830

lfit rested with us, ’twould be very soon done ; "I‘is a terrible thing that men won't understand, They are really the plague and post of the land. Our Dadda's and Mamma‘s get cross and look grum, As much as to spy. you've been too long at home; We're ready—we're ready—will no body try ?— Or in single felicity, are WE to die?

To the Edilor q/‘thc British American.

Mark but the badges of these men. my Lords,

Then say if they be true—this misshaped knave.

Mn. Enrron,—I shall not trouble you with much, and in that I hope some other .of your correspondents will keep me in countenance. for one needs it in replying to such a paltry communication as Vindica- tor's. The conceit it proves he possesses is unbearable—the impudence it displays, shameful. It astonishes me that he will make himselfsuch a tool ! a tool of a des- pised party who hesitate at nothing to ob- tain their object. and with whom self-in- terest is the predominant impulse. Does Vind. think he has any claim to the title of ‘Gentleman,’ when he eludes the question in his mean and evasive manner ? Dares he to deny that the Speaker altered the bill 'n the manner he is charged with having

one ? and if he allows that the Speak- er did, does he say that it was done con— stitutionally and accordin to the practice of Parliament ? It is evi ent that it is one of these afﬁrmations he wants to pawn on the public, he thinks “if it be ne‘er so false a true gentleman may swear it,” but he lacks the courage to do so openly, and well he may, for let him deny, defend, or gloss the transaction as he will, the underhand

rocedure (in which it is well known Vind.

are a part.) is derogatory to every honor- able feeling. .,

Is it not disgraceful, Mr. E, that a man, honored with the titles of J. P., C. S D., and M. P., (which last should especially be an honorable title,) should so tamper with his public character ?

With reference to his remarks on my last communication. I assure him I have suﬂicient of the mens sum to despise them. Self-sufﬁciency and selﬁconceit, do not form so large a portion of my nature, as to allow me to assume an imposing nom- me deguerre, and if Vind. had possessed a little of my humility, he would not have appropriated to himself a designation to which his communication proves he can have no pretension. It would have been more creditable to himself, if the time he was seeking the word “tangible” in Bai- ly and Johnson. had been spent in study- ing the “rudiments of grammar ;” as it is, I would advise him, should he scribble a- gain. to get his legal friend to apply the “varnish, ’ and more especially the “ gram- mar” to his effusions, for as yet they have been sadly in want of both, and are as—'- “Damn’d cramped pieces of pemnanship as “everl saw in my life.” Yours, &c.

.N'EMO.

THE BRITISH AMERICAN.

For the British American

Sm,—A sad mistake has been made by our thick-headed thirty-pounders, in fram- ingthe act for the regulation of the public wharf in Charlotte-Town. They have. I confess, established the rates of wharfage in sufﬁciently plain language, but have, un- fortunately, forgotten to tell us how these rates are to be recovered. As to the ﬁnes and penalties imposed by the act, the mode of enforcement is distinctly pointed out ; but. alas ! the poor wharﬁnger. I am sorry to say, may whistle for his dues, for ifnny scurvy blackguard of a skipper should en- deavor to skip off without tipping the need- ful, the Wharﬁnger is not authoriZed by the statute to apply to the Justice of the peace for a summons or capias, and if he do so, the Justice is equally authorized to suf- fer such an action to be maintained before him. As [am somewhat engaged in the commercial concerns of the country, I in- tend in a few days, in my own proper per- son, to put the scope and validity of this act to the test ; and I boldly assert, with- out the risk of successful contradiction or discomﬁture in the result, that I shall e- ventually succeed; and l have no hesita- tion in further asserting, that any Justice of the peace who shall presume under the provisions of this act, to issue process a- gainst me for delinquency, ought not to be allowed by the Executive of the Island, to hold the commission for a single hour. By the second clause of the act. it appears, it shall and maybe lawful for the wharﬁnger to ask, demand, take, and receive certain fees. with certain exceptions; that is to say, it is not to be considered impertinent in him to do so. Well then, he asks, and does not get a favorable answer ; he de- mands, and the requisition is not attended to ; of course he cannot take and receive, if the money is not oﬁ'ered:—What then is to be done P Is he to apply to a Justice—let him carefully read the act—does it tell him so? or is the Justice, by any plausible stretch of power, qualiﬁed to relieve him ? most assuredly not. This omission, in my opinion, is fatal as it regards his dues, and I am quite sure that any lawyer of compe- tent kuowledge, will and must pronounce a similar decision. I am credibly informed, Sir, that our thirty-pounders, in the plen- titude of their muddy-headed wisdom, in- tended to have provided against such offen- ders ; but that from pressure of parliamen- tary occupatiOn, the thing unintentionally escaped their pumpkin shells. »'I‘he plan, was told by one of their learned body, was simply this. To erect a small building at the extremity of the wharf for the purpose of holding a court. in which the VVharﬁnger himself wasjudicially to preside, to be de- signated and ycleped the wharﬁnger’s court —that every thing in the shape of black- guardism and rascalin within its precinct,

that is to say, from One end of the wharf to

lﬂo.42

the other, such as the new at me . l drunkenness, ﬁghting, cursifg,sz:a13; due‘ as Paddy says, every other act of mi,“ cy, was to be heard and determined in th' court, by asort of hop-skip-an -' of investigation, and sentence to be teqhm tan etpualllJy off-handed manner, an W: on eit er ail main ' certiorari. , pnse, appeal, 0 Now, Sir, had this res ectable t'

been established by a clatfse of the 22::

new

5 9.:

letter I shall serve up another, equallyy pid and defective. ARISTJIRCH US.

Jllay 15.

THE BRITISH AMERICAN.

nary 18,1833.

It is we presume, generally known to 0 Readers, that the Messrs. Cunard of Hall fax, entered into an agreement with th Government of this Island, to run th Steam-boat Pocahontas between Charlotte Town and Pictou, with the Mails, twice week; for which, these Gentlemen receive 3001. per annum from each Province. This week, however, the Steam-boat di

manifested, as an English Mail was expect Our Readers. will scarcely deriv the cause,—-it was nothing less than the the Honourable Joseph Cunard happened to be at Pictou, on his way to Miramichi, and having no direct opportunity by water took the Steamer to Miramichi for his own private canveyance, in direct violation of the solemn agreement entered into wit this Government. The regularity of he trips was no later than last week guaran teed by the Agent of the Messrs. Cunard in aletter to a Gentleman here; but! can scarcely be wandered at, that tb weighty concerns of the Honourable Jo V seph Cunard, should supersede entirelytbe Contract with our Government, and that the business of between 30, and 40,000 In' habitants ofthis Island, should be suspend ed for the private accommodation of th Honourable Gentleman. . A Special Meeting of H. M. Councd was convened at an early hour, for lb purpose of taking this matter into con sideration, when it was carried mm. C?" That a vessel be hired, to convey the Mall!