The riot act was read in the afternoon and the First Royals and
the artillery, with some field guns, marched through the streets
headed by two French-Canadian magistrates, Mr. Desrivières and
Mr. John Donegani. The loyalists marched to Bonsecours Street and
were, with difficulty, restrained from attacking Mr. Papineau’s
house. The office of the Vindicator on St. Lambert’s Hill, near
Fortification Lane, was gutted, type, presses, paper, etc., being
thrown into the street.
This paper in the reform and malcontent interest had made
itself particularly obnoxious to the constitutionalists. Such
incitements as the following had been appearing in its columns:
“Henceforth there must be no peace in the province, no quarter
for the plunderers. Agitate! Agitate!! Agitate!!! Destroy the
revenues; denounce the oppressors. Everything is lawful when
the fundamental liberties are endangered. The guards die,
they never surrender.” During that night the main guard was
strengthened; pickets were placed on St. Lawrence Main, Place
d’Armes and in the Quebec suburbs. The Montreal Royal Artillery
patroled the streets and Griffintown was paraded by a body of
independent mechanics. On November 9th Sir John made Montreal his
headquarters and his firm conduct gave confidence in contrast
with the dilatory methods of Lord Gosford. Soon Montreal began
to receive fugitives from the parishes, many of these being
magistrates and militia officers and others under government who
had been forced by threats to resign.
On the 12th of November a proclamation was issued against
meetings for military drills. All public assemblies and
processions were forbidden. Volunteer corps of riflemen,
artillery and cavalry were now raised under the authority of the
Government. A new commission of the peace was issued for the
Montreal district. Sixty-one of the former had been struck off.
On November 16th[2] warrants were issued for the arrest of
twenty-six insurgents, among them being Mr. Papineau, Doctor
O’Callaghan, Mr. Thomas Storrow Brown and the accredited leaders
of the “Fils de Liberté.” The principal leaders escaped, Mr.
Papineau flying to Doctor Nelson at St. Denis.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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