STATE OF 
 
 THE PROVINCE 
 
 PROCEED' NGS OF EIGHTEEN 
 
 TOWNSHIP MEETINGS 
 
 snmoBBSsss. a th ii—ii r w 
 
 HELD BETWEEN JULY ISds 
 
 AND AUG. 6th, 1831 
 
 YORK, 1831 
 
STATE OF THE PROVINCE. 
 
 PROCEEDINGS OF TOWNSHIP MEETINGS, HOME DISTRICT. 
 
 YORK TOWN MEETING—ADDRESS TO HIS MAJESTY. 
 
 At a general Town Meeting of the people of the Town and Town- 
 ehip of York, convened by Mr. Joshua Van Allen, Town Clerk, upon 
 the request of one hundred and eight respectable inhabitants, and held 
 in the public Market Square of the said town, on Saturday the six¬ 
 teenth day of July, 1831, at eleven in the forenoon, after due notice had 
 been given in the public prints and by handbills, the Town Clerk pre¬ 
 sided, and James Doyle, Esq. acted as Secretary. 
 
 Mr. Mackenzie read, and submitted to the meeting for its adoption, 
 the draft of a petition and address to the King ; which motion having 
 been seconded by I)r. Morrison, the question was put to the meeting by 
 the Town Clerk,— 1 Shall the Petition and Address just read be adopted V 
 And it was unanimously resolved to adopt the said address, which was 
 then signed by the Chairman and Secretary, and is follows: 
 
 The Humble Petition and Address of the People of York , agreed upon 
 
 at a Toicnship Meeting duly convened by the Town Clerk, and held 
 
 in the public Market Square, on Saturday the lGth day of July, 1831. 
 
 To tue King’s Most Excellent Majesty. 
 
 SIRE: 
 
 We, Your Majesty’s faithful subjects, the people of the Town 
 and Township of York, in general Town Meeting assembled, request 
 permission to approach the Throne of our beloved Sovereign with as¬ 
 surances of our sincere and unalterable attachment to your Majesty's 
 sacred person and family, and of our full and entire confidence in Your 
 Majesty's disposition at all times graciously to exercise your royal pre¬ 
 rogative in the manner best calculated to promote the happiness of Your 
 people. It is with feelings of lively satisfaction that we behold the 
 Throne surrounded by counsellors on whose wisdom and integrity we, 
 in common with the great majority of our fellow subjects throughout 
 the empire, place the fullest dependance; a Ministry whose constitu¬ 
 tional measures give abundant evidence of their anxiety to advance 
 the great interests of the nation. 
 
 We humbly desire, on the present auspicious occasion, to offer to 
 Your Majesty our grateful acknowledgments for having listened with 
 seutiments of paternal tenderness to the earnest prayers of our fellow 
 subjects in the United Kingdom for a restoration of their just and salu' 
 tary influence in the constitution of these realms; and we entertain 
 the cheering and ennobling hope that by means of the truly great and 
 magnanimous efforts made bv Your Majesty on behalf of your loyal 
 people, their freedom and happiness will be secured, discontent allayed, 
 and the honor and dignity of your imperial crown upheld and main¬ 
 tained. 
 
 Emboldened by the knowledge that we are blessed with a patriot 
 kins, who has already enthroned himself in the hearts of his people, 
 and whose gracious disposition early to hearken to tbe just complaints 
 and speedily to redress the wrongs of his faithful subjects throughout 
 Iiis widely extended dominions is abundantly made manifest, we em¬ 
 brace the present opportunity as most favorable to our wishes of ac¬ 
 knowledging the many substantial blessings enjoyed by Upper Canada 
 under its established Constitution ; and of approaching with confidence 
 the royal ear to make known our heartfelt hopes, that under the pa¬ 
 ternal sway of Your Majesty and your illustrious family, we and our 
 posterity after us may peaceably and quietly enjoy all those inestimable 
 blessings and privileges which are the birthright of Britons; and which 
 an healthful and agreeable climate, a fruitful soil, and a well-ordered 
 constitutional government are calculated to ensure to a free and grate¬ 
 ful people. 
 
 We deem it a duty we owe to Your Majesty, to our families, and to 
 our fellow subjects, to lay a brief statement of our complaints at the 
 foot of Your Majesty’s Throne, and earnestly to request that Your Ma¬ 
 jesty, in Council, would cause a strict enquiry to be made without de¬ 
 lay into the Administration of the Government of this Province : so 
 that, forming an integral portion of the British Empire, we may at 
 length fully share in its equal and exalted justice. 
 
 When, in 1792, Lieutenant Governor Simcoe, the Representative of 
 your illustrious father, King George the third, called together the first 
 Parliament of this Colony, he gave to the Legislature, in the name of 
 his royal master the most ample assurances that il had been summoned 
 together under the provisions of an Act of the Parliament of Great 
 Britain which had established the British Constitution and all the 
 forms which secure and maintain it, in tnis distant country. 
 
 Lieutenant Governor Simcoc, acting in the name and on the behalf 
 of His Majesty the King, further assured the Parliament, that the great 
 and momentous trusts and duties which had thus been committed to 
 the representatives of this Province, in a degree infinitely beyond what¬ 
 ever, till this period, had distinguished any other Colony, had origi¬ 
 nated from the British nation, upon a just consideration of the energy 
 and hazard with which its inhabitants had so conspicuously supported 
 and defended the British Constitution. And at the close of the session, 
 his Excellency recommended to the Representatives of Upper Canada 
 to explain to the people, that the Province was singularly blest with a 
 Constitution, “ the very image and transcript of that of Great Britain, 
 * 1 by which she has long established and secured to her subjects as much 
 “ freedom and happiness as is possible to be enjoyed under the subor- 
 “ dination necessary to civilized society.” 
 
 But we would humbly, yet earnestly, represent to Your Majesty, that 
 the Constitution thus settled, and our just title to the rights and bene¬ 
 fits of which is recognized, “ and guarantied to us by the supreme au¬ 
 thority of a powerful and generous nation, under the auspices of its 
 most illustrious citizens,” lias been acknowledged in theory, but, in a 
 great degree, denied in practice; for there is not now, neither has there 
 ever been, in this Province, any real constitutional check upon the 
 natural disposition of men in the possession of power, to promote their 
 own partial views and interests at the expense of the interests of the 
 great body of the people. 
 
 The infancy of the country, the poverty of the first settlers, the ccud 
 mand over the waste lands, and the civil and military expenditures de¬ 
 rived from England, left all the power in the hands of ihe Executive 
 Government, and rendered the constitutional check derived from the 
 power ot electing a branch of the Legislature altogether nugatory, or 
 perhaps rather mischievous than otherwise, it serving as a cloak to L< - 
 gislntive Acts lor promoting, in many, if not in most cases, individual 
 and partial interests at the sacrifice of fhc public good, and that too 
 with an.apparent sanction from the people through their representa¬ 
 tives. 
 
 Hence, immense tracts of waste lands, vested in the crown for tim 
 benefit of actual settlers, in this colony, were granted to individuals 
 who kept them from actual settlers in Llic expectation of realizing for¬ 
 tunes out of them. 
 
 Hence the very groat neglect of the roads; hence the general retard¬ 
 ment of the prosperity of the Province. 
 
 Hence the interspersion of crown and clergy reserved lands among 
 the lots to be granted for actual settlement. 
 
 I Hence the sale of those lands to the Canada Company, founded upon 
 ! ,1,e principle that a revenue was to be derived from the labors of the 
 first settlers in a wilderness, for the advantage of persons resident in 
 England, and in order to afford incomes to public functionaries, pen¬ 
 sioners, and favorites iiere, over the amount and continuance of which 
 the people or the representatives they might select could exercise no 
 control. 
 
 Hence the continuance in office of the members of the Executive 
 Council or Provincial Cabinet, as constitutional advisers of the Repre¬ 
 sentative ot the King, long after they had ceased to possess the confi¬ 
 dence of the people. 
 
 Hence high salaries, over numerous offices, pensions and perquisites 
 for many persons living on the industry of this young colony without 
 affording any adequate return for the advancement of the public 
 prosperity. 
 
 Hence .the alarming increase of a provincial debt, for the payment 
 of the principal &l interest of which, the people of the province are held 
 responsible; hence the culpable neglect of the practice of that economy 
 and retrenchment in the public expenditure which Your Majesty has 
 recommended from the throne, and wisely enforced in England. 
 
 Hence too, the attempts to maintain and support these monopolies, 
 separate interests and undue individual advantages, by preferences 
 from the colonial government to particular religious denominations, 
 preferences in provision for the support of the clergv, preferences it* 
 tlie direction of education and schools, preferences iii appointment t<> 
 offices of trust, honor and profit, and preferences to those classes lorn! 
 ities and individuals who will give their support to this exclusive anti- 
 British system. 
 
 Hence tiie secrecy with which a large portion of the revenue has 
 been hitherto expended, while information concerning the several 
 sources from which it was derived and the appropriations and ma¬ 
 nagement in detail was year after year refused to successive parlia 
 ments, in Your Majesty’s name, and in the name of His late Majesty. 
 
 Hence the unequal and very imperfect state of the representation of 
 the qualified electors in the House of Assembly ; in which, as at pre¬ 
 sent constituted, a majority of the whole members are elected by pla¬ 
 ces containing less than one third of the whole population and assess¬ 
 ed property in the province; and in which also, while one class of 
 members are paid wages for their attendance, another class are requi¬ 
 red to defray their own expences; bills authorising the payment of 
 their wages haying been negatived in the legislative council while 
 composed principally of executive officers or persons connected with 
 or dependant on them. 
 
 Hence, perhaps, also, the very expensive and at the same time ineffi¬ 
 cient system for the administration of justice, its great delays, and the 
 want of confidence which the people of this colony have so often ex¬ 
 pressed in its dispensation. 
 
 The undue advantages thus possessed by persons in authority, open 
 a door to the practice of bribery and corruption in every department 
 of the state; encourage in the people a servile spirit of dependance on 
 persons in office, quite unlike the leading characteristics of British 
 Freedom; and have left our representatives not even the nominal con 
 trol over a revenue, complicated and very unsatisfactory accounts of 
 the receipts and expenditure of some part of which are partially sub¬ 
 mitted to their inspection and published as a mere matter (if form. 
 Large sums of money annually raised for local purposes by the impo¬ 
 sition of taxes and assessments on houses lands and other property, 
 and by the sale of uncultivated lands already granted, and on which, 
 these assessments had not been paid, are expended by the district ma¬ 
 gistracy, consisting of persons appointed by the colonial government 
 during its pleasure; and in this, as in nearly all oilier cases of taxation 
 and revenue, we are deprived of the privilege of disposing of our pro¬ 
 perty as we think fit. 
 
 We most humbly suggest to Your Majesty, that the adoption of the 
 following propositions as the rule of law in Upper Canada, is essential¬ 
 ly necessary to its freedom and happiness as an integral portion of the 
 empire; and we earnestly beseech Your Majesty 10 direct Your Mi¬ 
 nisters to give the measures we have suggested their hearty and effi¬ 
 cient support: 
 
 1. That the qualified electors of the colony may be fairly and equal¬ 
 ly represented in the House of Assembly. 
 
 2. That the people may by their representatives have the control of 
 all monies whatsoever coining into the hands of the government, whe¬ 
 ther arising from taxes duties or crc/A'n lands. 
 
 3. That the land granting department (concerning the operations of 
 which very little is known to the province), and the sale and disposal 
 of all lands and other public property, be regulated for the future only 
 by law. 
 
 4. That the Crown and Clergy Reserves, and all reservations of land, 
 i otherwise than for the purposes of education and roads, be abolished. 
 
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 5. That the control over all statute labour, and over all other local 
 assessments, taxes, rates, and imposts, raised or levied, in the towns, 
 townships, counties and districts of this province, be placed in tne 
 qualified electors at their town meetings; or in commissioners duly au¬ 
 thorized by the said electors, when for county and district purposes. 
 
 6. That the undue preferences and exclusive privileges and immuni¬ 
 
 ties allowed and extended by the colonial government to certain reli¬ 
 gious sects or denominations, be abolished. ^ 
 
 7. That a less expensive and more prompt and efficient system be es¬ 
 tablished for the free and equal administration of justice ; that mat¬ 
 ters ol small amount and difficulty may be disposed of with as much 
 regard to the legal rights of the parties as matters of greater amount 
 and difficulty, but fit a less expence; and that no fees be exacted, the 
 tariff of which is not established by an act of the provincial legisla- 
 
 tU a That the right of impeachment and the mode of trial be fully and 
 effectually recognized and established. 
 
 9. That none of Your Majesty’s .Judges, nor clergymen of any de¬ 
 nomination, be enabled to hold seats either in the executive or legisla¬ 
 tive councils, or in any way to interfere and concern themselves in the 
 executive or legislative business of the province. 
 
 10. That the real estate of persons dying intestate may not descend 
 To the eldest son, to the exclusion of his brethren, but be equally divided 
 among the children, male and female. 
 
 11. That administering to your faithful Colonial people, that justice 
 which Your Majesty has dispensed to our fellow subjects in Great Bri¬ 
 tain, Your Majesty will cause the same constitutional principle which 
 has called your present Ministers to office to be fully recognized and 
 uniformly acted upon in Upper Canada; so that we may see those on¬ 
 ly who possess the confidence of the people composing the executive 
 council of Your Majesty’s representative. 
 
 We humbly pray Your Majesty to disallow, annul and make void a 
 bill passed in the last session of the parliament of this province, enti¬ 
 tled u an act to repeal an act passed in the fifth session of the sixth 
 parliament of this Province, entitled 4 an act for granting to His Majes¬ 
 ty a sum of money towards defraying the expenses of the civil admin¬ 
 istration of the government of this province,’ and for granting to His 
 Majesty a certain sum of money to be applied towards the payment of 
 the expenses of the administration of Justice and the support of the ci¬ 
 vil government of this province ;” as also another bill passen n the 
 said last session, entitled “ an act for vesting in Trustees the Market 
 Square in the Town of York, for the benefit of tile inhabitants of the 
 
 said Town/’ 
 
 We would also humbly intreat Your Majesty’9 protection against 
 the passage of laws in the United Kingdom Parliament, (where we 
 have no agent legally elected by us of our free choice, to act and ad¬ 
 vise us for our interest,) effecting sudden changes in our commercial 
 relations with Great Britain and with foreign countries; changes by 
 which the capitals of our merchants and manufacturers are in danger 
 of being sacrificed, and our trade, commerce and agriculture discoura¬ 
 ged ; and most especially against the passing by that Parliament of any 
 act interfering or assuming to interfere with our internal affairs, over 
 which they have constitutionally no legislative power whatsoever. 
 
 We are desirous that the East India Company may not obtain the 
 renewal of their charter in such form as would secure to them a fur¬ 
 ther monopoly of the tea trade of this country. 
 
 Deign, Most Gracious Sovereign, favourably To listen to our suppli¬ 
 cations for a practical recognition of the principles ami usages of the 
 established constitution, and to adopt such measures for the future 
 equitable government of this province, as may be within the limits of 
 Your Royal Prerogative, and best calculated To maintain the unity of 
 the empire, promote the happiness of your subjects, and establish on a 
 Nure foundation all public and private felicityso that, obtaining a 
 lull acknowledgment of our constitutional rights, we and our posterity, 
 feeling deeply that we shall be indebted for the same to the noble ef¬ 
 forts of our beloved monarch, shall ever hold dear and sacred the nsme 
 and memory of Your Most Excellent Majesty. 
 
 That Your Majesty, and your illustrious Consort the Queen, may 
 be blessed with health and long life, to afford to your faithful people 
 an example of equity, magnanimity, and disinterestedness in your ex¬ 
 alted station, to see their peace and prosperity, and to rejoice in their 
 affectionate attachment, is our earnest prayer to the author and giver 
 of every good gift. 
 
 Joshua Van Allen, Chairman . 
 
 James Doyle, Secretary. 
 
 I. Mr. John Mackintosh, seconded by Mr. Lardner Bostwick, mov¬ 
 ed, that it be resolved, that Joseph Shepard, Thomas David Morrison, 
 William Cawthra, John Edward Tims, Alex. Milne, Jesse Ketchum, 
 and William L, Mackenzie be a committee on behalf of the people 
 of this town and township, (the mover of the address being convener,) 
 for the accomplishment of the following objects, viz. 
 
 1st. To receive signatures to the petition and address to Ilis Majesty 
 adopted by this meeting; to forward the said address to the Right Ho¬ 
 nourable the Lord Viscount Goderich; and to request Ilis Lordship to 
 present it to the King. 
 
 2nd. To correspond with Ilis Majesty’s Ministers on the several sub¬ 
 jects embraced in the said address and resolutions of this meeting, and 
 to transmit to the Colonial Department such information as the said 
 Committee may consider essential to our interests in support of the 
 same. 
 
 3rd. To enclose copies of the said petition and address to Joseph 
 Ilume, Esq. member of the Imperial Parliament for the county of Mid¬ 
 dlesex, and to the Hon’ble Denis Benjamin Viger, member of the Le¬ 
 gislative Council of IiOwer Canada and agent in London on behalf of 
 that province, and also such other documents as will serve to illustrate 
 and more fully explain in detail the several matters therein set forth ; 
 and to request these gentlemen to interest themselves with Ilis Majes¬ 
 ty’s government in support of our petition. 
 
 4th. To correspond with George Ryerson, Esquire, the agent in Lon¬ 
 don on behalf of the petitioners for religious freedom, an improvement 
 in the system of Education, and the abolition of clergy reserves, and to 
 request him to afford his testimony to the Ministers of the Crown in 
 support of those parts of the said petition which relate to the promo¬ 
 tion of religion and education and the maintenance of the clergy. 
 
 5th. To draft and present for signatures in this town and township, 
 petitions to the Legislative Coumil ancf House of Assembly, founded 
 on and in accordance with the averments and prayer of the petition to 
 the King and the resolutions of this meeting. 
 
 fith. To receive testimony of the damage done to individuals by the 
 operation of the late act admitting American produce into Canada 
 Markets, and to forward the same to England with suitable observa¬ 
 tions. 
 
 7th. To present to His Excellency the Lieutenant Governor authen¬ 
 tic copies of the petition to His Majesty, and all other papers and docu¬ 
 ments transmitted to, or for the information of the Colonial Department. 
 
 8th. To correspond with people of the other townships in this pro¬ 
 vince to place in their hands copies of our proceedings, and invite 
 them to concur therein. 
 
 9th. To take such other steps as they (the said committee) may con¬ 
 sider essentially necessary for promoting the declared objects of this 
 meeting, and report progress from time to time. 
 
 10th. To obtain in our name by public subscription a sum sufficient 
 to meet all contingencies that may be incurred by the said committee 
 while fulfilling these our instructions, and to present an account of re¬ 
 ceipts and expenditures in detail at the town meeting next January. 
 
 The resolution was unanimously agreed to. 
 
 II. Mr. Isaac Wilson, seconded by Mr. Colin Drummond, moved 
 that it be 
 
 Resolved, That it is the opinion of this meeting, that the public debt 
 of Upper Canada ought not to be augmented for any purpose whatso¬ 
 ever, unless the project were first submitted to the people for their ap¬ 
 probation ; and that it is expedient to use all due economy in the pub¬ 
 lic expenditure, so that the debt already contracted, and the interest 
 annually accumulating thereon, may be speedily liquidated. 
 
 The resolution was unanimously agreed to. 
 
 III. Dr. Morrison, seconded by Mr. Jacob Latham, moved that it be 
 
 Resolved, That this meeting offer their best thanks to the Ministers 
 
 of the Crown for their wise, upright and uncompromising conduct in 
 bringing forward the measure of parliamentary reform from which so 
 much benefit may be expected to be derived to the institutions of the 
 empire; and also for recommending to His Majesty to assent to the 
 Marriage Act, so much desired by the people of this Province. 
 
 The resolution was unanimously agreed to, with acclamation. 
 
 IV. Dr. Tims, seconded by Mr. William Bergin, moved that it be 
 
 Resolved, That this meeting entertain a grateful recollection of the 
 
 many important services rendered to Upper Canada by Joseph Hume, 
 Esquire, M. P., the able and persevering friend and advocate of civil 
 and religious liberty ; and they embrace this opportunity to acknow¬ 
 ledge his highly meritorious exertions, and to tender him their hearty 
 thanks. 
 
 The resolution was agreed to by an unanimous vote, and with ac¬ 
 clamation. 
 
 V. The following resolution was moved by Mr. Mackenzie, seconded 
 by Mr. Bergin, and unanimously agreed to: 
 
 Resolved, That it is not expedient to give the Stockholders of the 
 Bank of Upper Canada a monopoly of the whole Banking business of 
 this Province, but. that, under judicious regulations, Banks may be 
 advantageously established in other sections of the country. 
 
 The Committee reported a draft of a Petition to the House of As¬ 
 sembly, in compliance with the terms of the fifth section of the first 
 resolution of the Town Meeting, which was signed by the Chairman 
 and Secretary, and is as follows: 
 
 To the Honorable the House of Assembly. 
 
 The humble Petition of the people of York, unanimously agreed upon 
 at a Township meeting, duly convened by the Town Clerk, and 
 held in the public Market Square, at noon, on Saturday the sixteenth 
 day of July, 1831.— 
 
 Sue weth : 
 
 That Your Petitioners feel deeply aggrieved by the passage of 
 LaW3 in the United Kingdom Parliament, (where they have no agent 
 legally elected by them of their free choice, to act and advise them for 
 their interest,) effecting sudden changes in their commercial relations 
 with Great Britain and with foreign countries; changes by which the 
 capitals of their merchants and manufacturers are in danger of being 
 sacrificed, and their Trade, Commerce, and Agriculture discouraged ; 
 and they especially remonstrate against the passing by that Parliament 
 of acts interfering or assuming to interfere with their internal affairs, 
 over which it has constitutionally no legislative power whatsoever. 
 
 That Your Petitioners are desirous that the East India Company may 
 not obtain the renewal of their charter in such form as would secure 
 to them a further monopoly of the Tea Trade of this country. 
 
 Your Petitioners humbly pray your Honorable House, that the quali¬ 
 fied electors of this colony may henceforward be fairly and equally 
 represented in the House of Assembly ; 
 
 That the undue preferences and exclusive privileges and immunities 
 allowed and extended by the Colonial Government to certain religious 
 sects or denominations, be abolished; 
 
 That the Crown and Clergy Reserves, and all reservations of land, 
 otherwise than for the purposes of Education and Roads, be abolished ; 
 
 That the Laud Graining Department, and the sale and disposal of 
 all lands and other public property, be regulated for the future only 
 by law; 
 
 That the people may by their Representatives have the control of all 
 monies whatsoever coining into the hands of the Government, whether 
 arising from taxes, duties, or crown lands; 
 
 That the control over all statute labor, and over all other local as¬ 
 sessments, taxes, rates, and imposts, raised or levied in the towns, 
 townships, counties, and districts of this Province, be placed in the. 
 qualified electors at their town meetings; or in commissioners duly 
 authorized by the said electors, when for district purposes; 
 
 That the public debt of the province may not be augmented for any 
 purpose whatsoever unless the project were first submitted to the peo¬ 
 ple for their approbation ; and that the practice of economy and re¬ 
 trenchment in every branch of the public expenditure be carefully en¬ 
 forced, so that the debt already contracted, and the interest annually 
 accumulating thereon may speedily be liquidated, and the surplus re¬ 
 venues of the colony prudently applied to purposes of general utility ; 
 
 That the Stockholders of tile Bank of Upper Canada may not con¬ 
 tinue to enjoy a monopoly of the whole Banking business of the Pro¬ 
 vince ; but, that, under judicious regulations, Banks may be established 
 in other sections of the 1 country ; 
 
 That a Bill passed in the last Session of the Parliament of this Pro¬ 
 vince, entitled, “ An Act to repeal an Act passed in the fifth Session 
 of the sixth Parliament of this Province, entirled, 4 An Act for granting 
 to His Majesty a sum of money towards defraying the expenses of the 
 Civil Administration of the Government of this Province,’ and for 
 granting to His Majesty a certain sum of money to be applied towards 
 the payment of the expenses of the Administration of Justice and th“ 
 support of the Civil Government of this Province;” as also another 
 Bill passed in the said last Session, entitled, 44 An Act for vesting 
 Trustees the Market Square in the Town of York, for the benefit-of 
 the inhabitants of the said Town,” be repealed; 
 
3 
 
 That a less expensive and more prompt and efficient system be esta¬ 
 blished for the free and equal Administration of Justice; that matters 
 of small amount and difficulty may be disposed of with as much regard 
 to the legal rights of the parties as matters of greater amount and diffi¬ 
 culty, but at less expense; and that no fees be exacted, the tariff' of 
 which is not established by an Act of the Provincial Legislature; 
 
 That tile real estate of persons dying intestate may not descend to 
 the eldest son, to the exclusion of his brethren, but be equally divided 
 among the children, male and female; 
 
 That the right of impeachment and the mode of trial be fully and 
 effectually recognized and established; 
 
 That none of His Majesty’s Judges nor Clergymen of any denomina¬ 
 tion, be to hold enabled seats either in the Executive or Legislative 
 Councils, or in any way to interfere and concern themselves in the 
 Executive or Legislative business of the Province; 
 
 That the Executive Council of this Colony may be composed of those 
 persons only who possess the confidence of the people ; 
 
 And your Petitioners, as in duty bound, will ever pray. 
 
 (Signed.) Joshua Van Allen, Chairman. 
 
 (Signed.) James Doyle, Secretary. 
 
 [The two following (concluding) clauses were added by vote of the 
 Town meeting of Whitby: 
 
 That in elections of members to serve in Parliament for any county 
 fn this Province, iu which a poll shall be demanded, the votes of the 
 freeholders may be taken at two, three, or more fixed places or stations, 
 the most central and convenient lor the electors to assemble at, and 
 the poll kept open by the Returning Officer at each of these places for 
 a period sufficient to enable them to have their suffrages recorded, un¬ 
 less the election should be otherwise sooner determined ; or, that the 
 Township Officers may be authorized to take the voles of the electors 
 in their several Townships; 
 
 That Jurors be drawn by lot from lists of the best qualified persons 
 in the several Towns and Townships, or appointed in some other mode 
 l?ss liable to partiality and abuse than an arbitrary selection of them 
 by Sheriffs or Coroners, dependant for their appointment, income, and 
 continuance in office, upon the will of the Executive Government. 
 
 The above proceedings of the people of York, were 
 concurred in, on Monday the 18th July, by the unani¬ 
 mous vote of the town meeting of Etobicoke , and Messrs. 
 John Nicol, Johrv.Macfarlane, and Amasa Wilcox appoin¬ 
 ted a committee di£ in management to co-operate with the 
 Provincial committee sitting at York. Attested by Tru- 
 inan Wilcox, Town Clerk, Etobicoke. 
 
 Concurred in also by the unanimous vote of Pickcringy 
 on Wednesday the 20th July, and Messrs. Joseph VVixson, 
 William Hartrick, Benjamin Varnum, Andrew Hubbard, 
 David Gardener, Edward Lawrence, and Benjamin Lock, 
 appointed a committee of co-operation in that township. 
 Attested by Joseph Wixson, Chairman, Town Meeting. 
 
 And by the unanimous vote of Scarboro\ on Tuesday 
 the 19th July, and Messrs. Peter Secor, William Devenish, 
 Thomas Whitesides, Christopher Thomson, and Samuel 
 Kennedy appointed a township committee of co-opcration. 
 Attested by William Devenish, Town Clerk, Scarboro’. 
 
 And by the unanimous vole of Whitby , one dissenting 
 voice excepted, on Thursday the 21st July, and Messrs. 
 William F. Moore, Jabez Hall, John Still, James Hunter. 
 6c Ezra Annes, appointed a committee of co-operation. — 
 Attested by William F. Moore, Town Clerk, Whitby. 
 
 By the unanimous vote of Reach Uxbridge , on Fri¬ 
 day the 22nd July, and Messrs. Joseph B. Pearson, John 
 P. Plank, Carleton Lynde, Robert Dayton, and Joseph 
 Taylor appointed a co-operating committee. Attested by 
 Joseph B. Pearson, Chairman, Town Meeting. 
 
 By the unanimous vote of Markham , on Saturday the 
 23rd July, and Messrs. Peter Reesor, Joseph Tomlinson, 
 Abraham Reesor, Justin Badgerow, and David Byer ap¬ 
 pointed a co-operating committee. Attested by John 
 Wurls, Chairman, Town Meeting. 
 
 By the unanimous vote of Whitchurch , on Monday the ; 
 25th July, and Messrs. John Bogart, sen’r. John Bogart, j 
 iun’r. Timothy Millard, Daniel T. Eck, and Andrew | 
 Clubine appointed a committee of co-operation. Attested 
 by John Bogart, sen’r. Chairman, Town Meeting. 
 
 By the unanimous vote of East Gwillimbury y on Tues¬ 
 day the 26th July, and Messrs. Silas Fletcher, John Wed- 
 del, John Lewis, John Reid, Samuel Hughes, John Flet¬ 
 cher, and Lewis Powell appointed a committee of co-ope¬ 
 ration. Attested by John Weddel, Town Clerk. 
 
 By the unanimous vote of Brock , on Thursday the 28th 
 July, and Messrs. Joel Wixson, Webster Stephens, James 
 Vrooman, Archibald McPhaden, and Randal Wixson ap¬ 
 pointed a committee of co-operation. Attested by Joel 
 Wixson, Town Clerk. 
 
 Bv the unanimous vote of North GwiUimbnry, on Fri¬ 
 day "the 29th July, and Messrs. David Sprague, Jehn L, 
 Comer, Noah Gager, Isaac Bennett, and Amos Critten¬ 
 den appointed a committee of co-operation. Attested by 
 David Sprague, Town Clerk. 
 
 By the unanimous vote of Tecumsethy West. Gwillim- 
 hury , and Adjala , County of Simcoey on Saturday the j 
 3'Jth July, and Messrs. Robert Armstrong, Wm. Molton, i 
 &nd Nathaniel Gager all of West Gwillimbury: William J! 
 
 Walkor and William McCarty, Tocumseth; James Hamp¬ 
 ton of Adjala, and William Lavvric of Innisfil, appointed 
 a committee of co-operation. Attested by Robert Arm¬ 
 strong, J. P. Chairman. 
 
 By the unanimous vote of King, on Monday the 1st 
 August, and Messrs. Jesse Lloyd, Jacob Hollingshead, 
 William Haines, sen’r. William Kennedy, jun’r. Mark 
 Learmont, William Haines, jun’r. and William Ghent, 
 appointed a committee of co-operation. Attested by 
 William Ilainos, senT. Town Clerk. 
 
 By the unanimous vote of Albion , on Tuesday the 2nd 
 August, and Messrs. John Jaffary, James Boulton, Rob’t. 
 Finch, Frederick Baker, and John Smith appointed a 
 committee of co-operation. Attested by James Coats, 
 Chairman, Town Meeting. 
 
 By the unanimous vote of Caledon , on Wednesday the 
 3rd August, and Messrs. William Clark, Donald Macquar- 
 rie, Archibald Macnaughton, George Middagh, and Wm. 
 Judge appointed a committee of co-operation. Attested 
 by Miles Bacon, Town Clerk. 
 
 By the unanimous vote of Chinguacousy , on Thursday the 
 4th August, and Messrs. William Johnston, Martin Salis, 
 bury, John Wolfe, Joseph Leflar, and John Caesar, ap¬ 
 pointed a committee of co-operation. Attested by Dr. 
 Wm. Johnston, Town Clerk. 
 
 By the unanimous vote of Vaughan f on Friday the 5th 
 August, and Messrs. Peter Frank, Michael Burckholder, 
 John Clark, Archibald MacDonald, and George Thomp¬ 
 son, appointed a committee of co-operation. Attested by 
 Peter Frank, Chairman Town Meeting. 
 
 By the unanimous vote of Toronto y on Saturday the 
 6th August, and Messrs. Charles King, Senr. Thomas 
 McBride, William B. Reeve, Abijah Lewis, Martin Swit¬ 
 zer, Wesley Watson, and William Douglas, appointed a 
 committee of co-operation. Attested by William Beck¬ 
 with Reeve, Town Clerk. 
 
 ADDI riONAL RESOLUTIONS ADOPTED IN WHITBY. 
 
 The two following additional resolutions were adopted by the 
 township of Whitby, on Thursday the 21 si of July, 13:11 ; 
 thereafter concurred in by the townships of Markham , Whit¬ 
 church, East Gwillimbury, Brock, Reach and Uxbridge , King , 
 Albion , Caledon , Chinguacousy, North Gwillimbury, Vaughan 
 and Toronto ; and clauses founded upon them were added to the 
 petition to Vie House of Assembly adopted in these townships . 
 
 RESOLUTIONS. 
 
 I. 
 
 Resolved , That it is the opinion of this Meeting 
 that the present mode of electing our representa¬ 
 tives in Assembly, subjects us to great and unne¬ 
 cessary inconvenience, inasmuch that altho’ out¬ 
 votes might be polled in our own Township, by 
 one of our Township Officers annually elected at 
 our January Town Meeting, we are required to 
 travel to a place beyond York, a distance of from 25 
 to 40 miles, to give in our votes; and that too of¬ 
 ten at the busiest season of the year for farmers.— 
 rf it were impossible to take our suffrages in or near 
 Whitby we would cheerfully come to York, but it is 
 evident from the election laws of Lower Canada, 
 Nova-Scotia, and New Brunswick, that a far better 
 and more judicious law for the regulation of elec- 
 (ions might be devised, better for us, better for the 
 Government. 
 
 II. 
 
 Resolved, That it is the opinion of this meeting 
 that Jurors ought to be drawn from lists compos¬ 
 ed of the best qualified persons in the several 
 Townships, or appointed in some other mode less 
 liable to partiality and abuse, than an arbitrary se¬ 
 lection of them by Sheriffs and Coroners, depend¬ 
 ent for their appointment, income, and continuance 
 in office, upon the will of the Executive Govern-' 
 ment. 
 
 Attested by * 
 
 (Signed) WILLIAM F. MOORE, 
 
 Chairman , Town Meeting , Whitby. 
 
 " EZRA ANNES, 
 
 Secretary. 
 
STATE OP THIS-EHOVINCE 
 
 PROCEEDINGS OP 
 
 Eighteen Township Meetings 
 
 IN THE 
 
 Held between July 16 th and August Gtb, 
 
 1831, 
 
 (doth days inclusive.) 
 
 JAMES BAXTER, PRINTER, 
 
 YORK.