Page:New Brunswick Magazine Issue 1.djvu/306

interest and influence of Captain Patrick Kennedy of that corps, was enabled to secure in return a grant for himself and James White of 11,000 acres of land lying to the eastward of the marsh at St. John, the same being equivalent to the number of acres in their two lots at New Town. Mr. Hazen makes this statement under oath in the proceedings of a Chancery suit in the year 1795, but Mr. Simonds does not agree with him and in his sworn testimony strongly affirms that Mr. Hazen had no claim for compensation for his rights in New Town which were certain to be escheated, no improvements having been made upon them; that the 11,000 acres east of the marsh were really granted as an equivalent for the surrender of the lands in the township of Conway and that he certainly should himself have had a share with Hazen and White in this grant of 11,000 acres.^[1]

The landed interests of the members of our old trading company became by degrees very extensive and were by no means confined to their rights in the old townships. Mr. Simonds, about the year 1770, purchased from Charles Morris, the surveyor general of Nova Scotia, a tract of 10,000 acres known as Morrisania, situated just below Fredericton and including a part of "the old plain." He also purchased another tract from Charles Morris of 2,000 acres on the east side of the river, just below M auger's Island, to which he retired for greater security during the Revolutionary war. A grant of 8,000 acres on the northwest side of the Oromocto river was made in the year 1782 to William Hazen, James White, Jacob Barker and Tamberlane Campbell, as disbanded subaltern officers who had served in America during the last French war.