Page:New Brunswick Magazine Issue 1.djvu/158

then deemed unsafe. Samuel Peabody and Jonathan Leavitt were in business together in 1773. They built a schooner called the Menaguash. This vessel, however, was not the first one built at St. John; that honor belongs to a schooner called the Betsy. The construction of this little vessel was undertaken in the year 1769 by Simonds and White. The materials were cut, as one might say, on the spot, the rigging was sent from Newburyport by Hazen and Jarvis, and about half the iron used came out of their old sloop Wilmot. A shipwright named Michael Hodge was engaged to build the vessel for 23⅓ shillings per ton, and Adonijah Colby was his assistant. She was launched during the autumn, and sailed for Newburyport with her first cargo on the 3rd February following, Jonathan Leavitt going in her as master. She was sold the next year for £200, and Mr. Simonds expressed his satisfaction at the price secured as being better than was expected. The launching of the little schooner Betsy was an event of historic importance. Little did her designers and builders imagine that they were the pioneers of an industry that in future years would place St. John fourth amongst the cities of the empire as a ship owning port and lead her to claim the proud title of "the Liverpool of America."^[1] When Jonathan and Daniel Leavitt were engaged in sailing the company's vessels, it is said that they became discouraged after a time with the outlook at St. John, and proposed moving so some other place where there was a larger population and more business. Mr. White strongly dissuaded them, concluding his exhortation with the remark, "Don't be discouraged, boys, keep up a good heart! Why ships will come here from England yet!"