Palmer, James Bardin (1815) Letter to Captain George F. Seymour, the proprietor of Lot 13 (dated 11 December 1815). [Unpublished Seymour of Ragley Collection, Warwick County Record Office, CR114A/563 (In Prince Edward Island Letters No. 1). Microfim copy in PEI PARO, Acc. 3485/1 .]

James Bardin Palmer lb. 0. 77 7 7, d. 7 833) had already had a colourful and controversial career as an island lawyer, office-holder and politician by the time he wrote this letter in 78 75. He had arrived on Prince Edward Island in 7802 as agent for the Walsh estate (Lot 7 7 l and during his career he was to acquire several other agencies, one of which was for the Seymour estate of Lot 73, for which he was agent from 7875 to 7824. This extract comes from what is evidently his first letter as agent. Although Palmer was an extremely active lawyer and politician who resided in Charlottetown, he claims in the letter to be ”well acquainted” with the Lot. How many visits he would have made or how recent they would have been is not stated, but some of his knowledge may date from his involvement in Lot 7 7, or may be second-hand from others. The letter contains some general description of the Lot, especially its roads and settlement, the prospects for its future development, as well as advice on future arrangements with the tenants. its description of the natural forest is very brief and not of great value — he mentions three tree species already known from previous descriptions. But the letter is of greater interest for the indication it gives of the changes and pressures on the natural forest brought about by human settlement in the lot at the time — even if much of what he writes is clearly personal opinion rather than accurate factual description. Clearly, the forest is viewed as a valuable resource to be ’preserved’ — but solely from the point of view of the exploitation of its timber by the proprietor.

REFERENCES: Greenhill, B. & Giffard, A. (1967) Westcountrymen in Prince Edward’s Isle. University of Toronto Press. Holman, H.T. (1987) Palmer, James Bardin. Dictionary of Canadian Biography, VI: 565-69.

The valuable timber on that Lot [i.e. Lot 73] has been nearly all plundered. It

That/”7199‘ consisted of Pine and of some Birch and Maple, principally about the Rivers, and

0” Lot 73' Streams running from the East front into Richmond Bay. When the interior of the Lot is accessible it is probable some valuable timber may be found there, but not any great quantity. The land along the line of Lot 12 is low and swampy, and the South West front of Lot 13 is generally 30, but several good situations for farms could be chosen in that side. No person has yet settled there principally from the want of a road.

The present road goes from a settlement on Ellis river called on the plan Dartmouth Town at Lot 14 across that Lot to Lot 13 to Goodwood Cove 1. A Stream on Lot 13 crosses the Road on which a small Grist Mill has been erected, & it was intended to have a saw mill there, but untill your orders arrive I have prevented this for the purpose of endeavouring to preserve the remaining Timber, a task not very easily performed, and to which your ancestors agents do not seem to have directed their attention. The Road should be continued a little farther in the direction already mentioned, and should then run West about five miles to Enmore River: to cut it out would cost about £60, but a better bargain might probably be made in consideration of a short Lease or Term of the Marshes, to which it would open an approach. Lot 13 is well calculated for Ship building, Farming and General Trade, and if an extensive Farmer or Trader could be induced to settle there, it might be the means of promoting settlement altho at the expence of the remaining Timber.

A saw mill considered.

Settlement and timber.

There are 22 Persons on the East side, who have settled without any permission — one only excepted. [pp. 34!

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1. Ellis River, so named by Samuel Holland, soon became more generally known as the Grand River. ’Dartmouth Town’ only ever existed on a map — probably the ’plan’ that Palmer refers to, is (or is derived from) Faden’s map of 1789, on which 'Dartmouth Town’ was applied to an area in Lot14 on the north side of the Grand River which was a virtual wilderness at the time. Goodwood Cove on Holland's 1765 map is the tidal mouth of the present Trout River.

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