MILITARY AND CIVIL. 41
During the summer of 1776, whilst the inhabitants of Char- lottetown imagined themselves safe from hostile interference, two American armed cruisers, each of them carrying two 6 pounder guns, four 4 pounder guns, twelve swivels, and crews of eighty men, armed with muskets, pistols and cutlasses, entered the harbor and sailed boldly past Fort Amherst to the front of the town, where they cast anchor. Boats’ crews—heavily armed—under the command of an oflicer then landed ,' taking, possession of the town, they made prisoners of Mr. Callbeck, Administrator, Mr. Wright, Surveyor General, and other officials, carrying with them all the valuable booty which they could lay hands on, departed for their respective vessels, having nothing to fear, as the troops had been withdrawn‘in 1768 and the Fort dismantled, as before related; They returned to New England with their prisoners, but the Commander of the American army, General Washington, disapproving of such piratical act, released them at Salem, from where they made their way to the port of Halifax. It was a most fortunate circumstance that Mrs. Callbeck, wife of the Administrator, was not present, for the marauders not only took away her jewelry but threatened to cut her throat likewise, because she was the daughter of a Loyalist residing in Boston, named
Coffen. (See Archive; of Canada.)
In the following year the Admiral of the American Station detached an armed brig for the protection of the Island, which was afterwards replaced by a sloop of war called the Hunter. Here, in November, information was received that a hostile expedition to the Island was organized in New England, and on their way there had visited the harbor of Pictou, where they seized a merchant ship, taking her into the Bay of Verte, expecting to receive reinforcements from New England. But being unsuccessful in this, on account of some of their party being defeated at Fort Cumberland, and encountering a boat’s armed crew of the sloop of war Hunter, the prize was abandoned, the Americans escaping on shore. A few days afterwards the vessel was brought to Charlottetown harbor, remaining there during the winter. Thus the affair ended.
Peter Stewart, Esq., received the appointment of Chief Justice of the colony. English settlements were commenced at St. Peters and Three Rivers; here also a branch of the timber trade began during this year.
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