72 COMMISSION OF CONSERVATION 



bays and rivers of the Province. This act does not seem to have pro- 

 duced much result, but, in 1872, a grant of oyster bottom in the narrows 

 in Prince county was issued to William H. Pope. After passing 

 through the hands of several owners these areas came into the posses- 

 sion of John Richards, and, for the last seven or eight years, they have 

 been owned by Sharp Brothers, who have made a notable success &f 

 oyster cultivation. About twenty years ago, another grant of five or 

 six acres on Bentinck cove in Malpeque bay was issued by the Pro- 

 vincial Government to George Inman. This lease was afterwards 

 ratified by the Federal Government and is now owned by the Standard 

 Cup Oyster Co., Ltd. 



Arrangement In each of these cases the ground leased contained nat- 

 Dominionand "''^^ oyster beds. In 1906, an attempt at leasing on 

 the Provinces a large scale was made by the Provincial Government 

 but, owing to the differences between the provinces and the Dominion 

 respecting jurisdiction, this attempt was abandoned. In 1912, an agree- 

 ment was arrived at between the Dominion and the provinces by 

 which the latter acquired the sole right to lease and to retain the 

 rentals. Under this arrangement an extensive survey of the bays and 

 rivers of the Island was made by the Provincial Ehgineer. The first 

 and principal survey was that of Malpeque bay, which contains approxi- 

 mately 30,000 acres. The survey indicates the nature of the bottom, 

 whether sand, mud or oyster bed. As a concession to the fishermen, 

 all the ground where oyster beds, whether extinct or alive, were found, 

 was declared to be reserved from lease. Of the total area, about one- 

 half is reserved as containing live oyster beds. The balance, some 

 14,700 acres, was thrown open for leasing and, up to the present time, 

 over 5,000 acres have been leased. 



M th d f Each lease granted has been duly registered at the 



Recording registry' office in Charlottetown and duplicates of the 



Leases leases of areas in Prince county are deposited in the 



registry office at Summerside. Four plans of the surveyed areas have 

 been prepared and separate index books and abstract books of the plots 

 or quarter-plots set forth in each of these plans have been compiled. 

 In the index books, each plot leased is numbered with a number cor- 

 responding to that marked in the respective plans. 



In the abstract books each lease, with all essential particulars re- 

 garding same, is duly registered. This mode of registration in separate 

 books gives the searcher a quick insight into the titles and conditions of 

 each, and prevents any intermixture of plots or uncertain or indefinite 

 idea concerning any area or lease. The numbers on the plan show 



