ing to pass whilst in that city through one of its thoroughfares, his progress was arrested by a crowd which a young man was haranguing, at the moment, on the course of public events. Hearing a remark from a bystander flattering to the personal appearance of the orator, Mr Stuart unguardedly made a caustic though humorous remark on the same subject, and then proceeded to his Lodgings. The observation circulating through the crowd, aroused considerable indignation and the meeting adjourned for the purpose of inflicting personal chastisement on the person who had been so bold as to utter it. Mr Stuart received timely notice from a friend of these hostile intentions, but nothing could prevail on him to retreat before the impending danger. He resolved to face it, not fly from it. Fortunately, to the Rev. Mr White and others interfered, and the indignation of the people was appeased. 1

On his return to the North, he found matters in nowise improved, and thereupon made up his mind to emigrate to Canada. He communicated his resolution to Mr White in these words

"I arrived here safe in eight days from the time I parted with you, and found my family well, and after being sufficiently affrighted, the enemy having been within twenty miles of this place, had within one mile of my house in the country without doing me any damage. The particulars you have heard I suppose,-they retreated with the loss of about 30 taken, & few or none killed. **** Considering the present situation of affairs in this part of the Province, I am fully persua ded, that I cannot possibly live here secure, either in regard to ourselves or property during the ensuing season;-this place is likely to be a frontier, & will probably be burnt if the enemy can effect it. I have lost a considerable part of my stock while in Philadelphia, partly by public and partly by private robbers. For these and other weighty reasons, maturely weighed, I have resolved (with the approbation & consent of Mrs. Stuart) to emigrate to Canada; and have made application for an exchange, which I have reason to believe, will be granted."

קני

In conformity with this view he made the following application in the course of the ensuing spring to Governor Clinton :—

"MAY IT PLEASE YOUR EXCELLENCY

Having been a prisoner on Parole to the Commissioners of Conspiracy for these two Years past, and confined to the Town of Schenectady, not being allowed to reside on my Farm-my Property not protected-These, with other Reasons, induce me to wish for Permission to remove to Canada with my Family:-I have 1 Letter of G. O. Stuart, Esq.

2 Letter of Nov. 13. 1780.

therefore presumed to apply to your Excellency for Permission to be exchanged for Some Citizen of this State now a Prisoner in Canada, and that I may be allowed to go under the Protection of the first public Flagg.-I will do myself the Honor to wait personally upon your Excellency at any Hour that may be convenient. An Answer from your Excellency will much oblige

Albany March 30th 1781

"Your most obedient

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" & very humble servt

JOHN STUART.”

The permission here prayed for was granted on the same day." The conditions on which it was obtained are explained by Mr Stuart in a letter to Mr White, dated, Schenectady, 17th April, 1781, of which the following is an extract :

"Being considered as a prisoner of war and having forfeited my real estate, I have given £400 security to return in exchange for myself one prisoner out of four nominated by the Governor, viz one Colonel, two Captains, and one Lieutenant, either of which will be accepted in my stead. Or if neither of the prisoners aforesaid can be obtained I am to return as a prisoner of war to Albany when required. My personal property I am permitted to sell or carry with me aecording to my own convenience; and am to proceed under the protection of a public flag as soon as it will be safe and convenient for women and children to travel that course. We are to proceed from hence to Fort Ann in waggons and from thence in Batteaus. Believe me, Dear Sir, I have had occasion to exert all my resolution before I could venture on the difficulties that presented themselves as the probable concomitants of this journey; But from a variety of circumstances, peculiar to my personal and local situation, I had no alternative; therefore, let the event be as it will, I shall not think myself accountable for consequences; the more especially as Mrs. Stuart is perfectly reconciled to the expediency and necessity of the measure. 'Tis probable that, if I reach Canada, I may obtain a chaplaincy in Sir John Johnson's 2d Battalion of Royal Yorkers which is nearly complete, and on the establishment. I mean to leave nothing behind

me here that may impose any necessity upon me of returning to this place (provided, such a thing possible) when the war is at an end. I can dispose of all my effects either for cash or good bills on Canada, my negroes being personal property I take with me, one of which being a young man and capable of bearing arms I have given £100 security, to send back a white prisoner in his stead."2

Before proceeding farther with this narrative it is necessary to notice, for the purpose of correcting, some errors into which the Society for propagating the Gospel has fallen in its account of the circumstances attendant on Mr Stuart's emigration.

1 For these Doc's. see N: Y: Col. MSS. Vol. CII.

2 Sims' Hist. of Schoharie, 135, says, Mr. Stuart sold one of these negroes in Montreal for $275 to one Conyn who brought him back to the Mohawk Valley.

"At length in May last (it says) his little farm, though belonging to the Society, became forfeited to the State, and was taken away from him. As a last resource, he then proposed to open a Latin School for the support of his family, but he was not permitted, nor to follow any lucrative occupation whatever. Upon this he applied, and with much difficulty obtained leave to remove into Canada, on giving a bond of four hundred pounds with security, either to send a Rebel Colonel in exchange, or to return to Albany, and surrender himself a prisoner whenever required." 1

Now, in the first place, the "little farm belonging to the Society”--or in other words, the Glebe at Fort Hunter-never became forfeited. There is no instance of the State having confiscated church lands, because the occupants-who were mere Trustees-happened to be its enemies. All the clergy of Trinity church, New York, adhered to the crown, and even one of them was attainted. Yet Trinity church still holds its vast property. The chapel farm at Fort Hunter was disposed of only some years ago, and part of the proceeds, nearly fifteen hundred dollars were laid out in erecting the Episcopal church at Port Jackson in the same town; and the residue, an equal sum, invested in the Episcopal church at Johnstown.2

In the second place, there is no evidence, as far as I have been able to investigate, of Mr Stuart having applied to the Commissioners for permission to open school. A careful examination of their minutes does not shew any such application. Indeed under the circumstances of the times, it is doubtful whether a Latin school could have been supported at Schenectady. But his application is represented as having been subsequent to the confiscation of the glebe, and this is stated to have taken place in May, 1781. "As a last resource he then proposed to open a Latin School." Now, he applied for, and obtained leave to emigrate in March, 1781-and we have seen that he had determined to emigrate in Nov. 1780. How then can it be stated that he intended to open a school after he had not only resolved to leave the country, but actually had in his possession Gov. Clinton's permission to depart?

The Society finally represents that this permission was obtained with much difficulty only on giving a bond to send "a rebel colonel" in exchange. Now, the exchange was not confined to 2 Sims' Hist. of Schoharie county, 135

1 Abstract for 1782, pp. 45, 46. VOL. IV.

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an officer of this grade. Mr Stuart, himself, admits that he had the choice of four officers, from a Colonel to a Lieutenant inclusive. Truly, we cannot well see how Gov. Clinton could have gone lower in the scale of exchanges consistently with the respect due to the rank of a Minister of Religion.

Mr Stuart set out with his family, then consisting of his wife and three small children, on his long and tedious voyage, on the 19th September 1781 and arrived at St Johns on the 9th of the following month-thus accomplishing in three weeks a journey which is now performed in twelve or fifteen hours. As there was no opening for him to exercise the duties of his profession at Montreal, he took charge of a public school which, with his commission as chaplain to the Royal Yorkers, gave him both employment and support. In a letter to D White dated Montreal October 14th 1783, he gives his prospects in, and impressions of, his new home :

“I have no reason hitherto to dislike my change of climate, but as a reduction must take place soon, my emoluments will be much diminished, neither have I any flattering prospect of an eligible situation in the way of my profession as there are (as yet) only three protestant parishes in this Province, the pastors of which are Frenchmen, and as likely to live as I am. We promise ourselves a change of the present form of government but that is a contingency and may be further distant than our expectation **. This season has been uncommonly rainy and we have had frost in July and could sit very comfortably at a good fire early in August or even some times in June. This you will think pretty cold;-But as people of our description are supposed to have some warm particles in our composition we must let the heat and the cold combat and balance each other. However the climate and the soil are extremely fertile affording the necessaries of life in great abundance.”

Mr Stuart now set about establishing himself permanently in Canada. He selected the antient Settlement of Cataraqui distant 60 leagues from Montreal, whither many of the refugees had already preceded him, and which possessed a garrison the chaplaincy of which he expected with a salary of one thousand dollars a year. "I can preserve the Indian Mission in its neighbourhood (he continues) which with other advantages will afford a comfortable subsistance-altho' I wish it laid in Maryland."1

The position of the Protestant Episcopal church in these States, unconnected with England and without any resident

2

Bishop by whom Holy orders could be conferred, and the succession of the clergy kept up, had now for some time engaged the attention of the leading members of that denomination. To obviate the difficulty under which they labored, the Revd Mr White came out with a pamphlet entitled, "The Case of the Episcopal Churches considered," in which he proposed among other things, a temporary organization conferring on a Convention composed of representatives, to be elected from the Vestry or congregation of the several churches within a given district, the power to choose a permanent president, with other clergymen to be appointed by the body who might confer Holy orders and enforce discipline in the church. A copy of this pamphlet was sent by the author to Mr Stuart, who admitted that it opened a new field of thought, and added-" Notwithstanding I am still clogged with all my old prejudices in regard to the Divine right and uninterrupted succession of Episcopacy; yet I must confess that you have said more and with greater plausibility than the subject, at first view seemed to promise. I admire and reverence that spirit of moderation and candour that breathes through the whole performance, and at the same time lament the period [is] so unfortunate as to require the exertion of such talents in such a cause. I hope the present complexion of the times will free you from having recourse to such an expedient which I am confident nothing but necessity can have forced you to adopt."3

The subsequent acknowledgment, by England, of the Independence of this country having obviated all existing difficulties in the case, Mr. Stuart's friends entertained the hope of winning him back to labor among them, and Dr. Griffith, bishop elect of Virginia, invited him to settle in his diocese. But notwithstanding the dulcedo natalis solis, Mr. S. declined the proposal. Writing in 1785, he says:

"I must allow that if you adhere to your Bill of Rights, and establish church government on the plan, and according to the spirit of the outlines. you have drawn, it will certainly deserve the name of a Reformation.

1 Letter to Bishop White, 1 Feb. 1784.

I

2 Wilson's Life of Bp. White; also White's Memoirs of the P. E. Church furnish full information relative to this pamphlet.

3 Letter of 17 March, 1784.