Navigating the Lower Saint Lawrence in the 19th Century.
| The following, written by Robert Christie, Esquire, who advertises himself in the Quebec papers, under date of June, 1811, as corresponding agent to the committee for managing the affairs at Lloyd's, is extracted from the shipping list received by that committee the 25th July last. | ||
| Quebec, 14th May, 1811. | ||
|
The ship Trio, respecting which such unfair proceedings have
taken place, as will appear by documents herewith transmitted, has
been purchased by certain persons of this place, trading under the
firm of George & William Hamilton, for £1400. Mr. Peter Fraser is
an old and most respectable inhabitant of this Province; by his
exertions, the Trio and her cargo have been prevented from being
totally lost. The conduct of the Hamiltons in stigmatizing this
man and his tenants, as robbers and pirates, is notoriously unjust
and unguarded; they attempted to incriminate Fraser, in which they
failed; they have, as I have mentioned above, purchased the Trio
for £1400, and in order to overawe Fraser, and prevent an
application for salvage by him, that they might hold the ship and
the money due for her purchase as long as possible, they charged
him with plundering, &c.; being defeated in their attempt to ruin
this person, they still refused him any compensation for his
trouble and salvage of the ship. Fraser brings a suit against them
in the Admiralty (the cheapest and most summary method in Canada of
adjusting salvage). The Hamiltons made an application to the Court
of King's Bench for a prohibition, which (extraordinary to say) was
granted, and Fraser is compelled to bring an action for salvage in
the Court of King's Bench against the Hamiltons, which must
necessarily be attended with much delay and expense, and from which
there are two appeals, so that Hamilton may keep him out of his
salvage for four years or more. By what authority Messrs. Hamilton
refuse salvage, I know not; but their refusal so to do, with the
manner in which they have endeavoured to incriminate Fraser, who it
is allowed, has saved the Trio from total loss, coupled with the
prohibition in the Court of King's Bench by which the jurisdiction
of the Admiralty is usurped, has produced an effect which it is
feared, will be fatal in cases of future wrecks. The inhabitants
contiguous to the shores of the St. Lawrence, have universally
expressed a resolution to render no assistance in future cases of
distress. I regret to say, that this resolution, if followed, may
be attended by the loss of many lives and much property, in the
River St. Lawrence, &c. &c. &c. Should the Trio have been underwritten at Lloyd's, the committee is informed that she lays now at Quebec, little worse for her damage, &c. &c. |
||
| (Signed) Robert Christie. | ||
| STATEMENT OF FACTS. | ||
|
On the 27th October, 1810, John Cribben, Master of the ship
Trio, consigned to our address, arrived at Quebec, from Pointe aux
Mille Vaches, and informed us of the accident which had happened to
her; and the defection of his crew. We immediately collected as
many of the consignees of goods laden on board of her as at the
time could be found out, and they gave us the following authority
in writing: We the undersigned merchants of Quebec, do hereby empower Messrs. George Hamilton and William Hamilton, of Quebec, also merchants, trading under the firm of George & William Hamilton, to hire vessels forthwith to go down to a vessel called the Trio, whereof John Cribben is Master, now wrecked upon the batture Mille Vaches, to the purpose of saving the goods and merchandise laid on board, and to do in the premises what the nature of circumstance will require, without further or special power on our behalf. We will be further accountable to George & William. Hamilton, for all the expenses accruing in consequence, proportionally to the bill of our lading; and further we will be their guarantee for proportionate expense of the persons goods whose marks are affixed to the manifest hereunto annexed, but who may not be able to sign hereto owing to being absent, or bills of lading being filled to order, on their default of payment. In testimony whereof, we hereunto subscribe our names at Quebec, this twenty-seventh day of October, one thousand eight hundred and ten. |
||
| Hall & Gowen, | ||||
| Hoyle, Henderson & Gibs, | ||||
| John B. Hamilton, | ||||
| Benn, Heath & Co., | ||||
| J. Hallowell, Jun. & Co. | ||||
| G. R. Bossé©2001-05 | Page 6 | Chapter 1811 |
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