early in 1765 he withdrew
from the Company. In the autumn of 1764, Leonard Jarvis, a young man
of twenty-two years of age, became associated with William Hazen as
co-partner in his business in Newburyport and became by common consent
a sharer in the business at St. John. So far as we can judge from his
letters, Mr. Jarvis was a man of excellent business ability. The
accounts kept at Newburyport in connection with the Company's business
are in his handwriting and he attended to most of the correspondence
with the St. John partners.

The writer of this history has among his historic documents and papers
a number of account books in a very fair state of preservation,
containing in part the transactions of the company during the years
they were in business at St. John. One of these, a book of nearly 100
pages, ordinary foolscap size with stout paper cover, is of special
interest for it contains the record of the initial transactions of the
first business firm established at St. John a hundred and forty years
ago. At the top of the first page are the words

Day Book No. 1.
1764. St. Johns River.

The book is intact and very creditably kept. The entries are in the
hand writing of James White. The accounts during the continuance of
the partnership were kept in New England currency or "Lawful money of
Massachusetts." The letters L. M. were frequently employed to
distinguish this currency from sterling money and Nova Scotia
currency. The value of the Massachusetts currency was in the
proportion of L1 sterling to L1. 6s. 8d. L. M.; the Nova Scotia
dollar, or five shillings, was equivalent to six shillings L. M. It is
a fact worth recording, that the Massachusetts currency was used in
all ordinary business transactions on the River St. John down to the
time of the arrival of the Loyalists in 1783. This fact suffices to
show how close were the ties that bound the pre-loyalist settlers of
the province to New England, and it is scarcely a matter of surprise
that during the Revolution the Massachusetts congress found many
sympathizers on the River St. John.

While accounts were kept according to the currency of New England, the
amount of cash handled by Simonds and White was insignificant. For
years they supplied the settlers on the river with such things as they
required often receiving their payment in furs and skins. In securing
these the white inhabitants became such expert hunt