CHAPTER III.

POPULATION-GOVERNMENT-FINANCES-COMMERCE-EDU

CATION, &c.—PROPERTY-SOCIAL STATE, &c.

We have no correct estimate of the progressive increase of the population; when taken from the French the island is supposed to have contained 6,000 Acadians; a great number of whom were afterwards removed, as stated under Nova Scotia. In 1802 the number of inhabitants was-males, 10,644; females, 10,007; total, 20,671: in 1822, males, 12,140; females, 12,460; total, 24,600: in 1825, males, 14,140; females, 14,460; total, 28,600. Scotchmen form more than one half of the whole population; those from the Hebrides are best suited to the island. The Acadian French are estimated at about 5,000; but of the Mic-mac, or native Indians, once so numerous, there are probably not more than thirty families on the island. The two last censuses, viz. in 1827 and 1833, were as follows:

CENSUS of the POPULATION taken under the authority of the Acts Geo. IV. cap. 7. A.D. 1827-and William IV. cap. 7. A.D. 1833.

G.tl. 8297 7829 714 16840 7910 7542 15452 32292 11976 11290 23266 8832)

GOVERNMENT-FINANCE.

203

GOVERNMENT.-Prince Edward's Island having its own Lieutenant-Governor, Council, and House of Assembly, constituted after the manner described in the preceding chapters, is perfectly independent of the Governor-General at Quebec in the civil administration of its affairs; its military are under the control of the Nova Scotia Commander of the Forces. The Council consists generally of nine members appointed by the King's mandamus, and the House of Assembly of eighteen members elected by the people as in the other colonies-four for each county, and two for each of the towns of Charlotte, George, and Prince towns. The form of procedure is that of the British Parliament. There is a Court of Chancery regulated after that at Westminster, over which the Governor presides and the jurisprudence of the colony is managed by a Chief Justice. The laws are English.

FINANCE. The first revenue attempted to be levied for the support of the Government, as before stated, was the quit-rents-these failing in their extent, a Parliamentary grant was applied for and obtained. according to the following document, which was drawn up by the Colonial Office for the Board of Trade, and not used by the latter: the revenue and expenditure for twelve years was in sterling money

:

The salaries of the Government, at present defrayed by an annual grant of the Imperial Parliament, are Lieutenant-Governor, 1000l. sterling per annum; Chief Justice, 7007.; Attorney-General, 2007. Secretary, Registrar, and Clerk of the Council, 150l.; Provost Marshal, 1007.; Minister, 1007.; Surveyor-General, 2007.; Coroner and Clerk of the Crown, 907.; Agent, 1007.; Roman Catholic Missionary, 501.; Contingencies, 1307.-total, 2,8207. ; the whole grant voted for 1832 was 3,500l.

As previously observed, the Legislature of this little colony express themselves desirous of relieving the mother country from any contribution for the support of their Government, and they ask in return for the Crown to resign its claim to the quit-rents,

* I am enabled to give these years from documents furnished me by Mr. Stewart.

Military.

Expenditure.

Total.