PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND. .59

nial department the address of the last House respecting the chief justice, did not also transmit the resolutions upon which it was founded, “after the solemn and un- equivocal manner in which the Assembly de- clared their opinion concerning the Chief Justice, upon the clearest and fullest evi- dence of facts adduced before them on that subject, so highly important to the admin- istration of justice in this colony.”

The House then asked to be relieved from further attendance at this time.

In his speech proroguing the General Assembly, His Excellency said:

“ * * * It is impossible for me to pass unnoticed some of the proceedings of the Lower House which have formally come to my knowledge through the copies of their journals. which have been communicated. From them, it appears that certain resolu- tions, reflecting upon me,have been adopted, and an address to His Majesty framed and founded on them, which is to be transmitted through His Excellency, the Govemor-in- Chief, a measure equally extraordinary and unnecessary, inasmuch as I should myself, if I had been applied to, readily co-operated in any such measure, that would have at- tracted His Majesty’s attention to my con- duct, whose faithful servant I am.”

“The address in question would thus have reached the throne unquestionably much sooner, and, let meadd,with more certainty, as it remains to be seen what conduct His Lordship may feel it consistent with his duty to adopt on so delicate a point as the interposing in the political concerns of a distant colony.

“Under any circumstances, my hearty and earnest desire to promote the. public welfare will continue undiminished, feeling, as I trust I ever shall, superior to all party

politics, and necessarily regarding with both regret and wonder those who allow them- selves to be hurried away by them."

The next convention of the General As- sembly was on 14th January, 1825, soon after Lieutenant-Governor Ready’s assump- tion of the administration. In the inter- vening five years, Mr. Smith ruled without consulting the “faithful commons.” The Lieutenant-Governor appointed Mr. Am- brose Lane. his son-in-law, who had been a lieutenant in the army, to the position of registrar and master in chancery, though he was not a lawyer; another son—in-law, Mr. Carmichael, a gentleman against whom the Assembly had issued a warrant for con- tempt, was appointed secretary of the prov- ince. His Excellency seemed as if he were determined to antagonize the people of the Island to the utmost. He caused the reve- nues to be collected and expended as seemed best to himself. He was accused of pro- moting litigation, with the object of mak- ing expenses for himself and his friends. He was charged with disturbing titles to lands which had been held for forty or fifty years, in order to get fees for new grants, and of having by threats compelled parties who had obtained grants, while Mr. Town- shend was administrator, to take out new ones, though Mr. Townshend’s were per- fectly good, and the forcing new ones to be taken out was only for the purpose of making costs. The feeling against the Lieutenant-Governor was rapidly approach- ing the boiling point.

At length, the leading men of the prov- ince determined to take measures to have the Lieutenant-Governor removed. Mr. John Stewart, already referred to several times, had long been the most prominent and influential man in the community, but