Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1852-11-11

Reuben Washburn, Jed 5. Bushnell,
George f. Wales Isaac r. Wright,
John Campell, Mark Crawford
l.. y. Briggs,
TO the House Of Representatives, IN session
The Select Committee, to whom referred the me-
mortal of Charles X. Williams William G. Bradley, aud
others citizens of this State, praying for an appropriation to
build Monument at Westminster IN memory of WILLIAM
FRENcu the first of and national ndepen-
dence have carefully considered the and now beg leave
to present the following REPoRT, to wit:
In the minds of your Committee the motives of the Pc
ttoners are so clearly stated the petition and the object
is so maniesy meritoous that nothing seems to be left
for the Committee, but the inquiry, whether II deserves the
action of the State To ascertain this, becomes necessa-
nv to recur portions of early history and on
this point the Committee happy to be able to say, that
some manuscript sheets Of rough draft of the history Of
Cumberland County, in which the transactions in question
occurred drawn up by citizen of the State of NewY ork
from documentary evidence and from contemporaneous tes
tnony has been put into Their hands so that as to those
Transactions that preceded and attended the agcn event
which it is proposed to commemorate they feel on safe
ground.
To go back however: it is well known that when the
State of New Hampshire which until then had no otnei
Chief Magistrate than the Governor of Massachusetts, came
to receive It's full organization by the appointment OF Ben
ming wentworth as its Governor that gentleman showed an
extreme avdty TO make grants OF land The then
veyed and almost unknown Wilderness lying between the
admitted limits OF Newly ork and wHampShire. A few
towns the bank of the Connecticut River the south
east part of the State had been previously granted by the
Government OF Massachusetts and portion of territory
IN the part by the State New York When the
great distance from the Home Government and the conse
lquen difficulty and paucity of communication with the
Home Ministry, among whom Wentworth had secured {
strong influence, considered together with the emou
ments to be derived from charter fees and personal
tons of land of which he made liberal use his cupdit,
is sufficiently accounted for When he learned that com
peng claim make grants of the territory which h,
had already granted in the Kings nane, up by tn,
Governor Of New ork he did stay his hand but per
sisted in issuing these grants until he had conveyed III,
principal part OF the territory and when the Chief Mags
ate OF NewYork issued his Proclamation insisting upon
his right under the Grown dispose of these lands Went
worth issued his counter Proclamation assuring the settler,
OF the security of their esthat the Kings revenue was
daily augmented by the grants he had made and that al
though as dispute had arisen, he should wait the decs
ION oil the Government at home he had doubt that h
grants would be confirmed to the settlers whatever arrange
ments might be made about the disputed jurisdiction.
Encouraged by these assurances, settlers continued {,
come IN and purchase and occupy the territory men no
yersed IN the ntrcacies of the law but honestly believing
that, as both Governors the Kings agents. and wcr
acting openly 1t was OF very little consequence from which
OF them they obtained their titles long they made pay
inent and remained loyal and peaceable citizens.
But the Newly FORK administration soon began TO make
practical assertion of its claim by dividing disputed ter
Ioy INTO Tour counties, two each side of the Greer
Mountains and calling the settlers to come in and sIr
render their charters take grants of continuation and
course, make new payment This, a great many who
were Ill comfortable circumstances lovers of peace
once consented to do but the bulk of the settlers
having already exhausted their means by once paving fo
their lands and the expenses incident to new settlement
ana perhaps justly alarmed the instability of titles sup
posed by them to be derived from the Crown found them
selves unable or unwilling comply This gave rise tc
great excitement in the southwestern county, which wa
near Albany and when governmental proceedings and pri
Vae eJecnents were instituted the seizure of the defend
ants was resisted by Allen Warner and other intrepid men
who's names have become familiar to Vermonters a.
household words and in by acts of great
oence, but IN no case resulting in the loss of life
What would have been the result the eastern counties
mad remained quiet cannot be known The British
KING in Council had already for some time decided in favo
oil the Newly DIRK claim urisdcton-ed to such cours,
perhaps as much by the peculiar fitness of the Organization
ana government OF that province make it an insnmen
o. power as by any supposed justice of the case The
governor OF New-Hampshre Immediately Withdrew hi
support from the settlers abandoning them to their fate
was no longer controversy between the two Governors
as has been sometimes supposed and but between
the Royal Authorities and the inhabitants of the Weser
IN other of Instruction. they would probably bav,