of His Commands and Finances. Signed, Louis. and lower down, Phelippeaux, Below, the present Brevet has been enregistered in the Registers of the Superior Council of New France, By the King's Attorney General according to the Arret of the day, by us, Councillor Secretary of the King, Chief Greffier of said Council, undersigned. At Quebec the 7th October 1743 Signed, DAINE. [Here follows another Deed, dated 1st April 1745, to the same person of an additional Tract in Seigniory, three leagues in front on Lake Champlain, by five in depth, extending from the North bounds of the former grant, subject to the same burthens and conditions; and a Deed of Sale of the entire "Seigniory Hocquart" to M. Michel Chartier, Seigneur of Lotbiniere &c for the sum of Nine Thousand livres-bearing date Paris, 7th April. 1763.] SITUATION OF THE SEIGNIORY OF ALAINVILLE; I, undersigned, affirm and declare on oath that the Seigniory of Alainville, four leagues and more in front by five leagues in depth to the West, commences at La Pointe des habitans (one league and a half or thereabouts, above the Fort at Pointe a la Chevelure, and on the same side of the River) and that it terminates at Pointe du Bivac [Bivouac point] of M. de Contrecour's Camp, the lower point above l'Isle au Mouton near the entrance of the Lake St. Sacrement; that the said Seigniory belongs to me in virtue of the Grant which the Marquis de Vaudreuil made to me dated 15th November of the year One thousand seven hundred & fifty Eight; that this deed of Concession was left, in the original by me in July 1764 with Mr Pownall Secretary of the Board of Trade and the Colonies to be registered in said Office; that Sr Henry Guinaud, my agent in London informed me by letter that the Title deeds deposited by the Honble Mr. Cholmondely on my behalf & by me at the said office had been returned to him all registered. GOV. MOORE TO THE BOARD OF PLANTATIONS. [Lond. Doc. XXXIX.] New York, 7 Nov. 1766. My Lords-I had the honour of informing your Lordpps in a former letter that I proposed to settle the Boundary line between this Province and Quebec as soon as I could conveniently leave this City, and it was not long before I had an opportunity of doing it, for upon the arrival of Brigadier Carleton from England, I set out in company with him for Lake Champlain, and after encountering with many difficulties occasioned by the badness of the weather, we fixed the limits on the River Sorell about two miles & a half below windmill Point, which is further to the Northward than we imagined to find it from the observations which were said to be made there by the French some few years agoe; upon our arrival at Windmill Point, several French Gentlemen came to us, there from Quebec, as well to pay their compliments to Brigr Carleton, as to request of me the confirmation of their Rights to those Seigneiories, which on our observations should be found in the Southward of the 45th degree, and which were granted to them before the conquest of Canada. To this demand I could make no other answer than, that His Majesty had by his instructions to me laid down such rules for the granting of lands in this Prove that I could not deviate from them without incurring his displeasure, and that the power of confirming what they now requested of me, was not at present lodged in my hands, as I was particularly restrained from granting to any one person more than one thousand acres, whereas they demand confirmation of Grants, some of which consisted of Tracts containing 100,000 acres and others of 150,000 acres; I further informed them that no land was granted in this Provce to any of His Majtys subjects without their paying a quit-rent of two shillings & sixpence sterling to the Crown for each hundred acres, & desired to know if they expected to have their grants confirmed, without paying any such quit-rent; to which they answered in the affirmative, and requested that I would not grant any lands on the Lake till I had laid their claims before His Majestys Ministers. On the other hand the reduced. Officers, and disbanded soldiers, many of whom are now in actual Possession of large Trac's of those Lands, are greatly alarmed at these Claims, and desire to be protected in the Grants made to them by Lieut Govr Colden, as they have vested their whole fortunes in the settlements already begun on them, and must be reduced to beggary, on being dispossessed. I had the honor of informing Mr. Secretary Conway, soon after my arrival at New York from England that Lieut Govr Colden had declined showing me his correspondence with the Secretary of State's Office, & the Board of Trade, which I was desirous of seeing, so that if any orders relative to the French claims have been transmitted they have not yet come to my hands. Your Lordpps will see at one view how great a prejudice to the settlement of the Provce the present uncertain tenure must occasion, for several other persons who have obtained His Majtys sign manual for large Tracts are desirous of taking them up on the sides of Lake Champlain, and have already gone so far, as to make actual surveys of the Lands, but are now discouraged from proceeding farther, lest after a great expense incurred they might be turned out of possession. I was in hopes that I should have been able to have sent over to your Lordpps by this opportunity an actual survey of the Lake taken by a skillful hand, in which all the French claims were to be distinguished, with the number of acres which each of them contained, and likewise the grants made to the Officers and Soldiers, under the great seal of this Provce in consequence of His Majtys Proclamation which would have showed at one view how far they interfere with each other. The Deputy Surveyor of Canada, who attended me the whole time I was employed in fixing the line of division between the Provinces, promised to furnish me with an exact draught of all the Seigneuries on the Lake, time enough to transmit to your Lordpps by the Packet, but I have not heard from him since my return hither. As this is a matter of very great importance to a considerable number of persons in this Province, whose whole fortunes are vested in these Lands, they have requested me to take the earliest opportunity of laying the state of their case before your Lordpps and to set forth the distressed situation in which they are at present, that His Majestys pleasure might be known on this head. During my absence from hence, two Packets arrived but as I was at too great a distance, they had sailed again before I heard of their arrival, which I hope will appologize for my not having acknowledged sooner the honor of your Lordpps letter of the 11th July, and the receipt of the queries sent by the same opportunity, which shall be answered with all expedition and in the fullest manner from the best Intelligence I am capable of procuring. I have the honor to be, ettc. H. MOORE. LORD HILLSBOROUGH TO SIR H. MOORE. [Lond. Doc. XLI.] Whitehall Feb 25th 1768. Your letter to Lord Shelburne No. 5. which relates to the Claims of His Mâtys Canadian Subjects, to lands on that part of Lake Champlain which is now a part of the Colony of New York, has been referred to the Lords of Trade, & their Lordships having made a Report to His Mâty thereupon, It is His Mâtys Resolution upon the fullest consideration not to allow any claims made upon the grounds of ancient grants from the Government of Canada, to Lands which were never acknowledged to belong of right to the Crown of France. His Mâty has the most tender Regard to the Rights of His new subjects, & is desirous of giving every proper Testimony of His Attention to their Interests and Welfare, & therefore it is his Mâtys Pleasure, that they should not be disturbed in the : peaceable possession of any Tracts so circumstanced, which they may have actually settled & improved, provided they consent to establish their Title by Grants under the seal of the Province of New York, upon the usual Conditions of Quit Rent & Improve ment. LORD HILLSBOROUGH TO SIR H. MOORE. [N. Y. Council Minutes XXVI; Lond. Doc. XLI.] Whitehall 13th August 1768. I have only in Command from His Majesty to send you the inclosed order of His Majesty in Council confirming the Boundary Line between New York & Quebec, as agreed upon and fixed by yourself and Governor Carleton, for the due execution of which Order under the several Limitations and Restrictions contained in it, His Majesty has the fullest Reliance on your Zeal for and Attention to His Service. [N. Y. Council Minutes XXVI.] At the Court at St. James the 12th day of August 1768. Whereas there was this Day read at the Board a Report from the Right Honourable the Lords of the Committee of Council for Plantation Affairs dated the 9th of this Instant, upon considering a Report made by the Lords Commissioners for Trade and Plantations, upon an Extract of a Letter from Sir Henry Moore Governor of New York to the Earl of Shelburne dated the 16th of January last, relative to the setling the Boundary Line between that Province and Quebec: By which Report it appears that it having been mutually agreed upon between Sir Henry Moore and the Commander in Chief of the Province of Quebec, at a Meeting for that purpose appointed, that the Line of Division between |