130 HISTORY OP 



sloners of Property,"* to Jacob Taylor, Surveyor Gen- 

 eral — lie had been Surveyor General for many years — 



1696, this company, called the London Company, owned 

 65,000 acres of land in Pennsylvania, usually known by the 

 name of London La?ids ; of this, there were 47,800, in Lancas- 

 ter and Berks. Part of these lands were rented at the rate of 

 £2 per 100 acres, with exception of some thousands of acres sold 

 from 1718 — 1720, by the company to different persons. 

 The rest remained in possession of the company until 1762. — 

 At tliis time the heirs of those who originally constituted the 

 company had been considerably scattered, and many entirely 

 unknown. An Act of Parliament was therefore procured 

 authorizing the sale of the land, and Dr. Fothergill, Daniel 

 Zachary, Thomas How, Deboreaux Bowly, Luke Hinde, 

 Richard How, Jacob Hagen, Sylvanus Grove and William 

 Heron, were the agents appointed to superintend the business. 

 Their attorneys in this country were Samuel Shoemaker, 

 Jacob Cooper and Joshua Howell. In 1762, sales were ac- 

 cordingly effected to the great satisfaction of the occupants of 

 the land, who had generally made considerable improvements, 

 cleared away the wood, and erected comfortable farm-houses, 

 and out-buildings, many of them not being altogether aware of 

 titles ; but supposing that they were possessed of a fee simple 

 estate in soil — the prices however at which they were held, 

 were not unreasonable ; each settler, it is believed, with few 

 exceptions, purchased the tract upon which he was seated. — 

 Tliere were a few squatters who were not willing to comply. 

 The case of Horrabine is still remembered by some of the 

 descendants of the first settlers on the London Lands. One 

 Richard Brazier had squatted in the vicinity of the Slay- 

 makers. Brazier died, left a widow and some money — Horra- 

 bine made suit to, and married the widow. He forged a deed 

 for a London tract — the misdating of three days exposed the 

 forgery — and he was tried, convicted, cropped and sent to 

 Honduras Bay to chop Logwood. His family was left penny- 

 less. 



♦These are to authorize and require thee without any delay 

 to survey or cause to be surveyed all that tract of land lying 

 between Sasquahannah river and Conestogo creek, from the 



