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French in Michigan French Settlements
In 1734 the Governor General, Beauharnois, who had sincerely desired to build up the country, made a series of land grants upon easy conditions, requiring very moderate annual dues, and reserving the usual fines on sales. There were a few purely nominal burdens, never insisted on, never important, including certain reserves of mines, minerals and ship-timber, and mill-service, if there should be a public mill. These annual dues were so trifling in amount as never to have been onerous, being payable mostly in grain, and the purely money dues being commutable.
The town lots paid larger dues, which, however, were very light. The
immediate effect of this policy, which appears to have been somewhat anticipated by settlements before made, by leave of some of the commanders, in the faith that it would be adopted by the Governor General, was to give quite an impetus to agriculture. Within the town of Detroit were many skilled artisans of various kinds, prominent among whom were workers in metal, including black and white smiths of all kinds, cutlers, lock-makers, gold and silver workers, and the like.
Early Michigan
Page 22
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