History of the settlement of Upper Canada (Ontario,): with special reference to the Bay QuintéCanniff, William
History
History of the settlement of Upper Canada (Ontario,): with special reference to the Bay Quinté
Canniff, William
Ontario -- History; Quinte, Bay of (Ont.)
It is true that during the war he made the attempt to take General
Schuyler a prisoner. He went with ten men to Albany for the purpose of
seizing the General, and carrying him away captive. On entering the yard
at night, they looked through the window and saw the object of the
expedition, but when they had entered the house he could no where be
found, although search was made from cellar to garret. But in the garret
were a number of puncheons turned up side down. Some of them were
examined, but not all. After the war had closed, the Governor called on
Myers and told him that had he turned over the other puncheons he would
have found him. A faithful female slave had placed him there. The men
with Myers had instruction to touch none of the Governor’s property,
after leaving the place, however, he found one of the men in possession
of a silver cup. This was sent back to the Governor afterward.
During the war, Myers on one occasion, perhaps when he was returning
from his attempt to take Schuyler, was nearly starved to death. He had
with him a favorite dog, which became sick for want of food. He carried
the dog for days, not knowing but he would have to kill him for food.
But they all got safely out of it, and he retained the dog for many a
day, and on one occasion he showed him to Schuyler. After the war
Captain Myers enjoyed a pension of 5s. 6d. a day. He lived in Lower
Canada two years. A certificate of Masonry informs us that he was in
Quebec in 1780. He frequently carried despatches to New York, in the
first years of the war; upon one occasion he was in a friend’s house
when the rebels came up, he jumped out of the back window and ran to the
woods, he was seen, and persons on horseback came rapidly to the woods,
and tied their horses, to pursue him on foot, which they hastily did;
Myers had, however, hidden himself close by, and when they had fairly
entered the woods in pursuit of him, he jumped up and deliberately
selected the best horse, upon which he mounted, and so made an easy
escape to New York.
He came up the bay at an early date, and it would seem squatted on the
front of the ninth town before it was surveyed. He then moved up to
Sidney where he lived until 1790, when he returned to the Moira River.
Captain Myers was a bold man, with limited education, but honest, and,
like many others of the Dutch Loyalists, given to great hospitality. He
was a pioneer in mill building, in trading, and in sailing batteaux and
schooners, up and down the bay.
Charles McArthur, a native of Scotland, came to America before the
rebellion, and settled upon the Mohawk Diver. Took part in the war, in
Burgoyne’s army. Lived for some time at Oswegotchie, when he removed to
head of the bay. There were living then west of the Trent River only the
following families: Peter Huffman, Donald McDonell, John Bleeker, Esq.,
and John McArthur. A daughter of Charles McArthur still lives at
Belleville, having been born at Oswegotchie, now aged 78, (Mrs. Maybee.)
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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