Loyalists, the First Refugees (1775 - 1812)

Regulations to be observed for the orderly and expeditious settlement of New Brunswick, 14th January 1785

Document Summary:

This document is a list of 10 regulations involving the initial settlement of New Brunswick. Essentially, the document says that would-be settlers were to petition the provincial government for land. If they hadn't specified any details about the land they wanted, their name was to be added to a register and doled out once:

• existing land claims were dealt with;

• government land surveyors had gone out and marked out land for these new settlers.

Sections VII and VIII deal with regulations involving land grants to army officers.

Section X sets out that no settler was to receive more than 200 acres of land until all land claims were accounted for. This rule did not apply to commissioned and non-commissioned officers involved with the military, as they were eligible for 12-mile tracts.