106 TRANSACTIONS OF THE CANADIAN INSTITUTE. [VoL. I. 



7th October, 1804, and with him died his body servant, Simon Baker. 

 Simon's brother John lived till 1871, and died in Cornwall, Ont. But he, 

 and all Mr. Gray's other slaves were freed by his will, which is proved 

 in the Surrogate Court at Toronto. Lieut.-Governor Sir A. Campbell 

 favored the reader with a note as to slaves in Kingston, stating his inter- 

 est in the subject, and concluding : — " I had personally known two slaves 

 in Canada ; one belonged to the Cartwright and the other to the Forsyth 

 family. When I remember them in their old age, each had a cottage, sur- 

 rounded by many comforts, on the family property of his master, and was 

 the envy of all the old people in the neighborhood." 



Sir Adam Wilson also informed the reader of two young slaves, 

 " Hank " and " Sukey," whom he met at the residence of Mrs. O'Reilly, 

 mother of the venerable Miles O'Reilly, Q.C., in Halton County about 

 1830. They took freedom underthe Act of 1833, and were perhaps the 

 last slaves in the Province. 



NEGRO SLAVES ON OGDEN ISLAND. 



A description was given of Ogden Island in New York State, in the 

 St. Lawrence River, opposite Morrisburg, Ontario, a beautiful place of 

 1,000 acres, where about 18 10 Judge David A. Ogden built a mansion, 

 and resided in patriarchal state, having 25 negro slaves, part of the 

 dowry of his wife, a North Carolina Lady. They were happy ard con- 

 tented, and though free to go and come to the Canada shore, none ever 

 deserted. At the rear of this house and in the yard may be seen the 

 " negro quarters." Some of these servants were voluntarily set free by 

 Judge Ogden. One of them, an intelligent, amiable man, was known as 

 " Old Uncle Kit " on both banks of the St. Lawrence. He became a 

 clergyman of the African Episcopal Methodist Church, and pastor of the 

 old Leonard street and now Bleeker street colored church, New York 

 City, and passed among his colored brethren, till his death about 18.80, as 

 Rev. Christopher Rush. 



It is pleasant now to look back three score and ten years and see these 

 contented servants moving about the grounds, or in company with white 

 masters, and guests of this old and honorable family, pulling out to fish, 

 among the green islands, or with bows and firearms seeking game, then 

 abundant in the neighborhood. 



Nova Scotian Slavery was referred to. The system was never there 

 abolished by Parliament, but was unsuited to the climate, and fell into 

 desuetude. The like was the case in the other Maritime Provinces. 



