44 THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA 
sufficiently valuable in themselves to tempt Settlers without any other 
consideration, and that the expence of Transportation and of Corn to be 
purchased might have been saved. Upon this point the Council de- 
liberated much, and spared no pains to satisfy the Committee appointed 
by the people to take up the Lands that they could in reason expect no 
such assistance, but without effect; they were not to be worked upon, 
and had we refused the Bounty they asked, who were the People (as 
they expressed themselves) that broke the Ice, I have good reason to 
apprehend that as they were the first, so they would have been the last 
and the only ones we should have seen on that errand. They would 
have returned disgusted and have given such description of the country 
as must have discouraged others from even thinking of it. 
Now that such numbers have followed, the Province bids fair to oe of 
high importance to the Publick; to grow rich and populous at once 
and from being as it were, nothing, to get out of its leading strings and 
to repay with interest the heavy expence of nursing it whilst in its 
Infancy.” | 
The Lords of the Trade were rather horrified to find that the expense 
incurred on account of the new settlements amounted in 1760 to the 
large sum of £5,475 17s 4d sterling. 
They accordingly wrote in strong terms to Lieut. Governor Belcher: 
—“ There is nothing, Sir, that requires more of your present care than 
the Introduction of the new Settlers, a work which your Predecessor did 
not live to complete. And tho’ he seems in general to have pursued 
this object with a considerable degree of zeal, yet in some particulars 
we think his conduct has been extreamly exceptionable, especially with 
regard to the Expence incurred in the Introduction of Settlers from 
New England in the course of the last year. He must have known from 
the beginning that the estimated sum was too low to answer his plan 
in the extent which he proposed it, and he seems purposely to have 
given in an estimate impracticably moderate, in order to procure the 
consent of the Board to a design to which, if he had marked out the real 
extent of the charge, they never would have agreed. After having by 
this means obtained the approbation of the Board he took advantage 
of their concession to ae the Publick in an Expence which we can 
neither approve nor avoid. 
Lieut. Governor Belcher, to his credit be it said, valiantly defended 
the honor of the deceased Governor, claiming that ei of the expendi- 
ture was unforeseen by his predecessor but was absolutely necessary, 
otherwise the measures that had been set on foot to bring settlers to the 
province would have resulted in failure. 
On the 21st of May, 1759, John Hicks of Rhode Island and Amos 
Fuller of Connecticut, laid before His Excellency at Halifax proposals 
