37 The Surveyor- General's department now had an entirely new problem to deal with. Thousands of men desired to secure lands for future homes for themselves and their families, and naturally they wished to locate themselves without delay; and it was obviously impossible to survey all the farm lots required in advance of the settlements. The Surveyor- General solved the problem by confining the surveys at first to the laying out and posting of the front lines or base lines of the townships bordering upon the larger rivers and lakes, then blocking out on paper the townships based on the front lines surveyed, showing on these paper plans the concessions or ranges, and the lots, roads, etc. The lots were then disposed of by ballot to the Loyalists. This gamble resulted in many losses and hardships. The officers generally sold part of their lands and many entered commercial pursuits. If the actual settler discovered that the land he selected was unproductive or otherwise unsatisfactory he would dispose of it for a trifle or abandon it and seek land elsewhere, or follow some other occupation. During this busy period Major Holland was ably assisted by his deputy, John Collins , who appears to have been stationed at Quebec during the war. Sir Guy Carleton was in command of the British forces in New York and General Frederick Haldimand was Governor - General at Quebec in 1783 when the independence of the States was recognized by Great Britain. To provide for the removal and the settlement of the Loyalists, prompt action was necessary, and without waiting for instructions from the home authorities, Haldimand sent exploring expeditions to examine the country along the St. Lawrence west of . On May 26, 1783, he gave a letter of instructions to Surveyor- General Holland , which is probably the first survey ordered in what is now the Province of Ontario . This letter reads as follows:— Sir,—As it is necessary that I should be informed of the nature of the country from the last concessions to , and thence to , on the north side of Lake Ontario , you are hereby directed to set off immediately for , and to proceed to , where you will minutely examine into the situation and state of the post formerly occupied by the French and the land and country adjacent; considering the facility of establishing settlement there, and the advantages and disadvantages that might attend that measure, all of which you will report to me as soon as possible; and in the meantime, if you find the fort in such a state as is correspondent with the views and instructions I have communicated to you, you will, without loss of time, make application to Major Harris , commanding at , for workmen and all other assistance in his power to afford, and also to Major Ross , commanding at Oswego, who has orders, upon your application, to send Lieut. Tinling , acting engineer, and with him such artificers, tools and materials as you shall require, to join you immediately. You will dismiss the Canadian Batteau- men at Carleton Island and procure soldiers or seamen, as you shall think best, to proceed to . Having made your observations at and given such directions as you shall think necessary at that place, you will send forward the gentlemen who accompany you for the purpose of continuing the examination of the country to , and return yourself to Quebec without loss of time. I am, etc., F. HALDIMAND . Major Holland acknowledged the letter on June 26th , 1783, replying as follows:— Sir,—Agreeably to the commands contained in your Excellency's letter to me dated the 26th of last month, I immediately set off for , with the two Mohawks, Captain Brant and Johan; there I left them, Captain Brant being unable to proceed from sickness. On the 3rd