The United Empire Loyalists: A Chronicle of the Great Migration [1920 ed.] — John Shaqi
The United Empire Loyalists: A Chronicle of the Great Migration [1920 ed.]Wallace, W. Stewart (William Stewart)
History
The United Empire Loyalists: A Chronicle of the Great Migration [1920 ed.]
Wallace, W. Stewart (William Stewart)
American loyalists; United Empire loyalists
In the third place there was great inequality in the area of the lands
allotted. When the first refugees arrived, it was not expected that so
many more would follow; and consequently the earlier grants were much
larger in size than the later. In Parrtown a town lot at length shrank
in size to one-sixteenth of what it had originally been. There was
doubtless also some favouritism and respect of persons in the granting
of lands. At any rate the inequality of the grants caused a great many
grievances among a certain class of refugees. Chief Justice Finucane of
Nova Scotia was sent by Governor Parr to attempt to smooth matters out;
but his conduct seemed to accentuate the ill-feeling and alienate from
the Nova Scotia authorities the good-will of some of the better class of
Loyalists.
It was not surprising, under these circumstances, that Governor Parr
and the officers of his government should have become very unpopular
on the north side of the Bay of Fundy. Governor Parr was himself much
distressed over the ill-feeling against him among the Loyalists; and it
should be explained that his failure to satisfy them did not arise from
unwillingness to do anything in his power to make them comfortable. The
trouble was that his executive ability had not been sufficient to cope
with the serious problems confronting him. Out of the feeling against
Governor Parr arose an agitation to have the country north of the Bay
of Fundy removed from his jurisdiction altogether, and erected into a
separate government. This idea of the division of the province had been
suggested by Edward Winslow as early as July 1783: ‘Think what multitudes
have and will come here, and then judge whether it must not from the
nature of things immediately become a separate government.’ There were
good reasons why such a change should be made. The distance of Parrtown
from Halifax made it very difficult and tedious to transact business
with the government; and the Halifax authorities, being old inhabitants,
were not in complete sympathy with the new settlers. The erection of a
new province, moreover, would provide offices for many of the Loyalists
who were pressing their claims for place on the government at home. The
settlers, therefore, brought their influence to bear on the Imperial
authorities, through their friends in London; and in the summer of 1784
they succeeded in effecting the division they desired, in spite of the
opposition of Governor Parr and the official class at Halifax. Governor
Parr, indeed, had a narrow escape from being recalled.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account