ON SABLE ISLAND. 23 



which, with £165 additional, was all expended by June, 180-S. In tlie latter year they voted 

 £600 ($2,400). From the year 1804 they made an annual ,!j;rant of £400 ($1,600). In the 

 year 1825 the case was represented by Sir James Kempt to the British government, which 

 from that time gave an annual grant of £400 sterling, which has been continued to the 

 present time. This seemed liberal, but a number of years after it was discovered, that they 

 had been all the time paying the amount, not out of the Imperial treasury, hut out of the 

 casual and territorial revenue of Nova Scotia, which, though then controlled by the Home 

 Government, reallj' belonged to the people of that province. The Nova Scotia government 

 continued its grant of £400 currency yearly till confederation, when the estai )lishment 

 passed under the control of the Dominion government. It may be mentioned here that 

 the American government during the last war issued orders to the public and private 

 armed vessels of the republic not to molest any vessels going to or from the island. 



Mr. Morris continued to hold his position till the year 1809. During the last part of 

 that period he was unwell, and more than once was absent for his health. On the 29th 

 October of that year, a few hours after he had landed from a trip to the nuiinland, he died. 

 During the time that he was superintendent there were known to have been lost on the 

 island four ships, four brigs and seven schooners. Of the fate of the unknown we have a 

 hint in such a statement as the following from one of his reports : " Found several pieces of 

 new broken boards, new painted handspokes, tampions for cannon, a staiul for a grindstone, 

 trucks for running rigging, spars, etc., which gave me reason to suppose some vessel had 

 been lost. Consequently I took a horse and examined every part of the island on the north 

 and south beaches, but saw nothing more except a potash barrel on the northwest bar, new 

 made, and one head branded ' First sort potash, J. Bouthellier, Montreal.' " 



V. History of Relief Establishment Continued, 1809-1848. 



Mr. Morris was succeeded by Edward Hodgson, who had been his assistant almost ti'om 

 the commencement of the establishment. He continued in charge till his death in 1830. 

 The work was carried on under him much as it was under his predecessor. But it was 

 increased in efficienc}'. On the 18th March, 1812, the commissioners report to the legis- 

 lature that their means were inadequate. Though the grant continued the same, it would 

 seem that improvements were made in the service. Haliburton, writing about 1827, men- 

 tions that the staft' consisted, beside the superintendent, of his three sons on wages and four 

 or five others ; that two buildings were erected, one on the north side and the other on the 

 south side, uninhabited, containing a supply of provisions, apparatus for obtaining fire, flint, 

 steel, tinder-box and matches, and directions for reaching the house of the superintendent. 



A vessel sent from Halifax was said to visit the island twice a year, but it was com- 

 plained that this was not sufficient, and on some occasions the supplies ran short. Writing 

 in 1816 (after describing a wreck the November previous), the latter says : "We had sixteen 

 people to maintain all winter, which has made our provisions run very short. We have not 

 had a bit of bread this long time, and ate up all our turnips and potatoes, so that we have 

 none left for seed. I wish, sir, that j-ou would send Capt. Darby or some other vessel as soon 

 as possible, as we are in a starving condition. We have had no kind of small stores this 

 long time. The boat made two attempts" (i. e., to reach the mainland), "but was obliged 

 to return." 



