Other things, which your Petitioner would not impede on any Consideration being fully Convinced of the Great Advantage of their having a free Passage. Your Petitioner hath not the least Doubt but your Excellency and Honors will Readily Permit him to do what is Necessary to his Reaping Any profit from the Great Expence he hath been at that shall not be Injurious to Others, And Humbly Submits the matter to be Under the Direction of this Honourable Court, And Prays Your Excellency And Honours that a Committee may be Appointed to view the Premisses and make Report, And that such further Directions may be Given And Methods Established for your Petitioner's Relief As to your Excellency and Honours in Your Great Wisdom Shall Seem meet And Your Petitioner As in Duty Bound Shall Ever Pray &c Province of New Hampshire In Council July the 2d 1766 Eben Samborn Atturney on Read & order'd to be sent down to the honble house T Atkinson Jun Sec [Atkinson to Wentworth & Trecothick.] [Belknap Papers, Vol. I., p. 184.] Portsmo July 12 — 1766 Gentlemen We have now the Pleasure to Enclose you Copy of a resolve of the Legislature here appointing you joynt & Seperate Agents for this Province at the Court of Great Britain with or without, Mess's Thomlinson hope no refusal will prevent us the Favour of Your Interest in that Capacity we also enclose three Seperate Addresses To His Majty The Lords Spiritual & Temporal & to the House of Commons by which youl See how the repeal of the Stamp Act was resented in this Pro' as the Votes are unanimous we hope if we may have errd in any mater of Direction or Form twil be overlook'd & imputed to our not being acquainted with the Method of such Addresses we assure you they Speak the minde of the Province you'l therefore make the proper Use of them — Some Acts were thot of & all the Brances of the Legislature here appeard Desireous of Passing such Acts for Preventing illicite Trade as recomended but the multiplicity of Bussiness that Lay before the Court & the shortness of the Session occasioned by the Early Harvest it was deferrd for the Present Accept our gratefull Thanks for your Spirited & kinde assistance in the affair of the repeal til you have it in a more Gen" Address which was Designed you We must beg your Endeavours relative to the obtaining our Quota of the Money Granted for our Expences in 1756 and Pray let us know what our Money in the funds Sell for that we keep within Bounds in our Drafts & what may be in the agents hands from Time to Time When the former Agents Sent a Standard of weights & measures they omitted Some perticulars which the Treasurer often Wants & are as the Mem° below which youl please to order the Shiping of as also the last Vollm of the Statutes one being printed Since we had the former We are &ca I Gall" Pott Winchester Measure 1 Sett of Money Scales & weights [5-93] order TA C. M [Proclamation of Governor John Wentworth.] By his Excellency John Wentworth Esqr Captain General Governor & Commander in Chief in & Over his Majesty's Province of New Hampshire in New Engd His Majesty's Royal Commission Constituting & appointing me Governor & Commander in Chief in & Over his Majesty's Province of New Hampshire in New England in America, having been this Day Publish'd within the sd Province. I do therefore declare & Publish that all Officers, Civil & Military within the sd Province be & are Continued in their Respective Offices, trusts & Employments, & are directed & Requir'd to Use & Exercise all & Singular the powers & authorities to their Several & Respective Offices belonging (untill further Order) of which all Persons are Commanded to take Notice, & to Conform themselves accordingly. Given at the Council Chamber in Portsm° the 13th Day of June in the Seventh year of the Reign of Our Sovereign Lord George the third by the Grace of God of Great Britain France & Ireland King, Defender of the Faith &ca J Wentworth By his Excellency's Command T Atkinson Jun Secry God save the King. [5-94] [Address of Welcome from the Council to Governor John Wentworth.] MAY IT PLEASE YOUR EXCELLENCY. We his MAJESTY's most dutiful & loyal Subjects, the COUNCIL of his Majesty's Province of New hampshire, in General Assembly Convened; desire leave to return your EXCELLENCY our most humble thanks for your gracious SPEECH from the Chair; On this first Public Occasion of approaching your Excellency, Permit us to offer our most sincere & joyful congratulation's on your happy Accession to the Government of this free, loyal & united People, & to express our hopes of a Steady, just & mild Administration under your influence, hopes the more strongly entertained by us from our sense & reverence of your Personal good Qualities, & from a thorough Perswasion & full Confidence in your Excellency's Public heartedness. It fills our mind with inexpressible joy, to find the Pleasing hopes we have conceived, confirmed & Strength'ned by your early demonstrations of Affection to your Country, and by your Excellency's first solemn declaration from the Chair to the General Assembly, of your diligent attention & ready Concurrence to every Subject of Importance to the Provce Justly sensible of the inistimable blessings of a free and well orderd Government, we shall on all occasions most heartily and Chearfully second your Excellency's good Purposes; and to the utmost of our Power, endeavor by all Constitutional means to preserve the honor & dignity of the Crown, to Advance the welfare of the Province, and to promote the Ease & Reputation of your Eccellency's Administration Your Excellency's Prudence and Goodness, have pointed out to us the most agreeable means of Promoting these very desirable ends, by Recommending to us Unanimity, Wisdom, & Application; herein you set us a most inviting and Powerful example, which we shall endeavor to Emulate by Performing every thing on our Part to Strengthen and improve our happy situation. May Sacred & unerring Wisdom direct you in improving the opportunity you Enjoy, of being the instrument extensively and Effectually to diffuse the benevolent Purposes of a most gracious Sovereign; may your Administration be long and happy, & may it ever be commemorated with Gratitude. Council Chamber, Portsm July 3rd 1767 Copy. Examined [See Vol. VII., p. 126. — ED.] By Order of Council. T Atkinson Jun Secry [5-97] [Action of the House in regard to Counties.] The House taking into further Consideration the Dividing the Province into Countys Came to the following Determination Viz Whereas a Vote lately pass'd in this house for dividing this Province into four Countys the limits of which were Expressed in the Vote which this house Apprehended would be agreeable to & Most Convenient for the People But the Honble his Majestys Council supposed it would be Attended with too great Charges & did not concur with Said Vote But Voted that the Province should be divided into two Countys only making Merimack River the dividing Line This the house having Duly Considered & find it would not Answer the End Proposed by Dividing the Province into Counties which is the Ease of the People In general which in the Case of two Counties only would be very little to a great Part of the Province Upon Reconsidering this Matter the house (who with great Reluctance) find themselves under a Necessity of Differing in opinion from the Honble Council which they Conceive arises from their more Intimate knowledge of the Minds of their Constituents there Concerns & Connections than the Council Can be reasonably Supposed to have & on this principal Only they are induced to Dissent from the Vote for two Counties only & to prove their Desire to agree with the Council as far as is Consistant with their Duty to those they Represent they are willing to Divide Into three Counties only since their first. Proposal is not Acceptable Therefore Voted That this province be divided into three Counties the Several Courts both the Superior & Inferior Courts to be held in the Several Parts of Each County in such place As will best accomodate the Inhabitants as shall be agreed upon by the General Assembly The Bounds of the Counties to be as follows Viz The first County Bounding Northerly by Piscataqua River at the Mouth thereof & up the River to the line between Durham & New Market & by that line & the line between Durham & New market & by that Line & the line between Durham & Notingham & between Notingham & Barington & between Chichester & Barnstead & Between Gilmanton & Canterbury to Winipisiokee River then Down Said River into Merrimack River & Down the Same to the Dividing line between this Province And the Massachusetts Bay then Easterly following the Said Dividing line to the Sea then by the Sea to the Mouth of Piscataqua River where the bound began with that Part of the Isles of Sholes which is in this Province The Second County Bounding Southerly, by the Northerly line of the first County to the Mouth of Pemigawassett River then up Said River to Bakers River & up the Same to the head of the South Branch thereof then on a Streight line to Connecticutt River on the South Side of the Town of Orford all on the North or Northeasterly side of Said line to belong to the Second County The third County to Contain all the Land on the westerly side Merrimack River lying in this Province Not Contained in the other Counties & that Colo Weare Colo Wentworth & William Parker Esq's be a Committe of this House to joyn such as shall be Appointed by the Honble the Council to bring in a bill for this Purpose Copy Examd [5-98] M Weare Cl' of the House of Representatives [Report of the Committee on Division of the Province into Counties.] The Comtee of both Houses Chosen for to Consider of and Settle the most Convenient Lines for Dividing the Province into three Counties and the most Convenient times and Places for holding the Courts Have Considerd that Matter and beg leave to Report That the Lines Proposed by the Vote of the House of the 28th of Augt Last may Answer at Present with the following alterations viz' That there be Added to the North County the Towns of Chichester and Canterbury And Also where Any Town is Divided by Pemigawassett River or Bakers River the whole Township shall belong to the North County. As to the Other two Counties that the lines Remain As Proposed in said Vote of the house Saving that the Townships of Nottingham west Litchfield And Derryfield be Added to the Western County if tho't most Convenient And that the whole of the Township of Bow belong to the Eastern County And that there be held in the North County One Superior Court And One Inferior Court And one Court of General Sessions of the peace in the Town of Dover And one Inferior Court And One Court of General Sessions of ye Peace in the Township of Rochester Yearly In the west County that there be held one Superior Court And One Inferior Court And one Court of General Sessions of the Peace in the Township of Merrimack And one Inferior Court And One Court of General Sessions of the Peace in the Township of Walpoole Yearly In the Eastern County that there be held One Sup Court And One Infer Court And on Court of General Sessions of the Peace in the Town of Portsmouth: One Inferior Court And One Court of |