tlemen in Councel which I am Exceeding Sorry for If any such Expressions were Looked on as affrontive I am sorry for It: I Did not mean any such thing. I must Confess I felt some thing warm against Some of my Enemies in my own town when I wrote s Letter and Did not think so prudently as probably I might have Done All such Expressions as are Imprudent and affrontive I am Sorry for and do ask His Exellencies and the Councls Pardon praying that they may forgive Every thing that has been offered as affrountive and Call it an error in Judgment or a Peccadillo and not a Crime unPardonable I am Redy and willing to Support Government and Defend it at this Critical time against all Invaders of our Sacred Rights and should Rejoice to be Incouraged by authority so far that I might Do it with the Greatest Charefullness: I beg your Honours would take my matter Into your Serious Consideration again and grant me my request: I ad no more I Subscribe myself your true friend and Humble Sarvant at all times Benjamin Adams To Hon' Joshua Wentworth Esq PS Sir-Be Pleased to Lay the above before the President and Counsel [7-231] [Remonstrance to the Appointment of Mr. Adams.] To his Excellency John Sullivan Esquire, President of the State of New Hampshire, &c &c &c The Petition of sundry Persons Inhabitants and Freeholders, of the Town of Newington in said State, subscribing hereto, Humbly sheweth, That your Petitioners have been informed that Mr Benjamin Adams of said Newington has been recommended by some person or persons, to your Excellency, to be appointed a Justice of y Peace. They therefore beg leave with the greatest deference and submission to inform your Excellency, that said Mr Adams is quite unacceptable to the Inhabitants of the said Town in general, and as they conceive, to the People of the County at large. That it is with regret they thus express their sentiments of a person whom they do not wish to injure, but they feel themselves constrained to speak their minds from a regard to your Excellency, to prevent the effect of mistaken, or Partial Information, which they have Heard has been given, and from a regard to the public Good, which they have the fullest Confidence is the Object of your Excellency's Conduct. They therefore humbly pray that the said M' Adams may not be appointed to said Office, but that your Excellency would be pleased to appoint Mr Timothy Dame of said Town, or some other suitable person, acceptable to the People, and a Friend to his Country; as to your wisdom shall seem good; and they as in duty bound shall ever pray &c &c &cDated in Newington January first 1787 [7-228] [Certificate of George Gains relative to Mr. Ad ams, 1786.] State of New Hampshire Rockingham ss Portsmouth Jan" 1786— These may Certifie all Whom it doeth or may Concern that Benjamin Adams Esq' of Newington Was some time in the Year 1778 brought before the Committee of Safety for said State being Charged with Inimical Conduct towards his fellow Citizans in the Dispute with Brittain and after a full hearing (before said Committee) of his accusers he the said Adams Was honorably acquitted the Subscriber at that time had the honor of being one Said Committee George Gains [7-232] [Petition for the Incorporation of a Library, 1797.] To the Hon the Senate and House of Representatives for the state of New Hampshire, in General Court Convened at Portsmouth December 1st AD 1797— The Petition of the Subscriber in behalf of the Proprietors for forming Newington Social Library-Humbly Sheweth That the said Proprietors some years ago formed themselves into a Society and have collected a Considerable number of Books, to which they are yearly making additions, by means of which they hope to promote and increase usefull knowledge among them, but finding themselves under Some disadvantages for want of being incorporated into a Body Politic, whereby they may be enabled to call upon each other, Your Petitioner therefore Prays your Honours that an Act may be passed Incorporating the said Society into a Body Politic, and as in Duty bound will ever pray― Portsmouth Dec' 1st 1797 Ephraim Pickering [The petition was granted, and the library incorporated. -ED.] NEW IPSWICH. The township was granted by the government of the Massachusetts Bay, in 1736, to some inhabitants of Ipswich in that province, as surveyed by Jonas Houghton. The settlement of the province boundaries in 1741 severed a small portion of the Massachusetts grant from the township. The Masonian proprietors' claim, being confirmed in 1745, annulled the aforesaid grant; but the proprietors under it, with others, applied to Col. Joseph Blanchard, agent for said Masonian proprietors, and succeeded in procuring a grant from them at a small expense, said grant being dated April 17, 1750. This grant varied somewhat from the former, but covered much of the same territory. July 5, 1762, the proprietors chose Capt. Reuben Kidder to get the township incorporated, which he succeeded in doing, a charter being granted by the governor and council, dated Sept. 9, 1762, to have continuance until Jan. I, 1766, in which the town was named Ipswich. Another act of incorporation was granted March 6, 1766, by the same authority, "to have Continuance during Our Pleasure by the Name of New Ipswich." New Ipswich Academy was incorporated June 17, 1789, and was the second academy incorporated in this state. Phillips Exeter Academy, being the first, was incorporated April 3, 1781. [7-186] [Petition for authority to levy a special tax to build a Meeting-House, 1762.] Province of New Hampshire To His Excellency, Benning Wintworth Esq' and the Honorable His majs Counsel & House of Representatives— The Petition of the Inhabitants of Ipswich Humbly Sheweth Whereas we, thy poor Petitioners, are Settled in the Wilderness, and Labour under many Inconveniences, which many new settlements are strangers to; Our Taxes are very heavy (considering our Poverty) we have not only a Tax to pay to the Province but our Minister, and other Taxes, which were formerly paid by the Propriety; must now be paid by a few poor Inhabitants: And Still our Burden must Infallibly Increase, as we are necessitated to Build a Meeting House, Since the House we now meet in will not Serve the Inhabitants, We thy Poor petitioners therefore (Judging it Impossible for us, to pay the Taxes which will be laid upon us, and Provide Necessary Sustenance for our families) Earnestly Pray, that you Would Consider us, Groaning under the weight of Our Burdens, and Grant us some Relief, by answering the following Humble Request (viz) that you would be Graciously pleased to Grant us a Land Tax, to Enable us to Surmount the aforementioned Difficulties; i. e. That you would be pleased to Lay a Tax, of one penny Sterling upon Each acre of Land Contained in this Town (or as much as shall be thought Reasonable by the Honorable Court) To be paid to the Town Treas Annually Dureing the Term of five Years, to Enable us to Build the afore Mentioned Meeting House; we Likewise pray that you would Order the same Method of Gathering s Tax as was formerly Used in the Propriety (viz) by sale of the Delinquents Land at publick Vendue, we would Inform the Honorable Court that the Proprietors Voted their willingness that the above Tax should be Laid upon the Lands* We therefore pray that you would harken to our Humble Petition, the answer of which will Greatly Oblige y' Humble and Obedient Servants Dated at Ipswich Octob' ye 22a Anno Dom. 1762— At a Proprietors meeting legally notified at Ipswich ye 18th of Octobr Instant; the Proprietors of Ipswich voted their willingness To have a Tax of one penny Sterling money Laid upon each acre of Land Contained in said Ipswich to be paid annually for the Term of five Jonas Woolsen, Moderator years N. B. Sd vote is Signed by the Moderator by reason of the Clerks being absent Abel Wright Jonah Crosby Isaac How william Sanderson Benja Hoar moses Tucker John Preston Robert Crosby Reuben Kidder James French Ebenezer Heald Ebene' Bullard Jonas woolson Benjamin Safford Elias Stone Samuel whittemore [7-187] [Remonstrance of Non-Residents to foregoing.] May It pleas your Exelency and Honours we ye Subscribers of Ipswich in ye Provence of ye Massachusets Bay & Sum of ye Propriaters of Ipswich In ye Provence of Newhampshire, have Ben Informed that A Numbar of ye Inhabitance of the same Ipswich have Petitioned your Exelency and Honours, that a Tax of one Penney Starling p' acer be Layd on all y Lands, in s Township for ye space of five years to buld them A Nother Meeting House which will be A bought Ten Thousand pounds Hamshare Money, which will buld one Large A Nough to Acomade them all with Pews with out Aniey Tax on thare poals personal Estate-or Improved Lands More than they Desire to have Layd on our Wild Land that Lays on Rocky Mountains and spruce Swamps-which we Aprehend Is so Unreasonable, that it Is surprising to Us that aniey should presume to Aske it of your Honours of whom thay have no Reason to Expecte aniey thing But what Is A Greeable to ye strictest Justis and Equity-But It will a pear more Strange when your Honours are Informed that we have Given ye Inhabetance our best Lotts on Conditions of there settleing thare on bulding a meeting house &c-which thay have Don & so Holde thare Lands there for, but now Complain thare House is two Small, if it be it is thare own folte They should have Bulte it Biger, and It is our Humble Opinion that it is more Reasonable that thay should in Large thare House that is so New then to pool it Down and for us to Buld them A nother, |