That
must have been well aware, the Colonists had acted with perfect, reliance on the good faith and/ justice of their Government; this for qualified, that on
order was do
23th
notified:
" August, 1843 it was
That an Enquiry should be instituted into the Equitable claims
of all holders of land to a
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as
firmation either permanent or temporary of their tittes, so far. they could be confirmed consistently just regard to the interests
with a
of Society at lar
In the early part of 1844 we were, for the first time, made acquainted with the terms on which the Crown Lands evere to be held
and Sir Henry Söttinger, then Sovernor of the Island, published the forms. of the Leases required to be executed.
the conditions of these Leases were universally considered so unusual and so certain in their operation to be ultimately injurious, not only to the holders of Land, but to the future welfare of the Colony, that
soe were compelled to protest most solemnly against them in a cor_ respondence with the Governor, dated in March 1844, from which Correspondence we beg to subjoin the following extract:
"We may be allowed to
Hout
な
*
"
*
$
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4
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21 point out to 3C., that an adhern
on the part of Government to the
proposed terms of Lease would be
· eventually the means of placing
those, who first commenced im- :
proving their property in Hongstong and who from the eums d already expended connot withdraw from the occupation of their Buildings without ruinous less,
on most
unfavorable terms, compared with others, who have the option of
resorting to places where land , can be bought, or rented, on much
more moderate conditions; and we submit, that it can never be
the wish or intention of Hell Sovern. ment to place the early occupants of Land in such a position:
No redress has however been granted ; and disregarding the future: prosperity of the Settlement in the. desire to raise a comparatively large temporary revenue, the Local Government has persisted in forcing unusually hard conditions on the Land holders, who had been led into
large expenditure of money, owing to their faith in the promises, under which the Land was
originally so
Bold (promises, which were at any rate tacitly acknowledged by the Government; and note repudiated untill after the lapse of 3 Years), while at the same time it is no
braggeration