likely that any other Person will Be informed that will Right to your Hon" By the Post:

Letter from Gen. Bellows to President Weare, relating to the rescue of Samuel King by a mob.

[P. 325.] SIR

Walpole, Jan 2a, 1782.

I have often troubled you with a Narative of our Distresses and difficulties in this part of the State, notwithstanding I presume you, and the rest of the Honble Comtee of Safety will exercise your wonted indulgence while I give an Account of some new difficulties arising upon the officers attempting to convey one Samuel King of Chesterfield to Exeter: which Rescous you will have an account of before this reaches you. Upon the return of the Mob, after proper refreshment at said King's they sought for all those Persons, who were any way concerned in assisting the aforesaid officer, some of which they got into their hands and have abused in a shameful and barbarous manner by Striking, Kicking, and all the indignities which such a Hellish pack can be Guilty of, obliging them to promise and engage never to appear against the new State again;-and this is not all; they sware they will extirpate all the adherents to New Hampshire, threatening to Kill, Burn and Distroy the Persons and Properties of all who oppose them; that the Friends to this State, can not continue at said Chesterfield with their Families, but are obliged to seek an Asylum in other Towns among the Hampshire People. I have two respectable Inhabitants of said Chesterfield now sheltering themselves under my roof; who I have the Greatest reason to think would be Treated by

them in a barbarous manner were they in their Power, as they have stove the Doors and Broke up Houses in search of them. I am credibly informed that there is in said Chesterfield about an Hundred Persons who support said King, who Damn New Hampshire and all their authority [P. 327.] to Hell, and say they (New Hampshire) can do nothing only in a mean under handed way; in short, they Defy all the authority and force of the State, and are determined to support and maintain their usurped authority maugre all attempts that have or shall be made to curb and restrain their usurpations. The wrath of man and the Raging of the Sea are in Scripture put together, and it is He alone who can rule the latter and restrain the former.

I hope and trust the Author of Wisdom will direct the Honble Committee to such measures as will ultimately tend to the peace and happiness of this part of the State, and more especially those adherents to New Hampshire who are in a sense suffering for Righteousness sake.

I am, with all Esteem and respect

Your most Obedient Humble

Servt

BENJA BELLOWS.

Honble Meshech Weare, Esq.

State of New In Committee of Safety Exeter 7th Jan. Hampshire. Š 1782.

L. S. To the Keeper of the Gaol in Exeter.

[Letters of Com. of Safety, p. 122.]

Whereas Nathaniel Sartel Prentice of Alstead in the County of Cheshire Esq. has been apprehended on suspicion of being guilty of sundry practices inimical to this State and brought before this Committee-Upon examination it appearing that he has, within this State, acted as an Officer under the pretended and usurped Authority of the State of Vermont so called, in apprehending and confining the Sheriff of the County of Cheshire when in the execution of his Office and other things subversive of the peace of this & the United States

You are therefore hereby required in the name of the Government & People of said State to receive the said Nath Sartel Prentice into your Custody and him safely keep until he shall be discharged by the Committee of Safety or by due Course of Law. M. WEARE.

[P. 123.]

DEAR SIR

Hampton falls Dec 4th 1782-[1781?]

I received your favor of the 6th of Novem2 ult° respecting this State's proportion of the Tax proposed to be raised by the United States for defraying the charges of the ensuing year which was immediately laid before the General Assembly then sitting, who are fully convinced that we shall be taxed greatly beyond our just proportion by the number of Inhabitants which Congress have taken to settle each State's Quota and have directed me to write you on the affair, which I shall do as soon as I can procure the accounts of the number of Inhabitants in this State which have been taken or any other matter which may serve to give light in the affair.

I have also received your favor of the 13th ulto in which you mention that you had heard nothing from Vermont respecting their Compliance with the Resolutions of Congress. I now inclose you copies of the Proceedings of their General Assembly at a session which they held at Charlestown (No 4) in October last transmitted to this State. Altho' it is probable that before this reaches you, Congress will have received copies of the same. By which it appears, that they are determined to pay no regard to any Resolutions of Congress but to support themselves upon their own Authority. How far such proceedings will endanger the peace of all the United States, Congress will judge.

You see they have proposed settling Boundaries between them and New Hampshire by a Committee which on their part they have chosen; But this method our General Assembly have rejected, I think with good reason. For should we comply with that proposal it would be acknowledging them an Independent State which (I think) we have no right to do, but is a matter proper for the determination of Congress only. It would moreover be acknowledging them

a State on both sides the River, for as such they now act, and in that case, upon what principles any boundary Line could be settled I know not, they may (for any thing I can see) as well claim the whole of the State as what they now do, for what they tell about the Grants is a mere Device of their own without any foundation, for Mason's Patten, you well know, was a grant of the soil only and had no relation to Jurisdiction or Government. But their Temper, Disposition, high handed Proceedings and injurious Treatment of such Persons, as do not Join with them, and their Contempt of the Authority of this State will more fully appear by their proceedings in imprisoning Messrs Bingham & Grandy as appears by the papers laid before the General Court, Copies of which, I inclose to you; Upon considering of which the General Court ordered Colo Hale the Sheriff of the County to liberate them from Gaol and what followed in consequence of this going to execute the orders of the General Assembly. You will learn from Gen1 Bellow's Letter which I have just received by Express, Copy of which I likewise inclose It is impossible as yet to determine to what length they will carry matters, and what alarming Consequences may follow-This State have hitherto, for the sake of maintaining peace and in hopes of a speedy determination of Congress forborn, exercising Jurisdiction over those, who have pretended to join with Vermont; We have not made distress for Taxes, tho' a great part of the Towns of the Counties of Cheshire & Grafton have refused paying any Taxes or contributing to the support of the War, which has greatly embarrassed our affairs and rendered it extremely difficult and in some cases impracticable for us to comply with the Requisitions of Congress-It is now absolutely necessary for the state to exert our authority to relieve our Fellow Citizens, distress'd, threatened and dragg'd to Gaol and to oppose such illegal and altogether unjustifiable proceedings; and I cannot doubt but Congress will support us herein, and grant us such assistance as may at any time, be necessary for supporting us as one of the United States agreeable to their Resolutions and Guarantee.-You will doubtless inform Congress of these proceedings of the Vermonters and take their advice respecting our Conduct, we have submitted the matter to them and Rely on their supporting us in our just Claims and earnestly request they would make a final Settlement and Determination in the affair-Shall be

glad to hear from you respecting this matter as speedily as may be.

I am &c.

M. W.

[Probably written to Samuel Livermore.-Ed.]

[P. 130.] Letter from Meshech Weare to Samuel Livermore. Hampton Falls, Dec. 10, 1781.

DEAR SIR

In my letters of the 4th Inst I gave you some account of the proceedings of some of the Vermont Officers in imprisoning Colo Hale the Sheriff of the County of Cheshire; Since which Orders have been given for raising the Militia to liberate them, what the consequence of this may be, I am not able now to inform you, perhaps may in my next.

I now inclose you a Copy of a Petition of Capt Eben Green to the General Court with their Vote upon it which is all the information I can give you of the matter-You will please to lay them before Congress for their Determination.

I likewise inclose you a Copy of a Return of the number of Inhabitants in this State taken by the Selectmen of the several Towns & Parishes in the year 1775 and Return made under Oath, except a few Places where for want of Selectmen or some other impediment or neglect the Returns were not made the Number of Inhabitants in these places were estimated from the best information could be obtained from Persons fully acquainted and capable of judging very nearly what numbers were in each; These Numbers are but few, and the numbers at which they were estimated are set down in the last Column but one, which makes the whole Number of Inhabitants at that time 82,200, which from former accounts and estimates taken as well as from the Integrity of the Persons employ'd to take the account I am fully satisfied is the extent of the Numbers we then had.

There was an account sent to our Delegates in Congress in the year 1775 of the number of Inhabitants as near as it could then be obtained, many towns had not then made their Returns, who have since made them, so that, that account was made more by estimation than that which we now have, which probably may make some variation between them,