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the style in which the events are related, but a literal transcription is impossible, owing to the fact that many private details of life are chronicled. One can not, however, fail to be struck by the splendidly consistent reli- gious spirit which characterized and sus- tained the man in all the manifold chances and changes of his moral life.” ‘

Mr. Gill at the age of twenty—five years felt called upon to make an effort to secure a home and fireside of his own. He was then living with his father, a Devonshire farmer of substantial means. The father, however, met his son’s approaches very coldly, but finally, with the assistance of a brother—in- law, Abraham secured from his father the sum of thirty-five pounds sterling. This in hand, he says, “And then to seek a home in some foreign land Good Providence directed me to Prince Edward Island, where the Lord has blessed me, body and soul. At the time of leaving my native home I little thought I was bidding farewell to my kindred and ac- quaintances. I went up at once to Devon- port to get a passage; there was a large barque there belonging to Mr. Pope about to start in a few days. I had to go home for the few things to take with me. I asked the captain what he would charge for board and passage. He said he would take me if I would mess with the men, for six pounds sterling. Before I embarked I had to go home, and when I returned to Devonport. I found the vessel had started on her voyage and was already nearly out of sight. I hired a man and his boat to pull after them; and the captain, seeing that'we were following him, hove-to till I was safe on board. The tossing of the vessel made me very sick for three days. We left England April 15, 1819, and arrived at Prince Edward Island on the 15th of June, among strangers, with the ex-

PAST AND PRESENT OF

ception of Mr. Harvie’s family. [The Har- vies had formerly been neighbors of the Gills in Devonshire and had come to Prince Ed- ward Island, I think, in the previous year.] I then began to inquire if there was a piece of land that I could get in the neighborhood. Mr. Harvie said to go to the agent, who, he said, would let me know. He told me there was a piece of land [that which Mr. Gill sub- sequently settled upon and occupied until his death]. Having obtained this land I be- gan by the help of the Lord, to earn a living by the sweat of my brow. Although late in the season, I planted some potatoes among the windfalls and stumps. There were not many cattle about at that time, so I made a rough fence, and they grew very well. I put them in a pit for the winter. I hired for a month for the harvest with Donald Mc- Donald, of Tracadie, for three pounds ster- lingamonth. Theboard andlodging werevery different from what I had been accustomed to. I labored for many others who paid me in horse labor. I was now lodging at Mr. Har- vie’s, the first winter in their loft, and after a snowstorm I had to shake off the snow be- fore I could put my clothes on. The Lord, however, was very merciful to me. As soon as the winter began to set in I prepared to get timber to build a house in the coming summer. I worked away at it through the winter, quite a new occupation, which I was not accustomed to. I dressed the largest of the trees in the woods, and some of my neighbors hauled them out, and in the month of April, 1820, we began to build on the land. I had cleared about two acres. Mal— colm Forbes plowed it for me, and it pro- duced a very good crop for one plowing. The house we built was thirty by eighteen feet, a log house with two windows and two doors. After it was built and covered in I