Justices of the Peace for the County of Cheshire

Benjamin Bellows, Samuel Chace, Benjamin Giles, Francis Smith, William Haywood, Thomas Putnam, Nathaniel S. Prentice, Isaac Wyman, Calvin Frink, Ephraim Baldwin, Heber Millar, Obediah Wilcox, Joseph Greenwood, Lake, P

Justices of the Peace for the County of Grafton

Israel Morey, Bezaleel Woodward, Daniel Brainard John Wheatley, Joseph Peverley, Timothy Bedel, Samuel Emerson, & Charles Johnson

Barristers at Law Samuel Livermore Esq William Parker Jun' Esq' John Pickering Esq' Jonathan Mitchell Sewall Esq' John Wentworth Jun' Esq' Oliver Whipple Esq

practiseing Attorneys - Joshua Atherton Esq' Eben' Champney James Underwood Jun'

For clearing to Ditto

For clearing to Ditto

For Entering Every Ship or Vessel from a foreign
Voyage-

For Entering from any other of the American states
For clearing to Ditto-

[6-81]

[Lead Mine Discovered, 1776.]

The Board having Information from Deacon Knowles that a certain Mr Jon Door of Lebanon in the province of Main has found out and is knowing to a good Lead Mine in some part of the neighbouring unsettled Lands, & that said Door is willing to make Discovery thereof, for a reasonable Reward, & the public Benefit recommend to the Honble House, that some trusty person be nominated as a Committee with Deacon Knowles to call upon Mr Door and desire he would shew them to the said Mine, to bring away some part of the Ore for Tryal, & if it should prove good, to engage upon the honor of this Gen1 Assembly, that he shall be well satisfyd for his Trouble & the Discovery

In Council Sept 20th 1776

[6-82]

[Joseph Gilman's bond for £4,000, as treasurer of Rockingham county, dated November 14, 1776. Bondsmen, Nathaniel Folsom and John Dudley. — ED.]

[6-83]

[Chief Justice Weare's Certificate, 1776.]

Exeter Novem1 29th 1776.

This certifies that John Ayer of Pembroke complained to Wyseman Clagett Esq' against one James Ryan for passing Money Emitted by this state Altered to higher Sums than Originally made And Said Ayer appeared careful & very Industrious in prosecuting said Affair for the publick Good. In Consequence of which Compt Said Ryan was Apprehended, & convicted before the Superior Court of the Fact M Weare Chief Justice of sd Court

[6-84]

[Act regulating Election of County Officers.]

In the Year of our Lord one Thousand Seven hundred & Seventy Six

Seal

State of New Hampshire

An Act for regulating the Choice of County Treasurers and Recorders of Deeds in the several Counties in said State Whereas in the Form of Government established by the late Congress it is directed that the Council & Assembly should ascertain the

Manner of choosing County Treasurers & Recorders of Deeds for the several Counties in said State by the People of Each County respectively.

Be it Therefore Enacted by the Council & Assembly and by the Authority of the Same, That at the Annual Meeting of each Town and Parish in the respective Counties (if in the Month of March) or at some other Meeting to be appointed for said Purpose, to be held in the Month of March, Each Voter shall bring in one Vote for a County Treasurer & one Vote for a Recorder of Deeds, for their respective Counties, and that the Votes for a County Treasurer be sealed up in one Paper, and the Votes for a Recorder of Deeds in another, and certified thereon, which are Votes for a Treasurer, & which for a Recorder, by the Town or Parish Clerk, who shall return said Vote so sealed up & certified, to the Clerk of the Court of General Sessions of the Peace to be holden next after the said Month of March within and for such County which votes shall be sorted by a Committee to be appointed by said Court who shall make known to said Court what Person has the highest number of Votes for each of said offices, and such Person shall by the said Court be declared to be chosen to said offices respectively & be entered in the Clerk's Book accordingly. And in Case there is an equal number of Votes for any Persons who have the highest number, the Choice shall be determined by the Votes of the Major Part of the Justices of said Court present

And be it further Enacted by the Authority aforesaid that in Case of Refusal, Death or other Incapacity of any such Officer, the said Court shall issue a Precept to the Selectmen of each Town & Parish in such County requiring them to call a Meeting (according to law) of their Town or Parish respectively to chuse another in the manner before directed

And that the said Court shall appoint a Committee which in Case of Death or other incapacity of any such Officer shall receive into safe keeping all Records & Papers belonging to the said Office so vacant, which Committee shall be under Oath for the faithful Performance of said Trust

And be it further Enacted by the Authority aforesaid that all such Recorders of Deeds before they be Qualified for said Office shall give bond to the Speaker of the house of Representatives for the time being (for the use of this State) with two sufficient Sureties in the Sum of Two Thousand Pounds - for the faithful Performance of said Trust And that all such County Treasurers before they enter upon the Duty of said Office shall give bond with two sufficient Sureties to the Clerk of the Court of General Sessions of the Peace for such

County in the Sum of Two Thousand Pounds

County) for the faithful discharge of said Trust

(for the Use of such

And be it further Enacted by the Authority aforesaid That all Persons who now hold such Offices shall hold & execute the same until such further Choice be made & declared pursuant to this Act

In the House of Representatives Dec 11th 1776The foregoing bill being read a third time, Voted that the Same Pass to be Enacted Sam Cutts Speak' Tempe

In Council December 13th 1776 This Bill was Read a Third Time, and Voted that the same be Enacted M Weare President

[6-85]

[Report of "Committee of both Houses appointed to Consider of a Method for making a New proportion, to be a guide for paying Taxes in this State," 1777. - ED.]

[6–86]

[Protest of Benjamin Giles and Others, 1777.]

State of New Hampshire To the Honorable Council and House of Representatives now Convened at Exeter

Humbly Sheweth that We your Petitioners (Real friends and well wishers to the peace and Unity of the United States of America, and to this State in particular) are under fearfull apprehensions that a Vote passed Yesterday by the Honorable House of Representatives, will be, we fear attended with far Worse consequences than a former in the opinion of the disaffected party of Grafton County hasty Measure adopted by a late Assembly which is recent in the minds of your Hons, for in the present critical situation of affairs when a Strong Jealousy Possesses the minds of all with respect to right Liberty and freedom, Wee your Petitioners are humbly of Opinion, that to endeavor to subject near one half of this State not only into a Complyance with the main body of the former Laws but also into a Complyance with the detested practice of carrying the same into Execution, will we fear irritate the minds of a great part of the (present Peaceable) inhabitants of this State it being a Yoke which neither we nor our Fathers were able to bear, And also your Petitioners are Humbly of opinion that if the former Laws of this State and the manner of executing the same, were in every View Just and most consistant

with the rights and Priviledges of the People (tho the contrary is evident) that in such a day it would not be prudent to force a Complyance by a bear Majority in the House, and more especially when the Evil proposed to be remedied may as well be prevented in a way agreeable to the whole- and further for the Satisfaction of all, and to remove every ground of Suspicion Your Petitioners earnestly desire such Laws may be adopted and such Enacted as may be for the peace and Safety of the Community, Establishing every Individuals right and property, and that we abhor the most distant thought of a State of Anarchy but as the Execution of Law heretofore has been so oppressive to the subject wee now dread the consequence, and pray that before Law fully takes place a more just Righteous and less burdensome way of conducting tryals at Law be adopted, and if otherwise, Some of your Petitioners at least, according to the instructions of their Constituents do hereby Enter their protest against the afores Vote if Concur'd by the Honorable Council, having this Aspect we fear and dread Viz: a greater disunion then there is at present; hoping this honest and plain representation will be considered as it is in truth (not from an Esteem of popularity or being thought Singular or Overbearing) but in the integrity of our hearts dreading the Consequences &c Submitting these hints to your Hon's Superior Wisdom for Consideration, and direction in the present Case, and hoping some happy Expedient may be the Consequence, &c

Your Petits as in duty bound shall Ever Pray

Humbly Sheweth that your Petir & Wife tooke Passage on board the Brigt Susanna from London bound to Halifax (in order to recover his Property their) but on his Passage to Sd place was Taken by the Privateer McClary & brought into Portsmouth in this State. Now your Peti' has an Opportunity to go in a Small Vessell belonging to Capt Pursue that bro't a Number of Prisoners that ran away from