“If your excellency’s resentment so far prevails as to despise these our propositions, and that the public affairs must with us still suffer, as unworthy your regard and consideration, we do then, as the only and last expedient, humbly propose your excellency’s visiting some other island of the government; thereby to afford us the opportunity and means, in conjunction with the lieutenant-governor and council, to provide for the public security, to heal our divisions, restore discipline, and our broken constitution, after the best manner we can. And we are unanimously of opinion, that in case your excellency rejects this our humble motion, and will not surcease such administration, as afore-mentioned, (which is so very opposite to the nature of our constitution, to the opinion of the lieutenant-governor, the council, as well as this house, and to the sense of the inhabitants in general,) we shall be under the unhappy necessity of withdrawing our obedience from you as chief governor, which, by your dispensing with her majesty’s positive command for leaving the government, we shall, in duty to her and justice to ourselves, (which we ought long since to have done;) and that this her colony, our persons and estates, may no longer be exposed to such unhappy conduct and administration, which seems entirely—we must say, foully—devoted to the ruin and destruction of all.”[42] After receiving this message, the unhappy, infatuated governor sent the following to the house:— “Gentlemen,—You are adjourned until Thursday, the 7th of December, then to give myself and council a meeting at the town of St. John’s, by eight of the clock in the morning. “By command,” &c. Alas, that very morning, the sun arose for the last time to him! and by a fearful and unhallowed death, he was sent with all his sins upon his head, to render in an account of his stewardship. The cause which led to this melancholy event was this:—Worn out with the proceedings of Colonel Parke, and looking upon him as an usurper of the government, the Antiguans threw off all restraint; and as the last remedy, determined to arm against, and force him to quit the island. Accordingly, upon the morning of the 7th December, 1710, a large body of men, in number about 500, proceeded to Government House, in two parties—the one headed by Mr. Piggot, then speaker of the house of assembly; the other, by Captain Painter, another member of that body. Colonel Parke, who was not ignorant of these proceedings against him, had quartered in Government House, some time before, the soldiers stationed in the capital; and who, along with many of his private friends, (among whom was Mr. French, his historian,) had made arrangements for resisting any attack upon the governor.