TORONTO OF OLD. 261 



hry following (1801). Tlie subscribers present were unanimously of opinion that the subscrip- 

 tion should be imraediritely applied as far as it would go. Mr. Hale's proposition was accepted, 

 and a yominittee consisting of Mr. Secretary Jarvis, Mr. 'William Allan, and Mr. James Playter, 

 was appointed to superintend the carrying of it into execution. Additional subscriptions 

 would be received by Messrs. Allan and Wood." At the same meeting a curious project was 

 mooted, and a resolution in its favour adopted, for the permanent shutting up of a portion of 

 Lot Street, and selling the laud, the i,)roceeds to be applied to the improvement of Tonge Street. 

 There was no need of that portion of Lot Street, it was argued, there being already convenient 

 access to the town in that direction by a way a few yards to the soutii. We gather from tliis 

 that Hospital Street [Richmond Street] was the usual beaten track into the town from the 

 west. " It had been suggested," says the report of the meeting, " tliat considerable aid might 

 be obtained by shutting up tlie street which now forms the northern boundary of the town 

 between Toronto Street and the Common, and disposing of the land occupied by it. This 

 street, it was conceived, was altogether superfluous," the report continues, " as another street 

 equally convenient in every respect runs parallel to it at the distance of about ten rods ; but it 

 could not be shut up and disposed of by anj- authority less than that of the Legislature." A 

 petition to the Legislature embodying the above ideas was to lie for signature at Mr. McDougal's 

 Hotel. 



The proposed document may have been duly presented, but the Legislature certainly never 

 closed up Lot Street. Owners of parlc lots westward of Youge Street may have had their objec- 

 tions. The cliange suggested would have compelled them to buy not only the land occupied by 

 Lot Street, but also the land immediately to the south of their respective lots ; otherwise they 

 would have had no frontage in that direction. 



The money collected was, we suppose, satisfactorily laid out by Mr. Hale, but it did not suf- 

 fice for the completion of the coutemplated work. From the Gazette of Fob. 20 in the following 

 year (1802), we learn tliat a second subscription was started for the purpose of completing the 

 communication with the travelled part of Yonge Street to the north. In the Gazette just named 

 we have the following, under date of Y^ork, Saturday, Feb. 20, 1802: "We whose names are 

 hereunto subscribed, contemplating the advantage which must arise from the rendering of 

 Yonge Street accessible and convenient to the public, and having before us a proposal for com- 

 pleting that part of the said street between the Town of Y'ork and lot No. 1, do hereby respec- 

 tively agree to paj' the sums annexed to our names towards the carrying of the said proposal 

 into effect ; cherishing at the same time the hope that every liberal character will give his sup- 

 port to a work which has for Its design the improvement of the country, as well as the conve- 

 nience of the public : *the Chief-Justice, 100 dollars ; *Receiver-Gcneral, .120 ; *Robt. J. D. Grey, 

 $20 (and two acres of land when the road is completed) ; John Cameron, $40 ; *Jas. Macaulay, 

 $20 ; *A]exander Wood, .§20 ; *WiUiam Weekes, $20 ; John McGill, §16 ; Wilson, Humphreys 

 and Campbell, %lb ; D. W. Smith, $10 ; Thomas Scott, $10 ; *Wua. Jarvis, $10; *John Small, 

 $10 ; *David Burns, $10 ; *Wm. Allan, $10 ; Alex. McDoneU, $10 ; Wm. Smith, $10 ; Robert 

 Henderson, §10 ; *Simon McNabb, $8 ; John McDougal, $S ; D. Cozens, -SS ; Thomas Ward, 

 $8 ; *Elisha Beaman, $6 ; Jos. Hunt, $6 ; Eli Playter, $6 ; John Bennett. $6 ; *George Cutter, 

 $6 ; James Norris, $5i ; Wm. B. Peters, .«i5 ; John Leach, $5 ; Jolm Titus, $5 ; Wm. Cooper, 

 $5 ; *Wm. Hunter, $.5 ; J. B. Cozens, $5 ; *Daniel Tiers, $5 ; Thomas Forfar, $5 ', Samuel Nash, 

 $.5; Paul Marian, $3 ; Thomas Smith, .$3; John McBeath, .$3." It is subjoined that "sub- 

 scriptions will be received by Mr. S. McNabb, Secretary, and advertised weekly in the Gazette. 

 Tliose marked thus (*) have paid a former subscription." 



In the Gazette of March 6, 1802, an editorial is devoted to the subject of the improvement of 

 Yonge Street. It runs as follows : "It affords us much pleasure to state to our readers that 

 the necessary repair of Y''ouge Street is likely to be soon effected, as the work, we understand, 

 has been undertaken with tlie assurance of entering upon and eora])leting it without delay ; 

 and by every one who reflects upon the present sufferings of our industrious community on 

 resorting to a market, it cannot but prove highly satisfactory to observe a work of such conve. 

 nience and utility speedily accomplished. That the measure of its future benefits must be 

 extreme indeed, we may reasonably expect ; but whilst we look forward with flattering expec- 

 tations of these benefits, we cannot but appreciate the immediate advantage which is afforded 

 to us, in being relieved from the application of tlie statute labour to circuitous bye-paths and 



