the Quebec district, and he enjoys in a high
degree the regard of his colleagues of the bar, and the esteem and
confidence of the public. He has been a member of the council of the
Quebec bar for a number of years, and has in addition filled the offices
of syndic and delegate of the same. He is an active member of the Church
of England; and in politics, an Independent Liberal. In September, 1871,
he married Elizabeth Primrose, and has had issue eight children, all of
whom are still young.
* * * * *
=Farrell, Edward=, M.D., Halifax, Nova Scotia, is a native of Halifax,
where he was born about forty-five years ago. He is the son of Dominick
Farrell, of Dartmouth, N.S. His boyhood was spent in Halifax, where he
received his early education at St. Mary’s College of that city. Having
resolved to devote his life to the profession of medicine, he entered
the College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York, and achieved great
distinction in his studies. He is especially remarkable for sureness of
touch, great strength of nerves, and cool self-reliance and good
judgment in critical cases. He graduated as M.D. from the College of
Physicians and Surgeons in New York in 1864; was two years on the house
staff of Bellevue Hospital, New York, and commenced practice in Halifax
in 1866, where he rapidly came to the front as a leading physician, and
worked up for himself an extensive and lucrative business. His office
for some years was in Argyle street, a central part of the city; but he
now lives in a handsome residence in South Park street. His wife was
Miss Walsh, daughter of the late Thomas Walsh, of Halifax, and they have
several children. In religion he is a member of the Roman Catholic
church. Politically he is a staunch Liberal, and is a strong believer in
the policy of home rule for Ireland and repeal for Nova Scotia. When the
provincial government was reconstructed, and the Hon. P. C. Hill became
provincial secretary and premier, Dr. Farrell was induced by his friends
to come forward as a candidate at the election of 1874, the ticket being
P. C. Hill, Dr. Farrell and Donald Archibald, now high sheriff of
Halifax county. They were opposed by the Hon. W. J. Almon, now Dominion
senator; Robert Sedgewick, afterwards recorder of Halifax, and now
deputy minister of justice at Ottawa; and Martin J. Griffin, then of
Halifax, now librarian of parliament at Ottawa; but Messrs. Hill,
Farrell and Archibald, succeeded in winning the battle at the polls.
From 1877 to 1878 Dr. Farrell was a member of the Hill administration
without office. This was an era of vigorous railway-building in Nova
Scotia, the government giving liberal help to the Eastern Extension
Railway running from New Glasgow, Pictou county, through Antigonish and
Guysborough counties to the Strait of Canso; the Western Counties
Railway, and the Nictaux and Atlantic Railway. The great seal question,
involving the question of the validity of documents which had been
stamped since confederation with the great seal in use previous to
confederation, also challenged much attention in the house and the law
courts at this time. Dr. Farrell frequently addressed the Assembly,
always forcibly, and was listened to with attention and respect. During
this time he had several passages at arms with Douglas B. Woodworth,
member for King’s county, who has since figured in the House of Commons
at Ottawa. At the close of the parliament previous to the general
election of 1878, Dr. Farrell, although strongly urged to again accept a
nomination, declined to do so on the ground that parliamentary work
interfered too seriously with his medical practice. But before he
retired to private life, he, however, addressed to the electorate a
strong letter on the situation, advising them to support the Liberal
ticket. He also advocated in the public press the doctrine of repeal
previous to the Dominion general election of February, 1887.
* * * * *
=Henderson, David=, Acton, Ontario, M.P. for Halton, was born on the
18th February, 1841, in the township of Nelson. His father, John
Henderson, one of the pioneer farmers of the county, came from
Roxburghshire, Scotland, in 1832, and settled in the township of Milton.
David was educated at the Milton Grammar School and the Normal School,
Toronto. Mr. Henderson has been reeve and councillor of the village of
Acton for about fifteen years. He was appointed to the office of deputy
registrar of the county of Halton in 1866, which position he held until
1873. He then commenced business by opening a general store, which he
still carries on. In connection with this he has a private bank, which
he opened in the autumn of 1881. This institution was one that the
citizens of Acton greatly needed, as they had no banking office nearer
than Guelph. In politics Mr. Henderson is a Liberal-Conservative, and
was elected during the bye-election in 1888 to represent Halton in the
House of Commons. He is an adherent of the Presbyterian church. He
married on Christmas Day, 1865, Alison Christie, daughter of Charles
Christie, late of Nassagaweya, and has a family of six sons and one
daughter.
* * * * *
=Payzant, John Young=, M.A. (Acadia College), Barrister, Halifax, N.S.,
is a native of Falmouth, Hants county, where he was born on the 9th
February, 1837. He is the descendant of a prominent Huguenot, who fled
from Caen, France, on the revocation of the edict of Nantes. The family
came to Nova Scotia, under Governor Cornwallis, in 1754. After the death
of the great grandfather in the Indian wars of that period, his widow
and children were carried captives to Quebec, and were present at the
fall of that fortress after the heroic attack of Wolfe. They
subsequently returned to Nova Scotia, two of the sons, Louis and John,
becoming eminent preachers in said province. He received his early
education at the Academy and College of Acadia at Wolfville, N.S., his
family being Baptists. Having finished his classical course and
graduated at Acadia, he went to Halifax, N.S., and studied law with the
late Hon. James W. Johnston, afterwards judge in equity of the Supreme
Court. He was admitted to the bar of Nova Scotia 7th December, 1864, and
at once began to practise in Halifax, where his excellent reputation and
family connections enabled him to work up a good business. He has a
large conveyancing and real estate business. He has been for many years
the solicitor of the Nova Scotia Building Society, which carries on an
extensive business in Halifax. He is also an executor of the will of the
late John Young, a leading broker and commission merchant, whose only
daughter is the widow of Sir Albert J. Smith, ex-minister of marine, and
who left a large estate. He married a daughter of William C. Silver, of
Halifax, the well-known dry goods merchant, and has several children.
His two eldest sons are taking the arts course at King’s College,
Windsor. Some years ago Mr. Payzant took exception to certain
regulations and practices of the Baptist church, and published a
pamphlet explanatory of his reasons for severing his connection with it.
He then connected himself with the Church of England and worships in St.
Paul’s Church, in Halifax. He takes a strong interest in all matters
pertaining to the Anglican church. He is a frequent lecturer in Halifax
and other places in his native province. Mr. Payzant began his active
political career in the bye-election of 1884, having reluctantly
accepted the nomination of the Conservative party, opposing Hon. W. S.
Fielding, provincial secretary and premier, who ran for Halifax county,
this gentleman having undertaken to form a government when Hon. W. T.
Pipes, of Amherst, the former premier, retired from the position. Hon.
Mr. Fielding was elected by a majority of about two hundred and fifty.
Mr. Payzant, however, stood so well with the people that his party
determined to nominate him, together with W. D. Harrington, ex-M.P.P.,
and Alderman James N. Lyons, at the general election of May, 1886. Mr.
Payzant was absent from Halifax city at the time of this caucus, and
again reluctantly took the field. The question of repeal was the main
issue before the country, and the Conservatives were unable to make much
headway, although they conducted their campaign with great spirit and
assiduity. The returns were a complete victory for Hon. Mr. Fielding’s
government. In Halifax the vote stood, Fielding, 4042; Roche, 3931;
Power, 3822; defeating Harrington, 2981; J. N. Lyons, 2866; Payzant,
2816. The result was similar throughout the province. Mr. Payzant took
his defeat in good part, and was somewhat consoled by the better showing
of his side at the Dominion election of 1887. In private life he is a
popular man, a keen sportsman, and a scholarly writer. Besides attending
to his large and lucrative practice, he is surrogate and judge of
Probate at Halifax. In 1883 he was appointed lecturer on “Torts” in the
Law School, Dalhousie University, a position which he still holds.
* * * * *
=Macpherson, Alexander=, Hardware Merchant, Montreal, was born at
Lancaster, county of Glengarry, Ontario, 10th August, 1830. His parents
were Kenneth Macpherson and Mary Rose. Mr. Macpherson received his
education in the schools in Lancaster, and in May, 1850, he went to
Montreal, and found employment in the establishment of the late John
Henry Evans, hardware merchant, where he remained for about five years.
He commenced business in May, 1855, in partnership with the late Walter
Benny, and on the death of this gentleman, Robert Benny, a brother of
the deceased, joined the firm, which has continued to do business up to
this time under the style first adopted, namely, Benny, Macpherson &
Co., and is now one of the leading hardware firms in Montreal. In
politics Mr. Macpherson is a Conservative, but being of a retiring
disposition he has never taken any prominent part in local contests. In
religion he is a Presbyterian, and takes an active interest in church
matters. He has been an elder in St. Paul’s Church, Montreal, for many
years, and on several occasions was appointed a commissioner to the
General Assembly. Mr. Macpherson has devoted himself strictly to
business, and to being upright in his dealings, may be attributed his
success in life. He has been joint executor of some important estates.
He is married to Jessie, daughter of Jacob Oldham and Jane Cochrane.
* * * * *
=Cooke, Right Rev. Thomas=, late Bishop of Three Rivers, Quebec, was
born at Pointe du Lac, the 9th February, 1792, and was the son of Thomas
Cooke, miller, formerly of Lisle, Ireland, and Isabel Gray, of Pointe du
Lac, Canada. He was ordained and entered holy orders September 11th,
1814, was vicar and secretary to Bishop Panet at Rivière Ouelle, and
afterwards, in 1817, became curate of Caracquette. On 1st March, 1824,
he became curate of St. Ambroise, and in 1835 was appointed to the
curacy of Three Rivers, with the title of vicar-general. On 8th June,
1852, his Holiness Pope Pius IX. appointed him first bishop of the
diocese of Three Rivers, and he took possession of his bishopric on the
18th October of the same year, the day of his consecration. He was a
prelate of commendable piety, indefatigable zeal, and consummate
prudence. In 1858 he had the good fortune to make the imposing and
solemn consecration of his beautiful cathedral, and in 1860 he founded
the College of Three Rivers, which he placed under the special patronage
of St. Joseph, to whom he paid remarkable devotion. Bishop Cooke died on
the 30th April, 1870, aged 78 years. The record of the late bishop is
without blemish. His whole life was devoted to the advancement of his
religion, the strengthening of his church, and he never became wearied
in doing good to all, both rich and poor. His virtues and talents were
of the first order, and place him for all time to come in an enviable
light.
* * * * *
=Prefontaine, Raymond Fournier=, B.C.L., Barrister, Montreal, M.P. for
Chambly, was born at Longueuil, province of Quebec, on 16th September,
1850. He is a descendant of one of the oldest and most honorable
families in the province, his ancestors having settled in what was then
New France, in 1680. Having the advantage of a good education, and with
natural abilities to enable him to make good use of the knowledge he had
gained, he was singled out by those who knew him, even in early life, as
one of the coming men of Lower Canada. He graduated from the Jesuits’
College, in Montreal, and was called to the bar in 1873, receiving the
degree of B.C.L. the same year from McGill College. He made a brilliant
success in the practice of law, and is now partner in one of Montreal’s
best known legal firms. Like so many young lawyers, he early devoted a
great deal of attention to politics, and became known not only as an
exceedingly active worker in the various campaigns, but as a speaker of
unusual power in influencing the people. In the Quebec general election
of 1875 he was nominated as the Liberal candidate for Chambly, and
carried the county in spite of the fiercest opposition. He had
apparently entered upon a career of great credit and usefulness in the
local house, when he was relegated to private life, being defeated in
the general election of 1878. The check was only temporary, however, for
the successful candidate was unseated and Mr. Prefontaine was re-elected
in June, 1879. But he was again unsuccessful in 1881 when the
Conservative government swept everything before them. During his
membership in the house he was elected mayor of Hochelaga, and was
re-elected in successive years, until 1884. He became an alderman of
Montreal a year later, his legal practice being in that city. The eyes
of the Dominion were turned to him in the memorable contest in Hochelaga
in 1886, during the Nationalist agitation succeeding the execution of
Louis Riel, the government having opened this constituency apparently to
test its strength. The contest was one of the most fiercely fought that
have ever been known in Canada. Mr. Prefontaine succeeded in carrying
the county against all opposition, and the rejoicing of the Nationalists
on the occasion was great. At the general election in 1887, the struggle
was almost again as great, but he succeeded in retaining the seat. In
the house he shows himself full of vigor. He speaks in trenchant style,
and his manner is affable and pleasant, and he ranks high among the
popular members of the house. He is a Liberal and a Nationalist. He was
married on the 20th June, 1876, to Hermine, daughter of the late Senator
J. B. Rolland, of Montreal.
* * * * *
=Piché, Eugene Urgel=, Barrister, Berthierville, Quebec province, was
born 13th July, 1824, at St. Sulpice, county of L’Assomption, and was
the son of Bonaventure Piché, an old and highly respected merchant, and
Emilie Lefèbre. He received his classical education at the College of
L’Assomption, and was admitted to the bar of Montreal, 13th March, 1846.
He was chief magistrate, and then member for the county of Berthier, in
the Provincial Parliament of Canada for four years, from January, 1858.
He was made a Queen’s counsel, 28th June, 1867, with precedence
immediately after the Hon. G. Ouimet, ex-premier of Quebec. Deputy of
the attorney-general, Sir George Cartier, and the Hon. G. Ouimet, and
representative of the crown before the court of Queen’s Bench from 1864
to 1871, in five districts, Montreal, Joliette, Beauharnois, Terrebonne
and Arthabaska. In 1869, he was appointed a school trustee by the
Council of Public Instruction of the province of Quebec; and in 1871,
one of the twelve commissioners for the taking of the census. In March,
1873, he was made clerk-assistant of the House of Commons; and on the
7th of March, 1874, appointed a special commissioner by the
governor-general to swear in the members of parliament, and swore in
Louis Riel as a member for Manitoba. Some time after, on receiving a
pension, he retired from the House of Commons, and returned to the
practice of his profession in Montreal, and afterwards in the district
of Richelieu, where he resided the first fourteen years of his career,
and where he is still practising. In September, 1872, he was admitted a
member of the bar of Manitoba. October, 1886, he was a candidate as
“National Independent Conservative” against Robillard, Conservative, and
Sylvester, Liberal, at the provincial election for Quebec, the Liberal
carrying the election. Space will not permit us to enumerate the many
important cases Mr. Piché has conducted successfully: the most
celebrated, however, being that of the ladies Dambourgés, daughters of
the brave and gallant Col. Dambourgés, who gallantly defended Quebec
against the invasion of the _Bastonnais_ in 1775. The legal contention
was with one of the most opulent families of the country, having at its
head the eminent Chief Justice Sir L. H. Lafontaine. The contest lasted
for twelve years, several lesser cases growing out of the original, and
occupied the attention of the whole jurisdiction of the province,
especially of Montreal and Quebec. Mr. Piché defended the case alone
against twelve able lawyers employed by his adversaries, and vanquished
them successively, until finally they appealed to the Privy Council of
England; but were again defeated by the subject of our sketch, who wrote
a clever letter to the clerk of the Privy Council, which proved so
convincing, that without any unnecessary delay, the case was decided in
favor of his clients. The justly deserved praise and admiration of the
public was lavishly bestowed upon Mr. Piché, as well as the private
recognition of the highest legal authorities of the Dominion, among the
latter being the then minister of justice, Sir John A. Macdonald. As a
member of parliament, our subject has been equally distinguished, and in
1858, at Toronto, having defeated the Macdonald government on the
amendment against Ottawa becoming the capital of Canada. The encomiums
of the press have fully testified and endorsed Mr. Piché’s remarkable
ability and talent, as well as sound practical judgment, in whatever
public position he has occupied. He was married October 18th, 1846, to
Marie Nina Marion, daughter of Captain Louis G. Marion. There is
scarcely any position, political or legal, that Mr. Piché’s remarkable
talents do not fit him for.
* * * * *
=Guevrement, Hon. Jean Baptiste=, Sorel, Senator of the Dominion of
Canada, was born at La Visitation, Isle du Pads, P.Q., on the 4th
September, 1826. He is a farmer, and has always taken an active part in
the politics of the country. In 1854 he was elected to represent
Richelieu in the Canadian Assembly, which he did till 1857, when he was
defeated at the general election that year. In 1858 he was chosen to
represent Sorel in the Legislative Council of Canada, which position he
filled till confederation. In 1867 he was a candidate for Richelieu in
the Quebec Legislature, but was defeated. In the same year he was called
to the Senate of Canada by royal proclamation. The Hon. Mr. Guevrement
is a Conservative in politics. On May 2nd, 1848, he married Marie Anne
Parelhus.
* * * * *
=Allan, Hon. George William=, D.C.L., Toronto, Speaker of the Senate of
Canada, Chancellor of the University of Trinity College, Toronto, was
born at Little York, now Toronto, on the 9th of January, 1822. His
father, the late Hon. William Allan, was a pioneer settler who took up
his abode in York, during Governor Simcoe’s term of office, and resided
in Toronto till his death in 1853. This gentleman, in his day, held a
very prominent place in public esteem, and being possessed of more than
ordinary ability and a good education, he enjoyed advantages not so
common in those early days as now. He was the first postmaster for York,
and the first custom collector for the port. During the war of 1812-15
he served in the militia as lieutenant-colonel, and his son has still in
his possession the flags of his old regiment. He figured prominently,
too, in commercial life, and was the first president of the Bank of
Upper Canada. He also held a seat in the Legislative Council of old
Canada for several years, and a seat in the Executive during the
administrations of Sir Francis Bond Head and Sir George Arthur. Our
subject’s mother was Leah Tyreer, whose father was Dr. John Gamble, who
belonged to a U. E. Loyalist family, and was a surgeon in the Queen’s
rangers. His corps was raised in Upper Canada after the arrival of
Lieutenant-Governor Simcoe. George William was educated by private
tuition during his earlier years, and was afterwards sent by his father
to Upper Canada College. When the rebellion, headed by William Lyon
Mackenzie, broke out in 1837, young Allan, then in his sixteenth year,
left U. C. College, and entered as a private “the Bank Rifle Corps,” of
which the present Chief Justice Hagarty, Judge Galt, and some others
still living were also members. He returned to the college at the end of
the following year, and remained there until he went up for his
examination as a law student which he passed in the “senior class,” in
Easter term, 1839. He was articled to and began his studies in the
office of Gamble & Boulton, and was subsequently called to the bar of
Upper Canada, in Hilary term, 1846. Before entering upon the active
practice of the law, young Allan was sent by his father to travel
abroad, and in addition to a very extended tour throughout Europe, he
visited many countries which, in those days, were not quite as
accessible as they are now. He went up the Nile to the borders of Nubia,
and afterwards travelled through Syria and the Holy Land, Asia Minor,
Turkey and Greece, meeting with not a few exciting adventures, arising
more particularly from the lawless and unsettled condition, at that
time, of many parts of Syria and Asia Minor. He was elected, not long
afterwards, a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society of England. Mr.
Allan early took a part in municipal affairs, his name appearing as one
of the aldermen for St. David’s Ward in 1849. In 1865 he was elected
mayor of the city and served in that capacity throughout the year. In
May, 1856, before again leaving Canada for a lengthened tour abroad, he
was presented by his fellow-citizens with a very complimentary address.
It was done up in neat book form, and is now a most interesting
document, as it contains the signatures of men of all ranks, parties and
creeds, a large proportion of whom have now passed away. Mr. Allan, in
the autumn of 1858, in response to a requisition from the electors of
the York division, for which he was returned by a very large majority,
took his seat for that division in the Legislative Council of old
Canada, which he retained until confederation. Mr. Allan took a
prominent part in the business of the Legislative Council, and filled
the office of chairman of the Private Bills Committee in that body for
many years. In May, 1867, he was called to the Senate by Royal
proclamation, and has ever since taken an active share in its
deliberations, as well as in the business of the Committee of the House,
having been chairman, first of the Private Bills Committee, and
subsequently of the Standing Committee on Banking and Commerce, which he
has now filled for many years. In politics he is a Conservative. Mr.
Allan has always taken a deep interest in the promotion of literature
and science in his native country. He was one of the original members of
the Royal Canadian Institute, and has filled the chair as president,
besides being a contributor to the Journal of the Institute. He has
always been a warm friend to the cause of higher education, and has been
closely connected with Trinity College University (of which he is now
the Chancellor, and from which he received his degree of D.C.L.), ever
since the founding of that Institution in 1852. In all matters connected
with Canadian art Mr. Allan has ever evinced a lively interest. He is
the president of the Ontario Society of Artists, and chairman of the Art
Union of Canada, and is the possessor of a large and valuable collection
of paintings by a Canadian artist, the late Paul Kane, illustrating
Indian life and customs, and the scenery of the great North-West.
Attached to horticultural pursuits himself, Mr. Allan has labored as
president of the Horticultural Society of Toronto, for more than
twenty-five years, to foster a taste for the study and cultivation of
flowers and fruits among his fellow-citizens, and it was with that
object that he presented to the Society, in 1857, the five acres of land
which, with the subsequent addition made fifteen, now forming the
Society’s Gardens. As we have already mentioned, Mr. Allan performed his
first military duty at a very early age. He has always taken a warm
interest in all matters connected with the Volunteers and Militia, and
is himself Lieut.-Colonel of the Regimental Division of East Toronto,
and an honorary member of the Queen’s Own Rifles. A member of the Church
of England, Mr. Allan has for many years borne an active part in the
Synod and other assemblies of his church. He has also filled the chair
as president of the Upper Canada Bible Society for more than twenty
years. In business affairs Mr. Allan fills more than one post of
considerable responsibility and importance. He has been for many years
chief commissioner of the Canada Company as well as president of one of
our largest and most successful loan companies, the Western Canada Loan
and Savings Company. In 1888, on the death of the Hon. Josiah B. Plumb,
Speaker of the Senate, the Hon. Mr. Allan was elected to the office.
While in his twenty-fourth year he married Louisa Maud, third daughter
of the late Honourable Sir John Robinson, Bart., C.B., chief Justice of
Upper Canada, and she died while sojourning at Rome, in 1852. He married
again, in 1857, Adelaide Harriet, third daughter of the Rev. T.
Schreiber, formerly of Bradwell Lodge, Essex, England, and has a family
of six children, three sons and three daughters.
* * * * *
=Futvoye, Isaac Booth=, Railway Superintendent Northern Division Central
Vermont, and Waterloo and Magog Railway, St. John’s, Quebec province,
was born in London, England, on the 28th November, 1832. His father was
Lieutenant-Colonel George Futvoye, who was for many years deputy
minister of militia, and a resident of Ottawa. The subject of our
sketch, Isaac Booth Futvoye, received his education at the High School
of Quebec, and entered the railway service 1st May, 1857. From that time
until 1st May, 1859, he served in the capacity of roadman (Engineer
corps), on the Stanstead, Shefford and Chambly Railway, when he was
appointed station agent at St. John’s, P.Q. From February, 1865, to May,
1876, in conjunction with this office, he also acted as agent for the
Montreal and Vermont Junction Railway, at the same place. From 24th May,
1876, to the present, he has acted as superintendent of the Stanstead,
Shefford and Chambly and the Montreal and Vermont Junction Railways.
These two railroads are now operated as the northern division of the
Central Vermont Railroad. On the 1st January, 1878, he also became
superintendent of the Waterloo and Magog Railroad. Mr. Futvoye is
considered one of our best authorities in his particular sphere, and is
respected and esteemed by all for his sound, practical judgment in
matters pertaining to railways. In religion, he is a Protestant,
belonging to the Episcopal church. He married, October 20th, 1860, Mary
Anne Doyou, of Granby, P.Q.
* * * * *
=Leblanc, Pierre Evariste=, Montreal, M.P.P. for Laval, was born at St.
Martin’s, in the county of Laval, 10th August, 1853. His ancestors came
to L’Isle Jesus from Acadia in 1757, after the conquest and dispersion
of its inhabitants by the British army. His father was Joseph Leblanc,
and his mother Adéle Belanger. The subject of our sketch commenced his
education at the Academy of St. Martin’s, leaving it to enter the
Jacques Cartier Normal School, from which he went to McGill University.
He entered into the study of law, deciding to make it his profession,
and was called to the bar of the province of Quebec 11th July, 1879. Mr.
Leblanc has always taken an active part in the politics of his country;
and in 1882, when the Hon. L. O. Loranger was elevated to the bench, he
was elected in his place to represent the county of Laval in the Quebec
legislature. The election being protested, he was unseated on petition,
but was re-elected, and was again elected at the last general election.
In politics he is a Conservative, and is held in high esteem by his many
friends. On the 12th January, 1886, he married Hermine, daughter of the
late Theodore Beaudry, of Montreal, and Catharine Valée.
* * * * *
=Davis, Donald Watson=, Merchant, Macleod, district of Alberta, M.P. for
Alberta, North-West Territory, was born in the town of Londonderry,
state of Vermont, United States, in 1849. His father and mother were
both natives of the state, but of English and Scotch descent. He
received his education in his native town. He came to Canada, and
settled in Macleod about 1870, where he conducts business as a merchant
and general stock dealer. He was elected to the House of Commons as
representative for Alberta at the last general election, and is a
supporter of the Conservative party. In 1887 he was married to Lillie,
daughter, of James Grier, J.P.
* * * * *
=Motton, Robert=, Q.C., Barrister, Stipendiary Magistrate and Judge of
Civil Court of the city of Halifax, N.S., is of English extraction, and
is a son of the late Robert Motton, also of Halifax, who did business
there for many years. Mr. Motton was born in Halifax about the year
1831, and received his early education at the Grammar School in that
city. Having mastered the classics, he decided to adopt the profession
of the law, for which the keenness of his mind, his witty and eloquent
tongue, and his knowledge of human nature eminently fitted him. He
studied in the office of Peter Lynch, Q.C., and after pursuing his
studies with diligence was called to the bar of Nova Scotia, on 7th
December, 1856. He began to practise in Halifax, and speedily built up a
large business, especially in criminal cases. He had great weight with
juries, being a polished and eloquent pleader. As a cross-examiner he
excelled. For years he was retained in the most important civil and
criminal cases, and it was admitted that his presence in any of the
courts of the province was an intimation that some important case was
going on, and he was looked upon as a natural adjunct to either one or
the other side. In politics he was for many years connected with the
Conservative party, and rendered them yeoman service in many hard-fought
battles. On the stump he was simply immense, his general humor, power of
word-painting, and acquaintance with the ins and outs of the situation
making him a complete master of his audience. In 1874 he opposed Captain
John Taylor, who offered as candidate of the Liberal party, the
Conservatives agreeing not to oppose, for one of the seats for Halifax
rendered vacant by the death of that brilliant orator and lawyer, Hon.
William Garvie. Mr. Motton represented the Young Halifax party, and
being opposed by the whole weight of the Liberal local government and
the Conservative vote, was defeated, but made, nevertheless, a gallant
fight. He afterwards claimed the seat on the ground of his opponent’s
disqualification, which he established before a committee of the House
of Assembly composed of a majority of Liberals, but who refused him the
seat because they were determined he should not enter the house to
oppose the government. Mr. Motton may have thought that he did not
receive that measure of support from his own party to which his services
entitled him; but however, after this his affection for the
Conservatives cooled, and he gradually became attached to the Liberal
party, among whom he was warmly welcomed, they having a proper
appreciation of his abilities. He was frequently employed in crown cases
by the local government. He was always ready to help any good cause with
the might of his tongue, and especially as an advocate of temperance. He
distinguished himself when the late D. Banks McKenzie started the blue
ribbon movement and the reform club in Halifax, in the summer of 1877.
Mr. Motton came to his assistance, and at the mass meeting held in the
rink addressed by such orators as Hon. P. C. Hill, provincial secretary
and premier, Rev. Dr. George W. Hill, of St. Paul’s and others Mr.
Motton made one of the happy efforts of the evening. He is a very
popular lecturer on Reminiscences of the Bar, and other popular
subjects, always drawing crowded houses attracted by his versatility,
solid diction, relieved by fresh and racy incidents, creating roars of
merriment and applause. In the Dominion campaign of February, 1878, when
Hon. A. G. Jones defeated M. H. Richey in the Halifax bye-election, Mr.
Motton was one of the ablest canvassers and hardest workers on the
Liberal side. His name at this time was freely spoken of as a Liberal
candidate for the local house. He resided at this time in Dartmouth, of
which municipality he was stipendiary magistrate and recorder. He
subsequently in 1879 resigned the position, as his increasing practice
in Halifax rendered the step advisable. The acceptance of his
resignation was followed by a most flattering and complimentary
resolution, regretting his withdrawal. Upon the resignation of Dr. Henry
Pryor, as stipendiary magistrate of Halifax city, a post which he had
filled for many years, Mr. Motton was tendered by the provincial
government and accepted the position, all parties agreeing the place
could find no worthier incumbent. His appointment as stipendiary and
judge of City Civil Court is the only one made by the government in Nova
Scotia. It is for life, and removable in the same way as other judges.
The secular and religious press, without any exception, endorsed the
selection. On the occasion of his first presiding in the City Civil
Court, the members of the bar present conveyed to him the gratification
with which his legal brethren viewed his elevation, and tendering him
their most hearty congratulations and best wishes. He has administered
the laws of the city with good judgment, forbearance, and impartiality,
and at the same time has made himself a terror to evil doers. He has
exerted a powerful influence towards suppressing vice in its many forms.
In religion he and his family, consisting of his wife and two sons, are
Methodists. He was appointed Queen’s counsel by the local government in
1876. He was for some time a valued and progressive member of the city
council, a commissioner of the supreme court, a member of the quarter
sessions, and has been prominently identified with every movement of
political and social reform calculated to benefit humanity.
* * * * *
=Mara, John Andrew=, Merchant, Kamloops, British Columbia, M.P. for
Yale, was born at Toronto, and is the eldest son of the late John Mara
of that city. He was educated at Toronto, and settled in British
Columbia in 1862, where he has followed the business of a merchant. He
has always taken an active part in politics, and sat in the Legislative
Assembly for Kootenay, from the general election in 1871, till 1875,
when he was returned to represent Yale. He was re-elected in 1878, and
sat until the general election, of 1886, when he did not again offer
himself as a candidate. He was speaker of the Legislative Assembly from
25th January, 1883, until the dissolution of the house in 1886. In 1887
he was elected by acclamation to represent Yale in the House of Commons,
at Ottawa. Mr. Mara, in politics, is a Conservative. He is married to
Alice Telfer, the only daughter of F. J. Barnard, ex-M.P.
* * * * *
=Strange, Thomas Bland=, Kingston, Major-General, retired, Royal
Artillery, has been so conspicuous a figure on the Canadian scene and
filled so large and honorable a place in Canadian history for the last
seventeen or eighteen years that a work of this kind would be incomplete
without a memoir of his gallant and distinguished career in both
hemispheres. Major-General Strange comes of a race that has done good
service to the Empire. Said the Weekly _Globe_ (Toronto), of 24th April,
1885:—“In ‘The Scot in British America’ is an allusion to Robert
Strange, afterwards Sir Robert, the father of English engraving, an art
which he developed while in exile in Italy following the broken fortunes
of the house of Stuart.[10] Having previously fought at the battle of
Culloden, in the body-guard of the prince, he was attainted and sought
refuge in the house of Miss Lumsden, his affianced bride. While with
her, the ‘Seider Roy’ (red soldiers) appeared in the court yard, and the
officer entered to seize the body of the ‘traitor Strange,’ as he was
termed by proclamation. His fair _fiancée_, with womanly simplicity,
lifted the enormous hoops which extended the dresses of the period, and
placed her lover in safety beneath them, while she resumed her former
occupation of playing loyal airs on the spinette. The direct descendants
of Sir Robert Strange and Miss Lumsden have been gallant and
distinguished sailors, soldiers, men of science and law, including
Colonel Strange, Madras Cavalry, subsequently employed on the survey in
India and inspector of scientific instruments; Admiral Strange, whose
son, Lieutenant Vernon Strange, went down in the ill-fated _Eurydice_;
Major Charles John Strange, R.A., distinguished in the Crimea, all sons
and grandsons of Sir Thomas Strange (son of Sir Robert), judge in the
Hon. East India Company’s service. This branch of the family remained in
the mother country; but two collateral branches settled in Canada. Of
one of these, the late Colonel M. W. Strange, who served in the Kingston
Volunteer Rifles during the rebellion of 1837-38, and who was
representative of that city in the Ontario parliament, police magistrate
and district paymaster, as well as a brother-in-law of Sir A. Campbell,
the present lieutenant-governor of Ontario, and Dr. O. S. Strange,
ex-mayor, and now penitentiary surgeon, were the descendants. The last
branch to settle in Canada has done so in the person of Major-General
Strange. * * * * * He represents an old military family of Scotch
origin, and, in the maternal line descent can be traced from Charles
Martel and Charlemagne through a long line of warriors. * * * *
Major-General Strange has in his possession an old Bible (1679) which
contains the records of the birth of Sir R. Strange and of his father
and others in the islands of Orkney. To this sketch, the following
details of interest may be added respecting our subject and his family.
Major-General Strange was born on the 15th September, 1831, in the
cantonments of the 26th Cameronian regiment at Merut, East Indies. His
father, the late Colonel Harry Francis Strange, served in the Cameronian
regiment during the India and China wars, and subsequently commanded the
25th King’s Own Borderers. His mother, Maria Letitia Bland, was a
daughter of Major Bland, of Lake View, Killarney, county Kerry, Ireland,
and connected with the Herberts and other well known county Kerry
families. His paternal grandfather, Captain Alexander Strange, served in
the 13th Light Dragoons in India and at Waterloo, and his father’s
brother, Captain Alexander Strange, 42nd Highlanders, carried the colors
of the “Black Watch” through the battles of the Pyrenees, and died of
wound, received at Toulouse; and Captain Thomas Strange served and died
in the Royal Navy, leaving three sons, Captain Thomas Strange, who was
killed in the Maori war in New Zealand, Colonel H. F. Strange, C.B.,
Knight of the French Legion of Honor, who served with distinction in the
Crimea; and Captain Alexander Strange, of the Osmanli cavalry.
Major-General Strange’s only brother, Major Alexander Strange, served in
India in his father’s regiment, the King’s Own Borderers, and also with
distinction during the war in New Zealand, but died on the homeward
passage. Lastly, Major-General Strange’s own sons have been trained to
the profession of arms. The eldest boy, Lieutenant Harry Bland Strange,
is a graduate of the Royal Military College, Kingston, and after serving
as _aide-de-camp_ to his father during the campaign in the Canadian
North-West, obtained a commission in the Royal Artillery. The second
son, Alexander Wilmot Strange, a graduate of the Ontario Agricultural
College, was in the North-West on the Military Colonization Ranche near
Calgary with which his father is connected, when the rebellion broke
out, and true to the loyal and military instincts of his race, and like
a lad of spirit, at once enrolled himself in the Alberta Mounted Rifles,
with a detachment of which he served until the revolt was suppressed. So
that it may be said that for five generations every male of this family
has served in the army or navy, and the majority of them have died in
the service. Major-General Strange’s own military record has been as
stirring and eventful as any in the history of the family. As an
artillery officer, he takes rank among the ablest in that arm of the
profession, and, as a soldier maintaining the honor of his country’s
flag on the field of battle, his personal gallantry and skill were so
conspicuous as to be mentioned four times in despatches. Indeed, few
officers in the British service seem to have served their Sovereign with
greater loyalty and ardor, or to have taken greater pains to perfect
themselves in their profession. A real love for that profession appears
to have been the mainspring of his whole action from the moment when, on
the 17th December, 1851, as a young man of barely twenty years, he
received his commission as a second lieutenant of the Royal Regiment of
Artillery. Previous to this, he had been educated at the Edinburgh
Academy and the Royal Military Academy at Woolwich—at the former
classically, and at the latter in mathematical and military science.
With his entry into the service, however, came no cessation of his
studies. On the contrary, his life thenceforward for many years seems to
have been one of unceasing application and downright hard work to
perfect himself in all the details of his profession, and especially of
that important branch of it with which he was more directly associated.
Thus we find that between 1852 and 1865, when his opportunities from
foreign or active service in the field permitted, he successfully passed
through the following courses, for three of which he was specially
recommended by the deputy adjutant-general, Royal Artillery, by the
director of artillery studies, and by General F. C. Wilmot, commandant,
and Colonel Fisher, R.A., chief instructor of the Shoeburyness School of
Gunnery: Astronomical Observatory, Woolwich; Musketry Instruction,
Department of Artillery Studies, Chemistry of War Stores, Royal
Laboratory, Royal Gun Factories, Royal Carriage Department, Royal
Waltham Powder Mills, Enfield Small Arms Factory, and Long Course School
of Gunnery, Shoeburyness. The official record of his qualifications
shows further that he carried off the prize at the Royal Military
Academy for military topography and landscape painting; that he mastered
the French, Spanish and Hindostani languages; and that he acquired the
practice as well as the theory of his profession by serving as district
adjutant and quartermaster at Sheerness from 1856 to 1857; as
quartermaster to the artillery division on service, and as acting
commissary of ordnance and acting adjutant and orderly officer in action
from Benares to Lucknow during the Indian Mutiny, in 1857-8; as
Hindostani interpreter at Moultan, from 1859 to 1860; and as
superintendent and gunnery instructor of the Repository branch of the
Woolwich School of Gunnery from 1866 to 1871. His record of foreign
service covers two years and a half in garrison at Gibraltar, nearly two
years in the West Indies, and about six and a half years in India, and a
little over ten years in Canada, or a period of twenty-one years and
eight months in all, making, with his home service of close upon ten
years, a total of thirty-two years in the military employ of his
Sovereign, during which his promotions took place as follows:—First
lieutenant, 1853; second captain, 1858; first captain, 1866;
lieutenant-colonel, inspector of Canadian artillery, with rank of deputy
adjutant-general, 1871; major R.A., 1872; lieutenant-colonel in the army
(local), 1875; lieutenant-colonel R.A., 1877; colonel, July, and
major-general, retired, December, 1881. The breaking out of the terrible
Sepoy rebellion in 1857 furnished to our subject his first experience of
active service in the field, and though he was then only a lieutenant,
his skill, daring and presence of mind were conspicuous. According to
the “Army List,” he was present at the actions of Chanda, Sultanpore,
Dhowrarah, and Moonshejunge, the siege and capture of Lucknow, under Sir
Colin Campbell, the actions of Korsee, Nawab-gunge, Seraigunge, the
affairs of the 22nd and 29th July, the passage of the Gumtee, Oude,
including the engagements of the 25th, 26th, 27th and 28th August, and
at Doudpoor on the 28th October. In all he served in thirteen
engagements, was mentioned four times in despatches, and wears the medal
and clasp for Lucknow. During the mutiny he also received his captaincy,
and among the complimentary references to his gallant services in the
field we note the following in official despatches:—“1st, at
Moonshejunge, March 4th, 1858, Lieutenant Strange, R.A., assisted by
Captain Middleton, 29th regiment, and other officers, enabled the
commanding officer to carry off two captured guns under a heavy
matchlock fire from the loopholes (_vide_ despatch No. 3, as above). On
the same day, after the engineer officer, Captain Innes, Bengal
Engineers (now V.C.), was severely wounded in the attempt, Lieutenant
Strange carried the powder-bag to the gate of the interior entrenchment,
and with the assistance of Captain Middleton, 29th regiment, fired it.
2nd, on March 26th, 1858, at the capture of the Kaiser Bagh, Lucknow,
Colonel Napier (now Lord Napier of Magdala), Bengal Engineers, being
engineer directing the attack, Lieutenant Strange, with assistance,
endeavored to empty a powder magazine in the great square while the
adjacent buildings were on fire. An explosion left that officer the sole
survivor (_vide_ the death of Bombardier S. S. Lever, No. 3 company,
14th battalion, forwarded by General Dupuis, R.A., to adjutant-general,
Horse Guards). 3rd, on 2nd October, 1858, at Doudpoor, Oude, while in
command of right division Q field battery, R.A., and two guns R.H.A.,
under Lieutenant Lyon, Captain Strange captured two guns and sixteen
horses, Brigadier-General Horsford commanding the force. Capture
reported.”[11] To these may be added the testimony, of
Lieutenant-General Sir Hope Grant, K.C.B., who wrote;—“Lieutenant
Strange (now captain) was under my command in Oude, in 1858, during the
mutiny, and rendered very efficient service at the crossing of the
Goomtee in driving the enemy back and covering the crossing of the
force. His two guns, which I sent on in advance, had to be taken in
pieces across on rafts, and the horses had to swim the river. His duty
was performed to my entire satisfaction. He was also staff officer to
the artillery division under Colonel Carleton, at the battle of
Nawab-gunge, when he made himself very useful.” Proofs of the same kind
might be multiplied, but these suffice to show that our subject is not
only an officer of skill and experience, but that he distinguished
himself as much by his gallantry in the field as by his decision and
coolness in the hour of danger. The removal of the Imperial garrisons
from Canada in 1871, and the desire of the Canadian Government, in
pursuance of a plan for the defence of the Dominion, to raise some
batteries of artillery and to organise a scheme of artillery
instruction, introduced him to a new sphere of honorable usefulness.
Endorsed by the highest military authorities in England, including
H.R.H. the Duke of Cambridge, commander-in-chief; Sir Hugh Rose,
commanding the forces in Ireland; General Sir Hope Grant; General Adye,
director-general of artillery, and others too numerous to mention, he
came to Canada in that year as lieutenant-colonel and inspector of
Canadian artillery, with rank as deputy adjutant-general, and a
commission to form and command the 1st garrison of Canadian artillery at
Quebec. How successful he was in this task is well known to all
acquainted with the soldierly qualities and discipline of those fine
corps, A and B batteries,[12] and especially to the people of the
ancient capital, who had the best opportunity to witness the
difficulties he had to contend with and overcome, and to appreciate,
during his nine years’ residence in their midst as commandant of their
historic citadel, his admirable qualities as a soldier and a gentleman.
Referring to this phase of his Canadian career, the Toronto _Globe_ of
the 24th April, 1885, during the height of the rebellion in the Canadian
North-West, remarked:—“He established upon enduring foundations the
schools of gunnery in which so many have been trained for service in
different capacities, and especially as artillerists, and the efficiency
of the batteries now at the front is largely owing to the fact that the
Government has adopted the more important recommendations which, as
inspector of artillery, he has seen fit to make.[13] He is a man of
marked will-power, a disciplinarian, and yet one whose commands are not
unkindly enforced. But once, while in command of B battery, was he
called upon to act the soldier’s part in earnest, and that was during
the labor and bread riots in Quebec, in 1878. He acted with a courage
and coolness then which showed how well fitted he was for action in an
emergency.” To this might be with justice added that on this occasion
Colonel Strange also acted with an amount of self-control and humanity
as honorable to him as a soldier as it was creditable to him as a man.
To his firmness the ancient capital owed the prompt suppression of the
trouble, and to his humanity that this stern but needful duty in the
interests of law and order was discharged with the least possible
effusion of blood. The local press, headed by the Quebec _Morning
Chronicle_, were not slow to acknowledge this indebtedness in the
handsomest terms, and the lieutenant-general commanding the Canadian
militia, Sir Selby Smith, recognized it in flattering terms in his
general order of 18th June, 1878. But it is pleasant to know that the
citizens of Quebec have more agreeable recollections of Colonel Strange
than those connected with him as the exponent of military force. During
his residence of nine years amongst them, he and his officers and men
intimately associated themselves with their daily life, and contributed
largely to their entertainment and to the gaiety of the city.[14] It
would require more space than could be afforded within the scope of this
work to do justice to this phase of Colonel Strange’s career in Quebec,
but an idea of it can be gathered from the celebration of the Montgomery
centennial in 1875, which will ever remain an enduring memory with the
Quebecers. On that occasion Colonel Strange thought it his duty to
cement Canadian patriotism by reminding Canadians of both nationalities
of their forefathers’ struggle to repel invasion. For this purpose, in
addition to the valuable historical paper which, as vice-president of
the Quebec Literary and Historical Society, he read before the society
(on the defence of Quebec in 1775 against the attempt made by the
Americans, under Generals Montgomery and Arnold, to capture the
fortress), at the _fête_ in commemoration of the centenary of
Montgomery’s defeat and death, held in the society’s rooms at the Morrin
College, he organized one of the most unique balls imaginable, which
came off with the greatest success at the citadel on the very centennial
itself, the night of the 31st December, 1875. Of this _fête_ the
following graphic account was published at the time:—
The celebration of the centenary at the Literary and Historical
Society was followed by a similar demonstration at the Institut
Canadien of Quebec, on the 30th, which passed off with great
_éclat_, and by a ball at the citadel on the 31st, given by the
commandant, Colonel Strange, R.A., and Mrs. Strange, who
entertained a large number of guests dressed in the costume of
1775. The following verses, contributed by “E. L. M.,” a
Montreal lady, and dedicated to Colonel Strange, were made an
appropriate introduction to the festivities:—
Hark! hark! the iron tongue of time
Clangs forth a hundred years,
And Stadacona on her heights
Sits shedding mournful tears!
Oh! spirits fled, oh! heroes dead,
Oh! ye were slain for me,
And I shall never cease to weep,
Ah! Wolfe, brave soul for thee.
Again the foe are made to know
The force of British steel;
Montgomery and his comrades brave
Fall ’neath the cannon’s peal.
Sudden she sprang upon her feet,
With wild dishevelled hair—
“What are those sounds I hear so sweet
Upon the trembling air?
“The frowning Citadel afar
Is all ablaze with light,
And martial notes, but not of war,
Awake the slumbering night.”
Then on she sped, with airy flight,
Across the historic Plains,
And there beheld a splendid sight—
Valor with beauty reigns.
Where fearless Carleton stood at bay
A hundred years ago,
Under the gallant Strange’s sway
They still defy the foe.
“My sons! my sons! I see ye now,
Filled with the ancient fires,
Your manly features flashing forth
The spirit of your sires!
“Yet here, surrounded by the flower
Of Canada’s fair dames,
Ye are as gentle in these bowers
As brave amidst war’s flames.
“Long may ye live to tell the tale
Transmitted to your mind,
And should again your country call
Like valor she will find.”
One hundred years have passed away, and again soldiers and
civilians in the costume of 1775 move about in the old fortress,
some in the identical uniforms worn by their ancestors at the
time of the memorable repulse.
The Commandant, in the uniform of his corps in 1775, and the
ladies in the costume of the same period, received their guests
as they entered the ball-room—the approaches to which were
tastefully decorated. Half-way between the dressing and
receiving rooms is a noble double staircase, the sides of which
are draped with Royal standards intermingled with the white and
golden lilies of France, our Dominion ensign, and the stars and
stripes of the neighboring republic. On either hand of the broad
steps are stands of arms and warlike implements. Here, too,
facing one when ascending the steps, is the trophy designed by
Captain Larue of the B battery. The huge banners fell in
graceful folds about the stacks of musketry piled on the right
and left above the drums and trumpets; from the centre was a red
and black pennant (the American colors of 1775), immediately
underneath was the escutcheon of the United States, on which,
heavily craped, was hung the hero’s sword—the weapon with
which, one hundred years before this night, Montgomery had
beckoned on his men. Underneath this kindly tribute to the
memory of the dead general were the solemn prayerful initials of
the _Requiescat in Pace_. At the foot of the trophy were two
sets of old flint muskets, and accoutrements, piled, and in the
centre a brass cannon captured from the Americans in 1775, which
bears the lone star and figure of an Indian—the arms of the
State of Massachusetts. On either side of this historical
tableau, recalling as it did so vividly the troublous times of
long ago, telling the lesson so speakingly of the patience and
pluck, the sturdy manhood and bravery of a century gone by, were
stationed as sentries two splendid specimens of the human race,
stalwart giants, considerably over six feet in height, who
belonged formerly to the famous Cent Garde of Napoleon III., but
now in the ranks of B battery.[15] The stern impassiveness of
their faces and the immobility of their figures were quite in
keeping with the solemn trust they had to guard.
Dancing commenced; dance succeeded dance, and the happy hours
flew past till the midnight hour, which would add another year
to our earthly existence. About that time there were mysterious
signs and evidences that something unusual was going to happen.
There was a hurrying to and fro of the _cognoscenti_ to their
respective places, but so noiselessly and carefully were the
preparations made for a _coup de théatre_ that the gay throng
who perpetually circulated through the rooms took little heed,
when all of a sudden the clear clarion notes of a trumpet
sounding thrilled the hearts of all present. A panel in the
wainscoting of the lower dancing room opened as if by magic, and
out jumped a jaunty little trumpeter with the slashed and
decorated jacket and busby of a Hussar. The blast he blew rang
in tingling echoes far and wide, and a second later the weird
piping and drumming, in a music now strange to us, was heard in
a remote part of the barracks. Nearer and nearer every moment
came the sharp shrill notes of the fifes and the quick
detonation of the drum stick taps. A silence grew over the
bright _cortege_, the notes of the band died away, the company
clustered in picturesque groups around the stairs where was
placed the thin steel blade whose hilt one century gone by was
warmed by the hand of Montgomery. The rattle of the drums came
closer and closer, two folding doors opened suddenly, and
through them stalked in grim solemnity the “Phantom Guard,” led
by the intrepid Sergeant Hugh McQuarters. Neither regarding the
festive decorations nor the bright faces around them, the guard
passed through the assemblage as if they were not, on through
saloon and passage, past ball-room and conversation parlor, they
glided with measured step, and halted in front of the Montgomery
trophy, and paid military honors to the memento of a hero’s
valiant, if unsuccessful, act. Upon their taking close order,
the bombardier, Mr. Dunn, who impersonated the dead sergeant,
and actually wore the sword and blood-stained belts of a man who
was killed in action in 1775, addressed Col. Strange, who stood
at the bottom of the staircase already mentioned, as follows:—
Commandant! we rise from our graves to-night,
On the Centennial of the glorious fight.
At midnight, just one hundred years ago,
We soldiers fought and beat the daring foe;
And kept our dear old flag aloft, unfurled,
Against the armies of the Western world.
Although our bodies now should be decayed,
At this, our visit, be not sore dismayed;
Glad are we to see our fortress still defended,
By Canadians, French and British blended,
But Colonel, now I’ll tell you, why we’ve risen,
From out of the bosom of the earth’s cold prison——
We ask of you to pay us one tribute,
By firing from these heights, one last salute.
The grave, sonorous words of the martial request were hardly
uttered ere through the darkness of the night, the great cannon
boomed out a soldier’s welcome and a brave man’s
requiem—causing women’s hearts to throb, and men’s to exult at
the warlike sound. While the whole air was trembling with the
sullen reverberation and the sky was illuminated with rockets
and Roman candles, Colonel Strange responded to his ghostly
visitant, in the following original composition:—
’Tis Hugh McQuarters, and his comrades brave,
To-night have risen from their glorious grave——
To you we owe our standard still unfurled,
Yet flaunts aloft defiance to the world:
God grant in danger’s hour we prove as true,
In duty’s path, as nobly brave as you.
This night we pass, in revel, dance and song,
The weary hours you watched so well and long.
’Mid storm and tempest met the battle shock,
Beneath the shadow of the beetling rock;
When foemen found their winding sheet of snow,
Where broad St. Lawrence wintry waters flow.
Yes! once again those echoes shall awake,
In thunders, for our ancient comrades’ sake;
The midnight clouds by battle bolts be riven,
Response like Frontenac’s may yet be given
If foeman’s foot our sacred soil shall tread.
We seek not history’s bloody page to turn,
For us no boastful words aggressive burn,
Forgotten, few, but undismayed we stand,
The guardians of this young Canadian land.
Oh, blessed peace! thy gentle pinions spread,
Until all our battle flags be furl’d,
In the poet’s federation of the world.
For us will dawn no new centennial day——
Our very memories will have passed away,
Our beating hearts be still, our bodies dust;
Our joys and sorrows o’er, our swords but rust.
Your gallant deeds will live in history’s page,
In fire side stories, told to youth by age;
But sacred writ still warns us yet again,
How soldier’s science and his valour’s vain
Unless the Lord of Hosts the city keep:
The mighty tremble and the watchmen sleep,
Return grim soldiers to your silent home
Where we, when duty’s done, will also come.
It will not be easy for any of those fortunate enough to have
witnessed the impressive and natural way in which this _coup de
théatre_ was arranged ever to forget it. Taken either as a
_tableau vivant_ of a possible historic event, or as an example
of truthful spirited eloquence, on both sides, it was a perfect
success. At the suggestion of the resident American consul, Hon.
W. C. Howells, the old house in St. Louis street, in which the
body of General Montgomery was laid out on the 1st January,
1776, was decorated with the American flag, and brilliantly
illuminated that night.
In June, 1880, Colonel Strange went to Kingston with his command on the
transfer of the batteries; and, in December, 1881, having received his
promotion to the rank of major-general, he not long afterwards retired
from the service and became the chief factor in the organization of the
Military Colonization Company, whose ranche is about thirty-five miles
from Calgary, in the Canadian North-West. His two sons, already
mentioned, accompanied him to enter upon pioneer life in the North-West
and to help him to found the new home there, to which he has given the
Indian name of “Namaka.” The breaking out of the Riel rebellion found
them engaged in these peaceful pursuits; but the first note of alarm
aroused the old warrior, and before the Canadian authorities had time to
grasp all the danger that threatened from the Indians, or to take
measures for the protection of the exposed settlements, he was heading
his neighbors in an organization for defence and giving the country all
the benefit of his great military experience and skill. Our space will
not permit our following the history of this organization or of the
campaign in which it played so important a part. It may, however, be
stated that it became the nucleus of the field force of the Alberta
district, which was placed under command of Major-General Strange, and
that it not only distinguished itself in the actions at Loon Lake,
Frenchman’s Butte and elsewhere, but contributed in no small degree to
the suppression of the insurrection by driving Riel’s ally, Big Bear, to
bay, and preventing a general and bloody uprising of the other Indian
tribes and bands throughout the North-West. Of Major-General Strange’s
rôle as its commander in that memorable campaign, it is enough to say
that it was in keeping with his high reputation as an organizer, a
leader and a soldier; and the Dominion owes him a deep debt of gratitude
for the valuable and, it may be added, disinterested services he
rendered on the occasion. Professional jealousy may seek to deprive him
of his full share of credit in the connection, but an intelligent public
will not be slow to apportion to him, as to all the other leading actors
in the North-West campaign, his rightful merit. The following is a
_résumé_ of the operations of the Alberta field force, as it appeared at
the time in the columns of the _Calgary Tribune_:—
The work done by the force under my command, and the results,
may be briefly stated as follows:
The cattle districts in the heart of the Indian reserves were
secured, the frontier patrolled, and Indian and Fenian
incursions prevented, and telegraph communication established.
These results were mainly obtained by the raising of ranche
cavalry and home guards, supplemented by the presence of
companies of infantry at forts McLeod, Crowfoot, Gleichan and
Calgary. These detachments secured the country against the
rising of Blackfeet, Bloods, Peigans, Sarcees, etc., protected
the railroad, and prevented its abandonment by the C. P. R.
officials during the strike and alarm.
No doubt the feeling of alarm was much exaggerated, but could
not be otherwise, owing to the utter absence of arms among the
settlers, and the impossibility of getting any from the
Government.
The transport and supply were extemporized without even the
embryo of the establishments considered necessary in a civilized
country, while our difficulties were increased by the complete
absence of any supplies in the wilderness country through which
we passed, and the want of road, telegraph, or even mail
communication.
Nevertheless, the rapid march of the three successive columns of
the Alberta Field Force stamped out the incipient seeds of
active rebellion among the turbulent tribes who had already
commenced depredations, more of whom would have joined the
Eastern outbreak, but for the timely appearance and location of
troops on their reserves; while a famine was prevented in the
districts north of Edmonton by the convoys of provisions brought
along the protected line of communication.
A flotilla was built at Edmonton, a further supply of provisions
collected, and the hazardous and delicate operation of moving
troops simultaneously by land and river, in open boats (touch
being maintained throughout), and a final successful junction
effected within striking distance of the enemy.
Not a day’s delay occurred from start to finish, though our base
of supply was more than 500 miles from our objective. The
excellence and carefulness of the scouting almost precluded any
chance of disaster, and quickly discovered the position of Big
Bear, who was immediately attacked, the result being that,
although the numerical inferiority of our force prevented the
capture of his position, his band was broken up and demoralized,
the majority of the prisoners released, and the subsequent
pursuit by the cavalry of this force, under major Steele,
completed the surrender of the remainder of the prisoners, the
total dispersion of his band, and his ultimate surrender. Not a
shot was fired in connection with these results, except by the
Alberta Field Force, with only a loss of six wounded. Plainly
drawing attention to these results is a duty I conceive due to
the officers and men I feel it an honor to have commanded. By
their patient endurance, sense of duty and steadiness under
fire, these results were produced. Your obedient servant,
(Signed) T. B. STRANGE,
Major-General, Late Com., Alberta Field Force.
On the suppression of the rebellion, he received the Saskatchewan medal
and clasp, and once more, like a modern Cincinnatus, beat his sword into
a ploughshare and resumed the cultivation of the arts of peace at his
home at “Namaka,” near Calgary, where he continued to reside until a
broken leg, by a kick from a horse, followed by a second fracture,
obliged him to resign the active management of the Military Colonization
Ranche. Before leaving the phase of his eventful career connected with
the Canadian North-West, it should be stated that in January, 1887, he
offered as an Independent candidate for the seat for Alberta in the
Dominion parliament, but withdrew before going to the polls, the time
having evidently not yet come for the election of representatives
unpledged to either political party. He is a member of no society except
temperance societies, of whose principles he has always been a warm and
consistent advocate, though never a Prohibitionist. He has travelled
over the greater part of Europe, visited North and South Africa, the
United States, Canada from the Atlantic to the Pacific, the East and
West Indies, and crossed the Himalaya mountains into Thibet and Central
Asia. He has also been a prolific writer, especially on military
questions. Besides editing the _Canadian Military Review_, he has
published an “Artillery Retrospect of the last Great War, 1870-71,”
“Military Aspect of Canada,” and a work on “Field Artillery,” besides
his reports on militia matters, defence of British Columbia, etc., which
have been printed in the Canadian Militia Reports, and for the most part
acted upon. His wife, who has been a true helpmate to him and followed
his fortunes with loving devotion from India to Canada, was a Miss
Eleanor Taylor, daughter of Captain R. Taylor, of the East India
Company’s service, and to her he was united at Simla, East Indies, in
October, 1862. By her, he has had issue, seven children, five of whom,
including the two sons already mentioned, survive.
-----
[10] Another member of the family, Strange of Burn House, raised a
company of militia for the Hanoverian cause.
[11] As the capture of an enemy’s guns by artillery unsupported by
cavalry or infantry is perhaps without precedent in the annals of war,
it may be explained that a rapid advance left the infantry in rear, and
a thick wood prevented the action of cavalry. On the road (the only open
space through the wood) the enemy’s guns were suddenly overtaken and
captured by the charge of the mounted gunners, who sabred the Sepoy
gunners before they had time to fire. A moment’s hesitation would have
been fatal. Had the British guns halted to unlimber, the enemy, who were
already unlimbered, would have had first fire, with inevitably
annihilating effect.
[12] “A” battery was first organized by Lieutenant-Colonel French, who
subsequently commanded N.-W.M. Police force.
[13] Among others the establishment of a Canadian cartridge factory,
without which the suppression of the North-West rebellion would have
been indefinitely prolonged had it been necessary to supply cartridges
from England, as the manufacture of the Snider cartridge had ceased
there on the change of rifle to Martini.
[14] As military equitation is of little value without practical
application in the field, a pack of foxhounds was kept at the Citadel,
Colonel Strange being M.F.H., Captain Short, huntsman.
[15] One of them, Gunner de Manoli, was killed in action at Fish Creek
during the late North-West campaign. He was shot through the head.
* * * * *
=Pipes, Hon. William Thomas=, Barrister, Amherst, Nova Scotia, was born
at Amherst on the 15th April, 1850. His paternal ancestors came from
England, and his maternal ancestors were U. E. loyalists. The family has
resided in Cumberland county, N.S., for over a hundred years, and have
been chiefly engaged in farming and shipbuilding. His parents were
Jonathan and Caroline Pipes. The subject of this sketch received his
educational training in the Amherst Academy and Acadia College. He
adopted law as a profession, and was called to the bar of Nova Scotia in
1878. Since then he has successfully practised his profession in
Amherst. At the general election held in 1878, he unsuccessfully opposed
Sir Charles Tupper, in Cumberland county, for a seat in the House of
Commons at Ottawa, but shortly afterwards he was returned for the same
county to the Legislative Assembly of his native province. On the 3rd of
August, 1882, he became president of the executive council and premier
of the government. He declined the office of attorney-general. On the
15th July, 1884, he retired from the ministry, and finally, two years
afterwards, from political life. In politics Mr. Pipes is a Liberal, and
in religion an adherent of the Church of England. He has travelled a
good deal, and has visited England, Ireland, France, and the United
States of America. On the 23rd November, 1876, he was married to Ruth
Eliza, daughter of David McElmon. Mr. Pipes has spent an active and
useful life, and is greatly respected by his friends and acquaintances.
* * * * *
=Smith, George Byron=, Wholesale Dry Goods Merchant, Toronto, M.P.P. for
East York, is one of those whom nature has designed to become a leader
of men. His paternal grandfather came from the state of Connecticut,
United States, and settled near Cobourg, Ontario, many years ago. His
maternal grandfather was a United Empire loyalist, and emigrated from
Massachusetts to Canada shortly after the revolutionary war. George
Byron Smith, the subject of our sketch, first saw the light on the 7th
March, 1839, at Newtonville, Durham county, and received his education
in the public schools of his native place. Having secured a good
commercial education, he removed to St. Mary’s, and began business as a
merchant in that then thriving town. Here he was very successful, and
having accumulated considerable wealth, resolved to seek a larger field
for his operations, and some years ago he removed to Toronto, where as a
merchant he has been equally successful. While in St. Mary’s he served
two years in the town council, and in Toronto he served as alderman for
one year. Having aspirations of a higher order than that of alderman, he
began to take an active interest in politics, and at the last general
election for the Ontario legislature was returned to represent the East
Riding of York in that body, defeating his opponent, H. P. Crosby, by
765 votes. In politics Mr. Smith is a staunch Reformer, and in religion
he belongs to the Presbyterian church. He has already made his mark in
the legislature, and we predict for him a brilliant future. He is
married to Maria, daughter of William H. Allen, of the township of Hope,
and has a family of two daughters, one of whom is married to a son of
James Trow, M.P. for South Perth, Ontario.
* * * * *
=Gould, George=, Walkerton, Ontario, was born in Enniskillen, Ireland,
on the 5th November, 1827, and came to Canada with his parents in 1829.
His father, William Gould, was a lieutenant of the 86th regiment of the
line. His grandfather, who died in India, was also in the Imperial
service and was killed in one of the battles of the Mahratta war. Mr.
Gould was an only son and was educated at Nashville, Tennessee,
University, where he received a classical and engineering education.
After his college course he entered the service of the United States
government as chief clerk in the post office in Nashville, which
position he occupied for four years. The insalubrity of the climate,
however, compelled him to return to Canada in 1845, where he followed up
his profession as a surveyor and engineer. Mr. Gould was one of the
first settlers in the town of Arran, and facts connected with his active
and energetic participation in the early development of that wealthy
municipality are fully on record. Three townships of Bruce were
originally surveyed by him, namely, Amabel, Albemarle and Arran, and in
Grey county he also surveyed five townships. In 1860, Mr. Gould was
appointed second provisional clerk of the provisional county of Bruce,
and held the position until Bruce became an independent county, when he
was appointed in 1867 the first county clerk, and has performed the
duties of that office uninterruptedly ever since. He continued for a few
years to follow his profession of engineering till the duties of his
office became such as to require his whole time. In 1857, Mr. Gould was
made a justice of the peace; he is also a notary public and a
commissioner in the Queen’s Bench, and has held a number of other
important official positions. In politics, Mr. Gould is a staunch
Conservative, and in religion, an earnest member of the Methodist body.
On the 19th of January, 1855, Mr. Gould became a benedict, marrying
Elizabeth Snowden, of Owen Sound. He has had by this marriage six
children, four sons and two daughters. Two of his sons, one a lawyer and
the other a doctor, both died early in life. Had they been spared, they
would, no doubt, have been an ornament and credit to their professions.
His daughter, Minnie, married Dr. John Gardner, who, at one time, held
the position of court physician to the king of the Fiji Islands. Mr.
Gould is a courteous, talented and obliging man, thoroughly conversant
with all the details of his business, while in private life he is one of
the most popular and highly esteemed citizens of Walkerton.
* * * * *
=Moore, Dennis=, Hamilton. By the death of Mr. Moore, on the 20th
November, 1887, the city of Hamilton lost one of its most prominent,
staunch and active citizens. He was born at Grimsby, on the 20th of
August, 1817, and hence was in his 71st year at the time of his demise.
He came to Hamilton in 1831, and had resided here ever since. Not long
after coming he was apprenticed to Edward Jackson, with whom he remained
until he was promoted to a partnership in the business. On the
retirement of Mr. Jackson, Mr. Moore became senior of the firm of D.
Moore & Co., which position he held until his death. His thorough
business habits and consequent success generally drew him into a number
of other enterprises in addition to his own business. Although never
very strong physically, he led a very active life. He was stockholder
and director in several manufactories, banks and insurance companies,
the principal ones being the Canada Life Assurance Company, the Hamilton
Provident and Loan Society, the Bank of Hamilton, the Traders Bank, the
Canada Landed Banking and Loan Company, the Ontario Cotton Company, the
Hamilton Bridge and Tool Company and the Burn-Robinson Manufacturing
Company. He was never neutral or silent on social, religious or
educational questions, but always threw himself into movements that
tended to the upbuilding of society. He was a member of the Centenary
Methodist Church, a class-leader, trustee and treasurer, and it is no
exaggeration to say that his death caused a greater blank there than
could be made by the death of any other man since the days of Edward
Jackson. The whole congregation was bereaved in his death, for every
interest of the church had his hearty assistance and cordial sympathy.
He became a member of the church in his boyhood; and it was one of the
pleasantest recollections of his life, as well as an earnest [missing
text] of what was to come, that the first sovereign he ever earned was
given to a benevolent object. Many kind memories gather round his name,
not simply because he was an honorable and successful business man, nor
because of his numerous and liberal contributions to the various
benevolent associations, nor because of his long continued official
standing in his church, nor because of the prominent part that he took
in the political welfare of Canada, but rather because that as a man he
always showed a practical sympathy with every movement for the relief
and elevation of his fellow-men. To secure his co-operation in any
movement one had only to show him that it was likely to do good. He was
eminently catholic in his religious convictions, and had a creed broad
enough to take in all that loved the Saviour of the world. It is not
claimed for him that he was a theologian, but such a life as his
proclaims the gospel that this world needs most. He had a profound
conviction of the truth of Christianity, and what it had proved to him
he desired all others to share. Hence he was a very liberal contributor
to missionary objects. To that cause he gave thousands, and his
contributions were not of the spasmodic or fitful kind, but steady and
on principle. It was so with educational matters also. When Canada had
not a college for the education and graduation of young ladies, he
united with others in the establishment of the Wesleyan Ladies’ College.
He was one of its largest stockholders, and had been president of its
board for several years. In his death, Victoria College lost one of its
most liberal friends. For several years he supported the chair of
Natural Science, and it is understood that he made permanent provision
for that chair. He seems to have enjoyed the luxury of giving—hence his
work will go on and continue to bless the generations yet to come. But,
wiser than many successful men, he did not leave for his will his
largest donations. For years he had been scattering his bounty, and he
enjoyed the rare pleasure of seeing the results of his givings. Many a
man much richer than he has passed away “unwept, unhonored and unsung.”
But Dennis Moore, in the unselfish out-goings of his life, touched the
city of his adoption in so many ways that he left a blank that few, very
few, men could possibly fill. In politics Mr. Moore was a life-long
Reformer. He was extensively engaged in manufactures, and at a time when
many of his old political and business associates were leaving the fold
with the hope of making money faster, pressure was put upon him to do
likewise. But Dennis Moore never wavered. He did not think that a
business man ought to look to the legislature for his profits. He let
everybody know where he stood, and he worked harder and subscribed more
liberally than ever to obtain Reform success. In 1882 he was a Reform
candidate, along with Mr. Irving, for the House of Commons, but was
defeated. Mr. Moore died in the bosom of his family. His wife and
children were present. He had four daughters and one son: Mrs. W. A.
Robinson, Mrs. Charles Black, Mrs. W. H. Glassco, Mary Moore, and Edward
J. Moore.
* * * * *
=Rolland, Hon. Jean Baptiste=, Montreal, was born at Vercheres, Quebec,
on the 2nd January, 1815. His grandfather came from France over a
century ago, and his father, Pierre Rolland, was born at Vercheres, so
that it can be seen that the family come of an old and honored ancestry.
His mother, Euphrasine Donais, of the parish of Contrecœur, was also a
member of an old French-Canadian family. The subject of this sketch was
educated in the parish school of St. Hyacinthe, but when seventeen years
of age he determined to seek his fortune elsewhere, and possessed of
indomitable pluck and energy, and with only twenty-five cents ready cash
in his pocket, he set out for Montreal. Although he was friendless and
alone, he soon made some headway, entering the office of _La Minerve_ as
an apprentice to the printing trade, and afterwards worked for some
years on the _Courrier_. In 1842, Mr. Rolland started in the book, paper
and fancy goods trades, and the firm of J. B. Rolland & Fils, has for
many years past been favorably known to the trade of the entire Dominion
as extensive dealers in home manufactures, as well as large importers of
French, German and English fancy goods, with a very large paper mill at
St. Jerome. Leaving the active management of the mercantile business in
the hands of his sons, Mr. Rolland entered extensively into the real
estate business, buying valuable properties in the city of Montreal,
besides acquiring extensive tracts of land in the adjoining village of
Hochelaga. He built largely on his lands, both in Montreal and
Hochelaga, acting as his own architect as well as contractor; and his
success is an excellent illustration of the fact that money can always
be made through judicious investments in real estate. In politics Mr.
Rolland was always a pronounced Conservative, rendering valuable aid to
his party, and his services in this respect were recognised by his being
called to the Dominion Senate in 1887, in succession to the late Senator
Senecal. In March of this year (1888), the honorable gentleman was taken
suddenly ill at his residence in Montreal, and despite prompt and
skilful medical attendance, died on the 22nd March, deeply regretted by
a large circle of public and private friends. Mr. Rolland took an active
interest in municipal affairs, having been alderman for East Montreal
ward for nine years, and a magistrate since 1855. He was always prompt
in identifying himself with any movement likely to build up the city of
his adoption, and was at various times president of the Board of Trade
and Manufactures, and of the St. Jean Baptiste Society; a director of
the Citizens’ Insurance Company, and one of the harbor commissioners.
Although himself a Roman Catholic, Mr. Rolland was one of these gentle,
conciliatory spirits, who was on the most cordial terms with all
classes—not only in politics, but in religion. He was married in 1839,
to Esther Dufresne, of St. Laurent, and had issue twelve children, six
sons and six daughters, four of each still living.
* * * * *
=Drysdale, William=, Bookseller, Montreal, was born in the city of
Montreal on the 17th of April, 1847. His father, Adam Drysdale, was a
native of Dunfermline, Scotland, settled in Canada many years ago, and
for a long time held a position in the civil service of Canada,
conferred upon him by the late Lord Elgin. His grandfather was one of
the first persons to engage in the shipping trade between Scotland and
Canada, especially to the port of Montreal. William Drysdale, the
subject of our sketch, was educated at Montreal, in the school conducted
by Mr. Hicks, who afterwards became the first principal of the Normal
School in that city. Here he received a thorough commercial training,
but owing to the serious illness of his father at the time, he was
prevented from taking a classical course. After leaving school he
entered the office of the late John Dougall, who was then publishing the
_Weekly Witness_, and also carrying on a book business. Young Drysdale
was given almost the entire charge of the book branch, which he
conducted to the satisfaction of his employer. After a short time he
entered the service of another bookseller, Mr. Grafton, with whom he
remained for ten years, and was the confidential manager of the firm. In
1874 he commenced business on his own account, and owing to his early
training and urbanity of manner soon acquired a business that is now
second to none in the Dominion. His business relations extend from Gaspé
to British Columbia. He has already published a number of important
Canadian works that are of great value, in a historical sense, to the
country at large. Mr. Drysdale, having strictly confined himself to
business, has not had much time to devote to political affairs. He is in
no sense a party man, but he takes a broad view of things generally. As
a private citizen he, however, always takes an active part in whatever
tends to improve his native city and help his fellow-citizens. He is on
the executive of the following:—Society for the Protection of Women and
Children, the Dominion Temperance Alliance, Boys’ Home (of which he is
treasurer), Numismatic and Antiquarian Society, a life member of the
Mechanics’ Institute, governor of the Montreal Dispensary, and is one of
the most active promoters of the Protestant Hospital for the Insane. Mr.
Drysdale is a member of the Presbyterian church, and is a superintendent
of one of the Sunday schools. He was married in 1888 to Mary Mathie
Wales, daughter of the late Charles Wales, merchant, of St. Andrews
East. Duncan MacGregor Crerar, a New York poet, sums up Mr. Drysdale’s
character in the following lines:—
Some are while careful of their own affairs,
And when successfully amassing wealth,
Who oft times will withdraw as if by stealth,
To render good to others unawares.
Well known to them the haunts of poverty,
Clothed are the naked, and the hungry fed,
Oft take they place beside the patient’s bed,
To cheer sad hours; to soothe keen agony.
These are earth’s salt—they labor with a mind,
Distress relieving, lessening human woe;
In all their actions earnest, gentle, kind,
Leaving sweet impress whereso’er they go.
Theirs Heaven’s reward; a crown upon each brow,
Warm hearted DRYSDALE! such a man art thou!
* * * * *
=Van Koughnet, S. J.=, Q.C., Toronto, Ontario.—The subject of this
sketch, born in the year 1832, or 1833, was a younger, though now the
oldest surviving, son of the late Hon. Colonel Van Koughnet, of
Cornwall, for many years a member of both legislatures of old Canada,
who had seen service in the war of 1812, and afterwards commanded a
regiment at the battle of Prescott in 1837, as also at the Coteau, of
which regiment, when put on an Imperial footing, he retained command
until disbanded several years subsequently. The Van Koughnet family is
probably one of the oldest in the country. Their native place was
Colmar, Alsace, from which they emigrated in 1750, coming to the present
United States of America, and settling in Massachusetts, on the site of
the present city of Springfield—the Woolwich of that country, that city
in fact being built upon their property. In the war of 1783 they
maintained their allegiance to the British crown, and the grandfather of
the subject of the present sketch was accordingly proscribed by the
United States government, his property confiscated, and he obliged, with
many others, to flee the country or take the consequences of a price
having been set upon his head. He accordingly left with his wife and two
infant children, taking an Indian for his guide, and crossed in the
depth of winter to British territory, striking Cornwall, in the county
of Stormount, then a wilderness, with the exception of a few Dutch
settlers who had found their way thither. The original name was von
Gochnat, which subsequently became corrupted into van Koughnet, the
prefix of which, van, is Dutch, and the change was brought about by
contact with the Dutch residents, who did not understand the German von,
and was acquiesced in by the family, who seemed to have little anxiety
for anything, in their straitened condition, than finding the ready
means of subsistence for themselves. S. J. Van Koughnet was named after
his uncle, the Rev. J. J. S. Mountain, brother of the late bishop of
Quebec. Mr. Van Koughnet was in the first place educated in the same old
school-house in Cornwall where the late Bishop Strachan had educated his
father, the late Sir John Robinson, Sir James McCauley, Chief Justice
McLean, Judge Hagerman, and many others of Canada’s noted men. Mr. Van
Koughnet then matriculated at Trinity University, being one of its
earliest students, having taken a scholarship as a result of his
matriculation examination. There he was a very hard worker, taking, as
shown by the university calendar, prize after prize, and graduating in
first-class honors in classics in 1854, having been sent the Oxford
degree examination papers for that year. He had also previously in that
year taken the English essay prize which in England is the most coveted
of all, and he was gold medallist as a result of his degree examination.
Mr. Van Koughnet had been originally, like his late brother, the
chancellor, intended for the church, and went through the usual divinity
course with that view. He subsequently, however, like him changed his
mind, chiefly it is said in consequence of a dread of the grave
responsibility of the office. This it is also said he ever afterwards
regretted, though some of his friends believed it was well he did, as
his very advanced views were unsuited to this country, and his course in
church politics it was thought, when party warfare ran high in the
church in this diocese, fully justified this opinion. In these, at the
time indicated, he might have said of himself, “_Magna pars fui_.” He
was noted for his unswerving fidelity to his friends and loyalty to the
church and her doctrines as he claimed to understand them. When those
troublous times happily came to an end, on the election of the present
bishop (Sweetman), whom he agreed loyally to support, though he humbly
differed from him in his views on several cardinal points, Mr. Van
Koughnet at once retired from church politics, and never afterwards
appeared in the synod, where he had been for twenty years so well known,
and where, though seldom taking a conspicuous part in debate, he was not
the less attentively listened to when he did. On giving up the church
Mr. Van Koughnet studied law, and was called to the bar in 1859, and
entered into partnership with his late brother, M. R. Van Koughnet. On
his first appearance in court he was congratulated by the late C. J.
Draper on the eloquence of his address to the jury in opening a case for
malicious prosecution, in which he obtained a verdict for his client.
After a few years he dissolved his connection with his brother, and did
a large business alone, then confining himself principally to equity,
where he soon acquired a lucrative practice. He had not long been
practising there before he was appointed by the late V. C. Esten
guardian of infants in that court, and among the most perplexing cases
of the kind he ever had to do with was that of the late Mrs. Ellis,
daughter of the late highly respected Peter Paterson, whom, when only
sixteen or seventeen years of age and then a ward of the court, the late
Mr. Ellis, the well-known King street jeweller, married without the
consent of the court. This had always been considered, and very
properly, an offence, and contempt of court, and Mr. Van Koughnet, who
was then acting for her, felt bound in the exercise of his official
duty, however reluctantly, to bring the matter before the notice of the
court and ask for direction as to the course to be pursued. The
presiding judge on this occasion happened to be his own brother, the
late chancellor, who heard the statement of facts and, with that
kindness of heart so characteristic of him, having known both families
for many years, came to the conclusion that the young lady would be
properly cared for, and, her property being judiciously settled, that
there was no occasion for rigidly enforcing the rule of the court, and
so allowed the matter to drop. This appointment Mr. Van Koughnet held
for some years, when he was deprived of it in some mysterious way he
could never exactly discover, and the present guardian, J. Hoskin,
succeeded him. He spoke to his brother the chancellor on this subject,
but he from obvious motives, declined to interfere, though expressing
himself strongly on the subject at the time. In 1864 Mr. Van Koughnet
was appointed legal reporter to the Court of Common Pleas, and soon
achieved a reputation for himself, not only for the ability with which
he conducted his reports, but for the wonderful dispatch with which he
issued them. Hitherto there had been great and it was thought
inexcusable delay in the publication of the reports of this court, and
Mr. Van Koughnet was determined that the reproach should be speedily
removed, and so it was; and he has ever since been noted for the same
characteristics in connection with the reports, both as reporter of that
court and of the Court of Queen’s Bench, which he now holds, in
succession to Christopher Robinson, Q.C., with whom as fellow reporter
he worked for several years. Indeed, his present serious illness, which
at the moment of writing we regret to learn is likely to become still
more serious, is largely attributable, his medical attendants we
understand state, to over-devotion to his work at Osgoode Hall, which it
is said he should have abandoned long before he at last consented, when
probably too late, so to do. It was thought by many of his friends that
Mr. Van Koughnet was unwise to bury himself, as in their opinion he was
doing, in the mere literary work of the profession, as that of a
reporter is said to imply, and that he should have thrown himself more
into the active work of the bar, for which his undoubted talents and his
display of forensic ability on several occasions amply fitted him; but
his inclinations were always of a literary tendency, and he has been
heard to say that he could not condescend to many of the tricks and
almost dishonesties which seemed inseparable from the successful career
of a _nisi prius_ counsel in particular. These considerations, and the
demands of a rapidly increasing family upon his purse decided him upon
accepting the more quiet but congenial position of reporter to the
courts; besides, as he used to say, he got rid of the _profanum vulgus_
in the shape of clients. In politics Mr. Van Koughnet was always a
strong Conservative, but, though no family was ever better entitled to
it, he neither sought, it is said, nor ever received government
patronage of any kind, unless, indeed, having acted as secretary to the
celebrated Royal commission in connection with the Pacific Railway
investigation is to be looked upon as partaking of that character. For
that position, however, he was designated by the late Hon. J. H.
Cameron, and suddenly called to Ottawa by telegram, hardly knowing for
what. The duties of the office in question he discharged with marked
ability, though he had never before acted in a similar capacity, largely
assisting in organising the whole work of the commission, advising on
difficult questions of law as they arose, and drawing from the
commissioners at the conclusion of his work a flattering testimonial,
from which what is above written has been in fact taken. The report of
that celebrated investigation was drawn by him, and was considered a
highly able document, covering, as it did, many pages of an octavo
pamphlet. Mr. Van Koughnet, we have heard, bitterly regretted having
given up his original intention of taking orders; in fact it was said he
considered many a disappointment in after life and many a sorrow but the
consequence of his change of intention in that respect. Among the
several distinctions he was honored with were those of M.A., D.C.L. (by
examination), and Q.C., which he was created some five years ago. Most
markedly belonging to the old school in social life, now fast dying out
in Canada—shall we not say on many accounts to be regretted?—Mr. Van
Koughnet for many years past has been little seen in society, which he
seemed to avoid, though of a most genial nature and with a vein of humor
not alien to the family. His bearing to all, whether high or low, was
ever courteous and obliging; and at Osgoode Hall, where he was perhaps
best known, he was a recognised favorite, particularly among the younger
bar, with whom in his position as reporter he was necessarily much
brought into contact, and to whom he always lent a ready and sympathetic
ear. Mr. Van Koughnet married in early life, and whilst still a student,
a daughter of the late Senator Seymour. Six children comprise his
family, his eldest daughter being married to Albert Nordheimer, of
Toronto, and two younger daughters to the only son of Sir John Macdonald
and Rev. Canon Machray, of St. John’s College, Winnipeg, respectively.
His fourth daughter is still unmarried, and two sons are engaged in
banking business. It may be added that the learned gentleman’s children
are noted for their almost phenomenal beauty.
[NOTE.—The above facts were with difficulty secured from Mr. Van
Koughnet’s family, by whom access was given, after more than one
application, to several old family documents, from which the particulars
were obtained.]
* * * * *
=Aikins, William T.=, M.D., LL.D., Dean of the Medical Faculty of
Toronto University, was born in the county of Peel, Ontario, on the 4th
of June, 1827. His father, James Aikins, emigrated from the county of
Monaghan, Ireland, to Philadelphia, in the year 1816, and after a
residence of four years there removed to Upper Canada with his family,
and purchased a quantity of land in the first concession north of the
Dundas road, in the township of Toronto, about thirteen miles from the
town of York. This was over sixty-seven years ago, when that township,
like nearly every other part of the province, was sparsely settled, and
there was not a church or place of worship in the neighborhood; the
itinerant Methodist preacher being the only exponent of the Gospel to
the people. Mr. Aikins, like the greater part of the immigrants from the
north of Ireland, had been brought up in the Presbyterian faith, but
soon after settling in Peel he joined the Methodist body, and his house
became a well known place of meeting for worship among the people of the
settlement. Dr. Aikins received his education, like his brother, the
Hon. James Cox Aikins, the lieutenant-governor of Manitoba, in the
public schools of the neighborhood, and afterwards attended Victoria
College, Cobourg. After passing through that university he removed to
Toronto, where he took up the study of medicine, and was granted a
license to practise in 1849. He, however, to better fit himself for his
important calling went to Philadelphia and entered the Philadelphia
College of Medicine, and graduated in 1850 with the degree of M.D. On
his return to Toronto Dr. Aikins soon began to take a foremost position
in the profession, especially in surgery, and is now one of the leading
surgeons of the present day. He is one of the first members of the
College of Physicians and Surgeons, and has been the treasurer of the
same since its foundation. For about twenty-four years he was one of the
medical staff of the Toronto General Hospital, and is now consulting
surgeon of the same institution. He also holds the position of surgeon
to the Central Prison, Toronto. But it is in his connection with the
Toronto School of Medicine that Dr. Aikins has most signally
distinguished himself. He has been one of its faculty from its
inception, first as professor of anatomy, and subsequently on surgery,
as well as dean of the faculty. For thirty-eight years Dr. Aikins has
been engaged in assisting the young members of the profession to qualify
themselves for the duties of life; and in order that he might be the
better enabled to accomplish this, he took a trip to the principal seats
of learning in Great Britain and the continent of Europe, so as to study
the latest scientific methods of treatment and see experiments performed
that would be of benefit to his pupils on his return. The question of
organizing a medical faculty to the University of Toronto having become
a public matter, Dr. Aikins and the faculty of the Toronto School of
Medicine were invited by the senate to amalgamate their school and
become part of our national university. This, after mature
consideration, was acceded to, and in the fall of 1887 Toronto School of
Medicine ceased to exist as a separate institution, and is now an
integral part of Toronto University, Dr. Aikins being elected dean of
the medical faculty and professor of surgery in the new medical branch
of the university. In 1884 his _alma mater_, Victoria University,
conferred upon him the honorary degree of LL.D. In religion he is a
member of the Methodist church, and takes an active interest in
everything that helps to advance her interests. In politics he is a
Reformer.
* * * * *
=Mackenzie, John Mills=, Mayor of Moncton, New Brunswick, was born at
Moncton, county of Westmoreland, N.B., on the 27th April, 1825. He is,
on the paternal side, of Scotch descent, his grandfather having come
from Scotland many years ago, and settled in the maritime provinces. His
father, William Mackenzie, was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and his
mother, Charlotte Mills, of English descent, first saw the light in
Moncton, having been the first child by English parents born in the
locality in which her father and mother resided after coming from
Poughkeepsie, state of New York, at the close of the American
revolutionary war. Mr. Mackenzie was educated at Moncton, and received a
sound English course. When quite a young man he started out in life and
was engaged from 1842 to 1851 as a school teacher in his native county
and the adjoining county of Albert; and afterwards he engaged in
commercial pursuits for a period of nine years. He then became
deputy-sheriff of Westmoreland county, and from 1861 to 1867 held this
office, and became curator of the Westmoreland bank—having been
appointed to that position by the Supreme Court of New Brunswick—and
wound up its affairs. Subsequently he was appointed official assignee by
the Dominion government under the then Insolvency Act. He was by the
local government appointed to the office of justice of the peace and
commissioner for taking special bail, and for taking affidavits to be
read in the Supreme Court. Mr. Mackenzie took an active part in the
purchase of the Moncton Tannery Company’s property, and assisted in the
organization of a new company which was successfully operated until its
property was destroyed by fire. The company immediately rebuilt its
premises, but before the expiration of the second year the building was
again destroyed by fire, when the company paid their liabilities in full
and gave up business. After this he helped to organize the following
companies, namely: The Moncton Gas-Light and Water Company, the Moncton
Sugar Refining Company, and the Moncton Cotton manufacturing Company,
all of which have since been successfully carried on. Mr. Mackenzie is
connected with the Masonic brotherhood, and is a member of Keith Lodge,
and also of the Botsford Royal Arch Chapter, both of which he helped to
organize. He has occupied the position of town councillor for several
terms; and was elected to the position of mayor of the town in March,
1887, and this honorable position he still occupies. He is one of
Moncton’s most spirited citizens, and takes great interest in every
movement that has for its object the moral and material interests of its
inhabitants. In religion he belongs to the Baptist denomination. On the
3rd April, 1855, he was married to Sarah Caroline Cornwall, who is of
English loyalist descent.
* * * * *
=Gibbons, Robert=, Goderich, Sheriff of the County of Huron, belongs to
an old Birmingham family (of England), where his father, William
Gibbons, and his ancestors for several generations, were born, though he
himself dates his birth to Glasgow, Scotland, December the 24th, 1811.
His father was an ingenious machinist, and was engaged for years in
turning, finishing and fitting up machinery. The maiden name of the
Sheriff’s mother was Margaret M. McDonald, who was born in Scotland. In
June, 1820, the family left the old world for Canada, landing at Quebec
in August, and settled on land in the county of Lanark. About four
hundred persons came out on the same vessel from Glasgow, and made their
home in the same county, each head of the family having received 100
acres of land from the government, on condition that they would occupy
and improve it. Robert aided his father in clearing a farm there. In
1827, he went with the family to Pottsdam, St. Lawrence county, New
York, where he spent five years in cultivating the soil, and where he
received most of his education. On leaving here on 16th May, 1832, he
reached Goderich, walking all the way from Toronto, a distance of 135
miles. The place then contained about two hundred and fifty inhabitants,
and he has seen it expand into a town of about six thousand people. When
Mr. Gibbons reached this point he had but a few dollars left, but he had
the wealth of a sound constitution, two hands already toil-hardened, and
a disposition to use them to good advantage. After working a few months
at farming, he opened a meat shop, and for sixteen years was a butcher
and cattle buyer, in which he proved himself a very energetic business
man. After a short time, he again turned his attention to farming and
stock-raising, which he continued until a few years ago. When the
rebellion broke out he went into the militia as a sergeant, and retired
in March, 1838, a lieutenant. In 1867 Mr. Gibbons was elected to the
Ontario legislature, to represent South Huron; lost his seat during the
second session; was re-elected in 1871, serving two sessions, and in
November, 1872, resigned, and accepted the shrievalty of the county,
which position he still holds, and is an efficient and obliging officer.
In politics he is a Reformer, and has spent much time and money for the
benefit of the cause and in disseminating the principles of his party.
Mr. Gibbons has done an unusual amount of work in the town and county
municipalities. Commencing in the district council in 1848, he served as
reeve nearly twenty years, and warden thirteen years in succession,
first in the united counties of Huron and Bruce, then of Huron alone. He
was elected mayor in 1853, 1854 and 1855, and his labors in the town and
county have been of great value to the community. In 1868 he was elected
a member of the Board of Agriculture and Arts Association of Ontario,
and served in that position for nine years. He was vice-president in
1873, and president, in 1874, and his address the latter year was
ordered to be printed in pamphlet form, and was widely distributed. He
is an adherent of the Presbyterian church, is one of the most liberal
supporters of the gospel in Goderich, and has assisted many houses of
worship in the county as well as in the town. Although he has been
always a hard-working man, and is now well up in years, yet he is well
preserved; has a cheerful disposition, and a good share of _bonhomie_,
which qualities shorten no one’s days. He has been twice married, first
in November, 1835, to Jane Wilson, of Cumberland, England, who died in
May, 1873, leaving five children, one of whom shortly afterwards died;
another, the only son, dying in February, 1879. His second marriage took
place in June, 1874, to Alice Roddy, also from England.
* * * * *
=Robertson, Hon. Thomas=, Hamilton, Ontario, Judge of Chancery Division,
High Court of Justice, was born in the village of Ancaster, on the 25th
January, 1827. At that time Ancaster was the most important business
centre west of York. His father, the late Alexander Robertson, of
Goderich, a remote descendant of the clan Donnachie, came to Canada in
1820, from Foxbar, in Renfrewshire, which had been the home of his
family for several generations, since the time when the misfortunes of
Prince Charles, having proved the ruin of so many of his adherents, not
a few of the Robertsons had left their beloved Rannoch to seek for
better fortunes in the, to them, unwontedly peaceful pursuits of the
lowlands. He was married in 1824 to Matilda, eldest daughter of Col.
Titus Geir Simons, high sheriff of the old Gore district, who had served
in command of his regiment in the war of 1812-13, and fought at Lundy’s
Lane, where he was dangerously wounded. Of this marriage the Hon. Mr.
Robertson is the eldest child. He was educated at the London and Huron
District Grammar Schools and the University of Toronto; studied law
under the late Hon. John Hillyard Cameron; became an attorney in 1849,
was called to the bar of Upper Canada in 1852; became a Queen’s counsel
under patent from the Earl of Dufferin, governor-general in 1873, and a
bencher of the Law Society of Ontario, in 1874. He began his
professional career at Dundas, whence he subsequently removed to
Hamilton, where he enjoyed a large practice, and a widely extended
reputation as a leading _nisi prius_ advocate. He was the first Crown
attorney for Wentworth, and remained such until 1863, when he was
superseded by the appointment by Sandfield Macdonald of the late S. B.
Freeman, Q.C., to the clerkship of the peace, whereby he became also
_ex-officio_ Crown attorney. At the first general election after
Confederation, Mr. Robertson contested South Wentworth with Mr. Rymal,
the then sitting member for that constituency, at whose hands he
suffered defeat by a majority of twenty-seven votes. Mr. Robertson and
his colleague F. E. Kilvert, now collector of Customs for Hamilton, were
elected at the general election of 1878, in opposition to Mr. Irving,
Q.C., and Mr. Wood, the late members, to the representation of the
constituency for which they were then returned, at the general election
in 1882, and continued to represent that city until his elevation to the
Bench of the High Court of Justice of Ontario of the Chancery Division
in February, 1887. In politics he was a Liberal-Conservative and a
supporter of the National Policy, which in its main features he strongly
advocated in 1867, in his contest with Mr. Rymal in South Wentworth. He
was also in favor of compulsory voting, which he suggested as a
desirable amendment of the law, both through the press and in letters to
Hon. Edward Blake and other persons so long ago as 1870. Hon. Mr.
Robertson married, in June, 1850, Frances Louisa, youngest daughter of
the late Theodore Reed, one of the earliest pioneers of the Huron Tract,
by whom he has three sons and one daughter living.
* * * * *
=Murray, William=, Sherbrooke, Quebec, was born in the county of Armagh,
Ireland, on the 15th day of August, 1845. He came to Canada with his
parents when a lad, and was educated at St. Edwards, in the county of
Napierville, P.Q., taking a commercial course. He was then apprenticed
to the grocery trade in Montreal with Alexander McGibbon, and remained
with him from 1861 to 1865. He then went to Sherbrooke, and opened a
retail general store, in which he continued till the year 1881. By
strict attention to business he succeeded in building up a large trade
connection. In 1881, believing that he could increase his business still
further, he sold out the retail store and started as a wholesale
merchant, and his business at the present time is a large and lucrative
one. Mr. Murray has always taken a great interest in municipal affairs,
and has been a school trustee since 1876. He was appointed in 1878 by
the government a member of the commissioners’ court for the township of
Ascot, P.Q., and continued to hold this office until 1887, when, on the
coming into office of the Mercier administration, his commission was
revoked on political grounds. In 1885 Mr. Murray was elected for the
first time to the city council, and was chosen chief magistrate of
Sherbrooke in 1887. In January, 1888, his friends again elected him to
the city council, and this time by acclamation. He is also one of the
trustees of the St. Michael’s cemetery, being elected one of the first
members of the board. He is a director of the Eastern Townships
Colonization Company, and was elected its president in 1888. As the
principal shareholders of this company are in Nantes, France, it will be
seen that though not one of their countrymen, his fellow shareholders
have the greatest confidence in his financial abilities. He was also one
of the founders of the Typographical Printing Company, has been a
director since its organization, and in 1877 was its president. In
politics Mr. Murray is a Liberal-Conservative, and in religion a Roman
catholic. He was married on the 25th of May, 1868, to Amelia Moreau,
daughter of Michael Moreau, of Montreal, a descendant of an old French
family, by whom he has a family of three daughters and two sons.
* * * * *
=Young, Edward=, A.M., Ph.D., Member of the Statistical Society of
London; Member of the Geographical Society of France; United States
Consul at Windsor, N.S., son of Clarke and Sarah Wingate Young, was born
December 11, 1814, at the family household, in Falmouth, a village in
Hants county, on the river Avon, opposite to Windsor. The Youngs are of
Scotch descent; an ancestor, a Scotch covenanter, forced by persecution
to leave his native land, settled in Massachusetts, from which colony
Edward’s grandfather, Thomas Young, then a youth, came to Falmouth, with
his widowed mother, about the year 1762. He afterwards married a sister
of the celebrated evangelist, Rev. Henry Alline, called the Whitefield
of Nova Scotia, who travelled and preached in Acadia from 1776 until a
short time before his death in New Hampshire, February 8, 1783. His
journal was published by his nephew, Clarke Young in 1806. The original
in shorthand invented by himself, is now in the possession of the
consul. A volume of hymns, entirely of his own composition, was
published by Mr. Alline, one of which—“Amazing Sight, the Saviour
Stands,” may be found, uncredited, in almost every hymnal now in use.
The consul’s mother was a daughter of George Johnson—one of a family
who came from Yorkshire to Norton about 1762—and of Mary, his wife, a
daughter of Benjamin Cleaveland, who came from Connecticut, in 1760,
with the New England colony that settled in Norton after the expulsion
of the Acadians. “Deacon” Cleaveland, as he was called, was a brother or
cousin to Rev. Aaron, great grandfather of President Cleveland, who, in
1755, or ’56, came from Connecticut to become the minister of the Mather
(afterward, St. Matthew’s Presbyterian) Church, in Halifax. Benjamin
Cleaveland, who died in 1811, published a hymn book, one of the hymns,
of his own composition—“O, could I find from day to day, a nearness to
my God,”—appears in many modern hymnals. The Cleavelands are noted for
their longevity, averaging nearly ninety years at death. One of
Benjamin’s daughters died in 1877, aged 101 years and 4 months. The
consul is one of a family of five, all living; the oldest, William H.,
emigrated to Australia, George and Margaret, both unmarried, reside at
the old homestead, while the older sister, Mrs. William Church, is also
a resident of Falmouth. After receiving the best education the common
schools of that day could give, Edward was one of the first pupils at
Norton Academy in April, 1829, of whom the “Records of Students” says:—
Though quite a lad, he showed aptness for learning. Subsequently
he left the province and became Chief of the Bureau of
Statistics at Washington, received the degree of M.A. from
Acadia College, and afterwards Ph.D. from Columbian University,
Washington. He has proved himself the constant friend of Acadia.
As donor for several years of an annual gold medal for
proficiency in the higher mathematics, he is remembered with
interest, respect and affection.
He lived several years in Windsor, acquired a knowledge of mercantile
business, and believing that the United States offered greater
advantages to young men, left his native place in October, 1835, went to
the west, and settled in Indiana. There he engaged in business and to
some extent in politics. His first vote was given for General Morrison,
the Whig candidate for president, who failed of election in 1836, but
succeeded in 1840. The severe and long continued illness of Mr. Young’s
father induced him to return and remain some years in his native
province, during which period he was united in marriage to Maria Bishop,
of Horton, some of whose ancestors, the Bishops and Gores, of
Connecticut, came with the New England colony in 1760. She is a
descendant also of Joseph Jencks, a colonial governor of Rhode Island.
After his marriage in December, 1840, he resided in Halifax, engaged
partly in commercial pursuits, owning some vessels trading to the United
States and the West Indies, himself visiting for purposes of trade the
West India islands, South America and the Southern ports of the United
States. He edited and published, from 1843 to 1845, a weekly paper, _The
Olive Branch_, the first temperance paper in the Maritime provinces, if
not in British North America, except, for a short period, one published
also in Halifax, by Edmund Ward. Sustaining losses by shipping, he
removed in 1849 to Boston, where he remained till 1851, when he engaged
in permanent business in Philadelphia, as publisher of books and a
weekly newspaper devoted to American industries, in copartnership with
E. T. Freedly, author of a “Treatise on Business,” and other practical
works. Their most important publication was “A History of American
Manufactures, from 1608 to 1866,” 3 vols. octavo, edited by his wife’s
brother, John Leander Bishop, M.D., who was for three years surgeon of a
Pennsylvania regiment during the late war. Not only in the United States
but by the London _Times_ and other leading journals of England, by the
“Westminster” and other reviews, was the highest praise awarded to the
author. Even now it is the standard authority on the early history of
manufactures in that colony and in the United States. Dr. Bishop was one
of the earliest graduates of Acadia. The hardships he endured during the
war hastened his death, which occurred in 1868. Not only as a historian
and scholar was he lamented, but as the highest style of a man—a
Christian gentleman. A statistical work compiled by Mr. Young, attracted
the notice of the Washington authorities, and the superintendent of the
census offered him a place in that bureau which he accepted, and removed
to Washington in 1861, where as chief of division he superintended the
compilation of the statistics of industry, and prepared for publication
a voluminous report on the manufactures of the United States, the first
of the kind. On the completion of this important work, in 1865, he
accepted a place in the revenue commission tendered him by its chairman,
Hon. David A. Wells, the celebrated economist, and in the following year
and subsequently while Mr. Wells was special commissioner of the
revenue, he was assistant or deputy commissioner. How faithfully Mr.
Young performed his work, how thoroughly he mastered the then
complicated revenue system of the United States, Mr. Wells has ever
since taken pleasure in manifesting. The imperfect manner in which the
commercial statistics were compiled in the treasury department induced
Mr. Wells to have a statistical bureau established which was authorised
by Act of Congress, and the bureau organized in September, 1866. In the
administration of this important bureau the director failed to give
satisfaction, and was afterwards legislated out of office, and Mr.
Young, who had resigned and resumed his publishing business in
Philadelphia, was induced by Mr. Wells to return to Washington and
devoted his energies to the work of the bureau. For a few months as
chief clerk, and for more than eight years as chief of the bureau, he so
improved it that it was acknowledged to be peer of older institutions of
Europe, and the work of its director commended, and the accuracy of his
statements acknowledged on the floors of both houses of Congress and in
foreign countries. A similar bureau was established in Chili, on a plan
prepared by Mr. Young; and one in Japan, partly through correspondence
and partly by exhibiting to commissioners sent to examine it, the
operations of the Washington bureau, and explaining the details, of
which full notes were taken. In addition to the monthly, quarterly and
annual reports of the chief of the Bureau of Statistics, as required by
law, Mr. Young prepared and published several special reports of great
interest and value. In 1871 he published “A Special Report on
Immigration,” “A Special Report on the Customs-tariff Legislation of the
United States,” and other works. In consideration of these labors,
Columbian University at Washington conferred upon him the degree of
Doctor of Philosophy. The report on Immigration, or more properly
“Information for Immigrants,” was welcomed with enthusiasm, as it gave
detailed information as to the advantages offered by the sparsely
settled states and territories to individuals and families in Europe who
were desirous to emigrate to America. Tens of thousands of copies were
distributed throughout Europe, not only by the United States government,
but by steamship, transportation and other companies, who purchased the
work in sheets from the public printer, and distributed it through their
agents. Dr. Young had it translated into the French and German
languages, also into Swedish; and ten thousand copies in French and
about twelve thousand in German were printed and circulated in European
countries where those languages are spoken. The result was a great
increase each year in the number of immigrants, especially of the more
valuable classes, as compared with the arrivals in preceding years. So
valuable was it regarded in other countries that the celebrated French
economist, Michel Chevalier, in an extended article published in a
French periodical, commended Dr. Young’s book, and suggested that a work
on the same plan be prepared by the French government, showing the
advantages offered by Algiers to those who desired to make their homes
in a sparsely settled country. The German government, finding that its
people in great numbers were emigrating to the United States, interposed
obstacles to the general distribution of this volume full of
information. The Marquis of Lorne personally solicited the author to
prepare a volume on a similar plan, presenting the great advantages
offered by Manitoba and the North-West Territories to those desirous of
emigrating to some part of America. The author of the “Special Report on
the United States Tariff” was gratified when, during the exciting tariff
discussion in the Canadian House of Commons in 1879, his book was
observed in the hands of members of both parties, and extracts read
therefrom. His greatest work, however, completed in 1875, after years of
preparation, was called, “Labor in Europe and America,” 864 pages,
octavo, and was republished in 1879, by Dawson Brothers, Montreal, from
the original stereotype plates. This is an elaborate special report on
the rate of wages, the cost of subsistence, and the condition of the
working classes in Great Britain, France, Belgium, Germany, and other
countries of Europe, and also in the United States and British America.
It is prefaced by a learned and exhaustive review of the condition of
the working people among the nations of antiquity and during the middle
ages. The following extracts are made from an extended review of this
book by a well-known economic writer in Philadelphia:—
The work is a striking exhibit of the industry and research of
Dr. Young. He has personally visited many of the countries of
Europe (from the Clyde to the Volga), entering factories and
mingling among working men to ascertain their actual condition,
and his notes of these visits form a very interesting part of
the book. He has also pressed United States consuls into his
service, and has received valuable information from them.
Apparently no source of information has been overlooked. Ancient
documents bearing upon the employment and compensation of labor
in remote periods have been unearthed, and their contents add
greatly to the interest and value of the volume. . . . A work so
valuable as this will be in demand in every country in the
civilized world, as one of the most elaborate contributions to
the literature of labor that has ever appeared.
The press in the United States and in England, and to some extent in
continental Europe, highly commended this report, and autograph letters
were received from men of the highest standing in all parts of America,
including two presidents of the United States, governors, presidents of
colleges, and others, particularly from Lord Dufferin, also from men of
the high standing of the great and good Earl of Shaftesbury with whom
Dr. Young corresponded, when engaged in its preparation. The part that
treats of the condition of the working people of Europe, their drinking
habits, etc., is read with peculiar interest by those who desire to do
good to their fellow men. Terence’s celebrated sentiment, “_Homo sum;
humani nihil a me alienum puto_,” was adopted by the author as his
motto. Although this book, as well as the other two special reports, is
out of print—the plates belonging to the United States government
having been destroyed—yet occasionally a copy may be found at a book
stand, and standing orders from booksellers in London, Germany and
Sweden, are held by a bookseller in Washington, to secure every copy of
this work that can be obtained. In 1872 Mr. Young was appointed by
President Grant as a delegate to the International Statistical Congress
at St. Petersburg, of which body he was vice-president for North
America. Here he had abundant opportunities of conferring with many of
the leading statisticians of the world. He also improved the opportunity
of a prolonged tour of the continent and Great Britain. From all these
sources he was able materially to increase his store of general
knowledge, as well as to improve the methods of his bureau at
Washington, and largely to gather information which he made use of in
the work on labor, above noticed. Dr. Young was frequently consulted by
the government officials, and on several occasions was confidentially
employed by Secretary Fish, who submitted for his examination and report
thereon, the “Memorandum of the Plenipotentiaries”—Hon. Geo. Brown and
Sir Edward Thornton. He was also instructed to personally investigate on
both sides of the line, the probable effect of the Treaty of 1874 (which
failed to receive a two-thirds vote in the Senate) upon the industries
of the United States. The seal of secresy having subsequently been
removed, this report became accessible to the public. Mr. Fish was
severely criticised by many of his political friends for being in favor
of the Treaty; had they known why he approved of it, as Dr. Young knew,
confidentially, his action would have been commended. As Mr. Fish’s
permission to disclose has never been obtained, a secret it still
remains. This hint Mr. Young gives—Mr. Fish was governed, not by
_commercial_ considerations, but by those of a political or patriotic
character. Dr. Young’s connection with the Bureau of Statistics
terminated in the summer of 1878, after he had devoted to it nine of the
most active and best years of his life, rendering it highly efficient
and greatly useful, and to the entire satisfaction of every secretary of
the treasury from Mr. McCulloch down to 1878. But in the Republic as
well as in the Dominion, men are occasionally observed who are willing
to sacrifice public good to personal aggrandizement. The secretary was
then, as the same able statesman is now, intensely desirous to obtain
the nomination of his party for the presidency, and expected that all
officers, and the great army of custom house and other employés of the
department, would exert themselves in his behalf. The chief of the
Statistical Bureau was, as he told the secretary, a _statis_tician, not
a _poli_tician. He neither possessed nor desired political influence,
contenting himself by voting for the candidates of the party when they
were such as he approved, for he was too independent to be a partizan,
his motto not being “My country and my party, right or wrong,” as some
say, but “My country (or my party), when in the right.” Unwilling to
stand in the way of his chief’s laudable aspirations, Dr. Young offered
his resignation provided two or three months’ leave of absence with pay
were allowed, which offer was accepted, and his connection with the
Bureau severed to the surprise and regret of statisticians and statesmen
in Europe and America. Both parties in the government of the Dominion
solicited his services. Soon after Hon. Mr. Mackenzie, then first
minister, invited him to Ottawa to consult as to the establishment of a
Statistical Bureau, but before any definite arrangement was made the
elections in September, 1878, transferred that able man to the
opposition benches. When the ministry of Sir John A. Macdonald decided,
in 1878, to establish a new tariff for the protection of Canadian
industries they cast about for some one fitted to assist them in
constructing the new list of duties. The reputation of Dr. Young as a
statistician and a tariff expert justified them in selecting him for the
position. He then went to Ottawa, and his experience and knowledge of
the theory and working of Protection in the United States enabled him to
be of material service to the Canadian government in their novel labors.
Although he had nothing to do with filling in the rates of duty, yet he
so drafted the tariff as to make it symmetrical, and avoided the
inconsistencies of the United States tariff. Its successful operation in
subsequent years proved that the design was good and the materials
sound, otherwise the blizzards that sometimes are felt, even in Canada,
would have injured or destroyed the structure. After the tariff went
into operation in 1879, it was expected that a Bureau of Statistics
would be established at Ottawa. The ablest presentation of the great
need of such a bureau, and the advantage it would confer on the
Dominion, was made by James Johnson, now of Ottawa, himself an able
statistician, in the Halifax _Reporter_ of April 16, 1879. In concluding
his argument he wrote:—
The United States found itself compelled to add a Bureau of
Statistics, and the only regret we ever heard expressed is that
the bureau had not been established years ago. * * * In addition
to all these arguments there is the fact that the government
have now in the temporary employ of the finance department a man
who till lately was chief of that bureau—a skilled, experienced
man, capable of putting the Canadian bureau into good working
order without those expenditures which are the invariable price
of experience when accumulated from a beginning of ignorance.
Such a skilled man would save the country thousands of dollars
by reason of the experience he has had. We refer to Edward
Young, Ph.D., a Nova Scotian who left this province some years
ago and worked his way up to the eminent position he held in
Washington by sheer force of ability. The time, then, is
opportune; the work is immensely important; the man is at hand.
Although Sir Leonard Tilley appreciated the importance to the government
and people of a Statistical Bureau, yet he regarded the carrying out of
the new revenue system without friction as a measure of pressing
necessity. To interpret the tariff and prescribe uniformity in the
various custom houses, a board of appraisers was appointed of which Mr.
Young was acting secretary. After a few months he resigned and returned
to Washington, and soon after established in New York the _Industrial
Monthly_, devoted to the manufacturing industries of America, and the
advocacy of protective legislation. This was published for several years
and then merged in _America_, a serial of similar views. Until his
removal to Windsor he was engaged in writing for the weekly and daily
press of New York, chiefly on economic subjects, and in advocacy of
protection, in order that the toilers in American shops, mills,
factories, and mines should receive full reward for their labor.
Although not fully in accord with the economic views of the president
and the secretary of state, yet it was the particular desire of Mr.
Bayard that Dr. Young should enter the consular service and be stationed
in Canada, where his knowledge of the trade and the fishing and other
industries of the several provinces, would prove useful to the United
States government. Accordingly he was appointed and confirmed as consul
of the Windsor consular district, which embraces the counties of Hants,
Kings, and Cumberland, with parts of Annapolis and Colchester,
succeeding D. K. Hobart, of Maine, who had held the office for fourteen
years. Dr. Young spends, by permission of his government, accompanied by
his wife and daughter, some of the winter months during which navigation
on the Avon is closed, at Wolfville, where he has relations, and where
he has access to the valuable library of Acadia College. He has two
sons, both married and settled in Washington; the older, Charles E., a
civil engineer; the younger, William H. Young, B.D. (of Yale), pastor of
the Metropolitan Baptist Church. Another son who was a very able man, an
accomplished linguist, connected with the Smithsonian Institute, died
four years ago. He represented the institution at the Vienna Exposition
in 1873, and officially visited its agencies in Europe. Dr. Young
occasionally comes before the public as a speaker on moral and religious
topics. He delivers a very learned and interesting lecture on the
subject of Russia, in which he accords a high place to the late Czar,
Alexander II., for his great act, the emancipation of the serfs. He has
for a long period been actively engaged in religious and benevolent
work. For many years a member and deacon of Baptist churches, and for a
few years superintendent of a Sabbath school in Washington; and although
strongly attached to the principles of his own denomination, yet has
been actively engaged in all union efforts. He was one of a committee
that planned, and secretary of a society that established in Halifax,
about forty years ago, the first Sailors’ Home and Bethel. In the cause
of temperance he was one of the pioneers, uniting with a society
established in Wolfville in 1829, was secretary of a society in Windsor
more than fifty years ago, and in Halifax about forty-five years ago,
where he published a weekly paper devoted to temperance. His consistency
was proved by not permitting his vessels to take cargoes of rum from the
West Indies; and—the only American—by declining to partake of wine at
dinner in the palaces of the Emperor of Russia and of Grand Dukes and
other members of the Imperial family, and by declining to drink wine
with the Prince Dolgorouki, governor-general of Central Russia, at his
palace in Moscow. That his eccentric conduct produced no ill-feeling is
evidenced by the fact that he succeeded in having released from Russian
prisons twelve poor people who had been long kept there charged with
inducing members of the Russo-Greek church to unite with the Standists
(chiefly Baptists), when the Evangelical Alliance, which met in New York
in 1874, failed even to have their memorial submitted to the Imperial
court. In 1873 the Russian minister at Washington, in a despatch to the
secretary of state, asked permission to present to Dr. Young, delegate
from the United States to the International Statistical Congress in
1872, a diamond ring from the Emperor’s private cabinet, as a _souvenir_
of that congress. To overcome a constitutional obstacle, a joint
resolution was passed at the ensuing session of Congress, and approved
by the president, giving the recipient permission to accept the valuable
ring. It has the Emperor’s initials and a crown in gold and small
diamonds on blue enamel surrounded by eight large diamonds of the first
water. Although well up in years (and old only in years)—“his hair just
grizzled as in a green old age”—yet Dr. Young preserves a youthful flow
of spirits, takes great interest in the rising generation and its
pursuits, and loves sociality and friendly conversation. If he has a
craze it is the belief that English not Volapüt will be the universal
language of commerce at least, and that the two great English-speaking
peoples, having a common language and literature, and possessing greater
freedom than other nations, shall unite their efforts to extend the
blessings of civil and religious liberty to all other peoples, and to
evangelize the world.
* * * * *
=Huggan, William Thomas=, Charlottetown, Accountant and Auditor, Prince
Edward Island Railway, was born on the 24th May, 1851, at Halifax, Nova
Scotia. His father, Thomas Huggan, was born on the 5th May, 1817, at
Barney’s River, Pictou county, Nova Scotia; and his mother, Sarah
Dowler, was born on the 27th December, 1818, at Leith, Scotland. Mr.
Huggan received his educational training at Halifax, Nova Scotia, in a
private school,—Michael McCullough being master. He entered the
government employ at Halifax, on January 14, 1870, as junior clerk in
the accountant’s office, Nova Scotia railway. In August, 1870, he became
a clerk in the general store-keeper’s office; in August, 1871,
time-keeper and clerk in the mechanical superintendent’s office, and in
November, 1871, clerk in the audit office. Upon the amalgamation of the
Nova Scotia Railway with the Intercolonial and European and North
American railways in November, 1872, under the name of the
Intercolonial, he was transferred to Moncton, New Brunswick, on the 27th
of that month, as clerk in the audit office of the road. In October,
1873, he became clerk in the local store of the Intercolonial Railway;
February, 1874, clerk in the general store-keeper’s office; April, 1874,
clerk in the mechanical superintendent’s office; July, 1874, clerk in
the accountant’s office, and in November, 1875, he was appointed chief
clerk in the accountant’s office. On the 1st of July, 1882, he was made
accountant and auditor of the Prince Edward Island Railway, with charge
of the general ticket department, which office he now holds. During the
period covered above he served in the various capacities of
station-master, paymaster, cashier, etc. In January, 1881, he became
connected with St. John’s Presbyterian Church, Moncton, N.B., since
which time he has been a Sabbath-school teacher. In March, 1882, he was
ordained an elder of this church, and afterward taking up his abode in
Charlottetown, was elected to same position, that of elder in Zion
Church. Mr. Huggan has also served as manager in the former church, and
as a trustee and treasurer in the latter congregation. While always a
total abstainer, he became a charter member of Orient Division, No. 161,
Sons of Temperance, in September, 1886, since which time, he has twice
served as financial scribe. He served five years in the first battery
Halifax Volunteer Artillery. He was married, October 25th, 1875, to
Sarah L., eldest daughter of William E. Weldon, of Moncton, N.B., and
Margaret A. Church, of Point Du Bute, N.B.
* * * * *
=Brymner, Douglas=, Ottawa, Historical Archivist of the Dominion, was
born in Greenock, Scotland, in 1823. He is the fourth son of Alexander
Brymner, banker, originally from Stirling, where the family held for
many years, a prominent position. The elder Brymner was a man of fine
intellectual attainments, an enthusiast in letters, and refined in his
tastes and feelings. He had great influence over his children, and took
every opportunity to instil into their minds a hearty love for
literature in all its branches. They had the additional advantage of
frequent intercourse with living men of letters, and their acquaintance
with the writings of the most eminent and esteemed authors of the time
soon became extensive. The mother of Douglas Brymner was Elizabeth
Fairlie, daughter of John Fairlie, merchant in Greenock, who died at an
early age, leaving his widow and family in comfortable circumstances.
The subject of our sketch was educated at the Greenock Grammar School,
where, under the skilful tuition of Dr. Brown, he mastered the classics
and higher branches of study. After leaving school, Mr. Brymner received
a thorough mercantile training. He began business on his own account,
and subsequently admitted his brother, Graham, as a partner, on the
return of the latter from the West Indies, where he had been engaged for
some years. The brothers were highly successful, the younger filling, in
later years, several important offices, such as justice of the peace for
the county of Renfrew, and chairman of the Sanitary Commission for his
native town. He died in 1885, from typhus fever, contracted in the
discharge of his duties as chairman, universally regretted by all. In
1853, Mr. Brymner married Jean Thomson (who died in 1884), daughter of
William Thomson, of Hill End, by whom he had nine children, six of whom
survive. The eldest of these is William, a rising artist of an excellent
school, who has studied for several years in the best studios of Paris,
and whose recent exhibits have received general praise. The second son,
George Douglas, is one of the accountants in the Bank of Montreal, and
James, the third son, is in the Northwest. Two daughters and a son are
at home. In consequence of ill health, induced by close application to
business, Mr. Brymner was compelled to retire from the partnership in
1856. Complete withdrawal from mercantile cares for a year having
restored him to something like his former self, he removed to Canada in
1857, and settled in Melbourne, one of the Eastern Townships. Here he
filled the office of mayor for two terms with conspicuous ability. On
both occasions he had been elected without a contest, and without having
solicited a single vote from any one, his belief being that an office of
this sort ought to be conferred by the unasked suffrage of the
constituency. He declined to serve for a third term, although earnestly
requested to do so. While mayor, he introduced various improvements in
the mode of conducting municipal business. Like many other immigrants
possessing capital, he found his means vanishing before the financial
crisis of 1857. Mr. Brymner drifted into what seemed to be his natural
calling—literature, for which his early training and continuous study
well qualified him. On the acceptance by Dr. Snodgrass of the office of
principal of Queen’s College, the post of editor of the _Presbyterian_,
the official journal of the Church of Scotland in Canada, became vacant.
It was offered to Mr. Brymner, his fitness for the position having been
recognized by the leaders of the church, he having been an active member
of the church courts as a representative elder, and his numerous
contributions to the discussion of important religious topics being
esteemed and valuable. Under his guidance, the editorials being written
with a straightforward, independent spirit, the paper at once took a
high place. Many of Mr. Brymner’s articles on ecclesiastical questions
were in particular much admired, and leading religious journals often
made lengthy quotations from them. About the same time he joined the
staff of the Montreal _Herald_, where in a little he was appointed
associate editor with the late Hon. Edward Goff Penny. Often, owing to
the severe indisposition of Mr. Penny, Mr. Brymner had sole editorial
charge of the _Herald_. He was noted as one of the most efficient and
hard-working members of the Press Gallery at Ottawa, and in 1871, the
presidency of the Press Association devolved upon him. A year later, in
1872, it having been resolved to establish a new branch of the Civil
Service, namely, the collection of the historical records of the
Dominion and its provinces, Mr. Brymner, with the approval of men of all
political shades, received the appointment. Before leaving Montreal for
Ottawa, an address, signed by leading men in the professions, in
business, and of the different nationalities, was presented to Mr.
Brymner, accompanied by a magnificent testimonial. No better selection
could have been made for the office of archivist than that of Mr.
Brymner. He had peculiar fitness for the task imposed on him. His
extensive historical knowledge, unwearied industry, patience, and love
for research, his power of organizing and arranging materials for
reference, etc., were all admirable qualifications, and these he
possessed to a remarkable degree. His reports are models, and present in
clear and terse language the results of his labours. The story of the
origin of the office, and the important part played in its construction
by Mr. Brymner, will be found in the archivist’s report for 1883. In
1881, the Public Record Office (London) authorities republished the
whole of Mr. Brymner’s report as part of their own, owing, as the keeper
of records, Sir William Hardy, said, to the importance of the
information it contained. Every year since then copious extracts have
been made from Mr. Brymner’s reports. Perhaps it will not be out of
place to insert here the following excerpt from the preface to the
admirably annotated publication of “Hadden’s Journal and Orderly Books,”
by General Horatio Rogers, who says:—“I cannot refrain from referring
to the unwearied zeal and unfailing courtesy of Mr. Douglas Brymner, the
archivist of the Dominion of Canada, in affording me the fullest and
most satisfactory use of the Haldimand papers and the other manuscripts
confided to his charge. Would that all public officials in custody of
valuable manuscripts might take a lesson from him!” Mr. Brymner is an
adherent of the Church of Scotland, to which he has always belonged, and
he has been one of the most formidable opponents of union. His evidence
before the Senate Committee, on the 24th and 26th of April, 1882, which
is substantially the argument of the non-contents on the Union question,
was presented with great power and skill. It can be found in a pamphlet
of over forty pages, published by Hunter, Rose &. Co., Toronto, in 1883.
The greater part of his literary work is anonymous. He possesses a fund
of caustic humour, some of which found vent in his letters in Scotch,
under the name of “Tummas Treddles,” an octogenarian Paisley weaver,
originally contributions on curling to the Montreal _Herald_, but
afterwards extended to other subjects in the _Scottish American
Journal_. These have ceased for some years, doubtless from the pressure
of other and more serious occupations. His translations of the Odes of
Horace into Scotch verse were happy imitations. A favourable specimen,
“The Charms of Country Life,” is in the _Canadian Monthly_ of 1879, the
others having appeared in newspapers, and, so far as is known, have
never been collected. He is another illustration of the fallacy of
Sidney Smith’s statement, that it requires a surgical operation to get a
joke into a Scotchman’s head. Mr. Brymner’s work is gaining, year by
year, in reputation with scholars and students. Dr. Poole, chairman of
the American Historical Association, says that the archives “under the
care of Mr. Brymner forms the most valuable collection of manuscripts
for historical purposes to be found on this continent.” (_Library
Journal_ for 1877, p. 458.) Dr. George Stewart, jr., president of the
Literary and Historical Society of Quebec, says in _Canadian Leaves_,
“Mr. Douglas Brymner has really created the department of archives, and
made it one of the most efficient in the public service of Canada.”
Other historical writers express the highest opinion of the value of the
work in progress, and the annual reports are now eagerly looked for.
* * * * *
=Cameron, Allan=, M.D., Owen Sound, on the 30th December, 1830. His
father, Daniel Allan Cameron, was the only son of Allan Cameron, at one
time lieutenant and adjutant of H. B. M. 1st regiment of foot. His
mother, Margaret Fisher Buchan, was a niece of the late James Ewing, of
Strathleven. He was educated in Glasgow, at the Collegiate Institute and
High School. He afterwards entered as a medical student at the Glasgow
University, graduating in the year 1853 as Doctor of Medicine. In the
following year he obtained the diploma of the College of Physicians and
Surgeons of Glasgow, and coming to Canada, in 1854, was granted the
provincial license to practice his profession in the province of
Ontario. In 1886 was registered as a member of the College of Physicians
and Surgeons of Ontario, and is also a member of the Ontario College of
Pharmacy. In 1873, he was appointed coroner for the county of Grey. He
has held various offices in the Masonic lodge, and in the chapter, and
also in the lodges of Oddfellows and Foresters. He was married in June,
1857, to Elizabeth Hartley, of Keighley, Yorkshire, England.
* * * * *
=Robertson, Henry=, LL.B., Barrister, Collingwood, Ontario, was born in
the township of Whitchurch, county of York, in the province of Ontario,
on the 31st May, 1840. He is of Scottish descent, his father being John
Robertson, a native of Edinburgh, and his mother, Catherine Smith. He
was educated at the Central School, Hamilton, and the Grammar School at
Barrie. He then entered the University of Toronto, where he
distinguished himself as a close student of law, and graduated as LL.B.,
in June, 1861. On being called to the bar in August, 1861, he commenced
the practice of his profession at Collingwood, and succeeded in building
up a good law practice, which he still continues in that enterprising
town. He joined the volunteer force in 1868, and served as second
lieutenant in the Collingwood garrison battery of artillery until 1870.
In municipal matters he has always taken a prominent part, and has been
a member of the Collingwood town council for several years, and deputy
reeve in 1881 and 1882. He has also taken a deep interest in the
educational wants of Collingwood and vicinity, and has served as member
of the High School Board for six years, being chairman in 1873 and 1874;
and also chairman of the Public School Board in 1877 and 1878. But it is
in the fraternal societies of our Dominion that Mr. Robertson’s name is
most widely known. He has filled the highest offices in the gift of the
various societies he has joined, and from his knowledge of law has
safely directed them over many a knotty point. In 1861 he joined the
Masonic craft; in 1870 he was elected grand junior warder of the Grand
Lodge of Canada; in 1872 and 1873 he was district deputy grand master of
the Toronto district; in 1884 and 1885 he was elected deputy grand
master, and in 1886 grand master of the Grand Lodge of Canada, and this
position he still holds. He is the author of a work on Masonic
jurisprudence. In the Independent Order of Oddfellows he has likewise
held responsible positions, having joined that order in 1869, he was
grand warden in 1880; deputy grand master in 1881, and grand master in
1882. He has been prominently connected with various other societies and
organizations, Mechanics’ Institutes, etc. In politics he is a Reformer,
and has held office for a number of years in the local and county Reform
Association, and was president of the West Riding of Simcoe Reform
Association in 1885 and 1886. He was married July 9th, 1866, to Bethia,
third daughter of the late John Rose, of Bradford, and has two
daughters,—the eldest, Madge R. Robertson, is an honor undergraduate of
the University of Toronto.
* * * * *
=Black, William Tell=, M.D., Windsor, Nova Scotia, was born at St.
Martin’s, New Brunswick, about sixty years ago. His father was Thomas
Henry Black, of county Armagh, Ireland, who married Mary E. Fouries, of
St. Martin’s. Dr. Black was educated at the public grammar school in St.
Martin’s. Having finished his classical course, he adopted the
profession of medicine, and pursued his studies with great success. He
served on the medical staff of the army of the north during the war of
the rebellion, and became a very skilful physician in the varied and
difficult practice which it was his lot to attend during that fierce and
sanguinary conflict. He enjoys a pension from the United States
government, in consideration of his services as a physician. When the
war was over, Dr. Black settled down as a regular practitioner in St.
Andrew’s, N.B., where his great abilities, and the knowledge of the
healing and surgical arts, secured to him an extensive and lucrative
practice. St. Andrew’s is the “near neighbor,” of Callais, Maine, and
the spirit of the eager, restless Yankee has been communicated to the
New Brunswick sea port. St. Andrew’s is one of the most lively and
flourishing towns in New Brunswick. After many years of this bustling
life, Dr. Black thought he would like to choose an interior town in Nova
Scotia, for rest. His brother, Dr. J. B. Black, had settled there, and
that was an additional inducement, besides the agricultural facilities
of the place, for which it is noted. He purchased a farm at Curry’s
Corner, in Windsor, built a handsome cottage, and further ornamented the
beautiful sloping grounds with barns and outbuildings of modern style of
construction. He removed from St. Andrew’s in 1884, and made his
permanent home in Windsor. There was an orchard of apple trees on the
farm, which he has re-stocked. He has also laid out the grounds in a new
style, and has planted numerous shade trees along the highway, and
beside the green lawns and grassy slopes. The planning and carrying out
his ideas, in connection with this work, will give him plenty to do
during the next few years. The soil is very fertile, however, and he
could not have selected a spot where his work would tell sooner, or to
better advantage. Dr. Black married Fanny Cutts, whose father was an
officer in the custom house, at St. Andrew’s. She is a prominent worker
in the Baptist church, in Windsor, and, possessing excellent and
carefully cultivated vocal powers, is a leader of the church choir. Dr.
Black has not opened an office for the practice of his profession in
Windsor, but his acknowledged skill and great experience and training
render his services as a consulting physician in considerable demand,
both by patients and by the resident physicians in the town and
neighborhood. Being possessed of ample means and leisure, he can in his
new residence spend the afternoon of his life in a very enviable
enjoyment of ease and healthy recreation. In politics, he is a
sympathiser with the Liberal party, although he does not take a very
prominent part in the cause. He is, like Mrs. Black, an adherent of the
Baptist church in Windsor, Nova Scotia.
* * * * *
=de Lottinville, Jean Baptiste Severe Lemaitre=, Three Rivers, Province
of Quebec, Advocate, and Prothonotary of the Superior Court for the
district of Three Rivers, Quebec province, was born at Three Rivers,
November, 1841. His father was Joseph Octave Lemaitre de Lottinville,
and his mother Lucy Beaudry. He is descended from one of the oldest
French families in Canada. He received his education at the Seminary of
Nicolet, and completed his classical and legal studies at Montreal with
success and brilliancy, where he was called to the bar in January, 1866.
He then settled at Three Rivers, where he practised his profession for
many years. Mr. de Lottinville also obtained, in 1866, his diploma at
the Military College of Montreal. In politics he has always upheld the
cause of the Liberals, taking an active part in political contests, and
using his influence and talents for the furtherance and in the interests
of his party. In 1887 he was appointed by the government of Quebec as a
prothonotary of the Superior Court for the district of Three Rivers. Mr.
de Lottinville married in October, 1875, Emma, eldest daughter of
William Whiteford, merchant, Three Rivers, who died in May, 1887. Still
in the prime of life, and endowed with unusual talents, the career and
future life of Mr. de Lottinville will no doubt occupy a conspicuous
position in Canadian history.
* * * * *
=Dymond, Alfred Hutchinson=, Superintendent of the Asylum for the Blind,
Brantford, was born at Croydon, County of Surrey, England, on August
21st, 1827. He was educated at the public school of the Society of
Friends at that place, of which institution his father, Henry Dymond,
was for some time the superintendent. He was engaged in early life in
mercantile pursuits, but devoted himself chiefly, from the time of
attaining manhood till thirty years of age, to advocating the abolition
of capital punishment, lecturing in behalf of that movement in all parts
of England, and exerting himself frequently with success in behalf of
persons under sentence of death, where the justice of the conviction was
open to doubt, or where ameliorating circumstances appeared to justify
clemency. Many of his experiences while so engaged were related in a
book published by him in 1865, entitled, “The Law on its Trial,” not a
few of the incidents recorded being of thrilling interest. He was also
the author of numerous pamphlets and _brochures_ on the same question,
and all of these productions showed careful research, and fresh,
vigorous thought. In 1857 he received an appointment on the staff of the
_Morning Star_ newspaper, then recently established in London as the
representative of advanced Liberal principles, and of which Mr. Cobden,
Mr. Bright, and other Liberal political leaders, were active promoters.
He became ultimately general manager of the _Star_, and continued to
hold that position until its amalgamation, in 1869, with the London
_Daily News_. During his connection with the _Star_, he had for his
colleagues or associates, among others, Justin McCarthy, now M.P. for
Derry; Sir John Gorrie, now chief justice of the Leeward Islands; Edward
Russell, editor of the Liverpool _Daily Post_; Charles A. Cooper, editor
of the _Edinburgh Scotsman_, the late Dr. Faucher, afterwards a
prominent member of the German parliament; Frederick W. Chesson, so
often heard of as the secretary of the Aborigines’ Protection Society;
William Black, the novelist; and Archibald Forbes, the famous war
correspondent. The two last-named gentlemen received their first
commissions on the London press from Mr. Dymond’s hands. In October,
1869, he removed with his family to Toronto, and joined the staff of the
Toronto _Globe_. During the nine years of his connection with that paper
he wrote a large portion of its political leading articles. Shortly
after settling in Toronto he commenced to take an active part in
political affairs, particularly during the Ontario elections of 1871,
and the Dominion elections of 1873. At the general election of January,
1874, following on the downfall of the Macdonald government, after the
Pacific Scandal disclosures, Mr. Dymond was elected after a contest, by
a majority of 338, for the North Riding of the county of York, his
opponent being William Thorne, the warden of the county. He represented
North York during the succeeding five sessions, giving a warm support to
the Hon. Alexander Mackenzie’s administration, and taking a very active
part both in debates and the work of committees. At the general election
in September, 1878, he was again, on the unanimous invitation of the
Liberal party in the riding, a candidate for North York, but under the
adverse influences of the so-called National Policy reaction, was
defeated by a majority of ten votes. He took a very active part in
connection with the local elections of 1879, in editing the literature
of the campaign, and addressing public meetings. He acted on several
occasions as a commissioner in municipal investigations, under
appointments from the Ontario Government. In 1880, he was appointed the
executive officer and a member of the Ontario Agricultural Commission,
the results of which appeared during the session of 1881, in the shape
of five bulky volumes, including the Report and its Appendices, the
compilation of the Report, and arrangement and revision of the whole
mass of evidence being accomplished by Mr. Dymond in less than three
months. In April, 1881, he was appointed by the Ontario Government,
Principal of the Institution for the Education of the Blind at
Brantford, which position he still holds. While in England Mr. Dymond
was identified with efforts for parliamentary reform, the extension of
the suffrage, and the repeal of all impediments to free and cheap
literature. He was also a most enthusiastic supporter of the Northern
cause during the American Civil War. While a member of the Canadian
Parliament, he carried through a bill to enable persons charged with
common assault to give evidence in their own behalf, the first measure
embodying such a principle in Canadian criminal legislation. During the
Dunkin Act agitation in Toronto, he was Vice-President of the
association to promote the adoption of the Act, and presided at most of
the large open air gatherings held in the Amphitheatre on Yonge street,
in favour of the Act. Mr. Dymond, while in Parliament, assisted
materially in the adoption of the present Temperance Act, popularly
known as the Scott Act. He has always advocated the principles of Free
Trade, so far as they maybe found compatible with revenue necessities.
He took, when in Parliament, a liberal view of the Pacific Railway
policy, as necessary to the wants and exigencies of the Dominion, while
opposed to undue haste in its construction, or to any arrangements
calculated to retard the free settlement of the North-West. He has
always advocated the broadest extension of Provincial rights as opposed
to Federal centralization. He has been since early life a member of the
Anglican Church, and has of late years taken an active part in the
affairs of that Church, both locally and as a member of the Diocesan
Synod of Huron, to which Brantford belong. He married, in 1852, Miss
Helen Susannah Henderson, of London, England, and has a large family of
sons and daughters. As a writer upon political topics, Mr. Dymond
occupies a prominent position. As a parliamentarian, he was industrious,
vigorous, and always effective. His absence from Parliament now is a
serious loss to his party and to the country.
* * * * *
=Pelland, Basile Elie=, Berthierville, Registrar of the County of
Berthier, Quebec province, was born in Berthier, August 6th, 1842, and
is the son of Basile Pelland, a worthy farmer, and Rose de Lima
Laferriére, of the same place, both belonging to two of the most
distinguished and ancient families of Berthier. Mr. Pelland was educated
at the Jacques Cartier Normal School, Montreal, and at Bourget College,
Rigaud, where he developed talents which induced him to adopt law as a
profession. With this object in view he studied with J. O. Chalut,
notary of Berthier, with such success that in 1867 he was appointed
notary, and commenced to practise in Berthier. In a few years, by his
talents and energy, he built up a large and lucrative business, and
having gained the confidence and esteem of his fellow-townsmen, was
elected secretary-treasurer of the town council, and commissioner of
schools and the agricultural society. He was appointed registrar of the
county of Berthier, in 1874. In politics he is a Conservative and a
staunch and reliable worker in the interests of his party. In religion,
he is a Roman Catholic, and greatly respected by his neighbors
generally. He is married to Marie Louise Chenevert, daughter of
Theophile Chenevert, merchant, of St. Cuthbert.
* * * * *
=Macdonald, Robert Tyre=, M.D., C.M., M.C.P.S., Sutton, Quebec province,
was born at Ellerslie, Brockville, August 1, 1856. His father was a
graduate in arts of Edinburgh University, who came to Canada when quite
a young man and entered into mercantile pursuits at Dundee, Que., where
he soon amassed a fortune, and afterwards removed to Brockville, where
he continued his mercantile calling. He claimed descent from the “Lords
of the Isles,” Dunvegan Castle, Isle of Skye, being the family seat. His
mother was Elizabeth Elliott Ogilvie, daughter of Captain Alexander
Ogilvie, and niece of the late Col. Davidson. His family were noted in
Scottish history for having been custodians of the Scottish crown. The
subject of our sketch received his early education by private tuition,
and afterwards entered Fort Covington Academy. After leaving school he
was for a time in the employ of S. J. Howel & Bro. of Millbrook, Ont.,
and also with T. B. Collins of the same place. He came to Montreal in
1875, and entered the wholesale establishment of B. Levin & Co., leaving
there in 1876 to enter McGill University as a student in medicine, and
graduated with distinction in 1881. He is surgeon in the 52nd Battalion
Brome Light Infantry, surgeon South-Eastern Railway, and medical health
officer, township of Sutton. Has been twice elected master of Sutton
Lodge, No. 39, A. F. & A. M. Is at present district deputy grand master
A. F. & A. M., for counties of Shefford, and Brome. He is unmarried, and
in enjoyment of a large and lucrative practice.
* * * * *
=Mason, Thos. G.=, Toronto, Ontario, was born at Ivybridge, Devonshire,
England, and when seven years of age came to Canada with his parents,
settling in Toronto. He received his early schooling from J. R. Mair, so
well known as a successful teacher, and by whom many of Toronto’s
prominent citizens were first introduced to the classics. Mr. Mason’s
business career commenced in 1849, when he entered the _Globe_ office as
a junior clerk, J. C. Fitch being at the time manager of the office. In
those early days the _Globe_ was published only three times per week,
Mr. Mason having charge of the mailing department. In 1854 he became
assistant book-keeper for the firm of A. & S. Nordheimer, and remained
with them seventeen years. It was at the close of this thorough and
successful business apprenticeship—namely, in 1871—that Mr. Mason, in
association with V. M. Risch, founded the present firm of Mason & Risch,
as dealers in and importers of pianofortes and musical instruments, and
by the energy displayed and the superior business methods adopted, they
gradually established themselves as one of the most successful business
firms in Toronto. Being thoroughly conversant with the subtle and
difficult science of acoustics which their lengthened experience had
given them, and being withal practical men, they directed their
attention to the construction and development of the pianoforte, and in
1878 began their manufacture, keeping the central idea steadily in view
of building up and winning a reputation for a Canadian pianoforte of the
highest standard worthy to rank with those of the most famous makers in
Europe or the United States. To this end, and to carry out their high
artistic ideas, both members of the firm travelled through the principal
manufacturing countries of Europe in search of skilled artisans and the
highest grade of materials with which to stock their factory; and
unquestionably it is to this foresight and care, coupled with the
thorough knowledge of their work, and natural artistic talent, that the
excellence of the Mason & Risch pianofortes is attributable. In this
connection it cannot be out of place, or other than gratifying to
Canadians to refer to the distinguished compliment which the late Dr.
Franz Liszt paid the firm in sending them a full-sized portrait of
himself, painted by the eminent artist Baron Joukousky. This painting is
one of the finest works of art in the Dominion. In 1886 the firm
exhibited their pianofortes at the memorable Colonial and Indian
Exhibition, which took place in London, England. The preeminence given
them there, and the high professional testimony of the highest English
musical authorities, placed their pianos in the foremost rank, and of
which Canada may well be proud. That year Mr. Mason was honored by being
elected a member of the Royal Society of Arts, London, of which His
Royal Highness the Prince of Wales is president, and also was made a
member of the Musical Association of Great Britain, of which the Rev.
Sir Frederick A. Gore Ousley, Bart., M.A., Mus. Doc. Oxon., and Prof. of
Music, University, Oxford, is president. This society was formed May,
1874, for the investigation and discussion of subjects connected with
the art and science of music, and is one of the most influential musical
associations in the world. As a business man, Mr. Mason is both cautious
and bold. He seldom acts rashly or from impulse. He weighs every
business matter that comes before him with almost judicial calmness, and
when any new enterprise commends itself to his approval he acts with
decision and throws all his energy into it. It is, therefore, not
surprising that success generally crowns his undertakings. In politics
Mr. Mason belongs to no party, but judging him by his conversation we
are inclined to class him as a Liberal with modified Conservative
leanings. Above all things, he is a British Canadian, and zealous for
the honor of his adopted country. He believes that Canadians have as
much brain power, and as much mental and physical abilities to work out
their own destiny as the people of the United States, or in fact any
people in the world. The only thing they seem to lack, in his
estimation, is national unity, and faith in their own glorious future.
Time and circumstances, he thinks, will cure this at no distant day. Mr.
Mason belongs to the Methodist church, and in the erection of the
Metropolitan Church in this city took a very active part. For many years
he has been secretary of the trustee Board, and by his influence as a
member of the musical committee of that church, has contributed largely
to placing the musical part of the service on its present highly
satisfactory state.
* * * * *
=Hincks, Sir Francis=, was born at Cork, on the 14th of December, 1807.
He was a son of Dr. T. D. Hincks, a member of the Irish (Unitarian)
Presbyterian Church, a very distinguished scholar and an exceedingly
worthy man. Francis, the subject of the present sketch, commenced his
education under his father, at Fermoy, and continued it in the classical
and mathematical school of the Belfast Institution, then presided over
by Dr. James Thompson, afterwards professor of mathematics at the
University of Glasgow. In the month of November, 1822, he entered the
collegiate department of the institution, and attended the logic and
_belles lettres_, and the Greek and Latin classes during the winter
session. But, in May, 1823, he expressed a desire to be a merchant, and
it was finally arranged that he should be articled for five years to the
house of John Martin & Co., previous to which, however, he had three or
four months’ initiation into business habits in the office of his
father’s friend, Samuel Bruce, a notary public and agent. The period for
which he was articled terminated in October, 1828, but he continued with
the firm until the beginning of 1830, when he sailed to the West Indies
as supercargo of one of Messrs. Martin & Co.’s vessels. He visited
Jamaica, Barbadoes, Trinidad and Demerara, but not meeting with an
inducement to settle in any of these colonies, he agreed to accompany a
Canadian gentleman, whom he met at Barbadoes, to Canada, and proceeded
to Montreal and Toronto, his object being to ascertain the nature of
Canadian commerce and business. Having gleaned the information he
desired, he returned to Belfast in 1831. In the following summer, having
determined to settle in Canada, he married the second daughter of
Alexander Stewart, a merchant of Belfast, and soon after sailed to New
York, and proceeded to Toronto, and took up his abode in a house
belonging to Mr. Baldwin. Mr. Hincks soon obtained a high reputation for
knowledge of business, and when Wm. Lyon Mackenzie attacked Mr. Merritt
and others respecting the Welland canal, and obtained a parliamentary
investigation, he was chosen, with another merchant, to examine the
accounts. He was also appointed secretary to the Mutual Insurance
Company, and cashier to a new banking company. On the appointment of
Lord Durham to the government of Canada, Mr. Hincks commenced the
_Examiner_ newspaper, in the editorship of which he displayed such
remarkable vigour and talent, that he was invited to become a candidate
for the representation of the county of Oxford in the first parliament
held after the union of the upper and lower provinces. The election was
held in March, 1841, when Mr. Hincks was returned by a majority of
thirty-one over his opponent, a gentleman named Carroll. Shortly after
his election, he was appointed by Sir Charles Bagot inspector-general,
and was obliged, in consequence, to vacate his seat and return for
re-election. He was opposed by John Armstrong, who abandoned the contest
at noon on the third day, Mr. Hincks having a majority of 218. When Lord
Metcalfe dissolved the Canadian parliament in 1844, Mr. Hincks was
defeated, his opponents being Robert Riddle (a son-in-law of Admiral
Vansittart), who was returned by a majority of twenty over Mr. Hincks,
and the Hon. Thomas Parke, who did not go to the poll. In 1848, however,
he was declared elected by the legislature, by the large majority of
three hundred and thirty-five over his old opponent, Mr. Carroll,
although the returning-officer had declared Mr. Carroll elected through
some legal technicality in Mr. Hincks’ qualification. Having for the
second time accepted the office of inspector-general under the
administration of his first friend in Canada, Mr. Baldwin, he was
re-elected without opposition. Upon the reconstruction of the ministry,
consequent on the retirement of Mr. Baldwin, owing to his impaired
health, Mr. Hincks was, through the strong expression of public opinion,
named prime minister by the governor-general, and until the latter part
of 1854, held that post with distinguished honour, and with the
confidence and respect of all the good men of every political
denomination in Canada. On his return to Canada, from a visit to
England, he was elected to represent the south riding of Oxford for the
fifth time, by a majority of 64 over his opponent, J. G. Vansittart, a
son of Admiral Vansittart, of Woodstock, Ont., and therefore a rather
formidable opponent. After the resignation of the Hincks-Dorion
administration, in 1854, Mr. Hincks crossed the Atlantic for a long
holiday, after the years of turmoil and corroding care which had fallen
to him by virtue of his active life, and his prominent place in public
affairs. During his absence, through Sir William Molesworth, he was
appointed governor of Barbadoes and the Windward Islands. At the close
of the term there, he was promoted to the governor-generalship of
British Guiana. In 1889, on the recommendation of the Duke of
Buckingham, he was created a Knight C. M. G. In 1869 he returned to
England, and thence passed over to Canada, where, on the invitation of
Sir John A. Macdonald, he entered the ministry as finance minister, in
place of Sir John Rose, resigned. He retained his portfolio till 1873,
when he resigned, and withdrew from public life. There is no public man
living, it can fairly be said, whose whole career has been more
creditable to himself and to the country than has been that of Sir
Francis Hincks. He died at the age of seventy-eight, in the city of
Montreal, on the 18th of August, 1885, deeply regretted by his many
friends and admirers. Sir Francis was twice married. His first wife died
in 1874, and the following year he married the widow of the late Hon.
Justice Sullivan of Toronto, who survived him.
* * * * *
=Ellis, Jas. E.=, of the firm of Jas. E. Ellis & Co., jewellers,
Toronto, was born in the city of Liverpool, England, on the 22nd of
February, 1842. The firm of which he is now a member was founded in 1836
by the Rossin Brothers, and was purchased from them by his father, Jas.
E. Ellis, sen., in 1852 since which time it has been successfully
carried on, and is now one of the leading diamond and jewellery houses
in Canada, having moved to their present fine and commodious premises in
1881. Our subject was educated at Upper Canada College, which he left in
1857. In 1859 he went to the Red River settlement, where he remained
until 1862, hunting and trading with the native population. On his
return he became an active member of the firm, and since that time has
taken a leading part in the management of its affairs. Being at all
times partial to out-door sports, the subject of this sketch became one
of the Edrol four-oared crew, in the days when races were races (of four
miles), and rowed against all comers. The Edrol Crew defeated the best
professional crew on the lakes in those days. This crew became the
foundation stone, as it were, of the Toronto Rowing Club, the stroke oar
of the Edrols being now Lieutenant-Colonel Otter. Mr. Ellis is a member
of the Royal Canadian Yacht Club, the Toronto Yacht Club, the National
Club, and Granite Rink. Being an enthusiastic yachtsman he is always
ready to splice a rope or spin a yarn. He was one of the original
members of the Toronto Field Battery, as well as a member of No. 1
company of rifles, which was organized by Captain Brook, and from which
the Queen’s Own sprang. He also acted as ensign in No. 1 company 10th
Royals in 1864-5. He is a member of the Toronto Board of Trade, and a
life member of the Athenæum Club, Toronto. In politics he is a
Liberal-Conservative, and in religion belongs to the Church of England.
ADDENDA.
The following changes, alterations, and additions have come to our
knowledge since this work has been printed:—
ANGERS, Hon. August Réal, appointed lieutenant-governor of the
province of Quebec, 20th October, 1887. (See sketch of his life,
page 242.)
BAILLAIRGÉ, Louis de Gonzague, Quebec. (See sketch of his life,
page 252.) Add: The church donated by him to Pointe aux
Esquimaux, on the north shore of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, below
Tadoussac, was built towards 1886. The house wherein General
Montgomery died, 1st January, 1776, and which still exists,
belongs to him, and is on the north side of Louis street, in the
vicinity of the City Hall, Quebec. It is built partly of timber
and stone, on a lot 20¾ feet in width by 148½ feet in depth,
between the houses of Judge Tessier and Michael Collins; is one
storey in height with an attic, and is kept in repair from year
to year. The room wherein the general died has not been altered.
The house is let to a person who sells Indian curiosities to
American tourists. Part of the old shingles on the roof were
removed and replaced by sheet iron. These shingles were cut into
small pieces, labelled and sold to the Americans by the guardian
of the City Hall at ten cents each. In the yard still stands an
oven which was built by the original proprietor, M. Botherill,
who was a baker.
BINGAY, Thomas Van Buskirk, Yarmouth, Nova Scotia. (See sketch
of his life, page 550.) In the 20th line of the sketch strike
out “at the siege of Saratoga,” and substitute the words, “in
his expedition to New London.”
BURNS, Rev. Robert Ferrier, D.D., Halifax, elected moderator of
the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of Canada, June,
1887. (See sketch of his life on page 40.)
CHABOT, Julien, Harbour Commissioner, Quebec. (See sketch of his
life, page 381.) He was married in 1857, not in 1858, as appears
in his sketch.
EDGAR, William, General Passenger Agent, Grand Trunk Railway,
Montreal. (See sketch of his life, page 664.) Omit the words
from “when he,” on the 21st line, to the words “Western line,”
on the 27th line, and read, “when he was removed to New York to
take charge of the passenger department of the general extension
of the Great Western and Michigan Central Railways, regaining in
that position until November, 1875, when he was offered and
accepted the office of general passenger agent of the Great
Western Railway, with head quarters at Hamilton.” Add to the
words “Grand Trunk Railway,” on the 30th line, “which included
the Great Western system.”
FALCONBRIDGE, William Glenholme, Q.C., Barrister, Toronto. (See
sketch of his life, page 64.) Mr. Falconbridge was appointed in
November, 1887, one of the judges of the Supreme Court of
Judicature for Ontario, Queen’s Bench Division.
HARRIS, Joseph A., Barrister, Moncton, N.B. (See sketch of his
life, page 126.) Read, “the late Albert J. Hickman” instead of
“J. Hickman,” in the 11th line. In the 18th line read, “John J.
Fraser” instead of “J. Fraser.” Add after the word “town,” in
the 27th line, the words “being counsel for several leading
corporations.”
HETHERINGTON, George A., M.D., St. John, N.B. (See sketch of his
life, page 298.) Dr. Hetherington was, on the 26th October,
1887, elected a fellow of the Gynaecological Society of London,
England.
KENNEDY, James Thomas, Indiantown, St. John, New Brunswick, died
June 9th, 1887. (See sketch of his life, page 331.) On second
column page 332, 26 lines from top, read “Lower Cove” instead of
“Lewes Cove;” and also, 43 lines from top, read “18th May,
1883,” instead of “17th May, 1873.”
LAURIE, Major-General John Winburn, Oakfield, Nova Scotia. (See
sketch of his life, page 356.) Name should read “John Wimburn
Laurie.” On the 6th line read Havering “atte” (instead of “and”)
Bower. On 14th line, after Harrow, read “and” instead of “at”
Dresden. On the 31st line, after the word “line,” add “of”; and
in the 44th line read “his” district for “the” district. He is
now a member of the House of Commons for Shelburne, N.S.
MASSON, Louis François Roderique, lieutenant-governor of Quebec
province, resigned, and Hon. August Real Angers was appointed
his successor, 20th October, 1887. (See sketch of his life, page
346.)
MELLISH, John Thomas, M.A., Halifax. (See sketch of his life,
page 246.) Mr. Mellish studied law in Halifax, in the office of
Robert Sedgewick, Q.C., the present deputy minister of justice
at Ottawa, and was admitted a barrister and attorney of the
Supreme Court, February 24th, 1888.
MOORE, Alvan Head, Magog, Quebec. (See sketch of his life, page
567.) Having resigned the office of mayor and councillor of the
township of Magog, he is now councillor and mayor of the village
of Magog, and also warden of the county of Stanstead.
PANNETON, Louis Edmond, Q.C., B.C.L., LL.D., Sherbrooke (See
sketch of his life, page 351.) He was elected mayor of the city
of Sherbrooke in January, 1888.
PURCELL, Patrick, M.P. for Glengarry. (See sketch of his life,
page 669.) In March, 1888, the Supreme Court of Canada decided
that Mr. Purcell was entitled to his seat in the House of
Commons, it having been contested.
ROGERS, Henry Cassady, Postmaster, Peterboro’. (See sketch of
his life, page 147.) Substitute for the word “father,” on the
21st line, page 148, first column, “uncle.” In the 39th line
“Mackinaw” instead of “Sault Ste. Marie.” In line 50 read “1765”
instead of “1766,” In line 51 omit word “above,” and substitute
the words, “first commanding officer”; and in the following
line, after the words “Rogers who,” add “was the great
grandfather of the subject of this sketch.”
SHAKESPEARE, Noah, Victoria, British Columbia, having retired
from the representation of Victoria in the House of Commons, is
now (1888) postmaster of Victoria, B.C. (See sketch of his life,
page 297.)
STRATFORD, John H., Brantford, died on the 14th February, 1888.
(See sketch of his life, page 58.)
* * * * *
=Transcriber’s Notes:=
Obvious type-setting and punctuation errors have been corrected without
note. Other corrections are as noted below. For the Addenda, new
information was not added to the original biography but corrections
given in the Addenda have been incorporated into the original
biographies. This means corrections given in the Addenda for Joseph A.
Harris (page 126), Henry Cassady Rogers (page 148), Thomas Van Buskirk
Bingay (page 550), Julien Chabot (page 381), James Thomas Kennedy (page
381), and John Wimburn Laurie (page 356), have been corrected in the
original biographies and also noted below. For plain text version of the
eBook, text enclosed by equal signs is in bold face (=bold=).
page vii, Amherst, Lord, ==> Amherst, Lord Jeffery,
page vii, Archibald, Hon. Sir Adam Geo. ==> Archibald, Hon. Sir Adams Geo.
page vii, Baillairge, Chev. C. P. F., ==> Baillairgé, Chev. C. P. F.,
page vii, Baillairge, Louis de G., ==> Baillairgé, Louis de G.,
page ix, Courtney, Right Rev. Bishop, ==> Courtney, Right Rev. Bishop
Frederick,
page ix, Curry, Lemuel Allan, M.A. ==> Currey, Lemuel Allan, M.A.
page ix, Desaulles, George Cassimir, ==> Dessaulles, George Casimir,
page x, Haythorn, Hon. R. P., Charlottetown, ==> Haythorne, Hon. Robert
Poore, Charlottetown,
page xi, Archdeacon, D.C.L., ==> Archdeacon William Turnbull, D.C.L.,
page xi, Laurier, Hon. Wilfred, B.C.L., Q.C., M.P. ==> Laurier, Hon.
Wilfrid, B.C.L., Q.C., M.P.
page xii, McNicoll, D., Montreal, ==> McNicoll, David, Montreal,
page xiii, Moffatt, William, Pembroke, ==> Moffat, William, Pembroke,
page xiv, Philip, Rev. John, M.A., Montreal ==> Philp, Rev. John, M.A.,
Montreal
page xv, Eminence Elzear Alexander, Cardinal, Quebec, ==> Eminence
Elzéar-Alexandre, Cardinal, Quebec
page xv, Tory, Edgar J., ==> Torey, Edgar J.,
page xv, Turnbull, Lieut.-Col. Ferdinand, ==> Turnbull, Lieut.-Col. James
Ferdinand,
page xvi, Van Horn, William C., Montreal, ==> Van Horne, William C.,
Montreal,
page 20, (_vide_ “Lockart’s Life ==> (_vide_ “Lockhart’s Life
page 27, At the instance of ==> At the insistance of
page 40, father, James McFarlane, ==> father, James MacFarlane,
page 40, afterwards of Tweedmuir ==> afterwards of Tweedsmuir
page 40, Corstorphir, Scotland,—and ==> Corstorphine, Scotland,—and
page 70, Forence in South Carolina ==> Florence in South Carolina
page 71, York. Liebeg’s work ==> York. Liebig’s work
page 82, Lancastershire, England, ==> Lancashire, England,
page 85, 1883, to the regret ==> 1883, when to the regret
page 88, aunt to L’Abbé Farland ==> aunt to L’Abbé Ferland
page 104, Lord Grosvener, now Duke ==> Lord Grosvenor, now Duke
page 111, St. Michael’s, Coran Ban ==> St. Michael’s, Corran Ban
page 114, House, in Bedforshire, England, ==> House, in Bedfordshire,
England,
page 126, of J. Hickmann, barrister ==> of the late Albert J. Hickman,
barrister
page 126, J. Fraser, Q.C., J.S.C., ==> John J. Fraser, Q.C., J.S.C.,
page 126, town. On ==> town being counsel for several leading
corporations. On
page 146, instance of his friends ==> insistance of his friends
page 148, His great-grand-father was ==> His great-granduncle was
page 148, Pittsburgh, Sault Ste. Marie, etc., ==> Pittsburgh, Mackinaw,
etc.,
page 148, rebellion in 1766, ==> rebellion in 1765,
page 148, of the above Colonel ==> of the first commanding officer Colonel
page 148, Rogers who commanded ==> Rogers who was the great-grandfather of
the subject of this sketch, commanded
page 166, Baillairgé, Chevalier Chas. P. F. The spelling of Baillargé
throughout the biography was changed to Baillairgé to match the Index
entry and various references consulted.
page 180, Niel McNeill, emigrated from ==> Neil McNeill, emigrated from
page 221, Deer Lake, and Edmunston, ==> Deer Lake, and Edmundston,
page 279, Quebec, to Edmondston, in ==> Quebec, to Edmundston, in
page 327, by the John S. Hopkins University, ==> by the Johns Hopkins
University,
page 332, Lewes Cove, St. John, ==> Lower Cove, St. John,
page 338, instance of the historian ==> insistance of the historian
page 353, St. Rochs, Quebec, was born ==> St. Roch, Quebec, was born
page 356, Laurie, John Winburn ==> Laurie, John Wimburn
page 356, Marshalls, Havering, and Bower, ==> Marshalls, Havering atte
Bower,
page 356, at Harrow, at Dresden ==> at Harrow, and Dresden
page 356, and line communication ==> and line of communication
page 356. for the district, ==> for his district,
page 361, instance of General Brock, ==> insistance of General Brock,
page 382, October, 1858, Marguerite ==> October, 1857, Marguerite
page 418, of Jedburg, Scotland; and ==> of Jedburgh, Scotland; and
page 459, Matheson, Colonel.—The ==> Matheson, Colonel Roderick.—The
page 472, born at Upner Castle, ==> born at Upnor Castle,
page 479, the Pettawawa, and there ==> the Petawawa, and there
page 479, Pettawawa. In 1884, J. H. Francis ==> Petawawa. In 1884, J. H.
Francis
page 537, Hon. P. D. DeBastzch, member ==> Hon. P. D. DeBartzch, member
page 550, at the siege of Saratoga ==> in his expedition to New London
page 561, Sœurs Graes of St. Hyacinthe ==> Sœurs Grises of St. Hyacinthe
page 568, there was only fifty-one ==> there were only fifty-one
page 583, Quebec, Hon. A. Mercier, also => Quebec, Hon. H. Mercier, also
page 586, Courtney, Rev. Dr. ==> Courtney, Rev. Dr. Frederick
page 592, Laurier, Hon. Wilfred, B.C.L., ==> Laurier, Hon. Wilfrid,
B.C.L.,
page 621, Eminence Elzear Alexander, Cardinal ==> Eminence
Elzéar-Alexandre, Cardinal
page 657, Haythorne, Hon. R. P., Senator, ==> Haythorne, Hon. Robert
Poore, Senator,
page 662, McNicoll, D., Montreal, General ==> McNicoll, David, Montreal,
General
page 664, Trunk Railway. His ==> Trunk Railway which included the Great
Western system. His
page 670, St. Jerome to Normininque ==> St. Jerome to Nominingue
page 670, of Ottawa, and from Normininque ==> of Ottawa, and from
Nominingue
page 757, in the Gore of Toronto, ==> in the Gore area of Toronto,
[The end of _A Cyclopædia of Canadian Biography, Being Chiefly Men of
the Time_, George MacLean Rose, Editor.]
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