320

MEMOIR OF THE REV. JOHN STUART, O. D.

Though M r Stuart had now received from the Society , whose missionary he continued to be,discretionary power to settle in any part of Canada, he remained another year in Montreal , asassistant to the Rev. M r Delisle, episcopal clergyman of that town. He finally removed in August1785. His share of the public land was situate partly at Cataraqui and partly at a place which, inmemory of the dear old village on the Mohawk river , was called New Johnstown. In a letterwritten soon after he thus describes his new home :—

“ I have 200 acres within half a mile of the garrison, a beautiful situation and tolerable good land. The town increases fast;There are already above 50 houses built in it & some of them very elegant; it is now the Port of transport, from Canada toNiagara, having a good harbor to contain vessels ot large burden—we have now just at the door a ship a scow and a sloopbesides a number of small craft. And, if the communication lately discovered from this place, by water, to Lake Huron &Michilmaclciuac, proves as safe and short, as we are taught to believe, this will shortly be a place of considerable trade & con-sequently an eligible situation. I have been fortunate in my locations of land, having 1400 acres at different places, ingood situations, & of an excellent quality, three farms of which I am improving and have sowed this fall thirty bushels inthem. The Shore is occupied by loyalists forty miles above this town and the lands appropriated forty miles higher up. Thenumber of souls to the westward of us is more than 5000 and we gain daily new recruits from the States.—we are poor, happypeople, industrious beyond example. Our gracious King gives us land gratis and furnishes provision and clothing, fanningutensils &c. until next September; after which, the generality of people will be able to live without his bounty. So much forour new settlements. The greatest inconvenience I feel here is there being no school for my boys, but we arc now applyingto the Legislature for assistance to erect an Academy & have great reason to expect success; if I succeed in this I shall diehere contented.” In the concluding part of this letter he adds, “ notwithstanding all my philosophy and Christian resignationto my fate I must express that even writing to a friend in that quarter of the world recalls ideas to my mind not the mostpleasing. But I must banish them and make a virtue of necessity. Perhaps I could not live so happily, even in Philadelphia as at Cataraqui. I’ll endeavor to persuade myself to it.” i

In May, 1786, he opened an academy at Kingston, and in the summer of 1788, he went round his<£ parish” which was, then, above 200 miles long. He thus describes his voyage on this occasion,and some other incidents :—

“ I embarked in a Battoe with six indians commanded by Capt. Brant and coasted along the north side of Lake Ontario about 200 miles; and from the Head of the Lake we went 25 miles, by land, to [New Oswegoj the Mohawk village in tlioGrand river which empties into Lake Erie. These people were my former charge, & the Society still stiles me their Mis-sionary. I found them conveniently situated on a beautiful river, where the soil is equal in fertility to any I ever saw,—Their village contains about 700 souls and consists of a great number of good houses with an elegant church in the centreit has a handsome steeple & Bell, and is well finished within. Tou will be surprized when I tell you, they have a completeservice of church plate, crimson furniture for the pulpit &,c with the creed, commandments, Society ’s & King’s coat of arms,all very large & elegant, and that the Psalmody was accompanied by an organ. This place is 90 miles from Niagara andwas uninhabited four years ago. I returned by the route of Niagara and visited that settlement (they have as yet noclergyman) and preached to a very large audience. The increase of population there is immense. And indeed, I was sopleased with that country, where I found many of my old parishioners, that I was strongly tempted to remove my family toit. You n.ay suppose it cost me a struggle to refuse the unanimous b pressing invitations of a large settlement, with theadditional argument of a subscription & other emoluments amounting to near £300 York currency per annum more than Ihave he- 1 ' But, on mature reflection, I have determined to remain here. You will suppose me to be very rich or verydisinter '“ted: But I assure you neither is the case. I have a comfortable house & good farm, here, and an excellent schoolfor my children in a very healthy climate, and all these I could not have expected had I removed to Niagara. But that youmay be convinced that I am determined not to die rich, I have also declined an honorable & lucrative appointment. Ournew settlements have been lately divided into four districts (of which, this place is the capital of one, called New Mecklen-burg) and eourts of Justice are immediately to be opened. I had a commission sent me as first Judge of the Court of CommonPleas. But, for reasons which will readily occur to you, T returned it to Lord Dorchester who left this place a few daysago. The mention of these circumstances you, perhaps, will call vanity, But as any anecdotes concerning you wou’d giveme much pleasure to hear; so I flatter myself that my friends will be glad to find that even this wilderness has its Politics,its competitions, which, altho’ on a small scale, serve to awaken emulation & prevent life from stagnating.”

1 Letter of Nov. 2, 1785.