Reports of the Commissioners on the Rebellion Losses in the years 1837-1838 - in Lower Canada (Quebec)

By Provincial Government of Lower Canada (Quebec)

This 1852 Report of the Commissioners on the 1837-38 Rebellion Losses in Quebec focuses on 107 claims of the final 348 claims that were still outstanding in 1852. These 107 denied or partially denied claims make especially interesting reading insofar as so many of the claimants participated directly in the Rebellion, or materially supported the rebel cause.

After an explanatory preamble the report continues with a list of the claimants names and amounts of claim, where they lived, then the bulk of the book contains written explanations supporting the Commissioners' decisions on each individual claim (identified by claim number and person's name), plus several pieces of relevant correspondence and related explanation.

An example of an explanation supporting the decision of a specific claim:

• "72 [Claim number]. Jean Baptiste Tetre [claimant], Ste. Marie [abode of claimant]. - This claim is for occupation of a house and property pillaged by the troops. The Commissioners have assessed the actual loss suffered, at £26 6s, 8d., but deny the claimant's right to indemnity for a loss so incurred. The conduct of the claimant admits of no extenuation. During the two Rebellions of 1837 and 1838, he was an acting leader, commanding at the Camp at St. Charles. The day before the battle of St. Charles he had 200 armed men under him, in expectation of the defeat of Colonel Wetherall, ready to attack Her Majesty's Forces on their retreat, compelling all he could, by threats or force, to join the rebel army. On the defeat of the rebel force at St. Charles, the claimant fled to the United States, and remained there some 18 months, during which he joined the refugees and sympathizers in their invasion of our frontier, burning the houses and buildings of those who remained true to their allegiance. The CommissIoners are of opinion that the claimant, by his conduct·, brought the loss on himself, (contrasting the small number of troops with a District in arms) the punishment may have been deemed necessary for the suppression of the Rebellion, and for the prevention of further disturbances. The claimant was mildly dealt with, and the loss inflicted., neither "wanton, unnecessary, nor unjust." Mr. LeBlanc dissenting, for reasons explained in full in a paper attached to the Judgments, marked No. A."

Many of the reports are much longer than the above example, a few are shorter.

The actions described in this report resulted from the Rebellion Losses Bill which was introduced by the coalition government of Robert Baldwin and Louis-Hippolyte La-Fontaine and passed into law in early 1849. The Act provided for compensation for those who lost property during the 1837 Rebellion. The legislation was very controversial with the minority Conservatives insofar as it treated those who sided with sympathies for the rebels equally with those who did not rebel. Once the voting was complete and the Bill passed, the Conservatives reacted violently, burning the Parliament Buildings in Montreal and committing much other property and personal damage. The bulk of claims were handled quickly, many claims were dropped by the claimants.

This digital resource contains high resolution scanned images of the original report and a brief introduction by the publisher.  The material is completely searchable by any name, word or phrase.

Details:

131 Pages
6.75" X 9.75"
Lists
Searchable pdf 
Published by Provincial Parliament, Montreal, 1852
This edition published by Global Heritage Press, Milton, 2013