1889-90] SURVEY OF NIAGARA TOWNSHIP. 99 



The meraorandnm in the Crown Lands Department of the survey of the 

 reservation says : — " Field notes of a survey by Abraham Iredale, D.S., 

 for Col. Butler, Messrs Ball, Secord, and others, bounded by the garrison 

 and town line, Lake Ontario and the Four Mile Creek, surveyed between 

 11th and 29th of August, 1794." On August 10 the survey began " at 

 a white ash tree marked with a broad arrow on two sides, standing three 

 chains west of the Niagara River." (But a note speaks of " a line run 

 for Col. Butler near the town, 17th October, 1793. " Began at a point on 

 the banks of Lake Ontario to the east of One Mile Pond.") Thus began 

 the survey of the remarkably irregular lots of the " military reservation." 



In addition to the names of Butler, Ball and Secord are found those of 

 Col. ArentBredt and Daniel Servos. John Butler had 551| acres; Jacob 

 Ball & Sons, 862 ; John Secord had 486| acres ; Daniel Servos, 356 acres ; 

 Areot Bredt, 91. On some ot the early maps are found as a subdivision 

 of Col. Butler's lot the names of Johnson Butler, 120 acres ; Thotnas Butler, 

 300 acres ; Andrew Butler, 115 acres. " Comformable to a verbal order 

 by his honor the chief justice, December 14, 1802," other names are found 

 on lots, as that of David William Smith, who was designated captain and 

 was acting surveyor-general in 1794 ; Peter Russell, who was President 

 of the Executive Council after the recall of Gen. Simcoe, and who was 

 'kind to himself in making grants of land, had 160 acres; Robert 

 Addison, the first clergyman in Upper Canada, had 45 acres ; Anthony 

 Slingerland received 120 acres. West of Four Mile Creek the lots were 

 surveyed more uniformly." 



Upper Canada was erected into a province by an Imperial ^ct, 1791, 

 and the following year General Simcoe arrived as the Lieutenant-Governor 

 of the new province. When he arrived at Niagara he found on the west 

 side of the river, upon a point of land known as Mississaga Point, a small 

 village. Here, it is recorded, was the largest collection of houses in Upper 

 Canada at that time after Kingston, and where he decided to make his 

 residence and the capital of the Province. To the place he gave the name 

 of Newark, which was also sometimes applied to the township. Governor 

 Simcoe made his home " in a small frame house half a mile from the vil- 

 lage." It is stated that this village which had sprung up since 1784, was 

 at first called " Loyal Town," then " Butler's Town " or " Butlersburgh." 

 It was also sometimes designated West Niagara. At this time there was, 

 up the river at the end of navigation, and at the commencement of the 

 portage around the falls to Lake Erie, a small village, which had 

 arisen from the course of travel upwards to the western lakes. The 

 boats which left Kingston on their way westward were here unloaded. 

 And this place had taken the name of Queenston, a name which it retains 



