92 THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA 



Hardy and Roome proposed to make it their particular business 

 to attend to the claims of the American Loyalists for compensation 

 for their losses in the war. Memorials were prepared in the following 

 form: 



To the Commissioners appointed by Act of Parliament for inquiring into the 

 Losses and Services of the American LoyaHsts. 



The memorial of A. B. Sheweth. 



First, Claimant should state acts of Loyalty and Services. 



Secondly, Losses sustained in consequence thereof or of the Claimant's attach- 

 ment to the British Government; a schedule whereof is desired to be subjoined to 

 the Memorial, ascertaining very particularly and accurately the description and 

 value of the property lost. 



Your Memorialist, therefore, prays that his (or her) case may be taken into 

 your consideration in order that your Memorialist may be enabled under your 

 report to receive such aid or relief as his (or her) Losses and Services may be found 

 to deserve. 



N.B. — The names of the witnesses, their description and places of abode, with 

 the particulars to which they are respectively to speak are to be inserted at the end 

 of the schedule, and the documents whereby the claim is to be made out are to be 

 given at the time of leaving the Memorial. The Commissioners will require the 

 best evidence the nature and circumstances of the case will admit. 



Hardy set out from New York for St. John in October, 1783, 

 calling on the way at Campobello. He posted up advertisements in 

 St. John stating his intention of proceeding to England with such 

 claims as should be entrusted to him. Governor Parr and Chief 

 Justice Finucane, however, engaged him in legal business, and in con- 

 sequence he sent over to Mr. Roome his own claim and those of many 

 others, fully confident that he w^ould present them in time to the 

 English Commissioners. This, Mr. Roome failed to do, and Hardy 

 was censured. Commissioners Dundas and Pemberton afterwards 

 came out to Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, and the claims were 

 there considered and compensation made. 



Meanwhile, Hardy had been brought into the limelight by an 

 incident which occurred at New York late in the summer of 1783, 

 and which was the cause of not a little excitement at New York and 

 Parr- town. 



The story, briefly told, is as follows: An association of fifty-five 

 Loyalists, many of them of considerable prominence, others less 

 conspicuous, submitted a memorial to Sir Guy Carleton, the Com- 

 mander-in-Chief, praying for grants of lands in Nova Scotia. It 

 was proposed that the grants should equal those for field officers of 

 the Army, namely 5,000 acres. This would be equivalent to a tract 

 of about 430 square miles, and it was supposed would include the best 

 locations and most fertile lands on the River St. John. At once there 



