Palmer. James Bardin (1816) Letter (with accompanying map dated 1816) addressed to George Francis Seymour, proprietor of Lot 13 (dated 12 August 1816 ). (Unpublished. Seymour of Ragley Collection, Warwick County Record Office, CR 114A/565 & 569 (map). Microfilm copy in PEI PARO, Acc. 3485/1 .]

This extract comes from a lengthy ten page letter sent by James Bardin Palmer to Captain Seymour just eight months after the previous letter. With it he attached a plan of the whole of Lot 73. The letter is of special interest because of the details it gives of the forest exploitation going on at that time in the then relatively sparsely-settled western Prince County. As was so for his first letter, much of what this letter contains is in the nature of ’opinion’, and it may also be coloured by Palmer’s attempt to encourage Seymour to invest in the lot — though it all seems plausible enough. By 7824 Palmer, having swind/ed Seymour out of a large amount of money had been fired as agent, and Seymour was wanting to have as little to do with him as possible — even sixteen years later, on his own visit to the island, Seymour recorded in his Journal that ”the result of Mr. Palmers knavery meets me at every turn / make, & in every statement / hear & makes it doubly difficult to form a scheme of future management”.

REFERENCES:

Holman, HT. (1987) Palmer, James Bardin. Dictionary of Canadian Biography, VI: 565—69.

Greenhill, B. & Giffard, A. (1967) Westcountrymen in Prince Edward’s Isle. University of Toronto Press.

Seymour, George F. (1824) Copy of letter to Mr. Haviland, ‘on his commencing the agency’. [Unpublisheo. Seymour of Ragley Collection. Warwick County Record Office. 114A/565. Microfilm copy in PEl PARO, Acc. 3485/1 .l

Seymour, Sir George F. (1840) Travel Journal on Prince Edward Island, 27 August - 74 September 7840. [Unpublished Seymour of Ragley Collection, Warwick County Record Office, CR1 14Al380. Microfilm copy in PARO, Acc. 3485/1.]

Robertson, l. R. (1996) The Tenant League of Prince Edward Island 7864-7867. University of Toronto Press. p. 17.

. Large Rafts of timber have been already brought from Egmont bay to Bedeque. a

”my rafts. road across the Lot is now absolutely and immediately necessary

A proposed saw A Saw Mill upon Lot 13 is now to be considered in a different point of view from that

mill for Lot 73' it bore some Years ago, or even Months; Lots 15. 13. 10. 9. 8 and even part of Lot 7 are at present subject to depredations nearly at the pleasure of the public on the South Coast. for it is impossible to prevent them unless by actual settlement; there are some Saw Mills already at work at Bedeque and others are erecting, and there is one lately erected at Cascumpec or Holland Bay by Mr Hill, which although on the North side of the Island, he's at an easy approach for timber from the South side by means of two roads originally made by myself, one across Lot 10, from Percival River to Foxley River (only one mile and three quarters apart) -— the other across Lot 9, also leading from Egmont Bay to a branch of Foxley River; and other Mills still more contiguous will be soon established. There is not any great quantity of timber on Lot 13. but there is too much to lose; and experience shows us all here that it is impossible to preserve it; it therefore becomes a consideration whether a proprietor should not, by erecting or encouraging a Saw Mill endeavor to turn to present profit that which he would in all probability otherwise lose three fourth parts of. The cheapest Mill which could be decently erected would be the most advisable at Seymour River ', and this (from the peculiar situation of the Mill seat, which is deep and little more than eighteen feet wide) could be completed for about 200E.

The barrens of The line originally proposed for a road across the Lot appears upon a careful research Prince County. to be objectionable: — there is a vein of barren land which runs from the West Cape of Prince Edward Island in two directions — Northerly and Easterly, it extends over great part of the interior of Lot 1 1, encreasing in extent across Lot 12, and diminishing almost to a termination upon Lot 13, near the boundary line of Lot 14: the best land on all those Lots is immediately round the rivers, but there are several veins

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