30 THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA 
their abhorrence of anarchy which must prevail if principles adverse 
to the above declaration gain ground to associate in support of and 
afford their aid to the civil authorities and their officers.” The High 
Sheriff was instructed to promulgate and enforce this declaration. 
A lad who accompanied the British troops in their retreat from 
York to Kingston relates that they met several residents of the country 
on their way to welcome the invaders “who made no scruple to express 
‘themselves well satisfied with our success and their new masters. 
The majority of this part of the country evinced great disloyalty as we 
proceeded being much gratified with the success of the Americans and 
considering they had nothing to fear from us did not hesitate to avow it. 
In many instances they concealed their horses, waggons, &c. in the 
woods to avoid accommodating us with them and told us they had 
none.” ? 
While the Americans were in possession of the town it was observed 
that Samuel Jackson with his two sons and a butcher named Sudden 
were particularly active in riding about the surrounding country and 
urging everybody liable to the performance of duty in the militia “to 
come in and be put on their paroles, which caused great numbers to obey 
voluntarily and through fear.” 
A few days later a company of the Ist York regiment was called 
into service and stationed on Yonge Street under the command of 
Captain Selby which had the effect of “keeping those bad, rebellious 
banditti very quiet.’ 
Evidences of apathy and positive disaffection became so numerous 
and alarming that eighteen of the most wealthy and influential residents 
of the Niagara District united in signing an address to General Vincent 
wherein they affirmed their opinion that “at present recourse only to the 
civil laws of this country would be unavailing and paralyse the best 
exertions of His Majesty’s loyal subjects, endanger our existence as a 
people and government, the safety of which ought to be supreme law. 
When we observe a supineness or want of alacrity in some of our militia- 
men, traitors joining the enemy and some fostered amongst ourselves, 
reason and argument become nugatory. A regard to the interests of 
our Sovereign and the deliverance of these Provinces from the domination 
of the enemy would well warrant the immediate adoption of military law 
with a due Me to the habits and feelings of His HAS s loyal sub- 

! Statement of Major Allan and Proceedings of the meeting in Jarvis MSS. 
? P. Finan, Recollections of Canada during the late American War, pp. 299-300. 
3’ Memo. by T. G. Ridout in Edgar’s Ten Years of Upper Canada in Peace and 
War, pp. 185-6. 
* Col. Wm. Graham to Major-General Shaw, June 3, 1813, Militia Papers. Can. 
Arch. M.D. 32. 
