number of five hundred men, carrying with them
several field-pieces. These were, however, defeated by the troops under
the command of Colonel Dundas, Major McBean, Colonel Young, and Captain
Sandom. Nearly two hundred of them were taken, and conveyed to Kingston,
to be tried by court-martial; many were slain, and the rest escaped
across the river. Another attack was made by the American marauders on
the 4th of December, near Sandwich, at the western extremity of Upper
Canada. A steam-boat and the barracks were set on fire, and Dr. Hume,
a military surgeon, having fallen into their hands, was barbarously
murdered. On discovering this outrage, the militia, under the command
of Colonel Price, assembled, and on their approach the enemy fled.
Twenty-six of their number were slain in their flight, and twenty-five
captured.

In the meantime Sir John Colborne and his special council were busy in
the exercise of their legislative functions. Ordinances were passed for
substituting martial law, for suspending the _habeas corpus_, for the
attainder of persons against whom the sentence of courts-martial
should be given, and for preventing, by highly penal provisions, the
administering of unlawful oaths. It had been suggested by Lord Glenelg
to Lord Durham, that a special court for the trial of "rebels and
murderers" should be instituted. Sir John Colborne, however, preferred
to resort to courts-martial for the disposal of prisoners recently
captured. Soon after the dispersion of the insurgents, therefore, a
general court-martial was convened, and twelve prisoners, all of French
extraction, were arraigned before it. Two of these were acquitted, and
the rest were sentenced to death; a sentence, however, which was
only executed upon two of the most notorious--Cardinal, a notary, and
Duguette, a tavern-keeper, who had commanded in both insurrections.
In Upper Canada, where Sir George Arthur provisionally governed, the
difficulties attendant upon the disposal of the prisoners were greater.
The Upper Canadians demanded severity, and would not hear of mercy being
extended to men whom they deemed robbers and murderers. A court-martial
was assembled at Kingston for the trial of some of the recently captured
prisoners; and several of them, as Van Schoultz, a Pole, who commanded
the brigands, and three of his associates in command, Abbey, George, and
Woodruff, were executed. Not long afterwards five more of the prisoners,
three of whom had bee