294 TRANSACTIONS OF THE CANADIAN INSTITUTE. [VOL. IL 



ment lay outside the boundary but great efforts had been made to 

 induce the inhabitants to remove into British territory though with only 

 moderate success. Dundas Street, intended to connect the settlements 

 on the Niagara with those on the Detroit and Lower Thames, was 

 already half completed, and it was proposed to extend it at once to York 

 and ultimately with the assistance of the inhabitants, to Kingston and 

 Montreal. 



Again and again he reverted to his favorite project of the establish- 

 ment of a British factory on the west bank of the Mississippi, a measure 

 which he was led to believe from his correspondence with the Baron 

 Carondelet, (the Spanish Governor of Louisiana,) would be regarded with 

 satisfaction by Spain. 



During the session of 1794 one of the chief government measures was 

 a Militia Act prompted by the continued precarious relations with the 

 United States. A bill for the establishment of Superior Courts was 

 vigorously opposed in the Legislative Council by Hamilton and Cart- 

 wright, all the other members supporting it. It was then passed through 

 the Assembly without dissent and Simcoe related that it was with 

 difficulty that that House was dissuaded from reading the bill a first,^ 

 second, and third time on the same day, to mark their disapprobation of 

 the opposition it had received in the Council. 



A new assessment law was enacted which remedied some of the defects 

 of the previous Act. Hitherto all persons rated below ^^50, being in 

 fact a majority of the inhabitants, had been entirely exempted from 

 taxation and the highest assessment of any individual had been fixed at 

 ;^400. Under the new law every householder was taxed at least two 

 shillings and those owning property to the value of more than ^^500 

 were to pay a rate of five shillings on the £iOO. It was hoped that 

 the revenue would be at least doubled in consequence of these changes. 



As the large surplus of grain for which no ready market could be 

 found, had induced many of the inhabitants to set up private stills, a 

 small license fee was also imposed upon these at this session. 



The situation of affairs with the United States daily grew more 

 threatening. A speech delivered by Lord Dorchester to a deputation 

 of Indian chiefs was interpreted even by Simcoe as being ominously 

 significant, and this was soon followed by instructions from the Governor- 

 General to take vigorous measures to prevent General Wayne from 

 seizing Detroit, which convinced him that war was believed inevitable. 



Accordingly, early in the spring of 1794 Simcoe hurried to Detroit, 

 mustered the militia into service, and armed them. Advancing with a 



