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Correspondence of Governor Sharpe. 53
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& there are two mannours surveyed & reserved in that County
already; if I should by any enquiries get knowledge of Vacancy
which will answer that End, or Land contiguous fit to be added
to the Mannours already laid out & erected, I will punctually
obey your Lordships Instructions. Your Ldp's Expectations
of having what Land remains vacant in the more populous
parts of the Country sold off at more advanced prices, cannot
I am afraid, be answered as much as I wish; The Method
always followed here of locating Land Warrants by selecting
the most rich & fertil Land without regarding any regularity
of its Area, or making one of its Courses coincide with the
Boundary of the adjacent prior patented Tract, has left the
Land hitherto remaining Vacant & uncultivated, in such irreg-
ular small & incommodious parcells that it is thought scarcely
worth any ones While but those on whose possessions it joins,
to take it up even at the common Rate I observed in a Letter
to your Ldp's Secretary soon after my Arrival that in some of
the Counties there is supposed to be a considerable number of
Acres, for which your Ldp receives no Rent. This (except
the parcells just mentioned & some very poor Land not taken
up) comes under the Denomination of Surplus or cultivated
Vacancy; for the more easy discovery of which I at that time
submitted to your Ldp's Consideration, whether it would not be
an adviseable Step to survey one or two of the smaller Counties
where there appears the greatest Disproportion between the
Rents paid your Ldp & the quantity of Land cultivated &
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Letter Bk. I.
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possessed however the Occupiers are frequently making Re-
surveys & taking up the vacant cultivated Land, for which is
paid according to the Improvements made thereon, & as they
can agree with the Agent to whom I have communicated my
Instructions on this Head & desired He will comply as much
as possible with your Ldp's pleasure thereby signified.
I have taken this opportunity of transmitting a short History
of Delaware River & the Dutch & Sweedish Settlements thereon
before the Date of the Duke of York's Deed for the Three
Lower Counties. The History I got compiled from some
Extracts from the Records of New York, with hopes that it
might obviate some Objections that have been advanced
against your Ldp's Title to the Lands on that Bay & River
I have endeavoured as much as possible to acquaint myself
with the Circumstances & Occasion of the Murder committed
by Kittsmiller on the disputed Boundaries. The Identical Spot
where the Fact was committed Mr Diggs insists & brings Evi-
dence to support him was included within the Courses ran by
the Surveyor when the Land was first taken up, but on having
recourse to the Land Office whither all Land Warrants are
after Execution returned & entered, it manifestly appears that
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p. 28
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