to east from Auld's Creek to the Lot 35 boundary. The uncleared land consisted of... shrubbery, underwood, and burnt woods, which affords at present only scanty pasture to the dry cattle ... (from a letter from James Douglas to James Montgomery , 26 August, 1802). Douglas goes on to describe the buildings: The dwelling House ... is 70 feet long and 20 wide, consisting of a kitchen in the middle, a room at one end 20 feet square, the other end of the house is divided into two other rooms and closets, it was an awkward ill-proportioned House when Mr. Lawson left it. It is now more convenient and in better repair than when they (the Bovyers) went to it; there is a pump well in the kitchen. The Barn and Byers are all in one building 120 feet long and 20 wide, they are in tollerable repair but from the natural decay of wooden buildings they cannot last long. There is also a Stable 21 feet square and a Sheep House 23 feet square, the last are in tollerable good order. Wooden buildings here did not compare favourably with the stone houses and barns of Douglas' native Scotland . John Bovyer moved to Lot 48 some time before 1798 and Stephen Jr . continued to work the farm with his brother Robert and son Samuel; they had great trouble making ends meet on this large but relatively uncultivated farm, and could not pay the ??50 rent. James Douglas states in the same letter quoted above: As it appears to me, and to several others who I have consulted with upon this subject, that Farm is too extensive to be cultivated by any one family on this Island to any advantage and that the rent is too much for any one to make from it, particularly in cash or bills (and payment in kind was not allowed, though the Lot 34 tenants would gladly have paid thus). The Bovyers had their rent reduced and were encouraged to stay on the farm; Sir James preferred less rent to a vacant farm. There was a plan to use Farm as a half-way house for tenants who might be sent out from Scotland by Montgomery, for them to live in until they became established; there would have to be a competent overseer (... there is not one of that description on this Island that I could recommend ??? James Douglas , rather tartly). This scheme did not materialise, nor did one for using the farm for com?? munal grazing, with James Lawson , David's son, as overseer. The 1000-acre farm was eventually divided up among a number of tenants, such as the Bovyers, Thomas Foster , David Lawson (grandson of the original David), Cornelius and William Higgins, and John and Donald MacAulay, William Carr , and Robert Hudson . The projected flax farm thus became just part of the Montgomery estate, rented on 999-year leases; as they prospered, many tenants bought their land instead of renting. After Sir James Montgomery 's death in 1803, his three sons, Sir James II , Archibald and Robert, were the joint proprietors of Lot 34 (his son William died in 1800), and later Sir Graham Graham 22