234 THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA 



more frequent and the liquor flowing more freely, with the usual at- 

 tendants. Such was the election of 1836 as described by Mr. Peter 

 Bristol of Napanee, now in his ninety-fourth year, who resided near 

 the village and was an eye-witness of the scenes. He remembers dis- 

 tinctly the bitter invectives of the speeches of Peter Perry who felt 

 that he was fighting a losing battle against the cool and sarcastic 

 "aristocrat," John Solomon Cartwright. Bidwell denounced the 

 Family Compact in scathing terms and George H. Detlor, the other 

 government candidate, had little to say but chose to rely upon the 

 strength of Cartwright, his running mate, to carry him to victory. 

 The Government had been smarting for years under the lash of Bidwell 

 and they entered this contest with a grim determination to win and 

 singled out him and Perry as two candidates who at any cost were to 

 be defeated.^ 



John Stevenson at that time had become fairly established in the 

 new firm to which he had been admitted as a partner and had just 

 begun to make himself known in the commercial world. Such a 

 struggle as he thus witnessed between the opposing forces could not 

 fail to leave its impression upon him. He was a great admirer of 

 Bidwell and his political leanings in after years clearly indicate that 

 he regarded him as his model of a true statesman. The two retained 

 a friendly and business relationship until the death of Bidwell in 1872. 

 Among the Stevenson collection of papers belonging to the Lennox 

 and Addington Historical Society are many letters and documents 

 relating to various parcels of land in Kingston and the surrounding 

 townships which were managed by Stevenson for the famous New 

 York jurist. Among them is a letter of November 13, 1872, from G. 

 R. Prentiss conveying the intelligence of Mr. Bidwell's sudden death. 



It was shortly after the dissolution of Stevenson and Ham that 

 the separation of Lennox and Addington from Frontenac became a very 



1 John Solomon Cartwright and George H. Detlor, the Family Compact can- 

 didates, were elected, defeating Peter Perry and Marshall Spring Bidwell who had 

 represented Lennox and Addington for eleven years. Perry afterwards removed to 

 Whitby and became a prominent figure in Ontario county. Port Perry on Lake 

 Scugog was named after him. Bidwell, for four years Speaker of the Legislative 

 Assembly of Upper Canada, was a thorn in the side of the Governor, Sir Francis 

 Bond Head, who succeeded in driving him from the country. He went to New Ycrk 

 and became one of the most prominent members of the New York bar. Mr. Bidwell's 

 own explanation of his leaving Canada was as follows: "I have left Upper Canada 

 forever, at the request of Sir Francis Head, to whorn I have given a written pledge 

 not to return. I was not implicated in the recent revolutionary movement, but was 

 an object of suspicion on account of my political opinions and supposed influence." 

 This is taken from a letter written by Marshall S. Bidwell from New York, Jan. 20, 

 1838, to Mr. James Larned, Washington, D.C. The original letter is in the posses- 

 sion of Mr. C. M. Warner, of Napanee, Ont. 



