93 



Q. Have you purchased, or used a cent of these $25,000 in the pur- 

 chase of land offered in that region ? 



A. No, sir; not that I recollect of. ' 



Q. Was there an application made by John M. Peck to sell about 

 3,000 acres under this act? 



A. There was an application made by him. 



Q. Of lands in Essex, Franklin and Warren counties; forest lands; 

 3,000 acres; what explanation have you to make why you didn't buy 

 those lands when you had the money to do it with and the price was 

 within the statute ? 



A. The explanation is that we solicited from Mr. Peck, through oUr 

 agent, a list of lands that he wanted to sell; the list was submitted to 

 us November 20, 1890, of twenty different parcels, ranging anywhere 

 from thirty to 800 acres, going from Essex county to Duane, Franklin 

 county, Johnsburgh, Warren county, and Belmont and Waverly; our 

 available force that we had was employed in getting the material, in 

 pursuance of the resolution of the Legislature, and these were small, 

 detached parcels which would necessitate a long investigation by our 

 employes going on to the land and estimating its worth arid seeing 

 what there was of it, and we hadn't the time to give to this matter, 

 nor had we the men to put on for the proper investigation of it, and 

 as the appropriation does not lapse for another year to come.we 

 decided that upon the completion of our report we would then have 

 our force at disposal to make the proper investigation, and if we 

 found it desirable to purchase we could do so in the following year. 



Q. You expected that he would keep his offer good? 



A. We so understand. 



Q. And he wouldn't sell to lumbermen if they came along and 

 offered him more ? 



A, That is hardly a supposition. 



Q. Do you regard it as a permanent, indefinite offer to sell these 

 lands to you for one dollar and fifty cents an acre or less, and that he 

 wouldn't sell to any other person if he should be offered a larger 

 price? 



A. I consider the offer is made to the State the same as to a private 

 individual, and that he didn't expect we would go on and purchase 

 these lands without knowing something about them any more than 

 any private individual would do it, and that the offer was subject to 

 a proper inspection of the land. 



Q. Didn't you know that this man Peck desired money and offered 

 or desired to sell the land cheap for the purpose of getting ready 

 money ? 



