[55] Peter Fisher was the father of the late Judge Fisher and of L. Peter Fisher (for many years mayor of Woodstock), and grandfather of W. Shoves Fisher of St. John. His penmanship was superior to that of some of his descendants, judging from the fac-simile of his signature that appears above. [Illustration: Signature Peter Fisher] Under the title "A narrative of the proceedings of the first settlers at the River St. John, under the authority of the Government of Nova Scotia," Mr. Fisher tells us that "In the year 1761, a number of persons from the County of Essex, province of Massachusetts, presented a petition through their agent (Francis Peabody), to the Government of Nova Scotia, for the grant of a township twelve miles square at the River Saint John; they received a favorable answer and obtained full authority to survey a tract of that dimension, wherever it might be found fit for improvement. In consequence many of the applicants proceeded in the course of the winter and spring following to prepare for exploring the country and to survey their township; they provided a vessel for that purpose and on the 16th May, 1762, embarked at Newburyport and arrived in three days at the harbor of Saint John. * * * * "The exploring and surveying party proceeded to view the lands, round the harbor and bay of Saint John in a whale boat they brought with them, for they could not travel on the land on account of the multitude of fallen trees that had been torn up by the roots in a violent gale of wind nearly four years previous.[56] The same gale extended as far up the river as the Oromocto, and most of the country below that place was equally incumbered with the fallen trees. [56] The exact date of this gale was Nov. 3, 1759. "After making all the discoveries that could be made near the harbor, it was the unanimous opinion that all the lands near that part of the country were unfit for their purpose and in about ten days from their first arrival they set out to view the country as far as Saint Anne, ninety miles up the river, where they expected to find an extensive body of cleared land that had been formerly improved by the French inhabitants. On their way they landed wherever they saw any appearance of improvement. All such spots as far up as Mill Creek[57] were supposed not to exceed one hundred acres, most of which had been very roughly cleared. [57] Just below the town plot of Fredericton.