“J.

PRINCE EDWARD I

CHARLOTTETOWN, SA

“hr @0110

6. RESOLVED, That the House of Assembly have notf sought an advance of money from the Imperial Revenue, to 1 purchase the Lands. from the Proprietors, to enable tliej Crown to sell or regrant the same to the Tenants ; but from 1 a desire to settle the Tenantry and occupants of Land. The' House of Assembly passed a Bill for that purpose in thel Session of 1.839, which was rejected by Ministers, on the 3 ground that it embraced the principle of Escheat; and inl the Sessions of 1840 and 1841, the House of Assembly pass- ed another Bill, which went to revest the lands in theCrown, and to settle the Tenants and occupants thereon, on their paying the full price of Wilderness land, for such quantity asthey held under lease or occupation —wliicli price, to- gether with a Land Tax, was placed at the disposal of the Crown, to award to the respective Proprietors such portion of the said sum as Her Majesty might be ‘advised to grant in equity as the value ofthe Grants, and for any expense or, loss the Proprietors might sustain.

7. RESOLVED, That the Despatch laid before the House of Assembly in 1811, states, that the settlementoftlie Tenantry must be treated as a public question ,' and the Despatch laid before the House this present Session, in reference to the same question, concludes; that it oﬁcrs no soundfoolingfor direct Legislation, which vacillating Despatclies are preju- dicial to the Colony, and operate on the hopes and fears of a numerous class of persons, who have improved the lands

HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY.

. TUESDAY, April 12.

33“, (rain the Committee of the Whole House, on

bansideration of the State of the Colony, reported, no- ain‘ to order, the Resolutions of the said Committee,

‘ 1' known», That it is the opinion of this Committee, ' see no reason to depart from any of the Resolu- won,’ [a to the State of the Colony, passed in the Session "39’ 1840, 1841, nor from any of the representations con- in the Addresses forwarded to the Colonial Secretary

‘House of Commons in those years. .Whereas Lord John Russell, Her Majesty’s Principal Se— wlofState for the Colonies, in a Despatcli to Sir Charles ‘ Roy,bearing date the 20th_Ju,ne, 1841, contains a con- 10 which Her Majesty’s Government has come, in to the question ot'Es'cheat, viz: that the original settlement were impracticable, and that any Escheat ‘prgﬁeut day, on the ground of the failure to fulﬁl the ans in the original Grants, would be unjust—which conclusion is in direct contradiction to the statements bythe House of Assembly in 1797—40 the admission in Lord Hobart’s Despatcli in answer tliereto', dated

'-‘—to the Act of the Legislature in 1803, passed as re- ended by the said Despatch of 1802, the disallowance ifybich has never yet been satisfactorily accounted for—to ' Motions ofthe House ofAssembly in 1805 -—to the pro- 1 ' taken by Government against Townships 15 and 55, 8 G—lto the Despatch of the Earl of Bathiirst, with Prince Regent’s Proclamation of 1818, granting an ace to the Grantees and Proprietors for Tell ' limit 1816, allowing the Lands to be settled by ﬁsh subjects in the same proportion as originally “"dlady with Foreign Protestants—to the actual state ﬁ‘l’opulation in several Townships at the expiration of mid Indulgence in 1827—to the opinions of the Crown meets in 1832, taken by the then House of Assembly—to (L of 1833, intituled ﬂn ﬂct to encourage the settlement provanent of LGds in this Island, and to regulate the 'ngs of a Court of Escheats therein, which Act was dis- ed, not because the terms ofscttlement were imprac- , . but because the said Act might fetter His Majesty i i like exercise of His Royal Prerogative—to the reasons ' ii ibi- passing the several Acts for levying an Assessment lLands—to the Report of the Earl of Durham to the rial Parliament in 1839—40 the admission in the Des- of Lord Stanley, Loyd (hilericlizand Lord Glenelg, ﬁ'om ' ‘1 to 1840,—and to the published admission ofGovernors ing, Smith, Ready, Young, Harirey and Fitz Roy—to ctice pursued in the old Colonies, and in the neigh- jg, and also stated to be pursued in the Australian Co- ,to Lord John Russell‘s own opinion at one time, h he states to be, that the question at issue “ was a question, and as such must be treated”—-and to evi- , ‘ce taken by and within the knowledge of this House: refore, the House of Assembly consider the said opini- contiiined in Lord John Russell’s Despatch, of the 25th to be singular, unsupported by evidence, and iii di- pposition to the various statements and opinions above to. Whereas it appears by a Despatch laid before this dated Downing-street, 25th June 1841, that the ' I horrible Lord John Russell, HerMajesty’s late Prin- y of State fiir the Wnies, is ofopinion, “that rule of settlements-Were impract cable, and ain‘t! the pregem day,‘on the ground ofthe 1 such conditions, would b. unjust :” REi he ngse of Assemb‘ly have not desired an rounds of the failure to fulﬁl the ori- iit principally on account of the d by the Proprietors, which lb- l invested by the Tenant in the im- oft’be Land; and it would be unjust to allow the stars to claim such p'roperty through then-failure to their conditions. The true value of the Grants to - the Proprietors have any right in equity can be esti- ' » ' only when connected with the apparent expense and tyv attending the performance of the original condi— ﬁirsettlement, and any delay of the Executive to en— ,. the forfeiture of the Grants, when such conditions who) performed, or to release the Grantees from said cou- , 8nd authorize them to introduce British Subjects Foreign Protestants, has given a new value and Wpon to the Grants—the amount ofsuch enhanced Whiting in proportion to the prices or terms the res- mw Grantees or Proprietors have let or disposer] of the to Immigrants, which new value is abstracted from the My: generally, but from British subjects individually; -* quite land is let far above its value, the labour and ca- _ . In Improving it becomes the property ofthe Proprietor, _ ion the other hand, the non-settlement with Foreign ‘: nuts held out a fair prospectrto British subjects emi— ‘mgto the Colonies that the lands would be revested in ‘1 $3,, Crown, and that such Immigrants would be settled in " tine manner as Government have settled them in the Colonies. RESOLVED, That the terms proposed by Mr. George toting were rejected unanimously by the House of As- , as unworthy ‘of being recommended by the Govern- : 1' accepted by the People. rid whereas the said last Despatch recommends it or Majest ’s_ desire, that the Assembly and Council Id “tum t 11' attention to the improvement ofthe re—

, $ 'nce Edward Island, and leave to the gradual operation “time the settlement of a question which affords no sound

I ng for direct Legislation :” Resolved, That where I , {wrongs disturb the minds of a people, and thus re- . 111.6 prosperity ﬁfe Colony, it is the duty of the House mbly respectfully to represent it to Her Majesty, and toss ; and the wrongs of this Colony may be brieﬂy gs folloWs: The Land of this Island was let in its wil— piano to British subjects, without any improvement, ﬁf‘above the interest of the fee-simple value of the stated in‘the 3d and 4th Resolutions of 1839, and of the 24th April, 1841, and many of the Tenantry are ' in arrears for rent, which they are unable to pay, less to redeem their improvements at the PrOprietors’ by the purchase of the fee-simple. And the practice ﬁling. the arrears of Rent to the fee-simple, and de- g interest as rent, or taking the Tenant’s bond on in-

for such arrears, i most discouraging to the Tenant, loaders it utterly hopeless for the Tenant to derive any from his improvements. The Grantees have also

lied an ownership over the lands reserved in the i

had to become Tenants, to procure a location where could ﬁsh for their subsistence ; and when the improve-

,n of such vast in) “d

3 reader property insecure, “@1080”: Government into disrepute.

urces, and the encouragement of the growing wealth of

for the Fisheries, and have let the same on rent, to-. With the Township lands; and Immigrants, on their

[which is the growing wealth of Prince Edward ls- assumed by the Proprietors under such practices,

- to the gradual operation of time the settlement ofa I portance to the happiness of the the prosperity of the Colony, would discourage and bring the justice of

of this Cilony, and stand in jeopardy of being deprived G their improvements.

8. REsOLVED, That whatever injustice may attend an Es- cheat at the present day, on the ground oi'tlie failure to ful— ﬁl the conditions for settlement, proceeds from the vacilla- ting Despatches received from time to time from the Secre- taries of State for the Colonies. A Despatch from Lord Hobaet, in the year 1802, recommended the Legislature of this Island to pass a Bill for the regulation of a. Court of Esclleat, which was passed accordingly, but afterwards sup- pressed, through some undue influence; and, in the year 1816, a Despatch from the Earl of Bathurst went to release the Grantees from the performance of the conditions of their Grants; and when ' the Right Honorable Lord John Russell, Her Majesty’s late Secretary ofState for the Colo- nies, discourages all such legislation in this lslaqd .Q'svould settle the inhabitants, it becomes necessary to pro Her Mad jesty to lay the unsettled state ofthis Colony be 0*: the Im- erial Legislature, and recommend to their con. fleration to ass an enactment to authoris (he Crown to appoint Com- missioners from the l’rovin of New Brunswick and Nova,Scotia—men whose exp ience iii the practice of se - tling the, lands in those P iyces would enable them‘: make an appraisement; to ﬁlid the original fee simple value of the land in its wilderness state; andtalso the value there- ofin its improved state; andMettle the inhabitants in this

L Colony in such a manner, that iw‘pile the Government mayjimrl’oses 0f the “Onteml‘lated Lunatic Asylum ; aud' also

deem it just to award to the Proprietors the fee-simple va- lue of the land in its wilderness state, or the interest thereof as a rent, it appears equally just and reasonable that those who have cleared and improved the land, and erected the buildings thereon at their own 00st and labour, should be' secured in the value of their improvements.

9. RESOLVED, That while the Law for revesting forfeited Lands in the Crown is suspended in this Colony, and the Law for the recovery of Rents for such lands is carried into operation, giving the Proprietors of forfeited Grants an un-

‘2‘

A D V E R Tonnay; Acting 16, 1312.

nevertheless to origigl conditions of being open to the ﬁshelles. -:- - r 5 .

1‘3. RESOLVltpﬁl‘liat §bile the Prdprietors are allowed to @manfl and'hcover cut» for the Lands reserved for the Fisheries, or to dispose oftli‘ri'im in fee simple, it operates as a reward to the Proprietors‘to defeat any Law being made for tlig regulation ofthe Fishery Reserves, or for the settle- ment of'the inhabitants of this Colony; and that therefore it be respectfully sﬂimitaed to the Government, that it is necessary”! jt‘the Cover rent should, without delay, insti- tute procee lugs for the?" outcry of such Rents or purchase-- money from the Grantees, their Heirs and Assigns, as have been received by,them, and to order such regulations as shall make saidReserves available in future for the pur- poses for wliicﬁ' said lands were reserved.

14. RESOLVED, 'l'liat't‘l‘leLand Assessment imposed by an Act passed in 1837, for ten years, has been of no service whatever, to induce the Proprietors to settle the present Tenantry and occupants, or to settle the Wilderness land;- but this Tax has released the Proprietors from the payment of 0 Quit Rent, and ofteii is an additional burthen of wa

Shillings, per Hundred Acres, upon the . Tenant and occu- pant; and the Tag; ofFéur Shillings, per Hundred Acres, upon the Proprietors, faFWild Lands, is but an advance of Eight- pence, Sterling, upon a Quit Rent ofTwo Shillings, Sterling, per HunQed Acres, which the Proprietors are bound to pay—the Fgur Shillingi currency, being TwoShillings and eiglit- ence‘ sterling. 15. ESOLVED, That the rejection by the Legislative Council of’the Bill'passed by the House ofAssemhly, for the payinenltol One Handred Rounds, Sterling, to the individual whom theﬁsembly should ‘appoint gs their Agent in Great Britain,‘§ar the purposes expressed in the preamble to the said ' his denying to the Representatives ofthe peo- ple ofthis buy the power ofappropriating, from the funds received f m'thepeople, a sum which, thus applied, was likelyito be of the most material service to the people, and is barring themﬁ‘om the means ofemploying an eﬂicient in- diVidiial to act fowthem in Great Britain, at the time when the Petitionpf theHouse of Assenme is pending before the House ofCommons, am when tljose ofwhose procedure the people of thi§ Colony complain have an organized system ad agency in Britain, actively eligaged in counteracting the views,an injuring the interests of the people of this Colony. 16. Resonvizo, ‘liat it is the opinion of this Committee, that an humble Address be prepared to Her Majesty, pray- ing that (mtoftheiunappropriated funds now or hereafter to be paidfntom‘ie Treasury oftliis ‘lsland, arising from the ole of Crown Lands, Her Majesty will be graciously pleas- ed to allow the.sum of Five Hundred Pounds to be applied, in addition t0,the 3, sum at present granted by the Colonial egislature, in the purchase ofa piece of ground for the

the sum of One hundred and ﬁfty Pounds, to be applied in opening the’G-g ' getown Royalty Roads; and dso the sum ofOne hundret%:unds, to open new Roads .throughout, and in the impro inolﬁyf the communications in Prince- town “and Royalty.

l7. RESDDVED, Th t while the main interests and re- sources of,,this Islantfdeppnd on the number, industry and wealth of its agricultural population, so long will its'prospeé rity «rotated by auy'publjp measure calculated to render insbc the‘ﬁ’tles'to landed esﬁttes; to discourage the in-

due claim to recover Rent, and also the improvements made upon those lands by persons who were to have been settled,

es and settﬁmed’t of agric ltural capitalists, or which may ove tat . {irons Ten ntry an inducement to withhold

‘a

a ruinouszux‘l,‘ deemabfe liurtlien—Vihich public mea—

there is no expectation that such Proprietors will consent to [9,? 131374159!” 0 ' self l‘emss Until their "Bare accumulate .tO

ment, as‘ecommended i the girogbing' Re‘pll ionsﬁunl the Government is prepa d (in Lhe event'b “the roprietd’rs’ rcfusa to institﬁte proceedings by a Court of Escli'eat, to l'evest the forfeited Lands in the Crown, and settle the in— habitants. .u. , , . t

10. RESOLVED, Tint it is a subject ofcomplaiﬁtAn-this Colony, that the (lantees or Proprietors of the Township Lands have beeii suffered to exercise acts ofownersliip over the Lands for the Fisheries, including them in their Leases to the Tenants, or’otlierwise having disposed of the fee sim- ple with the land in the rear thereof; and immigrants on their arrival to settle in this Colony, hail either to purcha§3 or to pay rent for such reservations, before they could obtain a location where they could ﬁsh for their subsistence— whereby the Grantees or Proprietors have Obtained lai'ge sums ofmoney, to the loss ofthe inhabitants and the Colony; whereas the late Lieutenant Governor, Sir Charles. A. Fitz Roy, in the Session of 1839, by Message, laid before the House of Assembly certain Despatches relating to the Lands reserved for the Fisheries, setting forth that it was the determination of Her Majesty’s Government to throw open the Reserves to all British subjects engaging in the Fisheries, and suggesting to the House of Assembly the pro- priety of passing such Laws as might be necessary “for “preventing improvident and injurious practices in carrying “them on,” as recommended by Her Majesty’s Secretary of State for the Colonies.

11. REsoLVED, That the House of Assembly have, in the Sessions of 1839, 1841, and 1842, passed Bills for the regu- lation of the Reserves, to afford every facility for carrying on the Fisheries; hilt as the persons located upon these Reservations had cleared and improved the same, and in most .cases have erected their Dwelling Houses and other Buildings thereon, and have either purchased the fee simple thereof, or paid Rents for such Reservations to the Proprie- tors of the adjoining Townships, the House of Assembly provided in their Bills that the persons who cleared the land, or were entitled to the improvements, should be quiet- ed in their possessions; but the Council virtually rejected the said Bills, by their amendments thereto—which amend- ments Went to exclude the ﬁshermen, not only from all Buys and Harbours, but also from parts of the Out—sea mast, and to give the fee simple to the Proprietors of the Town- hips in the rear ofthe Fishery Reserves.

12. RESOLVED, That every indulgence that has been given to the Proprietors, from time to time, has been at the ex- pense of the Tenantry ; that when the Imperial Government reduced theQuit Rents, at the desire of the Grantees, they were increasing the Rent upon the Tenantry; and when the Despatch from Earl Bathurst went to release the Gran- tees from the settlement of their Grants with Foreign Pro- testants, the Grantees, through such indulgence, imposed terms of settlement upon British subjects far less favourable than any settlement practised in the British Colonies; that when the late Secretary of State for the Colonies declined to authorise the appointment of a Court of Escheat, and

relinquish such claims, or .submit .to an equitiie arran / ess

the Land, the Proprietors Were and are thereby encouraged to distress and deprive the Tenants oftheir improvements; and every indulgence given to the Proprietars emboldens them still further to oppress the Tenants; that as the House of Assembly ,knew that the Fishery Reserves were the most desirable for the locatiOn of immigrants, for the con-

brought into cultivation, and, together with the ﬁshery,

the ﬁrst colonization of this

declared that it would be unjust to divest the Proprietors of

venience of ﬁshing, and that such lands were the ﬁrst

were the principal sources from which the Tenant could pay rem—which rent the Proprietors have received since; Island—therefore, there could} be no injustice done to the Proprietors of the TOWllslllp‘ Lands to pass a Law to quiet the Tenant in the possessionl of such portion of the Reserves as he has cleared and l brought into cultivation at his own cost and labour—subject

sures have been supﬁdrtedby the proprietary c imants and.

their libettors. _ . g. ‘

18. RESOLVED, That the followin'ggReport of the Special

CeinmittEe be adopted, viz0— o ' Your Committee have respectfully to submit, that at this late)

period ofthe Session, they have not been able to bestow that“ time which the nature of the subject. .would require, in order to state, in all particulars. exact amounts; .that, al'tersome days, part ol the information which they acquired has not been fur- nished, owing probably to the pressure business in one (‘l'f the public Ollices, and that, in some GR 1 _ arings, the Com- mittee could not ascertain, from any,.anlh” ‘ ic record at their command, exact numbers or exact amounts. Under ‘these cir- cumstances, the only course left open to your Commitltee was to decline reporting, or so to guard their statements as that when exact information was unattainable, they should underrate any number or amount which bore against the statements and argu- ments of the Proprietary claimants. and should, at the same time, overrule any number or amount which was iii favour of these claimants. The documents as to arable freehold and leased land, mills, farming stock and crop,Churches, Schools, and the number of the male population liable to statute labour, are all taken from the Census, so far as number, the values only havmg been aﬂ‘ix- ed by the Committee.

Prapmy of the ‘ Townships of Prince Edward Island, by Census of 1841, exclusive of any value which may be put on the claims of the Grantee} of Townships and their Assigns, to demand rent.

Cleared, arable, fenced land in Townships, 135,000 Acres, at, for clearing and

fencing, per acre, .63 105. -

Houses, Barns, &c. of 7000 Farms, erected by the farmers, at £100,

177 Mills, at £200,

Roads Bridges and Wliaives,

£472,000

~700,000 34,000 106,000

£1,312,400

Moveable Property.

9600 Horses, at £12,

- £115,200 40,000 Cattle, at £4, - 160,000 70,000 Sheep, at 1-5s. - 52,500 33,000 Hogs, at 255. - . - 41,250

Agricultural Implements, and House— hold Furniture of 7000 families,at £40, 280,000 648,950

1,901,350 107,869

Grain for bread and sowing, 81.0., one half of what is raised, and the same of potatoes, independent of 3,000 tons of shipping

individuals on the Townships,

, belonging to

13,500

£2,082,719 Thence deduct as follows—Of 10,000 Acres, held by sundry proprietary claimants of Townships, for their own Farms, with the same proportion of stock and crop—these 10,000 being 1—59 of the whole laud occupied—that is 1259 of £2,082,719, gives £35,297, and double this, as the buildings and stock of these Farms are

much superior to the generality, £70,594

Which deducted, leaves as total capital of the farm- ing population, . - Public Buildings on the Townships, raised, with a fen: e entirely by the farmers : 67 Churches, at £250, 100 School Houses, at £30 - 3,000 The above prices are on the supposition, that the farming, stock are at the prices they would be.sold for in barter, and rather over the cash prices ; and were any quantity thrown : into the market here, and cash payments required, the ,l’rlce 1 would fall Very consi lerably. The other values are estimat- 1 ed in produce, the work required in performing the same being generally thus paid-

2,012,125

rceptium,

19,750

5 main.

SLAND

TISER.

[No. 246.

Imports for 1840—lnyoiced value, Sterling, £140,000,anrl which exceeds the Exports by £78,000 Sterling, which deﬁciency is believed to be nearly made up by the sale of Vessels built in the Colony, and the valjie whereof is not included in the Customllouse statement of Exports, £140,000

On the above invoiced value,add 100 per cent. as the price at which the Goods are sold in the Colony in colonial currency, — -

Ave rage of labour or commutation; paid for labour on public Roads by inhabitants, 'seven-sixths or

£140,000

9,000 individuals liable to labour, including Teams, £3,350 Preportion of Land Assessment paid by farmers, £380 Salaries to Clergymen and Teachers, and annual

Repairs to Churches and Schools, and/voluntary

subscriptions to Bridges and Wharves, — £7,500

’ £291,130

Shelving that the expenditure of the Colony, independent of Rents, amounts to about 14 per cent. on the capital accumulated chieﬂy by labour on the land, for the last Seventy years. And

in regard to this expenditure your Committee have to remark, 'tliat though it may bethought the Colony could dispense with the

greater part of some of the articles imported, yet, that it is ' ,qually clear, the Colony requires far more of some other articles than is imported, e. g., lion and Salt. and all ship stores. Your Committee have also to remark, that the quantity of Wheat raised in the Colony aﬂ‘ords three bushels for the consumption of every individual ; and that your Committee believe the

‘quanlity of Wheaten ﬂour exported from the outports, to be

at least, equal to what is imported to Charlottetown. Whereas the average consumption of Wheat in England appears by Colquhoun, folio 416, tabs from 4 to 8 bushels per head.

Your Committee also submit, as indicative of-the state of the Colony, that the Spanish Dollar, current in the adjoining Pro- vinces at 5s. and 55. 3d. of their currency, passes here at 65. 0 this Island currency, that their One Pound Notes pass here for Twenty-three Shillings ; that the British Shilling, which with them varies from 1s. 1d.‘to 1s. 311., here passes for 15. 6d.; and that the temporary employment of agricultural labourershand the-employment of mechanics, would be i'nuch ctrcumscrlbed, were they, in all instances, to reluse to. take from their em- ployers the produce of the country, and to insist for money.

Your Committee submit, that the population of this Island appears to have doubled since the year 1827 ;. but that, though this is held by some as an argument of Ibis-Island oﬁ‘eting advantages superior to the neighbouring Colonies, your Com_- mittee cannot agree to' the deduction. The number ofImmi- grants Within that period bears a large proportion to the total Population in 1827, for in that year it was 23,000, and last year 2.000 Immigrants arrived; and laying aside this item ofaccount, it may be observed, that some portions of the British dominions, which receive no accession of numbers from Qﬁbroad, but or e every year sending out great numbers of theirjiati've population, and are,in spite of such drain, rapidly increasmg in amount, are at the same time rather diminishing than increasing in wealth. The excel increase of population, from births among the people resident in this Island in 1827, appears from the Census to be 8,295, or 35 per cent. in fourteen years.

Rent. Ofthe land occupied, 300,000 Acres appear from the Census

tel-ling, on leases of 42 years—the lessee enteringynot on houses 1111 land cleared and fenced, but on wilderness Wood-land. On some wanships, the earlier settlers obtained leases at 6d. per acre, for 999 years. In general, the Rent is One Shilling, Ster- ling, per acre, per annum, and the duration 999 years; and the yearly rent at this date may be calculated at£16,250 currency.

i Previous to 1830, no Law exisied in the Colony compelling the claimants of Townshjps to contribute to lbe.expensc of making Roads through such" Townships. Since that time, _a Law was passed covapell‘ixg'them ,to- contribute to the formation (but not 1 he maintensf 'e) of Sinai Roads as should thereafter be‘ruh th ough the lan‘ claimed by them, Ah so far as a Jury should bﬁniﬁhat such land was increased in 'klue by said Roa’d; but if deteriorated, then the Treasury had to pay the amount of such deterioraﬂm to the claimants of the land. Under thisLaw, which was putiinto operation in 1833, verdicts have been given against the claimants of land to the umouﬂt‘of - £2,929

and in their favour, as for damages, - - e 351 showing the balance assessed on them to be—

(See Return by Prolhonotary,) - .-/ - £2,578 of which there has been paid, up to the 51h April, 1842, £388, as

by search of Committee; stated by the Treasurer at £310.

Thus it appears that the total amount which the Proprietary claimants, as such, have been assessed for Roads, Since the Colony received a Legislature, is only one halflof what was last year voted by the House of Assembly, in aid of Roads, Bridges, and \Vharves, and not more than one-ﬁfteenth of _what has, ‘hy vote of successive Houses of Assembly, been paid for Slmllal‘ pulpOSeS since 1824, and not equivalent to one year of the Sta- tute Labour; a j . have been paid—a sum not far exceeding the expense to which the country has been put in summoning and paying Jones and Witnesses, 6:12., to obtain the whole of the verdicts.

As to the sales of land by the claimants of Townships, to ac- tual culiivators, by the Census it would appear/that 239,000 Acrcs are held in freehold; but this was not all sold by these claimants to the farmers, for two Townships, each of 20,000 Acres, were escheated by Governor Smith, and the greater part of these has been granted, in tracts of from 500 .10 100 Acres; and much of what was thus granted is now held in freehold by farmers. Of 200,000 Acres which the Proprietary claimants offered in 1782-3 to surrender to Loyalists, a quantity, estimated at 25,000 Acres, is held by Loyalists or their ASSigns. one entire Township, No 3, was made over by one claimant to his Creditors, and by them sold in lots of 900 Acres; and at different times individual farmers have purchased s‘mall tracts of Wilder-1 ness land at sales, for arrears of Quit Rent or Land Assessment, due by the Townships. About 7,500 Acres of Globe and School Lands Were sold, in lets not exceeding 130 Acres, and the moie- ties of Townships 45 and 52, for which moreties (a . the best information' your Committe can acquire) no. claimants ever appeared, as well as portions of other Townships, which were for many years unclaimed, have been taken, up by indi- viduals who. by undisputed possession, for a series of years, have acquired 'a legal right to the land, and thus may be reckoned amongst the freeholders—so that from the above 239,- 000 Acres. marked in the Census as held in» fee Simple, a cone. sidernble proportion has not been sold by the claimants of Town: ships to the larinersthereof, and therefore “ the gradual operation of time," recommended by Lord John Russell, appears to your Committee likely to extend to some centuries. . As to the value of the claim to the soil of the Island, maintained by the heirs and assigns of the Grantees, about 1,300,000 Acres were grant- ed. Of these, 239,000 are, as above mentioned, now held in fee sample, and this being deducted, leaves 1,061.000 Acres claim?! by these Grantees, part of which they have leased; b1: the greater part is unleased; and of both leased and'unliei‘ise , the greater part, or at least nine-tenths, IS not reclaime tom 1 e state of nature. Now. 53. per acre,

outside value thereof, sales of Government 1

for wilderness land, may be taken as the, and rather exceeds the average value of and in New Brunswick. and this gives the Value of this Seignoral claim (if valid), at £ib5,2fo_' t h ' th r View of the matter, an re emng o i e 110010210de gpuaiiifsheed- in London, about 1807, by Captain John Si wart and to other accounts,it would appear, that the average e kei ,value of a claimnto one of the Townships of this Colony, fidin 1769 to 1800, was about £600, which, for 67 TOW-Eggigtgé 1d lve - - _ . ' ’ W0“ [mil-est on that sum, V £141,853

. £175,158

And your Committee, makingeveiy deduction, can-

not estimate the amount-of prices received by the P10? prietary Claimants and their Agents, at less than

£50,000

ml of this small Assessment, only £388 appear to .

ccording lo ‘

‘2.

“to be under rent. This, on several Townships, is ls. 6d. and 2s. \