for Men to Query wheither a thing Can be Done that hath been Done, and then to Call that the Main river of Little Harbour, & to Say its Navigable Up to the Bridge its a Very Great Mistake, for that we Do wade Over frequently, & When the tide is up Swim our horses for want of a Bridge, the ferry Never being Kept as it Ought to be, & that because the Right thereof is Disputable, as May Appear if Need be, tho he who of Right it belongs to Does Relinquish it for ye Sake of Sd Bridge and for as Much as your Querest there Sayes it's Not Justifiable Nor practi'ble to build a Bridge a Cross any Navigable River, (its plain its both) for that within our own town & Province, its Done, particularly at ye branch Cal'd Sevey's Creek, Stands, a tide Mill & a fast Dam, which Very Much Incommodes y Inhabitants of New Castle from Bringing of their Wood from ye Common Land, but for further Illustration, there is fast Bridges over both branches of Hampton River which is More Navigable, & hurtfull to those people, because they have No Other Way Up to their Estates which these have, as also at Newberry Lyn & Mistick, & Sundry Others as Cape Anne Cambridge &c and for as Much as this Bridge at New Castle No Waies hinders Vessells Comming in to the S Little Harbour for Safety if Need be in a Storm. And for answer to ye first Assertion, in Sd Petition, in Gen" terms, its a Mistake for first the ferry as afores is Not Setled on the Person whome they pretend for that it has been Kept (as they have Kept it) by another & that there Never Was a high Way Laid out through. that proprietors land Neither is that Casway fit for a horse to pass over, 2ly as to the Inhabitants passing & repassing ferrage free on Publick Daies, its wrong, for that the town payes it & that ordered by a Publick Vote & tho it is pd by ye town yet Sundry ye Inhabitants of New Castle On Sandy beach Side, are as they have Often pretended (& we beleave Some truth in) So Much put to Difficulty, to Come over, with themselves & their little ones that they Chuse Rather to Neglect the Publick Worship of God, than to Come Over to hear their own Minister, & Even Wholly Neglect ye Ordinances App for themselves & Children, Unless Some Now & then, to Save being presented Ride Up to Portsm° tho other Arguments, & false Insinuations, hath been Used to Insnare Ignorant people to Signe against the bridge (to wit) that we Intend to hinder boats of Hay wood &ca to Pass & Repass, & that it was to be a Province Charge, which Poor people already burthen'd with the Charge of y Publick taxes, groons under & that NCastle would have it a tole bridge & Ingross the Benifitt to themselves, 3d That ye Want of the Bridge will be a Security in Case of a War, is Very Inconsistent with reason, and has been Suffi ciently ans by all our former Gov Masters of ye ordnance & Ingineers as also ye having it is a Great advantage to his MajTM in ye Customs as per Rob Armstrong Esq' his Memoriall, Laid before Collo Dudly & the Lds Commissioners at home, 4thly That Whereas Sundry persons, have Laid Out, their Estates, in the fishery Who they Say Must be Unavoidably Ruined per Stopping their pass when its Evedent that they Could Never Could Come in, that Way Unless Just at high water, and then it is alwaies as Good & a Much Safer Way for them to Come in at ye Main Harbour, but were the Case So we humbly Conceive that two or three private Interests Should Not abridge ye Publick advantage of a Country. 5 as to the Ice Jamming at ye bridge its Wrong to Imagine that, for that the Narrows above alwaies breakes & Shatters the Ice, So yt it will Run through any one of ye Sluces of y Bridge, 6 As to that Unspeakable hardship, which is So Emphatically Express'd & lookt Upon to be ye Greatest Injury that y Pets Set forth as Sufferers by Sd Bridge, is answered in Every Article for that their Will be ten Sluces fitting for any hay or Wood boat to pass & Repass, & that if yr Excellency & Hon" & Gentlemen of ye Assembly had Ever requir'd A Number of hands, to this Remonstrance We Do Assure you that we Could have had 50 to one for building y Bridge, & those to be Men of Honour, Justice & Estate & well Dispos'd to Serve the Publick Weal & Welfaire, & Not Men out of a private Sinister End Either to Defraud the King of his Dues, or Else for the Sake of Engrossing ye trade. & traffick of ye Country people And therefore your Memorialest, humbly prayes. their May be No Stop or hindrance put to Sd Bridge New Castle April 30th 1719 [7-158] Hugh Reed Select in behalf of y Rest Jn° frost John Watkins Jotham odiorne [Petition of Rev. John Blunt, 1737.] To His Excellency Jonathan Belcher Esq' Governour and Commander in cheif in and over his majesties Province of New Hampshire to His majesties Council & Honble House of Representatives in General Court assembled The Petion of John Blunt Humbly sheweth That being informed it has been offered by sundry Gentlem" as an argument against paying the p' Annum Due from the Province to the minister of New-Castle Due (by an act of the General Court in the 12th year of King George the first) that It was what Is never Expected at His first Settling in this Place He begs Leave to asure ym that It was what he Expected from his first Settlem't to be assure to him as his Salary from the Town or otherwise had never Settled with ym on Šuch terms that he has all along looked on himself as a Common Sufferer with those to whom the Province has been Indebted for these Several years Past and yt to be at last denied the Paym' of what he has been So long Expecting would be a matter truly Surprising and grievouse-That He has given Constant attendance to the Souldery at ye fort as to his Parishoners and tho So small a Number yet Such has been the Sickess of them and their families for these 2 years past more Especialy that it has taken up no inconsiderable Part of his time to attend ym So that if there had been no act of the Governm't to Pay any thing to him on that account he cant but think it reasonable that he sh'd have been Satisfied for his Labour. In as much as no man goeth a warfare at his own charge and the Labourer is worthy of his hire. which Is humbly offered to Consideration by the Sub scriber New Castle march 30th 1737 John Blunt R Waldron Secry [In H. of Rep., April 1, 1737, "Voted to be dismissed." -ED.] [7-159] [Rev. Stephen Chase accepts a call to the Ministry, 1750.] To the Hon Joseph Newmarch and Thomas Bell Esq" and Doct' Nath Sargent Committee-to Communicate to the Parish at your Next Meeting Gentlemen Whereas what was thought to be the Intention of this Parish was sometime ago Signified to me by a Number of its Inhabitants, and Since, this Church and Parish have made Choice of me for their Gospel Minister, which, with what you have done for the Support of me and Mine among you, as doth Appear by your Votes, I have taken under Consideration, and do Chearfully Accept your Call; Earnestly Intreating the great Head of all Divine Influences that my Comeing among you may be in the fullness of the Blessing of the Gospel of Christ-that we may be helpers of each others Joy while here, and Rejoice together forever hereafter I Subscribe yours to Serve in the Gospel of Christ New Castle September 24th 1750 New Castle May 26th 1772 a true Copy Stephen Chase Examined-per Henry Prescott T Clk [R. 3-22] [Petition of Dr. Nathaniel Sargent, 1746, addressed to the General Assembly.] Most Humbly shews That your Memoralist was in the late Expedition against Louisbourg as a Physician and Chirurgion in the Regiment that went out of this Province, That he was in the Service Five months and Twenty days, That he had for some time after landing on the Island of Cape Briton the sole care and charge of the said Regiment as Physician and Chirurgion, That he was oblig'd to tarry in the Camps out of the City Ten days after it was Surrendered to look after and take care of upwards of Thirty Sick, and wounded persons having no person or persons to aid and assist him therein That, there is due unto your Memoralist of his Allowance whilest in the above service as follows Nam'ly Forty Seven days bread, Twenty Seven days Meat and peas and his whole allowance of Rum except One quart and half a pint That your Memoralist made use of his own Instruments during the whole time of his being in the said service. Wherefore your Memoralist most humbly prays your Excellency and Honours to consider this Memorial and to make your Memoralist such Allowance as may be thought just and reasonable and your Memoralist as in duty bound shall ever pray &c May 12th 1746. Nath1 Sargent [He was allowed enough to make £572 with what had before been paid him.-ED.] [R. 3-23] [Petition of Joseph Langmaid, Soldier, 1756, addressed to the General Assembly.] The Memorial of Joseph Langmaid a Soldier in the Fort William and Mary in New Castle in said Province most Humbly shews. That your Memorialist has been in said Fort near Fifty years, and have always endeavour'd to fulfil the Duty in the Capacity I sustained, and am now render'd incapable of serving any longer per reason of my Advanc'd Age, and A very bad Ulcer in my Legg that has been of long continuance And the Chyrurgeon that has the care of it is of Opinion that it will never be cured; unless I am put into A Salivation or a cource of Physick that nearly resembles it which will be very expensive and almost insupportable for me in my present weekness of Body and Advanc'd Age; And if it should be thought that I could undergo such an Operation I can't in reason expect it because I have nothing to make any person satisfaction for such great trouble and expence The necessitous circumstances I am reduc'd to, for want of the comon necessaries of Life, such as Meat, Drink Clothing and Firewood mak's my case extreemly miserable. The Wages I have received from time to time have been quite insufficient to afford any thing comfortable only a small support from Hand to Mouth; and being constantly imploy'd in said Fort have nothing laid up either more or less to depend upon. Therefore your Memorialist most Humbly prays your Excellency and Honours to consider of this Memorial, And to make your Memorialist such necessary provision for his future support as you in your wisdom shall think proper. And your Memorialist as in Duty bound shall ever pray, &c.— New Castle Decem' ye 17th 1756 his Joseph Langmaid mark [7–161] [Petition of John Odiorne, Jr., for a Divorce, addressed to the General Assembly, 1759.] Humbly sheweth, John Odiorne Jnr of New Castle in the Province aforesaid Marriner, That on or about the 25th day of July 1753, he was Joyned in Marriage with Eunice Seavey of Rye in said Province Spinster. That on or about the month of December following the said Eunice was Delivered of a Child born of her body, which in the nature of things your Petitioner could not Possibly be the father off, because the said child was what is called a Molato, and consequently was begotten by Fornication and is a Bastard-Ever since wich your Petitioner hath been deprived of the Comforts and Conjugal affection he expected by Reason of his Marriage as aforesaid, and hath not Cohabited with her since-and as the word of God expressly |