had withdrawn, and most
impudently sat out the latter. He did so for the purpose of recommending
as secretaries, his father-in-law, and a young man named _Brazenson_,
or some such name, whom he had brought out with him from England, but
his scheme entirely failed, and his folly would fall upon his own pate!
Mr. Ryland had transacted business with the Governor every day since
he had landed, and had even drawn up a codicil to his will, the poor,
decided Governor, who had adopted Mr. Ryland, was so ill. Nay, Mr.
Ryland, for the love of this one honorable and just man, could have
almost forgotten that he was surrounded by scoundrels, and would bury
in oblivion the mean jealousies of a contemptible self-sufficiency, and
the false professions of smiling deceit. But should it please Almighty
God to remove the incomparable man, and should there be a chance that
the civil government of the province should be again disunited from the
military command, he did hope that the dear, dear Lord, would favor him
with his utmost interest towards enabling him to make the exchange
which Mrs. Ryland would tell his dear Lordship, the Bishop, her husband
had in contemplation.
Sir James Craig was an officer of good family. He was one of the Craigs
of Dalnair and Costarton, in Scotland, but was born in Gibraltar, where
his father had the appointment of Civil and Military Judge. He had seen
much service in the camp and in the field. In 1770 he was appointed
Aid-de-Camp to General Sir Robert Boyd, then Governor of Gibraltar, and
obtained a Company in the 47th Regiment of the line. Having gone to
America, with his regiment, in 1774, he was present at the battle of
Bunker's Hill, where he was severely wounded. In 1776, he accompanied
his regiment to Canada, commanding his company at the action at Trois
Rivieres, and he afterwards commanded the advanced guard in the
expulsion of Arnold and his "rebels." He was wounded at Hubertown, in
1777, and was present at Ticonderoga in the same year. He was wounded
again at Freeman's Farm, and was at Saratoga with Burgoyne, and after
that disastrous affair was selected to carry home the despatches. On
his arrival in England, he was promoted to a majority in the 82nd
Regiment, which he accompanied to Nova Scotia, in 1778, to Penobscot,
in 1779, and to North Carolina, in 1781, where he was engaged in a
continued scene of active service. He was promoted to the rank of Major
General, in 1794, and the following year
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