TORONTO OP OLD. 185 



The town of Belleville received its name from Gov. Gore. In early newspapers and other 

 documents the word appears as Bellville, without the central e, Avhich gives it now such a fine 

 French look. And this, it is said, is tlie true orthography. "Bell," we are told, was the 

 Governor's familiar abbreviation of his wife's name, Arabella : and the compound was sug- 

 gested by the Governor jocosely as a name for the new village : but it was set down in 

 oamest, and has continued, the sound at least, to this day. This off-hand assignment of a local 

 name may remind some persons that Flos, Tay, and Tiny, which are names of three now popu- 

 lous townships in the Penetanguisliene region, are a commemoration of three of Lady Sarah 

 Maitland's lap-dogs. Changes of names in sucli cases as these are not unjustifiable. 



In fact, the Executive Council itself, at the period of which we are speaking, had occasionally 

 found it proper to cliauge local names that had been frivolously given. In tlie Upper Canada, 

 Gazette of March 11th, 1822, we have several such alterations. It wwuld seem that some one 

 having access to the map or plan of a newly surveyed region, had inscribed across the parallelo- 

 grams betokening townships a fragment of a well-known Latin sentence, "jus et norma," placing 

 each separate word in a seitarate compartment. In this way Upper Canada had for a time a 

 township of " Jus," and more wonderful still, a township of ' ' Et." In the number of tlie Gazette 

 of the date given above these names are formally changed to Barrie and Palmerston respectively. 

 In the same advertisement, " Norma," which might have passed, is made " Clarendon. " Other 

 Impertinent appellations are also at the samejtime changed. The township of " Yea " is ordered 

 to be hereafter the township of "Burleigh," with a humorous allusion to the famous nod, 

 probably. The township of " No " is to be the township of Grimsthorpe ; and the township of 

 "Aye," the township of Anglesea. The name "Et" mayrecallthe street known as "Of" alley, 

 on tlie south side of the Strand, in London, which "Of" is a portion of the name and title 

 "George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham," distributed .severally among a cluster of streets in 

 that locality. 



Gov. Gore was so fortunate as to be away from his Province during the whole of the war of 

 1812-13. He obtained leave of absence to visit England in 1811, and returned to his post in 

 1815, the Presidents, Isaac Brock, Roger Hale Sheaffe, and Gordon Drummoud, Esquires, 

 reigning in the interim. 



Under date of York U. C, Sep. 30, 1815, we read the following particulars in the Gazette of 

 the day : — "Arrived on Monday last, the 25th instant. His Excellency Francis Gore, Esq., 

 Lieutenant Governor of the Province of Upper Canada, to reassume the reins of government 

 His Excellencj was received with a cordial welcome and the honours due to his rank ; and 

 was saluted by his M. S. Montreal, and Garrison." We are also informed that "' On Wednesday 

 the 27th instant, he was waited on by a deputation, and presented with tlie following address. 

 To His Excellency, Francis Gore, Esq., Lieutenant Governor of the Province of Upper Canada, 

 &c., &e., &c. We, the Judges, Magistrates and principal Inhabitants of the Town of York, 

 in approaching your Excellency to express our great satisfaction at beholding you once more 

 among us, feel that we liave still greater reason to congratulate ourselves on this happy event. 

 Our experience of your past firm and liberal administration, by which the prosperity of the 

 Province has been so essentially promoted, teaches us to anticipate the greater benefit from its 

 3'esumption ; and this pleasing anticipation is coafirmed by our knowledge of that paternal 

 solicitude which induced you while in England to bring, upon all proper occasions, the interests 

 of the Colony under the favourable attention of His Majesty's Government ; a solicitude which 

 calls forth in our hearts tlie most grateful emotions. We rejoice that the blessings of peace are 

 to be dispensed by one who is so well acquainted with the wants and feelings of the Colony ; 

 and we flatter ourselves that York, recovering from a state of war, (during whicli she has been 

 twice in the power of the enemy.) will not only forget her disasters, but rise to greater pros- 

 perity under your Excellency's auspicious administration. York, September 27th, 1815. Thos. 

 Scott, C.J., W. Dummer Powell, John Strachan, D.D., John MoGill, John Beikie, M.P., Grant 

 PoweU, J.P., W. Chewett, J.P., J. G. Chewett, W. Lee, Sam. Smith, W. Clans, Benjamin Gale, 

 D. Cameron, D. Boulton, juu., George Ridout, And. Mercer, Thomas Ridout, J.P., W. Jarvis, 

 Sec. and Reg., S. Jarvis, J. P., John Small, J. P., W. Allan, J. P., J. Givins, E. MacMahon, J- 

 Scarlett, S. Heward, Thos. Hamilton, C. Baynes, John Dennis, P. K. Hartney, Jiio. Cameron, 

 B. W. McBride, Jordan Post, jun., W. Knott, jun., Levi Bigelow, John Hays, T. R. Johnson, 

 Lardner Bostmck, John Burke, John Jordan, W. Smith, sen., W. Smith, jun., J. Cawthra, 



