History of the Johnstones, 1191-1909, with ... - Electric Scotland

i 7 8 GOVERNOR JOHNSTONE'S CAREER
In 1763 he was appointed Governor of West Florida, which had been ceded
by Spain, Colonel Grant having been put into East Florida. As the nomina-
tion of two Scotsmen was severely commented on by an organ of the press,
Johnstone wrote to challenge the writer, who did not come forward, and on
threatening some one connected with the paper he was bound over before
a magistrate to keep the peace. He fought a duel with Lord George Germain,
but neither was hurt. At that time, through his brother William's interest, he
was M.P. for Cockermouth, and in 1774 for Appleby.
In 1778 Johnstone was one of the Commissioners, which included Lord
Carlisle, for adjusting affairs with America, but he is said to have offended the
American members by offering a bribe, and Congress passed a resolution that
it was incompatible with its honour to hold any manner of communication with
the said George Johnstone, especially upon affairs in which the cause of liberty
and virtue were interested. He was obliged to resign ; yet he appears in the
Biographical Dictionaries of distinguished Americans, having been Governor of
Florida, in which capacity he gave very prudent advice as to the dealings
of white men with the natives. He was a ready speaker, and attacked abuses
with characteristic vigour ; in one instance the payment of large salaries for
small special services easily performed and cutting down the scanty pay of the
men who really did the work.
In 1780 Johnstone was made Commodore and Commander-in-Chief of a
small squadron, to be employed on the coast of Portugal, with his broad pennant
in the 50-gun ship, Romney. The next year, with a squadron, he was sent to
convoy the East India merchant ships as far as the Cape and to attack it.
He seems to have been surprised by the French fleet and did not gain the
complete victory it was hoped that his ships would have secured. The French
got first to the Cape, after which it was almost impossible with the means at the
command of the General and the Commodore to make the intended attack.
But five Dutch East Indiamen came in their way. Johnstone secured four of
them and returned with his prizes to England in his own ship, leaving the rest
of the squadron to go on with the troops (which were to have assisted in the
attack on the Cape) to India, except H. M. S. Isis, which had sustained some
damage. He put its captain, Evelyn Sutton, under arrest. This involved the
Commodore in trouble to the end of his days. Captain Sutton, deprived of
a share of the prize money in addition to this reproach, brought an action
against him for false imprisonment, and obtained a verdict for £5000
damages. In a new trial an appeal was dismissed ; in a further trial the
verdict was reversed, but the House of Lords confirmed it. The Governor
did not live to hear the final judgment, and Sutton never got the money
awarded to him.
Governor Johnstone married Charlotte Dee, and carried on the direct line
of Westerhall, being great-grandfather of the present Baronet. His wife, after
his death, married Admiral Nugent.
John, born 1734, the fifth son of the Laird of Westerhall, was the founder
of the House of Alva. He went out at the age of sixteen to Fort William or