. that the debts due by Colonists tozthe 
     
    
   
   
    
     . tish, Coast 
     
    
   
   
    
     PUBLIC MEETWG W THE LAID 
     
     QUISTIOI. 
     
    

    
     At a Meeting held on St. Peter's Road on 
     
     the 3d of July inst., the following Reso- 
     
     lutions and Addresses were unanimously 
     
     agreed to: 
     
     let. Movedb 
     
    

    
     by Mr. Ronald 
     
     RESOLVID, That it is necessary to inform 
     
    

    
     Her Majesty the Queen, that the Land 
     
    

    
     Question is still unsettled; that the Colo- 
     
    

    
     nial authorities govern themselves on that 
     
    

    
     question by old despatclies, instead of the 
     
    

    
     Ordinances of the Sovereign; that such 
     
    

    
     Government is not for the honor of the 
     
    

    
     Sovereign; or the well-being of the inhabi- 
     
    

    
     tants, but to enable conspirators and impos- 
     
    

    
     tors to take a rent from the labouring class 
     
     for forfeited lands. That the recent pur- 
     
     chase of the \Vorrell Estates by the Go- 
     
    

    
     ‘vernment, appears to have been it flagrant 
     
    

    
     conspiracy to take the public money, to 
     
    

    
     confirm forfeited grants, and compel the 
     
     inhabitants to pay a high price for forfeited 
     
     land to refund that money. That we pray 
     
    

    
     Her Majesty that such a transaction may 
     
    

    
     be investigated as a warning to others, for 
     
    

    
     the honor of Her Majesty, and the well- 
     
     being of the community. 
     
    
   
   
    
     To the Queen's Host Excellent Majesty: 
     
    
   
   
    
     The Humble Petition of the Inhabitants of Prince 
     
    

    
     Edward Island: ' 
     
    

    
     In forwarding their Petition to yoijr Ma- 
     
     jesty, Petitioners beg leave most respect- 
     
     fully to renew their assurance of Loyalty 
     
     and attachment to your Majesty’s person 
     
     and family; and their adherence to the 
     
     British Constitution, and pray that your 
     
     Majesty’s Government, throughout the 
     
     earth, may be always administered with 
     
     wisdom and purity of intentions, for the 
     
     honor of your Majesty-—-the happiness of 
     
     your people——and the prosperity of all your 
     
     dominions. 
     
    

    
     On looking around, on the freedom and 
     
     happiness enjoyed by your Majesty’s sub- 
     
     jects in the sister Provinces, it is with 
     
     sincere regret, that Petitioners have to 
     
     mar the general harmony with complaints 
     
     to your Majesty; but the people in the prtr 
     
    

    
     vinces hold us in derision, for submitting to 
     
    
   
   
    
     Mr. J. C. Campbell, seconded 
     
     an M‘Donald: 
     
    
   
   
    
     HASZARD’S GAZETTE, JULY 18., 
     
    
   
   
    
     to a few persons for their own emoluments, 
     
     so that other subjects who required land, 
     
     must of necessity receive the land through 
     
     a Grantee upon such terms as he may 
     
     chooe to dictate; consequently the Impe- 
     
     rial Government had to coin romise with 
     
     such Grantees and revoke their Grants. 
     
    

    
     ut the greatest care has been taken in 
     
     the grantin this Island, to avoid such dif- 
     
     ficulties. ' he Grants were made, that the 
     
     Grantees were to defray the Colonial Civil 
     
     List, and in such a manner that they ‘should 
     
     not make Tenants of British subjects. 
     
     Grants were made by order of the King 
     
     in Council, for Grantees who were to pay 
     
     :1 Quit Rent to defray the Colonial Civil 
     
     List, and settle their Grants within four 
     
     years with Foreign Protestants, or forfeit 
     
     their Grants. Foreigners had no right to 
     
     a share of the public lands the same as 
     
     British subjects, and although ll. forfeiture 
     
     is not declared in the Grants for the non- 
     
     payment ofQuit Rent; yet a forfeiture is 
     
     expressly declared for non-settlement with 
     
     Foreign Protestants, which condition ap- 
     
     pears to have been introduced into all the 
     
     grants, for the express purpose that the 
     
     Grantees should not be landlords over their 
     
     fellow-subjects. As it is implied that ifthe 
     
     land had been fully occupied with British 
     
     subjects within the term of four years, the 
     
     grants nuist have expired then for non-set- 
     
     tlement with foreigners. 
     
    

    
     But the time for settlement expired, with- 
     
     out the introduction of foreigners, and the 
     
     land remained unoccupied, a snare for 
     
     British subjects who believed that the for- 
     
     feiture would be enforced, and that they 
     
     would be settled without disparagemcnt, iu 
     
     fee-simple. Petitions from the Island to 
     
     that effect. were forwarded to the Home 
     
     Government as early as the year 1787, and 
     
     about the year 1802, the then Lieut. Gover- 
     
     nor, hnd instructions to pass Acts for the 
     
     regular payment of Quit Rent, and to 
     
     revest the forfeited land in the Crown. 
     
    

    
     It appears, that there were only a party 
     
     of the Grantees in the conspiracy to make 
     
     Tenants of British subjects; and the inaiu 
     
     objects for moving in such enactments at 
     
     that time, were to induce the Grantees, 
     
     who were in the conspiracy, to give up 
     
     their grants to the Lieut. Governor and 
     
     other speculators in the Island, (for nomi- 
     
    
   
   
    
     become Tenants for unimproved Land; and 
     
     with humiliation and shame we must own 
     
     it, that the monopoly of the Land in this 
     
     Island, which has been so often complained 
     
     of, for a period of nearly seventy years, 
     
     remains still without any redress-—a hot- 
     
     bed and nursery for corruption and oppres- 
     
     aion. 
     
    

    
     Yet it is a great satisfaction to petitioners 
     
     tohave it to say, that it is not from any 
     
     undue exercise of the Royal Authority; 
     
     it is of the servants ofthe Crown we have 
     
     to eomplain;—-who have misunderstood the 
     
     Royal intentions, and given encouragement 
     
     to conspirators, to ensnare the labourin 
     
    
   
   
    
     class of British subjects; to deprive them of 
     
    
   
   
    
     their birth-right,—by placing them in the 
     
     position of aliens, and reducing them to a 
     
     state of bondage as Tenantry-to have 
     
     them to reclaim wild lands, and pay rent 
     
     for their own improvements; to enable 
     
     conspirators to gain an improved Estate, by 
     
     the labor and means oftheir fellow subjects. 
     
     To explain the case more fully, it will be 
     
     necessary to refer to the flrst colonization 
     
     of America, as handed down to us. 
     
    
   
   
    
     nal or trifling sums), who would join in the 
     
     -conspiracy. For when the transfers were 
     
     made, and the Oflicers of the Colonial 
     
     Government, who were receiving their 
     
     salaries from the Imperial Treasury, had 
     
     either obtained grants for themselves, or 
     
     were taken into the pay of Grantees as 
     
     Land Agents, the Act to reveal the forfei- 
     
     ted lands in the Crown, which had gone 
     
     through the forms and received all the 
     
     solemnities of law, was suppressed. 
     
    

    
     In the year ISIS, the Lieut. Governor of 
     
     that day, made roclainstion, that it was 
     
     the pleasure of is Royal Highness the 
     
     Prince Regent to release the roprietors 
     
     from the obligation of settling their grants 
     
     with Foreign Protestants, provided they 
     
     settled their grants with other persons 
     
     within ten years from 1816. This procla- 
     
     mation received all the submission from the 
     
     people in this Island and their representa- 
     
     tives, as ifit had been a Royal Ordinance; 
     
     when after many years, it was admitted, 
     
     that it had no legal foundation, and conse- 
     
     quently it was only a fabrication to deceive 
     
    
   
   
    
     ‘When it became advisable to colonize “'9 P°°Pl°3 and th8 G°Y°"'° Paid 5° “W9 
     
     ‘America with Bi-itigh gubjectg, your Ma_ regard to his proclamation, that two Town- 
     
     jssty’s ancestors thought it necgggary to ships were then revealed in the Crown. 
     
    
   
   
    
     rant extensive Territories to men of in. The inhabitants were settled in fee-simple, 
     
     uence and property; who were to introduce 0" P'|7l"8 f°" “'9 8""“3 1"" "13 °b.l°¢‘ 0r 
     
     . mligg’ and some gym‘; grant.’ and go that Escheat, a pears to have been to grant 
     
    
   
   
    
     enable the Grantees to soul. the maple land to his famiy and friends, to sell again 
     
     and do justice, they were empowered as 10 ‘he P°°l’l° “'h° i“‘°“d°d '° '‘’'”° "P0" 
     
     lords of the land, and governors‘ ofthe ‘ml lmP"°" ll‘ 
     
    
   
   
    
     eople. Such Grants were a public benefit 
     
    
   
   
    
     The applications which have been made 
     
    
   
   
    
     or a time, for the transportation of fbmilies '0 ‘N HM“ G°"°"""°'“,v 'l“°° ll"? Y°*"' 
     
     from Where they were strnitoned for mom, I832, to revest the forfeited land in the 
     
    
   
   
    
     to where they had full sco 
     
    
   
   
    
     _ pe for their exer- 
     
     tions. ' 
     
    
   
   
    
     t in process of time, it was found 
     
    
   
   
    
     grantee were never to be discharged, but 
     
     table to be increased, through his influence 
     
     over the Legislature and Grants which 
     
     were a public boaefitat first, became a 
     
     benefit-only to the Proprietor and his ad- 
     
     lereats, and a burthen and vsxation to the 
     
     real ofthe conrinanity. 
     
    

    
     It is not an admitted principle in the Bri- 
     
     lftttion, that the public lands in 
     
     their wild natural state, should be granted 
     
    
   
   
    
     Crown, have been resisted by Ministers, 
     
     upon the following grounds, viz: that the 
     
     conditions were impracticable, and in-con- 
     
     se uence of which, the Grantees had in- 
     
     du ences, and the lands have never been 
     
     for ited; that the Landlords have a right 
     
     to recover rent, because the Tensntry had 
     
     covenaatsd to pay NBC. and that the 
     
     Tensntry should derive no benefit from the 
     
     forfbiture, for in consequence of‘ such cove- 
     
     nant the would have to. pay the same rent 
     
     to the rown, and which last mentioned 
     
     Act was passed in the year 1&3. 
     
    
   
   
    
     It would have been unnecessary to revertl 
     
     to the former opinions of Ministers at this 
     
     time; but the Colonial Government have 
     
     brought such opinions forward, as decisions 
     
     of authority, to overrule and supersede 
     
     later instructions, and subvert the principle 
     
     of an Act, which lately received the Royal 
     
     asent, which required an Oflicer of Go- 
     
     vernment to investigate the titles of land, 
     
     and as there is no appeal from the decision 
     
     of the Colonial Government, but to your 
     
     Majesty; it is, therefore, necessary to sl.ow 
     
     that such opinions of Ministers are not in 
     
     accordance with Royal authority, and that 
     
     your Petitioners desire no more than is 
     
     consistent with reason, and for the honor 
     
     of your Majesty to grant. 
     
    

    
     Grants of land are not made, but on 
     
     the Petition of some person or party, 
     
     and there are many unreasonable Peti- 
     
     tioners, and on referring to the grants 
     
     of this Island, where four years only 
     
     are allowed to introduce and settle one- 
     
     tliird ofeach grant with foreigners, and an 
     
     annual Quit Rent of from three shillings to 
     
     six shillings per hundred acres required to 
     
     defray the Colonial Civil List, it leads to ii 
     
     belief that, instead of the grants being 
     
     rewarls for services, (as has been repre- 
     
     sented in this Island), it has more the an- 
     
     pearauce of a well merited rebuke from the 
     
     Sovereign to unreasonable Petitioners, who 
     
     had a desire to be landlords over their fel- 
     
     low subjects; and many of them must have 
     
     felt the rebuke, who never took up their 
     
     grants. But when they or impostors in 
     
     their stead, after many years, found the 
     
     land occupied and improved by British 
     
     subjects, and that they had the indulgence 
     
     of Ministers, iind the authority of the 
     
     Colonial Government to deprive such per- 
     
     sors oftheir improvements, or compel them 
     
     to pay rent, then the impostors followed the 
     
     example ofthe conspirators. 
     
    

    
     Thus the order of the King in Council, 
     
     which was intended to save Great Britiau 
     
     from the expense ofthe Colonial Civil List, 
     
     and to save British subjects from being 
     
     imposed upon by the Grantees, was sub- 
     
     verted by ministers to give indulgence to 
     
     conspirators and impostors, to enable them 
     
     to claim the land and improvements of 
     
     British subjects—worth at least a million of 
     
     pounds sterling,-—wliilc Great Britain has 
     
    
   
   
    
     8 
     
     0 
     
    
   
   
    
     Y 
     
    
   
   
    
     0 
     
    
   
   
    
     List, about £300,000 sterling. 
     
     reserved for Fisheries. 
     
    
   
   
    
     acknowledge a coiispirator or impostor as 
     
     landlord, the Tenant could never afterwards 
     
     dispute his title, and to commence improve- 
     
     meuts upon laud without such acknowledg- 
     
     iueiit, incurred an action of trespass, or ii 
     
     \Vrit of Ejcctment. Such are the toils set 
     
     against men, the scope of whose learning 
     
     was to know their catechism, and say their 
     
     prayers, and their education to be charita- 
     
     ble, just in their dealings, obedient to the 
     
     laws, and earn their bread by labour; con- 
     
     sequently such men could not plead their 
     
     own cause to the Sovereign against such 
     
     influence opposed to them, or avoid being 
     
     taken in the snares. 
     
    

    
     But it was not from a want of spirit of 
     
     inanliness that they did not resist their op- 
     
     pressors, it was from the certainty, that 
     
     such actions would be misrepresented to 
     
     the Sovereign, and that any outburst of in- 
     
     dignation would demoralize the inhiibitauts. 
     
    

    
     Applications to Colonial Ministers, for a 
     
     settlement of the Land Question, have 
     
     been resisted, until the year I8-5|, when 
     
     Earl Grey instructed Sir Alexander Ban- 
     
     nerman to use his influence to have the 
     
     question settled in an equitable manner, by 
     
     Legislative enactment; and an Act was 
     
     passed for the Colonial Goveniment to buy 
     
     up the land from the landlords, and sell it 
     
     again to the tenants. But as such an Act 
     
     could not become Law, without the Royal 
     
     Assent, nor be presented for your Majest ’s 
     
     confirmation, to allow of a purchase of fir- 
     
     failed lands for such it purpose. .But to ob- 
     
     tain your Mc,-esty’s confirmation, the fol- 
     
     lowing words were inserted in the Act 
     
     without the intention of aetin upon them, 
     
     via: " e vmmissioner of Public Lands 
     
     shall investigate, or cause to bo investiga- 
     
     ted the titles of such lands; and he shall 
     
     make a report of the result of such exami- 
     
    
   
   
    
     O 
     
    
   
   
    
     Y 
     
    
   
   
    
     Y 
     
    
   
   
    
     nation and investigation to the Govern-l 
     
     iiient." 
     
    
   
   
    
     this Act, the report _ 
     
     ral’s investigation of the Titles is in thg 
     
     following words, viz: “The conditions of 
     
     settlement in all the Grants are the usual 
     
     conditions, and bein known to the Govern. 
     
     meat, I have deems it unnecessary to ad. 
     
     vert to them, in the fore oiilg abstract;" 
     
     and the usual conditions or settlement in 
     
     the Grants referred to, are in the following 
     
     words, viz: “and the said Grantees fur- 
     
     ther bind and oblige themselves, their heirs 
     
     and assigns, to settle the said Lot or Town. 
     
     ship hereby granted within ten years from 
     
     the date hereof, with Protestant settlers, in 
     
     the proportions of one person to every two 
     
     hundred acres—-said Protestant settlers to 
     
     be introduced from such parts of. Europe 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
     w 
     
    
   
   
    
     And fortle first purchase of land under 
     
     of the Attorney Gene. 
     
    
   
   
    
     s are not within His Majesty’s dominious, 
     
     r to be such persons as have resided with. 
     
    
   
   
    
     in His Majesty ‘s dominions of America two 
     
    
   
   
    
     cars antecedent to the date hereof; and if 
     
    
   
   
    
     the said Grantees, shall not settle one-third 
     
    
   
   
    
     f the said Lot or Township, in the pro. 
     
    
   
   
    
     portion aforesaid, within four years from 
     
     the date hereof, then the whole of the said 
     
     Lot or Township, shall become forfeited to 
     
     his Majesty, his heirs and successors; and 
     
     this Grant shiill be void and of none effect.” 
     
    
   
   
    
     And the following case ofa purchase of 
     
    
   
   
    
     Land, by the colonial Government, under 
     
     the Land Purchase Act, is submitted to 
     
     show that the clause introduced into that 
     
     Act, viz: “ fnv-tlie investigation of the titles 
     
     ofland,” has been introduced for the pur- 
     
     pose of deceiving your Majesty, as it has 
     
     not been acted upon, in the first purchase 
     
     under the Act. 
     
    
   
   
    
     Certain Townships and tracts of land, 
     
    
   
   
    
     called the \Vorrell Estate,over S0,000acres, 
     
     were offered last winter for the Government 
     
     purchase. 
     
     of trustees, and the Attorney General, their 
     
     reputed law agent, the trustees had mort- 
     
     gnged the Estate to satisfy themselves; but 
     
     apparently to give a color to the validity of 
     
     their titles, and Joseph Pope, together with 
     
     his son and two others, purchased the Es- 
     
     tates in London from V\'orrell, for £500 
     
     sterling—the mortgage of £9000 currency 
     
     to be settled for in the Island—and the Go- 
     
     vernment purchased the Estates from them 
     
     for about £725,000, without iiircsligaling the 
     
     titles. 
     
     been taxed to defray the Colonial Civil Colony, 8 Member Of the EXWUHVG lmd Of 
     
     the House of Assembly, when the Land 
     
    

    
     The conspirators and impostors claimed Purchase Act was passed,‘ and must have 
     
     not only the land granted, but the lands known then, or have been informed of it by 
     
     They had the his former colleagues in office, that the titles 
     
     Colonial Ministers, Governors and Officers ofland were no! to be iitiiesligalcd, so that he 
     
     to beset the land with their toils, so that to might safely forestall the Government and 
     
     gain ii large profit, about £13,000; and the 
     
     same applies to the mortgage of £9000. 
     
     Such are the Acts, as far as they are known, 
     
    
   
   
    
     The Estates were in the hands 
     
    
   
   
    
     Joseph Pope was Treasurer of this 
     
    
   
   
    
     fa secret tribiinal—the Commissioner of 
     
    
   
   
    
     Public Lands and Attorney General being 
     
    
   
   
    
     iembers of the same body—to incesligalr 
     
    
   
   
    
     titles, to hiiy withthe public money, and sell, 
     
     to the public, without any appeal fromtheir 
     
     decision, but to your Majesty. And as the 
     
     Act referred to received your Msjesty’s spe- 
     
     cial contirmution, we pray that your Majes- 
     
     ty will be graciously pleased to order the 
     
     case to be investigated, for the Honor of 
     
    
   
   
    
     our Majesty, your crown and dignity. 
     
     It appears the Executive had another ob- 
     
    
   
   
    
     juct in view, in making such a purchase 
     
     without investigating the titles, viz: to con- 
     
     firm for-ft-ifrd Grants by precedent, which 
     
     could not be confirmed by law, to fix a 
     
     price for land as a criterion for Landlord 
     
     and Tenant, the average quality ofland, 30 
     
     miles from Market at lilo 6d per acre. 
     
    
   
   
    
     It was publicly reported, and has not 
     
    
   
   
    
     been denied, that the late Lieut. Governor, 
     
     who was authorized to concede Respon- 
     
     sible Government to this Colony, in the 
     
    
   
   
    
     ear It-I51, pledged his Council, before they 
     
    
   
   
    
     were allowed to take oflice, that they would 
     
     maintain the forfeited Grants, and not seek 
     
     or allow the titles to be investigated; and 
     
     yet the same Governor. gave his assent to 
     
     the Land Purchase Act, which required the 
     
     titles to be investigated. 
     
    
   
   
    
     A motion was made in the House ofAs- 
     
    
   
   
    
     ssnibly, that a Court of competent Juris- 
     
     diction be appointed to investigate the titles 
     
     of land, according to the Act for authoris- 
     
     ing the Govsrnntent to purchase land; but 
     
     the motion was lost through the same influ- 
     
    
   
   
    
     nce as above. Such are the consequences 
     
    
   
   
    
     ofgrsntlng indulgence to one part , to da- 
     
     prive others of their property: an it is Is- 
     
     insinlable, that a power should exist is