Stewart Derbishire (1794 or 1795 – March 27, 1863) was the first elected representative for Bytown in the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada. Born in England, he was a strong Whig. At various times he was an ensign in the British Army, a lawyer, a journalist, a soldier of the British Auxiliary Legion in the First Carlist War in Spain, an assistant to Lord Durham in his inquiry into affairs in British North America, and the Queen's Printer for the Province of Canada. Early life and Spanish Carlist War Derbishire was born in England around 1794. After a brief military career, he studied law and was called to the bar in 1830. In 1832, he was defence counsel to a group of labourers from Dorchester accused of machine-smashing, which earned him some popular recognition. He later worked for a time as a journalist. Sent to Spain to cover the First Carlist War in 1837 for the Whig Morning Chronicle, he joined the fighting with the British Auxiliary Legion and was decorated by the Queen of Spain. Assistant to Lord Durham Returning to England in 1837, he began to publish a newspaper but he learnt of the mission given to Lord Durham to investigate the causes of the 1837 rebellions in Lower Canada and Upper Canada. Derbishire wrote a letter to Lord Durham, offering his services for the inquiry. Durham accepted his offer and sent him to New York in 1838 to gather information on the Rebellion of 1837. Derbishire's credentials as a strong Whig won him access to notable Canadian figures who had sought refuge in New York following the abortive rebellion. William Lyon Mackenzie, John Rolph, and Edmund Bailey O’Callaghan all granted him interviews in New York. When he went on to Montreal, he was able to speak with Denis-Benjamin Viger and numerous other Lower Canadians. His conclusion was that the habitants of Lower Canada had "no practical grievances" and that the rebellion had been triggered by "the malaria of political agitation". Derbishire also acted as press agent for Durham, encouraging journalists to write favourable articles about Durham and his inquiry. His last action on Durham's behalf was to carry dispatches to New Brunswick and Nova Scotia in November, 1838, through the wilderness in winter, seeking troops to assist in response to a resurgence of unrest. Durham left British North America at the end of 1838, but