Montreal herald and daily commercial gazette, 12 avril 1859, mardi 12 avril 1859

[" PAELUlWilf, I lEGÎsLAi'iVE ASàËMBLÿi Toronto, April 8, 18 5g.FEUDAL RIGHTS AND DUTIES.Mr.OAR TIER raoYed the House into Coni-mit tee on the resolutions on leudal rights and duties.He brought down a message from his Excellency approving of them.Mr.FvjLEY said there should be some explanations first.Thj Government were very anxious to get into committee, they would next be anxious to hurry the House out of committee.It was usual, even in less important measures, that the House should receive explanations before going into committee.However, all the Opposition could do was to offer their protest.Mr.CARTIER said his course was that which was adopted in England.Money bills, or resolutions could not be discussed with the Speaker in the chair so freely as if he were out of it.Mr.MALCOLM CAMERON said this was an extraordinary course.On a measure involving live or six millions of dollars, which no one could understand from a mere reading of the resolutions\u2014it ought not to be adopted.ilr^ MOWAT was sorry to see the unwillingness of hon.members opposite to afford explanations.These resolutions hid startled every one in Upper Canada who had read them, and should be discussed at-every stage.Indeed he thought the debate in committee ought to be left over for a time.The haste made was indecent.Mr.ROBINSON said this was an extraordinary speech.The Globe had taunted the Government every day for the last month with not going on: yet now the Opposition craved delay.(Hear, hear.) Mr.PATRICK had expected that the member for Drummond and Arthabaska would be called upon to make another |>six days\u2019 speech upon the tenure question.He had spoken for that time before the House went into committe at a former time.Mr.GOWAN thought the request of the Opposition was just.He protested against going into committee \u2014 which was approving the principle without any explanation at all.(Hear, hear.) Attorney-General MACDONALD said that on all such measures the discussion was usually initiated in committee, for then the debate was more unrestrained.What possible good could it do to have the discussion twice or three times over.The matter could be discussed first in committee and afterwards on the concurrence\u2019 This latter would decide the principle.Mr.GOWAN would not oppose going into committee if it were pro forma.Mr.DORION said the Attorney-General East had taken a position which was incorrect.There should be a discussion now.Mr.MACDOUGALL considered this a proof of the degredation to which the Ministry were obliged to submit at the dictation of Lower Canada.He moved in amendment, \u201c That it be an instruction to the committee to provide that whatever sum or sums be required for the settlement and payment in full of such seigno-rial dues be paid either by the censitaires, or out of any of the funds that can or may be realized in Lower Canada\u2019\u201d Mr, GOWAN said it was not right to move this now.Mr.FOLEY said this had been moved in amendment to the speech from the throne, when Mr.Gowan had voted for it.If not inconsistent then, how was it inconsistent now ?Attorney-General MACDONALD said it was then out of order.It could not be voted on again this session.Mr.SPEAKER decided that it was out of order, Mr.FOLEY woull then strike out the words \u201c either by the censitaires or.\u201d In that shape would be in order.Mr.SPEAKER said the House, then, had al-Iready decided that it should not be paid either by the censitaires or out of any of the funds, &c.Even in this shape the resolutions were out of order.Mr.FOLEY said he would then raise a point of order on one of the resolutions of the Attorney-General East.It said that a part of the funds should be paid by the censitaires.Mr.SPEAKER said that was in order.A part was not the whole.Mr.FOLEY then moved that instead of the words 11 be paid in full,\u201d in Mr.MacdougalTs resolution, they be changed to \u201c nineteen-twentieths.\u201d (Laughter.) This amendment was lost, and the Speaker left the chair.Mr.CARTIER then said that the former measure of the Government had been objected to because it had not sufficiently assisted the censitaire to pay his obligations to the Seigneurs.These obligations consisted chiefly of cens et rentes, which, in England, was something similar to \u2018\u2018ground rents,\u201d which produced to the seignior lods et ventes.The Crown was, of course, the first seigneur : the others were subseigneurs, and the sales of land made by those were subject to certain conditions.It had been said that this feudal tenure had conduced to the settlement or tue country, it miBnt or might not be so.But the payment of one-twelfth, which was necessary to be made to the seigniors on every transfer of land, was felt to be a hardship.If a man put up buildings on his land and sold it, he had to lose, of course, one-twelfth of the value of his improvements.This was found to be a tax on industry.And no one could mistake the intentions of the Legislature in regard to it in 1854 on reading the preamble of the Seigniorial Act of that year ._\u201cWhereas it is expedient to abolish all feudal rights and duties in Lower Canada, whether bearing upon the censitaire or upon the seignior, and to secure fair compensation to the latter for every lucrative right which is now legally his, and which he will lose by such abolition ¦ and whereas in consideration of the great advantages which must result to the Province from the abolition of the said feudal rights and duties, and the substitution of a free tenure for that under which the property subject thereto hath heretofore been held, it is expedient to aid the censitaire in the redemption of the said charges, more especially as regards those which, while they press most heavily on industry and enterprise, cannot, from their very nature, be otherwise made immedistely redeemable without grievous hardship sud injustice : Be it therefore.\u201d By this it iras made clear that the Legislature meant *> come to the assistance of the censitaire, *nd an appropriation was made consisting of divers sums of money, concerning which a rtatement had just been laid before the Homse.He was happy to say that the labors of the Seigniorial Commissioners were everywhere ended, except in a few seigniories where appeals had been made from the judgment of one Commissioner to a board of three.Even these, however, he hoped, would soon be settled.(Hear.) The shop licences, the quint, &c., had been set apart to help the censitaires.The quint amounted to about £20,000.The arrears of the seigneurie ofLauzun were about as much more.So that taking all these things together,in addition to the £358,000 set apart in 1854, there was about £400,000 applicable to the purpose.The interest of the sum set apart in 1854 had been hardly sufficient to pay the lods et ventes, which the law said had to be paid to the seigneurs until the Commissioners had made out the schedule, so the principal had been slightly touched.But the Commissioners have been so economical\u2014having cost rather under than over £50,000\u2014that there still remained untouched about £300,000.It would be stupid to pay the cens et rentes as then a quittance would have to be given to every purchaser of crown lands in Lower and Upper Canada.No matter what the rate of ceres et rentes fund might be, the censitare would have to pay them.The resolutions only intended to assist the censitaire in paying the lods et ventes eLnibanalile.Lods et ventes meant the mutation fine paid to the seigneur on the sale of a property.He ¦would now come to another point, and having established what was the amount at the disposal of the Government\u2014£700,000\u2014he would proceed to show how much more was required to assist the censitaire to free himself from his burdens.He would, however, first show what the seignorial commissioners had done.(The bon.gentleman here read from the printed statement the amount of the decisions of the commissioners.] It was proposed that £35,000 should be paid to aid the censitaires in the seigneuries of St.Sulpice.Two Mountains and the rural part of Montreal, being about £2,190 a year.And the whole amount for the seigneurs there would be £42,000.He stated this iu order that newspapers should not fall into error.Mr.FOLEY\u2014Oh, yes, the Attorney General must ren ember, however, that the Government said before that nothing more would be required.Mr.CARTIER\u2014No ; but it had been expected that the appropriation made could make up £500,000\u2014nearly sufficient.There had not baen much error, for the sum realized had turned out to be £ 100,000 less than supposed, and the lods et ventes £100,000 greater.The appropriation contemplated by these new resolutions was, at the utmost, between £400,000 and £500,000.If the House supported the Government in these resolutions, he would now show the Government intended to provide the means of coming to the relief of the censitaires, and of giving an equivalent to Upper Canada and the townships.He begged-to draw the attention of the House to the fact that the sum would not be paid in full to the seigneurs j the indemnity provided for in 1854 must be paid in cash, but most of the rest would be paid iu yearly interest.The Government stepped into the place of the censitaires, and paid the rentes, with the option, of couse, of paying up the principal, but with a reduction of 25 per cent.[Hear, hear.] He was glad to hear the hon.member for Rouville cry \u201chear, hear.\u201d\u2014 This was just because every one knew that the censitaire need not pay up unless he chose, and he always chose the time when the seigneur was in difficulties, and would accept less than the full amount.It was said that the seigneur would be saved the costs of collecting the rentes constitutees ; so be thought it should be left to the option of the seigneur to accept the commutation or notas he cbo.e.By the other set of resolutions it would be seen that io was the intention of the Government to close the Muni- AND DAILY COMMERCIAL GAZETTE.VOLUME MONTREAL, TUESDAY MORNING, APRIL 12, 1859.NUMBER cipal Loan Funds.Though he had supported the Government that inaugurated the measure he had always been opposed to the measure it-'self, aud it would have been well for the country if it had not been passed.In Upper Canada their will be a great cry, and it will be alleged that we were voting a large sum to Lower Canada at the dictation of its members.But by the act of 1854, that relief was promised.-\u2014 In carrying out the extinction of the cens et lentes, it was right, however, that Upper Canada and the Eastern Townships should be considered ; aud the Government had done so.\u2014« The prudent municipalities which had not run in debt were entitled to be remembered in the arrangement, and an equivalent would be given them.With regard to Lower Canada, while they were obtaining a relier from their indebtedness they would remember that the money was voted to secularize the Clergy Reserves, the lands reverted to the Crown, and were worth millions, and that the municipalities there had had the advantage ol the difference.Mr.FOLEY\u2014Oh I out of their own lands.Hon.Mr.CARTIER\u2014Well, the Lower Canadians had freely given their votes for the measure, and if they had not done so, the secularization could not have been accomplished.Mr.MACDOUGALL\u2014If Lower Canadians had abstained altogether from voting, they would have been secularized.Mr.WALLBRIDGE\u2014The Lower Canadians, in doing so, had established a precedent which might be used respecting their own church property at some future day.Hon.Mr.CARTIER did not use the argument of Lower Canadian liberality in favor of his position, but he rested it upon its own merits and on the promise of 1854.In the face of the burdens which the Upper Canadian municipalities had imposed upon the country, he did not see they could much object to the now promised arrangement.The burden which the vote for the extinction of the cens et rentes would be about .£26,000 a-year while the Uf>per Canada municipalities were in arrears $1,300,000.Municipalities represented fully one-third of the population, and the interest and charges borne by the public exchequer in consequence was £115,000\u2014a sum exceeding the interest upon the sum necessary to pay the cens et rentes.Lower Canada consented to forego the advantage of loaning out of the Municipal Fund instead of insisting on their rights and running the chance of paying or not.The municipalities in Lower Canada had borrowed only £500,000, and there was £1,000,000 left, which, however, would be reduced to £500,000 or so by the proposed payment for the censitaires.In view of these facts, instead of seeking to excite dissatisfaction in Upper Canada regarding this payment, they should be ready to admit the liberality of the Lower Canadians in relinquishing their right to barrow that balance of £500,000.(Hear, hear.) He came now to the question relating to the Seigniories of St.Sulpice, Lake of Two Mountains, and the Island of Montreal.It had been said that the operation of the Act relates to the commutation in those seigniories.In the Seigniory of the Island of Montreal there had been 1,888 commutations to the 1st March.In that of St.Sulpice, 10 commutations.In that of the Lake of Two Mountains, 12 commutations These two seigniories contained six or seven parishes each.These commutations were in all 1,900, and they had produced £83,664 up to 1852, as per account furnished by the Seminary of Montreal.Since then, to October, 1858, there had been paid £29,980 10s.\u2014or in all £113.645 2s.9d.The amount of commutation in the Parish of Montreal without the limits of the city, was £9,220 which embraced one-third of the Parish, only two-thirds remaining to be commuted.In the Island of Montreal, comprehending 10 Parishes, the amount was £10,491.He had not the papers at hand relating to St.Sulpice, but he thought the value commuted was £590, and in that of Two Mountains £l,-400.Adding these sums together and deducting them from the full amouut paid, there had been paid in the City and Parish of Montreal £101,000.If the process was not more rapid in the rural districts the Feudal Tenure might last for 300 years.No relief was to be given to the City aud Parish of Montreal, the reason bping tho-t tUo^r got tlio Vjonoiit ol «.11 tbo moneys mat belonged to the Seminary of Montreal.There were colleges and schools in the city, where 5,000 children were educated gratuitously, and churches had been bnilt in the same way.Mr.DORION\u2014Did not say the Seminary did not do good like other benevolent Institutions but that was no reason why the censitaires of Montreal should not share of the benefit.Hon.Mr.CARTIER\u2014Well, as to indemnifying the censitaires of Montreal, it would be wrong in principle.The evil of the Feudal System was that it taxed industry, and it was a great object iur tlie people of Montreal to commute, since the buildings erected were so greatly burdened.Mr.DORION had never complained that the Government did not come in aid of the censitaires of the Seigniory of St.Sulpice, so the hon.Attorney General need not expatiate upon this.Hon.Mr.CARTIER proceeded and said the commutation lor the Parish of Montreal was lighter than for other places.There the lods et ventes in arrears were to he collected, by the ordnance of Lord Sydenham, not at one-twelfth but at one-twentieth.After that they were to be one-sixteenth.The arrears were then over £100,000.The people of Montreal were thus much favored, while iu the rural parts the lods et ventes were oue-sixteenth.Mr.DORION\u2014That was by reason of the improvements in the city.Hon.M.CARTIER\u2014The lods et ventes were now, in the city, one-twentieth.When a farmer bought a farm it was not to sell it again, and he therefore considered he had to pay one-eight of the value in lods et ventes; this prevented transfers.The commutation in the city was now higher than the lods et ventes, but notwithstanding that it was even their interest to commute, since sales were frequent.In the two seigneuries of the St.Sulpice and Two Mountains the seigneur had a right to lods et ventes even upon exchange of property, which was very onerous, and these were the only two seigneuries so situated in Lower Canada.The habitants were averse to commute also on the ground that it would have then tendency to divert the property from their families, which they had a strong wish to prevent.Six o\u2019clock having arrived the Committee rose.In the evening,\u2014 Mr.CARTIER continued to explain that the experience of the last 20 years had shewn that there would not be, under Lord Sydenham\u2019s ordnance, a commutation in the rural seigno-ries near Montreal.They had however, lor 40 years past, enjuyed greater advantages than others, for the Seminary had consented to reduce their lods et ventes from one twelfth to one sixteenth in the country, and from one twelfth to one twenty-eighth in the city of Montreal.The arrears of lods et ventes there was about £80,000, the accumulation of 25 years, aud by the ordn-nance they were reduced at least one fourth.Well, these seigneurs would have to come under the prevalence or the Seignorial Act of 1854, and £75,000 was to go in lieu of their rentes constituées.It was well that he should remark that the gentlemen of the Seminary of Montreal were limited to the sum of £44,000, and in St.Sulpice and the Lake of the Two Mountains to £12,709\u2014this being for their own benefit.In the Island of Montreal they had collected all the arrears and £2,096 more.In the two others they had collected only about £7,000.But the rest were considered bad debts.A relief of £45,000 would be afforded.The whole of the property of the Seminary would of course be transferred to the Crown, including the Champ de Mars, &c.The Old Government House, and other houses adjoining it, would be covered by the present arrangement.It would work, perhaps, to the detriment of these gentlemen \u2022 \u2019these censitaires were in no way complaining ; but now that we are codifying our laws and directing the codifiers not to codify any law appertaining to the Feudal Tenure, they had willingly yielded.Some papers in Montreal, which made it their business to write falsehoods to prevent the passing of any measure, had said there was a great difference between the gentlemen of the Seminary and the Government as to what was to be paid, that £150,000 was to be paid, and that £10 would be taxed on every farm.These falsehoods would die away as would those which were published in Toronto Mr.DORION would be happy to know that the Government had not offered £100 000 or that $150,000 had been claimed.Mr.CARTIER said neither was the case._ These people said this question must be settled, yet, when it was to be settled, they cried out against it, wishing to have; it kept open as a field for agitation.Mr.FOLEY said that what had appeared in the Toronto paper alluded to would be proved to be correct every word of it.Mr.CARTIER If the hon.gentleman could make his statement good, he would give him a white black-bird [merde 6/awc].\u2014Laughter.\u2014 Another question presented itself in connection with the scheme.It was provided that there should be no lods et venes hereafter in the City of Montreal, but that the fine should be paid on any transfer of property by death, exchange, or sale.This was, in fact, legislating in behalf of the poor censitare, for the wealthy and commuted, but the improvident we did not.Well, in rendering the payment of commutation money compulsory, it must render the abolition of the feudal tenure of Montreal perfect within twenty or thirty years.(Hear.) There was also a provision giving au equivalent to the Townships of Lower Canada.They got nothing by the bill of 1854 nor from the Clergy Reserves.Those localities, however, required roads and other public works, and as they would be prevented by the abolition of the Municipal Loan Fund from borrowing for such improvements, it was right that they should be considered.The Government had found a fund and presented a mode of application which he thought would be satisfactory.If, however, the gentlemen opposite knew of any other Lower Canada local fund which would meet the necessities of th^case they would be glad to abandon their project and use that fund.There were, however, five small fiefs not included in the arrangement, but as they were in the city the Government would render commutation compulsory with respect to them at the demand of the censitaires.Mr.DORION would speak of those small fiefs first, and it appeared that they were not to be dealt with because the consent of other Seiguiors could not be obtained ; but the cousînt of the other Seigniors had not been requited to ttie measure of 1854, aud why should it with regard to these fiefs?Did anybody believe that when this measure was passed, the censitaires of these fiefs would be satisfied, and would they not come next year to the Legislature to ask for right of commutation ?Hon.Mr.CARTIER said the hon.gentleman should have said those five small fiefs amounted to little over £1,800.Mr.DORION said the rights of those fiefs were wo< th £2,350; which represented a capital of £45,000, and they were as much entitled to have commutation as any other Seigniories.Regarding the general measure, he admitted it was a much bolder one than that of last year.Since then there had been two Governments, and the intermediate one had engaged to deal with the Seignorial Tenure, which be had no doubt would have been done in a much more- satisfactory manner to both sections of the Province than would be done by the measure before the House.As it was, he was glad the Attorney General had undertaken the task.With respect to the measures of the Rouges alluded to, he had no doubt the Attorney General had appropriated a good many of them.H >n Mr.CARTIER\u2014But not the Rouges themselves.Mr.DORION\u2014Well, the Commissioners of the Seignorial Tenure had sat for five years an an immense cost; and for anything he knew, they had not yet done.As to the cost of commutation, the hon.member had estimated it at £450,-000 to £500,000, which was very near to the figure he himsell (Dorion) had thought would be necessary.He had put it at £187,000, bat he had omitted several sums which would probably bring the aggregate to £500,000.Then as to the allowance to the Eastern Townships there was there a population of about 200,000, which was one-fifth of the whole, so if they were paid in proportion they would have to get in round numbers £400,000.Add to this the grant to Upper Canada of $1,923,650, so that the whole sum would be $4,331,810.Now he could not see how this immense expendiiure should be made, when the sum really wanted was only £500,000.The Upper Canada Municipalities did not require the amount proposed to be given them, and if it was it would be likely to be wasted or misspent, as previous large sums had been, in both Upper and Lower Canada.There was a strange feature in the measure, in as far as it related to the seigniory of Montreal.An extension of time was granted for the sale of the Champ de Mars.This would be an advantage to the seigniory, no doubt, and it might be an advantage to the country.But whether it was so or not, he was not prepared to say.What he objected to, however, was that, while the seigniory could commute at any time at a certain rate, they would be forced to commute should they at any time go into the market, and no corresponding advantages was afforded in return.The measure as a whole, as he had said, was not such as might have been expected, but he had no doubt it would be beneficial to the country, great though the sacrifice was which it involved, and which was not necessary to the extent proposed.Mr.DUFRESNE said he could not help differing from the Government scheme as regards the seignoriea of Montreal - The censitaires of those eeignories were not placed on the same footing as those of the other parts of the country.If they could be put on the same footing, it would be well.If this plan were continued, the Attorney General East would lose some of the best friends he had in the country, after another general election.These censitaires had been better treated in the past than others ; they could, therefore, pay more now.Ho could, however, not vote against the resolutions on this account\u2014he could not reject a whole scheme which would benefit the country at large, because his electors might not be benefitted so much as was expected.However, he hoped the Attorney General would consent to a different management in this particular.Now the member for Montreal had not been far when he charged the Government with allowing the funds to be eaten up by a costly commission.The hon.member for Lotbiuiere had been one of those who made the law which established the commission.The hon.member for Montreal had taken that gentleman with him into the Ministry, and that shows that he approved of his past course.Mr.MOWAT said the proptsal of the Government was to assume a very large additional burden at a time when our financial agents had warned us against placing more debentures on the market, and immediately after a very high tariff had just passed the Legislature, which had alarmed the people\u2014so high that it was impossible to make it higher, and must have the effect of curtailing the business of the country.The burd n was not merely the amount required for relieving the censitaire ; it was double, perhaps treble, the amount.Yet the Premier had told them they should rejoice at his moderation.Duriug the recese, the Ministry instructed their newspaper organs to charge the Brown-Doaion Government with having in embryo some such scheme as this, and denounce it as the most monstrous scheme that ever was devised.The present Ministry were willing to do anything to gain the object of the hour.The scheme was one which, more than any other, was calculated to increase the feeling which already existed in Upper Canada for a repeal of the Union.Attorney General MACDONALD\u2014Such a feeling does not prevail.(Hear, hear.; You are mistaken.Mr.MOWAT said he was not mistaken.There was no doubt of the fact, and the feeling had received a greit stimulons during the last two or three months.(A laugh.) If the union could only be maintained at such an expense to both sections as had been incurred during the last few years, he thought it wou\u2019d be better for them that the repeal of the union should take place.Mr.FOLEY said the Attorney General\u2019s generosity to Upper Canada was like that of the monkey which took the oysters and gave the shells to the sailors.This scheme was almost as delusive as the Clergy Reserve settlement, which to the present day, was considered a bad one by the majority of the people.Any.Gen.MACDONALD\u2014\u201cHear, hear.\u201d Mr.FOLEY said the result of the election which followed it had pruved the position he (Mr.ii\u2019oley) took.The party which made that settlement was put in a minority, which bad increased until it was almost two to one.But it had not been in tte power of the Government to apply the reserves to any other than an Upper Canadian purpose.The pretended generosity of the premier in proposing, by the force of his Lower Canada majority, to rob Upper Canada for the benefit of Lower Canada, was enough to make one s blood boil.It was not enough that they make tariff which was peculiarly to benefit Lower Canada, to the prejudice of Upper Canada, but they must take an enormous slice, like hat proposed, from Upper Canada for the exclusive benefit of the Lower Canada censitaires.When the Seigniorial Tenure Act was passed in 1854, they were told that it was to be a finality \u2022 that the £500,000 then voted would be sufficient for the Settlement of all the Seigaoial claims and that a similar sum should be devoted to the special purposes of Upper Canada.How had the faith then pledged to Upper Canada been kept ?Not a single sixpence of the sum proposed in lieu of the amount appropriated to Lower Canada had been paid.So they had no security whatever that the promise, in this instance,would be fa.filled.But, supposing it should be kept, what guarantee had they that the money would not be spent only in a tew favorite localities, represented by supporters of the Ministry?The injustice and impropriety ot the proposition were so monstrous iu its very face that he had hardly patience to speak on it.Mr.MACDOUGALL asked for some explanation from the Attorney Genera] West.Attorney General MACDONALD said his colleague the Attorney General East, had explained the subject very fully.Indeed, he (Mr.Macdonald) did not think he had left a single particular unallnded to.(Hear, hear) ° Mr.DORION made several objections to the details of the measure, and thought that the claims might be settled in full by debentures or bonds which would be negotiable.Dr.CONNOR admitted that this was a very important measure, since it would add five or six millions of dollars to the debt of the country.It was specially important, since Upper Canada paid the greater part of the money necessary to carry it out.Not a single member for that section of the Province had had a word to say in favor of the scheme.He hoped the Attorney General West would yet let the House hear how he defended this extraordinary measure.He (Dr.Connor) felt the question was lull of difficulties, but it was an undoubted fact that in 1854 the Legislature deemed that £15D,000 was quite a sufficient sum for the extinction of the Seigniorial Tenure ; and yet, to-day, when in consequence of the failure of the crons, the country was so poor that the grants to mechanics institutes had to be withdrawn, it was proposed to appropriate £1,500,000 more to the object.It was a bad system of Government which permitted such things, and he contended that the amount proposed to be given to Upper Canada to quiet the objections which would otherwise arise, would be misapplied, for it was well known that large sums given in this way was invariably misused.It was the perpetration of such acts which created dissatisf iction, aud led to the believe that the interest of Upper Canada were constantly jeopardized by the votes from Lower Canada.He allowed that it was difficult for the Lower Canadian members to know precisely the wants of Upper Canada, yet they could not but see that the ministers representing the latter section did not possess the confidence of its representatives.However they contented themselves with sneering at the Opposition.He would, however, tell them that Upper Canada was willing to have the question settled, but it did not want the bribe that was offered, and some other mode shou'd have been found out of accomplishing the object.Mr.MACDOUGALL did not think much was to be gained by talking, still as it was his duty and that of his friends, they would record their protest against the proposed appropriation.On grounds of public policy and national considerations, he admitted that it was desirable to extinguish the Seigniorial Tenure in Lower Canada ; and such was the opinion in 1854, when a considerable sum was voted for the purpose, which sum, however, was deemed amplsin all respects.(Mr.Macdougall then referred to the resolntions of 1854, the last ol which objected to leaving the amount indefinite.) He differed with his hon.friend from Montreal (Mr.Dorion), and maintained that the equivalent to be given to Upper Canada was no advantage to this section at all.It was well known that some of the Upper Canada municipalities did not pay interest on the debentures they had issued, but the Government had treated these municipal debts as if the Province owed them, and were aotually paying the said interests, yet the pretended equivalent for the money to be given for Lower Canada was the payment of the very interests on the municipal debts which were being paid by the Government at this very time.(Mr.Macdougall went on to show that Upper Canada contributed the larger part of the revenue, &c,, &e.,and then, alluded to the dobts which had been so often expressed of the equity of the Seigniorial claims).The condition of Upper Canada was now so different from what it was in 1854, that it became a very serious question how the immense sums proposed to be voted would be paid.It was hoped that a good harvest would set matters right, and although he had had fears about it, yet he, too, now hoped it would be a good one.But was it prudent to run the risk of plunging plunging the country in greater difficulties before there was any certainty of returning prosperity ?He thought not.All the statements and calculations made in the past on this subject had been found erroneous.The senior member for Toronto, and others, had predicted this, but they were laughed at just as they are now, and he (Mr.Macdougall) very much doubted whether even the sum now proposed would be found sufficient.(Mr.Macdougall then remarked at gome length, and in severe te;ms, upon the negligence of the Government in allowing some of the Upper Canada municipalities to get into debt beyond their means of paying.) He believed that on the day his Excellency gave his assent to this bill the union between Upper and Lower Canada would be practically severed.Mr.BUREAU\u2014Carried.Mr.MACDOUGALL\u2014It would be the last weight that would Break the camel\u2019s back.SEVERAL VDICES from French members\u2014 Carried, carried.Mr.MACDOUGALL repeated this statement in a more emphatic form, and said it would be the duty of the Upper Canadians to set about the agitation for a repeal of the Union.The question in hand could have been treated in a different way, and the very worst means seemed to have been chosen as if for the purpose of creating dissatisfaction.Cries of question, question.The Chairman was about to put the first reso-tion when Aon.J.S.MACDONALD asked with surprise, \u201cWhat 1 are you going to pass these resolutions one day after being submitted ?\u201d He contended that it was unfair to press the question with such haste.It was unfair to the House and to the country ; and he contended that at least two or three days should be allowed before the vote was taken.The Attorney General West should have spoken ; and he was surprised that he should consent to have a matter of this importance put through so abruptly.Mr.McKELLAR contended for time.He had read the resolutions, but he confessed he did not yet understand them ; still he saw it was the determination of the Government to pass them before the House rose.(The hon.member went over the objections taken by previous speakers, aud repeated his appeal for delay.) The first resolution was then carried.Mr.FOLEY said they must ali admire the firmness of Lower Canadians in standing to what they considered their interests.It was different in the case of many Upper Canadians Where were these independent gentlemen now who professed to be the advocates of the special interests of Upper Canada?There was a beggarly array of empty benches while hundreds of thousands of pounds were being voted away.If ever he had spoken with regret he did so now.No one had been more favourable to the Union than he, but if matters went on as it seemed likely they would, he would go for repealing it Lower Canadians might go on if they pleased, but the end was not yet.Mr.THIBAUDEAU said the action of gentlemen of the Upper Canada Opposition put him aud other Lower Canadian Oppositionists in a false position.He was in favor of the measure, he w is strongly in support of it.It was right.But delay ought to be granted\u2014one, two, three days, if the wanted it.The justice of the measure would make itself apparent ere long.But suppose the speech of the hon.members on his own aide of the House went to their constituents what could be say; he who had said the present administration was a curse to the country ?He was, for his part, ready to stand all night in support of the measure.Mr FOLEY explained that he was especially opposed to that part of the scheme which would make the two thirds of the honest people of Upper Canada pay the debts of the remaining third.Attorney General MACDONALD\u2014Oh no, no such thing is proposed.Mr.THIBAUDEAU had always been under the impression hitherto, that Low r Canada was sacrificed to Upper Canada.(Hear.) For his part he thought the present scheme was not at all unfair to Upper Canada.(Hear) Upper Canada had had a great deal from the Municipal Loan Fund more than Lower Canada.The Government never said that the half million of Municipal Loan Fund Debentures due to Lower Canada were to be stopped.Upper Canada would have had a million more than Lower Canada.(Hear.) And, besides this, half a million more was to^ be given to the Northern Railway ! He said again Lower Canada was being sacrificed to Upper Canada.This Northern Railroad thing, however, would be another affair as bad as that of the Grand Trunk.Could not the Government sell the road without the new bill?He repeated once more that he opposed the Ministry because they sacrificed Lower Canada.Three fourths of the expenditure of the last four years had been spent in Upper Canada.The Opposition, however, had all expressed (heir desire to make the appropriation for Lower Canada.Indeed any Government in power would be forced to settle this question.It was the intention of the.Government of which he had formed ed one to settle it.Mr.S.MACDONALD said it had been the object of the Brown-Dorion Ministry to settle it They were prepared to pay the Seigniors 20s in the pound\u2014and 60s\u2014as was the present proposition, and by means which would have been more satisfactory to Lower Canada as well as Upper Canada.(Hear and laughter.) Mr.FORTIER said if tha hon.member for Cornwall would just show what his scheme was he would not only listen to it, but support it if it was better than that of the Government IRenr and laughter.)\t' ar Mr.THIBEAUDEAU was prepared to stay all night to vote for the resolution if it was necessary to do so, but he thought the Government might give another day before deciding the matter.Ths Government were pledged to pav their dues, and the Brown-Dorion Government were equally pledged to do so.He thought eve- y one should be fully satisfied with the very clear explanation of the Attorney General East.Mr.ALLEYN said there was a discrepancy between the statements just made by the member for Portneuf, and that made by Mr.Mowat who said that if a pledge had been given, it had\u2019 been gained under false pretences.Mr.MOWAT replied that his meaning was that if the claim in the bill which provided for the payment of £150000, was taken as a pledge for the payment of a larger sum, then it was a pledge obtained under f\u2019atse pretences.With regard to the pretended benefit to Upoer Canada by this scheme, if the grant to the Municipalities was of equal benefit to all, it would be different, bat less than half the country would be benefitted.Mr.HOGAN thought that the debate should be adjonrued out of lespect to the public whose opinion ought to be consulted on a measure of this importance.As to what had been said by the member for Portneuf with regard to the pledge of the Brown-Dorion Government to pay money in aid of the censitairee, he begged to say that he was unaware of any such pledge.From what had been said he was convinced that those who boa,3ted so much of their parity were quite ready to sacrifice their principles far the sake of office.If the members of the Brown-Dorion Government really had any plan of be proud, aud which r^jght be of befit to the country, they should not attempt to hoodwink the House, but should openly declare it as they had ample opportunity of doing.They were very ready to attack the Government for their policy, but the most effectual way of doing so would be to explain their own views.He moved that the committee rise and ask leave to sit again, which was lost upon a division.The resolutions were then put and carried seriatim, Mr.FOLEY protesting on behalf of the Opposition against the proceeding.The committee then rose and reported.On the motion that the report be icceived on Tuesday, the House divided, with the following result :\u2014 Yeas.\u2014Messrs.Alleyn, Archambeault, Baby Beaubien, Benjamin, Bourassa, Bureau, Burton! Carling, Caron, Cayley, Attorney General Car-tier, Chapais, Coutlee, Daoust, Dawson, Desaul-niers, Dionne, Dorion, Dufresne, Duncan, Fel-lowes, Ferres, Fortier, Foster, Fournier, Galt Gaudet, Harwood, Labelle, Laberge, Lacoste,\u2019 Laframbotse, LeBoutillier, Lemiux, Macbeth! Attorney General Maeionald, McCann, A.P.McDonald, McGee, Meagher, Morin.Ouimst, Panet, Piche, Playfair, Price, Rose, Sherwood, Simard, Sincennes, Sidney Smith, Talbot, Tasee, Thibaudeau, Turcotte, \u2019vrçbb.\u201457.Nays.\u2014Messrs.Aikins, Bnrwell, Connor Cook, Doiland, Finlayson, Foley, Harcourt.Donald A.Macdonal, J.S.Macdonald, Matticel McKellar, Mowat, Walker Powel1, James Ross, Rymal, Stirton, Wallbridge, aud Wright.\u201419.The House then adjourned.THE NORTHERN RAILWAY, RESOLUTIONS To be moved by the Honorable Mr.laspector General Galt, on the subject of the Northern Railway Company of Canada.Mr.Galt moves to resolve thrt it is expedient to provide,\u2014 1.\tThat the Northern Railway of Canada, with its Rolling Stock and Plant and all the corporate rights and privileges of the Company, shall be forthwith vested in the Crown for the following purposes :\u2014The Governor in Council may cause the said Railway, Rolling Stock and Plant to be put in complete order and repair,\u2014and may raise the funds requisite for that purpose by the issue of Provincial Debentures or otherwise, and the sum expended for that purpose up to the time of the sale hereinafter mentioned, shall be added to the claim of the Province, and be a first charge upon the proceeds of such sale And the Governor in Council may cause the Railway to be worked, either by the intervention of the Company, or by any other persons or parties ; but the surplus of the rece pts, after the payment of all expenses of working and keeping the Railway, Stock and Plaut iu order, and the deduction of six per cent per annum, on the total amouut of the claim of the Province, shall from time to time be paid over to the Company :\u2014The said Railway, stock, plant, righ s anu privileges may on the first day of August, be sold by Public Auciion, in the City of Toronto, after due notice and that the proceeds of such sale shall be distributed among the Creditors of the Company, including the Province, in the order of the priority of their respective claims, those of equal rank as to priority being paid pro rata, if there be not enough to pay them in full:\u2014And the Governor in Council may cause the said Railway, Stock, Plant, rights aud privileges to be purchased for the Province at such sale, and pay the balance (if any) of the purchase money, after deducting the amount of the Provincial claim, out of the public moneys.2.\tThat the Governor in Council may treat and agree with the Company or its Bondholders, or both, for the transfer of he said Railway and Stock, plant, rights, aud privileges to the Company or to the Bondholders, or to both, and for permitting the parties to whom such transfer shall be made to raise additional capital, not exceeding $250,000 sterling, to be applied in the repair and improvement of the said Railway aud Stock, and for the payment of the debts of tie Company :\u2014If such agreement be made, the Railway and Stock and the rights and privileges ot the Company shall be transferred iu pursuance ol such agreement, by Order in Council, to such parties and subject to such conditions as may be agreed upon ; and any such Order in Council shall vest the property and rights therein menti n«d m ike\t-LLu.-au mouûuued, subject to such conditions as aforesaid, as fully to all intents and purposes, as if such transfer weie made by, and such conditions were contained in an Act of the Provincial Parliament; and the parties to whom the transier shall be made, shall be held to the Northern Railway Company :\u2014The Governor in Council may grant a priority of lien or of dividends, on the Railway and ütock for the said additional cap! tal, and such portion of the present capital secured by Bonds or Debentures of the Company as may be found expedient :\u2014And the Bondholders of the Company, in ease the additional capital be raised by them, may vote at meetings of the Shareholders, and shall have respectively the same number of votes as they would have if instead of Bonds they held an equal amount ol Stock.MUNICIPAL LOAN FUND.RESOLUTIONS To be moved by the Honorable Mr.Inspector General Galt, on the subject of the Consolidated Municipal Loan Fund.The Honorable Mr.Galt moves to resolve that it is expedient :\u2014 1.\tThat provision should be made to charge any sums which may he made payable in hnal settlement of certain claims arising out of the abolition of the Seignorial Tenure in Lower Canada, upon the unappropriated Consolidated Municipal Loan Fund of Lower Canada, and for this purpose to restrain the issue of Debentures by Municipalilies in Lower Canada on the security of the said Fund under the Acts respecting the Consolidated Municipal Loan Funds:\u2014 and also to amend the said Acts as regards the Consolidated Municipal Loan Fund tor Upper Canada, so as to prevent the further issue of Debentures on the security of the said Fund,\u2014 and to afford relief to the Municipalities which have raised money by Debentures issued on the security of the said Fund, and at the same time to secure the redemption of such Debentures by the Municipalities respectively liable.2.\tThat Lr purposes aforesaid, it is expedient to provide,\u2014that except as hereinafter mentioned, no loan shall, hereafter be raised by any municipality under the said Acts, nor shall any Debentmes be thereafter issued under them to any municipality : but that whenever the principal of any Debentures issued upon the credit of the Consolidated Municipal Loan Fund either of Upper or Lower Canada becomes due, the Receiver General, if he has then in his hands no sufficient funds appropriated to pay the same, may, with the consent of the Governor in Council, raise such funds by the issue of other Debentures upon the credit of the said Fund, redeemable at such time as he deems expedient :\u2014Except that Debentures may be issued under Bylaws which have already received the sanction of the Government in Council, but under which Debentures have not been issued to the parties entitled to receive the same ;\u2014And except also that the Governor in Council may authorize the issue, under the conditions of the said Acts, of Debentures on the credit of the Consolidated Municipal Loan Fund of Lower Canada, to an amount not exceeding in the whole four hundred thousand dollars, in addition to the amount heretofore issued, or to be issued unaer By-laws heretofore sanctioned as aforesaid.3.\tThat a sum equal to the amount of five cents in the dollar on the assessed yearly value, or a like percentage ou the interest at six per cent per annum ou the assessed value, of all the assessable property in every municipality which lias raised money by Debentures issued under the said Acts, shall be paid by such municipality to the Receiver General on or before the day of\tin the present year one thou- sand eight hundred and fifty-nine, and,every year thereafter, unless and uniil the total amount in principal and interest payable by such municipality to the Receiver General under the said Acts by reason of such loan, shall have been paid and satisfied, or a smaller sum shall be sufficient to satisfy the same in any year, in which case such smaller sum only shall be so paid :\u2014that the said sum shall be the first charge upon all the funds of the municipality, for whatever purpose or under whatever By-law they may have been raised, and that no Treasurer, or other officer of the municipality shall after.the day of\tin the present year one thou- sand eight hundred and ;Bfty-nine, pay any sum whatever out of any funda ot the municipality in his hands until the sum t[ieu payable by the municipality to the Receiver General as aforesaid, has been paid to him:\u2014The sum aforesaid to be instead of the payments whijh the municipality would otherwise be bound to make to the Receiver General under the said Acts : But if not paid as hereiubefore required, the municipality shall be held to be in default, and shall be liable to be dealt with in the manner provided by the said Acts, with regard to the municipalities in default: and that the Receiver General shall charge interest in his accounts with municipalities under the said Acts, at the rate of six per centum, on all moneys pain by him for any municipality whether as principal or interest, until the same are repaid.4.\tThat instead of the special rate mentioned in the sixth section of the Act 16 Victoria, chapter 22, there shall, in the present year one thou-sond eight hundred and fify-nine, be levied upon all the assessable property in every municipality which has raised money by Debentures as aforesaid, a rate five per cent, in ihe dollar upon the assessed yearly value and a like per centage on the interest at the rate of six per cent, per annum of the assessed value of such property, and a like rate in each year thereafter until the total sums payable as principal or interest to the Receiver General by reason ef such Debentures, shall be paid off, or until a reduced rate shall be substi-ted by Order in Council.\u2014That such rate shall be levied by virtue of an Act to be passed for that purpose, but shall be entered ou the Collector\u2019s Rolls and collected and paid to the Treasurer of the Municipality in the same manner as ordinary rates imposed by Municipal By-laws, and whether any other ra'e is or is not imposed in the Municipality iu the same year :\u2014aud that the proceeds of such rate shall be applied by the Treasurer exclusively towards the payment of the sum payable by the Municipality to the Receiver General in each year, if such sum be not then already paid, but if it be then already paid or there be any surplus of the sail rate after paying it, the rate or surplus may be applied to the other purposes of the Municipality, in like manner as the proceeds of other rates.5.That whenever it appears to the Governor in Council, upon the Report of the Receiver General, that a lower rate iu the dollar than the rate aforesaid, iu any Municipality, will be thereafter sufficient to pay the interest and contribu-tiou to the Sinking Fuad payable by such Municipality in each year, under the Acts aforesaid, such lower rate may be substituted by order in Council for the rate aforesaid.And that so long as any sum of money is payable to the Receiver General by any Municipality under the Acts aforesaid, he may always retain in his hands any sum of money which would otherwise be payable by him to such Municipality, crediting the same to it, in his accounts with it under the said Acts.By Cash brought down,.Interest on Bank money $90 33 j 14 00 J.E.ST.PATRICK\u2019S SOCIETY.The Annual General Meeting of the St.Patrick\u2019s ^Society, for the election of officebearers, aud the transaction of general business, was held, according to previous notice, iu the St.Patrick\u2019s Hall, on Monday evening last, when the following Report was read , aud adopted :\u2014 to the saint Patrick\u2019s society of Montreal.Mr.President and Gentlemen\u2014Your committee respectfully beg leave to Report, iu accordance with the requirements of the Constitution the proceedings of the Society,and the results of their efforts iu its behalf during the year about to close ; and nothing of an unusual character having transpired, they will proceed directly with a statement of the facts iu the following order.By a reference to the list of members at the close of last year, it appears that the Society consisted of Five Hundred and Sixty Three members ; which number has been reduced during the year, by deaths, resignations, and the expulsion of Sixty-two members for nonpayment of monthly and other dues, by Seventy members, five of whom only tendered their resignations ; thus leaving the number of members Five hundred and nine at this date.By the Books of last year it will be seen that the Balance of Funds in the hands of the Treasurer at its close was $205.43; against which there were outstanding liabilities to the amount of $76.64; thus leaving a nett balance of $128.79.Your Committee are happy to be enabled to report a year of remarkable prosperity, in so far as the Receipts of money are concerned ; as shown by a balance now ou hand, as per Treasurer\u2019s Report, of $834, 30, including $15.62, amount of Fines collected from officers from absence from monthly and other meetings of the Society\u2014(this is as you will perceive, exclusive of the property of the Society.) This balance is large as compared with that of the last year ; but a greater degree of punctuality in the payment of members, many of whom are still in arrears, would have enabled your Committee to report a still larger sum in the Treasury of the Society.It is with great reluctance that your Committee make reference to the default of members iu this respect ; but are constrained so to do iu the interest ot the Society ; and iu hopes that their so doing will be properly appreciated by those to whom the reference applies.Iu connection with this part of the Report, a list ot the names of members in arrears is herewit produced, with the several amount due by each, amountine to $1,140.00.\t6 The demands upon the Charitable Fund have been fewer than during the previous year ; from which your Committee infer that want and destitution have been less prevalent ; and during the time your Committee have acted as the dispenser of your charity, they have beeu enabled to give immediate, though moderate relief, to all applicants deemed fitting objects of charity.This consideration alone should, iu the opinion or your committee, induce our fellow countrymen in Montreal generally to join in the efforts ot the Society, and thus give it position and influence of wider range and still more extensive utility.Your Committee have great pleasure iu further reporting, that the Annual Pic-nic was the most successful ever held by the Society, and realized $591.83 ; which sum has been set aside as the basis ot a St.Patrick\u2019s Hall Fund, with a view of ultimately realizing the provisions ot the constitution in reference to acquiring property and building a St.Patrick\u2019s Hall.Your committee however, unwilling to depart from the charitable custom of making some provision for the Orphan Asylum, aud encouraged by the unprecedented success of the Pic-Nicjust refferred to, provided for iu connection with the St.Patrick\u2019s Temperance Society\u2014 held a second Pic-Nic ; again realising thereby the munificent sum of$500.90, which was handed over to the Rev.Mr Dowd for the benefit of thé Asylum.The Annual Soiree of the Society was as usual successful ; realizing the sum of $109.37 which was placed to the credit of the Charitable Fund of the Society.Your Committee have much pleasure in being able further to report that a new step has beeu taken during the year towards more fully carrying out the provisions of the Constitution ; by the organization of a Debating Class, composed of volunteer members of the Bociety, whose exercises have been uigorously, and your Committee hopes beneficially, carried on during the winter.In connection with this Class, monthly essays have been read by different members of the Society ; and your Committee venture to hope that exercises so valuable, not only to those immediately engaged in them, but to the Society generally, will be continued by those who may succeed them iu office, as one of the most valuable exercises in connection with the Society.The Celebration of St.Patrick\u2019s Day\u2014a Day ever fresh and dear to the Irish people\u2014was both successful aud creditable to the Society, as well as to the Irish citizens generally.This is, of course, as usual, and as your Committee believe it ever shall be, so long as the honor aud memory of the Patron Saint of Ireland is the object of celebration by the Irish people.The Society held its Annual Dinner at the St.Lawrence Hall, where a large number of the members aud their guests spent the evening, iu commemorating the great and good of whom our native land has furnished so many worthy of the respect and admiration of the members of this Society, and ever to be remembered by Irishmen on St.Patrick\u2019s Day.Your Committee, iu conclusion, would suggest, as the result of their experience, that the successful working of the Society in a great measure depends upon the efficiency and intelligence of the Committee of Management ; indeed, more upon this Committee than upon any other officer or officers ; and your Committee would express the hope that special attention may be given to this suggestion, iu conducting the approaching election.The whole respectfully submitted.Richard M\u2018Shane, Rec.Sec.THE SAINT PATRICK\u2019S SOCIETY OF Montreal, 4th April, 1859.Mullin, Treasurer.MONTREAL ; IN ACCOUNT WITH J.E.MULLIN,\tTREASURER.General Fund.Cr.By Balance from last year.\t$101 05 \u201c Cash received for admission Fees, Monthly Dues,&c.\t448 75 \u201c\t\u201c Nett proceeds of Annual Pic-Nic.\t591 83 \u201c\t\u201c Nett proceeds of\t Soiree\t\t109 37 \u201c\t\u201c\tDo.Dinner.\t6 60 Dr.To Cash Deposited in City and District Sav-\t$1257 60 THE SAME IN ACCOUNT WITH J.E.MULLIN, TREASURER.Charitable Fund.Or.By Cash from last year.\u201c Nett proceeds of Picnic appropriated\t\t$104 38 fromGeneral Fund \u201c Gash received from\t\t109 37 Fines of Officers.\t\t15 62 Dr.To Cash paid, as per orders, from Charitable\t\t$229 37 Committee\t\t$99 50\t \u201c Balance on hands.\t129 87\u2014\t229 37 By Balance on hands.$129 87 J.E.Mullin, Treasurer.Montreal, 4th April, 1859.At the election of officers of the St.Patrick\u2019s Society for the ensuing year, held ou Monday evening, the 4th instant, M.Doherty, Esq., having declined re-election as President, called C .W.Sharpley, Esq., 1st Vice-President, to the chair, and nominated B.Devlin, Esq., for that office, whereupon the latter gentleman was unanimously elected President.1st Vice-President\u2014Thos.Healy, Esq., do.2nd\tDo.\u2014Neil Shannon, Esq., do.Treasurer\u2014J.E.Mullin, Esq., do.Corresponding Secretary\u2014R.McShane, Esq., do.Recording Secretary\u2014Edwin Woods, Esq., do.Wm.Booth, Esq.\u2014Assisting Rec.Secretary, do.Committee of Management.\u2014Messrs.E.Murphy, D.Shannon, T.Keane, P.Kearney, T.Patton, Wm.Butler, J.M\u2019Elroy, T.M'Kenna, Thos.M'Cready, John Cutler, Ed.M'Keon, J.McCann, J.G\u2019Brien, W.P.Bartley, W.Maguire, J.M\u2018Clusky, P.M'Keon, and B.Tansey.Grand Marshall\u2014John McDonald.Assistants\u2014John Maher, John Charles, William Gooley and Arthur M'Kenna.00 ings Bank.$600 Paid appropriation (being nett proceeds ot Soiree) to the Charitable Fund-.109\t37 Paid for Printing, Newspapers, advertising, &c___ Paid for Rent of Hall.Do.for Salary to to Jas.M'Grath.Paid sundry other expenses.152\t43 Balance on hands this day.90\t33\u2014\t1257 60 I\tyear.\u201d 64 97 180 00 60 50 ANNUAL MEETING Montreal Permanent Building Society.The first annual meeting of the Shareholders of the Montreal Permanent Building Society was held, on the 6th instant, at the Society\u2019s Office, 22 St.Frangois Xavier Street.The Secretary having read the advertisement calling the meeting, the Vice-President, Mr.M.H.Gault, took the chair and read the following report and statement :\u2014 \u201cThe Board of Directors beg to submit to the Shareholders, at this the first Annual Meeting ot the Society, the following report of its proceedings from the commencement.The Society was organized early in the month of April, 1858, and the first payments on account of Capital were made on the 1st June following, at which period the business ot the Society may be considered to have commenced.The number of Shareholders at that time was 67, representing 307 shares, and a subscribed capital of $61,400.00.The Society has since been steadily advancing, the number of Shareholders having increased to 124, representing 572 shares, and a subscribed capital ot $114,-400.00.Of this number, 58 shares, amounting to $11,600.00, have been advanced, the remaining 514 being investing shares.The Directors have exercised the greatest caution in making investments\u2014the whole of the advanced shares have been secured by mortgages on real estate, worth, it is believed in each case, at least double the amount loaned.\u2014 No loss of any kind has occurred, nor is any anticipated.The amount of Expenditure under the head of Preliminary Expenses, will be found to ue very moderate, compared wuh that of similar institutions, whilst the same remark may be made in reference to the current Working Expenses, the total disbursements under this head being $480.00.The Directors feel themselves in a position to congratulate the shareholders upon the satisfactory result of the first year\u2019s transactions, which have yielded a profit at the rate of 21.per cent, per annum, (compounded monthly) on the amount invested, and they take this opportunity of urging upon them the importance of individually exerting themselves to enlarge the sphere of the Society\u2019s operations, by the introduction of new members.The advantages offered by the Society of a perfectly safe investment, coupled with a high rate of interest, require only to be known to be appreciated, especially by the large class of persons who are desirous of accumulating periodical savings to the best advantage.Your Secretary and Treasurer has by his zeal and ability entitled himself to the entire confidence of the Board, Four of the Directors, viz : Messrs.Gault, Esdaile, Frothingham and Kerry, retire from the Board, agreeably to the Act of Incorporation, but are eligible for re-election.All which is respectfully submitted.M.H.GAULT, Vice-President.STATEMENT OF THE FUNDS AND EFFECTS OF THE MONTREAL PERMANENT BUILDING SOCIETY.From its commencement, 1st of June, 1858, to the 25th March, 1859.RECEIPTS.$ c.Payments on investing Shares.8976\t78 Do on advanced Shares.644\t88 Entrance Fees.228\t80 Management Fees.473\t30 Fines.5\t45 Transfer Fees.2\t00 Interest.1591\t00 Cash deposit.610\t30 Advance from Bank ($2000, less discount).1969\t10 EXPENDITURE.$14506 61 $ C.Preliminary expense incurred in organizing the Society, consisting of Legal Expenses, Printing, Account Books, Stationery, Advertising, &c.274\t85 Secretary (Management Fees retained)\t394\t40 Board Fees.86\t00 Cash Deposit withdrawn.100\t00 lQterest.3\t00 Insurance.j j 75 Advance from bank repaid.2000\t00 Advances to MeipjSefs\u2014secured by Martgages on Real Estate.11600\t00 Balance.36\t61 $14506 61 GENERAL ABSTRACT OF LIABILITIES AND ASSETS.LIABIHriES.c Stock.8926 Entrance Fees.228 Management Fees.430 Deposits.343 Net Profits realized\u2014being at the rate of21 4P\u2019 cent 4P' annum, compound interest, calculated monthly on the paid up capital.§59 70 $10838 73 ASSETS.$ C Mortgages.i0802 12 Cash.862 61 $10838 73 LINDSAY B.LAWFORD, Secretary and Treasury.We certify that we have made a careful examination of the Books of the Montreal Permanent Building Society, and find them to be in strict acordance with the above statement.W.P.REYNOLDS, HENRRY A.BUDDEN, Auditors.II was then moved by Mr.Richard Holland, seconded by Mr.Pickering, and resolved\u2014 \u201c That the report now read be adopted and printed.\u201d Messrs.Henry Thomas and Richard Holland having been appointed Scrutineers of the ballot tor the election of Directors, reported that Messrs.Gault, Esdaile, Kerry and Frothingham had been duly re-elected.It was then moved by Mr.A.W.Oglivie, se-_ conded by Mr.Merry, and resolved\u2014 i\u201c That Messrs W.P.Reynolds, and H.A: Budden be elected Auditors for the ensuing It was then moved by Dr.G.W.Campbell, seconded by Mr.A.W.Oglivie, aud resolved.\u201c That as an inducement to Shareholders to prepay 12 months instalments in advance, the Directors be recommended to allow interest at the rate of 8 per cent on such prepayment.\u201d It was then moved by Mr.W.A.Merry, seconded by Mr.Alexander, aud resolved\u2014 \u201c That the thanks of the Society are due, and are hereby tendered to the President and Directors for their attention to the interests of Society for the past year ; also, to the Auditors for their services ; and to the Secretary and Treasurer for the zeal and ability displayed in the performance of his duties.\u201d A Special General Meeting was then held for the purpose of making certain alterations in the rules of the Society, the principal amendments being the abolition of the fees heretofore charged as entrance and manegement fees.The Sickles Trial.\u2014This trial began on Friday.The evidence as \u2019far as it proceeded was a mere restatement of the facts already well known to the public.The following is the opening speech of the Attorney General :\u2014 OPENING SPEECH OF DISTRICT-ATTORNEY OULD.May it please your Honor and gentlemen of the Jury\u2014The indictment just read to you charges Daniel E.Sickles, the prisoner at the bar, with the willful murder of Philip Barton Key.I shall relate to you, briefly as I can, the chief incidents connected with this tragedy, so far as the evidence will disclose, the parties are doubtless well known to you already at least by reputation, one being a Representative in the Congress of the United States from the great commercial metropolis of the Union and the other having long and honorably filled\u2019 the post of public prosecutor in this District.Perhaps some of yon have seen how he discharged the duties which have fallen to my lot.The place where the crime, as charged in the indictment, was committed, was in the City of Washington; the time, the 27th of February last.It was the Sabbath, a day which for more than 1800 years has been set apart in commemoration of the divine mission which brought \u201c Pease on earth and good will to man.\u201d In the soft gush of that Sabbath sunlight, at an hour between the morning and evening Christian sacrifice, at the time almost when the sound of the Chruch belts was lingering in the air, the deceasea, all unconsious of the tremendous woe which then stood suspended over his house, met the prisoner at the bar in a public thoroughfare of this city.He must have seen, from the atitude aud movements, and other evidences ot deliberate intent which rounded into completeness the scene of the hour, that the prisoner at the bar contemplated some bloody deed.Unarmed and defensless as deceased was, he used the poor and feeble means in his power to save his life.How ineffectual they were, even in the delaying of the terrible fate, the evidence in the case will show.The prisoner at the bar had come to the carnival of blood fully prepared ; he was a walking magazine ; he was not only provided with a number of fire arms, but had taken care to sup-pi/ himself with different varieties, each one possessed of its peculiar excellence for the murderous work.He is a nice and close calculator, who, in the contingency of an anticipated collision, might call to his aid both a Derringer and a revolver.If before the time of the me'et-ing any such idea passed through the mind of the prisoner at the bar, it seems indicated by the number and variety of firearms, and the temporary armor in which he was attired, to wit, a convenient overcoat on an inconveniently warm day, from which it would seem he did not reason carelessly.Against this moving battery, which could place itself in any position like a piece of flying artillery on a field of bat.tie, the deceased had nothing to interpose, and interposed nothing save a physical strength, which, when governed by presence of mind was but feeble at best.A poor and feeble opera-glass, which, even thrown with well directed aim, was comparatively harmless, and, last of all, piteous exclamations, which, however they might have moved other men, in this case, at least fell on ears of stone.The evidence' in this case, Gentlemen of the Jury, will show to you, from the first act in this tragedy to its close, through every successive scene of horror, not only that deceased was unarmed, but that the prisoner at the bar knew such was the fact when they met ; that he knew it when the first shot was fired at the corner ; that he must surely have known it when subsequently the exclamations ot deceased were dying in the air ; and that, possibly more certainly still he must hnve known it when he stood bravely over his victim, revolver in hand, seeking to scatter the brains of one at whom he had fired three times and mortally wounded, and when his eyes were then being covered with the film of death.I say not this for the purpose of influencing your minds against _ the prisoner at the bar, but as an illustration ot the principle at common law, that homicide with a deadly weapon, perpetrated by a party who has all the advantages on his side, and with all the circumstances of deliberate cruelty and vindictiveness, is murder, no matter what the antecedent provocation in the case.Mr.Ould then cited from Wharton\u2019s Criminal law, adding that the evidence in this case will show to you that no matter how revengeful may have the prisoner at the bar toward the deceased at the time of the meeting, yet sufficient time elapsed between that moment and the period of the catastrophe for his passion, whatever may have influenced him, to have subsided.Not only was their sufficient time, but all the circumstances ot the case conspired to such a result.I know not, gentlemen, how so bloody a purpose could be maintained during such a length of time, and under such appealing circumstances, unless it was sustained by remorseless revenge.At least four or five shots were fired, or attempted to be fired.The interval of time, greater or less, between those shots, was filled up by earnest and frantic entreaties, such as a man would make for his life ; such, perhaps, as a desire for an opportunity for self vindication, ana perhaps the recollection of the little ones left clustering around his own hearthstone.The first shot which probably took effect on the person of the deceased, wounded him in the groin.From that time at least, until he fell on the pavement, he was in supplicating retreat, yet the prisoner at the bar did not desist from his bloody intent, even when he stood over the prostrate and dying form of the deceased.Nay, more, the evidence will show that at that time he was attempting to add mutilation to murder, when he was arrested by the parties whose feet subsequently bore his victim from the spot on which he fell.Murder, gentlemen of the Jury, has been defined and the definition accepted and allowed all over the civilized world as the unlawful killing of a human being with malice aforethought.The distinction between the two, gentleman although frequently made the subject of contro-cersy, is tolerably well understood.I beg leave to refresh your minds by stating the general principles as recognized in common law, and which govern us in the administration of criminal justice.Mr.Ould here read additional extract from Wharton, adding : The rules, gentlemen, by which the crime of murder is tested are not of to-day\u2019s or yesterday\u2019s growth.They have come down to us consecrated by time and the approval of just, wise and good men.While changes in other respects have been made in the law which governs and controls the relations Cif man to man ; while the hand of reform and innovation has been busy in tearing down and remodeling other portions of the structure of human justice, the great, grand and old foundations of the common law with respect to this offense, instead of being impaired, have been strengthened by time.Springing like an arch over the vast chasm of the remote past and the present, they have become stronger by the pressure of centuries.The maxims of the common law relating to the crime of murder are based on common law and common justice.However technical that common law may be in other respects, here it deals alone with fact.All its features are essensially humane.The feasures of these great old masters, even our rough ancestors, as portrayed to us in the light of their own maxims, are reflected to us living, actual me,n, like unto ourselves.These principles owe their entire strength, and I may say also their veracity, to their humanity, not a maudlin, sickly sentimental humanity, but one that is God-iearing and to men loving ; and while thus they allow a sufficient toleration of the weakness of our common nature, they .form, as it were, at the same time the very pedestal upon which rests the sublime figure of public justice.Whenever these principles are perverted, whenever they are warped for the purpose of shielding a criminal, whether he be humble or powerful, the blow is struck at both humanity and justice.Society, gentlemen, has its human cries as well as the solitary prisoner, and if they came up to us in the swell of uncounted voices, they are no less strong.The Jury that sends its deliverance to the offender whose stains are not washed off by the evidence in the trial, is itself derelict to the high obligations which humanity imposes.These principles relating to the law of murder have been proved by experience so eminently wise aud just that in no civilised code that I ever heard cfhas there been anydo^anüref^J ctlouis man life_qn !\t^ 1 sacred regard for hu- criminal_he whT^h ^ eV6n lte ranke3t toe functions of cutioneer, is himcAie ¦ge\u2019 ,Jury and exe~ privilege of a fair a rut glrea \u2022 lke toe It eivea , aQd lmPartial trial.prisoner at the bar notin'?161 h't ,Sickles' toe his victim, namely\u2014an imn7 ^b,atTlle denied to upright Judge, but until hÜT81 Jurji and aa clothes him in the spotless robeqPofT-ed guilty\u2019 How long the facts rhich Vay be nrnvn0CeT-progress of this case\u2014how Ion» th?^Q 1U th8 lion of innocence in his favor wilUontmWh * facts of the case as they may be given to you in evidence, is for you to determine.How soon gentlemen, that presumption will be supplanted by another, terrible to the prisoner, is one which the lew authorises you to draw.The presumption of murder arising from every unlawful killing, is for you to judge whether, in addition to this second presumption, the proofs of the case will show further express malice ot the prisoner toward the deceased, it is for yon to decide.You sit there, gentlemen, under the law ot the land.No prince or potentate ever exercised a higher function than that which yon are called upon to perform.It is as solemn as death; it is as momentous as life.Your consciences have been purged by the ordeal of the Court, and you have solemnly sworn you are competent to decide upon the guilt or innocence of the prisoner at the bar.You sit there aa jurors, and not as legislators.Whether the law be wise or foolish ; whether it inflicts too severe or too mild a punishment, is no concern of yours.Ton are there to find the facts and not to amend the law.You might as well ignore the law which impannels you, as to attempt to alter or set aside the law which defines and establishes the crime of murder.Nor have you anything to with the punishment which the law affixes to the crime.The responsibility rests alone with the law-making power, and the propriety of its exercise and administration is a question addressed exclusively to the wise discretion of the Execn-tlve, who can sheath the sword of justice or let it fall upon the guilty head.Your duties and responsibilities, gentlemen, are solemn and momentous enough without asuming that those do not belong to you.Yon sit there to try the issue between the prisoner at the bar, and tha prosecution of the United States which alleges that the law has been violated.The issue thus made up you are sworn to try, and that issue is alone the guilt of the party.The responsi-bihties winch attach to the correspondences of that finding rest elsewhere.Nay, more.Those consequences themselves, independent even of their responsibilities, are in the hands of the law, and in the keeping of a wise, merciful and just God.I know not, gentlemen of the Jury, what will be the peculiar line of the defence in this case.If I did, it would hardly be proper for me to allude to it at this time.If-however, gentlemen, it be legal and proved to your satisfaction, let the prisoner go free\u2014free as the winds ot heaven.If however, on the other hand, it be not legal\u2014if it receive not the sanction of the law, ot, being legal, it be not proved, I charge you, gentlemen of the Jury, by the duty you owe to yourselves, your God aud your country, to smite the red hand of violence everywhere by your verdict, andprfclaim to the four quarters ot the now listening world, there is yet virtue left to a Jury, no matter how high the position, or how lofty the pretensions, ot the offender.\t\u2019 NORTH SHORE RAILWAY.City Council.\u2014At the meeting of the City Council, last evening, the Mayor submitted his proposition respecting the North Shore Railway and a discussion ensued which continued until nearly midnight.The Council were informed, in a communication read by His Honor, that the plans, specification and estimates of the North Shore Railway and St.Maurice Navigation and Land Company were completed three weeks ago, and that, while at Toronto, he procured, thanks to the facilities afforded by the Commissioner of Crown Lands,\u2014the documents and plans requisite to enable him to fulfil his mission to England.Private letters from capitalists and other influential persons in the English money market assure the Mayor that the time has come when this project should be placed before the English public, and he has every reason to believe that the amount necessary for the construction of the railroad may be raised in England on certain conditions.The principal of these is one that especially concerns the Corporation of the city of Quebec, and, if accepted by the Council, it would, Mr.Langev-in thinks, in all probability, ensure the execution of an enterprise which is admitted to be of immense importance to the ctiy.i The proposition may thus be stated : foreign capitalists have no other interests in the construction of the road than an advantageous investment, while the city ot Quebec, in addition to its £300,000 of shares, and 300,000 acres of land, is interested in having a railway which will increase its business, add to the value of real estate, and place Ü-ÎÜ rftpid and uninterrupted communication with all parts of the Province and the United shonlrt\tJS\u2019 .ther?fofe.necessary capitalists should be convincea the investment is a good ti1Q w rder 1° toduce them to take shares \u2022 and the Mayor, for this reason, suggests thé issue by the Company of preferéntiaf bonds to to* ar\u201c0lun vertisement.The sale of Household Furniture, Piano, &c.at the residence of G.F.Prowse, Esq., Great St.James Street, takes place this morning at Eleven o\u2019clock.The Horse will be sold at one o\u2019clock.The various Properties and Book Debts, advertised for account of the Estate Barrett & Hagar, will be sold this day, at Messrs, deeming & Co.\u2019s office, St.Nicholas Street, at twelve o\u2019clock, and immediately after, that delightful Residence and grounds situated in the Village of Chambly, belonging to Benj.Draper, and now occupied by him.Editorial Correspondence of the Montreal Hera'd.Toronto, 7th April, 1859.Although not a copy of the Resolutions, containing the Government scheme for the Commutation of the Seigniorial Tenure, [to be moved to-dav by Mr, Cartier] could be procured last night, they appear this morning in the columns of the Colonist.The Municipal Loan Fund, as I understand the Resolutions, will continue in full operation\u2014that is, the Upper Canada Municipalities, which have already absorbed tbe whole million and a-half of that fund appropriated to Western Canada, will remain liable to the full amount borrowed by them under its provisions ; and the Lower Canada Municipalities will be permitted to borrow whatever ^balance of their million and a half of the same fund remains unappropriated.Until, however, the money borrowed, and to be borrowed, from the Municipal Loan Fund has been repaid, the defaulting municipalities shall have no share in the distribution of the Upper and Lower Canada Municipal Funds, arising from the Clergy Reserves and increased by the payment of £750,000, from the Provincial Funds, as an offset for £500,000 paid to the Seigniors.The \u201c to tal of the whole,\u201d to use old Joseph Hume\u2019s oft-quoted phrase, will be, that to provide for the payment of £500,000, as a cure for the acknowledged evils incident to the feudal tenure, as it has hitherto prevailed in a limited portion of the country, the direct debt of the Province will be increased by about £1,250,000 ; while its indirect liabilities, under the Municipal Loan Fund, will be increased about £1,000,000\u2014the Lower Canada Municipalities having still a claim upon the Fund to that amount.A more monstrous scheme for the liquidation of a debt of £50,000 it is impossible to conceive ; and yet, there cannot be a doubt that, whatever may be its fate in Council it will be carried by triumphant majorities through the House of Assembly.It is, in fact, in all its features, a perfect master-piece in that peculiar branch of financial science, so successfully practiced by that ex-railroad potentate, the honorable member for Sunderland.It makes things so pleasant all round\u2014pleasant to the Seigniors and censitaires, whose mutual obligations to each other it will relieve them of ; pleasant to the people of the Townships, who will, by it, obtain a million of dollars, or thereabouts, for their local improvements ; very pleasant to the Upper Canadian Municipalities, on whom it will bestow some two millions of dollars ; exceedingly pleasant to the Lower Canadian Municipalities, who will still be enabled to obtain their four millions of dollars from the Municipal Loan Fund ; and, surely, not unpleasant even to the Upper Canadian debtors to that fund, for, although it gives them no positive release from their obligations, it clearly intimates that they may postpone the day of payment just as long as suits their own convenience.To use Mr.John A.Macdonald\u2019s forcible figure, the scheme is \u201c steeped to the lips\u201d in pleasantness, at least to all the various class interests I have just enumerated.As to the people at large\u2014the public, the tax-payers, the commonwealth of \u201c this Canada,\u201d\u2014who knows, and who cares, what they may think of the scheme \u2014let them settle the matter with their representatives, at the next elections, and if they find they have been sold and betrayed by them, why, let them elect better men.Their burdens, it is true, will, in the meantime, have been increased to the tnne of $480,000 a-year\u2014interest on $8,000,000\u2014but will not the Seigniors, the censitaires, and the Municipalities, East and West, have fructified upon all this expenditure?The only little drawback to this Hudsonian system of financial pleasantness is its shortlived and transitory character.Facilis est descensus\u2014nothing is easier and few things pleasanter than getting into debt ; but to get out of debt\u2014Ate labor hoc opus est,\u2014is the most toilsome and heart-breaking task which can fall to the lot of man.You will observe that I have viewed the commutation scheme as it would have stood under the Seigniorial Tenures Act of 1854.The application of the principles of that Act to the St.Sulpician Seigniories\u2014while utterly uncalled for and intended for the exclusive benefit of a few individuals, besides the powerful ecclesiastic Corporation of St.Sulpice\u2014will greatly increase the cost of the commutation and aggravate the evils, which cannot tail to result to the county, from so unscrupulous and almost wanton a waste of the public funds in the interest, first of the Cartier-Macdonald Cabinet\u2014for the purchase of parliamentary support\u2014and secondly only, in that of the Seigniors and censitaires of Lower Canada 1 shaü consider the St.Sulpician branch of the subject in my next\u2014when I shall have had the advantage of Mr.Cartier\u2019s explanations in introducing his Resolutions to the House, which he will do night.Toronto, April 8.Mr.Cartier did not, as was expected, bring forward his Seigniorial Tenure Resolutions last night Mr.Gaits measure for the Consolida-tion of the public debt, and Mr.Sidney Smith\u2019s postal resolutions and Superannuation Fund scheme having occupied the house, until it adjourned at one o\u2019clock this morning.I have already stated my opinion that, however advantageous to the present holders of Municipal Debentures to have them, as Mr.Galt proposes converted into Provincial Debentures, such conversion can be of no appreciable advantage to the Provinoe, and I heard nothing last night to change my opinion.As to tbe Postmaster General\u2019s reimposition of newspaper postage, like Mr.Galt\u2019s tax upon books, while it will impede the circulation of knowledge and the education of tbs people, the revenue which Mr.Smith calculates it will yield, will lam satisfied never be realized from it.The same great statesman\u2019s Superannuation Fund is merely a system for pensioning the public employees, perform the duties of their offices.Such a system is the opposite of what the immortal playwright says of mercy, which is twice blessed, for, while its inflicting a serious burden on the people, it can scarcely fail to lead to imprudence and extravagance among the public officials, inasmuch as it will be seen that wholesome forethought for the future, which should be the leading characteristic of every member of societv will be no longer necessory.Mr.Galt\u2019s resolutions in reference to the Consolidated Municipal Loan Fund, which were only distributed to members last night, you will observe, to a certain, but not very important extent, modify the outrageous squandering of the public funds involved in Mr.Cartier\u2019s Seigniorial Tenure Commutation scheme.According to these resolutions, the Lower Canada Municipalities will, excepting to a limited amount, be deprived of the dangerous facilities of borrowing money, which that Fund afforded them, and which have been so shamelessly abused in this section of the Province.Upper Canada, it is true, has already secured her fnll share of this Fund, and it might be argued that the bad use she has made ot the money so obtained is but a one-sided reason for denying ing to her sister, Lower Canada, the right of drawing her tall share of it.Under the eiroum-stances, however, I think the people of Lower Canada may well rejoice that, by Mr.Galt\u2019s measure, they will be relieved from the temptation of borrowing money, which, as has been shown by the Sherbrooke Municipality, they have no legitimate means of employing.\u2014 It is, at the same time, scarcely fair in Mr.Galt to pretend to base his well-judged suppression of the Municipal Loan Fund in Lower Canada, upon the ground of the funds required for the Seigniorial Tenure Commutation.This would have been fair enough had Mr.Cartier\u2019s scheme been limited to compensating the Seigniors for the loss of their property, but it is, manifestly, unjust, and only calculated to deceive, to affect to base the payment to the Seigniories upon the Lower Canada share of the Municipal Loan Fund, when Upper Canada, not contented with her equal share of that fund, is to receive, besides an equal amount to whatever may be required for the commutation of the Casual Rights of the Seigniors in Lower Canada.Mr.Galt\u2019s suppression of the Fund in Lower Canada is, all will admit, a good and wise measure in itself, but it has no legitimate connection with Mr.Cartier\u2019s commutation scheme, and in no respect lessens the preposterous extravagance of that scheme, by which, instead of £500,000, the public debt will be increased some £1,000,000\u2014£700,000 of this sum being paid as a bribe to secure the votes of the Upper Canada and Township members ! A more monstrous attempt at wholesale corruption it is impossible to conceive ; as to the suspicious feature of Mr.Cartier\u2019s scheme, it will, undoubtedly, greatly add to the cost of the commutation but to what extent it is impossible to gather from the terms of Mr.Canter\u2019s Resolutions, Conceived in sin \u2014for it is well known it originated as a quid pro quo to three Montreal District voters in favor of the \u201c Queen\u2019s decision\u201d\u2014it has been brought forth in iniquity.What, for example, can be more unjust than the exclusion of the people of the City and parish of Montreal from the benefits of the proposed scheme ?Why should they be excluded ?and above all, when thus expressly excluded from any benefits under the act, why should they be compelled to do, or not to do, as it may suit their interest,\u2014 why should they be compelled to commute with the Seminary, and only on acquiring un-commuted property by purchase, but even on succeeding to it as heirs of their fathers or other relations ?This last provison of Mr.Cartier\u2019s proposed law is objectionable in every point of view.If it be the interest of any one obtaining property, within the limits excluded from the operation of the Act, by succession to commute with the Seminary, he will, undoubtedly, avail himself of the existing law, and secure a commutation; but if this,it is not his interest to commute, wfiy, in the name of justice, should he bo compelled to do so, for the benefit of the Seminary ?There is another provison in Mr.Cartier\u2019s scheme which appears to me not only unjust to the Seigniors, but immoral of any honest Government.It is that provision, by\twhich, while admitting the justice of\tthe Seignior\u2019s claims\tupon the State, it is proposed to pay them at the rate of 75 cents on the dollar! This is actually offering a premium to the creditors of any unfortunate Seignior to force him to sell his property at 25 per cent, below its value.The wealthy Seignior will, of course, take his 6 per cent, per annum on the debt which the Government acknowledges it owes him, rather than make any such usurious deduction to secure the principal, but the indebted Seignior will have no option in the matter and his creditors may avail themselves of the offer of the Government to force him to make the sacrifice of one-quarter of his means of supporting hi3 family.No ; if the Government owes any man a dollar, let it either pay the dollar, or give him an acknowledgment of the debt in full\u2014to offer him a composition of 75 cents on the dollar is either to acknowledge its insolvency or to take a mean and dishonest advantage of its creditors\u2019 position.Mr.Cartier will, probably, introduce his Resolutions to-night, and, as I have said, there can be no doubt of his measure passing the Assembly.Its fate in the Council is considered doubtful, nay, it is even whispered that its parents will not be disconsolate should their Honors\u2019 treatment of it enable them to postpone the settlement of the claims of the Seigniors and censitaires until next session\u2014nous verrons, but I shall not be surprised should the whispered insinuation prove well founded.The prisoner, on hearing his sentence, utte\u2019;.ed a desperate imprecation against the C^urt ; but he was instantly removed.- RIOTOUSLY DEMOLISHING a.a'jUSE.Jean Bte.Deschamheault wa.'s charged with having, along with others unknown, at the parish of St.Cecil, on the 3rd November last, begun to demolish a house the property of Na-zaire Laflamme, Mr.Monk and Mr.prisoner.The case broke down before the defence began, whereupon the Court directed the Jury to acquit the prisoner.The Court then adjourned till ten o\u2019clock this (Tuesday) morning.Q.C., appeared for the Crown, Carter and Mr.Denis defended the 132 Sflesrsiifj, CORRESPONDENCE.To the Editor of th- Montreal Herald.Sir,\u2014I observe in a city paper of Friday last, a complaint from business men in the West Ward ot their having been put to serious inconvenience by the non-delivery of letters by the present Letter-Carrier, and some of them not unreasonably object to have their late Letter-Carrier removed to another portion of the city.The parties aggrieved reside in Notre Dame Street, West, and the inconvenience complained of must be attributed to the changes recently made in the routes of the Letter-Carriers, with a view to facilitate the street delivery, and therefore some allowance should be made for the difficulty of their position.\u2014 However injuriously these changes may affect parties in Notre Dame Street for a while, it gives me pleasure to say that the residents of McGill Street\u2014which is partly in the same Ward \u2014are very much benefitted by them, contra spem, as their letters and papers are now distributed at an early hour ; evidence of which was had on the very day the complaint appeared, in the fact that the mails per steamship \u201c Indian\u201d were delivered as soon as sorted, instead of being field over till the following day as was heretofore the practice.It is unjust in complaining of the delay in the street delivery, to make charges involving the entire body of the Letter-Carriers, and it is only right to the McGill Street Letter-Carrier to say, that the residents of that street are satisfied with the way in which he serves them, he delivers their letters promptly twice a day\u2014morning and afternoon\u2014and is smart and obliging as well ; and it is to be hoped that whatever other changes it may be deemed necessary to make that they will not be deprived of his services.I cannot conceive that the authorities will be willing to do so, contrary to their wishes.Yours,