Jonathas et David, A College Drama – Lower Canada (Québec), Fleury Mesplet, 1776

Fleury Mesplet (1734–1794) trained as a printer in France. Around the age of thirty, he married Marie Mirabeau, who was twelve years his junior. Dissatisfied with the political and commercial climate in France, the couple moved to London, where Mesplet established his first press near Covent Garden. With a letter of introduction from Benjamin Franklin, whom he had met in London, they moved to Philadelphia in 1774.

At that time, the thirteen American colonies were preparing to declare independence from Britain and sought to persuade the inhabitants of Quebec to join them as the ‘fourteenth colony.’ As the only French printer in Philadelphia, Mesplet was chosen to print an open letter urging Quebec’s residents to support the American revolution. Meanwhile, the American Continental Army captured Montreal in November 1775, and Mesplet convinced the Continental Congress that establishing a French printing office in Montreal was crucial to the revolution’s success. In 1776, he received $200 to travel to Canada and set up a print shop. Despite the Americans' efforts, they were unsuccessful in persuading Quebec to join them and eventually withdrew. Mesplet decided to remain, but the English viewed him with suspicion, leading to his brief imprisonment for twenty-six days.

After his release, Mesplet promised local authorities he would not publish anything offensive to the church or state. In 1777, he published his first almanac, the first book in the Iroquois language, and two religious books.

In 1778, Mesplet hired Valantin Jautard as editor and began publishing The Gazette (Gazette du commerce et littéraire). Jautard, a known sympathizer of the American Continental Army, soon launched a tirade against both the church and the state. Within a year, both Mesplet and Jautard were arrested, and the paper was banned after just twelve months. They were held for three years without charges or trial, a clear violation of British justice principles. Mesplet reportedly escaped from prison, and the authorities, likely embarrassed by the lack of formal charges, did not pursue him. He returned to his printing office and, in August 1785, launched a second weekly newspaper, The Montreal Gazette. This bilingual publication proved highly successful and remains one of Canada’s longest-running newspapers to this day.

Marie, who had supported her husband throughout his trials, including managing his press during his imprisonment, died in 1789, at the age of 43. Seven months later, on April 23, 1790, Fleury Mesplet married Marie Anne Tison, a young woman of 23 whose modest inheritance had probably helped Mesplet pay off his debts. On January 24, 1794, Fleury Mesplet died, leaving his young wife at the head of the struggling newspaper. She published only a few issues before it passed into the hands of other printers and publishers.