﻿HISTORICAL 
  OUTLINE. 
  77 
  

  

  issued 
  the 
  first 
  order 
  of 
  survey 
  for 
  lands 
  in 
  the 
  district. 
  

   From 
  this 
  period 
  until 
  the 
  1st 
  of 
  September, 
  1795, 
  

   numerous 
  orders 
  of 
  survey 
  and 
  patents 
  were 
  executed, 
  

   the 
  people 
  becoming 
  gradually 
  reconciled 
  to 
  the 
  Spanish 
  

   government, 
  and 
  finding 
  it 
  more 
  liberal 
  and 
  tolerant 
  than 
  

   they 
  had 
  been 
  led 
  to 
  believe. 
  

  

  Emigration 
  increased 
  rapidly 
  the 
  facility 
  with 
  which 
  

   lands 
  were 
  obtained 
  by 
  the 
  actual 
  settler, 
  and 
  their 
  great 
  

   productiveness 
  attracted 
  many 
  to 
  the 
  country. 
  "The 
  

   prudent 
  and 
  circumspect 
  had 
  nothing 
  to 
  fear 
  from 
  the 
  

   government 
  ; 
  it 
  depended 
  upon 
  themselves 
  to 
  render 
  a 
  

   residence 
  in 
  the 
  country 
  agreeable." 
  As 
  to 
  the 
  laws 
  and 
  

   their 
  execution, 
  it 
  was 
  said 
  : 
  " 
  British 
  property 
  here 
  is 
  in 
  

   the 
  utmost 
  security 
  ; 
  an 
  Englishman 
  may 
  come 
  here 
  and 
  

   recover 
  his 
  debts, 
  and 
  obtain 
  as 
  much 
  justice 
  as 
  in 
  West- 
  

   minster 
  Hall."* 
  The 
  execution 
  of 
  the 
  laws, 
  it 
  is 
  true, 
  

   was 
  summary, 
  but 
  in 
  the 
  main 
  just. 
  The 
  fraudulent 
  

   who 
  attempted 
  to 
  make 
  way 
  with 
  their 
  effects, 
  or 
  to 
  

   abscond 
  to 
  avoid 
  their 
  creditors, 
  were 
  promptly 
  dealt 
  

   with. 
  The 
  property 
  of 
  such 
  was 
  seized, 
  appraised 
  by 
  

   their 
  neighbors 
  appointed 
  for 
  the 
  purpose, 
  was 
  sold 
  after 
  

   proper 
  notice, 
  and 
  the 
  proceeds 
  were 
  distributed, 
  pro 
  

   rata, 
  on 
  the 
  spot 
  to 
  their 
  creditors. 
  

  

  Most 
  of 
  the 
  matters 
  involved 
  in 
  dispute, 
  such 
  as 
  the 
  

   settlement 
  of 
  accounts 
  or 
  other 
  claims, 
  were 
  adjudicated 
  

   and 
  settled 
  on 
  a 
  petition 
  to 
  the 
  commandant 
  by 
  arbitra- 
  

   tors 
  appointed 
  by 
  him; 
  and 
  the 
  Spanish 
  archives 
  show 
  

   that 
  the 
  men 
  of 
  the 
  highest 
  standing 
  and 
  greatest 
  pro- 
  

   bity 
  in 
  the 
  country 
  were 
  most 
  usually 
  employed 
  in 
  the 
  

   settlement 
  of 
  these 
  disputes. 
  

  

  On 
  more 
  than 
  one 
  occasion, 
  the 
  government 
  interposed 
  

   to 
  protect 
  the 
  debtors 
  from 
  their 
  too 
  importunate 
  foreign 
  

  

  * 
  Mr. 
  Dunbar, 
  

  

  