Speedy Justice: The Tragic Last Voyage of His Majesty's Vessel Speedy

Trevor S. Raymond is a teacher and librarian with the Peel Board of Education and editor of Canadian Holmes.

This unusual and compelling study in Canadian history is highly
recommended not just because it is deeply researched, meticulously
documented, generously illustrated, and well written, but because it
investigates an incident in early Ontario history that is virtually
unknown. In 1804 the scantily populated colony of Upper Canada suffered
“a stunning and terrible disaster”: 20 people, including judicial
and political officials, a black slave, and the ship’s crew—5
percent of the tiny population of the capital, York—set sail from York
for the settlement of Newcastle (where Presqu’ile Provincial Park now
is), taking to trial a Native man accused of murder. None were seen
again.

In this book, Brendan O’Brien presents an extraordinary picture of
Upper Canada society before the War of 1812, riven by such political and
sexual intrigue that there were three challenges to duels, two of them
fatal. He investigates the relationship between the Natives and the
small white populace, which was “overwhelmingly American in origin,”
and offers a fascinating chapter on the Provincial Marine, the naval
service on Lake Ontario. All this is soundly researched “in obscure
sources” such as contemporary letters, report, and diaries, and
garnished with anecdotes that make us come to know and care about the
men and women who played parts in this remarkable drama. Those on the
ill-fated ship are profiled, and the impact of the disaster is explored
in a chapter, called “Aftermath,” which argues that the effects of
the loss were long-lasting, not just on individuals, but on pre–1812
Upper Canada.

This volume is one in a series published by the Osgoode Society, which
has as a mandate the stimulation of legal history in Canada. The author
was the Society’s president for its first 10 years. His book deserves
an audience beyond Society members: anyone interested in Canadian
history will read it with much enjoyment.