s, and as certain to make the
Crown officers dependent on an elective body, whereby they might be
made instrumental in overthrowing the Crown itself. Thus was the civil
list bill lost. A company was incorporated to construct a canal between
Montreal and Lachine. L3,000 was appropriated towards the apportionment
of lands to the militia who had served during the war; and Pierre
Bedard, Esquire, Judge for the District of Three Rivers, was impeached
by Mr. C. R. Ogden. Mr. Ogden accused Bedard of prostituting his
judicial authority to the gratification of personal malice; of tyranny;
of imposing fines upon his enemies on pretence of punishing contempts
of Courts; of uttering expressions derogatory to the other judges of
the Court in which he sat; of having accused the barristers of Three
Rivers frequently of high breaches of moral and professional rectitude;
of having wickedly imprisoned in the common gaol of Three Rivers,
Charles Richard Ogden, Esquire, then and still being His Majesty's
Counsel for the said district, for an alleged libel and contempt
against the provincial Court, in which Mr. Bedard was the judge; for
having illegally fined Pierre Vezina, Esquire, an advocate practicing
in Court, ten shillings, for pretended contemptuous conduct; and for
having grossly and unjustifiably attacked the character of Joseph de
Tonnancour, a barrister. The articles of impeachment were referred to a
committee which reported in favor of the judge, and the House did not,
therefore, impeach him.

While this was going on a message was received from His Grace the
Governor-in-Chief, acquainting the members of the Legislative Council
that the commands of the Prince Regent had been received respecting the
proceedings of the Assembly against Mr. Foucher. The Regent directed
that the Assembly, previous to any ulterior proceeding, should lay
before the Governor-in-Chief such documentary evidence as they might
consider adequate to support the charges which they had brought against
Mr. Justice Foucher, and that copies of such charges, of such
documentary evidence, and of the examination already taken and annexed
to the charges should be then transmitted by His Grace the
Governor-in-Chief to Mr. Justice Foucher for his answer and defence,
which answer and defence would be submitted to the Assembly for their
reply, when the whole of the documents would be submitted to the Regent
for such further course as the case might require. The Legislativ