FOREST commissioner's REPORT. 43 



pie towards France were at their height, and they were disposed 

 to view, with the most favorable eye, any claims of that nation, 

 an application was made to the government of Massachusetts, 

 for confirmation, or indemnity, for a grant made in April, 1691, 

 by Louis XI\' of France, to Monsieur de la Motte Cadillac. 

 This grant had become obsolete, and a part of the land now 

 claimed under it was occupied under the authority of Massa- 

 chusetts. The feelings of the government however, were 

 friendly to the applicants, and their claim was admitted so far 

 as to release, to Monsieur and Aladame De Gregoire, the latter 

 of whom was a descendant and heir of Cadillac, all the land, 

 within its limits, which then remained at the disposal of the 

 Commonwealth. This included the present town of Trenton, 

 with part of the towns of Sullivan, Ellsworth, Hancock, Eden 

 and Mount Desert, with the islands in front of them to the 

 main ocean ; containing, exclusive of the lands occupied by 

 settlers, and by grants which had been previously confirmed, 

 about 50,000 acres. 



Notwithstanding the annexation of Acadia to the province of 

 Maine, and its assignment to ^lassachusetts, by the charter of 

 William and Mary; still the titles to its soil and jurisdiction 

 were at times contested by the French, who had made settlement 

 at and eastward of the Penobscot. Massachusetts derived no 

 benefit from the lands ; but was engaged in disputes and con- 

 tests with the French settlers and claimants, for many years ; 

 and there were no efifective settlements nor grants of land made 

 by the province, until near the close of the war of 1756. At 

 this time grants were made, embracing all the towns on the 

 navigable waters of the east side of Penobscot river, and the 

 sea coast, from Bucksport to Machias inclusive, with the excep- 

 tion of the town of Jonesborough. The power of the province 

 being restricted by the charter of 1691, these grants were con- 

 ditional, being incomplete unless subsequently confirmed by the 

 crown ; but the troubles which preceded the revolution soon 

 came on, and the grants remained until after the peace of 1783, 

 when they were confirmed by Massachusetts. The whole quan- 

 tity of the land contained in them, in the aggregate, including 

 also the French grant confirmed to De Gregoire, and the lands 

 within them occupied by actual settlers previous to the confirma- 



