I would never have published this letter, if I had foreseen its
effects on the farmers of Canada. In a few days after its appearance,
their farms fell to half their value. Every one, in some
parishes, wanted to sell their lands and emigrate to the west.
It was only for want of purchasers that we did not see an emigration
which would have surely ruined Canada. I was frightened
by its immediate effect on the public mind. However,
while some were praising me to the skies, for having published
it, others were cursing me, and calling me a traitor. The very
day after its publication, I was in Quebec, where the bishops of
Canada were met in council. The first one I met, was my Lord
De Charbonel, Bishop of Toronto. After having blessed me,
he pressed my hand and said:
"I have just read your admirable letter. It is one of the
most beautiful and eloquently written articles I ever read. The
Spirit of God has surely inspired every one of its sentences. I
have, just now, forwarded six copies of it to different journals of
France and Belgium, where they will be republished and do an
incalculable amount of good, by directing the French-speaking
Catholic emigrants towards a country where they will run no
risk of losing their faith, with the assurance of securing a future
of unbounded prosperity for their families. Your name will be
put among the names of the greatest benefactors of humanity."
Though these compliments seemed to me much exaggerated
and unmerited, I cannot deny that they pleased me, by adding to
my hopes and convictions that great good would surely come
from the plan I had of gathering all the Roman Catholic emigrants
on the same spot, to form such large and strong congregations;
that they would have nothing to fear from heretics. I
thanked the bishop for his kind and friendly words, and left him
to go and present my respectful salutations to my Bishop of
Montreal, my Lord Bourget, and give him a short sketch of my
voyage to the far west. I found him alone in his room, in the
very act of reading my letter. A lioness, who had just lost her
whelps, would not have looked upon me with more angry and
threatening eyes than that bishop did.
"Is it possible," he said, "Mr. Chiniquy, that your hand has
written and signed such a perfidious document? How could you
so cruelly pierce the bosom of your own country, after her dealing
so nobly with you? Do you not see that your treasonable
letter will give such an impetus to emigration that our most
thriving parishes will soon be turned into solitude? Though
you do not say it, we feel at every line of that letter, that you
also will leave your country, to give help and comfort to our
natural enemies."
Surprised by this unexpected burst of bad feelings, I kept
my sang froid, and answered:
"My lord, your lordship has snrely misunderstood me, if
you have found in my letter any treasonable plan to run our
country. Please read it again, and you will see that every line
has been inspired by the purest motives of patriotism, and the
highest views of religion. How is it possible that the worthy
Bishop of Toronto should have told me that the Spirit of God
Himself had dictated every line of that letter, when my good
bishop s opinion is so completely opposite?"
The abrupt answer the bishop gave to these remarks, clearly
indicated that my absence would be more welcome than my
presence. I left him, after asking his blessing, which he gave
me in the coldest manner possible.
On the 25th of August, I was back at Longueuil, from my
voyage to Quebec, which I had extended as far as Kamouraska,
to see again the noble-hearted parishioners, whose unanimity in
taking the pledge of temperance, and admirable fidelity in keeping
it then, had filled my heart with such joy.
I related my last interview with Bishop Bourget to my faithful
friend Mr. Brassard. He answered me:
"The present bad feelings of the Bishop of Montreal against
you, are no secret to me. Unfortunately the low-minded men
who surround and council him, are as unable as the bishop
himself, to understand your exalted views in directing the steps
of the Roman Catholics towards the splendid valley of the
Mississippi. They are beside themselves, because they see that
you will easily succeed in forming a grand colony of French-speaking
people in Illinois. Now, I am sure of what I say,
though I am not free to tell you how it came to my knowledge;
there is a plot somewhere to dishonor and destroy you, at once.
Those who are at the head of that plot, hope that if they can
succeed in destroying your popularity, nobody will be tempted
to follow you to Illinois. For, though you have concealed it as
well as you could, it is evident to every one now, that you are
the man selected by the bishops of the west to direct the uncertain
steps of the poor emigrants towards those rich lands."
"Do you mean, my dear Mr. Brassard," I replied, "that
there are priests around the Bishop of Montreal, cruel and vile
enough to forge calumnies against me, and spread them before
the country in such a way that I shall be unable to refute
them."
"It is just what I mean," answered Mr. Brassard. "Mind
what I tell you; the bishop has made use of you to reform his
diocese. He likes you for that work. But your popularity is
too great, to-day, for your enemies; they want to get rid of you,
and no means will be too vile or criminal to accomplish your
destruction, if they can attain their object."
"But, my dear Mr. Brassard, can you give me any details of
the plots which are in store against me?" I asked.
"No! I cannot, for I know them not. But be on your
guard; for your few, but powerful enemies, are jubilant. They
speak of the absolute impotency to which you will soon be
reduced; if you accomplish what they so maliciously and falsely
call your treacherous objects."
I answered; "Our Saviour has said to all His disciples; `In
the world, ye shall have tribulations. But be of good cheer, I
have overcome the world.' I am more determined than ever, to
put my trust in God and fear no man."
Two hours after this conversation, I received the following
from the Rev. M. Pare, secretary to the Bishop:
