8 Early Settlers

him a letter to you to that effect; and to which I added without his asking it, that altho his purchase from D. Lawson was good for nothing, having no power to sell, yet if he behaved well with regard to his Farm I would execute a disposition to him.

J. Aiken informs me that your nephew had engaged himself to be a Clerk to a merchant in Halifax, and had gone there, which puts an end at present to his proposal of taking a charge of my affairs in your quarter, and if sometime thereafter he should wish to be employed in that way, when I hope there will be more to do, than at present, he will be more fit for it, his having served sometime as a Clerk in Halifax, and as John Aiken says he is to get £30 in the year, I think it much preferable to his being appointed as Searcher which Collector Townshend intended for him.

When you have mentioned your wish of giving up the management of my business, you have never said in what manner you proposed to employ yourself afterwards, and therefore I hope you have no serious intention of doing so, and as I have a belief, you are a perfect honest conscientious man, I am unwilling we should separate, but no plan can be formed till Peace is established and till then things must go on as they are.

I send with this a duplicate of my letter to you dated 30 July last, to which I shall expect and answer the ensuing spring or summer particularly as to the Farm, sowing and stocking.

I spoke with John Aiken about the Farm, but he could give me no particular account of the sowing, nor of the quantity of land enclosed, but said he had heard it was 30 acres, which was cleared and enclosed by Mr. Higgins, and that no additional enclosing or improvement of new land had been made since his time. This is much short of my idea of the extent of the land originally enclosed, and of my expectation of the improvement of new land, and ill suits the great expense attending the repairing the houses: But it is needless to look back and what I wish is, that new enclosures should be made adjoining to the original one, and the land cultivated in the usual way.

You’ll say, how are you to enclose, who pays half produce for rent. My answer is, get it done as you best can, and we will easily settle that expense. I have been informed that there is a man in the Island from Boston, who cuts the timber upon an acre, burns it and makes the first crop pay the expense. Try if you can get some agreement made of this sort. If that cannot be got done, the next best is to get some indentured Servants, and who after their Service will become tennants. If you like this write me and let me know what

kind of Servants you would like. A country bred Carpenter I think would answer well, and a Ploughman for another. If you approve, let me know what