GOVERNOR SMITH AND SHERIFF MC GREGOR. 65

the meetings to be held at certain specified dates at Char- lottetown, St. Peter’s, and Princetown.

This very legitimate procedure on the part of the people did not accord with Governor Smith’s notions of propriety, and he deemed it proper to remove l\.’[1‘. McGregor from the office of sherifl‘, and to center it on his late deputy, Mr. Townshend. On the eighteenth of February, the Hilary term of the supreme court commenced, and Mr. Townshend, at the request of the governor, struck out the name of John Stewart from the panel. During the term, petitions were presented to the grand jury, complaining of the conduct of the acting receiver general and his deputies, and true bills were found against the latter; but no trial took place in consequence of the interference of the governor.

On the sixth of March, the first meeting called by the sheriff took place at Charlottetown. Considering the deep snow on the ground and the state of the roads, it was numer- ously attended, and the proceedings were conducted with the utmost order and regularity. A number of resolutions were passed, which were embodied in an address to the Kin<T

c7 was said that, though he had resided on the island for ten

containing grave charges against the governor. It

years, he had only been once absent from Charlottetown,

when he ventured to drive eighteen miles into the country, thus failing to make himself acquainted with its actual Condition. He was charged with illegally constituting a. court of escheat in 1818, and, in violation of his own public proclamation of the 81h of October, 1816, harassing by prose- cution the tenants of township number fifty-five. He was charged with refusing to receive an address from the house of assembly in answer to his speech at the opening of the session in November, 1818, though he had appointed an hour for that purpose. In addition to this public insult, he was accused F