John Prince: A Collection of Documents

lviii+228+[ii] pages with frontispiece, maps, plates, bibliography and index. Royal octavo (9 1/2" x 6 3/4") bound in original publisher's red cloth with gilt lettering and insignia to spine. Publications of the Champlain Society Toronto Series Volume XI (11). First edition limited to 1250 copies of which this is number 1106. John Prince was a lawyer, farmer, military officer, politician, judge, and entrepreneur. Born at Hereford, England, in 1796, he emigrated to Upper Canada in 1833 because he was ashamed of his ne'er-do-well father. His interest in farming took him to Sandwich where he became involved in the many careers open to him. As a politician, despite his haughty and melancholic nature and his erratic individualism, he held the loyalty of his constituents, representing Essex in the House of Assembly from 1836 to 1854 and the Western Districts in the Legislative Council from 1856 to 1860. In 1860, after a lifetime spent in politics, farming, railroading and mining speculations, and canal schemes, he obtained a long-sought judgeship in the new District of Algoma. Leaving his wife and children behind, he went off to his 'New Siberia,' where he continued his restless struggle to escape 'the importunities of mankind,' and where his long, tragic life ended in 1870. Entries from Prince's diary, excerpts from newspaper accounts, and letters give a vivid picture of the politics and life of his time. In his Introduction, R. Alan Douglas emphasizes the contribution made by the discovery of the diary to our perception of the people, places, and events of mid-nineteenth century North America. Condition: Unread with pages uncut else near fine.…