Petition of Pierre Basquet, 18 November 1841, Mission Point. Transcription.

That about five years back, your Petitioner applied
to M^r Barbaril, Commissioner for Indian- Affairs,
for permission to establish himself on a certain un -
-occupied lot of land situated at the S. W. end of
Heron Island. M^r Barbaril told your Petitioner
that he had no power to grant the permission ap-
-plied for, but that on his next visit to Fredericton,
he would speak on the subject to His Excellency
Sir John Harvey, (the then Lieut= Governor) and
in the mean time he apprehended that your Petitioner
would meet with no disturbance. In consequence of
what M^r Barbaril said, your Petitioner went to
Heron Island, and cleared by his own personal labour
about six acres of land. He raised crops as follows
the first year; 30 barrels of potatoes - the second year,
50 barrels of potatoes, together with 30 bushels of
oats, and 19 of barley - and he also kept pigs -
and the third year he employed himself in clearing
more land; but was interrupted about the spring
of the year by a M^r Archibald M^cNair, who forcibly
dispossessed him, (upon what authority your Peti-
-tioner knows not) and made him no remuneration
Whatever for his various improvements.
Your Petitioner is a very poor Indian, with
a squaw and two children to provide for, and has
been reduced from comparative comfort to a great dis-
-tress, by M^r Archibald M^cNairs arbitrary conduct
The land in question was purchased, your
Petitioner understands at the Crown-land office, by
M^r Nathaniel M^cNair for £ 62; of which sum
he only paid £15.10.0, and afterwards fled the
country in consequence of debt. The said Natha-
-niel located himself by building a small log hut,
which he left in a very dirty and delapidated state.
Your Petitioner put this in thorough repair, and
lived in it himself. About 12 months after oc-
-cupation he became acquainted with one William
Coole, and imprudently gave him permission, to
plant a few potatoes on the land, and also to live
in the hut whilst he was absent hunting and
fishing. The arrangement was merely a tempo-
-rary one, and conceded by your Petitioner in
kindness, but Coole took advantage of it to esta-
-blish himself in permanent possession; and your
Petitioner was in consequence obliged to build a
wigwam for himself and family adjoining the
hut, and to live in that. Coole moreover cut
down the hay to which your Petitioner had the
exclusive right and sold two-thirds of it.
About the spring of the third year, as already
stated, M^r Archibald M^cNair, (brother-in-
-law to Nathaniel,) came upon the land, and
turned them both off. Law proceedings were
subsequently instituted by Coole against Ar-
-chibald M^cNair, in the course of which your
Petitioner's claim was entirely lost sight of.
On a reference to several respectable farmers, your
Petitioner's improvements on the land; including the cost of sugar-
-barrels, and other heavy things which he could not
take away with him, are estimated as worth at least
£20. and your Petitioner trusts that Your Excellency
will kindly befriend him, and take such measures
to obtain him remuneration for the injuries he has
sustained, as Your Excellency may think his case
deserving of,

I Certify that having put myself in communica-
-tion, with Chipman Botsford Esquire, Attorney, of Campbel-
-town, on the subject of Pierre Basquet's statement, the said
Gentleman has expressed to me his belief, that Pierre's statement
is true, in all and every particular.

Mission - Point 18^th Nov^r 1841

The above statement of Pierre Basquet is
quite correct in every particular with the exception
that he misapprehended me in what he conceived
to be his right of possession to the Lot in question
commonly called the M^cNair Lot. I merely recom
-mended his taking a temporary possession of that
Lot, there being some cleared land on it, which
would have enabled him to raise a Crop for the
first year or until he could clear sufficient on
the Lot adjoining, which I was led to believe
was Vacant, and which I had no doubt might
be obtained from the Crown for Pierre Basquet
as I was well aware at the time that the
creditors of Nath^l M^cNair had (long previously)
petitioned the Governor and Council for a Grant
to issue to some one of them, that the proceeds of
the Land might thereby be divided amongst them
no decision has however been made the
creditors of M^cNair being still without remedy
and in the mean time Archibald M^cNair
has taken possession without any claim or
authority

4532
Pierre Basquet
(an Indian)
respecting land upon
Heron Island
Restigouche
March 1842
A full report on the
Several Conflicting
Claims to this land required
by His Excellency previous
to the Consideration of
the Question
14^th Mar. 42 -
Sur Gen^l's report of the 8^th
& 26^th March 1842. enclosed

May 20/42
not Complied with
See 3276 & 3787
A140
[G] Surveyor
Grant to be
requested to report
on this case
[ ]