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151
Sir.
I beg leave to assure your Excellency that in order to carry into effect the benevolent intentions of Government in securing for the Indians of this Province, their usual haunts for taking Fish, and situations for Planting of Corn and Vegetables &c the most decided and peremptory orders have been given to all my Deputies in the different Counties not (on any account) to presume to admeasure and lay out any Land that might in any degree interfere with their Claims or Settlements ____ The Land that the Revd. [Mr] Sigogne alludes to in his letter to your Excellency of the 1st. of this month, which the Indians he names were desirous of obtaining near Cape Sable were actually Granted and of course not attainable, and in consequence those Indians were recommended to apply for other situations, free from the interference with the just Claims of others, and nearer to their own hunting grounds -- assuring them such Land would be Reserved for their use but not granted to them to be sold or transferred for Rum or money as has been heretofore too generally the case thro' the Province -

I have not heard of those Indians since untill now thro' [yr.] letter your Excellency was pleased to direct to be placed in my hands (from Mr. Sigogney) - and I have most sincerely to regret that there is no fund whereby to defray the Expense of selecting and Surveying Land for Indians having no allowance whatever in this
department