And as the Meshes of said Seine are made so large that it never takes any Alewives, but the pass out of said Seine without any interruption, and Competent Judges of fishing say the Seine being drawn above said Brook, has a great tendency to cause the Alewives to take the Brook instead of detering them And as the General Court of the State of Newhampshire, at their last Session at Portsmouth, passed an Act prohibiting any Seine being drawn within fifteen Rods of any Brook mouth, where Salmon, Shad, or Alewives which Act being much to the damage of your Petitioners, and not of any benefit to the State - Therefore your Petitioners pray that Naticook Brook may be Exempted from the force of said Act - And your Petitioners as in duty bound will ever pray — Samuel Gibson Daniel Bixby Joseph Nichols } State of New I Hampshire In the House of Representatives June 12th 1798 Upon hearing and considering the foregoing petition and the Report of a Committee thereon voted that the Prayer thereof be so far granted that the petitioners have leave to bring in a Bill at this or the next Session of the General Court & authorizing them to draw their Seine on the same ground which they formerly occupied, provided it be not within two Rods of the mouth of Naticook brook Sent up for Concurrence John Prentice Speaker In Senate the Same Day Read & Concurred Nath1 Parker Dy Sy [8-112] } [Petition for a New Road, 1798.] State of New To the Honorable the Senate and House of RepHampshire resentatives in General Court convened The Petition of the subscribers in behalf of themselves and others Humbly Sheweth That the most Northerly Towns in Said state lying on Connecticut River have ever been since the commencement of their Settlements, and now are under great imbarrassments for want of Established Roads - and as no Suitable Persons are or have been Authorized to effect the laying out and making the Roads passable — And to appropriate the money which has or may be raised for that purpose and those difficulties which are pecular to those Towns or places having originated from the Lands being claimed under different Titles or Grants and which difficulties Still remain and the Towns or places being mostly in an Unorganized State - And although considerable money has been expended it has been done to little effect — and several attempts have been and are now making which promise but little success Therefore your Petitioners concieve it would be greatly for the Interest of the Publick greatly for the benefit of the Inhabitants, And not to the injury of the Proprietors to have a Committee appointed to lay out a Publick road from the northerly part of Stratford as near Connecticut River as would best accommodate the Public and to be continued through Lands Claimed under the Dryden Charter, under the Grant made to Seth Wales and under the Cockburne Colebrooke and Stewart Grants - And altho considerable money has been expended on Said Road by the Proprietors of Dryden Cockburne & Colebrook, Still there is no Road established by Proprietary Authority Nether has any thing been done by Authority under either of the Said Grants - Therefore to Comprize the various attempts which are now making to effect said Business into one Sistem We request your Honors to appoint Benjamin Strong Esq' Mr Jeremiah Eames Jun' and Mr Joseph Holbrook a Committee to lay out the Road as aforesaid from the Northerly part of Stratford to the north line of Stewartstown being about twenty miles as in their opinions will best accommodate the Public And to cause the Same to be made passable for Carriages And Also that a Tax of three Cents p Acre be granted on each of the Towns or places through which Said Road Shall pass which three cents Shall include any money already Granted by the Honorable Court, or by the Authority of the Towns or Proprietors and not yet appropriated and that the Said Committee may accept and account any money so raised or to be raised not yet appropriated towards the said Tax of three cents, And they being disinterested and not residing in any of the Said Towns or Places, may at thier discretion allow and pay for any work already done for the benefit of the Public on Said Road to those who exhibit Satisfactory vouches therefor — And after Said Road shall be made to their acceptance if there remains a surplus of money they may provide under the direction of the Proprietors if they see cause to give direction to lay out other Roads for the Benefit of the Settlement of Said Towns or Plans Providing with what labour the Inhabitance have and may agree to do on Said Road the Proprietors or owners Shall have four months to work out their respective proportions of the money it may take to complete Said Road-And for the surplus of the money so to be raised (if any) to be laid out in other Roads as aforesaid, in one year after the expiration of Said four months and that the Committee may be Authorized to proceed in the Same way as is provided by law for the proprietors to Collect Taxes, and make Sale of the delinquent Proprietors or owners lands who Shall be delinquent at the end of Said four months - And in the Same manner for the collection of what may be delinquent at the end of the other year And that Said Committee Shall give Bonds and be Sworn to the faithfull performance of Said Business and be paid out of the moneys to be raised as aforesaid for thier Services. Or that your Honors in your wisdom will direct Some other measure to be taken to give releaf in the Premises and your Petioners is in Duty bound will ever pray Hopkinton June 13, 1798 - Jabez Parsons [8-115] [James McHenry to Jacob Sheaffe.] War department July 2a 1798. Sir, It has been suggested to me that you would chearfully give your assistance in such measures as the Government of the United States at present find practicable for the defence and protection of the Town and harbour of Portsmouth. By a return in this Office it appears that there are at present at Portsmouth, three thirty two pounders, four twenty four pounders and one eighteen pounder - Most if not all these Cannon require to be mounted. You will therefore permit me to request that you will without delay offer to receive proposals and contract for as many carriages as may be wanted to mount the Cannon. You will be par ticular in the Contract to secure to the United States well seasoned timber-iron work of proper strength, that all parts of the Carriage be well seasoned and that the work be completed in as short a time as possible I assure myself that the whole will be done upon the most reasonable terms. You will transmit me a duplicate of the Contract when entered into that money may be forwarded to enable you to comply with it. You will be pleased to consult with and take the opinion of the best informed military characters and Mechanics as to the Sum it will require to complete the works and finish the Buildings at Portsmouth and inform me whether a contract can be made to finish them— I am Sir with respect Your obed' servant James McHenry Mr. Jacob Sheafe [8-117] [Nathaniel Head's Commissions.] Sir the folowing is a Statement of the pretentions which I have in my Care Viz a Coppey of the Dates of the Comisions which I have had the Honer to hold from your viry humble Servant Nath' Head Pembroke Sept 5th 1798 General Thomas Bartlet [8-118] [Petition for relief, from Andrew Poor, imprisoned for debt, November, 1798. — ED.] [8-119] [Petition for Road from Lancaster.] State of newhampshire To the honerable the sinate and house of Representatives in General Court conveind at Concord Nov 1798 Humbly shews the Subscribers being inhabitants of the County of Grafton in said State that the Settlements on Connecticutt river above Haverhill have of Late greatly increased and a road from Lancaster leading thro' Whitfield Peeling and Thornton to Plymouth will be near thirty miles Shorter than the road by Haverhill — That the Towns of Peeling & Thornton have of late been at a very considerable expence in making Roads thro' them and are ready to mak such Roads passable for Teames Could they be Carried through. As to Lancaster your Petitioners conceive there can be no dificulty as their Settlements are already advanced almost to their South bounds - but their being no Settlements in Whitfield and but few on the lands through which the road must pass from Whitfield to the road that will lead from Peeling to new Concord, the aid of this Court is wanted to Effect so valluable a purpose Your Petitioners therefor pray, that your honers will appoint and authorize Some proper persons to Look out a Road from Lancaster passing thro' Whitefield so as to Strike the aforesaid Road Leading to new Concord in the most conveniat place So as a road may be as direct as the land will admit and grant a tax on the lands thro' which it shall pass from the South bounds of Lancaster to the aforesaid road in order to raise money to defrey the expence that will be incurd in the business amounting to Such a Sum as your honers may think will be needed to compleat such Road in Such a manner as the public may be Served thereby to be raised and Collected as may be thought advisable and Lay'd out under the direction of Such persons as your honers may think proper to appoint and your Petitioners as in duty bound will ever pray &c Joseph Blanchard [8-120] [Report of committee on statement and communications of the commissary-general, December 6, 1798. — ED.] [8-121] [John Prentice resigns as judge of the superior court, December 10, 1798. — ED.] [8-122] [Arthur Livermore accepts the same appointment, December 22, 1798. ED.] [8-123] [Turnpike from Charlestown to Surry.] To the Honourable Senate and House of Representatives of the State of New Hampshire, in General Court assembled The Petition of the Subscribers for themselves and their associates Humbly Sheweth That the Road from Charlestown to Keene is travelled to Boston and the easterly part of Massachusetts by the Inhabitants of the |