[cone] THE TALBOT PAPERS 137 
apprehensions respecting the intended operation of the Militia Bill, 
the young men of the country appear much alarmed, and emigration 
is already in their contemplation— ‘This must surely either be false 
alarm or intended merely as an electioneering trick by those notorious 
Characters— The General’s head is at present too much occupied with 
preparing the required official report of his Parliamentary proceedings 
to think seriously of anything else. 
In a few days l’abrégé d’un Code d’instruction Militaire will be 
thought of, as applicable to the Provincial Militia, the moment it is 
completed you shall hear again from me— The last mail from below 
brought us His Excellency’s Speech to the Houses of Assembly, which 
like all other compositions of that description, contains nothing but 
what we have all of us heard before— I fear Sir George* will not be 
so fortunate in carrying his measures as his family expect, the Can- 
adians are not partial to innovations of any kind, they are stubborn 
dogs, and are only to be moved by la force majeure— The Glengarry 
Levy seems to engross the whole of their attention, and is now com- 
menced in good earnest. Colonel Baynes the Adjt. Genl. is to be the 
Colonel and to ensure its success in the Holy wars, a Priest ? is already 
appointed—_ As they look to our acres, as inducements for enlistments, 
the patronage of two Companies is given to Genl. Brock, who has 
offered the commissions to some of his young friends— _ Instructions 
are received for putting all the Forts and defences in this Province 
in the best order— Captain Vigoureux is to have charge of the pro- 
jected works from York to Fort Erie, and Assistant Engineers are 
already named for each Post— Captain Dixon is gone to Amherstburg 
to superintend the works at that Port and St. Joseph’s— In a few 
weeks we shall commence our grand plan of fortification for this Point, 
and the Marine Department will not be idle— Mr. Fish being just 
returned from Albany with a Master Builder and party of Shipwrights 
we are promised one of the finest schooners that has ever appeared on 
this Lake. I send you a Montreal paper which contains a well written 
reply or rather commentary on the flaming speech of Govr. Gerry. It 
is esteemed by our Peripatetic Phiiosophers a production of considerable 
merit— TI rather think it was brought very lately from the States by 
one of Sir George’s family, and it is not improbable but it came from 
some person near our Minister. 


1 Sir George Prevost, Governor-General. 
? Reverend Alexander Macdonell, afterwards Roman Catholic Bishop of 
Regiopolis (Kingston), with jurisdiction extending over Upper Canada, and 
a member of the Legislative Council. 
