brook, would greatly facilitate the communication with the Fish River road, and cross road to the Presque Isle.

The Resolve of January 21st, 1839, authorized the Land Agent to exchange with the Commonwealth for township No. 11, range 5, any township belonging to Maine, of equal value. This has been carried into effect, and that township has been conveyed to the State in exchange for township No. 10, range 7. The position of No. 11, on the Aroostook road, the quality of the soil, and the erection of a saw and grist mill within its bounds, will ensure its rapid settlement.

The Surveyor General has surveyed and caused to be surveyed and lotted, townships No. 9, range 4, No. 8, range 5, No. 11, range 6, and letters H and F, range 2, from the east line of the State; and has nearly completed lotting No. 9, range 6, and No. 11, range 5. The unfavorable weather prevented the Surveyor from finishing the lotting of these two. A portion of No. 12, range 3, and No. 13, range 4, have also been lotted on the Aroostook and the cross road from the Presque Isle, and was done from their peculiar situation. Lots on these portions of the townships have been sought after for settlement, and settlements are already begun on some, and old settlers reside on others. The same is the case with No. 9, and 11. The law now requires the whole of a township to be settled before any part is offered for sale. The settlers and applicants for lots in these four townships are very desirous of acquiring titles to their possessions. No reason is perceived how a sale to actual settlers in these cases, could prejudice the public interest.

As the law now is, individuals as matter of right, claim deeds of four lots in a township, and it is not easy to resist the claim, though the Land Agent may have the strongest

reasons to believe, the purchaser has no intention of settling there. Some times they are purchased on speculation, and the actual settler is made to pay an advance, or the lots remain uncultivated four years, before forfeited, and the purchaser's note worthless. In other cases the purchase is made by some irresponsible person, for the purpose of stripping off the few pine trees thereon, perhaps barely enough for building purposes, of the actual settler, and then the lot is left, of diminished value, and a worthless note. Great evil in the delay of the settlement of the Public Lands, results from these practices. To avoid this evil entirely, is perhaps impracticable, but further legislation might afford a partial remedy.

There is some embarrassment, in carrying into effect, the second section of the Act of the 23d March, 1838, in relation to the sale and settlement of the Public Lands. It seems to embrace the case of one or more, but not exceeding twenty settlers, who are encouraged to give bond to erect mills. In two of the townships 'lotted or partially lotted the present season, saw and grist mills have been erected and recently put in operation. Though within the equity and policy of the law, and built with a view to its encouragement, yet are not precisely within the letter of the law. The mills were erected before the lots were designated, and a question arises as to how many lots are to be given to the persons who have erected them. In one instance the mills are erected by a single individual, and there is no other purchaser or applicant to purchase land in that township. In a third case mills were erected before the passage of the law, by one individual, and then the only individual in the township, which has been lotted this year. Special legislation is required in the last case, if not in the others.

There have been many applications to purchase settling lots in the townships recently lotted, but the returns by the surveyors, of their field notes, have not been made in season to enable me to fix prices and make sales. The facilities of getting to these lands, afforded by the extensive line of roads, opened the past season, will ensure an extensive sale, at an early day.

I have sold to settlers, six thousand, six hundred and forty-two acres of settling land, for four thousand, nine hundred and three dollars and eighty-eight cents, three fourths of which, to be expended on the roads, where the lands lie, and the other fourth payable in four years.

The Resolve of January 28th, 1839, making appropriation of land for officers and soldiers of the Revolution and their widows, directs the Land Agent to cause to be surveyed into lots of two hundred acres each, township letter D, in the first range bordering on the East line of the State, to satisfy holders of certificates of land under the several Resolves on that subject, and provides the manner of numbering the lots, for putting the numbers into a box and drawing by the holders of certificates. The duty of surveying was left to the Surveyor General to perform. It is believed that the Legislature was not aware of the situation of that Township when the Resolve passed. There were then thirteen settlers in that township on the Aroostook river passing through the northern part of it, eleven of whom had families, and some have been settled there ten or twelve years, with good farms. It could not have been intended to give away the possesThe boom and Fort

sions of these people in a lottery. Fairfield are also on this township, and so long as it is necessary to guard the timber and river with any considerable number of men, the land where the blockhouses

and quarters are, will be needed for public use. I therefore found it impracticable to carry this Resolve into effect, without an extensive injury to many individuals, which I would not believe the Legislature would knowingly inflict. Could this Resolve be modified so that claimants should receive a sum of money fully equivalent to what these grants have been worth in the market, or some other township, differently situated, substituted in its place, the difficulty with these settlers would be removed without injury to any individual. Land granted to the aged soldier or his widow, without provision for roads or mills, and there being no large proprietors sufficiently interested to build mills and bring forward other improvements, and without prospect of early settlement by reason of the age and circumstances of many of the proprietors, cannot be worth more than the money part of the payment for settling land under the present settling laws. The position of this township renders it important it should be settled forthwith. Grants of land in this manner greatly retard settlement. The effect of appropriations of this character is illustrated by the fact that of the seven townships heretofore granted by Maine and Massachusetts to Revolutionary soldiers, only one has a settlement within its borders. They are still a wilderness, and bid fair be so for a quarter of a century to come, and until a title is acquired to them by taxation. It is believed a sum of money would have been more beneficial to the recipients, and more for the interest of the State. To save the interest of the settlers on letter D, the Surveyor General run off a mile on the north and best part of the township, sufficient to save their farms and the public works, and then run the exterior lines and made the corners of the lots, but had not time to trace the lines

through, the last fall, but will do that as early next season as possible. There will not probably in this way be lots enough made to satisfy all the warrants, and the southeast part of the township contains many lots of worthless land. Under these circumstances, and without a return of the survey by the Surveyor General, I have not formed, and could not, the lottery of lots, and shall now defer it till the Legislature express their pleasure on the subject. If freed from this embarrassment, the land in the township fit for settlement, and there is a large proportion of excellent land in it, would under the settling laws soon be under cultivation.

Under the Resolve of March 20th, 1838, in favor of commissioned officers and their widows, eight applications have been filed during the year, seven of which have been admitted and certificates issued, and the remaining case continued for evidence, making the whole number of certificates issued under said Resolve, twenty-seven. Under the Resolve of March 24, 1836, providing for the payment of money in certain cases, twelve new applications have been made, five of which have been admitted and certificates issued, six rejected and one continued for evidence. Certificates have also issued in former applications, I found pending, in four cases, making the whole number issued under this Resolve, three hundred and ninety-one.

Under the Resolves of March 17, 1835, and March 23, 1838, twenty-one new applications have been received, eight of which have been admitted and certificates issued, six rejected, and seven continued for evidence. Certificates have also issued in nine cases of former applications, making the whole number of certificates issued under said Resolves and Resolve of March 16, 1836, six hundred and eighty-six.