10 Early Settlement

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‘ Courtesy Pictures ofthe Put by Innis. Samuel Holland’s Survey 1775

In his survey report of 1765, Holland described the land around the Souris River in both Lots 44 and 45 as burned woods, indifferent land, none cleared, not as good for fishing and agriculture as Lot 43.2

There were no settlers listed in either Lots in the census of 1798. It may have been that Holland’s description discouraged settlers from taking up land there. But it did not discourage the land speculators.

Ownership of Lot 44 was drawn originally by Robert Campbell and William Fitzherbert in 1767, the latter of whom sold his interest to Robert Clark in 1774. From then until 1793 ownership changed hands no less than sixteen times and still no attempt was made by any of the proprietors to bring out new settlers.

In 1793, part of Lot 44 was granted to Benjamin Evans and Peter Mac- gowan in trust for John Cambridge.3 From the time he came to the Island with Robert Clark in 1775 at age 27 until his death at age 84, John Cam- bridge was intensely involved with Island marine and mercantile trade. His name and those of his sons, Lemuel and Artemas, are part and parcel of shipbuilding in the early days of this colony. During the period 1792 to 1825, in shipyards across the Island the father built 12 ships with a total tonnage of 3,233. During the period 1790 to 1830, his sons built 24 ships with a total tonnage of 4,650.‘

In 1793, Cambridge already operated a sawmill and shipyard at Murray River and a store and brewery at Charlottetown. He and his sons loaded the ships they built with timber for sale in England and brought back settlers: English and Irish shipwrights, blacksmiths, blockmakers, woodcutters and sawmill operators. It was a profitable trade. By 1818, John Cambridge owned all of Lot 44.5