SAMUEL SPARROW ~ 
18TH-CENTURY CAPE BRETON ISLAND 

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C-1456

http://heritage.canadiana.ca/view/oocihm.lac_reel_c1456/1146?r=0&s=1
http://heritage.canadiana.ca/view/oocihm.lac_reel_c1456/1147?r=0&s=1

http://heritage.canadiana.ca/view/oocihm.lac_mikan_104684

[1194]

31 May 1790              M^r Daywell

Parliament Street Coffee House.

All Papers that were ever given to Wilkinson came to Sparrow __  Lumber Business was on Sparrow's account __ produced Sparrow Letter of 27Ap 1786 To then Wilkinson was Sparrows Agent.

---------------------------------

Pork contracted to Sparrow  to be supplied at 50/ p^r. Bar^l and charged by him at 100 / - (John House of New Hampshire) __

David Smith profit Prices 80/ p^r Ps¹ for Pork better than Sparrows' __ which was badly put up in whole Carcasses, heads, feet, & not cleaned, and filled up the B^ls with salt.

Beef as bad and extravagant Price.

for Mead charged at [crossed out] 28/ where as the highest [?] prices did not exceed 25/ p^rC^t.

Sparrow declared that House of New Hampshire Intended to be a Justice __ spoke of himself as being able to furnish Pork at 50/ p^r B^l __found him to be a swindler when he meant to del with him __  Pork was here prohibited to be brought in British Bottoms, as he thought, and the Agreement was broke 77/6 __ tho' some charged 100/

Sparrow produced a Bill of Exchange on the Lords of Treasury for £ 493 2. 5. __  On the Same Paper was Sparrow's acco^t against Gov^t. for the amount thereof sundry articles he had delivered to the commissary W^m Plant, with Plant's Receipt

 [1195]

Desbarres produced an Invoice of Goods from Sparrow
among other things,   3 Punch^s Rum _______________________________       60. 18 . _
                                   32 B^ls Pork __________________________________     144. _. _
                                   39 D. Rye Meal ______________________________       41. 5 _
                                     4 Firking of Butter ___________________________       11. 1. 8
                                     6 Bush^ls Potatoes____________________________        12. _ _
                                   177 Bls Indian Meal ___________________________     195  17. _

This invoice is of the Same Date with the Papers delivered by Sparrow - as he says that the articles therein specified never were received nor ever existed tho charged to Government in Governor Desbarre's account when it came before him as real amounts to be examined by him, the one was a Fiction, the other a reality, and that he refused to pay the accounts, seeing many Errors over and above what appears by his information  __  that Government knew this from him, and from many others too.

These amounts were examined by him in 1787, in the Island of Cape Breton, prior to the month of July in a Committee, or in Council, cant say which, the accounts being on the Table, a prior set of accts were passed by M^r Sparrow, and 2 others at least in 1786, in a hurry,  __ not examined accurately or he would not have passed them __ It must have been done ignorantly or wickedly __ one set he did not sign.

Members in Council in 1787

Sparrow swore that                                  {Alex^r Haire
some of these had been                           {Geo Rodgers
foisted into Council for                              Ranna Cossitt
for the purpose of passing the acc^ts        Geo Moore
                                                                    Sam^l Sparrow

[1196]

Q^ry Are there other accts of a similar Nature? -

Answ^r I shall look over my Papers, and answer a a future moment.

In May 1786 Sparrow moved in council for a Committee to examine the Accounts of report . __ Sparrow (Haire being absent) & Rodgers, reported __ the council approved and confirmed __ This Sparrow says may have been done ignorantly and wickedly.

4^th Acco^t

Q^ry Damages 10 p^rC^t whether legal?

Ans^r clearly not at Cape Breton.

Schooner Hope lost Nov^r  1786 __ [Salmon?] was not wanted at Sydney __

Sloop Nancy in June 1785. Loss by underselling her cargo at S^t. Pierre -- because she was not admitted to Entry contrary to Law __ Sparrow said she had been sent under the Convention which he had made with M^rs Cannon and he had no orders from D.

Sparrow understood from Wilkinson D would make him amends __ This is palpably false from the Sparrows letter of the 26 June 1785, in which he acknowledges Desbarres politeness to his agent Wilkinson __ and Sparrows Proposals of Making Supplies are Refused.   

DesBarres Papers, Series 5, M23, F 1-5, Volume 6, Accounts, 1767-1794, May 31, 1790, pp. 1194-1196

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