John MacDonald's Petition on Behalf of Uriah Coffin

Uriah Cof f in‘was sued by John Stewart in a property dispute at East Point, P.E.l. . He asked the influential landowner Capt. John MacDonald2 to intercede for him in a postponement of the trial. MacDonald granted Coffins's plea and in his petition, addressed to Judge Stewart3 re. the suit of "your Lordship's eldest son,"4 MacDonald cites the absence of an

attorney on the island" and requests a delay in the case until one is available.

MacDonald says that Coffin, “living at the distance of fifty miles of uncultivated country with no roads fit for a horse, and only few scattered inhabitants, and being himself old and subject to Rheumatism, was apprehensive of being unable to attend the court in this term in order to apply for putting off the case until the arrival of a lawyer, or until the next term, particularly as might be expected, any very heavy storm of snow should occur in the meantime." MacDonald adds that the reason for his intervention on Coffin's behalf is that "it is but a neighborly and fair office to a poor man so lying under a disadvantage similar to his own and since he had "no opportunity to signify a refusal."

Coffin later retained Joseph Robinson5 as his lawyer but on April l3, lBOl, he lost his case and was fined.

i. Uriah Coffin was involved in a number of law suits in his late years and was the loser in many of them. He seems to have died impoverished.

2. John MacDonald of Glenaladale (1742-1810) was proprietor of Lot 36 and the head and spokesman for the Scottish Catholic Highland settlers on the Island the first of whom had arrived on the Alexander in June 1772. He was an active and powerful lobbyist for the anti-Patterson forces in London where he lived for several years after the American War, and on his return to the island was just as outspoken against some of the policies of Governor F anning.

3. Peter Stewart, Chief Justice of P.E.l. .

4. John Stewart,(ca l758-l834) known in Island history as "Hellf ire Jack"