Description
QUEBEC 1889 Honoré Mercier Jesuits Estate Bill 33.4mm white metal medal 16.76 grams (Leroux 1561, Breton 188) attractive toning
Obverse: HOMMAGE A L'HONORABLE HONORE MERCIER / PROMOTEUR / DE L'A CTE / POUR / LA RESTITUTION / DES BIENS DES / JESUITES / FIAT JUSTITIA CÆLUM
Reverse: THE QUEBEC JESUITS ESTATES BILL SUSTAINED AT OTTAWA / & / BY THE / OVERWHELMING / VOTE / OF 188 TO 13 / MARCH 28 / 1889
The Jesuit Estates Act was an 1888 Act of the Legislative Assembly of Quebec that compensated the Society of Jesus for land confiscated in Canada by the British Crown after the suppression of the Society in 1774. When the revived Society returned to Canada in 1842, they began to campaign for the repossession of their allegedly confiscated estates. The premier of Quebec, Honoré Mercier, proposed the Jesuit Estates Act, which offered the Roman Catholic Church a financial settlement in return for incorporating the estates into Quebec's Crown lands. This measure provoked much controversy among Orangemen and Protestants, but it was not overturned.
This example is certainly comparable to that of the Michael Joffre collection offered by Geoffrey Bell Auctions on 28th April 2022 that fetched $390. and nicer than the example offered by the same firm on 5th May 2023 that reached $360.
