To Benjamin Franklin from Baynton and Wharton, 3 November 1764
From Baynton and Wharton6
LS: American Philosophical Society
Philadelphia, Novemr, 3d 1764.
Sir
The Tracts of Land, Which We mention’d to You, last Spring, are situated as follows.7
One of Them, “is on the East side of Lake Champlaine and on the North side of the River Messesque,8 including Twenty Thousand Acres.”
The Other Tract “is situated on the North side of the Bay of Chaleur adjoining the Bay, including the same Quantity, as the above.”
The Gentleman who gives us, the above Information, says, in his Letter of the 11th. of March Last9 that “the first mention’d Tract, lies in a rich fine Country, is of a good Soil, full of excellent Timber, such as White Oak, Walnut, Chesnut, Pine &c. is Situated on the Lake (Champlaine) and convenient for transporting any thing, to Quebec.”
With respect to the last described Tract, He writes us, That, “This is the best Cod Fishery in this Government. The Land is tolerably good, The Timber the same, But not comparable, to the former. The sooner You Petition their Lordships, the Better, as every Thing of this Kind, That is Valuable, will be taken up. Pray do not neglect the First Opportunity, in sending Your Petition Home, As you may depend, it will be of the greatest Importance.”
The foregoing is the Description, We have of those two Parcels of Land; Wherefore, We apprehend if Mr. Jackson, has not apply’d For Them, You will think with us, That the sooner You do it, the more probable, it is, You will Succeed. With Sincere Respect We are Sir, Your very Obedient humble Servants
Baynton & Wharton
To Benjamin Franklin Esqre.
6. On this firm of Philadelphia merchants (more properly by this time Baynton, Wharton & Morgan), see above, p. 187 n.
7. BF sent a “short Account” of these lands to Richard Jackson on May 1, 1764, and asked him to use his influence with the appropriate British officials to have the lands granted to Baynton, Wharton, and himself; BF offered his friend one half of his share of the lands for his trouble. See Above, pp. 187–8. Apparently nothing ever came of this scheme.
8. The Missisquoi River rises in Vermont, flows northward into Province Quebec, then back into Vermont, and empties into Missisquoi Bay, an arm of Lake Champlain, near the Canadian border.
9. Baynton & Wharton’s informant may have been either Samuel Eldridge or William Long, both of whom traveled from Crown Point to Montreal between March 7 and 12, 1764, and who wrote Baynton & Wharton a joint letter from Montreal on March 13, 1764. Pennsylvania State Library, Harrisburg.