822
AMI•:RICAN HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION.
Father, ]Hore than three years of my labour, A Trip to :Mexico, Anr.l immense expence, All which was at my own individual risk If there- :fore the above rule can be applied to this case, 'that an Article is prized in proportion to the difficulty of obtaining it' Surely the privileges I have obtained for the settlers of this Colony ought to be prized highly- And Also if my labors are to be valued in propor- tion to the benefits which the Settlers receive from them, they are worth Something, that is if it is considered that a League of Land here is of any value- I therefore cannot help considering that the Contract Originally made between me and the settlers in justice is and ought to be obligatory on both parties And Whether -the Gov- ernor of this Province can properly interfere in my private Contracts, •And release the Settlers from all legal obligation to comply with them, is a question Which I shall not enter upon- If however you admit the principle and say that he can interfere in one private Contract And dissolve it why may he not with equal justice do the ~ame in all 1 Where is the stopping place 1 vVhere is the Security 'or any man who Contracts to do a certain Specific thing fo1· a fixed um, if the Contract can be dissolved in this manner1 It might however be observed that if the Settlers Consider the l)riginal Contract dissolved on their parts why have not I the same prh•ilege to consider myself also free from all Obligation to procure titles for their lands! and say to those who refuse to Comply with the Original terms stipulated with them-Attend to your business-- Go elsewhere to procure your Titles-I will have nothing more to do with the Business-A thing which I might in justice do, if the Original Contract was disregarded, And which I certainly would do were I to be governed solely by motives of self interest-for it must be evident to you all th.at if I receive nothing from the sett.lers a further prosecution of the object would only involve me still more in pecuniary difficulty and ruin-for I am to get 22-½ Lea.gues of Land half of which was disposed of in the beginning to raise funds to enable me to effect the object ns I before stated which leaves 11¼ Leagues to my sha.re--Now suppose that these 11¼ Leagues were sold at this time to raise money to replace what I have expended in t.he Business And to pay the debts I have been obliged to contract with Surveyors and others would it not still leave me in debt to say nothing of my time And labour for more than 3 years past-"\Vhat- ever mav be the determination of the Settlers in this point I hope they will do me the justice to take a :full and impartial view of the whole subject and not be too ready to condemn me as a speculator on the poor, a charge which I am told a few discontented :Men have made a<Ya.inst me And One which I think is unmeritted And which I do h~pe the reflecting And sound part of the Colony will pro-
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