Hide Article Text (OCR)
MR. GEORGE BAKER HIS GRANT OP 8Jl) ACRES.A grant of 800 acres of Lund having passed the Council at Toronto, in favor of .Mr. George Baker of this town, druggist, for certain alleged naval services during the late American War, it has been our duty, as public journalist*, and as censors o\er the improper administration of the Land Granting Department, to inquire into the causes of such a singular grant to such a pcisou, and also, into the nature of thepe alleged sen ices. We shall premise, that no personal or political feelingis mixed up with ilii» matter. Whatever Mr. Baker might have been iu his youth, are are free to confess, we have known no ill of him since our residence in this province. He has, it is true, been occasionally squibbed by us and others, but that has been done more in ridicule than anger, and is the only retaliation that society returns upon a man, himself of low binli and obscure parentage, who upon a sudden elevation to majesteri-al dignity, apes the man of fashion, and Jlouks down wiih contempt upon his early friends and associates. Whut we have to say to-dnv, is entirely upon public grounds, and hut for a variety of trifling causes, would have been publi.-hed long ago.Mr. Baker is a native nf the state of New York, the *oii of an lion st and pains taking bather in the village of Watertown. Aliout the year 1810, at the age of 18, he first entered Upper Canada, and commenced the study of medicine under Dr. 'Marvin at Bath ; at winch pi.ice he shortly afterwards married a sister of the nutoiious William Johnston. Mr. Baker became an object of suspicion to the loyal inhabitants of Bath, which w..s probably the cause of these alleged services being performed ; for towards the close of th*1 year 1812, we iiud him acting as As-s stant Bury- on, on board one of ill - small armed vessels, dignified with the title of provincial sloops of war. Now long he stayed on board, it is impossible for us now io ascertain, but on the 20tl» of Nov. in the same vent, these important services came to i final clo*e. Ii is for these services he lias obtained his grant lt;f 800 acres of land ! At the time he was thus acting as a medical man, he was ji.umji tvro in ihiv orofeseicjj. n.ih tw«i_ve.sr»’.K®9** ledge, gleaned amid his master’s jdiop bottles; was' not even a natuializcd subject, and had not (so we are informed) taken lie oath of allegiance. It was about this pc-riod, that Mr. Baker fell into disgrace, for having connived at the repeated concealments in his own bouse, of William Johnston, and an affidavit, now lying by nr, signed by 1*. Davcy, Esq. a magistrate, goes to the efleet, that he saw Johnston concealed in Baker’s house, at a time when a price was set upon his head by the British Government But let that pass for the present.It does not appear that any other services were performed by Baker during this war. In the year 1818, after lie hud been seven years in the country, and become naturalized, lie applied for and obtained «t grant of 200 acres of land as a settler. To this grant nogreat objection can be raided, although many deserv nig men never could obtain an acre, after repeated applications. About thistiine. but in what precise year we have not yet ascertained, he obtain-( ed (by rAamiuation) the Governor’s License, to practice i’ll\ sic, and the minor braucbes of Surgery. This proves three things. It proves that he was not recognized as a Naval Surgeon, since that alone would entitle him to license, without examination • t also proves that he was not a medical man at the period of these pretended -ervice*. for what occasion Ciuild there lie to apply lor license several years af-t; r ? audit also prove*, that he was incompetent, even then, to practice Surgery in full, since his Li-cen»c only permits him tupeiTurin the minor branches of the art, which in our interpretation, means bleeding, tootlnJraw ing and corn culling, opentioiis in which he iva* no doubt well instructed in his youth, by Isis worthy father, the bmber.It was many years after this, that the tide of his dory set iu. Being married a second or third time, we forget which, to tliesister of C. A. Hogerinan, Esq. IJis .Majesty’s S i'citor General, he began to partake of the guutl tilings til his illustrious Conner ion. Mr. llagcrman, like Earl Grey, conceived*!!* hoinideii duty, to provide for his relative*. Mr. Biker was appointed n magistrate, and then, not satisfied with hi* grant of 200 acies, applied for, and iftcr some time obtained, doubtless with the assistance of his great relulivc, (although that allegation is expressly denied by Ilia MajestyVGovernment,) , i further grant of 800 acres, for his services in time if war!! This was in the year 1832, the asms year we believe, that his waggon A; horses wcr^i
Newspaper Details
Kingston British Whig
Kingston, Ontario, CA
Tue, Oct 27, 1835
Page 2
Full Page
Clipped by
Marilyn S.
CA 21 Nov 2024
Other Publications Near Kingston, Ontario
Kingston Upper Canada Herald
Kingston Gazette
Kingston Chronicle
Kingston Chronicle and Gazette
Kingston British Whig
