ing been at great Expense in vindicating ye Charter, and seeing no hopes of a Reconciliation with ye Parish of Brentwood, their Demand being so unreasonable, nor of Relief in any other way. In this Deplorable Case we humbly crave pitty of your Excellency & the Honourable his Majesties Council, and that you would advise us what to do, and would be pleased to find out some way for our Relief, for otherwise we shall run into ye greatest Confusion, Religion will Die amongst us, and both Civil & Ecclesiastical authority be trampled upon; So hoping that your Excellency & ye Hone his Majesties Council will afford us relief, under these pressing Difficulties and prevent our Ruin, and your Petitioners as in Duty bound shall ever Pray &c Petition of a number of the Inhabitants of Brintwood, praying to be set off as a parish. To his Excellency Benning Wentworth Esqr Governor & Comander in chief in and over his Majestys Province of New Hampshire the honorable his Majesty's Council & House of Representatives in General Assembly conven'd 12th day of June 1764 The Petition of us the Subscribers humbly sheweth that whereas we who are of the Parish of Brintwood in said Province are exposed by being at a great distance from Meeting for the public worship of God Therefore pray your Honers to take our Case into your wise Consideration and set us off as a Parish with all Parish privileges one half of the aforesaid Parish of Brintwood for quantity on the westerly end, Beginning at the northwesterly Corner of said Parish running Easterly on Epping Line so far as to contain one half of the length of said Line. Then beginning at the South westerly Corner of said Parish running Easterly on Kingston Line one half of the Length of the said South Line then to run a Straight Line across said Parish of Brintwood so as to contain full one half of the Land of said Brintwood agreeable to a Vote of said Parish reference hereto being had may make fully appear. And your Petitioners in duty bound Shall ever pray John Taylor Zacheus Clough Province of In the House of Representatives June 14th 1764 New Hamps This petition being read Voted That the prayer thereof be Granted & that the petitioners have leave to bring In a Bill accordingly In Council June 15th 1764 Read & Concurred T. Atkinson Sec. A. Clarkson Clerk At a Parish Meeting held at the meeting house in Brintwood the fifjeenth Day of May 1764 Voted Deacon Jeremiah Bean moderator of said meeting at the same meeting it was Put to Vote to see if the Parish would maintain Two ministers in said Parish & it Past in the Negative Voted the Inhabitants of the Westerly End of the Parish be set off to be a Parish by themselves that is to come one half the way Down on Epping Line & Run such a Point a cross to Kingston Line as to contain one half ye Land in Sd Parish A copy Examd. ELISHA SANBORN Clerk CANTERBURY. [This town was incorporated 20 May, 1727.-ED.] At a meeting of the Proprietors of the Town of Canterbury holden by announcement the 16 Day of May 1738, Then Voted that Sam' Smith Thomas Young & Sam Adams are and shall be a Comittee to Represent The Town of Canterbury at the General Court by (a petition ?) to be Enabled by an act to make the Proprietors pay their Proportion of the charge that hath arisen and shall hereafter arise in the management of the affairs of said town Sam Smith Town Cl Petition of the Proprietors of Canterbury about cutting a road, &c. To His Excellency Benning Wentworth Esq Governor & Commander in Chief in & over His Majesty's Province of New Hampshire the Honble His Majesty's Council & House of Representatives in General Court Convened The Petition of Thomas Young of New Market in said Province Innholder & Samuel Adams of Durham in said Province Physician as Agents for & in behalf the Proprietors of the Township of Canterbury in said Province & in behalf of the Inhabitants of that place Humbly Shews That the said Proprietors have for some few years last past applied themselves more closely than at first to the pursuit of proper measures for Settling the said Township, & among other things tho't proper for that end have built a meeting house & from time to time hired a minister to Preach to the Inhabitants, which has encouraged the Settlement so that there are about thirty Families now upon the spot. That the said Proprietors have with considerable expence cut a way from Durham up into the Country upwards of twenty miles towards the said Township of Canterbury, which if cut thro' will be of Great advantage not only to that place but to the Province in General and which they are not able to Effect, & must (with other designs formed for the End aforesaid) fall thro', for want of Proper Laws to Compel such Proprietors as neglect to pay their proportion of the Charge & of such necessary taxes as have from time to time been laid upon them That it is Evident beyond Contradiction that such designs cannot be executed without Considerable cost & Expence & that every Proprietor ought to bear his proportion of the Charge which has not been done in this case, but the Burthen has been borne by such as were voluntary in the affair & so Reasonable as to do what they Knew they could not be Compelled to by Law Relating to the good of the Propriety That there are several years taxes not fully paid but arrearages due from Sundry of the Said Proprietors the want of which has been Supplied by others advancing such sums as were necessary and as occasion call'd for them which is a great grievance & a most unreasonable thing that the Charge of carrying on a settlement should be defrayed by some & the advantage be reap'd by all, or that some should be exempted from the charge & yet be equally Intitled to the Profits with those who have born it That the said Township is a valuable Tract of Land & the settlement thereof (as your Petitioners humbly conceive) deserves the Countenance of the Government as much as & per haps more than any new Township in the Province upon more accounts than can be here Enumerated & without which the Settlement will necessarily go on heavily & Slowly as it has hitherto done Wherefore your Petitioners most humbly Pray that an Act may now be passed to Enable the said Proprietors by their Select men or other officers to Compel such Proprietors as have not paid their proportion of the Rates which have been assessed, to pay them forth with & in default thereof to Dispose of so much of their land, or anything thereon that will Raise the Money as was lately done for the Proprietors of Nottingham or to Levy the same as the Constables of Towns do the Town & Province tax and that Effectual Provision may also be made to Enable them to Raise money upon themselves for the future & Enforce the payment in such a Summary & Expeditious method as may answer the Ends of the Propriety & promote the Settlement & thereby the General good and your Petitioners in behalf of their Constituents as in duty bound Shall ever pray &c Feb'y 25th 1741. Feby the 27th 1741 In the House of Representatives THOMAS YOUNG Voted That the Prayer of the Petition be granted & that the Petitioners have Liberty to bring in a Bill accordingly the act to Continue five years and no longer In Council March 9th 1741-2 Read & Concurred James Jaffry Classm Richd Waldron Secry Same day assented to B. WENTWORTH. Petition of Proprietors of Canterbury for a Bridge. To His Excellency Benning Wentworth Esq' Governor & Commander in Chief in & over His Majestys Province of New Hampshire. The Honble His Majestys Council & House of Representatives for said Province in General assembly Convened the 22a Day of Feb in ye 17th year of His Majesty's Reign. The Humble Petition of Samuel Adams & Joseph Drew both of Durham in said Province as the Major part of a Committee of the Proprietors of Canterbury Chosen to find out & clear a Way or Road from Durham to said Canterbury Shews That yo' Petitioners with Benj Smith of said Durham were chosen & appointed for the business aforesaid and have with Considerable Expence found out & Clear'd a Place for a Road from Durham to Canterbury which may be made with little farther expense (Saving the building a Bridge over Sun Cook River over which the said Way must unavoidably run) a very good Road That your Petitioners Conceive the Public advantage of good Roads Especially in a time of War for flight or other occasions are so obvious that nothing need to be said on that head and that as every Town is in some Degree benefited thereby where there is a call for an Extraordinary Charge it ought not to be the burthen of the town to which it leads only but of every Town and in this Case the Charge could not be born by that Town That in order to make the said way answer all the good purposes designed thereby there must be a good Strong Bridge Built over the said River & the Proprietors of Canterbury having been at a very great expence already in Clearing Said Way and carrying an end other affairs to promote their Settlement are not able to Build the said Bridge at their own Cost Wherefore your Petitioners Pray that a Bridge may be built at the charge of the Province over the said River at the place to which the Way Cleared as afores leads That the same may be forthwith proceeded upon before the Ice breaks up because of the advantage of working upon it And that as the said Way is not opend by any authority of Law it may be Established by the authority of the General assembly for a Publick Road and your Petitioners In behalf of the Proprietors of Canterbury and all others concern'd as in Duty bound Shall ever pray &c In the House of Representatives Feb 23d 1743-4, The within Petition Read & Voted, SAM ADAMS JOSEPH DREW Provided the Proprietors of the Town of Canterbury Build a Bridge this year Suficient for carts & carriages to pass and repass on over Suncook River where the way is Now Cutt to to Travell from Durham to Canterbury & will Warrant to Maintain the Same Bridge for ten years That there be paid the said Proprietors the Sum of fifty pounds Bills of Credit out of the Interest Arising on the twenty five thousand pounds Loan out of that part of said Interest appropriated for Cutting Roads &c when So much shall be in the Treasury In Council Feby. 24th 1743 read & concurred James Jaffrey Cl Assm B. 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