The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1911-08-22
FLUNG AWAY Land
Amazing Grants of Territory to
Royal Favorites.
ALL OF CANADA ONCE A GIFT
Ii Was Handed Over Bodily by James
!. to Lord Stirling, Whs Didn't Know
Enough to Keep 1.-THE Hudson Bay
Company's Famous Prss>at-


Enough to Keep 1.-THE Hudson Bay
company's Famous Prss>nt-
America has been freely parceled out
in gifts since Columbus nrst set eyes
upon the new world. Most Of the Unit
ed States territory has bsen at some
time or other handed over to public
and private companies. New York. for
example. fifty years after it had been
sold for something like $25 was pre-
scented with other lands to the Duke Of
York by his brother. the king. and the
name of the city Is a witness this day
to that transaction The duke granted
New Jersey to somebody else. and
few years before the king had carved
out Maryland for Lord Baltimore.
Pennsylvania was givea to William
Penn, the Quaker who founded the
state. in payment. 1t in said. Of debt
that Charles III. owed Penn'S father.
and the same monarch gave both North
and South Carolina to eight London
gentlemen who stayed at home. called
themselves the lords propdetors and
lived On the reats until the people re,
fused to pay any more aa1 George II.
took over the colonies.
The story Of Colonel Talbot at the be-
ginning Of the last ceatury In one OF
the romances Of Canadian history.
The colonel went out in 1893 as an aid
de-camp to the governor. and the
founding OF colony became the ruling
passion Of his life. He was given 1Oc.-
600 acres. which grew later to CSC, OOo.
on condition that he place settler on
every 200 acres. Today this territory
Is occupied by some of the most -four
ishtnS towns in the Dominion. and at
the beginning of Queen Victoria's reign
Colonel Talbot. who was then still liv-
ing. was the recognized chief Of TWEEN
ty-eight towns. all Of which had been
given to him years before as unoccu-
pied land.
Prince Edward Island. covering 5000
square miles and embracing such
fourishing towns as Georgetown. Char
lottetown and Princetown, was given
away in 1897 to absentee proprietors
and was bought back again on the or
ganization of the Dominion Of Cana
da for 100000. The Canadian com
pany, founded in 1926, received a grant
of 1.OOO.0OO acres. and bought 100000
more at the rate of half crown an
acre.
The mention of the Hudson's Bay
company recalls what is probably the
most famous gift Of territory IN his
tory. la 1910 Charles ri. gave Prince
Rupert by royal charter territory 200
or 500 miles wide around the eastern
and southern shores Of HudsOns bay,
ia addition to vast empire Of forest
and prairie. "Rupert's Land" as the
territory was called ultimately stretch
ed across Canada. from the Atlantic
end Of Hudson's strait to the shores
of the Pacific AS rent for this ter
ritory. covering 2.S00000 square miles
the company paid to the king each
year two elks and tive black bea
vers''
Something over forty years ago the
Canadian confederation took over the
eempaRy's moHopoiy for f:aa 600 hut
the company retained twentirth par.
Of Its landx The origisal capital Of
the company wss fl0,JtlO and in TWO
centuries it's incsne FROM furs WAS
EGO. oo0.OO9
But the most amazing Gift ever made
since the world began was surely that
- hv To 70 r.x-A ri No
poet. who was Thea his fav0rite. On
Sept. 81. 1871 King James who must
hzve br~n extraordinarily deficient in
geography. made Lord Stirling. then
Sir William Alexander. a present of
tho whole Of Canada. The gift. which
included Nova Scotia and Newfound
land. was confirmed by Charles L.. and
the poet was so moved by the high
honor that he received that be pub
lished IAN Encouragement TO Colo
nieS." work that attained three edi-
uoas The gift became the subject of
interesting legal proceedings. and Can
ada once more became the property of
the crown.
The city of Liverpool was given
away by William the Conqueror and
again by Henry H.. who bestowed it
on 'the keeper of the castle and pris-
on OF Lancaster" King John bought
the site from this keeper and founded
the city. Henry III. leased all the
crown revenues and royal customs of
Liverpool to the Earl Of Chester for
f10 a year. and the town changed
hands several times between the reigns
Of Henry III. and Charles Stuart.
That unhappy monarch. being in
state Of impecuniosity. offered the town
for sale. and it was purchased by some
London merchants. who in 1852 sold
the crown rights for f45O. Forty years
afterward the rights were purchased
by the corporation.
Bombay. the earliest settlement of
the British in India. was SO lightly re-
garded by Charles III. that Immediate
" after its ceSSiOn to England he sold