Printed 1823 Executive Council bilingual broadside escheated proclamation for 3 townships in Quebec

First edition. 1823. 1 sheet ([1] p.) ; Was folded, now flat. Pieces and sections of 15-3/4 x 12-3/4 inches. paper missing but no text, otherwise condition is good. Broadside proclamation to have lands escheated. Printed in English and French in parallel columns. Castle of St. Lewis, Quebec, November 12, 1823 printed at top. 13 lines of English text and 14 lines of French text. At bottom, printed text; By Command of His Excellency the Governor in Chief, [who not identified, was The Earl of Dalhousie (1770-1838] Andrew W. Cochran, Secretary.

The text states that owners of the land in the three Townships of Lochaber, Buckingham and Templeton on the Ottawa River must present by June 1, [1824] confirm their performance of the conditions of settlement which the said Letters Patent were granted or lose their land. Therefore these escheated lands are taken back by the Crown for non-fulfillment of conditions by the original owners.

This is a rare and important Quebec escheat broadside with only one other similar one we can find located at LAC. That printed broadside was published in 1824 dealing with requesting location certificates for lots of land in this [lower Canada] province, bearing date previous to the first day of January, 1821.

The Constitutional Act of 1791 created the Executive and Legislative Councils as separate bodies in the Government of Lower Canada. It gave the Executive Council an important role in the provincial judiciary as well as its advisory position to the governor.

Executive Council Office of the Province of Lower Canada was active between 26 December 1791 and 9 February 1841.

The Executive Council operated out of the Castle of St. Lewis until 1843 when it was burned down and the land was used to later build the Château Frontenac Hotel.

Andrew William Cochran (1792-1849), public servant, was Assistant Civil Secretary in Lower Canada, 1812-1816 and Civil Secretary, from 1816-1818. He was a member of the Executive Council of Lower Canada, as well as holding other offices from 1827-1841. He was the civil secretary to the Governor of Lower Canada, working successively for Sir George Prevost, Sir John Sherbrooke, and Lord Dalhousie. He resumed his legal practice in 1841. There is a Andrew William Cochran fonds collection located at LAC.