de Alainville and d'Hocquart, setting forth amongst other things that he has been deprived and dispossessed of his two Lordships of d' Alainville and d'Hocquart situated at the head of Lake Champlain in a most advantageous position and consisting of the best and richest land in the Province of New

York to which they were annexed eighteen months after the Treaty of Peace and humbly praying for the reasons therein contained that they [he 1] may be reinstated in the full enjoyment of his said

two Lordships in the same manner as when under the Government of France and that lie may be reimbursed the expense he has been at in endeavoring to obtain redress therein and to be indemnified for having

been kept out of his Estate and property for so long a time as well as for the damage his

said Estates may have sustained.

Whereupon we beg leave to Report to your Lordships That the Petition of Mons de Lotbiniere refers to two Tracts of Land under very different circum:

r

stances.

With regard to that Tract which is claimed by the Petitioner under a Title derived from a purchase made by him of Mons r d'Hocquart in April 1763 after the conclusion of the Peace with France, it consists of two Seigneuries

which amongst several other Seigneuries were granted by the Most

Christian King, or under his authority by the Governor of Canada upon Lake Champlain after France

had in violation of the Rights of the Crown of Great Britain usurped the possession of the lake and the circumjacent Country and forcibly maintained that possession by erecting in the year 1731 a Fortress at Crown Point. It appears by the most authentic evidence upon the Books of our office that Lake Champlain and the circumjacent Country were at all times claimed by the Five Nations of Indians as part of their Possessions and that by agreement with them the Land on both sides the Lake to a very great extent was granted by the Gov 8 of New York to British Subjects long before any possession appears to have been taken by the Crown of France which having by the express Stipulation of the fifteenth Article