"My Lord:

. . . On 19th June last, I seized and forfeited a schooner of British plantation, built, owned and navigated, according to law. The causes of siezure were (1st), her cargo was imported direct from New York into this Island, contrary to the provisions of a late Act of Parliament, and (2nd) that bulk was broken before entry. the goods were landed in the night season at the farm of the late Lieutenant-Governor Patterson, near the netrance of his harbour, about three miles from Charlottetown. Having recieved information of an extensive smuggling trade intended to be carried on between the late Lieutenant-Governor, his brother, John Patterson and a wealthy resident of New York, to whose daughter, John Patterson is married, and that this small vessel was to be followed by a large shipnamed the Kittyin the same disgraceful employ, I decided to seize this property and so stop the increase of so a ruinous a traffic. Accordingly, in the night following, I obtained a party of soldiers from the commanding officers here, went to the farms, and in company with the constables made a seizure of part of the smuggled effects, but before we could get them to the boats prepared for this purpose, the servants of the late lieutenant-Governor, aided by eight or nine other persons, who had been sent over the water by him to their assistance (being in all about twenty-five persons armed with various offensive weapons), wrested the property out of our hands. . . . .

. . . We were made prisoners as well as the soldiers and detained several hours. Soon after i was informed of another quantity of goods being on the farm, part of the same cargo. . . .

. . . I obtained another party of men fully armed, and again went to the farm in company with the controllers and seized the goods in a very artful place of concealment. We conveyed them to town and have since libelled them and the schooner in the Court of Admiralty as forfeited. . . ."