82 THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA 
having sent the people there without first consulting him in the 
matter. The Council were called together June 19, 1762, and informed 
that a number of people from New England had arrived at the River 
St. John with an intention of making a settlement. After discussion it 
was agreed that they might remain, at their own risk, antil the Lieut. 
Governor should have further directions from the Ministry at home 
touching the lands. 
Belcher complained to the Lords of Trade of Colonel McNutt’s 
“percipitate and unjustifiable act, under claim of their encouragement 
to him, in sending so large a body of settlers to the lands at St. John’s 
River without previous notice of, or indeed the least suspicion of such 
a measure on the part of the Government, which is to be chiefly lamented 
as it may greatly frustrate the intention of settling those parts with 
disbanded soldiers in case of peace.” Surveyor General Morris and 
Henry Newton, two of the Council, befriended the people in their 
perplexity and distress. A petition to the Lords of Trade was drawn 
up and submitted through Joshua Mauger, the Province agent in London, 
who used his best endeavors in their behalf. In forwarding the memorial 
Morris and Newton wrote to Mauger! as follows:—“ We beg leave to 
trouble you with a memorial of a number of officers and disbanded 
soldiers, who came from New England, and are settled on St. John’s 
River. We were sent to them lately as a Committee of Council by order 
of the Lieut. Governor, to inform them that they must remove, as these 
lands were reserved by His Majesty for disbanded Troops. We are 
very apprehensive that their case must by some means or other have 
been misrepresented to the Lords of Trade, or not clearly understood. 
They are chiefly American soldiers, officers and privates. They have 
sold their farms in New England and have transported themselves at 
their own expence. * They have brought considerable stock with them, 
and their Families, and if it is the intention of the Ministry to settle 
disbanded Troops on that River, we are of opinion these people will 
be of use and service; it cannot be expected that English soldiers can 
bring any great stock with them. The removing the people now they 
are settled will be their utter ruin.” 
In their memorial ? the petitioners state that they had been solicited 
to settle in Nova Scotia by Colonel McNutt, who appeared to be author- 
ized by the Lords of Trade to act in the matter, having produced an 
Instrument bearing their seal and signatures. McNutt had promised 
to each settler a Right of Land equal to those already granted to Horton, 
! Mauger, Morris and Newton were all hostile to Lieut. Governor Belcher’s 
administration. 
2 This memorial will be found in Raymond’s History of the River St. John, 
p. 275. 
