da. He settled
in the township of Whitchurch, where he practised as a surveyor, and in
the course of the nest few years laid out many official surveys for the
Provincial Government. Samuel, prior to his removal to Canada, had
learned the trade of a blacksmith, which he carried on for some years at
Holland Landing. He had a farm in the same neighbourhood which he
cultivated with much pecuniary success. Being a man of great industry
and intelligence, he gradually amassed considerable property, and became
what for those days might be regarded as wealthy. Better still, he
acquired the respect and confidence of the people around him, for he was
kind-hearted and generous, and spent much of his time in ministering to
the necessities of those incoming settlers who were less advantageously
situated than himself. To this day the neighbourhood abounds with
traditions of his noble unselfishness, and there are old men and women
who, after the lapse of half a century, cannot speak of Samuel Lount
without a dimness of vision and a huskiness of the voice.[187] Though a
zealous loyalist, he was an enthusiastic Reformer, and vehemently
opposed to the domination of the faction whose selfishness went far to
paralyze the life of the Province. He was an excellent speaker, and
during election contests did much to awaken public opinion on the
fruitful subject of Executive abuses. He now, in response to pressing
solicitations, allowed himself to be nominated as a candidate for the
representation of Simcoe in the Assembly, and, as has been seen, was
returned for that constituency along with an ultra-Tory. In personal
appearance he was considerably above the medium height, and of robust
figure; of dark complexion, and with a pleasant, intelligent expression
of countenance.

[Illustration: I am your obt Servant
David Gibson][TR: Handwritten.]

The County of York, smarting under a sense of indignity and partial
disfranchisement, rendered itself specially conspicuous in the contest.
During the preceding year an Act[188] had been passed extending and
readjusting the representation of the County, and dividing it for
electoral purposes into four Ridings, designated respectively the First,
Second, Third and Fourth. Each of these now returned a Radical Reformer.
The First Riding returned David Gibson, a land surveyor who resided on
Yonge Street, about eight miles north of the city, near the present
village of Willowdale. He was of Scottish nationalit