three noted federalists, all residents of the Commonwealth, of sufficient ability, as required, to give their bond in the sum of $30,000, payable to the treasurer of the Commonwealth, conditioned to make up the number of settlers required by Mr. B.'s contract, and the deed of the land was delivered to the devisees, so that they could proceed to sell the land and give lawful deeds; the time was extended to all purchasers alike, seven years. In order to indemnify their bondsmen, the devisees, for the consideration of $30,000 named in their deed, conveyed to General King, A. Wood and S. Dana, and to H. G. Otis, John Richards, Peleg Tallman, Moses Carlton, Benjamin Porter and S. Jones, one-half of one, two and three townships, viz: Concord, Lexington and Kingfield, in the first range on the west side of the river, on the million acres. King took the township of Kingfield and west half of Lexington for himself, Wood and others, Otis took Concord and east half of Lexington for himself, Richards and Jones, and soon became sole proprietor. King soon bought out his associates, and eventually became proprietor of the three townships. Mr. Otis visited Maine, paid the taxes on his purchase, caused a road to be made across it towards Canada, which cost him three thousand dollars; this, with taxes for other roads, soon amounted to five or ten times as much as all the sales he could make. I saw him several times; he often complained that he had a hard bargain, and, after several years, sold for no more than he had paid for roads, taxes and travelling expenses, and General King took the burden on conditions named in the bond, wholly on himself, but did not get the full complement of settlers till 1830, and then on a representation that some townships were composed of mountains uninhabitable, and that some settlers died, and some moved off. The land agent consented that the full quota of the ninety-two townships would be allowed, if placed on any inhabitable part. In 1830 I was employed with James Dinsmore six weeks, in taking an enumeration from Mount Abraham to Schodiac; we found the full complement, with a small number in excess, counting all who had died on the premises in the thirty-three years next preceding, and who had gone off. General King paid us for our service, our return was accepted, and the bond discharged. Mr. Otis took the business off from his associates, paid all bills, received nothing for his services. With all his skill he could not collect from sales sufficient to pay the taxes; he, therefore, was glad to give all up to General King, who assumed all the liabilities of the bond. Mr. King was engaged in business when he joined the others in the bond about settlers, reputed to be rich. His Bingham land was a source of trouble and expense; he derived no benefit from the conveyances to him, and the taxes and costs consumed his property, perplexing contention with town officers and trespassers drove him to insanity, so that he was placed under a guardian the last years of his life, who, to get rid of taxes, let his attorney have the remnant, a large number of lots, to pay for his fees, and his estate was insolvent. The agents of the devisees of Mr. Bingham's estate managed very judiciously in getting their deed and engagement through the general court in a quiet, still and equitable way; no discussion was had. The leaders of both parties were agreed upon on both sides and reported all right, and no one complained. The people of Maine, when they found out that King and Otis and associates had three of the best townships on the million acres deeded to them by Mr. Bingham's devisees, imagined that they had been bribed to give up the state's claim, and many always were of that opinion, and prevented, as far as possible, any sale to be made to settlers. When Mr. Bingham went to London on the recommendation of Alexander Baring, his son-in-law, M. P., he appointed John Black, an accomplished accountant, scarcely twenty-one, to come to Maine and discharge the duties of clerk to his agents, at twelve hundred dollars a year. He proved to be a very skillful and efficient agent as long as he lived, acquired and retained the confidence of the devisees, and of all with whom he did business. He was allowed to take all the timber from the land he could saw in his mills, without compensation, and his salary was increased, so that he died rich, in October, 1856. He contributed one thousand dollars to the state insane hospital. He married a daughter of General Cobb, by whom he had two sons and one daughter, all intelligent and respected. When his wife died, he gave a niece of hers a present of one thousand dollars to take care of his house, and was married to her not long before he died. During thirty-five years from the time Mr. Bingham made his purchase, no sales were made on the Kennebec tract sufficient to pay the taxes. Sales of timber were made on the eastern fifty-two townships, and some land to pay all taxes and expenses. Road taxes on the million acres were $5,000 in 1828. In September of that year, the timber land, comprising near one-half, was run out into townships, and offered for sale at a minimum price of seventy-five cents, at public auction. I was auctioneer. Two townships, only, were sold the first day, Spencer stream tract, at seventy-six, and Maley, at seventy-five cents. The first of these was resold the next day, at one dollar, and sales and the price increased from time to time, till some townships were sold at eight dollars, or even ten dollars an acre, till all that was classed as timber land was sold. A timber speculation swept all before it; other lands fifty cents to two dollars. Then, when many had made themselves rich, the bubble burst, and in a short time the price of the best lots fell to five dollars, and many found themselves bankrupt. Colonel Black effected sales of all that was fit for settling, and for this and for timber land received sufficient to indemnify Mr. B.'s estate for the first cost and interest, forty-two years, and to refund all moneys paid for taxes and agencies, and Colonel Black's fees. I was employed in the summer of 1828, about thirtythree days, overseeing the making of roads, and settling taxes, at a stated compensation of three dollars a day. I made out my account in the fall, which was promptly paid, and I was notified that my doings were approved, and I was requested to accept a check on the Suffolk Bank for one hundred dollars as extra compensation, and to continue as sub-agent under Colonel Black till the land was all sold, with extra compensation as to what I did. I continued to do all that was required of me for twenty-seven years, and settled my final account amicably with Colonel B., only one week before he died, and received at the rate of ten to fifty dollars a year as commissions over and above three dollars a day for my services. No explanation of the transactions of the general court with the devisees and records was publicly made until 1868, when a brief statement of the facts was made in a public paper, and placed on file by the Maine Historical Society, and transcribed here more in detail by me. JULY 13, 1871. |