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but for some reason there was a delay and when he visited Halifax in the Autumn, matters had not improved. This we learn from his letter of Oct. 1, 1764, in which he writes:—
"With respect to Land there's no prospect of ever getting any valuable from this government, though doubtless, whatever be asked for in England, if right steps is taken, may be had with little cost; several large grants have lately been made there. The land is very valuable."
The reason of this was afterwards explained to be that in consequence of a dispute between the government and the well known colonizer, Alexander McNutt, it had been ordered that no lands should be granted without the King's mandamus first obtained. Soon after, this order was countermanded and then came a perfect deluge of land grants. Between twenty and thirty townships, besides other large grants to individuals, were passed in the course of a few weeks.
In the first grant at St. John, obtained by James Simonds in 1763, Richard Simonds appears as a grantee although he had died nine months before. This must have been due either to James Simond's neglect in giving the govern neat notice of his decease, or more probably to the inattention of the clerk who made out the grant. It appears that the other partners were not quite satisfied with James Simonds procuring the second grant in May, 1770, in his own name, but they relied upon the clause in their contract relating to the division of lands as affording a guarantee that their rights would be protected. In addition to the lands held in common the partners, by mutual consent, indulged in a variety of purchases and speculations. In May, 1773. Mr. Simonds bought from Hon. Charles Morris, the tract commonly called the Morrisania lands, containing by estimation 10,000 acres, in what is now the parish of Lincoln and the city of Fredericton, and also a tract of