decided the only fair way to dispose of the land was to issue a ballot. These ballots were then placed in a hat, with the exception of a few parcels of land which were held out for reservations, and one which was kept by the government, and drawn for. Attached to each grant of land were the following conditions: that it should be settled within ten years of the date acquired, and that each grantee pay a rental fee called quit-rent for the land which they controlled. All in all, this idea seemed great to those seeking the grants. Surely it would be no problem to settle a few people on this land and acquire rent from them. A survey in April 1798 certainly depicted that settling this land was no easy task, a naive idea on the part of the grantee, as the population was only 4372 for the entire Island. The first known settlers were Paleo-lndians. It appears that they may have been inhabitants for 10,000 years before the white man came. They were mainly fishermen and hunters and probably chose Orwell to settle in because of the abundance of shellfish which was a major source of the protein in their diet. There were an estimated 300 Micmac Indians inhabiting Prince Edward Island during the Columbus era. Those who settled near the referred to this area as Ntoagoagang. They survived by hunting deer, moose, bears, and beavers. As this area had a bountiful supply offish, the Micmacs settled near the shores. In winter, they moved their families further inland, close to brooks or springs, so they could have a supply of fresh water. This move also provided shelter for their wigwams. As early as 1730, Acadians made settlement on the Island. The coastal area is where they made their settlements, because water was an important means of transportation during the winter and summer. The Acadians, traditionally farmers, produced mostly wheat, peas, marsh hay, and some livestock, such as oxen, horses, sheep and some poultry. The Acadians referred to as La Grande Ascension . They left this area around 1758, the time of their expulsion. In 1790, the Scottish family of Angus MacDonald relocated from Scotchfort to Orwell. Descendants of Angus' sons are James, Ronald, John, Donald and Alexander. The latter four still have relatives in the Orwell area. An estimated two hundred and fifty