Escheat members. Then the Assembly got down to business, sitting 6 days a week, meaning that members from outlying areas would not get home again for some time. The session took a break from March 1 to March 12, and then sat again until April 25. That ensured that the members got home in time to get ready to plant their crops.

After the members returned from their March break they tackled the question of their own pay. It was agreed that the Speaker would be paid £60, plus travel expenses, and the members would get £30 each, plus travel expenses for each session.

It would appear that this was a fairly generous rate for that time, so members who were careful with their spending would return home with a tidy sum in their pockets.

The Assembly easily passed an Escheats Bill to have property re- possessed, and William Cooper was delegated to present their case to the British government. In the summer of 1839 he sailed for England, but the effort did not go well.

Lord John Russell, the newly appointed colonial secretary, re- fused to even see him, choosing instead to send his rejection of the resolution directly to Governor FitzRoy in Charlottetown. Cooper returned home in de- feat. However his party rallied behind him and over the next few years passed a number of land reform bills but they were all rejected in Lon- don. Despite all their ef- forts from 1839 to 1842, the Escheat Party failed to make any progress to ease the plight of the

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Lord John Russell