48 HISTORICAL SKETCH OF PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND 
     
    
   
   
    
     town. This building was removed in 1836 and a more 
     
     commodious edifice erected further to the northeast. 
     
    
   
   
    
     During the summer of 1803 a large number of emigrants , 
     
     arrived from the Highlands of Scotland, numbering about eight 
     
     hundred, and located on the estate of Lord Selkirk, at Point 
     
     Prim, where they became successful tillers of the land, and 
     
     were quite an acquisition to the Province. 
     
    
   
   
    
     When, in 1804, Governor Fanning’s term of office terminated 
     
     he was succeeded by Colonel DesBarres, ex-governor of Cape 
     
     Breton, who arrived during 1805. To Governor Fanning is 
     
     due the credit of depriving Charlottetown of its valuable 
     
     common. This common comprised a large tract of land of many 
     
     perches in breadth, situated to the west, north and east of the 
     
     town, from the bank of the York River along Brighton Shore 
     
     to that of the Hillsborough, which property was divided into 
     
     lots and disposed of, His Excellency retaining a large portion 
     
     for himself. ‘ 
     
    
   
   
    
     It was during the administration of Governor DesBarres 
     
     that war was declared by the United States against Great 
     
     Britain. We shall therefore pass over the many important 
     
     events of those eight years and take a general view of the state 
     
     of affairs in Canada as they were then and subsequently 
     
     represented to be. 
     
    
   
   
    
     Early in the summer of 1812 the Canadas were invaded at 
     
     three different parts of its territory by three different distinct 
     
     armies, comprised of troops of the United States. It has 
     
     already been mentioned that England had been engaged in a 
     
     war with France since the year 1793, and owing to that 
     
     circumstance there was but 5,460 British troops in America 
     
     with which to garrison the various fortifications which extended 
     
     from the Citadel at Halifax to that of Quebec and also Prince 
     
     Edward Island, the militia was therefore the chief dependence 
     
     of the nation, and well and truly was the conduct of the people 
     
     of both upper and lower Canada worthy of honor and praise for 
     
     the way in which they defended their homes. 
     
    
   
   
    
     The Americans wished to conquer and take Canada, and with 
     
     that object in view they made a desperate attempt, but thelove of 
     
     country and the dauntless courage of the inhabitants prevented 
     
     them and they completely failed. After suffering defeat the 
     
     invading armies became prisoners of war to the British Militia