56 FOREST commissioner's REPORT. 



"What is the opportunity for diverting the current from 

 Frederickton and Quebec to ports within this district? 



Mr. Greenleaf in a communication dated Williamsburg, 

 December 29, 1813, answered these questions. He stated that 

 the District of Maine then comprised about 34,680 square miles 

 of which 16,175 square miles are already sold and located. 

 There was then still in the possession of the Commonwealth 

 18,508 square miles, of 11,845,200 acres, out of which about 

 430,000 acres had been reserved for the Penobscot Indians, and 

 probably about 45,000 acres were occupied by a number of 

 French on the St. John which was then in the county of Han- 

 cock. Mr. Greenleaf gave it as his opinion that 11,000,000 

 constituted the disposable fund of the Commonwealth in eastern 

 lands. He gave it as his opinion that the five nearest markets 

 would probably attract to themselves the populations of sections 

 containing very nearly the number of acres subjoined : 



Augusta — on the Kennebec 619,000 acres 



Bangor — on the Penobscot 3,745.300 



Passamaquoddy 220,800 



Frederickton 5,913,600 " 



Quebec 1,344,000 



Total II ,843,000 



]\Ir Greenleaf urged that unless measures were taken to open 

 in the best possible manner communication by land and water 

 from Bangor and Augusta into the heart of the territory, the 

 people would be obliged to depend upon foreign markets for 

 their supplies, and that "this state, as well as the nation, will 

 thus lose all the benefit resulting from the interchange of 

 products between this part of its own commercial and agricul- 

 tural population." 



Mr. Greenleaf said that the central part of this body of land 

 due north of Bangor, distant about 100 miles in a straight line. 

 The most central point of communication with much of the 

 largest part of the interior is about ten degrees west from Ban- 

 gor, and distant about 100 miles in a straight line. On account 

 of the intervention of lakes and mountains the nearest prac- 

 ticable route to this point must pass between the Spencer moun- 

 tains, north. Mr. Greenleaf continuing this report says : 



