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Submitted by Janette Fraser - [email protected]

The Islander,
Charlottetown, PEI
Friday, August 23, 1844, page 3, cols. 2 and 3

HIS EXCELLENCY'S VISIT TO THE WESTWARD

On Friday the 9th inst., His Excellency the Lieutenant Governor, availing himself of the fine weather, left town, attended by Lieut. Col. Lane, on a tour to those distant parts of Prince County which have as yet remained unvisited by any of our rulers.

The first day's drive was through the Anderson's Road to the residence of the Hon. Joseph Pope, Speaker of the House of Assembly, at Bedeque, where His Excellency and suite were hospitably entertained, and attended divine service on Sunday. From thence the party proceeded to Ellis River, through the beautiful Village of St. Eleanor's, and the adjacent settlements, and was there entertained by Lemuel Cambridge, Esq., until the morning of Tuesday, when crossing the Ellis, and continuing the progress by Port Hill, through the Narrows, they arrived at Lot 11 River, at about 3 in the afternoon, where His Excellency was received by James Warburton, Esq., High Sheriff of Prince County, accompanied by nearly the whole population of that neighbourhood, who took an opportunity of manifesting their good feeling towards His Excellency by making and burning an immense bonfire opposite the Sheriff's house, where the party rested for the night, and by dancing around it (to the number of 150) a good part of the evening. On the following morning the following Address was presented by Mr. Sheriff Warburton, on behalf of the inhabitants of Township No. 11:

To His Excellency Sir Henry Vere Huntly, Knight, Lieutenant Governor of Prince Edward Island, &x, &c, &c.

We the inhabitants of Lot 11, publicly assembled, beg leave to express our deep sense of the honor your Excellency has conferred upon us, by personally visiting the Township. You are the first Governor of Prince Edward Island who ever honored us so far, and we sincerely hope that you may be gratified by the appearance of the different settlements you may have to visit during your progress Westward.

Your Excellency may rest assured that we as loyal subjects, shall be at all times ready to shew you the respect which your high station demands of us, and that we will to the utmost of our power aid in preserving the peace of our country, which we are happy to say is now perfectly restored.

We regret exceedingly the inconvenience you have been put to, by being obliged to visit Lot 11 by water, but we hope, as a road is being opened to Port Hill, that you may at another time be enabled to visit us with less inconvenience. Wishing you and Lady Huntley, together with your youthful Family, every happiness,

We remain, Sir, your Excellency's obedient servants,

James Warburton	Michael Bulger
Joshua Large	John Kilbride
Thomas Key	Richard Kelly sen.
Thomas Henderson	Richard Kelly jun.
James Henderson	Thomas Kelly
William Leslie	Cornelius Kilbride
John McDonald	Thomas Large
John Maran	R. Degan
John Mitchell	Samuel Phillips
George P. Palmer	Michael Read
Arthur Boyle	Michael Ramsay
Donald Ramsay	Daniel Bulger
William Hardy	James Bulger
Thomas Boyle	William Inglis
Thomas Smallman	J. Cullerton
James Carrol	Wm. Palmer
Peter Collins	David Palmer
George Palmer	George Hardy
John Patton	James McArthur
Patrick Murphy	A.C. Beckford
Joseph Murphy	Donald Smith
Michael Callaghan	William Adams
Philip Gain	Hugh Smith
Thomas Brennan	William Mitchell
James Finnen	James Kilbride
Hugh O'Callaghan	Michael Kilbride
Dennis Kilbride	George Mavoy
Alexander McDonald	David Adams
John Hughes	Patrick Kelly
Joshua Brundage	Michael Bulger sen.
Patrick Moran	George Luke
James Moran	D. Norris
Robert Hughes	John Hardy
Lawrence Hughes	Absolam Hardy
Patrick Kilbride	John Bulger
John Kilbride jun.

To which His Excellency was pleased to reply in the following terms:-

To the Inhabitants of Lot Eleven;

I have much gratification in receiving your Address, and in personally communicating with so many of the Inhabitants of this District; the difficulty of reaching this Settlement, has tended to prevent my predecessors, as well as myself, from visiting it before; but I could not consider this of consequence, when it became my duty to shew the estimation in which I held your distinguished efforts on a late occasion to maintain public tranquillity.

I thank you for the assurances you give of your consideration for the Office I have the honour to hold by her Majesty's commands; your conduct in support of the laws convinces me of your sincerity; you could not be misled; those who were, have now discovered that they were made the dupes, only to become the plundered victims of their designing advisers; they have now returned to their original loyalty, and that exercise of good fellowship which should rule those who profess the Christian religion. Should any of you want advice in future, I urge you to spurn the wandering advocate of disturbance, and apply for it to one who fills a high office in your County, and who, during a long residence amongst you, has shewn that he will as fearlessly perform his duty to his country, as he will benevolently regard the sufferings and distresses which he may be able to relieve.

I certainly regret that any inconvenience should oppose the intercourse with this Settlement; an easy access to it seems to me so important to your general prosperity, that I have given orders for the immediate completion of the road to Port Hill.

I am very grateful for your kind wishes towards myself and my family.

H.V. HUNTLEY, Lieut. Gov.

Lot 11, Aug. 13, 1844

Before leaving Mr. Warburton's, His Excellency having been forcibly struck with the want of sufficient means of communication by the best of all possible proofs, ocular demonstration, kindly issued instructions for the immediate completion of a Road internally connecting lot Eleven with Port Hill, by which the present tedious and uncertain route by water, through the Cascumpeque Narrows, will be avoided, and the distance and danger greatly diminished.

After taking a view of the beautiful scenery in the neighbourhood of Foxley River, His Excellency left that incipient Settlement about half-past 10, and returned to Port Hill where the Ship-building establishment of the enterprising member of Prince County, J. Yeo, Esq., was inspected with much pleasure - a fine ship of 600 tons, now in progress, and the variety and extent of the employment at Port Hill, called forth from his Excellency expressions of gratulation. After dining with Mr. Yeo, the party slept at Mr. Cambridge's, and the next day, Thursday, returned to Charlottetown, through St. Eleanor's, where the County Jail was visited by his Excellency. -----Gazette.