CHAPTER III.

Proprietors indiﬂ‘erent to their engagements—Extent to which settlement was eﬂ‘eeted—Complaints of the People of nonfulﬁlment of engagements— Character of the Reply—The inﬂuence of the Proprietors with the Home Government—The Duke of Kent—Proposal in 1780 to name the Island New Ireland—The name adopted—Formation of Light Infantry, and Volunteer Horse—Immigration of Highlanders—Memoir of General Fanning.

state that in only ten of the sixty-seven townships into which the island was divided were the terms of settlement complied with, during the ﬁrst ten years which had elapsed since possession was granted. In nine townships settlement was partially effected, and in forty-eight no attempt whatever at settlement seems to have been made. In 1797, or thirty years after the grants were issued, the house of assembly, sensible of the necessity of taking action for the more effect- ual settlement of the island, passed a series of resolutions, — founded on a deliberate and painstaking investigation of all the townships,— which were embodied in a petition to the home government, praying that measures should be taken to compel proprietors to fulﬁl the conditions on which the land had been granted. The assembly drew attention to the following facts: That, on twenty-three speciﬁed townships, consisting of four hundred and ﬁfty-eight thousand ﬁve hun- dred and eighty acres, not one settler was resident; that on twelve townships the population consisted only of thirty-six

families, which, on an average of six persons to each family, E