Holland Land Co; And Canal Construction in Western New York

Annotation

Whilst the greatest effort has been made to ensure the quality of this text, due to the historical nature of this content, in some rare cases there may be minor issues with legibility. Mr. Ellicott himself, in the earlier years, does not appear to have been very sanguine of the success of the enterprise. His association, however, with Dewitt Clinton, his participation in canal work as commissioner, and his close contact with the people of the Western district, undoubtedly greatly modified his views, so that he appears in the main as a believer in the canal, which he foresaw was bound greatly to benefit his company by promoting the sale of lands. Mr. Ellicott retired from the office of land agent for the Holland Company in October, 1821. Most of his letters in the following col lection were written prior to that date. One long communication, however, dated at Batavia, July 16, 1824, relates to the Buffalo har bor construction and gave to the Board of Canal Commissioners the intimate information which he had in regard to local conditions; but when he wrote it he was no longer acting for the Holland Com pany. Next to Mr. Ellicott, in the importance of their services ren dered to the infant Buffalo, were William Peacock and David E. Evans.