274 ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA 



1830 a Avork on large and small agricultural pursuits ; in 1831 a plan of 

 general education ; then closed his career by a history of Canada from 

 the discover}'. 



François Joseph Cugnet, the best French legist from 1760 to 1*789) 

 published five or six treatises concerning law matters ; Justin McCarthy, 

 a French lawj^er, gave an excellent dictionary of the old civil code of 

 Canada (1809) ; William Yondenvelden, a French engineer, and Louis 

 Charland, issued a compilation, being a sequel to Cugnet ; same year, 

 Jean Antoine Bouthillier published an arithmetic for the schools. Several 

 other names must be omitted here for want of space. 



The Quebec Gazette, as a rule, refrained from attacking the French 

 Canadians, and this was considered a lack of patriotic energy on the part 

 of that paper by parties who wished to keep up a lively skirmishing 

 against that population. The Mercury came to light in January, 1805, 

 ready to open fire on the whole line. It soon found an occasion to satisfy 

 its desire. Pierre Eedard, the leader of the French Canadian party in 

 the Legislative Assembly, laid a motion before the speaker to inquire 

 as to the author, printer, &c., of the 3£ontreal Gazette, who had published, 

 April 1st, 1805. a " false, scandalous and malicious libel, highly and un- 

 justly reflecting upon His Majesty's representatives in this province." 

 The editor and the printer were accordingly ordered to be taken into 

 the custody of the sergeant- at-arms, but not being found by those who went 

 to Montreal in quest of them, the matter was dropj)ed. The Mercury 

 then came to the front trying to throw upside down the party forming 

 the majority of the Legislative Assembly, but the sergeant-at-arms being 

 sent to the editor, this gentleman apologized and was released. Later on, 

 the House objected to another article from the same source, and Mr. 

 Thomas Cary could not be found, because he had concealed himself in a 

 secret room in his own house, from where he continued the fight in each 

 number of the Mercury. Mr. Bedard finall}^ saw that his action was 

 against the liberty of the press, and abandoned the proceedings. 



A new political organ was launched at Quebec in ]S"ovember, 180o, 

 under the title Le Canadien, with a full programme for a constitutional 

 government. This paper contained a series of historical documents 

 referring to Canada, which was a new phase in the journalism of the 

 province, and also numerous original literar}' productions. The Mercury 

 went for its neighbour, and they had a long spell of cross-firing on 

 the administration of public affairs. 



In literature Le Canadien did very well, it is visible that its con- 

 tri butons were men of knowledge gifted with talent. From that moment 

 the French writers of Canada have always formed a group in regular 

 activity, and their development has been a constant fact until the present 

 day. 



The Mercury had adopted against Le Canadien a ]iolicy of insinu- 

 ation. When the latter, for instance, entered into ^ criticism of the 



