the country was nevertheless, making progress. Business was brisk. The
population was rapidly increasing. A steamer had been placed on the
Ottawa. The Rideau Canal to connect the Ottawa with Lake Ontario, at
Kingston, had been commenced, at the expense of the imperial
government, as a military work. Quebec contained 2,008 houses, and a
population of 15,257 souls, of whom 11,991 were Roman Catholics, and
3,266 were Protestants. Four new vessels had been built at Quebec in
the course of the past year, and 409 vessels of 94,657 tons of shipping
had been cleared at the port of Quebec, while merchandise to the amount
of L772,373 had been imported. The gross revenue amounted to L58,332
sterling for Lower Canada, and L18,673 sterling for Upper Canada. The
expenditure amounted to L127,379 sterling, including L9,720 for the
purchase of seed wheat in 1817; L45,270 in payment of army bills:
L14,988, the fifth of the whole duties collected for 1817 and due to
Upper Canada, by agreement. The cost of mere legislation was this year
L13,420 currency. In 1819, from the opening of the navigation to the
12th of October, 612 vessels had arrived, and 12,434 immigrants had
come to enrich the country by their labor and benefit trade by their
necessities.

In the Lower Province two Banks had already been established; there was
now one in operation at Kingston, in Upper Canada. It is not a little
curious, however, that when efforts were first made to establish the
Kingston Bank the current of public opinion set so strongly against the
measure, that although supported by men of intelligence and
respectability, it was abandoned without the presentation of petitions
to the legislature. A bill, as may have already been perceived, was,
nevertheless, passed, for the incorporation of the bank, but reserved
for His Majesty's pleasure by Governor Gore. The roads, in Upper
Canada, were at this period so indifferent that there were but few
common carriages, while the inns were so indifferent that in the summer
season travelling was for the most part accomplished by water. Indeed
the facilities afforded by water for travelling in some very
considerable degree impeded the improvement of the roads, between towns
situated very far apart.

Sir Peregrine Maitland having assumed the government of Upper Canada,
met the parliament of that province, for the first time, on the 12th of
October, 1818. His "maiden" speech from the throne was noticeable for
the remark