Glimpses of the Past Part 47

THE COMING OF THE LOYALISTS.

The vanguard of the Loyalists now began to make its appearance.

Captain Simon Baxter has a fair claim to be considered the pioneer Loyalist of this province. He arrived at Fort Howe with his family in March, 1782, in distressed circ.u.mstances, and was befriended by William Hazen and James White, who recommended him to the favorable consideration of the authorities at Halifax. Captain Baxter was a native of New Hampshire. He was proscribed and banished on account of his loyalty, and had several narrow escapes at the hands of his "rebel countrymen." On one occasion he was condemned to be hanged, but upon being brought out to execution contrived to escape from his persecutors and fled for safety to Burgoyne's army. His early arrival at St. John proved of substantial benefit to him, for on the 15th of August he obtained a grant of 5,000 acres, "as a reduced subaltern and as a refugee," in what is now the Parish of Norton, in Kings County.

His sons, William and Benjamin, received 500 acres each, along with their father. The important services of Major Gilfred Studholme were also rewarded at this time by a grant of 2,000 acres on the Kennebecasis river, just above Captain Baxter's land. Two years later Major Studholme obtained a grant of a tract nearly three miles square, at Apohaqui, to which he gave the name of Studville.

It was not without fore-thought and serious consideration that the Loyalists came to the River St. John. Several a.s.sociations were formed at New York, in 1782, to further the interests of those who proposed to settle in Nova Scotia. One of the a.s.sociations had as its president, the Rev. Doctor Seabury,[136] and for its secretary, Sampson Salter Blowers.[137] It was under the arrangements made by this a.s.sociation that a great many of the Loyalists of the Spring fleet came to the St. John river. The doc.u.ment, which is published below, is well worthy of preservation by the descendants of those devoted men and women, who were induced by unshaken loyalty to seek refuge in a wilderness under its provisions.

[136] Dr. Seabury was consecrated first Bishop of the Episcopal Church in the United States, November 14th, 1784.

[137] Sampson Salter Blowers was appointed chief justice of Nova Scotia in 1809. He died in 1842 in his 100th year having outlived all his contemporaries. He was a man of wonderful vitality and is said never to have worn an overcoat.

ARTICLES.

Of the Settlement of Nova Scotia, Made With the Loyalists at New York, at the Time of the Peace of 1783.

"The reverend Doctor Samuel Seabury, and Lieutenant Colonel B.

Thompson, of the Kings American Dragoons, having been appointed by the Board of Agents to wait on His Excellency Sir Guy Carleton, Commander in Chief, in behalf of the Loyalists desirous of emigrating to Nova Scotia, they read the following rough proposals, as articles of supply for the settlers in Nova Scotia:--

1st.--That they be provided with proper vessels and convoy to carry them, their horses and cattle, as near as possible to the place appointed for their settlement.

2nd.--That besides the provisions for the voyage, one year's provision be allowed them, or money to enable them to purchase.

3d.--That some allowance of warm clothing be made in proportion to the wants of each family.

4th.--That an allowance of medicines be granted, such as shall be thought necessary.

5th.--That pairs of millstones, necessary iron works for grist mills, and saws and other necessary articles for saw-mills, be granted them.

6th.--That a quant.i.ty of nails and spikes, hoes and axes, spades and shovels, plough irons, and such other farming utensils as shall appear necessary, be provided for them, and also a proportion of window gla.s.s.

7th.--That such a tract or tracts of land, free from disputed t.i.tles, and as conveniently situated as may be, be granted, surveyed and divided at the public cost, as shall afford from 300 to 600 acres of useful land to each family.

8th.--That over and above 2,000 acres in every township be allowed for the support of a clergyman, and 1,000 acres for the support of a school, and that these lands be unalienable for ever.

9th.--That a sufficient number of good musquets and cannon be allowed with a proper quant.i.ty of powder and ball for their use, to enable them to defend themselves against any hostile invasion; also a proportion of powder and lead for hunting.

"His Excellency the Commander in Chief, in reply, was pleased to say that in general he approved the above Articles, and that at least the terms of settlement should be equivalent to them. He was pleased to say further that he should give every encouragement to the settlers in Nova Scotia, and that he would write to the Governor of the Province respecting the matter. He advised that some persons might be sent to examine the vacant lands and see where the settlement could be made to the best advantage.

"We whose names are hereunto subscribed do agree to remove to the Province of Nova Scotia, on the above encouragement, with our families, in full reliance on the future support of Government, and under the patronage of the following gentlemen as our agents, they having been approved of as such by His Majesty's Commissioner for restoring Peace, etc:--Lieut. Col. B. Thompson, K. A. D; Lieut. Col. E. Winslow, Gen. Muster-master provincial forces; Major J. Upham, K. A. D; Rev. Dr. Samuel Seabury, Rev. John Sayre, Captain Maudsley, Amos Botsford, Esq., Samuel c.u.mmings, Esq., Judge John Wardle, Esq., James Peters, Esq., Frederick Hauser."

These terms were liberal and were afterwards considerably extended.

The Loyalists were allowed not only full provisions for the first year, but two-thirds of that allowance for the second year, and one third for the third year.

In accordance with the prudent advice of Sir Guy Carleton, it was decided to send agents to Nova Scotia immediately to explore the country and report upon it. The agents chosen were Messrs. Amos Botsford, Samuel c.u.mmings and Frederick Hauser. They were furnished with the following

INSTRUCTIONS.

"That on their arrival in Nova Scotia they apply themselves to discover whether a Tract or Tracts of Land free from all disputed t.i.tles, either with the Indians or former Grantees, can be found sufficient to accommodate the Loyalists and their Families who shall remove thither.

"They will examine the soil, timber, game, limestone, rivers, bays, creeks, harbors, streams and ponds of water with regard to mills, fishing, trade, etc. They will examine the face of the country whether it be hilly, stoney, sandy, clayey, etc.

"They will enquire what lands in the neighborhood are granted and to whom, whether the grants be forfeited, or whether they may be purchased and at what rate; and whether advantageous terms may not be made with the present proprietors.

"They will endeavor to ascertain as near as they can what will be the difficulties and obstructions in forming new settlements, and what will be the probable advantages.

"They will keep a journal of their proceedings and register their observations, noting well the distances from the princ.i.p.al settlements already made, and from noted rivers and harbors, as well as the obstructions in travelling and transporting.

"Such lands as may be obtained will be distributed and divided among the proposed adventurers in as just and equitable a manner as the nature of the case will admit, and the Agents will make reports of their proceedings from time to time, as early as may be, to the Secretary of the Agency in New York."

Amos Botsford, Samuel c.u.mmings and Frederick Hauser arrived at Annapolis Royal on the 19th October, 1782, in company with 500 Loyalists, who sailed from New York in nine transport ships. Rev.

Jacob Bailey, who was then living at Annapolis, describes their arrival in one of his letters:

"On Sat.u.r.day morning early, we were all surprized with the unexpected appearance of eleven sail of shipping, sailing by Goat Island and directing their course towards the town. About nine, two frigates came to anchor, and at ten the remainder, being transports, hauled close in by the King's wharf. On board this fleet were about 500 refugees, who intend to settle in this province. They are a mixture from every province on the continent except Georgia. Yesterday they landed and our royal city of Annapolis, which three days ago contained only 120 souls, has now about 600 inhabitants. You cannot be sensible what an amazing alteration this manoeuvre has occasioned. Everything is alive, and both the townspeople and the soldiers are lost among the strangers.

"All the houses and barracks are crowded and many are unable to procure any lodgings; most of these distressed people left large possessions in the rebellious colonies, and their sufferings on account of their loyalty and their present uncertain and dest.i.tute condition render them very affecting objects of compa.s.sion. Three agents are dispatched to Halifax to solicit lands from government."

The agents on their return from Halifax, at once set out to explore the country in the vicinity of Annapolis; they then crossed the Bay of Fundy and arrived at St. John about the end of November. In the report, which they subsequently transmitted to their friends in New York, they write:--

"We found our pa.s.sage up the river difficult, being too late to pa.s.s in boats, and not sufficiently frozen to bear. In this situation we left the river, and for a straight course steered by a compa.s.s thro' the woods,[138] encamping out several nights in the course, and went as far as the Oromocto, about seventy miles up the river, where is a block-house, a British post." "The St.

John is a fine river, equal in magnitude to the Connecticut or Hudson. At the mouth of the river is a fine harbor, accessible at all seasons of the year--never frozen or obstructed by ice....

There are many settlers along the river upon the interval land, who get their living easily. The interval lies on the river and is a most fertile soil, annually matured by the overflowings of the river, and produces crops of all kinds with little labor, and vegetables in the greatest perfection, parsnips of great length, etc. They cut down the trees, burn the tops, put in a crop of wheat or Indian corn, which yields a plentiful increase. These intervals would make the finest meadows. The up-lands produce wheat both of the summer and winter kinds, as well as Indian corn.

Here are some wealthy farmers, having flocks of cattle. The greater part of the people, excepting the township of Maugerville, are tenants, or seated on the bank without leave or licence, merely to get their living. For this reason they have not made such improvements as might otherwise have been expected, or as thorough farmers would have done.... Immense quant.i.ties of limestone are found at Fort Howe, and at the mouth of the river.

We also went up the Kenebeccasis, a large branch of St. John's river, where is a large tract of interval and upland, which has never been granted; it is under a reserve, but we can have it.

Major Studholme and Capt. Baxter, who explored the country, chose this place, and obtained a grant of 9,000 acres. On each side of this grant are large tracts of good land, convenient for navigation. A t.i.tle for these lands may be procured sooner than for such as have been already granted, such as Gage, Conway, etc., which must be obtained by a regular process in the court of Escheats. The lands on the river St. John are also sufficiently near the cod fishery in Fundy Bay, and perfectly secure against the Indians and Americans. The inhabitants are computed to be near one thousand men, able to bear arms. Here is a County and Court established, and the inhabitants at peace, and seem to experience no inconveniency from the war."

[138] Frederick Hauser, one of the agents, was a surveyor. A number of grants made to the Loyalists were laid out by him.

The popular idea of the landing of the Loyalists at St. John is that on the 18th day of May, in the year 1783, a fleet of some twenty vessels sailed into St. John harbor, having on board three thousand people, who, wearied with the long voyage, immediately disembarked and pitched their tents on the site of the present city of St. John--then called Parrtown. The popular idea, however, is not strictly in accordance with the facts. The fleet arrived at St. John, not on the 18th, but on the 10th or 11th of May, and, according to the narrative of Walter Bates, there was no one day fixed for disembarkation. In the case of the "Union," in which Mr. Bates and many of the founders of Kingston came from New York, the pa.s.sengers were allowed to remain on board until several of their number had gone up the river and selected a place for them to settle. In some cases, however, the pa.s.sengers were "precipitated on sh.o.r.e." As regards the name Parr (or Partown) it was not given for months after the arrival of the Loyalists, and was then applied only to that part of the city south of Union street, on the east side of the harbor. The name was never very acceptable to the citizens. Governor Parr admitted that it originated "in female vanity;" from which observation we may a.s.sume that the name was suggested by Madame Parr. The name of Parr was soon discarded, and the time-honored name, which goes back to the days of de Monts and Champlain was restored at the incorporation of the city on the 18th of May, 1785.

The names of the vessels of the Spring fleet and of their respective masters, so far as they have been preserved, are as follows:--"Union,"

Consett Wilson, master; "Camel," Wm. Tinker, master; "Cyrus," James Turner, master; "Sovereign," Wm. Stewart, master; "Aurora," Capt.

Jackson; "Hope," Capt. Peac.o.c.k; "Otter," Capt. Burns; "Emmett," Capt.

Reed; "Spring," Capt. Cadish; "Ann," Capt. Clark; "Bridgewater," Capt.

Adnet; "Favorite," Capt. Ellis; "Commerce," Capt. Strong; "Lord Townsend," Capt. Hogg; "Sally," Capt. Bell; and five others, "Spencer," "Thames," "William," "Britain" and "King George," the names of whose masters are unknown.

The Loyalists who came to St. John in the first fleet numbered about 3,000. They were mostly natives of Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York and New Jersey, who had been driven from their homes and forced to seek refuge within the British lines at New York, or on Long Island. There was a scarcity of ships, and the number of those desirous of emigrating to Nova Scotia proved much larger than had been antic.i.p.ated. It became evident that the vessels must make repeated trips. The following paragraph from an old newspaper is interesting in this connection:--

New London, Conn., April 25, 1783. We hear that the Loyalists destined for Nova Scotia from New York are to depart in two Divisions; the first, consisting of about 3,000 men, women and children, are nearly ready to sail; the second to sail as soon as the vessels return which carry the first."

This paragraph accords with what subsequently took place. The first fleet sailed from Sandy Hook, on the 26th April, arriving at St. John about the 11th of May; and the second fleet sailed from Sandy Hook on the 16th June, arriving at St. John on the 28th of the same month. The most authentic account of the voyage of the first fleet is to be found in the narrative of Walter Bates,[139] who was a pa.s.senger on board the "Union." We learn from this source that in the early part of April, 1783, the Rev. John Sayre, one of the agents for settling the Loyalists in Nova Scotia, visited those who were then living on the north sh.o.r.e of Long Island at Eaton's Neck, Lloyd's Neck and Huntington, to inform them that the King had granted to those who did not incline to return to their former places of abode and would go to Nova Scotia, two hundred acres of land to each family and two years provisions, and provide ships to convey them as near as might be to a place of settlement. A public meeting was held at which the matter was considered in detail, and it was resolved by all present to remove with their families to Nova Scotia and settle together in some situation where they might enjoy the advantages of a church and school. Mr. Bates says that providence seemed to select for them the best ship and by far the best captain in the fleet. The captain received them on board "as father of a family," and took care that nothing in his power should be wanting to render them comfortable on the voyage. The "Union" took on board her pa.s.sengers at Huntington Bay. The embarkation began on April 11th and was completed in five days. The manifest of the ship has been preserved and is now in possession of J. T. Allan Dibblee of Woodstock, N. B. (See Collections of N. B. Hist. Society, Vol. II. p. 276). It is signed by Fyler Dibblee, deputy agent in charge of the party. There were 209 pa.s.sengers in all, viz., 61 men, 39 women, 59 children over ten, 48 children under ten and 2 servants. The ship sailed to the place of rendezvous near Staten Island. While waiting at New York for the other vessels, an interesting incident occurred, which (together with subsequent events) we shall let Mr. Bates tell in his own way:--

"Having a couple on board wishing to be married, we call upon the Reverend Mr. Leaming, who received us with much kindness and affection--most of us formerly of his congregation--who after the marriage reverently admonished us with his blessing, that we pay due regard to church and schools, as means to obtain the blessing of G.o.d upon our families and our industry. We embarked; next day the ship joined the fleet, and on the 26th day of April, 1783, upwards of twenty sail of ships, under convoy, left Sandy Hook for Nova Scotia--from whence, after the pleasure of leading the whole fleet fourteen days, our good ship Union arrived at Partridge Island before the fleet was come within sight. Next day our ship was safely moored by Capt. Dan'l. Leavitt, the Pilot, in the most convenient situation for landing in the harbor of St. John, all in good health--where we remained comfortable on board ship (while others was sickly and precipitated on sh.o.r.e from other ships) which we proved a providential favor, until we could explore for a place in the Wilderness suitable for our purpose of settlement. A boat was procured for the purpose. David Pickett, Israel Hait, Silas Raymond and others proceeded sixty miles up the River St.

John and report that the inhabitants were settled on Interval lands by the river--that the high-lands had generally been burned by the Indians, and there was no church or church Minister in the country. They were informed of a tract of timbered land that had not been burned, on Bellisle Bay, about thirty miles from the harbor of St. John, which they had visited and viewed the situation favorable for our purpose of settlement. Whereupon we all agreed (to proceed thither) and disembarked from on board the good ship Union, and with Capt. Wilson's blessing embarked on board a small sloop all our baggage. The next morning with all our effects--women and children--set sail above the falls and arrived at Bellisle Bay before sunset. Nothing but Wilderness before our eyes, the women and children did not refrain from tears."

[139] See "Kingston and the Loyalists of 1783," in which Walter Bates'

narrative is edited, with notes by the author of this history; published at St. John by Barnes & Co. in 1889.