1891-92. ] CORRESPONDENCE OF LIEUT.-COL. COFFIN. 281 
tHe PRIVATE CORRESPONDENCE. OF LIEUT.-COL. 
COFFIN: DURING THE REBELLION. OF 1837. 
By H. R. FAIRCLOUGH, M.A. 
(Read 12th March, 1892.) 
It has been my great privilege to read a packet of letters written by 
the late Lieut.-Col. Coffin. Though I never knew or even saw the 
writer, still so vividly does the man’s noble personality appear between 
the lines he penned, that I feel drawn towards him as to a friend, the 
touch of whose vanished hand, and the sound of whose voice, now still, 
the pages perused have in no slight measure supplied. The individuality 
of the writer I have been able to picture to myself still more fully, 
through the many conversations 1 have had with several of his intimate 
friends and relatives, particularly one, the lady to whom a nvmber of the 
letters before me are addressed. It is because Col. Coffin was so well 
known and highly esteemed in Canadian public life, and because his 
letters deal with public events at an extremely critical period of our 
national history, that I have taken the liberty of bringing this interesting 
correspondence before the notice of the Institute. 
Col. Coffin* came of a fine old stock. Burke, in his “ Colonial 
Gentry,” speaking of the Coffin family says that “Sir Richard Coffin, 
Knight, accompanied William the Conqueror from Normandy to Eng- 
land in the year 1066, and the manor of Alwington, Co. Devon, was 
assigned to him.” 
Though, on the face of it, this statement is absurd, still it indicates the 
*William Foster Coffin was born at Bath, Somerset, England, in 1808. In 1813 came with 
his father to Canada, but returned to England, 1815. Entered Eton College, 1817. Won an 
Eton Postmastership at Merton College, Oxford. Returned to Canada. 1830. In 1835 was 
called to the Quebec bar. In 1838 was appointed Assistant Civil Secretary, and actively 
assisted Sir John Colborne in allaying civil strife. In 1839 was appointed Stipendiary Magistrate 
at Ste. Marie, a disaffected district, and in 1840 Commissioner for Police in Lower Canada. In 
1842 became Joint Sheriff for District of Montreal, but resigned this position in 1851. In 1856 
was made Manager of Ordnance and Admiralty lands, a position which he held until his death in 
1878. Was offered but declined the Lieut.-Governorship of Manitoba. Acted on numerous 
government commissions. Raised and commanded the Montreal Field Battery, 1855, and was 
promoted to the rank of Lieut.-Colonel. Wasa member of the Royal Institution and a Gover- 
nor of McGill College. His published literary work includes a ‘‘ History of the War of 1812 
(Montreal 1864) and ‘‘ Thoughts on Defence from a Canadian Point of View” (Montreal 1870) 
He married a daughter of Deputy Commissary-General Clarke, a near relative of Lord 
Lyndhurst. 
