MILITARY AND CIVIL. 153 
     
    
   
   
    
     service at St. Paul’s Church. On the evening of the 21st, the 
     
     closing entertainment consisted of a ball and banquet held at 
     
     the Colonial Building, which was a most enthusiastic demon- 
     
     stration. From here during the short hours of morning, their 
     
     Excellencies were escorted to Queen’s wharf, where they em- 
     
     barked on board the Druid and sailed from our shores. 
     
    
   
   
    
     William C. Robinson, Esq., who arrived here in 1870, was 
     
     the only Governor since first the British flag waved in Char- 
     
     lottetown harbor, whose salary had to be paid from the Island 
     
     treasury. The years of his administration comprised years of 
     
     great changes and political agitation. But he had the satisfac- 
     
     tion of knowing, that those efforts set forth in the struggle for 
     
     Confederation had consummated in conformity with the views of 
     
     the Home Government, On Mr. Robinson’s retirement, which 
     
     occurred during August, Sir Robert Hodgson, Chief Justice, 
     
     was sworn in Administrator of the Province. 
     
    
   
   
    
     This month also witnessed one of the most disastrous storms 
     
     that for many years had visited this Island. On the morning 
     
     of the 24th, long heaving billows were observed approaching 
     
     the north shore; shortly afternoon the wind began to blow 
     
     from the northwest, increasing to a perfect hurricane. This 
     
     being a fishing period, St. Lawrence Gulf abounded with fish- 
     
     ing vessels, having on board crews varying from fourteen to 
     
     twenty men each. Many of these crafts, following their avo- 
     
     cation some distance from the land on that day, were seen to- 
     
     wards the evening stretching their way westward and eastward, 
     
     in order if possible to weather the East Point and West Cape, 
     
     and make safe their retreat to some sheltered nook, in which 
     
     all were not successful. On the marrow a vast wreckage lined 
     
     the coast. Of the crews of the forty vessels stranded very few 
     
     were saved. Various inland districts throughout the Island 
     
     also suffered severely,—fences, barracks, barns, and ripening 
     
     crops, were prostrated; nor did the bridges and wharves 
     
     escape without receiving some injury from the violence of 
     
     the storm, which had reached the various ports flowing into 
     
     the Gulf. 
     
    

    
     The Dominion Legislature being about to assemble for the 
     
     despatch of business, necessitated a Dominion Election in the 
     
     Province of Prince Edward Island, in order that it should elect 
     
     its quota of representatives to the House of Commons at 
     
     Ottawa, which amounted to a representation of two members 
     
    

    
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