States you are hereby appointed an Engineer for the purpose of fortifying the ports & harbours herein after mentioned Viz New London in the State of Connecticut, Newport in the State of Rhode Island, Boston, Marblehead, Salem, Gloucester & Portland in the State of Massachusetts and Portsmouth in the State of New Hampshire. You are therefore immediately to repair to the Ports to be fortified in the said States respectively & in case the Governors should be near any of the said ports you are to wait on them and exhibit these instructions.

But if the Governors should be at any considerable distance from your route, you are respectfully to notify them of your appointment, enclose them a copy of these instructions and inform them that you have repaired to the ports aforesaid in order to make the necessary surveys and investigations relatively to your mission, which you will submit to their consideration and take their orders thereon.

As soon as you shall receive their approbation of your plans, you are to construct the works and to execute them with all possible vigour & dispatch.

The following is an extract of the estimate on which the appropriations for the fortifications have been founded.

The proportion of the expence for the harbour of Portsmouth is as follows-Vizo.

A parapet for Nine pieces

Embrazure & platforms for nine pieces @ 40.73

A Redoubt

281,,25

D C

It will be readily perceived by the lowness of the estimate that the parapets of the works intended to be erected are to be of earth or where that cannot easily be obtained of an adhesive quality, the parapets may be faced with strong timber and filled in with such earth as can be had. It is however conceived that in most cases earth may be procured, & that a parapet made thereof will not only form a solid defence but even be durable if the earth be tenacious, & properly sloped & sodded inside and out and the seed of Knot Grass sown so as to bind the sods & earth together.

It is however apprehended that the embrasures made in this manner would suffer from the explosion of the powder from the Cannon,

& that therefore where the batteries are not en barbette, that the embrasures ought to be framed with Joist and faced with plank of two inches thick.

When the Batteries are to be erected on points of land, Islands or other places at a distance from the Town's intended to be defended, they ought to be covered or secured by a Redoubt or enclosed work in which the Garrison should reside constantly either in a Barrack or a strong Block house as shall be judged most expedient; - But in general as the Garrisons will be weak in numbers a Block house mounting one or two small pieces of Cannon in its upper story will be more secure and therefore to be prefered. These however ought not to be much if any exposed to the fire of heavy Cannon; - A Block house will not contain more than fifty Men, if the Garrison therefore should be enlarged tents must be used.

The redoubts in general ought to be of a size to contain five hundred Men, so as to resist a sudden enterprize of an Enemy - and perhaps the idea ought to be embraced in the first instance that they should be of such extent as to enable the Garrison to resist in some tolerable degree a Bombardment.

But it is not proposed at present to erect such casements excepting for a Magazine, which must be formed of massy timber & be six feet thick on the roofs exclusive of the earth, and jointed & Caulked in such a manner as to be perfectly tight, -Care must be taken to have these Magazines properly ventilated and free from dampness: - They are to be of a size sufficient to one hundred & fifty rounds of powder for each piece of Cannon intended to be served from it :- The spot at which a Magazine of this nature shall be fixed will require great judgement so as to combine security against an enemy either open or subtle or any danger from common accidents.

Your judgement will also direct what parts of your works shall be protected by fraize, & what by palisadoes, or whether your redoubts shall have embrazures, or fire en barbette, with small Cannon, - As the redoubts are to cover the batteries, they would certainly secure & resist better without embrazures the batteries are to annoy.

The choice of the Ground on which the batteries & works are to be erected with all the combinations & effects depending thereon will rest upon your judgement under the directions of the Governor ! It has not been intended by anything herein specified to point out the particular manner in which the work should be erected-Outlines only have been given to serve in regulating the expence which is limited by the sums before mentioned.

Some person in whose ingenuity & industry confidence can be placed will be appointed at the said ports respectively to superintend

the actual execution of the works according to your directions:Arrangements will also be made by him or some other person to obtain the necessary workmen implements & materials which will be required in this business: But everything must be previously calcu

lated and estimated by you.

You are to deliver to the Governors copies of all your plans, surveys, & soundings &c. and also to transmit copies of the same to this Office- You are also to make a weekly report to this Office of your proceedings.

A reverbatory furnace for red hot balls must be erected for each battery; you are hereby authorized to have made in all cases where your judgement shall direct new semicircle carriages for Cannon now used on the Sea Coast of France instead of the old Garrison carriages - This improvement firing en barbette will prevent the necessity of embrazures which in most cases serve no other purpose but as a trap to catch the enemies balls & kill the defenders of the battery! It is true the expence will be greatly enhanced by adopting this improvement, but this will be lessened in some degree by saving the expence of the embrazures & platforms.

It will be proper in most cases where the earthworks are to be erected to have them done by contract. I have written to the Agents upon this subject and I also request your attention thereto. It is probable that one or two Sub Engineers may be appointed under your orders as your line will be very extensive.

Given at the War Office of the United States this 29th March 1794 signed A. Knox Secretary of War.

[8-88]

[Joseph Peirce resigns his office as justice of the court of common pleas for Strafford county, also his commission as lieutenant colonel commandant of the 27th regiment of militia, April 20, 1794 ED.]

[8-89]

[Samuel Hale resigns his office of senator from the fifth district, June 14, 1794. — ED.]

[8-91]

[Memorial of Jabez Parsons.]

The Honbl The Senate and House of Representatives of the State of New Hampshire convened at Concord

The Memorial of Jabez Parsons of Colebrook in said State Humbly Sheweth That at the last Winter Session of the Honbl Court holden at Exeter - He presented a Petition and Memorial to the said Court seting forth certain difficulties and imbarrisments which the Proprietors and Inhabitants had for a long time experienced in a number of the upper most Towns on Connecticut River within said State, ocasioned by the alteration and wrong Locations of the Charters of said Townships, which has been the means of retarding the settlement of that part of the State, and has been particularly injurious to your Memorialist who with his Connections had undertaken to bring forward a respectable settlement in that quarter - And to accommodate the said difficulties your Memorialist made certain proposals for a Tract of unappropriated Land, seting forth the mutual advantages that would attend such a Compromise, both to the State & individuals All which were taken into Consideration by the Honbl House, and a very respectable Committee appointed to examine into the several matters set forth, and report their opinion thereon. And your Petitioner after stating the Circumstances of the business to the said Committee requested them if they were of opinion that the proposals merited the attention of the Legislature, to report for the Petitioners a day of hearing at the then next session of said Court, that they might have opportunity to make the necessary preparations for compleating the settlement, which the Committee were pleased to comply with, and after the business was thoroughly investigated in the Hon House the report of the Committee for a day of hearing was by a very full vote accepted - But by reason of the late and hurrying stage of the business of the session the Honb' Senate did not attend to said Memorialist which discouraged your Petitioners from pursuing thier plan of accommodation any farther, and different measures have since (by some concerned) been adopted But as the difficulties then set forth in said Memorial still exist and the ill consequences. which were represented as resulting therefrom are actually taking place Your Petitioner is induced once more to request your Honors to grant a day of hearing on the Premises at the next session of the General Court That the Interposition of the Legislature may be regularly applied for, in a Case where the sacred testimony of the Records of the State or late province of N. Hampshire are called in question. That in the mean time some releaf may be anticipated, and the growing evils both to the State and Individuals averted And your Memorialist will ever pray Jabez Parsons

Concord 12th January 1795.

[8-94]

[Order from John T. Gilman to Supply Clapp to deliver arms to Captain Sheaffe's company, March 24, 1795. — Ed.]

[8-96]

[Petition to Construct Canals, 1795.]

To the honorable the Senate & to the honble the House of Representatives of the State of New Hampshire in General Court assembled at Hanover June 1795.

The subscriber in behalf of himself and others whose names are hereto subjoined, most respectfully represents.

That among the Number of great Objects that at the present period of Enterprize & Exertion, have arested the Attention of Individuals, the Business of Canals holds out more of public Utility than any other. The Removal of the Obstructions occasioned by the Falls of the important River of Merimack, must in this, & other Views, be an interesting Plan to the Citizens of New Hampshire. Your Petitioner therefore in behalf of himself & Associates begs leave to sollicit the Aid of this honorable Court to authorise & enable them to clear the Falls (at their own private special Expence) upon the Merimac River from the Isle of Hookset Falls to the Entrance of the East Branch of said River, & from thence to construct and open such Canals up the East Branch of said River to Winnipissiokee Pond, as shall render the navigation for Boats & Rafts safe & convenient from said Pond to Isle of Hookset Falls aforesaid, and for their purpose to incorporate them with such Privileges & on such Terms & Conditions as this honorable Court shall think proper.

To the honorable, the Senate and house of Representatives in General Court convened, at Hanover the third day of June 1795 We your Petitioners humbly sheweth —

That whereas in the Clause of an Act in addition to, and in amendment of an Act, entitled an Act to prevent the destruction of Salmon,