SCRAPS OF LOCAL HISTORY. 43 



Andrew's church, inside of Middle Island. The return of the 

 raftsmen to Bay du Vin, after they had delivered their timber 

 and sufficiently primed themselves, was as good as a circus to us 

 boys. Cunard himself, always on horseback, as likewise his 

 outriders, half a dozen or so, galloped from point to point, 

 shouting out their orders to the workiiien . The chiefs of these 

 outriders were "Galloping" Fraser and Jno. Germaine. Cunard 

 was of a grasping disposition, and possessed himself of every thing 

 that he could get hold of that he thought there was any money in, 

 and in this way got hold of A. D. Shirreff's property on Middle 

 Island 



1831. 

 Rev. Jas. Thompson, who was pastor of St. Andrew's church, 

 died, and the congregation, which was a mixed one of Kirk or 

 Established Church followers and Free Church adherents, sent to 

 Scotland for another Kirk minister. In the meantime the Free 

 Church members sent to Nova Scotia Synod for a Free Church 

 man to fill the vacancy, and Rev. Jno. McCurdy, afterwards D. D., 

 of Onslow, N. S. , was sent up. When he arrived the Kirk adher- 

 ents had taken possession of the church, but the Free Chux'ch folks 

 had the keys. When they came up on the first Sunday they 

 found the church barred and had to hold their services in an un- 

 occupied building in England's Hollow. During the next week 

 the Free Church party took off all the fastenings and put on new 

 locks. But late Saturday evening the Kirk folks took off these 

 locks and put on new ones, and kept the keys themselves. When 

 the Free Church party came on Sunday they were unable to get 

 in and they announced a meeting to be held sometime that week to 

 discuss the situation. The Kirk party determined to hold the fort 

 and they hired an armed force of six or eight men and placed 

 them in an unoccupied apartment up stairs, together with stoves, 

 dishes, cooking utensils and provisions, to stand a siege if 

 necessary. The Free Church party gave up the dispute then and 

 decided to build a church of their own, and they built St. John's 

 church in St. .John sr. , which is now used as a gymnasium and 

 hall by the Y. M. C. A. , and chose Rev. Jno. McCurdy as pastor. 

 Many of the Kirk x^eople assisted them to build this church, 

 although they never attended it. When the church was being 

 finished there was a discussion as to what should be the orna- 



