It appears that these very lands called as we have seen " New Fairfield," were claimed by Hawley and Company, as having been patented by Connecticut in 1707, notwithstanding they had been surrendered subsequently by that colony to New York, the Patentees pretending that New York could not take away their right of freehold before vested in those lands." To quiet these claims therefore, James Brown purchased for the sum of ^1,000 pounds their " New Fairfield Right" within the Equivalent Lands "which sale comprehended nearly two thousand acres of the lands purchased of the Indians and not included in the said Patent from this government." As appears from the following Petition of William Smith and James Brown for 4,000 acres of land in the Oblong :

To his Excellency the Honorable George Clinton, Captain General and Governor-in-chief in and over the Province of New York and the territories thereon depending in America, vice-Admiral of the same and Admiral of the White Squadron of his Majesty's Fleet. The Petition of William Smith of the City of New York, attorney-at-law, and James Brown of Salem in the County of Westchester, attorney-at-law. Humbly showeth :

That your Petitioners on the eighth day of June last presented their humble petition to your Excellency wherein and whereby they did set forth unto your Excellency that your said Petitioners were interested in fifty thousand acres of land which by Letters Patent had been granted to Thomas 1 lawlcy and others bearing date the eighth day of June, one thousand seven hundred and thirtyone, the same being part of the Equivalent Land, lately surrendered by the Colony of Connecticut to the Colony of New York.