8 



of customs and peculiar habits almost unneces- 

 sary. The Canadian was so far fortunate, that 

 he passed from the dominion of one sovereign 

 to that of another professing a different re- 

 ligious faith, without prejudice to his own, style 

 of living, his form of worship, his long prac- 

 tised modes of commerce and traffic, or the 

 education of his children. From this period 

 until the commencement of the war between 

 England and her revolted American colonies, 

 the greatest improvement that did take place 

 is to be found in the stability and regularity 

 acquired by the new government in all its 

 branches, and in the strong affectionate at- 

 tachment evinced by the Canadians towards a 

 constitution that confirmed and protected them 

 in all their natural as well as acquired rights. 

 The strength of this attachment was decidedly 

 and unequivocally shewn by the enthusiasm 

 with which they fled to arms, and in the cou- 

 rage with which they fought to repel every 

 aggression offered to their soil by the inveterate 

 enemies who were so lately their fellow-sub- 

 jects. Some increase in the population is ob- 

 servable, for in the year 1775 it amounted to 

 something more than 90,000, in which estimate 

 the present province of Upper Canada is in- 

 cluded ; but as very few settlements had as yet 

 been made there, its inhabitants could form 



