the secretary,
J. S. Howard, treasurer, while the original directors were E. A. T.
McCord, Walter McFarland, Peter Freland, Charles Bercsy, W. R. Abbott,
John Laidlaw, E. F. Whittesend and James Brown. These are the names
that appear upon the petition to the government for lands, the
original of which is in the Dominion Archives.

There were difficulties in securing the land. Decided opposition to
the whole project made itself manifest in Kent county.[508] In
Chatham, the county town, a meeting of protest was held. The plans of
the Elgin Association were condemned and a resolution was passed
setting forth objections to selling any of the public domain "to
foreigners, the more so when such persons belong to a different branch
of the human family and are black." A vigilance committee was
appointed to watch the operations of the Elgin Association while the
various township councils interested were requested to advance the
necessary funds for carrying on the campaign. That there was some
dissent, however, even in Chatham is shown by the fact that one Henry
Gouins was allowed to speak in favor of the Association. The vigilance
committee soon issued a small pamphlet, made up chiefly of the
speeches and resolutions of the public meeting. The name of Edwin
Larwill, member of Parliament for the county of Kent, appears as one
of those most active in opposition to the settlement plan. Larwill had
a record for hostility to the colored people though at election times
he was accustomed to parade as their friend. In 1856 he introduced in
the House of Assembly a most insulting resolution[509] calling for a
report from the government on "all negro or colored, male or female
quadroon, mulatto, samboes, half breeds or mules, mongrels or
conglomerates" in public institutions. Larwill was at once called to
account for his action and a resolution was introduced calling upon
him to retract.

The opposition of Larwill and his supporters failed to impede the
progress of the Association and a tract of about 9000 acres, lying to
the south of Chatham and within a mile or two of Lake Erie, was
purchased. This was surveyed and divided into small farms of fifty
acres each, roads were cut through the dense forest and the first
settlers began the arduous work of clearing. The colonists were
allowed to take up fifty acres each at a price of $2.50 per acre,
payable in ten annual instalments.[510] Each settler was bound within
a certain period to build