The votes as now sent are rather Historical Certificates of what was done in Assembly and in Co" in New Hampshire, and what was done in the Assembly of Massachusetts & before the Commiss's than meer votes of the Assembly of New Hampshire

There is no minute of the proroguing the New Hampshire Assembly on 24 Sept. However to cure that let them send the whole Regularly as well what does not as what does relate to the matter.

I believe it would save you Trouble to send this letter immediately to them, and am, Sir, your most obedt hum1 Servt

Fred John Paris.

Surry Street, Saturday morning 4th Feby 1737Surely to Copys of Minutes & Votes the Gov' would put the Seal if desired.

To Mr. John Thomlinson.

66

[Thomlinson to Atkinson. Copy Shepheardson."]

[Belknap Papers, Vol. I., p. 67.]

Theodore Atkinson, Esq.

London, 10 Feb, 1737

Sir, I wrote you largely last month by the way of New York so shall not here trouble you with Business, defering that untill Capt. Homans shall sail. What I chiefly design here is to press you and Mr. Jaffrey to give your uttmost assistance to Messrs Wiggan and Rindge, who will communicate to you my Letters &c. &c. by this Ship, and that you will without any noise or contention goe directly to work, and dont let any trifling difficultys prevent your doing directly all and every thing Mr. Paris hath given you directions about, and let no reports or Terrors of your Enemies deter you, and the order sent him, G. B. to answer your Memmorial was sent him for very good purposes, howe'er he may take it, and let us but have proper materials as you have had directions and dont be in any pain about the success of your affairs upon the hearing, and be as carefull as possible of giving any offence to ye Gov' in the mean time; and could you but be made truely Senceable of the good disposition that appears in several of the Laws of his Majtys Privy Council to doe you strict justice, you would Labour night and day untill you have p'fectly done & dispatched every thing we want from you. You will communicate this only to Mr. Jaffrey, for I find secrecy and quietness is necessary in all affairs of this nature, here, as I am sure it must be

much more so in your present sittuation. I assure you nothing shall fail here by my neglect. I am

Sir, your most Hum1 Servt

John Thomlinson.

Pray send me the names of those Councillours that was present & passed ye votes for no appeal. It may be of use here.

I believe you may be easy about any land that hath been granted away since his Majtys Commission was obtained for settling the Boundarys

Suppose Kings-wood.

[Atkinson to Thomlinson, 1738.]

[Belknap Papers, Vol. I., p. 68.]

Portsmo New Hamp' May 16th, 1738.

Sir Since my last I have had an opportunity to see how Gov Belcher & his friends recd the copy of the Assembly's memoriall to his Majty in Council. You will by this Ship see the Difficulty that attended their affairs in geting the votes of the House certifyed & after waiting 10 days were disapointed at Last, so that unless the method they have taken will be allowed they have no way to prove. their allegations. The Govt Party at the same time have been very Industrious in making his reply & if we are not wrongly informed intend to prove this People here as factious not only now but in former administrations, that they were so in Gov Shutes & Burnets time & that the Speaker that is now at the head of this memoriall was displaced by Gov Shute & that he hath ever since carry'd on a malicious party cause; that he was Displaced by Gov Shute from the Comission of Peace is certain & by a misrepresentation made agst him which the very next time he came into the Gov'ment he was truly sensible of & restored him, he was then only Capt. of the militia & a Justice of the Peace & a Representative for the Town of Stratham. Soon after this he was not only restored to his justice place, but had a Coll. Comission of the Militia, a Judge of the Superiour Court of Judicature this from the Gov" & Council, and soon after was chosen Speaker of the House, which last he hath had the Hon" to Sustain by a great majority of votes ever since, tho' the Assembly hath been so often disolved, 'tis true Gov Belcher in a very Extraordinary manner dismissed him from all his Imployments by a Letter read in open Sessions, which Letter he hath Endeavoured to get a copy

of but 'tis not to be found. Coll. Dunbar had a copy of it & sent it to the Board of Trade in which it would appear he never had the advice of the Council but sent orders from Boston, ex mere motu.

As to the People of the Province being factious or contentious his Speech will contradict him. There he says that we had Done every thing that could be expected from a Loyall Pecple, & upbraided the Massachusetts with the same, & I am sure never any complt either by or agst the people was ever before his Majty till his administration, his friends have been to the representatives to signe agst the vote wherein his administration was voted a grievance nempe Con. What Encouragement they had at Dover and Exeter I know not, but I believe no other member of that house were they now sitting but would vote the same. 'Tis industriously reported about the Govern'm' that those Persons that signed the remonstrance would be sent to England in Irons, this is Done in order to make them recant, however those that signed it I believe will scarce be fearfull of what they have Done they are are appointed by the House from several Towns, no two of one Town & the number so large as seven, what is often a majority of a House, that in case of any Dispute of its being the oppinion of the Governmt it might not look like the oppinion of a few & the Speaker of the House for that reason was appointed as one at whom they seem to point their spleen in a particular manner, now he hath been allways remarkable for his Loyalty & Duty to the King as well as Love to his country, his family & Estate oblige him to the Latter & his Principles & Inclination to the former, he hath been constantly in the House for more than twenty years w[h]ere he behaved so well that he hath been for more than 12 years Speaker, in all the changes we have had in that Time. I tho't myself obliged to write thus much of Coll. Wiggin that you might know when he is represented in wrong colours.

I should be sorry if what the Comittee hath sent should be rejected. as not authentick. I think the most they complain of is in Gen" terms his being arbitrary & Partiall the first is plain by his disposing of all Civil offices & Imployments without the concent of the Council which he hath never asked since I have had the hon' of a place at that Board, & I believe were the Journalls of the Council (which he does or ought to send home Quarterly or half yearly) viewed, there would be no mention of the Council in any appointmt. His Denying the Seal or putting such a Clog to it as renders it useless to the subject - his declaring himself the Judge of the Elections & Quallifications of the members return'd to serve in the House, besides his many Dissolutions of the Assembly, which tho' absolutely in his power, yet if Done to force the People into his way of Thinking

may be looked upon as arbitrary; as to his being Partiall, the whole of the affair at Hampton which Mr. Parris hath a just notion of will make that point clear togeather with a natural reason for his being so, for if the Massachusetts gives him £1000, to deny us an agent? an appeal, money & time-to allow them all those things he is paid for his partiality. He did not meet the Assembly on the 3d of this Inst. but gave out the House would be prorogued till July next but never Issued his Proclamation in the newspapers, till the Day the House were Prorogued to & then finding the Speaker & majority of the House were in Town after the Time appointed for their meeting the Secretary posted up his Proclamation upon the Door of the House 'tis beleived the Gov' intended the Assembly should Drop by not meeting, & that no Proclamation would have appeared had not the members have been in Town, for not one of the Gov's friends appeared. Whether this was the scheme or not I know not but the Assembly now stands Prorogued till the 13th July next, had they met they might Probably have Enforced their Compl* I presume Mr. Jaffrey & Peirce writes you by this Ship to which I beg leave to refer you, — & am, Sir, Your very Hum1 Serv

Theodore Atkinson.

I hope the Jerseys being seperated from N. York will be a Pressident for us, their Constitutions were the same, ours widely differing. [Endorsed] Letter to Mr. Thomlinson abot Speaker Wiggins

I have rd of the Comissrs & other affairs of the Lines, or at least attempted it, which now lay shamefully unpaid & will continue so I fear while Gov Belcher sustains his Comission. I write Coll. Dunbar which he will communicate.

[Thomlinson to Atkinson, 1738. "Copy pr. White."]

[Belknap Papers, Vol. I., p. 72.]

Theodore Atkinson, Esq.

London 14 July 1738.

Sir I have two of your favours since my last to you of the 2a May and observes the contents, and as the Massachusetts agent & Solliciter I believe designs to take the only advantage now left them. of Delaying the settlement of the Boundarys, pretty well Judging what the consequence of the next hearing must be, That is, they will let the whole year allowed for Appeals be Expired Before they pre

sent theirs, altho' it came here with Coll° Quinsey redy p'pared and m.ght have been presented the next day, and they have allready by their delay prevented us comming to a conclusive hearing untill late in ye fall. So I have Returned some papers to John Rindge, and wrote him fully how to send them more complete, and at all events have the Province Seal to them. Take the Gov' in his own way, that is get the Province Seal to those papers as I have Directed by all means, and I hope you will give all the assistance you can in doeing as I have directed John Rindge, which he will communicate to you. Coll. Dunbar says he hath left with you the late Mast contract, and that you will favour John Rindge with it a while to compare it with some thing I have sent him. I shall shortly write you again and am, Sir your most hum1 Serv

John Thomlinson.

P. S. If Benning Wentworth is with you pray give my service to him and tell him that his Creditors here, as well as myself, was in hopes that what Mr. Pollard wrote him to Cadiz, would have Brought him this way for we are of opinion that if he was now here something might be done for him, and his Creditors are now signing a Letter of Licence for twelve months which will be signed and in my hands in a day or two, in order to Encourage him to come here, to see if something cannot be done for him in one shape or other. Capt. Pollard can tell him some thing of the affair.

[Superscribed] To Theodore Atkinson, Esq. at Portsmouth New England.

[John Thomlinson to Theodore Atkinson, 1738.]

[Belknap Papers, Vol. I., p. 73.]

London 1st Sept 1738

Sir—I have 2 of your favours of 26th June and one of 17th July before me and note the Contents of the two former and have given Mr Jones the Inclosed papers he says he hath sent you his account curant and you will have mine by the next opportunity. I hope to secure you Mr Wentworth's bill of £80. I was affraid that his timber would have layn untill it had been all spoyld, for never was offered one penny for it untill yesterday, and think now shall dispose of it at a poor price, for long Credit; but to a very good chapp, but we have