242 . THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA 



office-seeker but to settle the taunts of your enemies and mine I 

 would be happy to receive some mark of your consideration." 



Thus do we find letters from relatives, friends and public officials 

 urging in most cases their own personal applications and assigning all 

 manner of reasons why they should receive some consideration. One 

 by reason of his family connection thinks that he is "entitled to some- 

 thing creditable, permanent and remunerative." It is a wonder how 

 the representatives found any time to devote to the more serious mat- 

 ters that came before them. John Sand field Macdonald with a govern- 

 ment founded upon a coalition basis must have found the question of 

 patronage very embarrassing. In discussing the demand of the 

 Conservatives for certain appointments he says in a letter to the Speaker 

 dated March 4th, 1869, "The selection of a Reformer would prove that 

 this Government would not make appointments of that party unless 

 when the representative has a legitimate right to the patronage. 

 Conservatives have now three-fourths of the patronage of Ontario in 

 their hands and they ought to be satisfied with that share." The 

 Speaker was besieged with applications for. messengers and in his desire 

 to please everyone as far as he consistently could he evidently over- 

 stepped the limit and nettled John Sandfield who wrote, "I find that 

 the extra messengers are still loitering about the House. I repeat 

 that they are not wanted." 



Mr. Stevenson was married in October 1841 to Miss Phoeba 

 Eliza Hall of New York State. Seven children were born of this 

 marriage, two of whom died in infancy. George, an active and efficient 

 business man who relieved his father of the management of his busi- 

 ness affairs in Napanee, died in June 1873. Edward, who was educated 

 at Toronto University, studied law for a time but was obliged to 

 abandon the profession owing to ill health. He undertook the manage- 

 ment of the piano factory in Kingston ; but it was too great a tax upon 

 his strength. He spent the winter of 1873-4 in Florida but died in 

 the autumn of 1874 while on his way to Colorado in search of a climate 

 that would benefit him. William, another son, has spent most of his 

 life across the border and is at present a resident of California. Mrs. 

 Maria Hall Archibald, wife of the Hon. A. W. Archibald of Trinidad, 

 Colorado, only daughter of Mr. Stevenson, died at her home in April, 

 1882. John H. Stevenson, eldest son of the deceased, at one time a 

 partner with the late G. Mercer Adam in the publishing firm of Adam 

 & Stevenson, is now engaged in the civil service at Ottawa. 



Mr. Stevenson continued to live in Napanee until the time of his 

 death. His home was that of a cultured and courteous gentleman, and 

 while he was not a lavish entertainer his guests were always made to 

 feel that their hosts enjoyed their presence. After his defeat in the 



