an Upper
House, appointed by the Crown and the Legislative Assembly, a Lower
House or House of Commons, as it was sometimes called, elected by the
people. The Lieutenant Governor gave the royal assent. The bill was
introduced in the Lower House, probably by Attorney General White, as
stated in last note, and read the first time, June 19. It went to the
committee of the whole June 25, and was the same day reported out. On
June 26 it was read the third time, passed and sent up for
concurrence. The Legislative Council read it the same day for the
first time, went into Committee over it the next day, June 28, and
July I, when it was reported out with amendments, passed and sent down
to the Commons July 2. That House promptly concurred and sent the bill
back the same day. See the official reports; _Ont. Arch. Reports_ for
1910 (Toronto, 1911), pp. 25, 26, 27, 28, 32, 33, _Ont. Arch. Rep._
for 1909 (Toronto, 1911), pp. 33, 35, 36, 38, 41, 42.

The first Fugitive Slave Law was passed by the United States in 1793.
Three years afterwards occurred an episode, little known and less
commented upon, showing very clearly the views of George Washington on
the subject of fugitive slaves, at least, of those slaves who were his
own.

A slave girl of his escaped and made her way to Portsmouth, N. H.
Washington, on discovering her place of refuge, wrote concerning her
to Joseph Whipple, the Collector at Portsmouth, November 28, 1796. The
letter is still extant. It is of three full pages and was sold in
London in 1877 for ten guineas (_Magazine of American History_, Vol.
1, December, 1877, p. 759). Charles Sumner had it in his hands when he
made the speech reported in Charles Summer's _Works_, Vol. III, p.
177. Washington in the letter described the fugitive and particularly
expressed the desire of "her mistress," Mrs. Washington, for her
return to Alexandria. He feared public opinion in New Hampshire, for
he added

"I do not mean however, by this request that such violent measures
should be used as would excite a mob or riot which might be the case
if she has adherents; or even uneasy sensations in the minds of
well-disposed citizens. Rather than either of these should happen, I
would forgo her services altogether and the example also which is of
infinite more importance."

In other words, "if the slave girl has no friends or 'adherents'" send
her back to slavery--if she has and they would actively oppose her
return, let her go--and