colden’s report on the lands in the province of new-york.

251

man, and gave the Kings Lands by parcels of upwards of One hundred thousand Acres to a man,and to some particular favourites four or five times that quantity, but the King was not pleased withhim, as I am told, and lie was recalled in disgrace. This lavishing away of lands probably was onereason for

The Earl of Bellamont, who succeeded, having orders to use all legal means for breaking extrava-gant grants of Land, joined with the assembly in vacating several of the extravagant Grants madeby Coll Fletcher but as this act was carried thro’ with Spirit of party in the assembly, it passed withmuch less impartiality than might have been expected from the Justice of the Legislature . Forsome of the most extravagant Grants were passed over, while some others were declared extravagantand vacated, that no way deserved that Character. However this act has considerably encreased hisMajestys Quitrents for of these tracts which were then vacated, and which by their pattents were topay altogether five beaver skins, one otter skin one fat Buck and twenty shillings the lands sincethat time regranted within the bounds of the said patents pay near four hundred pounds yearly atthe rate of 2» 6 d per hundred acres, notwithstanding that a great part of these lands still remain un-granted. The Earl of Bellamont’s administration was short he being removed by Death before hecould compleat the designs he had in view

After his death the admistration fell into Cap 1 Nafans hands, then Lieu 1 Gov r . It appears that theGrants made in his time pass’d in a hurry, without any previous Survey, but upon very uncertaininformations of the natural Boundaries, which the Grantees took in their Grants, so that some otthem are become a sort of ambulatory Grants. The Patentees claiming, by virtue of the same Grant ,sometimes in One part of the Country, and sometimes in another, as they are driven from one place toanother by others claiming the same lands with more certainty. In other grants we find the samepersons joined in several Grants with others, which Grants were intended for different Tracts and inappearance seem to be so, and yet by their present claims they take in the same Lands within thebounds of their several grants.

The Earl of Bellamont was succeeded, after Queen Anns ascension to the throne by her Cousin theLord Cornbury. The Grants of large tracts upon trifling quitrents, that were made during hisLordships administration at least equalled those of all his predecessors put together. Indeed hisLordship’s inclinations were so evident to everybody at that time that two Gentlemen (as I am wellassured) had agreed with his Lordship for a Grant of all the lands in the Province, at a Lump, whichwere not at that time granted, and that the only thing which prevented the passing of that grantwas, that those Gent" apprehended that the Grant would of itself appear so extravagant and wouldcreate so many enemies, that they would not be able to hold it. During the Lord Cornbury’s admi-nistration an act was likewise passed, repealing the act above mentioned for vacating the extravagantGrants oi Land by Coll Fletcher. The vacating Act passed not long before King Williams Death,and lay in the offices in England without any notice taken of it, till after the Lord Cornbury wasremoved from his Government; then the vacating Act was confirmed and the Act repealing it wasrepeal’d by the Queen and at the same time new instructions were given to the Gov r , by which theQuitrent was directed not to be less than 2 s 6 d each hundred acres, and previous surveys were orderedto be made before the Grant should pass, which have effectually prevented the above mentionedabuses.

I shall now proceed to some more particular account of the great Grants of Lands , I mean of suchas contain fifty thousand Acres and upwards to a Million of acres, for if I be not very much misin-formed, there is more than one that contain that quantity.

No quantity of Land or number of Acres, for the most part, are mentioned in any of these Grants,nor is it possible to discover the Quantity, by inspection of the Patents , as it may be done in thoseGrants which are founded on a previous Survey and where any quantity is expressed, it seems to be