SAMUEL WESTON'S LETTER 101 Samuel Weston's Letter The following letter of instructions to Samuel Weston, Esq., from the committee for the sale of eastern lands, and a letter from Mr. Weston to the committee, both relating to the survey of certain townships of lands in Piscataquis County, of which Guilford is one, are appended to Mr. Hudson's paper. These are not only important in so far as they relate to Guilford, but are valuable documents in considering the history of all the towns and townships in the seventh, eighth and ninth ranges. (EDITOR.) COPY OF INSTRUCTIONS TO SAMUEL WESTON, ESQUIRE, MAY 1, 1794. In behalf of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts the Committee for the Sale of Eastern Lands to Samuel Weston, Esquire, Surveyor-Sir you are hereby Authorized and directed with judicious Chainmen under oath to proceed and Survey three Ranges of townships between Penobscot River and the East line of the Million Acres located on the River Kenebeck and to be bounded West on the Said Million Acres South on the Sixth Range already Surveyed and a line to be extended east from the North East corner of township number one in the Sixth Range aforesaid to Penobscot River-Easterly on Penobscot River-and North on unlocated lands-all the lines are to be run and well Spotted and the corners of each township marked the Ranges to extend from east to west and to be numbered the Seventh, Eighth and Ninth Range progressing northerly-and the town- ships to be numbered in each range and to be laid out Six miles Square excepting those bordering on Penobscot River-which townships are to contain as nearly the quantity of Six miles Square as the course of the River and the adjoining townships will permit-the number of Acres to be noted on the plan in each township which contains a greater or less quantity than six miles square-And you will Survey accurately the Western bank or Water Edge of Penobscot Rver so far as the three Ranges aforesaid join on the same-taking proper care in the whole of this Survey to inspect the Chainmen ascending and descending the hills and dales, and make such al- lowance as to have the lines hold out horizontal measure. And you are to make Return of the Survey with Duplicate plans repre- senting the lines of the townships a border or margin of the adjoining lands, the Rivers, Streams, Lakes, Ponds, and the most prominent heights- and to be accompanied with such notes, minutes, and a field-book: as may he necessary to illustrate the Survey-Showing the quality of the Soil-the growth of the timber, and the quantity of Land covered with water-Such Return to be made into our office at Boston or to either of the Committee 102 SPRAGUE'S JOURNAL OF MAINE HISTORY as soon as may be after the business is completed-for which Service you shall be entitled to receive including all expense attending this business when completed twelve pounds for each township Surveyed and returned in manner as aforesaid. DANIEL, CAREY, In behalf of the Committee. Hallowell, May 1, 1794. Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Office of the Secretary, Boston, Sept. 10, 1895. Compared with the Original and found Correctly Copied. WM. M. OLIN, Secretary. MR. WESTON'S LETTER. Canaan, Oct. i5, 1801. To the Committee for Sale of Eastern Lands. GENTLEMEN: In compliance with the directions forwarded on the back of the Resolve of the Genl. Court authorizing a resurvey of Township No. 4 in the seventh range north of the Waldo Patent, I have employed my Brother Stephen Weston who assisted in the Original Survey to perform that business, after first writing to the College Corn. to know what was the ground of the ap- plication for a resurvey not knowing whether any error was supposed to be discovered in the contents of the Township or only in Numbering. I did not suppose there was any need of employing more than two per- sons as my Brother aforesaid had measured the line that divides the NO. 3 and 4 ranges and found the three ranges to overrun 18 M but 6 rods only, he therefore from his own measure performed under oath has run a line West about, or nearly to the Million acre line, and consequently has rectified the error in all the Townships West in the 6 and 7 ranges. How the mistake or error has crept into this business is at this time an absolute mystery to me. When the 7, 8 and 9th ranges were surveyed 1 employed my Brother to run the N. line and one Mr. John O'Neil to run the line between the 8th and 9th ranges with particular instructions where to leave the Million acre line. I preceded up the Penobscot by water to the N. E. corner of Township No. 1, in the sixth ranges thence run east to the Penobscot. I then surveyed said River up and by casting the northing Easting dis. I found where to make the corners of the Townships on the Range lines- until I came to the N. E. corner of Township No. 1, 9th range-and there I waited until my brother arrived, and so true were my calculations and measure that my brother struck the River with his line within Six rods of my Station before made-and by repeated measurations said three Townships are honestly 18 miles wide together I have never had any rea- son to doubt but the Stations I had so carefully made on the Penobscot were true and lines extending from them west would be the true dividing SAMUEL WESTON'S LETTER 103 line for the ranges-Master O'Neil met with so many obstacles from low swampy land and ponds on the line between the 8 and 9 ranges that he did arrive at Penobscot untill after my brother and I had left and gone to checking off the Towns-But he came down to the mouth of the Piscata- quis and found me there and gave me some account of his voyage, and I rather concluded he had struck the River above my station made for him to come out at, and concluded there might be some difference in the Com- passes w. h. in so long a line had ***** een easily discovered. I then sent my own land up to the corner I had made for him and gave up my * * * * own compass and fitted him out for to in the dividing * * * * line between the 7th and 8th ranges complained of by the * * * * trustees of Bowdoin College-under these circumstances I confess r cannot tell how to account for the difference in the width of the 7th and 8th ranges as altogether the measure is good-and Master O'Neil has been a practical Surveyor, is called a man of ability and good understanding and the ob- jection any person made against him when I enquired into his ability to undertake the task assigned him, was that he would be rather too nice, and curious to have the work performed just so-which I thought would not by any means unqualify him-as the amount of the objections was that he would do the work well-but it would take the longer-But that he never would slight it nor can I now think that it is slighted-as an Instance of his faithtfulness-he was so afraid lest a line be crossed and made a corner thereon which was undoubtedly the million acre line-should not prove so eventually that he continued running West until he had got within four miles of Kennebec River-and his being so much behind with the lines he ran prevented a discovery of the Error-Absolute, exactness cannot be expected in so broken a country as that is, so many obstacles from ponds with all their arms, legs, inlets and outlets, swamps, bogs, thickets, morasses, Mountain Cliffs and Gullies in so close a succession render it much more difficult to close lines than might often be wished for-sometimes inter- ested persons wish to exaggerate any little errors, or rather they appear greater when found by the measure of persons influenced by interest altho' I do not pretend this to be the case in this instance. I am conscious of the most upright and honest intentions in the whole progress of the survey of those ranges of Townships and the error in the amended line must have proved from and ought I think to be considered * * * * as a misfortune -and I hope I shall be exc * * * * I say that I think the expense ought rath **** fall on the Government than on the Committee. most obed. Hum Sev. SAMUEL WESTON. State of Maine. Augusta, Jan. 15, 1897. Land Office, Augusta, Jan. 15, 1897. I certify the above to be a true copy of the original as filed in this office. CHAS. E. OAK. Land Agent. (c) 1998 Courtesy of Tina Vickery of Somerset Co, Maine USGenWeb Project & The Androscoggin Historical Society ************************************************* * * * * NOTICE: Printing the files within by non-commercial individuals and libraries is encouraged, as long as all notices and submitter information is included. 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