[7-80]

[Admission of Town Inhabitants, 1786.]

State of New Hampshire

In the year of our Lord One Thousand Seven hundred & Eighty Six.

An Act in addition to an Act directing the admission of Town Inhabitants.

Whereas the said Act hath not sufficiently provided against persons secretly entertaining strangers in their houses till they become inhabitants which by another law of this State they are allowed to be in twelve months by which means many persons become inhabitants of towns before they are known to live in the town by the officers whose care it is to take notice of such matters;

For remedy whereof, Be it enacted by the Senate and house of Representatives in General Court convened that the inhabitants of the several towns within this State and parishes having the privileges of towns who shall receive admit and entertain any person or persons, not being inhabitants of such towns or parishes either as inmates boarders or tenants, in the house where such person or persons dwell or in any other house whatsoever within this State or under any other qualifications whatsoever for more than the space of three months and shall not in writing under their hands give an Account to one or more of the Selectmen of such town or parish of all such person or persons so received admitted or entertained by them with the time they first received them and the place from whence they last came together with their Circumstances as far as they know them, shall for every such neglect forfeit and pay the sum of twenty shillings to be recovered by bill plaint or information before any justice of the peace or any court of record within this State proper to try the same, the one half of said sum to be employed to and for the use of the poor of the town or parish where such Offence shall be committed, the other half thereof to him or them who shall inform and sue for the same, and they shall be liable to answer all Charges that may arise in said town or parish by receiving admitting or entertaining such person or persons as aforesaid, to be recovered by the town treasurer or where no treasurer is appointed by the Selectmen who are hereby respectively empowered to bring an Action for the same accordingly.

And be it further enacted that all Costs and Charges arising by warning any such persons as are not inhabitants entering the Caution or carrying them out of town shall be defrayed and paid by those who received and entertained such person or persons in their houses as aforesaid and shall be recovered as aforesaid for the uses aforesaid and the town treasurer or Selectmen aforesaid are hereby respec

tively directed and ordered before they bring their said Action, to exhibit to such who receive and entertain any person or persons in their houses as aforesaid an account of the Charges arising thereby and upon refusing to pay the same within five days, they shall be liable to pay said Charges and be deprived of any benefit by their notification though given within the three months aforesaid any law usage or Custom to the contrary notwithstanding.

State of

Newhamps' In the House of Representatives Feby 22d 1786 —
The foregoing Bill having been read a third time
Voted that it pass to be Enacted

Sent up for concurrence

Jno Sullivan Speaker

In Senate Febry 23d 1786 read and Non-concurred

[7-81]

E Thompson Scry

[Endorsed "Mr Hazards Letter to Mr Libby Postmaster, 1786.”] New York March 22d 1786

Dear Sir As the Resolve of your State now stands it appears to me to be a direct Interference with the Powers the Confederation vests in Congress respecting the Post Office, and therefore I think it would be improper for any Officer under Congress to be concerned in the Business it relates to. - Had the General Court resolved merely that the Line of Posts they mention was necessary, - that the Postmaster at Portsmouth (with the Concent of the Post Master Gen1 of the United States) be requested to assist in Making the Establishment so as to tally with the Continental Posts, and to Superintend the riders until a Continental Establishment can be made;

- & that the Gen' Court will find means to defray the Expense of the Establishment now proposed; - there could be no Objection to their Plan but in its present Form, I view it in a very different Light. -I would write to the President upon the Subject but have not Leisure being engaged in preparing for a Journey to Philadelphia

I am D' Sir

Your very hum Servt

[7-82]

[Letter from Postmaster Libbey, 1786.]

Portsmouth April 27th 1786

When I was made acquainted that I was Appointed Post Master General for this State, I, Informed your Excellency & the honble

Councill, that I should Inform the Post Master General of the United States, of the Act respecting Posts and the Appointment in Consequence, that If he should not think it Inconsistent with the Continental Office I would Accept the Trust. I, Accordingly wrote him on the Subject, and have recd his Answer, (a Copy of which is Inclos'd) which prevented my Acceptance

I have at your Excellencys desire engaged with Mr Bean to ride from this Place to Amherst untill the Court meets in June, and Mr Robert Means of Amherst has at my request engaged with a M Munro to ride from Amherst to Charlestown & Cornish for the same time. —

I have deliverd to each of those persons an Order of Ten pounds which your Excellency gave me on the Treasurer, the Other Orders are Still in my Possession and are ready to be deliverd in any way your Excellency may please to Order

Had I been at liberty to have Accepted the Appointment, there has not yet appeared any Suitable Persons, that would Engage to ride the Other Stages mentioned in the Act, some Alterations it appears might be made in the Act that would Accomodate the People & be carried into Effect with less Expence to the State than the mode pointed out in the Present - but that your Excellency & the Honble Court will Judge of

I am Your Excellencys Most Humble Servant

[7-83]

State of New
Hampshire

[Intention to Leave the State.]

Jeremiah Libbey

Durham April 29th 1786

The Subscriber who hath long been a Subject of said State, hereby makes known that it is his Intention soon to leave this State in order to reside at Demasarge, a Dutch port on the Continent of America for the purpose of trade and commerce. Joseph Leigh

This paper was filed with me on the day of the date thereof Attest E Thompson Sc

[7-84]

[Concerning the Mason-Allen Controversy.]

To the honorable the General Court, for the State of New Hampshire to be convened at Concord on the first Wednesday of June. next, humbly Shews

That whereas this State (or at least a great part of it :) are in the greatest Confusion, respecting the Matter of those pretended Claimants of Lands, the Heirs of Samuel Allen, & the Masonian Proprietors; and no honest Subject, or any other person, dar'st purchase from either, & so the Settlement of this State is greatly impeded; & it appears by the best Information we can obtain, from History, or Conversation with the best Judges we have met with, that the Title of either party, is very Suspicious, & not upon the best Foundation : But we beg Leave to say, that we look upon it to be a Matter of the utmost importance, that there should be some Method contriv'd, to bring this Matter to a speedy, & permanent Conclusion: that any persons wishing to settle the Waste Lands in our state, may be encouraged; & able to obtain authentic Titles. If the property is in either, we sincerely wish it may be determined without delay: but if the Right of property, is really in the State, that it may be devoted to the State's service. If after a strict and candid inquiry, either the Masonians, or the Heirs of Allen, should be just owners; we earnestly pray that the Lines may be fairly run according to their Grant, that they may have their Right; & if they are honest Men they can wish no more. We sensibly feel the Distress, this Matter has already occasioned in the Minds of many of the good Subjects of this State, & exceedingly fear the fatal Extremity, to which it most Certainly must lead, & pray the speedy & kind Interposition, of the Guardians of our State may avert & ward off, the fatal Blow. & we further pray that the Navigation Act, may be suspended in its further Operation, until all the States in the Union, shall unanimously Join - All which is humbly submitted, by the Agents or Deligates from ten Towns in the County of Hillsborough, in Convention legally assembled at Goffs Town, on the last Wednesday of May, Anno Domini 1786, and Your petitioners will ever pray, at the Desire, & in behalf of the Convention.

Sam1 Caldwell} Chairman

Voted That Capt" Daniel Warner be desired to forward this petition to the honorable Court, & make answer to any Questions that may be asked him, relative to the subject Matter thereof.

Jona Gove Clerk

[7-85]

[Petition of Adam Babcock of Boston for allowance for depreciation, June, 1786. ED.]

[7-86]

[Mason-Allen Controversy, 1786.]

State of New Hamp

To the Honerable the General Court of Said State to be Convened at Concord on the first Wensday of June A D 1786

A Petition in behalf of the subscribers Inhabitants of Sd State Humbly Shews) that the bare Discovery of our Shore and Harbour in our humble Oppineion never gave the Britesh Prince or parliment a Just Right to Grant aney part of this State to Capt Mason: nor aney other person: as it was never theirs Either by purchess or Conquest but the first adventerors Who was our Ancestors purchesed of the native Lords of the Soile & Defended it with their blood & treasure: but Capt Mason obtained from the Usorped authority of the britash Court: A Grant of Sixty mils from the sea as described in Said pattan: which his Heirs Sold to Cole Allen Likewise a pretended heir of the Said Mason Sold it again to the Masonien propriators as they Call themselves who took possession thereof and have Extended their teritory fare beyond the Limets the patton Can Ever Support and have drawn a Curve line without aney foundation for Such a pretence: and thereby have Swept in a Large quatity of land which is the Property of the State: and the Heirs of Allen hath forbid all persons from purchising of sd propriators: Likewis they forbid all from purchessing from the heirs of Allen as in Either Case it would be purchessing a quaril which the Law forbids and Greatly Retards the settlement of the State: and as we are Called upon for Large Sums of money to discharge our proportion of the Expence of the late ware and a Considerable Revanue might be Raised by the Sale of Said lands: Said line has Ever been Rune Exparty: we look to your honours as the Gardeens of our Rights & property Wherefor we pray that a Committee be appointed to Rune out sa patton and Establish the lines thereof to prevent trespassers from Roobing the state of its property: and that the Unimproved Land without s patton line now in the possesion of Said Claments may be Sold to Redeem our publick Secquritys or in Such other way as your wisdom