Instructions for the Government & Conduct of the Inspector General, 1801

Abstract

The Instructions for the Government & Conduct of the Inspector General were created by Peter Hunter, Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada from 1799 to 1805. The instructions were drafted for a new post he created to parallel the inspector generalship of Lower Canada. This post in Upper Canada was given to John McGill, who was to conduct investigations into individual claims to loyalist status.

An excerpt from page 2 of the instructions reads when“…distributing Deeds of Admission for Lands to privileged persons free of expense it is highly essential…that no person should enjoy those benefits but the objects originally intended and it would be particularly unjust to the Mother Country that the expense incurred by the half fees should be increased by charges for Patents to people of any other description; for this purpose you will instruct the Secretary that in order to the future passing of the half fee accounts he will insert after the names of the several nominees their respective distinctions…that is to say U.E M.C. You will apply to the proper office for an alphabetical list of U.E. Loyalists and by that you will check the half fee accounts so far as may be practicable referring back to the several offices through which the Grants have passed for any information you may think necessary to clear up any doubts upon the identity of any person…”