337:, who announced his candidacy in August, 1840, followed by three others over the course of the next month. All were residents of the area. However, the situation changed at the end of September, when Sydenham paid a short visit to Bytown. He met privately with the other three candidates, who all announced the withdrawal of their candidacies shortly afterwards. Stewart and Derbishire were the only remaining candidates. When the election was held in March, 1841, Derbishire won the poll by a vote of 52 to 29. Stewart immediately issued two public protests, accusing the
420:, to replace an older monument which could not be repaired. The monument was erected on the spot where General Wolfe was traditionally thought to have died. In the process, the workers came across an ornate sword buried in the ground. Although there was nothing directly linking it to Wolfe, the combination of the high quality of the sword, and its location, led to the belief that it was Wolfe's sword, left behind when his body was removed.
317:
The first general election for the new
Parliament was held in the spring of 1841. Lord Sydenham was actively involved, taking all possible steps to ensure that there would be majority support for the new union Province of Canada. He recruited candidates who would support the union, and Derbishire was
281:
Derbishire also acted as press agent for Durham, encouraging journalists to write favourable articles about Durham and his inquiry. His last action on Durham's behalf was to carry dispatches to New
Brunswick and Nova Scotia in November, 1838, through the wilderness in winter, seeking troops to assist
447:
Derbishire was considered very generous to his friends and was often in financial straits, in part because of his generosity towards the poor and his strong hospitality for his friends. He was declared an outlaw in
Britain in 1841 for failing to pay his debts. His appointment as Queen's Printer
451:
Derbishire was married twice. His first wife was wealthy, but by 1841 they were estranged, and she never joined him in Canada. She died in 1842 and he subsequently re-married. He was happier in his second marriage. He had six children between his two wives.
685:
285:
Durham left
British North America at the end of 1838, but Derbishire remained. He continued to provide his views on the possibility of unrest to the colonial government, but was seen as alarmist. He also provided information to the British government on the
219:
around 1794. After a brief military career, he studied law and was called to the bar in 1830. In 1832, he was defence counsel to a group of labourers from
Dorchester accused of machine-smashing, which earned him some popular recognition.
393:
Although
Derbishire was a consistent supporter of Sydenham, he was not considered a very effective member in the Legislative Assembly. In the fall of 1841, Sydenham appointed Derbishire as Queen's Printer, in a joint appointment with
611:
370:. Following Sydenham's death, he continued as a moderate reformer and supported the new governor, but in the ministerial crisis of 1843 he broke with the governor and voted with the moderate reformers, supporting the principle of
249:
to investigate the causes of the 1837 rebellions in Lower Canada and Upper Canada. Derbishire wrote a letter to Lord Durham, offering his services for the inquiry. Durham accepted his offer and sent him to
436:
341:
of partisanship in conducting the poll, but did not formally contest the results. As a result of this pressure from the
Governor General, Derbishire was elected to the first
385:, the leader of the Reform campaign for responsible government in Canada West, he worried that the strong passions being raised over the issue would lead to a civil war.
360:
529:
346:
342:
169:
75:
40:
36:
307:
258:. Derbishire's credentials as a strong Whig won him access to notable Canadian figures who had sought refuge in New York following the abortive rebellion.
530:
Hamnett Hill, K.C., "Bytown
Election of 1841" (Ottawa: Historical Society of Ottawa / Société Historique d'Ottawa, Bytown Pamphlet Series No. 18, 1986).
435:, had served with Derbishire in the Legislative Assembly. Major Dunn had assisted in raising a new regiment for the British Army in Canada in 1858, the
367:
140:
356:
695:
366:
In the first session of the
Parliament, Derbishire was a consistent supporter of Lord Sydenham and generally voted with the moderate
278:
of Lower Canada had "no practical grievances" and that the rebellion had been triggered by "the malaria of political agitation".
246:
192:
173:
135:
378:
334:
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and was elected. Derbishire later commented that
Johnston was one of the most effective members of the House in debate.
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302:. He re-established connections with the colonial government and became a supporter of the new Governor-General of the
267:
255:
640:
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234:
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371:
259:
675:
540:
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Returning to England in 1837, he began to publish a newspaper but he learnt of the mission given to
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one of those candidates. With Sydenham's influence, Derbishire stood for election in the town of
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204:
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200:
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all granted him interviews in New York. When he went on to Montreal, he was able to speak with
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417:
349:
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Four other individuals from Bytown had declared that they sought to be elected, starting with
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570:
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Derbishire did not stand for election in the general election of 1844, having been appointed
439:. Derbishire gave the Wolfe sword to Major Dunn when he left with the regiment for Britain.
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432:
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669:
287:
180:
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Derbishire died in Quebec City on March 27, 1863. His funeral was well-attended.
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490:
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that year gave him a steady income, but his finances were still somewhat shaky.
413:
323:
124:
404:, on October 2, 1841. He held the position from 1841 until his death in 1863.
164:(1794 or 1795 – March 27, 1863) was the first elected representative for
686:
Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada from Canada West
543:
Political Appointments and Elections in the Province of Canada, 1841 to 1860
310:. Derbishire used his editorial position to support the government in the
223:
He later worked for a time as a journalist. Sent to Spain to cover the
216:
641:
National Battlefields Commission: Plains of Abraham — Wolfe Monument.
423:
Derbishire eventually bought the sword, and in turn gave it to Major
327:
319:
165:
112:
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One of the other candidates who withdrew from the Bytown election,
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and numerous other Lower Canadians. His conclusion was that the
600:
The Union of the Canadas: The Growth of Canadian Institutions
183:
in the British Army, a lawyer, a journalist, a soldier of the
398:. His appointment was published in the first edition of the
330:, Ontario), even though he had never set foot in the town.
298:
In 1840, Derbishire returned to Montreal as editor of the
506:
Irving Martin Abella, "The 'Sydenham Election' of 1841",
437:
100th (Prince of Wales's Royal Canadian) Regiment of Foot
520:
Abella, "The Sydenham election of 1841", pp.330–331.
381:
for the Province of Canada. However, in a letter to
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131:
118:
106:
101:
81:
69:
57:
34:
23:
602:(Toronto: McClelland & Stewart, 1967), p. 90.
412:In 1849, a monument was being erected to General
545:(Quebec: St. Michel and Darveau, 1860), p. 43.
343:Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada
170:Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada
37:Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada
8:
359:, instead ran in the neighbouring riding of
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648:
20:
658:, Vol. 9, no. 16 (15 August, 1894), p. 1.
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470:
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237:and was decorated by the Queen of Spain.
464:
282:in response to a resurgence of unrest.
626:Government of Canada: History of the
556:R. Forbes Hirsch, "Stewart, William",
491:Michael Cross, "Derbishire, Stewart",
82:Queen's Printer for Province of Canada
254:in 1838 to gather information on the
7:
172:. Born in England, he was a strong
288:Maine–New Brunswick border dispute
233:, he joined the fighting with the
211:Early life and Spanish Carlist War
14:
571:Richard Reid, "Johnston, James",
573:Dictionary of Canadian Biography
558:Dictionary of Canadian Biography
493:Dictionary of Canadian Biography
195:in his inquiry into affairs in
1:
587:Alignment of Political Groups
151:Lawyer, journalist, publisher
16:Province of Canada politician
696:19th-century English lawyers
431:, of Toronto, whose father,
179:At various times he was an
712:
508:Canadian Historical Review
191:in Spain, an assistant to
656:Canadian Military Gazette
268:Edmund Bailey O’Callaghan
155:
97:
86:
46:
30:
615:, October 2, 1841, p. 1.
443:Family and personal life
396:George-Paschal Desbarats
241:Assistant to Lord Durham
235:British Auxiliary Legion
185:British Auxiliary Legion
560:, Vol. VIII (1851-1860)
388:
215:Derbishire was born in
495:, Vol. IX (1861-1870).
425:Alexander Roberts Dunn
372:responsible government
260:William Lyon Mackenzie
575:, Vol. VII (1836-50).
407:
227:in 1837 for the Whig
197:British North America
272:Denis-Benjamin Viger
691:Lawyers from London
510:(1966) 47:326-343.
304:Province of Canada
205:Province of Canada
162:Stewart Derbishire
25:Stewart Derbishire
598:J.M.S. Careless,
418:Plains of Abraham
339:returning officer
256:Rebellion of 1837
230:Morning Chronicle
225:First Carlist War
189:First Carlist War
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141:Moderate Reformer
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102:Personal details
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379:Queen's Printer
335:William Stewart
312:Morning Courier
300:Morning Courier
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201:Queen's Printer
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132:Political party
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383:Robert Baldwin
357:James Johnston
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35:Member of the
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408:Wolfe's sword
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676:1790s births
655:
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589:, pp. 93-97.
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110:1794 or 1795
88:
71:Succeeded by
64:New position
63:
48:
18:
681:1863 deaths
541:J.O. Côté,
414:James Wolfe
324:Canada West
247:Lord Durham
193:Lord Durham
125:Quebec City
59:Preceded by
670:Categories
459:References
264:John Rolph
199:, and the
148:Occupation
585:Cornell,
368:reformers
276:habitants
138:(Britain)
93:1841–1863
89:In office
53:1841–1844
49:In office
361:Carleton
345:for the
252:New York
203:for the
143:(Canada)
416:on the
217:England
187:in the
168:in the
350:riding
347:Bytown
328:Ottawa
320:Bytown
266:, and
181:ensign
166:Bytown
113:London
41:Bytown
326:(now
174:Whig
136:Whig
119:Died
107:Born
39:for
672::
647:^
467:^
429:VC
427:,
374:.
352:.
322:,
314:.
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176:.
630:.
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