PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND. 55

land mails had been discontinued, as the ad- vantage arising therefrom was trifling in comparison to the expense.

£77. 195. 1d. had been laid out on the wharf in Charlottetown, and the committee conceived that this sum, together with the extravagant wharfage paid by the public, ought to have made more repairs and better improvements.

The committee were astonished to find that £316. 35. IId. hadbeen issued for which no warrants appeared, which issues, they were decidedly of opinion, were in direct vi- olation of the act respecting duties on wines, &c.'

Finally the special committee begged “leave to remark that the monies raised by operation of the above recited act have been the subject of much discontent and want of harmony in this colony; and an alteration in that act, giving this House its share in the appropriation of that money would, in the opinion of the committee, conduce in a great degree to the prosperity of the Island, and most certainly would produce in the House a spirit of liberality to meet the future exi- gencies of, the government.”

This report was agreed to. It was evi- dent that hostilities of a pronounced charac- ter were pending between the Assembly and His Excellency.

On 8th December, 1818, the Assembly formulated a series of very grave charges against Chief Justice Tremlitt, which they presented to the ‘Lieutenant-Govemor, ac- companied by an address, setting forth that the Assembly deemed it expedient that the said chief justice should be no longer con- tinued in his office, and prayed that His Ex- cellency be pleased to suspend him from the exercise of his office, until His Majesty's pleasure should be known. To this Smith

replied that the matter naturally called for his most serious consideration and speedy decision, but its importance made it neces~ sary for him to deliberate Well, before act- ing in any way or even giving any further answer.

The Assembly, on 9th December, pre- ferred very serious charges against the high sheriff, both in his oflice of sheriff and in his capacity of returning officer at the general election. These charges they presented to His Excellency, with an address praying that he be pleased to remove the said high sheriff from his ofiicial position.

But the Assembly were not satisfied with preferring their charges against the chief justice and the high sheriff. They consid- ered that their most serious grounds of com- plaint were against the Lieutenant-Gover— nor himself, and they were not disposed to overlook them, or to Shirk the responsibilty of formulating their grievances and prefer- ring them against His Excellency to the highest authority. Consequently, on 15th December, the House unanimously agreed upon a series of resolutions, asserting their rights and privileges, and impeaching the conduct of His Excellency. These resolu- tions are of such importance, as an assertion of constitutional rights, and as showing the spirit of the people’s representatives at that time, that they are worthy of being repro-

duced in full. They were as follows:

I. Resolved, That it is the undoubted privi- lege of this House to present addresses to the Lieutenant-Governor of the Colony.

11. Resolved, That it is equally the right of this House to remonstrate or complain to His Excellency, the Lieutenant-Governor, of any pub- lic acts of his government. it it shall see it right so to complain or remonstrate.

Iii. Resolved. That the right of remonstrance, in its very nature, implies the right oi! this House to present its remonstrance to the Lieutenant- Governor. and that it is his duty to receive it.