The Scioto Company Land Scheme.

When Dr. Manasseh Cutler was negotiating with Congress for the land now known as The Ohio Com- pany's Purchase, Col. William Duer of New York, presented a land scheme to be worked in connection with it for purposes of speculation. Col. Duer was a man of influence and Dr. Cutler needed him to help secure the passage of his Ordinance. So it was that under the cover of the petition that the Ohio Company presented for the absolute purchase of 1,500,000 acres, between the 7th and 17th ranges of townships, there was also the option for the right of purchase, or pre-emption, on over 3,000,000 acres of land lying between the Scioto and Ohio Rivers, to the west and north of the Ohio Company's Tract. This would include all of Perry County. Not many persons living in the county perhaps know that the land upon which they are now living, was once included in a great land scheme, in which the hard earned francs of many French people, were lost in the very first financial whirlpool, that made itself felt within the confines of Wall Street. The Scioto Com- pany was formed and had its headquarters in Paris. Joel Barlow, author of the Columbiad, and later Min- ister of this country to France was sent to Paris by Col. Duer to prosecute the sale of land. He had with him a description of the country from Dr. Cutler and a map bearing the indorsement of the United States Geographer. Paris and France were ripe for anything. The Revolution and the fall of the Bastile had turned the country topsy-turvey. The French people naturally 68

erratic, imbued with their new ideas of liberty and equal rights, grasped at any and every Quixotic project. Barlow, assisted by an Englishman, named Play- fair, who is described as a man with a "good imagina- tion," succeeded, by a glowing description, and many other embellishments, in setting Paris aglow with the craze. They told how delightful the climate was; how winters were unknown; how there were trees from which sugar yielded itself spontaneously; and how another tree yielded ready-made candles. They said that venison was in abundance. And they told the truth when they stated that there were neither lions nor tigers to molest them. The French seemed to have had quite as "good imagination" as the Englishman, Playfair. They pic- tured the new land on the banks of the River, Beauti- ful, and the Scioto, as a veritable "milk and honey" region. Nothing else was talked of in either social or political circles. A man named Brissot came to this country, and wrote a series of letters in such a manner as to complete the popular delusion. He corroborated the previous statements of Barlow and Playfair. The people became wild with excitement. Buyers were numerous. The thrifty middle class were especially importunate. Many disposed of their entire property that they might invest in the Promised Land. But the Scioto Company could not give a perfect title. They themselves had nothing but an option. Bar- low as agent expected from the sale of lands they would be able to make the title good. The "imag- inative" Playfair, belying his name, had the money. Barlow was himself duped. The result was that Col. Duer and the Scioto Company failed and their land 69

reverted to the government. The only thing that the Scioto Company did, was the settling of Gallipolis, with French immigrants in 1790. In 1795 the United States Government gave 25,000 acres of land in the south-eastern part of Scioto county for such persons that had lost their property at Gallipolis by insecure title. This is known in Ohio history as "The French Grant." 70