84 ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA 



of tlie Governor-General, who engaged a secret agent to outbid them 

 and dispose of it again piecemeal to other printers. 



Buit the elections of 1810 resulted in a more decisive victory for 

 the opposition than ever before. Bedard was elected for the County of 

 Surrey, and the English-speaking members were reduced to ten. This, 

 rebuff in conjunction with the total failure of Ryland's mission, per- 

 sistent ill-health and the constant apprehension of a war with the 

 United States, so effectually disheartened Craig that he tendered his 

 resignation to Lord Castlereagh in a despatch dated 23rd November, 

 1810, declaring, however, his willingness to remain for some time longer 

 if it was considered that his services were indispensable. 



The session of the Legislature which began in December, 1810, and 

 ended in Manch, 1811, was far quieter and more business-like than had 

 been anticipated, although as Craig remarked, "the party which rules 

 the House came down full freight with every hostile intention, and 

 amply supplied as they imagined with subjects to exercise it." T(lie 

 Governor-General was equally determined to persist in his former line 

 of policy. Piapineau, the elder, had again been returned for tihe east 

 Avard of Montreal, land his influence had increased to the highest point 

 although he was studiously moderate in his public ujtterances. Craig 

 described him " as a man of sense, but extreme vanity, of great art but 

 degenerating into a species of gunning which shows itself in spite of him, 

 well calculated for a demagogue and little scrupulous in the means he 

 employs. This person," he added, "had made his appearance in the 

 House under professions of great moderation and a desire to allay the 

 heat and animosities that existed in it. Under these, however, he was 

 assiduously endeavouring to acquire the general confidence."" 



In a characteristically verbose speech, Craig directed the attention 

 of the Legislature to the necessity of re-enacting the Acts respecting 

 aliens coming into the province and for the better security of His 

 Majesty's Government, which it had been the practice to pass annually, 

 but which had lapsed as the last Assembly had failed to enact them be- 

 fore its sudden prorogation. In its reply, the House boldly announced 

 its decided reluctance to pass the latter Act through " fears and appre- 

 hensions," that it might be misapplied. This was, of course, an unmis- 

 takable allusion to the recent arrests; and the prolonged imprisonment 

 jof Pierre Bedard, without trial, was accordingly one of the first matters 

 tiiey considered, and a committee of eight members, among whom were 

 Joseph and his son, L. J. Papineau, was appointed to prepare and pre- 

 sent to the Governor-General an address praying for his immediate 

 release. The elder Papineau had, however, already committed himself 



