180-70 



Lieutenant-general John Graves Simcoe. 



601 



kis duty, was rewarded '.vith the appointment 

 •f adjutant to the regiment, in Id's than two 

 years, his comniilTinn bearing ciate the I'Tth 

 March, 1772, ajid he' fuccecdecl to a lieute- 

 nancy, March 1'.', 1774. Among the troops 

 ordered to America, in 1775, was t'ae 33th 

 regiment, ar.d as Lieutenant Simcoe, from 

 his prot'eirional knowledge, wa? jutlly de- 

 ferving of notice, he was promoted to a com- 

 pany in the 4()th, one ot the corps which 

 diftinguiihed itfelf in that un'ortunate con- 

 tcft. In the courfe oi" thi'. vvjr, many pro- 

 vincial battalions were raifed in America, one 

 of which was given to Captain Simcoe, and, 

 in comiilimen: to her M.ijerty, called the 

 Queen's Rangers ; of this he was appointed 

 major-commandant. At l?he hcjd of this 

 corps, which was adlively employed, under 

 the moft enterprifing olhcers, he exhibited 

 many proofs of his profelllonal talents. In 

 «onfequence of this, on the 'SM of June, 

 1779, General Sir Henry Clinton, the com- 

 mander in chief, gave him the local rank of 

 lieutenant-colonel, which was afterwards efta- 

 blilTiaJ in the army. At the peace of 1?8;^, 

 this ufeful and brave corps, which had fo 

 eminently diftinguiilied itl'elf under his orders, 

 was dilbanded, but the officers were put on 

 the half pay lift, and had rank in the army. 

 On Lieutenant-Colonel Simcoc's return to 

 England, he retired to enjoy, in tranquillity, 

 a refpite from liis labours; but tljc ferviccs 

 he had performed not being unknown to his 

 Majeily, he was appointed lieutenant-colonel 

 commandant jro a corps to he raifed in Ame- 

 rica, and to ferve in Canada, to which he 

 gave the name of the Queen's Rangers. On 

 the IBth of November, 1790, he obtained the 

 rank of colonel in the ;irmy. By an .\(\. of 

 Parliament, which paded in the fcflion of 

 1791, the province of Quebec was divided 

 into Upper and Lower Can.id.i, and each of 

 them was placed under the fuperintendancc 

 of lieutenant-governors, fubjert to the autho- 

 rity of ihe governor-general of Biitiih Ame- 

 rica. Colonel Simcoe was appointed lieute- 

 nant-governor of the former. Neither ambi- 

 tion nor riches aftualcd his mind in the ac- 

 ceptance of the appointment, but an iuherent 

 principle to make his life ufeful to his king 

 and country. On his arrival with his family 

 jn Upper Canaela, Colonel Simcoe had the 

 country accurately furveyed, and then formed 

 his plans lor peopling and improving it. He 

 at finl thought of placing the centre of his 

 fctdeiiients within the fquare, formed by the 

 Jakes Ontario, Erie, Huron, and Detroit ri- 

 ver; but as the Niagara was to be given up 

 to the Americans, he altered his plan. York, 

 fttu.tte on the NortliWelt fide of lake On- 

 tario, had been before determined on for the 

 capital, but Governor Simcoe not approving 

 of that plan, iiitendci to fix it on the banLrs 

 of a river belueen Hmon and Ontario. Thij 

 was alfu dropped, and York is now tlie feat 

 of government. 'I'o in.reafe the population 

 Viii the gicat an<i fuvourito I'chenie uf the 



new governor, and as he had the allotment of 

 lands vefted in him, he was enabled to pro- 

 mote this defirable and uf;ful m?afure. The 

 families of American officers and fuldiars wh» 

 adhered to the royal caul'e at tlie conclufioa 

 of the war, obtained griyits on tfie Brithll 

 fide o.-' the boundary line, as well as many 

 oHicors and foldiers of regiments of the regu- 

 lar forces; fince that period, emigrants frota 

 the mother country anj the American State* 

 have alfo been encouraged to fettle there. 

 The policy of General Simcoe was to draw ac 

 many uf the latter .is he could, and by mcan« 

 of his miiJ and difintereftcd government, to 

 promote a love for tht- natio.ial character of 

 Englilhmen in tne .Amrrican States. To 

 another body of men \v~ !v;':d out a (hare or 

 thel'e lands, we mean halt pay officers; and 

 he thought it an excellent meafure to grant 

 difcharges to foldiers I'ervin;^ in the regiments 

 then in Canada, who bad been a certain num- 

 ber of years in the coancry, and allot fettle- 

 ments to them. In the mean time, tliat the 

 corps might not be in'oniplete, hi propoCcd 

 cnliiHng Americans, who would foon be at- 

 t.iched to the fervice o; his Britannic tVLijcfty. 

 Thefe military lettleis he inten.led to occupy 

 the lands on the frontiers towards the .Ame- 

 rican Statts, and on I he banks or' the lakes. 

 The inland parts he ftt apatt for taofe who 

 had emigrated ; and, in cafe of their not being 

 zealoufly attached to the exilling gov<^riinient, 

 the military fetllers, from their fitu.ition, 

 could aft with vigoui: againft them ; or, ia 

 the event of a war with America, wnick 

 would be contrary to the intereft of both na- 

 tions, defend the frontiers. A militia 

 formed or' fuch fettlers, inigh:, in tliol': in- 

 ftances, prove nearly as ufetul as a regular 

 corps. In purl'uance of thefe plans. Colonel 

 Simcoe, on all occalions, gave encomagemeat 

 and affiltance to thole who a|ipl:i4 f)r landj,^ 

 or who were already in pollellion ot them. 

 The confequence of this was, that, in a lliort 

 fpace of time, he faw thjt his go/erninenc 

 was capable, not only oi fupplying gram for 

 home confaraption, but alfo for exportation. 

 Cattle of all kinds were alfo reared in abun- 

 dance, although, in former times, flour w.is 

 fent from Englandj and meat aii.l butter frora 

 Ireland, for the ufe or the troops, at an enor- 

 mous expence. The lakes alio, in his opi- 

 nion, were capable of furnilhing fi'li, particu- 

 larly fturgeon, in fuch vaft quantities, as ti» 

 atVord the means of carrying on a trade witli 

 Europe, in competition witli Rullia, which 

 fuppiies England, and other- countries, to a 

 great amount. He, thereiorc, Itrongly re- 

 commended this to the fettlers. In Ihort, 

 the whole of his conduct, during the time he 

 enjoyed the government of Ujiper Canada, 

 was honourable, liberal, and admirably cal- 

 culated to lay the foundations of private and 

 public profperity. Jullice was adminillcraJ 

 under hii aufpices, according to the principles 

 ot' the Britiih Conltitution. The lieutenants 

 of counti«9, appointed by him, had authority 



