July 7th 1824
Dear Sir
From the friendship I feel for you I venture to submit the
following ideas for your reflection relative to the situation of this colony
and you as the founder etc.—you [know?] that the governor of this
Province has by his tory arrangements violated the contract made
between you and the People I can not conceive that the Governor
of the Province has any thing to doo with the arrangement made by
you with the settlers this I judge from the Authority Given you
by the Supreme Government of the Nation I see that the Governor
of the Province is Commissioned to assign the Titles to the Lands
and to put the settlers in possession or a commissioner by him
appointed for that purpose. I see no Authority given him by the
Supreme Govt. to doo away the arrangement that you had made
with the settlers and Establish a list of Taxes to be paid by the
Settler Contrary to the Laws of the Nation you say in a letter of a late
date to McNeel and to others that you are Ruined that the Governor
had Reduced the price of Land to fore cents pr acre why you should
have sujested such Ideas to McNeel or any one Else unless such as
you aught to have had more interest in I am at a loss to know it is
now Confirmed and believed by men who never believed before that
you have no authority from the Government and are only Imposing
on the people as has always been said. The fact is you are entitled
to 12 1/2 cents per acre for Lands from the settlers and there is no
candid man who would not agree that they are justly Indebted that
amount for all the lands he acquires through you and were I in your
situation I never would make any man a Deed to Land until I had
from him an assurance for the payment at 12 1/2 cents per Acre those
are the Grounds on which you have a Right unquestionably to ask
for pay and no other and it is on those grounds you should ask it
you can not say that the Government gives you the Right to ask
pay nor neither can you say that the Governor of the Province has
a right to Establish a Bill of Taxes to be paid by the settlers to be
applied to his own use or to your Benefit. An attempt to collect pay
off of the people in any other way than on a Contract made by you
with the settlrs would be danger [ous] and it would have its day
of Persecution and Trouble. I hope Sir that you will doo me the
Justice to believe that the foregoing observations are intended for
your good as well as for the Benefit of us all As respects those
letters Referred to you must on Reflection concur with me in saying
that they are only calculated to Injure your standing and establish
more permanently the doubts of your Authority for such use is made
of them And further to intimidate the Respectable and prudent
Emigrant who would always prefer keeping himself and family out
of difficulty that might be Expected from such Reports. I received
an Official Order from the Governor which you will see by Mr.
Williams the purposes of said order is vary contrary to my feelings
I shall not pay any respects to it until I see you.
Jno. P. Coles.