MILITARY AND CIVIL. 5]:

Governor Smith’s peculiarities were such, that he never got along very agreeably with the Legislature when assembled for business. In November, 1813, shortly after his arrival, he convened the House, but at the end of two months—or before the business of the House was completed—he abruptly pro- rogued it; and more remarkable still, he did not deem it proper to assemble another House for about four years, and even then, as its proceedings were not satisfactory to him he resorted to his prerogative of dissolution, with a view no doubt of securing an assembly to his liking, in which he was also un- successful , being dissatisfied he again by an Act of Dissolution sent the members in 1820 to the polls, increasing the bitterness

and dislike which had long existed between him and his people.

During the spring of this year intelligence. of the death of George the Third was received; His Majesty having entered upon the sixtieth year of his reign. On the death of the King, which occurred on the 29th janu’ary, the Prince of Wales ——who had already reigned as Prince Regent for ten years— ascended the throne as George the Fourth, and was proclaimed accordingly. On the news of the King’s death, sixty minute guns were fired from George’s Battery at 12 o’clock noon, by His Excellency’s command.

Of the several prisoners who at that period lay incarcerated in Charlottetown Jail, was one Thomas McCarinor, being charged with the grave crime of robbery. Having been tried in the Supreme Court, he was found guilty, and sentenced to receive three whippings in public, at intervals of three weeks. On being taken to Queen Square, where the first punish- ment was to be delivered, the prisoner after being divested of his coat, vest and shirt, was then made fast to a strong vehicle by cords bound firmly around each wrist, and a drummer from the garrison—who had been engaged for the purpose~then delivered thirty-nine lashes with a “cat-o-nine-tails” on the man’s naked back, from here he was taken to the foot of Queen Street, thence to the jail gate, where at each place the same quantam were given. The punishment was looked upon as being severe, and the authorities were censured for allowing a soldier to inflict it. The punishment did not accord with the Governor’s cruel temper who unduly interfered in the matter