1791

As this is the first notice we have of a circuit in Canada, it is considered expedient to give some account of the state of things in that country.

Though Canada was discovered by the English as early as 1497, yet it was first settled by the French in 1608. In 1763, after the capture of Quebec by General Wolfe, the whole country passed into the hands of the English, and so remains to the present day.

As this country was first settled by the French, the Roman Catholic religion chiefly prevailed there, but more particularly in the lower province. After the conquest of the country by the English, the Church of England was established by law, though at the same time the Roman Catholic Church had all their religious rights and privileges guarantied to them by an act of the king and parliament of Great Britain. These provisions, however, did not exclude other sects from settling among them, and of enjoying their respective peculiarities, with the exception of solemnizing the rites of matrimony.

But while the great majority of the people of Lower Canada were French Catholics, the upper province was settled principally by Protestant refugees from the United States, disbanded soldiers from the British army, and by English, Scotch, and Irish emigrants but at the time of which we are now speaking, the country was extremely destitute of the word and ordinances of Christianity. For though the English Church had a name to live there, but few of her ministers were found among the people, and even these few were destitute of the requisite qualifications of ministers of the sanctuary. Hence the people generally were living in ignorance of God, alike destitute of the ordinances of religion for themselves, and the means of education for their children.

In this state of things, Upper Canada was visited by William Losee, a member of the New York conference, in the year 1791. He went through the wilderness of the western part of the state of New York, suffering numerous privations and hardships, and crossed the lower part of Lake Ontario to Kingston.

In attempting to form a circuit along the banks of the lake and of the bay of Quinte, he found here and there an individual who had heard the Methodist preachers in England or in the United States. By these he was cordially received; and he succeeded in forming a circuit, and establishing a few classes.

The next year Darius Dunham was sent to Canada. He and brother Losee extended their labors from the bay of Quinte down the banks of the river St. Lawrence, forming what was called the Oswegotchie circuit; and the next year there were returned on the minutes of conference, as the fruit of their labors, one hundred and sixty-five members of the Church.

From this time the work of God went on gradually in Canada, until it eventuated in one of the most glorious revivals of religion we have on record in these modern days. It will be noticed more particularly in the proper place.

1799

This year was distinguished by several revivals of religion. In Upper Canada a gracious revival had commenced in 1797, chiefly through the instrumentality of Calvin Wooster, whose fervency of spirit led him forth in the work of reformation in a most remarkable manner, and with singular success. In company with Samuel Coate, he volunteered his services as a missionary to this distant field of labor, and after enduring almost incredible hardships on their way, for they lodged no less than twenty-one nights in the wilderness, they arrived in safety just in time to attend a quarterly meeting on the Bay of Quinte circuit.

From the letters of Rev. Nathan Bangs 1839