FOREST COMMISSIONERS REPORT. I33 



already described, and need not be again repeated. An inven- 

 tory was taken of the public lands belonging to Massachusetts 

 within the District of Maine and a division made by the Con- 

 missioners. They made a division of islands as well as the other 

 public lands, and their doings on this point are expressed in 

 their report as follows : 



"The Commissioners proceeded to a division of the islands, 

 which by a report of George W. Coffin, agent of the Land 

 Office, of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, appeared to 

 remain, in the title thereto, the property of the Commonwealth 



A list of the islands divided is given in their report, so that 

 we may know definitely just what they were, after determining 

 what islands under the names that we know them by today were 

 included in this division. 



This report made by Mr. Coffin at this time upon which the 

 Commissioners based their division, would undoubtedly throw a 

 great deal of light upon this subject as he must have investigated 

 Massachusetts title to islands on this section of the coast, and 

 it would seem must have satisfied the Commissioners from 

 Maine of lack of title to them, as a reason why they were not 

 submitted for division, — but a diligent search both at the Land 

 Office here and the Massachusetts archives has failed to dis- 

 cover it nor was I able to find anything in the records and 

 reports of these Commissioners throwing any light on Massa- 

 chusetts title to islands in this section — the most such an exami- 

 nation yielded was a certainty that in the performance of their 

 duties relative to the exploration and sale of public lands, they 

 had no dealings with them. 



An examination of the list of islands thus divided and the 

 location of each, shows that in this division no islands were 

 divided west of the west line of the Waldo Patent — those farth- 

 est west lying ofif the mouth of the St. George River — Allen, 

 Burnt and Monhegan. 



I do not by any means intend to convey the idea that no 

 islands but those included in this division passed to Maine by 

 the Separation and subsequent purchase, for it is very obvious 

 from an examination of the island surveys, as shown by the 

 Massachusetts plans, returned and now on file, that very many 

 of the smaller islands were not included in these surveys and 



