[sulte] historical LITERATURE OF QUEBEC 273 



of the United States. " The only paper in the province is printed at 

 Newark, and the government covers the three-quarters of its expenses for 

 want of subscription from the pubUc. It is a weekly paper containing 

 very short extracts from the New York and Albany publications, and all 

 in the views of Governor Simcoe. In brief, its usefulness is that of an 

 official gazette." 



La Eochefoucauld adds that the Upper Canada Gazette had no sub- 

 scriber in Kingston, but that the Quebec Gazette had two there ! 



The tirst serious agitation in favour of liberty of the press in England 

 only dates from 1795, when the following toast was drunk at a Whig- 

 dinner : "To the liberty of the press, without which we could not 

 breathe." 



From 1764 to 1795 no less than thirty works were printed in the 

 province, and about ten others in London, but written by Canadians. 

 For a moment these figures may be considered meagre ; we wonder if it is 

 any better in our own days, comparing the increase of the population. 

 Sciences proper were much neglected, and continued to be so for tifty 

 years afterwards. 



William Smith, who lived at Quebec in 1785, says that a public library 

 was established there in that year, and that the books came from London. 

 La Eochefoucauld (1795) observes that the only library of that kind in 

 Lower Canada was at Quebec. " It is a small gathering of books and 

 nearly all French, sustained by subscription. We are rather puzzled at 

 the choice of some of them, knowing, as we do, the political dispositions 

 of the directors of the institution, for it contains the printed papers of 

 the National Assembly of France." As late as 1824, Vassal de Monviel 

 speaks of the interesting searches made by him in the Quebec librar}-, 

 which is supposed to be either that of 1785 or the one belonging to the 

 legislature. By that time, 1824, schools had been opened in several locali- 

 ties, and the Nicolet college was in a first-class state of activity, as well 

 as the Quebec and Montreal colleges. Reverend Dr. Jacob Mountain 

 wrote some remarkable letters (1798-1801) in which he proposed a plan 

 of public education for all classes. 



The agitation which followed the discovery of the Genest scheme 

 to drag the United States into a war against Great Britain was marked 

 by various publications, it seems, but two only are known to us : " Extract 

 from jyiinutes of Council containing His Majesty's late Régulations, &c., 

 Quebec, 1798 ; " " Avis an Canada à l'occasion de la ense importante 

 actuelle, Québec, 1798." 



Joseph François Perreault was the champion of elementary schools at 

 the end of the last century. In 1803 he published a treaty of parliamentary 

 practice ; in 1803 a dictionary of the same nature ; in 1813 a hand-book 

 for the bailiifs; in 1822 a course of elementary education; in 1824 ex- 

 tracts from the judgments of the prevotal court from 1727 to 1759 ; in 



Sec. II., 1897. 15. 



