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altercation and dispute." Among those present in the store at the time, and whose testimony is extant, were Samuel Emerson, Henry Dow, Alexander Tapley, Stephen Hovey, Moses Coburn and Oliver Perley who came to St. John as passengers in the vessel and nearly all of them settled in Sheffield and Maugerville. Hazen and Jarvis were very firm and positively declined to continue to furnish the supplies necessary for carrying on the business without the commissions and profits made by ordinary merchants, unless as a compensation they were allowed an interest in the lands. They further stated that they would not allow the articles then on board the schooner Eunice to be carried from Newburyport, nor furnish anything further, but insist upon immediate settlement of accounts and the payment of the balance due to them unless Mr. Simonds agreed to execute the contract. Much as he disliked the proposal, the situation of Mr. Simonds was such that he finally appended his signature to the document.

It may be noted in passing, that the contract signed at this time is among the papers in Mr. Ward Hazen's possession. It is in the hand writing of Leonard Jarvis and is a well worn document which bears the marks of having been repeatedly handled. This is not to be wondered at, for it was around the question of the validity of this contract that the controversy arose which at the time of settlement of the Company's affairs led to so much heart burning and expensive litigation. The contract was entered in the book of records of the old county of Sunbury by the Deputy Registrar, who was none other than Mr. Simonds himself, and the original document bears the following certificate, "Registered by me March 9, 1782, Ja. Simonds, Dep'y Reg'r." Had not Mr. Simonds been so deeply chargined at the action of Hazen and