REPORT (AS THE OPINION) OF THE ABOVE COMMITTEE. A Colonel refusing or neglecting to comply with any orders from this Convention to pay a fine of 33 dollars. A Lieutenant Colonel refusing or neglecting to obey his commanding officer, Lieutenant, Adjutant, Quarter Master & Ensign, Major, Sergeant and Clark, 25 do. 20 do. Drum and Fife, 14 do. do. If a soldier drafted in any particular service and absconding, shall be subject to pay a fine of twenty-five dollars, and an officer in proportion as above. That the Committee of War have full power to hear any complaint against any Field officer for neglect of their duty and to proceed against them or either of them, to collect by warrant or execution from under their hands such fine or fines as is appointed by this Convention; in like manner the Field officers to try all the commissioned officers in their respective regiments for the time being, directed to some suitable person to collect the same; and in like manner two commissioned officers of each company to try all non-commissioned officers and privates; to award in the manner aforesaid; said fines to be used or applied to furnish those men in said companies that are not able to furnish themselves with arms and ammunition and accoutrements as required; and that each non-commissioned officer and private provide himself with a suitable gun and one pound of powder, four pounds of bullets fit for his gun, six flints, powder horn, cartouch box or bullet pouch, a sword, bayonet or tomahawk; and for want of a gun to pay a fine of two dollars on each time so required to appear under arms, and for want of each other accoutrement, the sum of half a dollar when required as aforesaid. 334. Voted, To accept of the above report. 34th. Voted, That the Committee of War be and are empowered to issue their warrants in the name and by the authority of this Convention, to the several Field officers of the Militia on the district of N. Hampshire Grants,' that on any sufficient notice received from the General or Commander in Chief of any of the armies of the United States of America, the Honorable Continental Congress, or on any sudden emergency that shall be judged by sd Committee of War to be for the This seems to have given jurisdiction over the whole territory, east and west of the mountains. immediate safety of the Grants, requesting the assistance of the Militia, and march immediately to the relief of such part of the Continent as they may be required to. And in case any person legally notified justly belonging to any or either the Companies of the Militia on sa District shall refuse on such notifications to attend and perform the duty enjoined on him or them by the officers of the Regiment to which he or they do or may belong, that they be fined unless sufficient excuse be rendered to the Committee of War. 35th. Voted, That Doct. Reuben Jones and Lieut. Leonard Spaulding wait and take the proceedings of this Convention and deliver to their Constituents. 36th. Voted, That Doct. Jonas Fay, Capt. Samuel Wright, Major Jeremiah Clark, Colo Timothy Brownson, Colo William Marsh, Capt. Joseph Bowker, Colo Thomas Chittenden, Capt. Heman Allen, Capt. William Fitch, Capt. Micah Veal, [Vail,] Lieut. Samuel Benton, and Capt. Ira Allen, be a Committee to attend this Convention at its next sitting.' And it is recommended for each Town to send one more Delegate. 37th. Voted, That Doct. Jonas Fay, Colo William Marsh and Doct. Reuben Jones be a Committee to draw a Petition to send to the Honble Continental Congress; and report to a Committee to be appointed to examine the same. 38th. Voted, That Nathan Clark, Esq., Col. Seth Warner, Captain Heman Allen be a Committee to examine the aforesaid Petition. 39th. Voted, To adjourn to 8 o'clock to-morrow morning at this place. SATURDAY MORNING 8 o'clock, Sept. 28th, 1776. The Meeting opened at time and place. 40th. Voted, To refer the examination of the Petition to the Continental Congress till our next meeting; then to fill up the Committee for that purpose. 41st. Voted, That four men be appointed as delegates to go to the Continental Congress with a Petition or such directions as this Convention shall give them. 42d. Voted, That Doct. Jonas Fay, Colo Thomas Chittenden, in conjunction with two more to be appointed, be a Committee for that pur pose. 43d. Voted, That Colo Seth Warner, Capt. Heman Allen, Capt. Gideon Brownson, Mr. Ebenezer Hoisington, Capt. Abner Seeley, and Doct. Jonas Fay be a Committee to prepare a Citation to send to the State of New-York to know if they have any objection against our being a Separate State from them and make report as soon as may be. 44th. Voted, That as it appears that the Town of Arlington are principally Tories, yet the Friends of Liberty are ordered to warn a Meeting and choose a Committee of Safety and conduct as other Towns; if they meet with opposition to make application to the Committees of Safety of the neighboring Towns for assistance. The number is twelve, and its office was advisory, and to prepare business. It was the initiation of the body styled in the Constitution the "Council." It will be observed that, in the report of the committee at the next session, the body of delegates elected was styled "the House." 2 See similar vote of Oct. 30, 1776. 45th, Voted, That no person be admitted to act in choosing Committees of Safety but those that sign the Association from this Convention and acknowledge the authority of the Committees of Safety. 46th. Voted, Colo Benja Carpenter of Guilford do notify Guilford, Hinsdale and Halifax. Capt. Francis Whitmore of Marlborough notify Draper, Cumberland, Marlborough and Brattleborough. Lieut. Leonard Spaulding of Dummerston and Capt. Samuel Fletcher notify Townshend, Putney, New-Fane and Dummerston. Mr. Ebenezer Hoisington of Windsor notify Windsor. Hertford, Woodstock, Hartford and Pomfret. Nath Robinson, Esq., of Westminster, notify Westminster and Weathersfield. Doct. Reuben Jones of Rockingham notify Rockingham and Springfield. Mr. Edward Aiken of Kent notify Kent and Chester. 47th. Voted to adjourn this Convention to Wednesday, the 30th Octr next, to be held at the Court house in Westminster, at 10 o'clock in the forenoon. Attest JONAS FAY, Clerk. JOSEPH BOWKER, Chairman. ADJOURNED SESSION AT WESTMINSTER, OCTOBER 30, 1776. [From the manuscript copy of the Hon. JAMES H. PHELPS, published in Vt. Hist. Soc. Collections, Vol. I.] NEW HAMPSHIRE GRANTS, WESTMINSTER COURT HOUSE, October 30th, 1776. ing to adjournment. PRESENT THE FOLLOWING MEMBERS. Benning-Nathan Clark, Esq. Convention opened accord Rocking Doctr. Reuben Jones. On the preceding day provision had been made for notifying Gloucester county. This provided for notice to the towns in Cumberland county. 1st. 24. Voted, Capt. Ira Allen, Clerk. Voted, That Nathaniel Robinson, Esq., Mr. Solomon Phelps, and Col William Marsh be a Committee to go to the Clerk of the County Committee of Safety for this county and get the records of sd Committee concerning sending Delegates to the Convention of the State of New York. 34. Voted, That Mr. Ebenezer Hoisington, Mr. Joshua Webb, Capt. Ira Allen, Capt. William Fitch and Doct. Reuben Jones be a Committee to draw a plan for further proceedings of this Convention; and make a report as soon as may be. 4th. Voted, To adjourn this Convention till 8 o'clock to morrow morning, to be held at this place. THURSDAY MORNING, 8 o'clock. Meeting opened according to adjournment. 5th. Voted, To adjourn this meeting one hour at this place. Meeting opened according to adjournment. 6th. Voted, That Doctr Reuben Jones and Colo William Marsh be a Committee to invite Capt. Clay and Doctr Day to sit with this Convention as spectators. 1 7th. Voted, To adjourn this Convention till 8 o'clock to morrow morning, at this place. FRIDAY MORNING, 8 o'clock. Meeting opened according to adjournment. REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE OF PROCEEDINGS. It is the opinion of this Committee that, by the reasons of the incursions of the Enemy, and that the Militia of this State have lately been called, and are now going to the relief of their distressed Brethren at Ticonderoga, and the Northern frontiers of this State, and that several of the Members of this Convention are more immediately called on to the relief of their families, &c., which has so far taken up our attention, and the attention of the People at large, that we have not collected the full sentiments of the People. It is not proper, therefore, to proceed to complete the Petition to the Honble the Grand Council of the United States of America, or to fill up the Committee for the purpose of delivering Sd Petition. That an answer be made to a Pamphlet dated the 2d October, 1776, and sent from the Honble the Provincial Congress of the State of NewYork to the County of Cumberland, and with S answer a Pamphlet setting forth the advantages that would arise to the people at large on the district of the New-Hampshire Grants, by forming into a separate State, be wrote, printed and communicated to the inhabitants as soon as may be. 1Capt. James Clay was chairman, and Doct. Elkanah Day a member of the Cumberland County Committee of Safety. 2 Referring to the destruction by the British of the American naval force on Lake Champlain, and the then expected attack on Ticonderoga by Gen. Carleton. HILAND HALL suggests that the alarm prevailing on account of that invasion prevented this Convention from declaring a separation from New York.-Vt. Hist. Soc. Collections, vol. I, p. 34. See Appendix B. That a Manifesto be put in the public newspapers setting forth the reasons, in easy terms, why we choose not to connect with New-York.1 The aforesaid report is humbly presented to the House by Order of the Committee. 8th. Voted, To accept the above report. WM. FITCH, Chairman. 9th. Voted, That a petition be drawn to send to the Honble Provincial Congress of the State of New-York, requesting their approbation for the district of the New-Hampshire Grants to form themselves into a State separate from N. York. 10th. Voted, That Colo William Marsh, Capt Ira Allen and Mr. Solomon Phelps be a Committee to make the above writings. 2 11th. Voted, That Major Abijah Lovejoy, Colo Wm. Marsh, Capt. Ira Allen, Colo Jacob Bailey, Mr. Solomon Phelps. Major Joseph Tyler, Colo Benjamin Carpenter. Mr. Benjamin Emmons, Mr. Elijah Olcott, Doct. Reuben Jones, and Mr. Daniel Jewett be a Committee to go through Cumberland and Gloucester Counties to carry the proceedings of this Convention and to complete getting the associations formed by this Convention signed and collected to the Clerk of this Convention at their next sitting. 12th. Voted, That it be and it is hereby recommended to each Member of this Convention to assist the above Committee as much as in them lies. 13th. Voted, That Doct. Jonas Fay be added to the Committee to make the above Petition. 14th. Voted, That Solomon Phelps write a letter to Colo Jacob Bailey, desiring him to assist the above Committee. 15th. Voted, To adjourn this Convention to the third Wednesday of January next at 10 o'clock in the Morning, to be held at this place. JOSEPH BOWKER, Chairman. Attest, IRA ALLEN, Clerk. A true copy from the original. ADJOURNED SESSION AT WESTMINSTER, JANUARY 15, 1777. [The following journal, which ends with the words "11th. Voted, N. C. D., to accept the above report," is found in Slade's State Papers, page 68 to 70. The residue of the journal is from the manuscript of the Hon. JAMES H. PHELPS, as published in Vermont Historical Society Collections, Vol. I.] N. HAMPSHIRE GRANTS, Convention opened WESTMINSTER COURT HOUSE, January 15th ,1777. S according to adjournment. Present the following Members: Capt. JOSEPH BOWKER in the Chair. 1st. Voted, Doct. REUBEN JONES, Clerk, P. Tempore. 'See Appendix C. 2 This petition to New York, if prepared, seems never to have been See similar vote of Sept. 25, 1776-the 434 vote. sent. |