built them, and what sums they paid for the same, in order that we might judge what terms it would be equitable to grant them on their relinquishing entirely the Premises they respectively held, or on their taking Leases thereof for such periods as it might be judged advisable to grant of the property.
"When that survey was completed, we directed Mr. Driver to proceed to Hastings, and, with the assistance of Mr. Crawley, one of the partners of Mr. Green, our Solicitor, to endeavour to make arrangements with the whole of the parties, and in particular with Messrs. Breeds, of Hastings, who held a very large proportion of the property, for Leases of the Premises respectively held by them, for the term of seven years from Christmas, 1828, with instructions to inquire minutely into the circumstances attending each particular case, and to apportion the rent accordingly, it being specially stipulated that at the end of the proposed term the parties should deliver up the whole of the Premises in good tenantable repair, without having any claim whatever for compensation for any Sums they might have previously laid out in the improvement of the property.
"Messrs. Crawley and Driver accordingly proceeded to Hastings in the month of April last, and after much negotiation with Messrs. Breeds and the other parties, agreements were fully entered into with the whole of them for Leases of the Premises they respectively held for the before-mentioned term of seven years, and we now beg leave to lay the following Statement before Your Lordships, in which we have given a brief description of the Premises, with the annual value thereof, and the Rents agreed to be paid by the respective Lessees for the same.
"These Rents, it will be seen, amount to nearly one half of the annual value of the Premises, and when it is considered that many of the Parties erected Buildings under agreements with Lord Chichester, or the Corporation of Hastings, who they believed were entitled to the ground in question, while others laid out large sums in the purchase of these Premises from the original holders, in the confidence that they had a title to dispose of them, we hope Your Lordships will agree with us in thinking that in the arrangement we have made with them, the parties have been treated with a proper degree of lenity and liberality, while we shall have succeeded in acquiring, on behalf of the Crown, the undisputed possession, at the end of seven years, of a very valuable Estate, from which no profit or income whatever has hitherto been derived by the Crown.
"Having given Your Lordships this detailed Statement of the arrangements we have made for the disposal of this large Estate, we beg leave to recommend that we may be authorised, by Your Lordships' warrant, to grant Leases to such of the before-mentioned parties as may choose to call for them and their executors, administrators and assigns, of the respective premises held by them for a term of seven years to be computed from Christmas 1828, on payment of the different sums before stated, amounting in all
