142 HISTORY or PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND.

in the yea' after the grants were made, for a. separate gov- ernment, and the expense was to be met by the quitrents, which, however, they took good care not to pay; and as a reward for the concession of a separate government, Britain had to pay for the maintenance of the civil establishment of the island. Thirty years after the grants were made, the assembly passed resolutions which set forth clearly the extent to which the obligations under which the proprietors had come were disregarded, and petitioned that they might be compelled to fulfil the conditions on which they had obtained the land, or that it should be escheated and granted in small tracts to actual settlers. In shameful violation of the principles of national honor and justice, the represen- tations of the people, through their representatives, were disregarded, in consequence of the influence brought to bear, by the grantees, on a weak and incompetent government; and thus there was on the part, of Britain a llag‘ant breach of faith with the immigrants who had been tempted to leave their native country, trusting to guarantees the Violation of which was never suspected. The people of the island con- tinued for ninety years to protest against the injury under which they suffered, till at last a commission was appointed. Credit must be given to the commissioners for the thorough- ness of their investigation, for the reliability of their facts, and for the impartiality and general soundness of their awards. Yet the report seems to lack necessary pnngency and power in dealing with the iniquity of successive govern- ments in failing to make compensation to the island immi- grants and their successors for injuries persistently inflicted, and borne with a degree of patience that excites our wonder. Instead, however, of such injuries generating sympathy or ad- miration, leading to a rectifi tation of admitted evils, the only result was a flow of oflicial twaddle about the sacred rights of