SESSIONAL PAPER No. 18

N° 2.

RETURN of the Canadian Inhabitants settled in the Town & Government of TroisRivieres in April 1762

N.B. There are besides in this Government Three Indian Villages, one at Bécancour; Another at St François both of Abenakis; and the last at Pointe du Lac of Algonquins, Containing about 500 Men Women & Children-Besides Forty Five Families of Acadians, amounting to very near Two Hundred people hutted in different places of this Government.

From the Registers of the Secretary's Office at Trois Rivieres, the 5th of April 1762.

J. BRUYERE. Sec

N° 3.

SESSIONAL PAPER No. 18

N° 4.

RETURN of the Number of Christenings, Marriages, & Burials in the Government of Trois Rivieres from September 1760, to April 1762

Thus the Number of Births in this Government have during the above mentioned time, Exceeded that of Burials by 275

From the Registers of the Secretary's Office at Trois Rivieres-April the 6th 1762J. BRUYERE. Sec

Endorsed :-Colonel Burton

Report

of the State of the Government of Trois

Rivieres in Canada

April. 1762:

in S J. Amherst's of June 15: 1762.

No 20.

GENERAL GAGE'S REPORT OF THE STATE OF THE GOVERNMENT OF

MONTREAL.

MONTREAL March 20th, 1762.

SIR, I have already Acknowledged the Receipt of a Copy of the Earl of Egremont's Letter to you of the 12th Dec', and I take this opportunity to return you my Answers thereto, Assuring you, that I have lost no Time in collecting the best Information of Every thing Contained in that Letter that I could possibly procure.

I feel the highest Satisfaction, that I am able to inform you, That during my Command in this Government, I have made it my Constant Care and Attention, that the Canadians should be treated agreeable to His Majesty's kind & humane Intentions. No Invasion on their Propertys, or Insult on their Persons have gone unpunished, All Reproaches on their Subjection by the Fate of Arms, Revilings on their Customs or Country, and all Reflexions on their Religion have been discountenanced and forbid.

No Distinction has been made betwixt the Briton & Canadian but equaly regarded as Subjects of the same Prince. The Soldiers live peaceably with the Inhabitants, & they reciprocaly acquire, an affection for each other. I have notwithstanding, made known, His Majesty's Pleasure on these Particulars to the Several Commanders of Corps, that every Individual may be acquainted therewith, which will, no Doubt, Add the greatest Weight to the Orders & Directions which have been already given. And you may be Assured that Troops who have ever shewn the most Ardent desires, to Advance the Interest of their Sovereign, and paid the most exact Obedience to his Commands, will vye with each other in Brotherly Love and Affection to the Canadians, over whom, His Majesty has extended his Royal Favor, & Protection. The Indians have been treated, on the Same principles of Humanity, They have had immediate Justice for all

6-7 EDWARD VII., A. their Wrongs, and no Tricks or Artifices have hitherto been attempted, to de: Them in their Trade.

I send herewith a Return, (N° 1) of the present State of the Troops & Art in this Government, As to the Fortifications, except Fort W Augustus, which I present be in a good state of Defence, the rest having only been calculated to repel. Invasions of Indians, are of Course, of small consideration. The City of Mont: surrounded by a high Wall ramparted and flanked; the Parapet about Three feet a natural Defence from the River St Lawrence on one side, on the other, a Ditch faced. Upon a Height within the City, is a small square work of wood, comp since the Capitulation, provided with a few pieces of Artillery, & capable of cont Seventy or Eighty Men. The Fort of Chamblé, is an Antient Stone Castle, with Tours, in which are Port-Holes, for small pieces of Ordnance, no Ditch or Ou You will also receive herewith, a General Return, (N° 2,) of the State of th ernment, for the year 1761, Comprehending the Number of its Inhabitants, Cat' The State of Population, Quantity of Acres Cultivated and Quantity of Grain for the particulars of all which, I referr you to the Return.

The Soil produces all sorts of Summer grain, in some parts of its Governm Wheat is sown in Autumn. Every kind of pulse & other vegetables; to which add, some Fruits, viz Apples Pears Plumbs Melons, &ca. Cyder is made here. yet in Small quantitys, In general, every Fruit tree, hardy enough to withs severity of the Winter, will produce in the summer, which affords sufficient bring most kinds of Fruit to Maturity.

The Profits, which the French King drew from the Government of Montre nected with the other two Governments, of Trois Rivieres & Quebec, proceede Sale of certain Trading Posts in the Indian Country, From the Money paid for, trade at others, which were called Free Posts, from the King's own Trad. called the King's Posts. And from the Droit de Quint, & Droit d'Ech • Return (N° 3) you will find these several posts particularly ascertained, with Profits which might have accrued from the two first. It is impossible to ascer were the Profits & Losses upon the French King's own Trade; No Doubt, tha managed, would have produced considerable gains; but from the Number saries & Factors employed, who have made very large Fortunes for themsel immense profusion of Presents, made to the Indians; I must conclude, I gained very little from the Commerce.

The Lands have all been granted, on Feudal Tenures, from thence; Droit de Quint, & Droit d'Échange. The first is a Fifth, of all Monies received, on the sale of Seigneuries. or Lordships. The Latter, a Fifth of th Lordships exchanged, & a Twelfth of the value of all Copyhold. Estates, exchanged. The Right of Exchange however, did not belong to the Frenc in the City or Island of Montreal; It having been granted to the priests of of S Sulpice, who are Temporal Lords of that Island. And enjoy the Exchange, as well the City as the rest of the Island. The French remitted a Third of his Dues on these sales & Exchanges, from hence, might amount, Communibus Annis, to about Three T I have Supported His Majesty's Right to these fines of Alienation ren according to old Custom. This Year by an Accident, They have Thousand Livres.

Immediately after we became Masters of this Country, all Monop and all Incumbrances upon Trade were removed. The Traders without the obligation of purchasing them, and I can by no mean Management, in giving exclusive grants of trade, at particular post sale thereof; or the sale of permits to trade at the free posts, wo The Indians of course paid dearer for their goods, & the Trade in been injured by Monoplys. The Traders were alone at the post where no person in Authority had the Inspect abuses, for which the Indians could get n Indians had murdered the Traders &

have been drawn into wars at a ve

SESSIONAL PAPER No. 18

French also found a very great Inconveente men to the Colony.

Nothing was more Common, than ie work their Boats, & assist in their Trade. toms, at length to adopt their way of L Several Edicts have been published to pre Low some Hundreds amongst the distant to their Country. Tho' the Trading P thence appears to have increased the Trade Monopolizers brought no Addition of Com traded with Indians, who would otherwise of Michillimakinac and Detroit, so that in Market. Besides the Inconveniences sale of Posts & Permits, I conceive this matt Jobbs, & Perquisites, that it would bring the surest & easiest way to encrease His Ma laying such Dutys only on its Importation

To remedy the Inconveniencies & ames suffered, thro' the management of the Indian assign a certain Number of Posts in the fistant should be allowed to traffick, and to aboin u

And I am of opinion the Five Posta serrate subjects to trade with almost every Nation c that have been accustomed to Trade with he ron, Michillimakinac Baye des Puants in non, on the Ouabache.

A small Detachment of Troops with amer And the officers Authorized, either solely

as may be found in the posts, to exercise i

of the above Posts are from the Inhabiteri highly necessary, and the advantages that w: Insolence of the Indians will be checked. T

& Artifices of the Traders to defraud the Intan. which cannot fail to make the Indians concarre His Majesty's good Inclination towards them as Quarrells with the Savages will be prevented. the Trade in the distant Countrys, than the wa. cerning the Trade that shall be made, can pre Paper (N° 4) contains the particular Canada, and upon the exports of the Peiletry the French King enjoyed, Communibus Arm prehending at an average, Exports & Immor whatever, which were received in Canada on the to the same paper for the annual expence of C will observe amongst the Exports that the Bea India Company, paid no Daty. Nor am I the French King drew any Prose from the Ports of France; or what advantages The Co Trade of Beaver, granted to the India Co give me any clear Information is one pers The only immediate Import & Canada was the preventing the Etering of the Commodities & Man F no Doubt, views to

with Hemp, C

The