FOREST COMMISSIONER S REPORT. I45 



to the shore of Deer Island, within these bounds, not named on 

 the chart, which do not appear in my index. None of these 

 islands appear in the index at the Land Office of Islands 

 Granted, as ever having been conveyed. 



I have gone into this matter of the granting of island groups 

 somewhat fully, setting out in full the deeds or resolves grant- 

 ing them, because some of these involve the construction of 

 those deeds or resolves upon which the title of many small 

 islands depends, and I thought the same would be of value to 

 anyone interested in island titles in these vicinities. Also they 

 dispose of some 250 islands and ledges not appearing on the 

 Island Index at the Land Office as having been conveyed. This 

 fact, together with the fact, as has been seen, that the islands 

 along a large section of our coast were disposed of by ancient 

 grants from the Crown and its grantees — including hundreds 

 of valuable islands, — and which, of course, do not appear as 

 having been granted by this index, may account for the vary- 

 ing opinions held at the Land Office, as expressed in the re- 

 ports of their Agents from year to year, as to the number and 

 value of Islands still remaining in the State. 



'te 



Something as to the Settlements Between the Mus- 



CONGUS AND THE KeNNEBEC. 



Pemaquid and Vicinity. 



In 1632 the Council of Plymouth granted to Robert Aids- 

 worth and Gyles Elbridge a tract of 12,000 acres, and one hun- 

 dred acres to each settler who should be planted upon the 

 territory within seven years, and reside there three years. 



This grant was located from the head of the Muscongus 

 River to the head of the Damariscotta River, and between 

 them to the sea — covering the present towns of Bristol and 

 Bremen. It included the Damariscove Islands, and all islands 

 and islets within the limits aforesaid three leagues into the 

 main ocean. 



This territory was claimed by several other claimants, either 

 as included in part in grants to them or from Indian purchases. 

 Not until 1813 were the disputes of these various claimants 

 finally settled. 



10 



