mere piece of property. Instead of giving him
rights like those of the "servus," he was deprived of all rights,
marital, parental, proprietary, even the right to live. In the English
law and systems founded on it, the slave had no rights which the
master was bound to respect.[14]

The first Lieutenant-Governor of Upper Canada was Col. John Graves
Simcoe. He hated slavery and had spoken against it in the House of
Commons in England. Arriving in Upper Canada in the summer of 1792, he
was soon made fully aware that the horrors of slavery were not unknown
in his new Province. The following is a report of a meeting of his
Executive Council:

"At the Council Chamber, Navy Hall, in the County of Lincoln,
Wednesday, March 21st, 1793.

"PRESENT

"His Excellency, J. G. Simcoe, Esq., Lieut.-Governor, &c., &c.,
The Honble Wm. Osgoode, Chief Justice
The Honble Peter Russell.

"Peter Martin (a negro in the service of Col. Butler) attended
the Board for the purpose of informing them of a violent outrage
committed by one ---- Fromand, an Inhabitant of this Province,
residing near Queens Town, or the West Landing, on the person of
Chloe Cooley a Negro girl in his service, by binding her, and
violently and forcibly transporting her across the River, and
delivering her against her will to certain persons unknown; to
prove the truth of his Allegation he produced Wm. Grisley (or
Crisley).

"William Grisley an Inhabitant near Mississague Point in this
Province says: that on Wednesday evening last he was at work at
Mr. Froomans near Queens Town, who in conversation told him, he
was going to sell his Negro Wench to some persons in the States,
that in the Evening he saw the said Negro girl, tied with a rope,
that afterwards a Boat was brought, and the said Frooman with his
Brother and one _Vanevery_, forced the said Negro Girl into it,
that he was desired to come into the boat, which he did, but did
not assist or was otherwise concerned in carrying off the said
Negro Girl, but that all the others were, and carried the Boat
across the River; that the said Negro Girl was then taken and
delivered to a man upon the Bank of the River by ---- Froomand,
that she screamed violently and made resistance, but was tied in
the same manner as when the said William Grisley first saw her