Letter of Lieut. Charles Rubidge to Major General Sir Peregrin Maitland, 1820
Back to Rubidge Genealogy Page
From Public Archives of Canada, Upper Canada Sundries, 1820, reproduced in The Valley of the Trent. Edwin C. Guillet, 1957 F1056.c45v1. pp. 61-2.
Hamilton, District of Newcastle
22 January 1820
Sir/
I am this day informed by letter from the Surveyor General that your Excellency will not confirm my location of Lot No 12 in the eleventh concession of Otonabee as Your Excellency had made a previous promise of it to Mr Charles Jones who has now a location Ticket for it. -- in presuming to address you I do so convinced of your determination to do justice to every one, and certain that this deprivation must have arisen from some misrepresentation. -- Allow me briefly to state to your Excellency that I have served twenty one years in the Navy to the satisfaction of every Officer I have ever sailed under, that I came out to settle in this Country at a heavy expense, having a Wife and four Children and after waiting for the location of the grant allowed me by His Majesty for seven Months, being restricted by Your Excellency to a particular tract of land said to be reserved for the Navy. I attended at York and among others located the lot before mentioned which location your Excellency was pleased to approve of. and by the authority of an order in Council a location Ticket was given me of it -- after so great a lapse of time when I am effectually prevented from the same advantage of choice given to other settlers to have part of my location, and in my first settlement with a young Family the most valuable part of it granted to another I feel convinced you will take into your favorable consideration, and if your Excellency will be pleased to direct reference to be made to the old diagram you will perceive this lot was reserved by an order in Council for Captain Spilsbury (prior to my order in favor of Mr Jones.) who gave it up to accomodate me in consideration of my Family. -- allow me to add Mr. Jones had his choice in any Township whereas I was restricted to this alone. -- I have the Honor to remain with all possible respect.
Your Excellencys
Most Obedient
Humble Servant
Charles Rubidge
Lieut. R.N.
To/
His Excellency
Major General Sir Peregrin Maitland
W.C.B.--&c--&c--&c--