itor-Generalship, by the Governor, to whom he
had, in some mysterious way, given offence. The Honorable Mr. Panet,
Speaker of the Assembly for the four previous parliaments, was
nominated for the Upper Town of Quebec, and went to the hustings. He
presided at an election meeting, at which there was something like
plain-speaking, a particular kind of speaking most distasteful to the
Acting Paymaster General of Burgoyne's army, an army with which even
Sir James Craig had himself served. All the official class of the city,
"including the resident military officers, and _dependents_ upon the
Commissariat, Ordnance, and other departments in the garrison,"
entitled to vote, voted in favor of another French gentleman, more
acceptable to the government. The _Quebec Mercury_ was strongly opposed
to the Speaker, who, by his plainspeaking, had become offensive to Mr.
Ryland, the _confidant_ of Sir James Craig. Mr. Panet lost his election
for Quebec, but was returned to the Assembly for Huntingdon. The
Governor and his Secretary were very much displeased, and the _Mercury_
was inspired to speak against the bilious spleen of the triumphant
Panet, who was connected with that vile print, the _Canadien_. During
the election for Quebec, a handbill had appeared, calling the
government feeble. Those who issued that handbill, the _Mercury_
exultingly remarked, would have felt that they were not quite under the
government of King Log. The _Canadien_ was, in abuse, the freest of any
paper in the province. It was licentious. It no more consulted that
which it was expedient for a free press to do, than did the House of
Assembly consider that which was suitable to it, a few years past, on
the article of privilege. Mr. Ex-Speaker Panet was connected with the
_Canadien_. He was also a Colonel of Militia. It occurred to Mr. Ryland
that the position of a militia officer was incompatible with the
proprietorship of a newspaper. Accordingly, a few days after the return
of Mr. Panet for Huntingdon, Mr. "H. W. R." the Private Secretary of
the Governor General, was directed to inform Messrs. J. H. Panet,
Lieutenant-Colonel, P. Bedard, Captain, J. T. Taschereau, Captain and
Aid-Major, J. L. Borgia, Lieutenant, and F. Blanchet, Surgeon,
proprietors of the _Canadien_, that the Governor-in-Chief considered
it necessary for His Majesty's service to dismiss them from their
situations as Colonel, Captain, Aid-Major, Lieutenant, and Surgeon, of
the Militia. With r