cation of the
laws of the Provincial Parliament, passed in the previous session. His
assigned object in making the motion was to palliate the conduct of the
Pointe Claire rioters. The motion carried and the Clerks and other
officers of the Upper House were summoned to attend at the Bar of the
Assembly. The Upper House, seemingly, considered that their officers
had equal privileges with themselves, and at first refused to allow
these gentlemen to attend, but, seeing the Assembly resolute, and being
anxious not to throw any obstacle in the way of the speedy despatch of
the public business, they permitted their attendance under protest. The
result of the enquiry amounted to nothing, and the House proceeded to
other business. The subject of appointing an agent to England was again
considered, but postponed until a more suiting time, when the propriety
of an income tax was discussed. It was indeed resolved in the Assembly
to impose a tax upon persons enjoying salaries from the government, of
fifteen per cent upon such as had L1,500 a year, twelve per cent upon
such as had L1,000 and upwards, ten per cent upon L500 and upwards, and
five per cent upon every L250 and upwards. The bill was, of course,
rejected by the Council. The Assembly, however, firmly convinced of the
loyalty of the people, were neither to be cajoled nor brow-beaten out
of their rights, and they proceeded to other business of a singularly
unpleasant character to the higher powers. Mr. Stuart, the leader of
the opposition, was a man of extraordinary capacity and of great
firmness of purpose. Those who had made Sir James Craig do him an
injustice still held their appointments, and he was determined to bring
about a change without the slightest regard whatever to the
consequences of change. He moved for an enquiry into the power and
authority exercised by His Majesty's Courts of Law, with a view to put
a stop to such trifling with justice as had been exhibited in the
arrest and imprisonment of Mr. Bedard and others. It was asserted by
Mr. Stuart that under the name of Rules of Practice, the Chief Justice,
in league with the government, had subverted the laws of the province,
and had assumed legislative authority, to impose illegal burthens and
restraints upon His Majesty's subjects, in the exercise of their legal
rights, which were altogether inconsistent with the duties of a Court
and subversive of the rights and liberties of the subject. The House
granted the