[siebert] loyalists AND SIX NATION INDIANS ill 



news six or eight weeks old from foreign parts, but was almost wholly 

 devoid of local items and contained but few advertisements. In size 

 as in contents, it presented a marked contrast to newspapers of the 

 present day, for it consisted of only four pages, which measured no 

 more than fourteen and one-half by nine and one-half inches. The 

 subscription price was three dollars a year. Among the advertise- 

 ments was one offering ten guineas apiece as bounty money for ap- 

 proved recruits for the Queen's Rangers. The Gazette was soon 

 followed by the Constellation, which was begun in June, 1799, 

 and seems to have appeared as a weekly. It was published at 

 first by Silvester Tiffany and later by "S. and G. Tiffany," 

 the price being one dollar more per year than that of its 

 predecessor. It survived until the end of the year 1800, when it was 

 succeeded by the Herald, another four dollar paper, which had an 

 equally short career, suspending in 1802. Perhaps this was due 

 to the appearance of a new paper, to which, however, an old title is 

 attributed, namely, The Upper Canada Gazette. At any rate, Caniff 

 quotes some advertisements of the sale of negro slaves at Niagara 

 from this paper for the year mentioned, although the paper in which 

 these were printed may have been still located at York. In 1807 

 a new Upper Canada Gazette, with the alternative title of the Freemen's 

 Journal, was started at York, and was brought to Niagara two years 

 later. Here it continued to be published until terminated by the War 

 of 1812. The proprietor of this paper was Joseph Wilcocks, a mem- 

 ber of the Canadian Parliament.^ 



An agricultural society was organized at Niagara after Simcoe 

 arrived there, and this official himself contributed ten guineas a year 

 to further its interests. The society met at monthly dinners, which 

 were given in turn by the various members, and on these occasions a 

 large silver snuffbox belonging to the orgainzation was passed around 

 with more or less ceremony. In 1797 a law society of 10 members 

 was formed, under authority granted by an act of the provincial 

 Parliament.^ 



The period that witnessed this development of the means of 

 public enlightenment at Niagara also witnessed the introduction of 

 local self-government in the same community. On August 8, 1793, 

 the petty session of magistrates called a town meeting for the 17th 

 to elect local officers. The list of those chosen comprised a clerk, a 



1 Carnochan, Hist, of Niagara, 69-71, 72; Carnochan, Niagara One Hundred 

 Years Ago, 26; Niagara Hist. Soc, No. 5, 25, 26; Caniff, Settlement of Upper 

 Canada, 577, 578. 



2 Canniff, Settlement of Upper Canada, 590; Niagara Hist. Soc, No. 5, 29; 

 Carnochan, Hist, of Niagara, 230, 239. 



