1780 in Canada

Events from the year 1780 in Canada.

← 1779 1778 1777 1780 in Canada → 1781 1782 1783
Decades:	1760s 1770s 1780s 1790s 1800s
See also:	History of Canada Timeline of Canadian history List of years in Canada

Incumbents

• Monarch: George III

Governors

• Governor of the Province of Quebec: Frederick Haldimand
• Governor of Nova Scotia: Lord William Campbell
• Commodore-Governor of Newfoundland: John Byron
• Governor of St. John's Island: Walter Patterson

Events

• May 19 – an unusual darkening of the day sky was observed over the New England states and parts of Canada. This has never been explained, though clouds of smoke from massive forest fires are the most likely cause.^[1]
• Quakers begin the Underground Railroad to smuggle slaves to freedom in Canada.

Births

• August 15 – Marie-Anne Gaboury, female explorer (d.1875)^[2]
• September 17 – Norman McLeod, Presbyterian minister (d.1866)
• November 16 – James FitzGibbon, British colonel who served in Canada for 45 years (d.1863)
• December 1 – Edward Bowen, lawyer, judge and politician (d.1866)

Deaths

• November 28 – Esther Wheelwright, mother superior for Quebec Ursulines

Historical documents

American Revolutionary War

New Englanders write to Halifax friends of "their most earnest wishes for[...]tranquillity" and John Dickinson calls peace with honour "the universal wish"^[3]

U.S.A. insolvent? - "Miserably deranged State of our public Affairs[...]pervades Into every quarter[;] public officers are without money and without Credit"^[4]

Cartoon: King George and Indigenous people consume white child while sailor delivers "Scalping Knives; Crucifixes; Tomahawks" (Note: racial stereotypes)^[5]

Schuyler advises Washington to make peace with Indigenous people in case "Reduction of Canada" is planned (Note: "savages," "barbarians" used)^[6]

Board of War wants Wheelocks of Dartmouth College paid for supporting Indigenous youth from Canada as part of friendship policy (Note: "savages" used)^[7]

To distract British from New York City attack, Washington favours spurring Canadians to assist France and U.S.A. in Canada (Note: "savages" used)^[8]

Huron-Wendat John Vincent reports Canadians say if U.S. invades they will drop neutral stance of "Priests and Gentlemen" and field 10,000 soldiers^[9]

Congressional committee reports "Canadians who from an attachment to our cause have left their own country appear to be greatly distressed" for food^[10]

"One thousand tons of shipping are ordered to be taken up by the [Royal] Navy Board to carry timber, cordage, and naval stores to Halifax"^[11]

Guy Johnson visits new Seneca settlement on Buffalo River and meets with Seneca, Onondaga and Lenape chiefs about their peoples' great needs^[12]

Oneida report that John Butler and Joseph Brant intend to lead 700-800 fighters down Mohawk River to cut off grain-growing area (Note: "savages" used)^[13]

2,000 British regular, Canadian, loyalist and Indigenous fighters in two groups raid New York via lakes Oneida and George (Note: "savages" used)^[14]

Schuyler unhappy Rochambeau won't invade Canada, as number of troops needed for that will instead have to guard New Hampshire to Virginia frontiers^[15]

Schuyler has intelligence that Canada had good harvest and Indigenous people "have been Generally out with the british parties" but Canadians have not^[16]

Jefferson details planned offensive to counter frontier attacks, including taking Detroit and control of Lake Erie to block "dangerous extension" of Canada^[17]

HMS Hind brings in Salem, Mass. privateer Harlequin, described as "a fine new Ship, in every respect calculated for a Privateer, and sails remarkably fast"^[18]

Report Henry Laurens captured going to Holland to get loan in return for mortgage on New York, which writer compares to U.S. offering Canada to France^[19]

Queen's Loyal Rangers officer, captured at Bennington and paroled, asks Gov. Haldimand for job to end his "want of Cloathing & other necessaries"^[20]

Leaving Butler's Rangers in 1780, George Cockel takes family to Niagara but does not receive any land before he dies in 1784; his widow later reapplies^[21]

Canada

Haldimand and Council consider "the Canadians as the People of the Country" and in making laws, "Regard is to be paid to[...]60,000 rather than[...]2,000"^[22]

Council prohibits export of wheat, pease, oats, biscuit, flour, or meal as well as horned cattle "to reduce the present high price of wheat and flour"^[23]

Haldimand on why wheat and flour prices are so high and Council's disputes over fixing prices and fees (as many members are in conflict of interest)^[24]

$100 offered for information leading to conviction of those "Clipping, Mutilating and Debasing the Currency" including new money sent from England^[25]

Ordinance lists government fees ranging from £6 for seal on patent or grant of new seigneury to 2p for clerk's entry in court books of cause under £10^[26]

Case of Montrealer Pierre ("Peter") Du Calvet and his unjust imprisonment for four years, at first falsely and then supposedly out of Gov. Haldimand's spite^[27]

Ann Cannon alias Ross passed as single and married William Stapleton, eloped within 3 months with £15 in clothing and now lives with Richard Cannon^[28]

Elizabeth Ogden passed as widow and married Robert Bradley, who is "now convinc'd her husband Ogden is living," and therefore marriage null and void^[29]

Young ladies to receive instruction in reading, writing, arithmetic, French and English grammar etc.; also dance school "with two Public Balls every Month"^[30]

Young Canadians perform comedy Gregoire, or l'Incommodité de la Grandeur, "and the compliments paid[...]reflect the highest honour on the Nation"^[31]

Harpsichord teacher offers lessons at his lodgings or student's and advertises concert at British Coffeehouse, Lower Town, Quebec City, tickets $1^[32]

Books for sale in Lower Town shop include psalm books for Church of England and Scotland, Biographia Britannica, Ovid, Swift, Rousseau, Hoyle etc. etc.^[33]

Reward offered for return to Levy Solomons of "a fine stately Canadian Horse, about five years old, with a white front, a Goose rump[...]and a long tail"^[34]

Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia has "flourished in consequence of the present rebellion," with one Bay of Fundy farmer quadrupling his "gross produce" in four years^[35]

"Every public attention to the education of youth is of the utmost importance in society" - Assembly provides for Halifax schoolhouse and teachers^[36]

As it goes on duty, Halifax militia regiment reminds public that all males 16-60 must enlist with arms and ammunition, even those exempt from training^[37]

"To be Sold, For no Fault, a lickely [(likely)] Negro Girl, About 14 years of Age, Enquire of the Printer of this Paper"^[38]

Pedestrians ask carriole drivers not to force them into snow banks when passing, "whereas it is[...]the duty of the Carrioleers, to give way to the Walkers"^[39]

Boy "was cut for a Stone in the Bladder by Doctor Wyer, one of a considerable Size was extracted and the Child is now, we hear, in a fair way to do well"^[40]

Scrivener offers services for petitions, letters etc., and will help business people "draw out their Accounts," and teach "Gentlemen's Children" to write^[41]

Halifax baker will take in ready-formed loaves, pies, puddings and meat dishes to bake for customers at 1-3 pence per loaf or dish^[42]

Halifax shop has breeches of English buck and doe skin, caribou and moose skin, shammy lining skins, and leather for belts, slings and knapsacks^[43]

Young gentleman seeks marriage with "young lady[...]whose happiness may center in domestic felicity and a moderate share of fashionable amusements"^[44]

Critic of "Abbé Reynais" Acadia history shows mistakes, says he relies on misinformation and displays "prejudices as a Frenchman and Roman Catholic"^[45]

Painting: Cape Sharp and Minas Basin, Nova Scotia^[46]

Elsewhere

Shipwrecked on northern Cape Breton Island, narrator and others travel 3 winter months to where Indigenous people save them (Note: "savages" used)^[47]

"For Sale; One half of a fishing Post on the Coast of Labrador near the streights of Belle Isle, known by the name of the River du Plaine."^[48]

References

1. "archive.ph". archive.ph. Archived from the original on 2017-08-06. Retrieved 2022-12-07.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
2. Siggins, Maggie (2009). Marie-Anne : the extraordinary life of Louis Riel's grandmother. Toronto, Ontario. p. 3. ISBN 978-1-55199-325-6. OCLC 869812439.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
3. "London, May 4," The Quebec Gazette, Nomb. 780 (August 10, 1780), pg. 2. Accessed 25 November 2022
4. Letter from Philip Schuyler to Washington (January 16, 1780), U.S. National Archives. (See also letter to Washington about threatened frontiers and impotent militia in New York, and another letter about dire supply situation in N.Y.) Accessed 1 December 2022
5. "The Allies - Par nobile Fratrum!" Library of Congress. Accessed 6 December 2022
6. Letter from Philip Schuyler to Washington (January 16, 1780), U.S. National Archives. Accessed 1 December 2022
7. "Saturday, February 12, 1780" Journals of the Continental Congress, 1774-1789, pgs. 162-3. Accessed 6 December 2022
8. Letter from Washington to Lafayette (May 19, 1780), U.S. National Archives. (See also Brig. Gen. Henry Knox' opinion that "next to New York [City], Canada is the most important object that can claim our attention") Accessed 1 December 2022
9. Letter from Brig. Gen. Bayley to Washington (July 15, 1780), U.S. National Archives. Accessed 2 December 2022
10. "Friday, November 10, 1780" Journals of the Continental Congress, 1774-1789, pg. 1042. Accessed 6 December 2022
11. "London, January 7; One thousand tons[....]," The Quebec Gazette, Nomb. 776 (July 13, 1780), pg. 2. Accessed 25 November 2022
12. Guy Johnson, "Manuscript Journal, June 1, 1780 - June 13, 1780; Little Niagara" (See also word that "the Indians are very unsteady" with thousands drawing rations at Niagara (Note: this URL is temporary)) Accessed 6 December 2022
13. "Boston, July 13," The Nova-Scotia Gazette and The Weekly Chronicle, Volume X, Number 745 (September 12, 1780), Page 4 of 4. Accessed 23 November 2022
14. Letter of James Madison (October 24, 1780), U.S. National Archives. (See also letter and footnote with details of fighting) Accessed 5 December 2022
15. Philip Schuyler to Alexander Hamilton (November 12, 1780), U.S. National Archives. Accessed 5 December 2022
16. Philip Schuyler to George Washington (November 12, 1780; Note: this URL is temporary), U.S. National Archives. Accessed 5 December 2022
17. Letter of Thomas Jefferson (December 25, 1780), U.S. National Archives. Accessed 6 December 2022
18. "Quebec, June 29; The same day anchor'd here[....]," The Quebec Gazette, Nomb. 774 (June 29, 1780), pg. 2. (See also notice of auction of Harlequin (pg. 3)) Accessed 25 November 2022
19. "Halifax, October 3," The Nova-Scotia Gazette and The Weekly Chronicle, Volume X, Number 748 (October 3, 1780), Page 1 of 8. Accessed 23 November 2022
20. "Queen's Loyal Rangers; Memorial of Captain David McFall" (August 31, 1780), The On-Line Institute for Advanced Loyalist Studies. Accessed 30 November 2022
21. "Cockel, Elisabeth" Land Petitions of the Niagara Settlers "Clement to Cockell." Accessed 30 November 2022
22. "Haldimand to Germain" (October 25, 1780), Documents Relating to the Constitutional History of Canada; 1759-1791; Part II (2nd edition; 1918), pgs. 719-21. Accessed 29 November 2022
23. "Anno vicesimo Georgii III. Regis; Chap. I" (March 9, 1780), The Quebec Gazette, Nomb. 759 (March 16, 1780), pgs. 1-3. Accessed 24 November 2022
24. "Haldimand to Germain" (October 25, 1780), Documents Relating to the Constitutional History of Canada; 1759-1791; Part II (2nd edition; 1918), pgs. 711-18. Accessed 29 November 2022
25. "Advertisements; to the Public," The Quebec Gazette, Nomb. 793 (November 16, 1780), pg. 3. Accessed 28 November 2022
26. "Anno vicesimo Georgii III. Regis; Chap. III" (March 9, 1780), The Quebec Gazette, Nomb. 761 (Cahier 1, March 30, 1780), pgs. 1-6. Accessed 25 November 2022
27. The Case of Peter Du Calvet, Esq. of Montreal in the Province of Quebeck(....) (1784). Accessed 24 November 2022
28. "To the Public in general" (Quebec, August 17, 1780), The Quebec Gazette, Nomb. 783 (August 31, 1780), pg. 3. Accessed 25 November 2022
29. "Whereas Elizabeth Ogden, the Wife of[....]" (September 8, 1780), The Quebec Gazette, Nomb. 785 (September 14, 1780), pg. 4. Accessed 25 November 2022
30. "In order to give the young Ladies[....]," The Quebec Gazette, Nomb. 765 (April 27, 1780), pg. 2 (right column). (See clarification of "Public Balls" (pg. 4)) Accessed 25 November 2022
31. "Montreal, January 6," The Quebec Gazette, Nomb. 750 (January 13, 1780), pg. 3. Accessed 24 November 2022
32. "Avertissemens; Musick," The Quebec Gazette, Nomb. 769 (May 25, 1780), pg. 3. Accessed 25 November 2022
33. "Just Imported by the Subscriber[....]," The Quebec Gazette, Nomb. 786 (September 21, 1780), pg. 2. Accessed 28 November 2022
34. "Strayed last Michaelmas[....]," The Quebec Gazette, Nomb. 799 (December 28, 1780), pg. 3. Accessed 28 November 2022
35. "So amazingly has the Colony of Nova Scotia[....]," The Nova-Scotia Gazette and The Weekly Chronicle, Volume X, Number 744 (September 5, 1780), Page 1 of 4 (left column). Accessed 23 November 2022
36. "An Act for the establishing a public School in the Town of Halifax" 20 George III, Chapter 3 (1780). Accessed 21 November 2022
37. "Halifax, 22nd May 1780," The Nova-Scotia Gazette and The Weekly Chronicle, Volume X, Number 729 (May 23, 1780), Page 2 of 4. (See also "little Treatise intended for the benefit of young Corps and young Men") Accessed 22 November 2022
38. "To be Sold," The Nova-Scotia Gazette and The Weekly Chronicle, Volume X, Number 739 (August 1, 1780), Page 2 of 4. Accessed 23 November 2022
39. "A Card," The Nova-Scotia Gazette and The Weekly Chronicle, Volume X, Number 710 (January 18, 1780), Page 2 of 4. Accessed 22 November 2022
40. "Halifax, July 18," The Nova-Scotia Gazette and The Weekly Chronicle, Volume X, Number 737 (July 18, 1780), Page 2 of 4. Accessed 22 November 2022
41. "Scrivining," The Nova-Scotia Gazette and The Weekly Chronicle, Volume X, Number 711 (January 25, 1780), Page 4 of 4. Accessed 22 November 2022
42. "The Subscriber acquaints the Public[....]," The Nova-Scotia Gazette and The Weekly Chronicle, Volume X, Number 739 (August 1, 1780), Page 2 of 4 (left column). Accessed 23 November 2022
43. "Halifax, May 9th, 1780," The Nova-Scotia Gazette and The Weekly Chronicle, Volume X, Number 727 (May 9, 1780), Page 3 of 4. Accessed 22 November 2022
44. "Matrimony," The Nova-Scotia Gazette and The Weekly Chronicle, Volume X, Number 713 (February 8, 1780), Page 2 of 4. Accessed 22 November 2022
45. "So amazingly has the Colony of Nova Scotia[....]," The Nova-Scotia Gazette and The Weekly Chronicle, Volume X, Number 744 (September 5, 1780), Page 3 of 4 (continued from Page 1 of 4 (bottom right)). Accessed 23 November 2022
46. Joseph F.W. Des Barres, "A View of Cape Baptist in the Entrance into the Bason of Mines (Cape Sharp and Minas Basin, Nova Scotia)" (1780), Toronto Public Library. (See also other Des Barres paintings of Bay of Fundy scenes) Accessed 28 November 2022
47. S.W. Prenties, Narrative of a Shipwreck on the Island of Cape Breton, in a Voyage from Quebec 1780 (1782). (See also illustration of shipwreck) Accessed 24 November 2022
48. "For Sale," The Quebec Gazette, Nomb. 784 (September 7, 1780), pg. 2. Accessed 25 November 2022