Dans un Petit Village

I have been focusing on the arrest of Etienne Parent and Jean - Baptiste Fréchette. They were not the only journalists, printers, or men of letters to be arrested in connection with the rebellion of 1837 - 1838. In an article by Yvan Lamonde, "Canadian Print and the Emergence of Public culture in the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries", he names eleven Quebec men of letters who were arrested for criticizing or opposing the British colonial government. He names but does not elaborate on each individual. I decided to dig a bit and find out more about these individuals. Another source names about twenty - five literary men who were arrested for supporting reform in Lower Canada. I will elaborate on only ten. Napoléon Aubin Napoléon Aubin was a journalist, publisher, playwright, and scientist. Aubin was born on November 9, 1812 in Chêne, Bougeris, Switzerland. After living in the United States for a short period of time Aubin moved to Canada in 1835. He wrote an article that he

The news of Etienne Parent and Jean - Baptiste's arrest travelled quickly and soon there was a small entourage of friends accompanying them to the Quebec Citadelle. It is stated who those friends but I would say that among them were Napoleon Aubin, the owner and editor or the journal, Le Fantasque, Stanislas Drapeau, journalist, printer, and publisher, who at the time of this event was a typographer for Le Fantasque, among others. Etienne Parent was well known and widely admired not only throughout lower Canada but throughout all of North America including the United States.  When the group arrived at the Citadelle the chief of police informed them that he had received orders from his superiors in Montreal to prevent all visitors from seeing Etienne Parent and Jean - Baptiste Frechette unless they members of their direct family. It would be an understatement to say that the arrest of Etienne Parent and Jean - Baptiste Frechette caused a significant stir in the lower Canada. Not the

I finished the last post with, 'At the prison they were " imprisoned with other political prisoners; Mr. Rousseau, Teed, Chasseur, and Dumont".'  Who were these " other political prisoners"?  Pierre Chasseur Pierre Chasseur was a gilder and wood carver. He came from a less affluent background and he was not well educated. After apprenticing as a gilder Pierre Chasseur also began to carve wood as well. It is interesting that Pierre Chasseur had an interest in natural history but he started collecting at a time when an interest in arts and science was flourishing in Quebec. It is not known when he started collecting but by 1824 Pierre Chasseur had a significant collection of animals, particularly birds that was housed in his home on  Rue Sainte-Hélène (Rue McMahon) in the Upper Town of Quebec City. When the government acquired his collection in 1830 he had over 500 specimens. Pierre Chasseur was closely involved with the rebellions of 1837 and 1838. He made hi