Prendergast, John (1834—1835); Yeo, James (1834); Forgan, William (1835); Hodgson, Robert & Lawson, John (1835) Advertisements in the Royal Gazette, Charlottetown. September 1834 to April 1835.

Below are extractions from paid advertisements that appeared in the Royal Gazette between September 7834 and April 7835. They all concern the estate of David Stewart in western Prince County (see Stewart 1831), especially Lot 70, and they are attempts by various persons claiming to be agents for the estate to prevent the theft of timber from the township. The first ’public notice’ was placed by a John Prendergast and was an attempt to obtain payment for timber cut illegal/y on the lot, and to prevent the theft of timber in future. However, the accused thief, James Yeo, responded defiant/y, claiming that he had authority to cut the timber, and that if called upon, he would pay any stumpage fees for the timber removed. The final notice from Prendergast in January 7835 suggests that the first letter had not acted as a deterrent to Yeo, and that he was continuing to remove timber from the lot. The altercation, though sure/y embarrassing to Yea at the time, seems not to have harmed his business and political career, which went on to great heights, as is fully told in Westcountrymen in Prince Edward’s Isle. There may be some truth to Yeo’s claim that Prendergast was not the lawful agent, since in the same January issue of the Royal Gazette in which Prendergast placed his last ad, direct/y beneath was an ad from a William Forgan, who was also claiming to be the agent for Lot 10,- and then in April, Robert Hodgson and John Lawson also placed an ad claiming to be agents for other Stewart lands in the west of the colon y. Further investigation is clearly required.

REFERENCE: Greenhill, B. & Gifford, A. (1967) Westcountrymen in Prince Edward’s Isle. University of Toronto Press.

A pub/lo notice: A PUBLIC NOTICE: Messieurs, the French of Egmont Village and Cascumpec, Mr. James 3/90/19 James Yeo of Lot 73, and others. Having received information from various ‘j‘mm’g “7’71"” respectable persons, during my recent inspection of Lot 10, of your having been in IL/legjléy on the practice of cutting and drawing away Timber and Hay, to a very serious extent

or ' from this tract of Land, and applying the same to your own private uses, to the great and manifest detriment of David and Robert Stewart, of the City of London, Esquires, to whom the Estate in question doth belong, unless ye come forward and compensate these gentlemen to the utmost extent of the trespasses committed on them, law proceedings will be instituted against ye without any loss of time, as there is abundant proof to enable me to do so. And I also hereby give this further public notice, on the part of the aforesaid D. & R. Stewart, Esqrs., for no one whatever to commit acts of a similar nature, on any part of these gentlemen’s property, without paying the usual price of Five Shillings per ton Stumpage for the Timber, which will be taken, if Cash is not convenient, either in grain or labour, as to the Proprietor may appear most agreeable.

Stumpage charges.

John Prendergast, Sept. 13, 1834. [Royal Gazette, 16 Sept. 1834, p. 3, col. 3 — further placements on 23 & 30 Sept]

[’ADVERTISEMENT’]—Sir—l observe in your last paper, that one John Prendergast has

A defiant made use of my name, cautioning me, unless I came forward and paid him for hay res/30”“ and stumpage of timber cut on Lot 10, that I was to be prosecuted for the same. I from Yeo. have only this to say, that I defy any person to shew that I ever cut, or ordered to be cut, any hay or timber on said Lot without authority so to do; and I am perfectly

ready, at any time I may be called on, to account with the Proprietor or Proprietors

of Lot 10, and half of Lot 12, or their authorized agents, for any arrears that may be

due them, or may hereafter become due, for any rent or stumpage. As for Mr.

Prendergast, I know nothing of him, otherwise than this, that l inquired of him if he

had any power from the Proprietor to act for Lot 10—he told me he had not. I rather

suspected he had not, as I should suppose that the Proprietors of so much land would

have sent some respectable person to act as agent for the same.

James Yeo, Port Hill, 22d Sept. 1834 [Royal Gazette, 30 Sept. 1834, p. 1, col. 4.]

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