80 THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA 



proof that the records are genuine, but the transcriber, in his zealous 

 endeavour to be precise, rather over-reached himself in his heading 

 to the minutes of the first meeting which reads as follows: — 



"1790 Upper Canada, 



May 15. Pursuant to an Act of the Legislature of the Province of 

 Upper Canada in such case Made and provided the first annual meeting 

 of the Inhabitants of the Township of Sidney was held at the dwelling 

 house of Aron Rose thence adjourned to the dwelling house of 

 Stephen Gilbert, Esquire, in Sidney and to be held on the first Tuesday 

 of May ensuing." 



As the first session of the first Provincial Parliament was not held 

 until the 17th September, 1792, and as the Act providing for the 

 nomination and appointment of parish and town officers was not 

 passed until July, 1793, the transcriber, without further evidence, 

 stands convicted of gross anachronism in the first degree. The 

 culprit appears to have been one Henry Smith, who was Town Clerk 

 from 1803 to 1808; but we are disposed to pardon him for this offence, 

 especially as the rest of his work, saving a few errors in spelling, was 

 admirably done. It may be argued that the Sidney meetings may 

 have begun earlier than those of Adolphustown ; but when comparing 

 the books themselves Sidney must give way as the Adolphustown 

 book is the real original record. It has been so regarded for at least 

 fifty years, and I do not like to shatter a belief that has so long been 

 entertained; but the fact is that a close examination of the very page 

 upon which the minutes of 1792 are written in the Adolphustown 

 book discloses the water-mark "1796." It is quite evident from a 

 closer scrutiny that the minutes for the first few years of Adolphus- 

 town have also been transcribed from some other documents. 



The officers appointed at the fiist meeting in Sidney and at the 

 annual meetings for the three following years were a Moderator, a 

 Town Clerk, a Constable, two Pathmasters and two Fence Viewers. 

 The Moderator during this entire period was Captain John W. Meyers, 

 the pioneer mill builder upon the Moira River. 



The statute of 1793 provided for the election of a Parish or Town 

 Clerk, Assessors, a Collector, Overseers of Highways, a Pound Keeper 

 and Town Wardens. As the duties of the Overseers of Highways, 

 under the Act, included those performed by the pathmasters and 

 fence viewers appointed at the Town Meetings it will readily be seen 

 how closely the statute followed what had already been in practice 

 for four years in the township of Sidney. It recognized the need of 

 appointing a constable also but delegated this authority to the Justices 



