The Newhampshire gazetteer — Exeter, N.H., 1792-01-28 00:00:00, page 1

The General Court at their
late Session, among other
things, puffed the follow
ingA&s andßefolves,viz.
AN ad ahering/the time of hold
ing the annual meeting iuMoal
ton borough.
An aft to alter the name ofJohnPeirce
the third, to Edward John Peirce.
An ad granting to Joseph Kimball,
• Esq. the exclusive right, or privi
lege of making Waterqaeechee falli
• in Connecticut River navigable for
boats, b
An a& making provision in case of the
de,ath, resignation or removal from
office of the Sheriff of any County.
An ad for laying out a road from Con
cord to Durhamfalls & NeWmarket
bridge.
An ad to legalize the exchange of
certain lands in New-Grantham,
&c. -
An a& for regulating the fifficry in
Connecticut River.
An aft impowering the children of
John Fiiher, to hold real eftare in
, this State.
An aft to vest the exclusive right of
keeping a ferry over a part ofMer
rimac river, in John Bryant, his
heirs and assigns.•
Act a^in addition to an aft refpea
ing .Schools, &c.
An ad to vest in John Young the sole
privilege of building chimnies and
altering those already built agreea
bly to a difeovery and invention of
the said Young, &c.
An ad to impower the inhabitants of
Cockermouth, to levy a tax on all
the lands in said town, &C.
An aft to restore Stephen Harford to
his law.
An aa to restore Jonathan Wadleigh
to his law.
An aa for afTeffing the lands of non
reridents in Chichefter, &c.
An ad to restore James Wallace to
, his law.
An aa altering the time of holding
the annual meeting in Dunbarton.
An aa to impower N. Gilman, Esq;
to fell Certain lands, &c.
An aa to enable Mary Tufton Mason,
to take an appeal from a certain
decree of the Court of Probate, in
the county of Rockingham to the
Superior Court, &c.
An aa to lay a tax on the lands of
non-residents in Offipee, &c.
An aft to impower the inhabitants of
Dorcheffer, to levy a Eaton all the'
lands in said town, &CT
An a& to impower the inhabitants of
New Grantham to levy a tax' on
all the lands in said Town, &c.
An,a to lay at^x On all the lands
in the town of Washington.
An' aa to authorise the affeffinent and
colleaion of taxes in the town of
Coventry...
An a& to impowterthe Judge ofPfo
bate of the count, of Rockingham,
to appoint Corrimiffioners arfd allow
a further time for the fetttetn„f
the Estate of Robert Curtis,< ;eaR
ed represented insolvent.
An aa to difannex certain lands, &C.
from New-Castle, arid annex the
fame to Rye. . ,
An aa to incorporate certain persona
by the name of the New- Hampshire
friendly Society.
An aft to impower watchmen to ap-
EXETE R, (New-Hamp/hire) Printed and Published by HENRY RANLET, at Nine Shillings per annum.
STATE OF NEWHAMPSHIRE.
SATURDAY, January 28, 1792.]
Newhampfhire
prehend dirorderly perform, &c.
An afl to enable Benjamin Brown, jr.
to review an adion at the Inferior
Court in the County of Hilllboro'.
An ad to impower Benjamin Abbott,
to receive an adion bro't by him
, against Samuel Hobart, Esq.
An ad to authorize James Thurston,
senior, of Exeter, and his wife to
convey certain lands.
An aft to incorporate certain persons
by the name of the. united Fire
Society, N°\One.
An a& to incorporate a certain trad
of land by the name of Gdfher..
An aft togive the force and validity
of an original Deed to the copy of a
defed from the inhabitants ofriamp
Head, to the proprietors of the town
An aa in addition to an a& intitled
"an a& to e^ablifh an equitable
method of making rates and taxes,
« c " . .
An sift to impower Benjamin Lamfon,
to fell certain estate.
An aft to alter the time and place of
holding the Superior Court of Judi
citure in the County of Grafton.
An a& for repealing a clause in an a&
for the regulating of Beef and Pork.
An aft impoweting the Judge of
Probate to appoint Commissioners,
of lengthen out the time for the
Commiffionersr.to receive the claims
upon the estate of His Excellency
John Wentworth.
An a& in addition to and explanation
of an a& intitled " an aft to incor
porate the feuch part of Society
land, &c. &c.
of Kingstown, &c.
An aft to limit the time of prosecuting
demands agaieft the estate of Tho
mas Simpfop, late of Fortfmouth,
Esq. deceufed.
An ad to vest the exclafive privilege
of keeping a ferry over a certain
part of Connecticut River, in
Ebenezer Brewfier, &c.
An aft to lay a tax on all the lands in
Orford, &c.
And ad for' the infpeaion of Pot and
Pearl Aflies.
A Resolve lengthening the time to
make the returns to the Treasurer
to the firl of M arch next.
An a& in addition to an ad refpeding
Newmarket Bridge.
A Resolve that the several Clefts of
the Courts of law, admit the Com
mittee of the Convention to have
riccefe to the? records' in their rd
fpedite offices.
An aft to impower Satnuel Silfby, to
review a certain naion.
ARefolve adjourning thelnferiorCourt
pf Common Pleas in the county of
Rockingham, to the last Tuesday
of February next =—alfo adjourn
ing the Inferior Court df Common
Pleas in the county of Strafford, ^o
the Second Tuesday of March next,
and the Court of General Seftons
of the peace for said county, to the
Thursday next following the second
Thursday in March next.
An a& for adjufling accounts and col
leding sundry Debts due to this
State prior.to the year one thousand
seven hundred and eighty-four.
A Resolve that one half of the Courts
of Law in the County of Hillfboro'
after the expiration of two yeabs,
be held in some convenientplace
in the northerly part of faidCounty.
A Resolve that all Invalids may nratte
application, to the Db&oi:s Samuel
Tenney and William Parker, of
' Exettf, for examination, who are
THE
Continued Infpeftors of Invalids.
Ari rd to establish a Bank in this State
atd to incorporate the fubfefibers
thereto.
An a& to present nuisances.
Ana& impowerihg Joseph Philbrick,
^^ll certain estate.
An aft in addition to an ad entitled
/ "an ad ordering the descent of
Intestate estates, &c.
An aft in addition to an ad,entitled,
" an aft suspending the operation
of sundry ads.
An ad authorizing the colleaion of
county taxes, which are or may be
assessed upon non-residents lands in
unincorporated towns.
An aft to prevent damage which may
be done by Lumber, to the owners
of lands lying on, and adjoining
Connecticut and Merrimac rivers.
An aft in addition to an a& entitled,
“ an aft to ef/ablifh an equitable
method of making rates and taxes,
&c; „,
An aa to enable Samuel Sherburne
and John Sherburne,of Portsmouth,
Efq'rs. to review in a certain ac
tion.
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.
FRIDAY, DEC. 2j.
CRIMINALirrefPOST OFFICERS
IT was said, that although the
crimes in question jaftly deser
ved the punifnmeut of death, yet
gentlemen ought,when acting in the:r
legislative capacity, to consider how
their laws will accord with the gene,
ral sentiments of the people :—Chat
the trial for every such crime will
come before ajory, who, if they deem
the punishment too (evere^ can easily
find means td favour the eßape of
the offender : juries have frequently
a&ed in this manner ; and instances
were known, when a jury, after ha
ving acquitted a culprit, did not he
fixate to acknowledge, that they
would have convided him, if the pu
nishment, to follow oil convidion,
had been less severe.
It was further added, that the pu
nishment of derich ought never to be
annexed to any crime,except in cases
of absolute neceffity:—to far Nothing
of the cruelty the example of En
gland flawed in the efficacy of the
punishment : —there; human life is
cheap arid every petty offence is ex
piated witfrblobd ; yet all the seve
rity of the Idws is found, inefficient
to diminish the number ofc crifoes•
in h#»/,fea^ the laws are less se
vere, and- are productive of better
effects,.than have been experienced
from the fanguinsry-code of Britain ;
for it has been observed that the vio
lations of private property are become
much less frequent, since imprison
ment has been substituted to corporal
punishment :—if gentlemen wiffied
to secure the. property erftrufted to
the post office, it muR be by annex
ing to: the.violation of it, such pu
nishment arthe offender is certain of
fuffering, whenronce detected :—ff
would beimpolitick to pass lawg
without! a .hope of feeing, them carri
ed into execution ; and if death were
the penalty appointed in thia instance
An ad to authorize the Selectmen of
New Durham Gore, in the County
of Strafford, to levy a tax c^all
the lands in said Gore.
CONGRESS.
Gazetteer.
[Numb; 30 of Volume 6.
the offenders would much oftener
eftape than fuffer for their crimes ;
and besides it would become necef.
fary to extend the feme punishment
to other crimes,tynd thus increase
the number of criminals :—inftead of
this, it was hoped that solitary con
finem-a; ^ftd&'ore long faperfede
the present m^s of punishment;
A motion was here,made by Mr.
Hillhoufe, to amend Mr. Boudinot's
motion, by fubftitoting, in lieu of
the latter part of it, these words,
" imprisonment for life, or for a
term of years, at the diferetion of
the court, before whom such conviai
on shall ever after be rendered inca
pable of holding any office under the
United States."
In criminal law (It was said) the
case of the criminal is not so much to
be considered, as the benefit of soci
ety, whose laws he has violated ; and
confinement is a punishment that
will aft beneficially to society :—The
experiment has been made in Penn
fyl^ania, and it does honour to the
humanity and policy of her legisla
tors ; —Here however the obje& ap
pears to be limitted, and only ex
fends to feformation ; Thejail seems
indeed a very good moral school ;
but there is nothing to deter men
from guilt ; —Whereas in affixing a
ptinifhment to the commission of any
crime,the Erength of the temptation,
and the terrour of the punifhmenc
ought to be weighed together, so as
to make the latter an over balance
for the former—in the cases under
consideration, the mart, who trans
gresses the law, is guilty of theft
aggrevated by a most criminal breach
of trust; the temptation is ftroag ; for
it was well known that much of the
speculating genius sf the country
dififes itfelf abroad through the me
dium of the Pott Office ; bank bills,
notes, &c. are transmitted from one
extremity of the union, to the other,
and in away, that most of all others,
hold out the strongest temp ation to a
depraved mind ; the offender having
nothing more to do, than secretly to
violate a fitall letter which must be
come an easy prey to his villainy,
unless protested by the powerful hand
of the law :—when the nature of the
Poft-Office, and the moral turpitude
of the a& were taken into considera
tion, it was thought wife to arm the
law with all the terrours, of which it
is susceptible.
Os the different writers, who have
treated of crimes aqd punishments,
not one; (it was said) wishes to de
stroy the severity of punishment :
They only deny the right of taking
away life ; but do not deny that soci
ety have' a right to confine a criminal
in order to reftrdin him from doing
further mifchief : thus society are be
nefited, the criminal may be refor
med, and every objed of a judicious
policy obtained. The severity of
punishment depends in a measure on
its duration : And' as the crime in
queftirin is next in degree to murder,
can so easily be committed, and holds
out so powerful a temptation, the
punishment ought to be made ade
quate to the offence ; and no species
of punishment, short of death, is so
terribly to the guilty mind, as con
finement : Besides, it has this desi
rable est&, that the offender may be
reformed, and orite more become a
good and ufeful membefroFfodfefy ;
this is seldom the conference of cor-