1906-7. TRANSACTIONS. 9 



to secure and detain persons charged with or suspected of high 

 treason, and for the arrest and commitment of all persons who 

 may individually, by seditious practices, attempt to disturb the 

 government of this province. " 



Robert Christie in his History of Loiver Canada, 1848, adds: 

 "It would seem by a proclamation of Lord Dorchester, dated at 

 Quebec, 26th November, 1793, that there were emissaries from 

 France, or others (Americans?) in the province, busying themselves 

 in propagating in it the revolutionary principles of that country in 

 those times. The proclamation alluded to stated that : — ' Whereas 

 divers evil-disposed persons had lately manifested seditious and 

 wicked attempts to alienate the affections of His Majesty's loyal 

 subjects, by false representations of the cause and conduct of the 

 persons at present exercising the supreme authority in France, 

 and particularly certain foreigners, being alien enemies, who are 

 lurking and lie concealed in various parts of this province, acting 

 in concert wth persons in foreign dominions, with a view to for- 

 ward the criminal purposes of such persons, enemies of the peace 

 and happiness of the inhabitants of this province, and of all religion, 

 government and order,' His Excellency, therefore, required all 

 magistrates in and throughout the province, captains of militia, 

 peace officers, and others of His Majesty's good subjects, to be 

 vigilant, and to do their utmost to discover and secure all and 

 every person who might hold seditious discourses, or utter treason- 

 able words, spread false news, publish or distribute libellous 

 papers, written or printed, tending to excite discontent, or lessen 

 the affections of His Majesty's subjects, or in any manner to dis- 

 turb the peace and happiness under His Majesty's government in 

 this colony, &c.' " 



Those were the days of Robespierre and 1793, the year of the 

 Terror in France. I have seen letters addressed by the secretary 

 to the Governor General for the information of some of our families 

 pointing out the impossibility to admit their sons in Canada after 

 following a course of regular instruction in Paris, because the 

 young men were suspected of being imbued with the current prin- 

 ciples of the Revolution. The measure recommended here by 

 Lord. Dorchester passed the Legislative Assembly without oppo- 

 sition and the obnoxious foreigners went back to the French 

 embassy at Washington to report the failure of their mission. 



The Alien Bill did not, however, completely rid the Province 

 of conspirators. In 1796 General Robert Prescott found it neces- 



