he meeting had been summoned. The other ten
merely repaired to the appointed place to hear whatever communication
the Agent and Corresponding Secretary might have to make to them. Upon
being called upon to state the purpose for which he had called them
together, Mackenzie proceeded to unfold his project. He had no sooner
entered upon it than he encountered murmurs and expressions of dissent.
He stated that he could count upon the active cooeperation of at least
fifteen hundred men in the Home District alone, of whom, however, not
more than a third were supplied with arms. Beyond the limits of the Home
District he could count upon from two to three thousand, but of these
not one-fifth were properly armed. All these, he declared, might be
implicitly depended upon to support any project which might then and
there be determined upon. He proposed to send out trusty messengers in
all directions to summon these "good men and true" to repair at once to
Toronto. But there was no need, he said, to wait for the arrival of
these supporters. He had taken pains to ascertain the exact condition of
the city, and it was absolutely defenceless, owing to the sending away
of the troops. Why should not the decisive blow be struck at once? Why
not instantly send for Dutcher's[288] foundry-men and Armstrong's
axe-makers, all of whom were true to the good cause? With these men at
their backs, they might proceed straightway to Government House and
seize Sir Francis, who had just come in from his daily ride on
horseback, and who was guarded by only one sentinel. His capture having
been effected, they might proceed to the City Hall and seize the arms
and ammunition. The next thing would be to proclaim a Provisional
Government, and give Sir Francis the alternative of conceding what the
Radicals demanded or taking the consequences of refusal. There was
absolutely nothing, Mackenzie averred, to interfere with the carrying
out of this programme. Four-fifths of the citizens would join them when
they saw that success had attended their efforts, and of the other fifth
at least half would remain neutral, while the small residue of the
population would be too insignificant in point of numbers to render it
possible for them to offer any serious opposition.

Such was the astounding scheme propounded by Mackenzie. His small
audience could hardly credit the evidence of their senses. When he had
proceeded thus far, Dr. Morrison could restrain himself no longer,