Conflict between Montgomery and Lawson

David Lawson faced incredible problems in beginning life in a total wilderness on a virtually uninhabited island (J .M. Bumsted, see below, same reference). He was a good and experienced farmer, but unfort- unately no accountant. And, unlike Lord Selkirk a generation later, Sir James Montgomery was a canny Scots businessman, not a colonial promoter; he viewed the Island as a place for investment, looking for a return on his quite considerable outlay. Lawson kept no accounts and could not show that his crops, animals, and improvements equalled Sir James’ cash advances. Montgomery spent twelve frustrating years pursuing David Lawson for an accounting of his stewardship, (J .M. Bumsted, Acadiensis, Spring 1978, p. 89), and he became increasingly dissatisfied with his agent. In 1787 his eldest son, Lt. William Montgomery, was posted to Halifax with his regiment and was granted four months’ leave to attend to Sir James’ business on the Is1and. In October, 1788, after much stalling by David Lawson, William appeared at Stanhope Farm with three assessors, to take an inventory. The total value of the farm did not begin to approach Sir James’ advances of money, and Lawson had been applying Lot 34 rentals to the general operation of Stanhope Farm instead of paying the quitrents to the government. So David Lawson was evicted from the farm and replaced as agent by James Douglas, one of the assessors; and Stanhope Farm was re-rented to Stephen and John Bovyer, United Empire Loyalists who had come to the Island a year earlier.

That inventory, taken by William Montgomery on October 23, 1788, lists some choice items: — A Copper Still and Worm an old clock out of repair a Churn 1 Wolf Trap 1 Barril with Brimstone 1 ChaffBed 1 Three Gall Pott 1 Ship Bell 1 Cheese Press 1 Cow ’s Hyde There was a sale when Stephen Bovyer took over, the settlers buying various useful items, and the old clock out of repair went for £2.10.0, a lot of money then, but evidently someone thought it worth fixing; and indeed clocks and manufactured goods of all kinds were extremely scarce on the Island then. David Lawson was allowed to remove his own possessions from Stanhope Farm, but it is recorded in the Montgomery Papers in the PAPEI that he returned to the farm one day when the Bovyers were away to Charlotte Town and removed a number of articles which he claimed were his, but which the Bovyers thought belonged to the farm. There is also a note added to the 1788 inventory by James Douglas on the 15th. November, 1796: — David Lawson complained to me of being much in want of a Bed and Blan- kets. I accordingly desired Messrs. Bovyer to let him have a bed and 2 pr Blanckets (PAPEI).

David Lawson’s total debt to Montgomery was £11,914.16.71/2,

19