Mi'kmaw Teaching and Learning Resources

Letter from John Spry Morris to William Hill regarding trespasses by non-Mi'kmaq on Mi'kmaq lands at Malagawatch. Explains that a complaint made by Alexander McIntosh and others against Deputy W. Luce for having laid out land for them at Malagawatch that belonged to the Mi'kmaq, was actually "an ingenious story of Indian Claims" in expectation of getting some compensation.

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(160
Sydney 17th. Feb 1823
Sirs
I beg you to inform His Excellency the Lieut.Governor that in consequence of a complaint, set forth in a Petition to His Excellency, signed by Alexander McIntosh Neil McLellan, Donald McLellan and Donald McRae, that [?W. OR Mr.] Luce. one of my Deputies, had laid out Lands for them which belong to the Indians at Malagawaatchkt, W. Luce repaired thither to enquire into the real cause of this complaint and having , at no trifling expense and trouble, made a survey of the North Shore of that Settlement it appeared that there was no foundation for the representations which the above named persons had presumed to make to His Excellency ,as the enclosed sketch will more fully prove- While these men confined themselves to the Lots which they had employed W. Luce to lay out, the Indians manifested no disposition to disturb them, neither did they set up any claims to the Lands on which they were settled; but the petitioners equally regardless of truth, of common honesty and the rights of their neighbours, took possession, last summer, of a place cleared by the Indians about forty years ago and pastured their cattle on an ancient cemetery, the principal object of the love and [amoration?] of those poor people- then and not till then, the chief of the Indian Settlement applied to me for advice respecting the mode of repelling such encroachments, and I gave him a Ticket of Location which His Excellency was pleased to approve~
The true cause of the discontent

Date: 1823

Retrieval no.: Commissioner of Public Records — Mi'kmaq and Government Relations series Nova Scotia Archives RG 1 volume 430 number 160

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