f peace with the United States in 1815 had
Upper Canada been more undisturbed. The real causes of the insurrection
in Lower Canada, namely, the national antipathy of the French
inhabitants, did not in any degree apply in the upper Province, whose
population, like the British and American inhabitants of Lower Canada,
were wholly opposed to the revolt and anxious to render every service in
their power in support of the Queen's, authority.

It had been reported to the Government some time before the 4th of
December that in a remote portion of the home district a number of
persons occasionally met and drilled with arms under leaders known to
be disaffected, but it was not believed by the Government that anything
more could be intended than to make a show of threatened revolt in order
to create a diversion in favor of the rebels in Lower Canada.

The feeling of loyalty throughout this Province was known to be so
prevalent and decided that it was not thought unsafe to forbear, for
the time at least, to take any notice of the proceedings of this party.

On the night of the 4th December the inhabitants of the city of Toronto
were alarmed by the intelligence that about 500 persons armed with
rifles were approaching the city; that they had murdered a gentleman
of great respectability in the highway, and had made several persons
prisoners. The inhabitants rushed immediately to arms; there were no
soldiers in the Province and no militia had been called out. The home
district, from which this party of armed men came, contains 60,000
inhabitants; the city of Toronto 10,000. In a few hours a respectable
force, although undisciplined, was collected and armed in self-defense,
and awaited the threatened attack. It seems now to admit of no doubt
that if they had at once advanced against the insurgents they would have
met with no formidable resistance, but it was thought more prudent to
wait until a sufficient force should be collected to put the success of
an attack beyond question. In the meantime people poured in from all
quarters to oppose the insurgents, who obtained no increase of numbers,
but, on the contrary, were deserted by many of their body in consequence
of the acts of devastation and plunder into which their leader had
forced them.

On the 7th of December an overwhelming force of militia went against
them and dispersed them without losing a man, taking many prisoners,
who were instantly by my order released and suffered to