The Last Laird of MacNab Part 5

"Ah!" said the Chief, turning away from him with a frown, and blowing a snort like a porpoise--his usual habit when angry--"bad weeds grow fast," and immediately left the house.

While the people and McNab were involved in these disputes, they did not neglect the social duties imposed on them as heads of families.

Hitherto, there were no means of instruction, however poor, for the young, and they determined to procure some smattering of education for their children. Accordingly this year (1837) two schools were established in the towns.h.i.+p; one in "Canaan," near Mr. Wm. McNevin's, and the other in "Goschen," on the 4th concession line. Duncan Campbell, Peter McMillan, John McDermaid, and James Carmichael, four of the original settlers, with their families, had moved up to this more fertile locality in 1832, and their families were growing up without education of any kind. Indeed, some of the most intelligent men in the towns.h.i.+p, the sons of the first settlers are self-taught.

Three of them in particular, have occupied prominent positions; John Robertson and Duncan Campbell, of the Dochart, have been Reeves and Councillors, respectively. John Robertson was a J.P., and Duncan Campbell, for his smartness at figures, was Auditor for several years, and Donald McLaren, (son of Jas. McLaren, one of McNab's "black sheep,") was a Councillor for many years, and a thorough and well-posted politician.

The people, in conjunction with the inhabitants of the neighboring munic.i.p.ality of Horton, were beginning to agitate the question of getting a minister and building a church. The Presbytery hitherto had sent one of their number annually to preach and baptize the children, and remind the people of the faith and religion of their fathers. The preaching and meetings were held at the house and barn of Mr. Donald Fisher, until the bridge at Johnston's Rock was constructed, and the people flocked to the rendezvous, from a distance of twelve miles and upwards. A lamentable accident occurred in 1836 at one of these gatherings. While John Stewart and John McNab Achesson--two of the best and n.o.blest-hearted Highlanders that ever settled in McNab--were crossing the Madawaska at Johnston's Rock, in the middle of the Long Rapids, the canoe upset, and both of them were drowned. John McNab was an expert swimmer, but in endeavoring to save Stewart, he was locked in his struggling embrace and both sank never more to rise.

As soon as the bridge was completed, the people made preparations to organize a society to procure spiritual ministers; and they so far succeeded that the Bathurst Presbytery in 1838 sent out a reverend gentleman once every three months to officiate in what was then looked upon as a half-civilized country. The Rev. Mr. Fairbairn, of Ramsay, was the first who commenced this quarterly mission tour. Such was the state of affairs at the close of 1837 and the commencement of the following year. The rebellion in both provinces had been put down; the Family Compact, with their little bantam, Sir Francis, began to crow; the people of McNab were fast verging to a state of revolt themselves, when the news reached this side of the Atlantic that the Earl of Durham and a special set of Commissioners were coming out to investigate all complaints and redress all grievances. This was news, indeed! It gave hope to the desponding, and inspired the settlers with new vigor. All hope was nearly crushed out by the supercilious mockery of their pet.i.tion by Sir Francis and his Executive Council, and the delusive falsehoods which his reply contained; but when the advent of Lord Durham was announced, vigorous measures were taken, and a thorough and combined system of organization was planned and adopted. Messrs. Allan Stewart, Angus McNab, Donald Mohr McNaughton, Peter Campbell Dochart, Daniel (Dancie) and James Carmichael, tacitly became the recognized leaders of the movement, the details of which will be found in subsequent chapters.

CHAPTER XII.

AN ANTIc.i.p.aTION--MR. ALLAN'S REPORT.

The facts we are now about to record are incredible to persons who have had no act or part in the struggles of the settlers, and of so improbable a character that they might be treated as pure fiction, or at least as gross exaggerations. In order to do away with this impression, and preserve a connected thread to this very important narrative, the writer has now brought forward a doc.u.ment, which in point of time is subsequent to the events we are recording. While we are narrating facts we desire the reader to be satisfied with their truth and correctness; therefore we proceed to publish the Report of the Special Commissioner sent by Lord Sydenham to investigate the alleged grievances of the pet.i.tioners, and to report on their pet.i.tion.

[COPY.]

TORONTO, 8th July, 1840.

SIR,--I am directed by His Excellency, the Governor-General-in-Council, to inform you that his Excellency has appointed you a Special Commissioner to investigate the complaints of the settlers in the towns.h.i.+p of McNab in your District, and you will report direct to His Excellency in Council. You will proceed, immediately on the receipt of this communication, to the work of investigation, taking the pet.i.tion of Angus McNab and others as your basis.--You will be minute and particular in your examinations, and will visit every lot, value the same, and if possible see every settler personally, and ascertain from him the truth or falsity of the complaints made to the Government.

I have the honor to be, etc., (Signed), W. H. LEE, _C. E. Council_.

FRANCIS ALLAN, ESQ., } _Crown Land Agent_, } Bathurst District, Perth.}

[REPLY.]

BATH. DISTRICT OFFICE, } PERTH, 4th Nov., 1840. }

SIR,--In compliance with the desire of His Excellency in Council, I beg to enclose you remarks upon the pet.i.tion of Angus McNab and others, settlers in the towns.h.i.+p of McNab, which I trust will meet the approbation of the Council, and

I am, etc., (Signed), FRANCIS ALLAN, _Agent, Bathurst District_.

W. H. LEE, ESQ., } _C. E. Council, Toronto_. }

[REPORT.]

Remarks upon the Pet.i.tion of Angus McNab and other settlers in the Towns.h.i.+p of McNab, on the inspection and Report of the general affairs of the Towns.h.i.+p of McNab, by Francis Allan, Agent of the Honorable, the Commissioner of Crown Lands, in the Bathurst District:

With regard to the a.s.sertion of the Pet.i.tioners that the McNab "cannot show where he has laid out one s.h.i.+lling for their behoof,"

I have to state that after the most minute enquiries on the subject, both amongst the settlers and others in the neighborhood, I have not found it in a single instance contradicted. The roads, except where naturally hard and dry, are in a most miserable condition; and the settlers state that they have been prevented from working upon the regular lines of road by the McNab's exercising his authority as a magistrate, and calling them to work upon roads which they allege was either to conduce to his own personal advantage, or gratify his caprice. They state that they have been frequently called upon by him to expend their statute labor upon a new road in one season, and before the next, it was laid aside and another projected. The two roads of approach on the south-east side of the towns.h.i.+p are most wretched--one of them all but impa.s.sable, a horse going to the belly every few rods, at least on one of them, for miles together, in the month of August. And yet I have not been able to discover that the MacNab ever laid out one s.h.i.+lling for the repair of roads, beyond his ordinary statute-labor. I heard, indeed, that he subscribed 20 to a.s.sist in building a bridge across the Madawaska at Arnprior; but he paid it in oak cut off the Crown or settlers' lands, hewn by the settlers, either on their own private time, or time which they had subscribed for the bridge, and sold to the contractors at so much a foot. Therefore, whatever he might have subscribed, I conceive he paid nothing.

McNab has stated (and he has done so in my presence), that he had to convey all the provisions for his settlers at the commencement upon men's backs, from Bolton's Mills in Beckwith. It is most confidently affirmed--and that in the most general way--that one pound of provisions was never conveyed from hence, or anywhere else, at his expense for the benefit of the settlers. They were under the necessity of travelling into Beckwith and Ramsay amongst their friends and acquaintances to procure provisions for themselves and families upon credit. And many of the settlers and others state that had it not been for the generosity of the Beckwith people they possibly might have perished; and worse than all, McNab wrote to one or more of the inhabitants of Beckwith, cautioning them against trusting or crediting his settlers.

That he has obtained timber-duties, less or more, since the year 1832 to the present time, is perfectly true--previous to his obtaining the privilege of the timber-duties in 1835, and even since, he was in the habit of granting licenses to cut timber on lands which he had actually located, and of locating lots in names of persons apparently for no other purpose than to obtain the timber. I have had no opportunity of judging of the amount of his receipts from this source, but felt confident it must have been immense, and do not discredit the statements in the pet.i.tion, either with regard to his receipts in general, or this season. A person named Duncan Campbell, residing on No. 23 in 12th concession stated to me that he was ready to prove that he got his license from McNab to cut timber in the month of January last, but it was dated in the month of August preceding.

It has also been most positively affirmed that McNab has pa.s.sed great quant.i.ties of timber as having been cut in McNab towns.h.i.+p, taken from the adjoining towns.h.i.+ps; and that on one occasion he pa.s.sed a whole raft as such, which came down the Ottawa far above McNab. This last, though convinced in my own mind on the subject, would be very difficult to prove, seeing that the lumberers, the princ.i.p.al witnesses, were implicated in the fraud.

It is also beyond all question that the McNab has collected rents of all settlers from whom he could obtain it, whether brought out by him or not. There are only about 15 or 16 families in the towns.h.i.+p that he brought out. It is also certain that he has sold land at high prices. He sold No. 17 and 18 broken lots in the 13th con. to Alexander McDonald for 120. He sold No. 20 and 21 in the 13th con. to Michael Roddy, for 150, as appeared from written evidence produced to me. And written evidence was also produced that Duncan Anderson sold No. 25 in the 11th con. to Michael Roddy, with the improvements, for 500, and that McNab got one half, and Anderson the other. And several other lots he had sold, or attempted to sell, for clearing land to him. To my certain knowledge, Anderson drew 100 acres of a free grant previous to his going to McNab, in the towns.h.i.+p of Beckwith, and afterwards sold it. Two other persons have also received grants from the McNab, viz.: Donald Fisher in the 1st con., and John McCallum in the 4th con., who formerly received free grants from the Government. Those two last, however, deny having paid McNab any consideration for their present possessions.

That very many of the settlers have been hara.s.sed with law, is also incontrovertible; and many more kept in constant alarm by threats of being sued by the McNab. In the case of John Campbell, located on N. E. half of 13 in the 7th con., by trade a blacksmith, came into the country at his own expense, refused to pay the Chief rent, or grant a mortgage on the lot. The Laird therefore, upon what authority I know not, seized his tools and kept them for a great number of years.

In another case, an illegal doc.u.ment was shown me, purporting to be a Declaration by the McNab regarding some alleged debt, stated to have been an extortion annexed to which was a warrant signed by another magistrate of the name of Richey, for the purpose of arresting a sum of money in the hands of a third person; and I was informed that this illegal conduct was actually carried into effect.

Another case it is particularly my duty to mention.--Duncan McNab, who was originally located on No. 13 in the 1st con., and Duncan Anderson, mentioned above as having sold 200 acres and was again located on another 100 acres in the 4th con., thought proper to exchange lots. The Chief, as is alleged, being offended with Duncan McNab, sued him with the intent of putting him off the lot. D.

McNab gained his suit and in order to get the better of him, the Chief upon some pretext or other got out a patent for the lot, brought on the suit again, and now having the Government patent to produce, gained it, thus utterly ruining a poor man with a young family. Anderson, however, remains in undisturbed possession of D.

McNab's lot.

To conclude, I beg to report that the McNab has drawn or procured the deeds of the greater part of the most valuable lots in the towns.h.i.+p; and also to record my opinion, that independent of the _wanton_ oppression and outrages of humanity which the settlers allege against him, McNab has conducted the affairs of the towns.h.i.+p in the worst possible manner for the interests of the settlers or the country. There is not a grist-mill at present in the towns.h.i.+p and many of the settlers have to travel fourteen, fifteen and sixteen miles to mill, through roads which in any part of the country as long settled as McNab would be deemed disgraceful. The system of rent and mortgage, added to an arbitrary bearing and persecuting spirit, seems to have checked all enterprise, and paralyzed the industry of the settlers. In fine, had the McNab studied it he could not have followed a course more calculated to produce discontent and disaffection amongst a people. The devotion of Scotch Highlanders to the Chief is too well known to permit it to be believed that an alienation such as has taken place between McNab and his people, could have happened unless their feelings were most grossly outraged.

All of which I have the honor to submit to Your Excellency's consideration.

(Signed) FRANCIS ALLAN, _Agent Bathurst District_.

We publish the reply of the Chief to Mr. Allan's remarks. It is antic.i.p.ating the history for two years, but necessity requires us to insert it, so that the occurrences which follow may be believed.

M'NAB'S REPLY.

Remarks by the Laird of McNab upon the report of Francis Allan, Esq., on the Towns.h.i.+p of McNab:

Broken lot No 12, concession 1, Thos. McLachlan:--This agreement is cancelled, and these lots open.

Lot 15, con. 1, Donald Fisher:--This lot was originally granted and deeded for a carpenter establishment, for encouragement of settling the towns.h.i.+p.

Lot 16, con. 1, John Wallace:--McNab has received no duty of timber as yet.

Lot 18, con. 1, A. D. McNab:--McNab reserved the timber upon this lot.

Lot 26, con. 1, Andrew Hamilton:--False statement: paid all the expenses of pa.s.sage from Montreal.

Lot 18, con. 2, Dugald Stewart:--False statement: reserved the duties.

Lot 19, con. 2, A. C. McFadden:--False statement: the son has fled, accused of rape.

Lot 25, con. 2, James Morris:--This is one of those who would not grant a mortgage upon his lot: conform to location ticket after the patent was taken out for him.

Lot 5, con. 3, Duncan Robertson:--This agreement cancelled, as mentioned above.

Lots 6 and 7, Smith Luth and Allan McNab respectively:--Originally granted to Gregor McNab and Allan McNab, with broken front of No. 6 of the 14th con., for erecting mills for the benefit of the towns.h.i.+p. Gregor McNab went home to Scotland to realize funds, where he died; and these broken fronts were deeded to Allan McNab.

The saw mill has been in operation some time, and the grist-mill will be completed next year; McNab got no value for them.