f as upon mature Deliberation on the
Hardships and Sufferings which his Father and his Family have for so
many years endured, & their merits, in respect to the Province of New
York which might be incontestably proved, if it was not universally
acknowledged, may in your great Wisdom be thought to deserve.

And your Memoralist: &c., &c., &c.[94]

May, 1764."

It was the policy of the home government to settle as rapidly as
possible the wild lands; not so much for the purpose of benefiting the
emigrant as it was to enhance the king's exchequer. The royal governors
apparently held out great inducements to the settlers, but the sequel
always showed that a species of blackmail or tribute must be paid by the
purchasers before the lands were granted. The governor was one thing to
the higher authorities, but far different to those from whom he could
reap advantage. The seeming disinterested motives may be thus
illustrated:

Under date of New York, July 26, 1736, George Clarke, lieutenant
governor of New York, writes to the duke of Newcastle, in which he says,
it was principally

"To augment his Majesty's Quit rents that I projected a Scheme to
settle the Mohacks Country in this Province, which I have the
pleasure to hear from Ireland and Holland is like to succeed. The
scheme is to give grants gratis of an hundred thousand acres of land
to the first five hundred protestant familys that come from Europe in
two hundred acres to a family, these being settled will draw
thousands after them, for both the situation and quantity of the Land
are much preferable to any in Pensilvania, the only Northern Colony
to which the Europeans resort, and the Quit rents less. Governor
Cosby sent home the proposals last Summer under the Seal of the
Province, and under his and the Council's hands, but it did not reach
Dublin till the last day of March; had it come there two months
sooner I am assured by a letter which I lately received, directed to
Governor Cosby, that we should have had two ships belonging to this
place (then lying there) loaded with people but next year we hope to
have many both from thence and Germany. When the Mohocks Country is
settled we shall have nothing to fear from Canada."[95]

The same, writing to the Lords of Trade, under date of New York, June
15, 1739, says:

"The lands whereon the French propose to settle were purchased from
Indian