Page:1898 NB Magazine.djvu/336

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AT PORTLAND POINT.
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difficulty in producing substantial evidence against Mr. Davidson.[1]

However, Sir Andrew Hamond decided that having more than one contract for supplying Government with masts was a thing undesirable because of its enhanc-ing the price of labor and diverting the attention of the settlers from the improvement of their farms, whilst offering no benefit to his Majesty's service."

Francklin, Hazen and White sent supplies of goods up the river from time to time for general trade with the inhabitants as well as for their masting business. Salt they sometimes bartered for Indian corn—two bushels of the former for one of the latter. Philip Weade continued to keep a store at St. Ann's, receiving his goods from Hazen and White, and giving them in return moose and beaver skins brought in by the Indians and Acadians. The little sloops that came up the river generally secured return cargoes of boards, long shingles, clapboards, oar rafters, etc., and occasionally they went to Grand Lake for coal. There were mills on the Oromocto prior to 1781; another was built by Samuel Peabody for the company about this time. Masts were cut as far up the Oromocto stream as the union of its two main branches near Fredericton Junction.

A few sentences culled at random from the correspondence of Hayes and Peabody will throw a little side-light on the difficulties attending the masting business:

"We are very badly off indeed for chalk lines having nothing of that kind to make use of bat twine. * * Owing to not
  1. ↑ Samuel Peabody wrote James White Aug. 18. 128. from Maugerville: "I have not compleated the business that Mr. Francklin was in want of on acct. of the fear that People are in of Davidson; expecting him along this way every day with great Power as he has wrote to his wife to procure what even and hay she can. It is supposed he will have another Mast Contract and if that should be the case these people that can clearly give their oaths that Davidson did interfere with our business are afraid of getting his ill will and being injured by him, and seem to refuse to give evidence except they are summoned to it.
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