e, excepting the township of Maugerville,
are tenants, or seated on the bank without leave or licence,
merely to get their living. For this reason they have not made
such improvements as might otherwise have been expected, or as
thorough farmers would have done.... Immense quantities of
limestone are found at Fort Howe, and at the mouth of the river.
We also went up the Kenebeccasis, a large branch of St. John's
river, where is a large tract of interval and upland, which has
never been granted; it is under a reserve, but we can have it.
Major Studholme and Capt. Baxter, who explored the country, chose
this place, and obtained a grant of 9,000 acres. On each side of
this grant are large tracts of good land, convenient for
navigation. A title for these lands may be procured sooner than
for such as have been already granted, such as Gage, Conway, etc.,
which must be obtained by a regular process in the court of
Escheats. The lands on the river St. John are also sufficiently
near the cod fishery in Fundy Bay, and perfectly secure against
the Indians and Americans. The inhabitants are computed to be near
one thousand men, able to bear arms. Here is a County and Court
established, and the inhabitants at peace, and seem to experience
no inconveniency from the war."

[138] Frederick Hauser, one of the agents, was a surveyor. A number of
grants made to the Loyalists were laid out by him.

The popular idea of the landing of the Loyalists at St. John is that
on the 18th day of May, in the year 1783, a fleet of some twenty
vessels sailed into St. John harbor, having on board three thousand
people, who, wearied with the long voyage, immediately disembarked and
pitched their tents on the site of the present city of St. John--then
called Parrtown. The popular idea, however, is not strictly in
accordance with the facts. The fleet arrived at St. John, not on the
18th, but on the 10th or 11th of May, and, according to the narrative
of Walter Bates, there was no one day fixed for disembarkation. In the
case of the "Union," in which Mr. Bates and many of the founders of
Kingston came from New York, the passengers were allowed to remain on
board until several of their number had gone up the river and selected
a place for them to settle. In some cases, however, the passengers
were "precipitated on shore." As regards the name Parr (or Partown) it
was not given for months after the arrival of