on said Belcher’s Grant and four Hundred and fifty-three Rods on a Grant called Chandler’s Grant, then running North on the West Line of said Chandler’s Grant four Hundred and sixty to said Becket’s South Line; then running West in said Becket South Line twenty Rods to a Stake and Stones the North West Corner of additional Lands belonging to the Four Housatonick Townships; then running South two Degrees West one Thousand four Hundred and eighty-eight Rods in the East Line of said additional Lands to the Place where the said East Line crosses said Farmington River; then Southerly or down Stream three Hundred and thirty Rods to the first Bounds, bounding Westerly on said River, be accepted, and is hereby accepted and confirmed unto the Proprietors of Groton aforesaid, their Heirs and Assigns forever. Provided the same doth not exceed the Quantity aforementioned, nor interfere with any former Grant.

     Sent up for Concurrence.

     [Journal of the House of Representatives (pages 182, 183).  April
     24, 1772.]

I am unable to say how or when this territory was disposed of by the proprietors.  Seven or eight years before this time, James, William, and Oliver Prescott, acting for themselves, had petitioned the General Court for a tract of land to make up their own losses.  They were the sons of the Honorable Benjamin Prescott, through whose influence and agency the original Groton Gore was granted, and they were also the largest proprietors of the town.  The following extracts from the Journal of the House relate to their application:—­

A Petition of James Prescot, and others, Children and Heirs of Benjamin Prescot, late of Groton, Esq; deceased, praying a Grant of the unappropriated Lands of this Province, in consideration of sundry Tracts which they have lost by the late running of the Line between this Government and New-Hampshire.

     Read and committed to Col. Clap, Col. Nickols, Col. Williams
     of Roxbury, Col. Buckminster, and Mr. Lancaster, to consider
     and Report.

     [Journal of the House of Representatives (page 187), January 12,
     1764.]

On February 3, 1764, this petition was put over to the May Session, but I do not find that it came up for consideration at that time.  It does not appear again for some years.

     A Petition of James Prescot, Esq; and others, praying that a
     Grant of Land may be made them in Lieu of a former Grant, which
     falls within the New-Hampshire Line.

     [Journal of the House of Representatives (page 129), November 2,
     1770.]

This petition was referred to a committee consisting of Dr. Samuel Holten, of Danvers, Colonel Joseph Gerrish, of Newbury, and Mr. Joshua Bigelow, of Worcester.