THE TOWN OF LEWISBORO. 405 



There is a tradition in this town that James Brown, Esq., of Norwalk, 

 rfinding certain lands in the Oblong to be unclaimed, obtained a grant for 

 ■them of the crown. The truth is, James Brown of Salem, and Wm. 

 Smith of New York, had been at considerable expense in purchasing 

 from the native Indian proprietors, about eleven thousand acres of land 

 not included in Hawlefs or the East Patent; this land being mostly in 

 the lower section of the Oblong. It appears that these very lands called 

 as we have seen " New Fairfield," were claimed by Hawley and Com- 

 pany, as having been patented by Connecticut m 1707, notwithstanding 

 they had been surrendered subsequently by that colony to New York, 

 the Patentees pretending that New York could not take away their right 

 of freehold before vested in those lands." To quiet these claims there- 

 fore, James Brown purchased for the sum of ^1,000 pounds their " New 

 Fairfield Right" within the Equivalent Lands "which sale comprehended 

 nearly two thousand acres of the lands purchased of the Indians and not 

 included in the said Patent from this government." As appears from 

 the following Petition of William Smith and James Brown for 4,000 

 acres of land in the Oblong : 



To his Excellency the Honorable George Clinton, Captain General 

 and Governor-in-chief in and over the Province of New York and 

 the territories thereon depending in America, vice-Admiral of the 

 same and Admiral of the White Squadron of his Majesty's Fleet. 



The Petition of William Smith of the City of New York, attorney-at-law, and 

 James Brown of Salem in the County of Westchester, attorney-at-law. 



Humbly showeth : 



That your Petitioners on the eighth day of June last presented their humble 

 petition to your Excellency wherein and whereby they did set forth unto your 

 Excellency that your said Petitioners were interested in fifty thousand acres of 

 land which by Letters Patent had been granted to Thomas Hawley and others 

 bearing date the eighth day of June, one thousand seven hundred and thirty- 

 one, the same being part of the Equivalent Land, lately surrendered by the 

 Colony of Connecticut to the Colony of New York. 



That in order to obtain the said grant your Petitioners had born a considerable 

 part of a very great and unusual expense in running the division lines between the 

 said two Colonies. 



That pursuant to a licence from this government your Petitioners had also born 

 a considerable part of the expense of the purchase from the native Indians of about 

 eleven thousand acres of land not included in or granted by the said Letters 

 Patent which purchase was made and the consideration thereof paid by your 

 Petitioner James Brown as by deed, in the lands of your Petitioners might appear. 



That the said eleven thousand acres of land were not returned at the time of 

 obtaining the said Patent with the annual quit-rent and the Patent charges. 



a The early settlers, especially of Lower Salem or Lewisboro, when they first arrived here 

 and even for some time after, imagined themselves within the hounds of Norwalk. The final 

 adjustment of the boundaries, left them in the province of New York. [Editor.] 



