348 



CANADA. 



Canada, ly augmented by the liberal support afforded by the 

 """"V" -' inhabitants of these towns to their respective insti- 

 tutions ; and the good effects of these establishments 

 are very observable in the acquirements of many 

 young men of the country, who have of late enter- 

 ed into public life. 



Religion. The provinces of Upper and Lower Canada were 

 erected by his Majesty into a bishop's see, in the 

 year 1793 ; but the clergy of. the established church 

 in both provinces amount only to eleven or twelve, 

 including the lord bishop of Quebec. Within these 

 few years, a Metropolitan church has been erected at 

 Quebec, which is an extremely neat and commodi- 

 ous building, and in which there is a very fine or- 

 gan. There is also a minister of the church of Scot- 

 land, both at Quebec and Montreal, who have cha- 

 pels appropriated to their use, with very respectable 

 congregations. But the great majority of the inha- 

 bitants of Lower Canada profess the Roman Catho- 

 lic religion, the free exercise of which was secured 

 to them by the act of the British parliament of the 

 14th year of his present Majesty, c. 83 ; subject, 

 however, " to the King's supremacy, declared and 

 established by an act made in the first year of the 

 reign of Queen Elizabeth." By the same act of 

 the 14th of the King, the clergy of the said church 

 may " hold, receive, and enjoy, their accustomed 

 dues and rights, with respect to such persons only .as 

 shall profess the said religion." 



By the above act, the Roman Catholic clergy in 

 Lower Canada have obtained rights and privileges 

 far superior to those of the same religion in any 

 other part of the British dominions. It is neverthe- 

 less to be observed, that these advantages are held 

 subject to the King's supremacy ; which, consequent- 

 ly, gives to the crown the right of presentation to 

 Roman Catholic church livings in Lower Canada, 

 where there is no other legal authority to make such 

 presentations. This very important right has hither- 

 to, through connivance, been suffered to be exercised 

 by the Roman Catholic bishop, who is always no- 

 minated by the governor or person administering the 

 government of the province for the time being, as 

 the representative of his Majesty. But, for want of 

 proper authority from the crown, the parochial cler- 

 gy of Lower Canada labour under very serious dif- 

 ficulties ; and, from some suits which have of late 

 years been brought into the provincial courts, but 

 which have not been carried to a final issue, there is 

 great reason to doubt whether, by legal process, 

 they can enforce payment of tithes from their pa- 



rishioners, should the latter be inclined to dispute Canada, 

 the point. We have only to remark farther, on this '" ""^ J 

 subject, that the Roman Catholic clergy of this co- 

 lony are more distinguished by their devout, inoffen- 

 sive, and humane dispositions, than by their learn- 

 ing or talents ; and that they are regular and rigid 

 in the observance of their religious ceremonies ; but 

 have much less bigotry and party-spirit, than the ec- 

 clesiastics of the same church in any other country. 

 They live on the most friendly terms with their Pro- 

 testant neighbours ; attend each other's baptisms, 

 marriages, and burials, without scruple ; and have 

 even been known to make use alternately of the same 

 place of worship. They certainly afford a proof, as 

 adduced by Mr Burke, that the full and complete 

 toleration of Catholics is not necessarily followed by 

 revolt and independence on their part ; since, when 

 all our Protestant colonies revolted and joined them- 

 selves to France, " Popish Canada was the only place 

 which preserved its fidelity ; the only place in which 

 France got no footing." The great mass of the 

 people are affirmed, by recent travellers and residents 

 in the colony, to be still quiet and inoffensive, and 

 as ready to obey any order of government as the 

 people of Great Britain. Various measures have 

 been proposed with a view to encourage and con- 

 firm them in their allegiance ; upon the probable ef- 

 ficacy of which it is not our province to pronounce 

 an opinion, and which could not with propriety be 

 discussed in the present work ; but we have been de- 

 sirous, in devoting so considerable a space to the sub- 

 ject, to contribute our aid to attract a greater de-. 

 gree of the public attention to so valuable, interest- 

 ing, and extensive a portion of the British domi- 

 nions ; and we submit the present sketch to our read- 

 ers with greater confidence, as it has been honoured 

 with a revisal, and many important additions, from 

 gentlemen of character and ability who have, resided 

 in the colony, and who are thoroughly acquainted 

 with the subject. See Modern Univ. Hist, vols.xxxix. 

 & xl. ; M'Kenzie's Voyages in North America ; Car- 

 ver's Travels in North America ; Long's Travels in 

 North America ; Heriot's Travels through the Ca~ 

 nadas ; Grey's Letters from Canada ; Weld's Tra- 

 vels in America; Boulton's Sketch of Upper Canada , 

 Lambert's Travels in Canada; and particularly Sir 

 James Marriott's Plan of a Code of Laws for the 

 Province of Quebec, printed in the year 1774, and 

 now to be had of Mr Bickerstaff, bookseller, Lon- 

 don. * (q) 



* The writer of this article has been indebted to WILLIAM ELUCE, Esq. M. P. for much valuable and original information 

 respecting Canada. 



CAN 



CANAL. See INLAND NAVIGATION. 

 CANANORE, CANURA, or COLANADA, a town 

 and principality of Hindustan, lies at the bottom of 

 a small bay on the coast of Malabar. It was very 

 early possessed by the Portuguese, who, about the 

 year 1605, obtained leave of the king of the coun- 

 try to build a fort, which they secured with a strong 

 garrison. Having thus become a point of communi- 

 cation with Europe, and being well supplied by the 



CAN 



adjoining country, with abundance of rice, pepper, Cananore. 

 sugar, cardamoms, ginger, tamarinds,, and other valir- < 

 able commodities, it soon rose to be a populous and 

 commercial city; and, about the middle of the 18th 

 century, when it was under the power of the Dutch, 

 who had established a considerable factory at this 

 place, nearly 200 vessels arrived annually in its har- 

 bour. In 1770, Cananore was sold by the Dutch r 

 to the ancestors of the present reigning family, for: 



