6 A SKETCH OF THE HISTORY OF BALTIMORE.

It appears that, in 1662, Mr. Charles Gorsuch, of the society of Friends,
took up and patented fifty acres of land on Whetstone Point. The practice
at that time was to take up waste lands in small quantities, although the price
was extremely low. In 1663, Mr. Alexander Mountenay took up two hun-
dred acres of land, comprising the glade or bottom lying on both sides of Har-
ford Run, and called Mountenay's Neck. In 1668, Timber Neck, lying be-
tween the heads of the middle and north branches of the Patapsco, was pat-
ented for Mr. John Howard. In the same year, a tract of five hundred and
fifty acres was granted to Thomas Cole, and called Cole's Harbor. This
tract extended from Mountenay's land westwardly across the north side of the
river, one mile; and northwardly from the river about half a mile, in the form
of a rhomboid, divided into two nearly equal parts by the stream afterwards
called Jones's Falls.

At later periods, different persons patented Copus's Harbor, Long Island
Point, Kemp's Addition, and Barker's Haven, on the east;—Lunn's Lot and
Chatsworth, on the west;—David's Fancy, on the south;—and Salisbury
Plains, Darley Hall, and Gallow Barrow, on the north; which, with other
tracts, were afterwards added to the town.

About 1682, the tract called Cole's Harbor was conveyed to Mr. David
Jones, who gave his name to the stream which runs through the city, and who
is believed to have been the first actual settler; having his residence on the
north side of the stream, near the head of tide water. In 1711, Mr. Jonas
Hanson, having purchased thirty-one acres of Cole's Harbor, with a mill-seat,
erected a mill, the remains of which, within a short time, were yet standing
near the corner of Holliday and Bath streets. In 1726, Mr. Edward Fell, a
merchant from Lancaster, of the society of Friends, settled on the east side of
the Falls. The improvements at this time, consisted of two dwellings, a mill,
tobacco houses, orchards, &c. The land was about half cleared, and is repre-
sented, by a surveyor's return, as middling in quality.

The establishment of ports, towns, &c., was among the instructions first
given to the governor of the province; and accordingly, about the year 1683,
there seems to have been a general excitement in regard to laying out towns,
and creating ports of trade, by act of Assembly. In 1706, Whetstone Point
was made a town;—other towns, which had been previously laid out, were
discontinued;—but so large a number of acts of settlement was passed, as to
indicate that the private interests of landholders had more to do with their
enactment than public necessity.

At this period, as the produce raised on the borders of the Patapsco was
insufficient alone for the lading of ships, and as the population on any one river
was too sparse to consume the whole of a cargo, the common station for ves-
sels was off North Point; whence they could easily communicate with the
rivers and even with the other side of the bay. The increase of population,
and the consequent increase of produce and consumption, gradually brought
the ships into the river, though not at once to the head of it. In 1723, there
were five ships in the Patapsco up for freight to London ; yet but one of them
lay in the northern branch; and it is evident that there were then as many in-
ducements for vessels to anchor in the south and middle branches, as in the
north branch.

At this time the idea of laying out a new town was conceived. As the
common place of anchorage for the merchant vessels, and the place to which
the main road from the west was directed, the point between the middle and
south branches of the Patapsco was regarded by the inhabitants as the most
eligible situation; and application was made to Mr. John Moale, the owner,
a merchant from Devonshire, for ground upon which to lay out a town. It is