by (illegible) 15 Sep 1821 On 8 November 1822, James Shepherd dictated a memorial to Governor Sir Thomas Brisbane giving his side of the land dispute. This memorial is signed "James Shepherd", in the same hand that wrote the memorial, on James Milson's behalf, and in a different hand to earlier memorials of James Shepherd. James Shepherd stated that, after his name was inserted on a list of applicants to receive grants of 100 acres of land, that after learning from John Macarthur that he had relinquished a farm in the District of Dundas adjoining a farm that James Shepherd already owned, that Shepherd memorialised Governor Maquarie respecting this land. (The memorial to which he referred was dated 6 August 1821 and referred to the 100 acres that had originally been granted to James Cover.) to which he received the following answer: The Governor has received Mr James Shepherd's Memorial of date 6th instant and in reply thereto had now to inform him that in compliance with his request the Surveyor General will be instructed to locate and mark out for him the one hundred acres of land lately relinquished by Mr McArthur to Government in the district of Dundas in lieu of the 100 acres for which Mr Shepherds name was some time since inserted in the list of applicants for land. Sydney. 30 Aug 1821 James Shepherd then mentions that Milson approached Oxley after this date requesting the same land, and Oxley not knowing that the land had already been granted to Shepherd promised it to Milson. As a result Milson took possession and felled about one acre of timber. James Shepherd next states that he then approached Oxley showing Oxley the order that he had from the Governor, and that Oxley then directed Milson to choose land in some other place. (This is something that Milson did not mention in his memorial.) As a result of Mr Oxley's orders to Milson, James Shepherd then took possession of the land and be way of improvement began to fell timber. From both Milson's and Shepherd's memorials we learn both men had come upon the 100 acres and begun to clear it by felling timber, and that they had done this that independently, and initially without the knowledge of the other. This was possible because neither man was living on this land. James Shepherd who also owned the 100 acres