128 FOREST commissioner's REPORT. 



On May 6, 1677, Massadhusetts Colony obtained from the 

 heirs of Ferdinando Gorges an assignment of the Province of 

 Maine as granted to Gorges by Charter of April 3, 1639, "^-^'cept- 

 ing grants made by the original proprietor or his agents." 

 Under this grant Massachusetts claimed the Province of Maine 

 — Portsmouth to Kennebec. But numerous grants had been 

 made by Gorges and his agents, as well as infringing grants by 

 the Council of Plymouth within this territory which held good, 

 such as the Lewis and Bonythan grant on the west side of the 

 Saco River ; the old Oldham and Vines grant on the south side 

 of the Saco ; the Black Point grant in Scarboro ; the Lygonia 

 grant from Kennebunk to Harpswell, and others. 



In the "History of the Wild Lands of Maine" the author 

 says : 



"It will be seen from the foregoing sketch of the grants from 

 the Crown and Council of Plymouth, and the claims under 

 Indian deeds, that out of the territory purchased of Gorges, and 

 the additional territory included in the charter of William and 

 Mary in 1691, about 2,500,000 acres were covered by previous 

 grants, the titles under a part of which were then admitted, and 

 the remainder has been since adjudged to be good ; and which 

 of course never passed into the hands of the Colony as pro- 

 prietors of the soil. These lands with but trifling exceptions 

 occupy the whole of the present County of York, all the sea 

 coast of Cumberland, the whole of Lincoln and Waldo, the 

 greater part of Kennebec and upward of 200,000 acres in Som- 

 erset, — embracing the whole of that part of the country which 

 was settled prior to the war of 1756, and much the larger part of 

 that which was settled before the Revolution." 



Charter of William and Mary to the Inhabitants of the Prov- 

 ince of Massachusetts Bay, October 7, 1692 : 



The Province of Massachusetts Bay, The Pilgrim Colony, at 

 Plymouth, The Province of Maine (New Hampshire line to 

 the Kennebec) together with Sagadahoc (between the Kenne- 

 bec and Nova Scotia) and Acadia — (Nova Scotia including 

 New Brunswick) were incorporated into The Royal Province 

 of Massachusetts Bay. 



By this Charter lands were granted to the inhabitants of 

 the Province of Massachusetts Bay from Nova Scotia to Pis- 

 cataqua, subject to all previous grants, "zvith all the islands and 



