98 THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA 
same time; and if Dr. Prince with Britain claimed a Right to rob and 
plunder MeNutt on pretence of his being a Whig, then certainly the 
Privateer called Congress from this Port [Boston] had not a Right to 
rob me as a tory—yet so it is. The truth is, neither had a Right to 
what Providence gave me.” 
McNutt’s importunity did not apparently avail, for he writes in 
the memorial from which the quotation is taken:—‘“Since I first set 
out for redress have travel’d by Land and Water, on foot and on Horse- 
back upwards of two Thousand Miles, and have expended about five 
Thousand Pounds, and about thirteen months’ time without obtaining 
the least redress.”’ 
He remained in Massachusetts another year during which time 
four of his neighbors in Nova Scotia were robbed by a party of New 
England privateersmen. The unfortunate people like McNutt, were 
friendly to the United States. They wrote to McNutt to use his best 
efforts to get the authorities of Massachusetts to “take the Notorious 
Rascalls in hand for this Robery.’”’ The Colonel represented their 
situation to the legislature of the State. He also asked permission to 
forward some necessary supplies to the unfortunate people. The 
House of Representatives thereupon adopted the following resolution, 
the Council concurring :— 
“Resolved that Alexander McNutt be and he is hereby permitted 
to export from this State to Port Roseway in Nova Scotia, for the 
Benefit of fourteen families residing there, sixty Bushells of Grain, One 
hogshead of Molasses, 1 barrel of Rum, one loaf of Sugar, and several 
small Articles of Crockery ware such as Milk pans porringers and Butter 
pots for said Families.” . 
The war had now put a stop to all MceNutt’s plans for the settle- 
ment of his Jands. Several large tracts had been escheated and the 
prospect of holding the remainder under the Government of Nova 
Scotia was by no means bright. Possibly the Colonel hoped to hold 
them under the Government of the United States, and this may have 
had something to do with his subsequent course of action. 
His plans of colonization had not attained the success he once 
had hoped for, but Alexander McNutt was not the man to settle down 
to die of ennui. The outbreak of the Revolutionary war had strongly : 
stirred his soul. His sympathies, not unnaturally, were with the 
revolutionary party, and as he had little prospect of retaining even 
a fraction of his lands under the Government of Nova Scotia, he had 
the less hesitation as to his course of action. The radical opinions of 
Adams and Jefferson appealed to him. Too mercurial, as others have 
been in their sorrow, to soberly discern the purposes of the soi-disant 
patriots the Colonel left Nova Scotia and joined the Continental Forces. 
