Coniditions For Constitution Is Set In Place
Governor Ready desires to govern constitutionally--Energetic
legislation--George Wright, Administrator--Change in the mode of
paying Customhouse Officials--Fire in Miramichi--Petitions of
Roman Catholics to be relieved from civil
disabilities--Proceedings of the Assembly touching the
question--Dispute between the Council and Assembly--Catholic
Emancipation--The Agricultural Society--Death of Geo
ge the
Fourth--Cobbett on Prince Edward Island--Colonel Ready succeeded
by A. W. Young--The Census--Death of Governor Young--Biographical
Sketch of him.
Governor Smith delighted in autocratical rule, and had not called an
assembly together since 1820; but Governor Ready, wishing to govern the
island in a more constitutional manner, summoned, on his accession to
office, a new house, which met in January, 1825, and proceeded to
business with some degree of spirit and earnestness. Acts were passed
for the encouragement of education, for regulating juries and declaring
their qualifications, for regulating the fisheries, for limiting and
declaring the jurisdiction of justices of the peace, for empowering the
governor to appoint commissioners to issue treasury notes to the extent
of five thousand pounds, and for increasing the revenue by taxation.
Another session of the house was held in October of the same year, when
the house displayed equal energy and diligence in transacting the public
business. John Stewart was speaker, and the members elected for
Charlottetown were Robert Hodgson and Paul Mabey. Mr. Samuel Nelson was
an unsuccessful candidate for the town. He had been accused of not
signing the address to the King, praying for the recall of Governor
Smith. In his reply to that charge, Mr. Nelson stated a fact which shows
the inherent meanness of the late governor in his treatment of the
people. "Governor Smith," said Mr. Nelson, "never did anything for me.
On the contrary, he broke me as a captain in the militia, and when I was
putting a porch to my door he sent a peremptory demand to pull it
away."
The governor returned to England towards the close of the year, on
private business, and during his absence the government was administered
by the Honorable George Wright.
The officers of customs received in this year official instructions from
the lords commissioners to discontinue the exaction of fees after the
fifth of January ensuing, as fixed salaries were to be granted to
them,--a regulation which extended to all the colonies.
In this year, eighteen vessels arrived at the island from Great Britain,
and one hundred and twenty-eight from the British colonies. There were
imported fifty-four thousand gallons of rum, two thousand five hundred
gallons of brandy, three thousand gallons Geneva, and two thousand
gallons of wine, which, for a population of about twenty-three thousand,
was a large supply. The imports were valued at $85,337, and the exports
at $95,426.
In the autumn of 1825 an extensive and most destructive fire took place
in Miramichi, which swept over an immense area, destroying timber, farm
steadings, and cattle. Many of the unfortunate inhabitants perished in
the flames, and hundreds were left destitute. A liberal collection was
made in the island for the relief of the suffering, and a vessel
chartered to convey produce to the scene of the disaster.
The governor returned from England towards the close of the year 1826,
and again assumed the reins of government. The house met in March
following. In his opening address, the governor congratulated the house
on the improvements recently made in the internal communications of the
country,--the western line of road being completed up to Princetown, and
surveys having been made for extending the line to Cascumpec and the
North Cape. His excellency also referred to the advantages which would
accrue from the establishment of an agricultural society. Among other
useful measures passed during the session was one for ascertaining the
population of the island, and for authorizing the formation of a fire
engine company for Charlottetown.
During the last session a petition was presented by the Roman catholics
of the island, praying that they should be relieved from those civil
disabilities under which they suffered. Consideration of the important
subject was at that time deferred on account of the advanced period of
the session. The subject was now brought up by Mr. Cameron, in a
temperate and sensible speech, in which he stated that, notwithstanding
the predictions of persons hostile to the prayer of the petitioners, not
a single petition was presented to the house against the proposed
change. Mr. Cameron concluded by proposing the following resolution:
"Resolved, that it is the opinion of this house that the right of
voting at elections of members to serve in the general assembly ought to
be extended to His Majesty's subjects of the Roman catholic religion
within the island, and that the election laws should be altered
conformable to this resolution." A long and animated discussion took
place, in which the attorney general, Dr. McAulay, Mr. Hodgson, and
others supported it; and Mr. Campbell, Mr. McNeill, and Mr. Montgomery
led in opposition. On the question being put, the votes were equal; but
the speaker, Mr. Stewart, gave the casting vote against the resolution,
on the ground that the question had not been settled in England. The
speaker was one of the most enlightened men in the assembly, and his
decision on this occasion cannot be said to have been in accordance with
his general character. Had the resolution passed, the assembly would
have had the honor of being in advance, on this question, of the
parliament of Great Britain. As subjects of the Crown, the Roman
catholics, in asking to have a voice in the election of the
legislature,--whose laws they were bound to obey in common with
protestants,--claimed no favor, but a right which ought never to have
been withheld, and the subsequent concession of which experience has
proved to be as satisfactory in practice as it is equitable in
principle. On the presentation of the petition in 1825, a voluminous and
very able correspondence was carried on in the columns of the
Register, in the conduct of which the best talent in the island, on
both the catholic and protestant sides, was enlisted. Theological
questions, that had no bearing on the subject in dispute, were,
unhappily, imported into the controversy; and, whatever difference of
opinion may exist as to the discussion in its religious aspect, there
can be none as to the fact of every argument advanced against the Roman
catholic's right to be put on an equal footing with the protestant in
all matters appertaining to civil and religious liberty, being
completely demolished by the accomplished advocates of the Roman
catholic claims. While the elaborate communications to which we have
referred were imbued on both sides with considerable bitterness, yet, to
the credit of the island combatants, it may be truly said that such
bitterness was sweetness itself compared with the venom characteristic
of similar controversies, as carried on at this period in other places.
Fidelity to historical accuracy, at the same time, constrains us to
state that, while on the part of catholics, as the aggrieved party,
whose rights were tyranically and persistently disregarded, paroxysms of
irritation were the natural result of oppression, no such apology can to
the same extent be offered in behalf of their opponents.
In October, 1825, the council passed a resolution to the effect that
they would not in future be disposed to give their assent to any bill
for appropriating money, unless the sums and services therein contained
should be submitted in separate resolutions for their concurrence. This
resolution was not agreeable to the assembly, who claimed the sole right
of originating all money bills, and who denied the right of the council
to alter or amend them. This difference of opinion led to a protracted
controversy. In May, 1827, the council sent a message to the assembly,
in which the question was elaborately argued, to which the assembly
returned an equally elaborate reply. The dispute resulted, in 1827, in
the council agreeing to the two principal bills of supply, and rejecting
an ad valorem duty bill; but in the following session--that of 1828--the
appropriation bill was rejected by the council, which obliged the
governor to confine the expenditure of the year to purposes of
necessity. In meeting the house, in 1829, the governor expressed the
hope that the unfortunate dispute of the last session would be brought
to an amicable adjustment, and recommended a system of mutual compromise
as the most effectual mode of securing that object. Although the council
had resolved to transact no further business with the assembly until the
latter body expunged a previous resolution from their journals
containing certain imputations on the council, yet the house had refused
to do so. Business communication was, however, resumed, and continued as
if nothing had happened.
On the sixth of January, 1825, died Benjamin Chappell, late postmaster
of the island, in the eighty-seventh year of his age. He and his brother
William emigrated from England in the year 1775. They owned one of the
first packets that sailed between Charlottetown and the mainland. He saw
the country in its rude and wilderness state, and was an attentive
observer of all the vicissitudes it underwent in its gradual progress
towards improvement, and few took a deeper interest in its prosperity.
He was a man of sterling piety, actively devoted to the cause of
religion, and may with truth be considered the founder of the present
Methodist establishment of the island. He was personally known and
beloved by John Wesley, who was in the habit of corresponding with him
for many years; and it afforded Mr. Chappell much delight to detail to
his friends many interesting anecdotes that grew out of his intimacy
with that great and good man. He was brought up to the millwright
business, and was well acquainted with machinery in all its extensive
branches. He was a man of intelligence and strong mind, and, with a
perfect knowledge of his own business, possessed a great deal of useful
information. If a life of consistent piety, as expressed in the virtues
that dignify human nature, can endear a man to society, the memory of
Benjamin Chappell will be long and affectionately cherished in the
island.
In the session of 1829 a select committee of assembly, for preparing a
specific plan on which a bill might be founded for promoting classical
education, presented their report, recommending the establishment of a
classical academy in Charlottetown, to be designated the "Central
Academy," vesting the management in a patron and nine trustees. Two
masters were to be employed, each to receive a salary of one hundred and
fifty pounds a year; and no religious test was to be permitted. A bill
in conformity with these recommendations was accordingly introduced and
sanctioned.
The most important act passed in the session of 1830 was one "for the
relief of His Majesty's Roman catholic subjects." The agitation for the
removal of the disabilities under which the Roman catholics suffered in
the old country resulted in catholic emancipation; and the British
government recommended the adoption of similar measures in the colonies,
which recommendation weakened unreasonable opposition to the change. The
act now passed provided that all statutes which imposed on Roman
catholics civil or political disabilities should be repealed, and that
all civil and military offices and places of trust or profit should be
as open to them as to other portions of the King's subjects.
The agricultural society, which had been for some time in operation in
the island, was active in accomplishing the beneficent purposes for
which it was established: it encouraged improved stock by an annual
exhibition and premiums, and imported seeds. District societies were
formed at Saint Eleanor's and Princetown. The governor took a practical
interest in the operations of the society, of which the Honorable George
Wright was president; the Honorable T. H. Haviland, vice-president; and
Mr. Peter MacGowan, secretary and treasurer.
In August, 1830, intelligence of the death of King George the Fourth,
which had occurred on the twenty-sixth of June, reached the island. The
reign of His Majesty lasted about ten years and a half; but, including
his regency, he was at the head of the government more than nineteen
years. He was succeeded by William the Fourth.
The ignorance which in our days prevails in the old country respecting
the American colonies is not quite so deplorable as that which existed
at the period of the island history at which we have now arrived. It may
amuse the reader to learn what the celebrated Cobbett thought at this
time of Prince Edward Island, as a home for emigrants, and of the kind
of business that was prosecuted there: "From Glasgow," wrote Cobbett,
"the sensible Scots are pouring out amain. Those that are poor, and
cannot pay their passage, or can rake together only a trifle, are going
to a rascally heap of sand, rock and swamp, called Prince Edward Island,
in the horrible Gulf of Saint Lawrence; but when the American vessels
come over with indian corn and flour and pork and beef and poultry and
eggs and butter, and cabbages, and green pease, and asparagus for the
soldier, and other tax-eaters that we support upon that lump of
worthlessness,--for the lump itself bears nothing but potatoes,--when
these vessels return, the sensible Scots will go back in them for a
dollar a head, and not a man of them will be left but bed-ridden
persons." If such are the doctrines which were taught to the people of
Britain by men like Cobbett, what must have been the depth of ignorance
respecting the North American colonies which pervaded the masses? The
very articles which the islanders were prepared to export to the states,
if an inlet for them were permitted, were the articles which the foolish
grammarian imagined they were importing. He little thought that in the
capital of this island of "rock" a cargo of whinstones would be very
acceptable, and find ready sale.
In September, 1831, Colonel Ready was relieved from the government of
the island by the arrival of Lieutenant-Colonel A. W. Young. The
departure of Colonel Ready was deeply regretted by the people. His
administration was distinguished by activity, energy, and usefulness,
constituting a striking contrast to that of his predecessor. During his
retention of office there was a large increase of the population. From
the year 1829 to 1831, eighteen hundred and forty-four emigrants had
arrived, and new life was infused into the commerce and agriculture of
the island.
In January, 1832, Governor Young met the house of assembly for the first
time. There was a dread of cholera, now raging in Europe, which led to
the passing of a measure in the assembly "to prevent the spread of
infectious diseases." A day of fasting was appointed in the month of
May, and, happily, the island was not visited by a pestilence which, in
other places, laid tens of thousands in the grave. In this year an act
was also passed to provide for the conveyance of the mails between
Charlottetown and Pictou, by a steam vessel, a grant of three hundred
pounds yearly having been voted for that purpose. The service was
accordingly performed by the Steamer Pocahontas, which ran twice a
week to Pictou,--the cabin passage-money being twelve shillings currency.
In the following year the census was taken, from which it appeared that
the population of the island, which, in 1827, had been twenty-three
thousand, had increased to thirty-two thousand. An act was also passed
in this year by which the duration of the assembly was reduced from the
period of seven to that of four years.
In May, 1834, Governor Young went to England, whence he returned in
September, as Sir Aretas W. Young. In June of the same year died John
Stewart, of Mount Stewart, at the age of seventy-six. He came to the
Island in 1778. He was speaker of the house of assembly for a number of
years, and was one of the most useful public men of his day. We have
read much of his private and official correspondence, which has led us
to form a high opinion of his integrity, industry, and zeal. His book on
the island, published in 1806, is a reliable work, so far as facts are
concerned, though not written with the grace and freedom which
distinguished the letters of his contemporary, John Stuart, the London
agent of the island.
A general election took place towards the close of 1834, and the new
house met in January, 1835. A dispute arose between the assembly and the
council, respecting the revenue bills, which led to the necessary
supplies not being granted, but after a short interval the governor
convoked the assembly in April, and as the result of a previous informal
conference between the disputants, it was arranged that the revenue bill
should be separated from the appropriation bill,--as a solution of the
difficulty,--and thus the dispute terminated. In consequence of the
illness of his excellency, the session of one week's duration was
prorogued by a commission, who were desired to express to the assembly
his excellency's pleasure at the satisfactory termination of its labors.
On Tuesday, the first of December, 1835, His Excellency Sir Aretas
William Young died at his official residence in Charlottetown. At the
age of seventeen he obtained an ensigncy, by purchase, in Podmore's
regiment, and a company, by purchase, in the 13th foot, in 1796. He
served with the 13th regiment, in Ireland during the rebellion, and was
present with that corps, under the command of Sir Charles Colville, in
every memorable action fought in Egypt under the gallant Sir Ralph
Abercrombie, in 1801, for which he received a medal. He was subsequently
employed for several years in Sicily and Gibralter, as aide-de-camp to
General the Honorable Henry Edward Cox, the commander-in-chief in the
Mediterranean. He was promoted, in 1807, to be major in the 97th
regiment, then commanded by Lieutenant-General Sir James Lyon, and
served with the 4th division, under Lieutenant-General Sir Lowry Cole,
in the Peninsular campaigns of 1808, and in subsequent years was engaged
in the battles of Vimiera, Talavera and Busaco, and in the first siege
of Badajoz. Whenever the division was in movement, the light companies
were entrusted to his charge, and during a part of the retreat of the
army from the frontiers of Portugal to the lines of Torres Vedras, these
companies were embodied under his command as a light battalion.
In an affair with the enemy at Tobral, near Lisbon, his horse was shot
dead under him; and it has been remarked by a distinguished general
officer that, on every occasion, in every difficulty and in many hours
of trial, the example he set, the steps he trod, led the men cheerfully
and fearlessly to do their duty. The 97th, owing to its thinned ranks,
having been ordered to England, he was promoted, in 1813, to a
lieutenant-colonelcy in the 3rd West India Regiment, stationed at
Trinidad; and, with five companies of that corps, was sent to join the
expedition against Guadaloupe in 1815, and received one of the badges of
the Order of Merit, presented by Louis the Eighteenth. On his return to
Trinidad, he was selected by Sir James Leith to command the troops in
Granada; and, on leaving the regiment in 1815, received a letter,
accompanied with a piece of plate, from the officers, expressive of
their unfeigned feelings of regard and esteem for the comfort and
happiness experienced under his command. On his being ordered back to
Trinidad, in 1816, he was voted the thanks of the council and assembly
of Granada, with a sword valued at one hundred guineas. During the
absence, in 1820, of Governor Sir Ralph Woodford from Trinidad, he
administered the government for four months; and in consideration of the
advantage which the community had derived during that period by his
being a member of the council, was requested still to continue a
member,--to which he acceded, subject to the approval of the commander of
the forces, who, in giving his consent, remarked, that in whatever
situation Lieut.-colonel Young might be placed, the public service would
be benefited. In 1823, in again giving up the government, which he had
held for two years,--during a second absence of the same governor,--he was
presented with four addresses, namely, one from the council, one from
the Board of Cabildo,--with a vote of one hundred and fifty guineas to
purchase a sword, and with the request that he would sit for his
portrait, to be placed in their hall as a token of their sense of the
efficient manner in which he had presided over that board, and to record
their opinion of the moderation, steadiness, and ability which, on all
occasions, marked his administration; one from the inhabitants, with a
piece of plate, to record their gratitude for the integrity and
impartiality of his government; and one from the colored inhabitants,
acknowledging their deep sense of the prudence, moderation, and humanity
which distinguished his administration of the government.
On the final disbandment of the 3d West India Regiment, in the beginning
of 1825, he was waited on by a deputation of the inhabitants of
Trinidad, with a farewell address, and with the request of his
acceptance of a piece of plate of the value of two hundred and fifty
sovereigns. He was appointed in 1826 to the newly-created office of His
Majesty's Protector of Slaves in the colony of Demerara,--the arduous
duties of which he conscientiously performed for five years. He retired
from the army, by the sale of his commission, in May, 1826, and was
allowed by His Majesty, on the recommendation of the commander-in-chief,
to retain the local rank of lieutenant-colonel in the West Indies, in
consideration of the value of his services, and of the zeal,
intelligence, and gallantry with which he had discharged every duty. He
was gazetted, as already stated, to be governor of Prince Edward Island,
on the twenty-fifth of July, 1851; and in consequence of the favorable
opinion entertained by the King of his merits, communicated in a
despatch from Lord Stanley, His Majesty conferred on him, on the ninth
of July, 1834, the honor of knighthood.
At the period of his death he was in the fifty-eighth year of his age,
and had thus terminated an honorable career of forty-one years in the
King's service.