Island of St John Charlotte Town 8th Decr 1775
My Lord,
I am sorry to inform your Lordship that on the 17th Ulto two armed Schooners from New England came to this Harbour, the Crews of which plundered Govr Patterson's House of everything Valuable in it as well as his publick and private Papers, 2 seiz'd the Persons of Phillips Callbeck Esqr the Commander in Chief & Mr [Thomas] Wright the Surveyor General and carried them off Prisoners with all the effects of the former Amounting to a considerable Value, They have since seiz'd a Vessel from London with Messs [John Russell] Spence & Higgins whom they have likewise robbed to a great amount and carried the latter with them Prisoner. 3
As we have no force of any kind here I have wrote to the Commander in Chief at Boston begging for Assistance, at same time least little regard should be paid to that, I hope Your Lordship will be pleased to interpose in our Behalf and cause such Force to be sent as will Screen us from the Invasion of the Rebels who seem to be particularly bent on our Destruction on Account of our Loyalty to our King & Country.
If no assistance is sent us early in Spring this Colony from being in a very promising way will certainly be totally ruined.
I beg Leave to Submitt the whole of our Distresses to Your Lordship and I am with due Respect My Lord [&c.]
Robert Stewart D. Govr
Whitehall [Endorsed] Rd 8th July 1776
1. DAC, copy from PRO, Colonial Office, 226/6. Stewart was Deputy Governor of the island of St. John. Dartmouth was Secretary of State for the Colonies until November 1775 when he was appointed Lord Privy Seal.
2. Governor Patterson sailed for London with "his Lady and Family," on August 2, 1775, in the ship Two Friends, Captain Lemmon. Nova-Scotia Gazette: and the Weekly Chronicle, August 22, 1775.
3. The schooner Lively, seized at Canso.