Committee of the upper house, to run the line & take the draft of the river Merrimack, & make their return as above. Pro: N. Hamp". Josh Pierce, Cler. Assem3. In the House of represents. Voted, That his Excellency be presented with one hundred and ten pounds, to be paid out of the public treasury of this province in bills of creditt of the same. 25th April, 1719. Eodem die. Voted a concurrence. Josh Peirce, Cler. Assem3. In Councill. Rich Waldron, Cler. Con. The Petition p'ferred agst a bridge at New Castle being read at this board, it was ordered, That the hearing thereof be on Thursday next at ten o'clock, A. M., & that the parties be notifyed accordingly. Adjourned till Tuesday next, 10 o'clock, A. M. Pro: N. Hamp'. At a Gen' Assembly held at Portsm Present in Councill, His Excellency Sam' Shute, Esq., Gov. Adjourned till tomorrow, 3 o'clock, P. M. [r. 129.] Pro: N. Hamp'. At a Gen' Assembly held at Portsm by adjournment, April 29, 1719. Present in Councill, His Excellency Sam' Shute, Esq., GovTM, His Hon' John Wentworth, Esq., Lt. Gov', Mark Hunking, S Sam! Penhallow, Esqs. Rich Wibird, Esq. Geo. Jaffrey and Shad. Walton, Esqs., were sent down to the House of Representatives with the petition of Eliphalet Coffin & Tristram Coffin, wch was p'ferred at ye last Fall session; & the petition of Benja Leavitt p'ferred this day, wth a vote of Councill on each of them; and also a vote about Iron oar. Mr. Sam' Hinckes p'ferred a petition to this board, directed to the Gen' Assembly as on file, wch is suspended till the next session in the fall of the year. Adjourned till tomorrow, 9 o'clock forenoon. Pro: N. Hamp". At a Gen1 Assembly held at Portsm by adjornm', April 30th, 1719. Present in Councill, His Excellency Sam' Shute, Esq., Gov', &c., Geo. Jaffry, Richd Wibird, Esq. The Clerk was sent down to the house of represents to call them to the Councill board, upon the hearing of ye petition about N. Castle bridge: They came accordingly, and the matters being at large debated on either side, & fully heard, the Represents withdrew to their own house to consider the same. Adjorned to 3 o'clock, P. M. Pro: N. Hamp'. Mett again according to adjornm. as Before. Two members of the house of representatives brought the petition of Messrs Coffin to this board wth ye vote thereon; and also ye petition of Benj. Leavitt & a vote on that. The two petitions are on file, & votes as follow: [P. 130.] The petition of Eliphalet and Tristram Coffin praying to have the Intail taken off from their estate being read, it was In Councill Voted, That the prayer in said petition be granted; and that Geo. Jaffrey & Rich Wibird, Esqs., be a committee from this board to joyn with two of the house of representatives to draw up a bill accordingly. April 29th, 1719. Rich Waldron, Cler. Con. Read in the House of represents & Voted a concurrence. Josh Peirce, Cler. Assem. And that Jotham Odiorne and John Gillman, Esqs., be of this house to joyn the Gent" of the upper house, as a committee for the ends aforesaid. 29th April, 1719. Josha Peirce, Cler. Assem. The petition of Benj. Leavitt to keep a publick house, &c., being read; it was In Councill Voted, That Benj. Leavitt, of Stratham, have license & is here by impowered to keep a publick house & sell drink (wthout paying excise) in s town, during his life, provided no just complaint be made against him. Sam' Penhallow, Esq., was sent down to the house of represent wth a vote for removing the province Records out of the hands of Wm. Vaughan, Esq., wch vote was brought back, the House being adjorned. Adjorn to to-morrow, 10 o'clock, forenoon. Shad. Walton, Esq., was sent down to the house of represent with a vote for removing ye records of this Province out of the hands of Maj. Wm. Vaughan. Adjorned till tomorrow, 10 o'clock, a. M. Pro: N. Hamp❜. At a Gen' Assembly held at Portsmouth by adjournm May 24, 1719. Present in Councill, His Excellency Sam' Shute, Esq., Govern', His Hon' Jno. Wentworth, Esq., Lt. Gov', Sam' Penhallow, Geo. Jaffrey, Mark Hunking, S Esqs. Shad. Walton, Esqs. Richd Wibird, Esq. S The Reverend Mr. Nath' Rogers p'ferred a petition to this board, directed to the Gen' Assembly, in relation to ye Prov: mony which he had taken upon Interest; the prayer of wch petition was voted to be granted, & sent down to the House of representatives by Shad. Walton, Esq. Rich Wibird, Esq., was sent down to the House of represents wth a vote for thanking John Bridger, Esq., for projecting two acts for ye encouragemt of Naval Stores* &c., wch was returned without any vote of the house thereon. Capt. Gillman & Mr. Dam brought up ye following vote to this board: Pro: N. Hamp". For the encouragemt of Iron works wthin this Province, In Councill Voted, That no more Iron mine or oar be exported out of the Prov: upon the penalty of paying ten pounds pr. ton; & that an Act be drawn up accordingly; & that Geo. Jaffrey & Rich Wibird, Esq, be of a Committee from this board to joyn wth two of the house of represents, to prepare the bill, &c. April 29, 1719. [P. 132.] Read and concurred. Rich Waldron, Cler. Con. Josha Peirce, Cler. Assem. Voted, That Jotham Odiorne & John Gillman, Esq,, be of this House to joyn the Committee of the Upper house to prepare a bill accordingly. 29th April, 1719. Josh Peirce, Cler. Assem. Capt. Gillman & Mr. Dam brought up a vote of the house of represent to this board, for building a bridge at New Castle, &c., wch was suspended for further consideration (1). * JOHN BRIDGER, whose name frequently occurs in these pages, was commissioned by the Board of Admiralty in England, along with Benjamin Furzer, to inquire into the capacity of the American Colonies for procuring Naval Stores, and to survey all the woods for masts, oak timber, pitch pine, and for land suitable for hemp. He accompanied Lord Bellomont to the Barbadoes, where, falling sick "of a debauch," Furzer died, and Mr. Bridger was left behind. He, however, followed the Earl of Bellomont, 1698, to New York, and was sent by his Lordship to Boston to execute his commission, and to instruct the people in the manufacture of naval stores. He came to New York to instruct the Palatines, but returned almost immediately to New England, where he became odious, especially to the people of Maine, by his attempts to prevent their cutting down pine trees on their own ground. He was accused with having accepted money from persons for leave to cut masts, which was refused to others who were not disposed to purchase the permit. The House of Representatives of Massachusetts complained of him to Governor Shute, by whom he was, however, protected. In 1729 he was succeeded in his office by Colonel Dunbar, afterwards Lt. Governor of New Hampshire. [Hutch. Hist. Mass., II; Williamson's Hist. of Maine, II; Col. Hist. N. Y., V.-ED. (1) [From Journal of the House.] Voted, That ye Town of New Castle have ye liberty of building a Bridge from Great Island to Sanders' Point, on ye maine land: Provided it be done at ye proper cost of New Castle, or such as shall freely subscribe thereto; they leaving passage for shallops &c., by a Draw-bridge. Josha. Peirce, Cl. Assem. 30 April, 1719. To prevent any difference that may arise between Hampton and Exeter by reason of the last settlement of the lines in this Province, which divides and cutts many men's land asunder: Voted, That the line shall run straight between Hampton and Exeter, from the Maple Tree at the south-west corner of Stratham bounds to the south trees where there is a heap of stones piled up, & from thence upon a west & by north line as it is now settled, to the town's bounds; and whatsoever lands are first granted and laid out or divided into lotts, & return made of the same upon the town records from whence it was granted, for the space of fourteen years past, shall not be dispossest of their lands, but shall be accounted a good title to them and their heirs forever, always paying their taxes and dutyes in the town where such lands shall lye. As also the line between Exeter and Dover to stand as it was run by the Committee; and whosoever shall wthin two months after the date hereof, bring a fair and legal grant of land & fairly laid out & return made on record on either side of said line, & a true copy brought to the clerk or selectmen of either town where they are laid out and bounded wthin ye time above mentioned, that the eldest grants shall be good to them that have them, they paying their dutyes to the Town wherein they fall, always excepting high-ways, through any lotts granted as abovesaid, & land sufficient to mills or works sett up on Lamprile river, as ye selectmen of either Town, wherein such ways or accommoditions belong, shall judge needfull. [p. 133.] Voted, That Capt. Reed & Lt. Dennet be a Committee to joyn such as may be chosen by the upper house, to form the Excise for this p'sent year. Josh Peirce, Cler. Assem. In Councill. May 24, 1719. Concurred: & Shad. Walton & Rich Wibird, Esqs., to be of the committee above. Rich Waldron, Cler. Con. 2d May, 1719. Voted, Yt Maj. Jno. Gillman's Loghouse by ye bridge, be a publick licensed house for Entertainment, paying as other publick houses in ye Province do.Jour, of House. |