1890-91.] LIEUT.-GOVERNOR SIMCOE'S ADMINISTRATION. 291 



Other subjects which had attracted the Governor's attention and 

 which he then brought to the notice of the Colonial Office were the 

 increase of his regiment by two companies to enable him to man the 

 public vessels on the lakes, the establishment of a port for the province 

 to render it independent of the merchants of Lower Canada, and he 

 suggested that communication with the ocean by way of the Mississippi 

 would be of vast importance. Owing to the critical state of relations 

 with the United States he requested that a small field-train of artillery 

 and a detachment of military artificers should be sent to the province. 

 French refugees might, he thought, be settled with advantage near 

 Detroit, where the French Canadian population already possessed 

 representatives of their own race and religion in the Assembly and 

 Legislative and Executive Councils. He inquired whether the affirmation 

 of a Quaker could be taken in place of the customary oath to enable 

 him to sit in the Legislature. He reiterated that encouragement must 

 be given to clergymen of the Church of England as the inhabitants were 

 chiefly dissenters and were already sending to the United States for 

 ministers. 



When reporting the proceedings of the second session of parliament, 

 he observed that there did not seem to be any organized opposition to 

 Government measures, at least in the Assembly, but that in the Legis- 

 lative Council Messrs. Cartwright and Hamilton usually acted in concert 

 and assumed an attitude of defiance and even hostility which plainly 

 excited his keen displeasure. Hamilton, he asserted, was an open and 

 avowed republican. 



By this time the demand for a marriage law had become much stronger 

 and' more general, and as there were very few members of the Church of 

 England in either house there was a disposition to make the ceremony 

 of marriage much less formal and solemn than the Governor desired. 

 In fact the Assembly tacked an amendment to the government bill after 

 it had been passed by the Legislative Council which gave clergymen of 

 every sect and denomination authority to perform the rite. This was 

 however withdrawn upon an assurance being given that the Government 

 would introduce another and more liberal bill. 



The main interest of the session centered on the act abolishing 

 slavery which met with keen opposition. Some persons having purchased 

 negroes at low prices from the Indians during the Revolution wished to 

 secure its rejection entirely. Others who wanted to supply themselves 

 with slaves in the future were anxious to have it modified in such a 

 manner as to permit their importation to continue for at least two years 



