THE SEIGNORIA.L TENURES IN CANADA.
Montreal, 1st February 1852.
Sra—I beg most distinctly to contradict the information of your Quebec correspondent of the 12th of last December, with regard to the manner in which Mr. Drummond's two iniquitous bills of last session have been re- ceived, at all events by the seigniors in this part of the Lower Province. Far from " resigning themselves to their fate" immediately on the reception in Montreal of copies of the first bill, a petition, signed by about a dozen seigniors, was presented to the House of Assembly, praying to be heard by counsel at the bar of the House before anything further should be done ; but this very reasonable request was virtually refused. Afterwards, when the then Solicitor-General had been obliged to postpone his attack on the rights of property, principally from the horror expressed by the Upper Cana- dian Members at such unwarrantable proceedings, a certain number of per- sons interested in seignorial property met in Montreal, and appointed a com- mittee to draw up a plan of defence, to be submitted to a general meeting of seigniors, to be convened as early as possible. In accordance with this resolu- tion, the committee framed a set of resolutions, which were, on the of December, after a lengthened debate, received at a meeting of about forty seigniors ; and an association was formed, to " resist to the utmost all at- tempts at declaratory legislation in reference to seignorial rights," and a SUM of nearly 4001. was subscribed. Since then, the committee, to whom the association delegated the power of carrying out their resolutions, have had several meetings, the result of which has not yet been made public.
Without wishing to trouble you further with details about which I am sorry to think the English public is rather indifferent, I would only add, that although the object of the association is to oppose the introduction of declaratory legislation, such as the former of Mr. Drummond's bills, entitled "A bill to define the rights of the seigniors and censitaires," &c., it is not the intention of its members to object in any way to an equitable scheme of commutation.
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