The very day after the establishment of the partition between the colonies of New York and Connecticut (May 14th, 1731) and the consequent ceding of the " Oblong " to the former, a patent passed in London, under the great seal of Great Britian6 to Sir Joseph Eyles Knight," Jonathan Perry, John Drummond and Thomas Watts, Esq., in behalf of themselves and several other merchants of the city of London containing 62,000 acres "commonly called or known by the name of the Equivalent land, because the same was formerly taken by the Province of Connecticut in lieu of the like quantity yielded to that colony by the Province of New York upon the settlement of their respective boundaries.

TOE ROYAL LETTERS PATENT FOU THE OBLONG OR EQUIVALENT LANDS.

A grant posterior to this however is claimed as having been regularly made here to Hawley & Co., of the greatest part of the same tract which the British Patentees brought a bill in Chancery to repeal; but the defendants filed an answer containing so many objections against the English patent, that the suit remains still unprosecuted, and the American proprietors have ever since held the possession.

Mr. Harrison of the Council, solicited this controversy for Sir Joseph Eyles and his partners, which contributed in a great degree to the troubles so remarkable in a succeeding administration.''

June 8th, 1731. A warrant for survey was issued for fifty thousand acres of the Equivalent Lands for Thomas Hawley and other inhabitants of the town of Ridgefield.e In answer to the following petition by his excellency John Montgomerie, Esq., Captain-General and Governorin-Chief of the Province of New York, etc. Archibald Kennedy, Esq., Collector and Receiver-General; George Clarke, Esq., Secretary, and