and Vere probably walked it daily as he was preparing his new home for occupation.

They would barely be settled in their new home before the arrival of their third child. Mary Ann was born on July 7, 1813, the first Prince Edward Islander in the Beck family. By this time the family was settling into their new home and from now on all their efforts would be aimed at eking out a living and making their home more comfortable. Vere would be learning survival tips from his neigh- bours, gathering wild berries, learning to fish, and learning how to preserve any surplus food.

The Becks arrived in PEI. just weeks before a new Lieutenant Governor was installed in Char- 7 lottetown. Charles Douglas Smith | took control of the government | on July 24, 1813. He was de- scribed as strong willed and des- potic. Francis W. P. Bolger in his book, “Canada’s Smallest Prov- | ince” said Smith “governed - at times misgoverned - the Island sincerely convinced that at least an all-knowing God was on his and his families’ side”

The Governor and the House of Assembly were at odds from the very beginning and as a result he seldom called the House into session during this period. This guaranteed that for the eleven years of his tenure there would be ongoing political and social unrest in the colony. It also ensured that Vere would take an early interest in politics.

However, there were more immediate concerns to be dealt with. The Becks arrived in PEI just in time to encounter a recurring plague of field mice. It was the seventh such outbreak within a century. The infestation of 1813 to 1815 was referred to as the year of the mouse.

Governor C.D. Smith

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