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Mi'kmaq Holdings Resource Guide

Copy of a letter from the Rev. Mr. Trotter relative to the claims of Mi'kmaq to lands granted to McWhinnie and others at Pomquet. Describes creation of reservation, relations with adjoining non-Mi'kmaq land owners, improvements by Mi'kmaq upon the disputed lands, exception from the reservation for the Pomquet ferry, etc.
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On the fifty acres thus excepted in the letter of occupation
the Indians had cleared from two to three acres in their
own imperfect way but finding that they were not permitted
to occupy it permanently those who were settled upon it
left it at that time and Confined themselves to their settlements
on the front of Campbell's and Cogswell's land till the date
of Campbell's Grant when they removed from his lott [lot] and
confined themselves entirely to Cogswell's..Here they remained
and continued their improvements till the visit
of His Excellency the Lieut. Governor to this place in the autumn
of 1822 when they applied to him through the medium
of Mr Cunningham and some others of the Commissioners
for some more certain possession and obtained his promise
that Fifty or a hundred acres of McWhinnie's Grant
should be reserved for them in case of its being Escheated
probably the matter was not sufficiently explained to them
or the Certainty of the escheat was too readily taken for
granted but in whatever way it happened they left
Cogswell's land and settled upon the point in the front
of McWhinnie's where they have done more in the
course of last year than they have for sometime back
been accustomed to do for one season___

Previous to their last remove they are calculated
to have cleared altogether upon McWhinnie's , Campbell's
and Cogswell's Grants nearly to Fifty Acres , of these Fifty
from two to three Acres are upon McWhinnie's Grant
and these were abandoned by them for a period of Twenty
Three or Twenty four years, I could not learn what
proportion of their improvements were upon Campbells and
what were upon Cogswell's Grants but was given to
understand generally that the largest part was upon
Cogswell's -

Besides the two or three acres cleared upon the
point on McWhinnie's Grant there have been nearly Twenty
Acres &


Date: 1824

Retrieval no.: Commissioner of Public Records — Mi'kmaq and Government Relations series Nova Scotia Archives RG 1 volume 430 number 160a

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