paid to Mr. Jaffrey, he giving a rect the Tenour of wch I hope will be acceptable to you, as also that of the Blank Commissions. As to Provisions and hire of Transports, they shall be put to rights in any manner agreeable to you, wch is all I can say in the prodigious hurry I am now embarrass'd wth, and am wth much truth Your Excellencys most Obedient, Humble servant W. SHIRLEY. You may depend on the punctual performance of every tittle as to the pay of the men and all other expence and charge. His Excy Gov' WENTWORTH. [Shirley to Wentworth.] [Belknap Papers, Vol. II., p. 215.] Boston, March 4, 1744. [1745 N. S.] Sir, As it will be uncertain where Mr Vaughan will be upon the arrival of this I am obliged to trouble you with 100lb N. Tenour (by the bearer) to pay to those men, wch he shall have enlisted over & above the 150 to be aggregated to your Regiment, and to desire him to see yt the men are march'd to Boston instantly to fill up the Incomplete Companies belonging to Colonel Hale's Regiment, wch will be there by the time those men get to Boston, or if he marches 'em to Charleston it will do: I must refer you for every thing else at present to Mr Bastide, who will dine wth you on Monday- I am sorry I am obliged to trouble you wth the Letter wch accompanies this, at this improper time; But I could not avoid, from the Importunity of the Council, and expectation of the assembly, doing it longer-I will write you further upon it by next post and must now subscribe my self in much haste and Truth Your Excys most obedient Humble servant His Excy Govr Wentworth W. Shirley [The men referred to in the foregoing were raised in New Hampshire, over and above its own quota, to help Massachusetts fill its quota for the Louisburg expedition. See Vol. V., p. 983. — ED.] Dear Sr [Atkinson to Thomlinson.] [Belknap Papers, Vol. I., p. 132.] Portsmo 29th March 1745 I now Enclose you a Set of bills Drawn by Mr Brown on the Secretary of the Society in Lieu of those you Sent back Protested the Parson is at a Loss to know the reason of their being Protested they being Drawn in the Same form as those he formerly Drew he has made Some alteration now I hope they will be Currt & that you will give my Accot Creedt therefor - Intrest &c from a Parson I cant take I alsoe now Inclose you Letter to Mr Jones with my Diary to Ladyday I hope you received those I Sent by Capt Adams & that you Duely receive my money from Mr Jones The inclosed is a mem° from Doctor Peirce which I would have Sent by first opportunity & Charged to me I must alsoe Desire you would Send me by one of the Mast Ships to Chuse [?] or otherways if there is any Inconveniency a Qr of a bb" of best Sportsman gunpowder for mine & friends use you will have the News of the Province from the Govern' & if I have time Shall write you again before the Ship Sails I am with regards Your TA You have alsoe Enclosed Mr Longs order which Please to Note To Capt Thomlinson by ye Eltham Capt Durell were της [Ibid.] March 29th 1745 Dr St I wrote you this Day by the Eltham Capt Durel Incloseing my Diary to Ladyday last & one Set of Bills Drawn as you See by the Enclosed I hope the bills will now be paid I am in great hurry Occa sioned by our Late Embarcation agst Louisbourge So must beg youd Excuse me who am with Esteem Your HS ΤΑ Pray Send me a Loose rideing Coat that will Stand rain & bad wether of what Collour You think best To Capt Thomlinson. [Message, House to Governor, concerning the Fort Dummer Controversy, 1745. Copied from New Hampshire Historical Society's Miscellaneous MSS., Vol. I., p. 64.] May it Please Your Excellency Your Excellencys manner of treating this House, the Representatives of a Free People is intirely new unparliamentary & without Precedent of which your Excellency's verbal & written Messages of the 3d Curt are not the first Instances. Your Excellencys Reflections on the House are so Gross & Coarse that should we answer them in equal Terms and Language it might be justly stiled unworthy and unbecoming & till your Excellency pleases to point out particular Instances to support your high charges these Indignities according to your Excellency's own Maxim must Center upon the author & we shall think ourselves & the People we represent highly injured We assure your Excellency that all Messages from this House are the genuine sentiments of the House & flatter onrselves that if your Excellency had duly deliberated on the Truths contained in our Messages & the Method of treating free Parliaments the Reflection on this head would have been spared May it please your Excellency — We are the Representatives of a free People who by the Blessing of God thro' the happy Reign of His Present & late Majesty have been strangers to arbitrary power having been thro' the Smiles of Providence Blessed with Governors that have been tender of the Privileges of the ople under whose happy Government this House have enjoy'd the mustilege of freely speaking their minds without being taxed with uncoming Language and this makes any thing that looks like an Invasion upon our Rights and Privileges the more irksome and tedious to us And as we are perswaded it will be very pleasing to His Most Excellent Majesty whose Royal Example in this matter as well as every other is worthy Imitation we pray that your Excellency will shew some Regard to the Privileges of the People we Represent which we see are in Danger of being swallowed up in the Term Prerogative of which the management with respect to His Majestys Royal orders relating to Fort Dummer and the unparalleled proceedings in a late affair relating to the Parish of Brentwood now before this House by way of Remonstrance for redress are too Flagrant Instances We are sorry that your Excellency obliges us to this plain, but we see absolutely necessary, way of justifying our conduct & Defending the Rights and Privileges of the yet free People we represent & there fore must proceed to say that His Excellency Governor Shirley on the 25th of February (1) as appears by His Excellencys Letter before this House transmitted to your Excellency a copy of His Majestys Royal Order In Council of the 6th of September (2) for the Supporting & Maintaining Fort Dummer Ordering "The Governor or Commander in Chief of New Hampshire forthwith to move the Assembly in His Majestys name to make Provision for that service tho' this Assembly was then sitting & had a Right by Virtue of His Majestys said Royal order to be forthwith informed of it & tho' its plain by His Majestys ordering the Government of the Massachusetts to take care of said Fort till a final answer might be obtained from New Hamp'. That His Most Sacred Majesty Designed that this House should have time to deliberate upon it yet this House was kept under short adjournments when they might have been sitting & considering of this Weighty matter and not apprized of it by your Excellency till the 2d of April & tho' the Man of War had been expected every Day for a Month yet this House was not moved by your Excellency to consider of this weighty affair till she appeared off this Harbour and had sent in for the Mast Ships to come out to her & then your Excellency was pleased late in the afternoon after four of the clock tho' there was a House in the forenoon which your Excellency was informed of by a Message from them to send a Copy of His Majestys Order aforesaid with only a verbal Message requiring the House to come to a speedy Resolution about it that your Excellency might transmit the same to His Majesty when if the House had been prepared to Come to a Resolve & the ships could have got out they had not time to read over the Papers and draw up a Resolution in Form The House were of opinion that His Majesty's Royal Orders were of such Importance as that they ought to take time maturely to Consider thereof & therefore determined to Consider and weigh things well before they came to a Resolution on such an Important Point - But your Excellency by your Several Verbal Messages so pressed them to an Immediate Resolve that they thought themselves obliged to send their Written Message to your Excellency of the 3d of April (3) upon which your Excellency instead of permitting them to adjourn themselves to three of the clock as usual when they might have met & Debated on this Matter adjourned them till five & then sent your Excellencys written Message of the 3d (4) And when the House Considering the wind was Contrary & had obliged the Fleet which had been under sail to come to anchor again were about to adjourn themselves over the Fast till Fryday morning your Excellency notwithstanding your great (1) See Vol. V., p. 303. (2) See Vol. V., p. 301. earnestness for a Resolve of the House adjourned them till this day being Monday & thereby put it out of the Power of the House to do anything with Respect to those Royal Orders till now— These Things May It Please Your Excellency we think are matter of Fact & such very Extraordinary ways of Proceeding as this People till very lately have not been acquainted with and may be justly called great Infringements on their Rights - And now we desire that the nicest Judges may say who has been trifling with His Majestys Royal Orders & let the Blame lay in the right place As your Excellency is pleased to mention your Excellencys great Industry in attending two days for a Resolve of the House &C. we cant help taking Notice that this House received your Excellencys Message with the Copy of His Majestys Royal Orders Relating to Fort Dummer at twenty Minutes past four in the afternoon & we believe attended in Council near seven - That your Excellency was in Council the next day about Ten and attended till about two and then adjourned the General Assembly till five & soon sent your Excellency's Message so that your Excellency did industriously attend upon the House near six whole hours for their Resolve on a point on which your Excellency is pleased to think the saving the most valuable part of the Province depends — We leave this for your Excellency to reflect upon & say that as this Province have ever been remarkable for their Loyalty to His Majesty so we are resolved to do all we can to preserve that Character & we are so assured of His Most Gracious Majestys tender Regard for the Welfare of this People that we know we cant do it in a more agreeable way to Him than by standing up for our Rights & Privileges & therefore say that if your Excellency will give us Leave and Time to consider of this Important Matter we will come to a Resolution on it as soon as we can - But in the mean time must say that if any Part of the Province should be lost for want [of] a Resolve of this House to go by the Fleet now in Port waiting for a wind the Blame must not lay on this House but must wholly lay where His Majestys Royal Orders in Council lay all the Month of March [The foregoing is endorsed, "House to Gov Wentworth "; and although not dated, was evidently prepared for Monday, April 8, 1745. On Wednesday, April 3, the governor sent a message to the House, which is printed in Vol. V., p. 306. Nathaniel Rogers and Henry Sherburne, Jr., were appointed to prepare an answer. Meanwhile the governor adjourned the General Assembly to the 8th. It is probable that Rogers and Sherburne each prepared an answer, as one |