Stewart, Peter (1783) Letter to Sir James Montgomery (the proprietor of Lot 34), 27 April 1783. National Archives of Scotland, GD 293/2/79/46.

Peter Stewart (b. 7725, d. 1805) had arrived on the Island of St. John in 1 775 as the colony’s new chief justice and with a lease from Sir James Montgomery for 7000 acres of land in Lot 34. (FARO Map 0,074 shows his 1000 acres as fronting onto the Hil/sborough River at the south—east corner of the township.) In 7779 Stewart proposed, unsuccessful/y [as he mentions in the letter below), to lease a further parcel of land on the lot for the purpose of building a saw—mill. The location of this second parcel is not stated but is probable that it was in the area of the 7000 acres. /n 7 783 Stewart sent the letter to Montgomery with the aim of discrediting Montgomery ’5 agent, David Lawson, and Philips Callbeck, the colony’s acting governor from 7775 to 1 779. Despite the partisan nature of the letter, / think we can accept the forest-related comments as valid. Stewart informs Montgomery that there has been reckless unsupervised cutting of pine and spruce on Montgomery’s land, both by Lawson and later by Cal/beck. Bumsted l 7.98 7) considers that during the years of the American rebel/ion Cal/beck was ”cutting timber off Island lots with virtual impunity”, much of it going into the fortifications and barracks at Charlottetown. The practice described by Stewart of selecting out the best timber, and especially the pine, was probably commonplace throughout the early period of settlement. It may have been this example that the island ’3 Assembly had in mind, when in 7 780, noting ”the great Waste committed of Pine and other valuable Timber Trees in this Island”, a law was passed preventing the cutting of trees without the permission of the proprietor.

REFERENCES: Bumsted, J. M. (1983) Stewart, Peter. Dictionary of Canadian Biography, V: 776-79.

Bumsted, J. M. (1987) Land, Settlement, and Politics on Eighteenth-Century Prince Edward Island. McGill—Queen’s University Press. p. 75.

I am sorry I expressed myself in such a manner to your Lordship, as to occasion your thinking I had held out an Offer of taking more land as an inducement to your serving my son. A” I meant, that had he been provided for in this Country l could with his assistance have made that Tract of Land according to the opinion I then had

:a/Jvr-fiiol/sed of it, an advantageous Possession for Myself and him and without him I was quite ' unable to undergo the fatigue and give the attendance necessary to do justice to my

Plan, which was the Erecting a Saw mill and settling a large Stock Farm on it. I knew

for certain there had been Plenty of excellent Pine on the Premises, and believed it to

have been still there, but in consequence of an hint from a Friend, I went to see it and

’Mang/ing’ found the Pine wood miserably mangled, and on enquiring how, learned that Mr. the pine- Lawson had sold considerable quantities. His method was to Bargain with any Body

that demanded it, for a certain number of Tons, and as there was no Person resident on the Land, the Purchaser always culled out the finest Trees in different parts without making any regular Cut. But what has hurt it more than anything, Mr. Callbeck and Mr. Lawson Entered into a Contract whereby Lawson engaged by a certain day to have three or four Hundred Tons of Pine cut and ready to be shipped, and Mr. Callbeck on his Part engaged to have a Ship in readiness to receive it. The Ship never Came, nor was there one Tree Cut. Notwithstanding which Mr. Callbeck claimed his Penalty and in the true style of a Dublin Attorney threatened the poor man with a prosecution if he did not pay it. After a long altercation between them, Mr. Cutting pine Callbeck proposed his having permission from Lawson to Cut Pine and Spruce on your and spruce. Lordship’s Property wherever he pleased and to what Extent without Paying anything for it. Lawson leaped at the Proposal, believing he had, by agreeing to it, saved his £100. In consequence of this infamous bargain Mr. Callbeck has Cut and carried off a great number of the best Spruce and Pine, and upon the whole that Land is so much hurt, I fear it may be long without any Tenant, though very pleasantly and advantageously situated. When I heard of the transaction I told Mr. Callbeck I thought it not fair, but he Chose to think otherwise, as he found his Account much in it. Thus has Your Lordship been sold by one of your Trustees and bought by the Other, nor do I expect to see your affairs better Conducted while they remain under their present management. [pp. 1-2]

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