THE SELKIRK SETTLERS 95

at no expense to themselves, a saleable commodity, and many of these men disposed of their newly acquired property without so much as taking out the grants which were necessary to secure complete titles to their property. On the other hand, many pro- prietors were keenly interested in acquiring new districts on the Island.

One interesting feature of this speculation was the large number of Scotsmen who, in 1767, obtained land on St. John’s Island. But the numbers of these men in the army, many of whom had served in America, probably accounted for the majority of their applica- tions. Four lots in King’s County were granted to Simon Fraser and his fellow officers of the Seventy- eighth Regiment, thirty-three lots were granted wholly or in part to forty-two officers of the army and navy. A surprising number of parliament members also speculated for land on St. John’s Island. Twenty- three of these, twenty of whom sat in parliament in 1767, obtained the grants they sought. By 1775, only twenty-two lots were still held by their original proprietors of 1767!

The lot-drawing contest was the beginning of all evil. Quit-rents were not paid. Absentee landlordism flourished. Besides, landlords refused to sell to tenants lands occupied by them. Those who had worked and improved the property were in constant dread, lest through some error they would omit payment of the rent and then be dispossessed of their property. To remedy this situation a Tenant League was formed. This League used peaceful resistance but blocked the way for the officers of the law when they went after a defaulter. The writs could not be