The reputed distance of Groton from Cambridge [the shire-town] is Thirty two Miles, & from Boston Thirty five miles; The River Nashua is from 8 to 10 rods in width.  The River Squannacoock 4 or 5 rods in width.  In Groton are twenty natural Ponds, six of which are delineated on the Plan, by actual Survey.  Several of the other Ponds are in size, nearly equal to those on the plan, & may in the whole contain about two Thousand Acres.  There are no Mines in said Town, except one of Iron Ore, nearly exhausted.  Every other Matter directed to be delineated, described or specifyed, may be found on the Plan.

     SAM’ll LAWRENCE }
     ZACH’h FITCH } Committee. 
     OLIVER PRESCOTT Ju’r.}

     The reputed distance of Pepperrell from Cambridge is thirty seven
     miles; from Boston forty Miles.

     The River Nissitisset is about four Rods in width.

     The reputed distance of Shirley from Cambridge is thirty five
     Miles; & from Boston thirty Eight Miles.

     Catacoonamug & Mulpus Brooks are from one to two Rods in width.  The
     Plan contains every thing relative to the two last mentioned Towns
     necessary to be described.

     OLIVER PRESCOTT, Ju’r.

What is enclosed in this Blue line, contains about the quantity of Land set off from Groton to Dunstable, by Act of the General Court, passed February 25, 1793.  As by said Act, the petitioners and their Farms were set off, without specifying particular bounds, Accuracy cannot be obtained, with respect to this Line, without very great expence and Trouble.

By an act passed February 6, 1798, a considerable portion of territory lying on the easterly side of the Nashua river, in the south-west corner of Groton, was annexed to Shirley.  This tract continued to form a part of Shirley until the incorporation of Ayer, on February 14, 1871, when its political condition was again changed, and its government transferred to the new town.  The act authorizing the annexation is as follows,—­and I give it entire in order to show the loose way of describing boundary lines during the latter part of the last century:—­

     An Act to set off certain Lands from the town of Groton, and
     annex the same to the town of Shirley.

BE it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives, in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, That a tract of Land at the south western extremity of the town of Groton, bounded by a line beginning at a large white oak stump, on the southeast side of Nashua River, being the northwest corner of the town of Harvard; thence running southeasterly on Harvard line, as the town bounds direct, till it comes to the stump of a pine tree lately fallen down, an antient bound mark in said town line; thence northerly to a heap of stones by the road leading to Harvard