Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1871-02-01

..Cot,rcrroNs OF the VERuoNr uIsrouicAL SocIE.
ryo Prepared aud published By the Printing
and Publishing committee in pursuance ol the
vote Of the Society. 1870, PIP. sos and Xxx j.
q }. NJ. Poland Printers.
As this is tho first volume in series contem
plated by the Vermont Historical Society, which
win gather together, ia Chronological orlcras near
az convenience will allow and preserve all papers
Of interest or value concerning the history, con-
dnion and resources Of the State it deserves
more ollblrate review than We have been able to
give. While we have been Whiting for oppor-
mnity, another hand las done the work so well
that we adopt 10 in preference to going over the
same ground ourselves, and all the more readily
because Of d compliment that is decidedly personal
90 the publishers Of this paper.
The contents Of the volume are
1. Introductory General Circular on the OBJ
icct. Of the Society, acts Of Incorporation, cons-
tuition bylaws, rules officers, and list OF resident
membei--c0 pages.
. Conventions Of inhabitants Of the New
Hampshire Grants in opposition to the claims ol
New York, with notes aud explanations; l76j to
aud including the adoption Of the Constitution
n l577-00 pages.
O. Election Sermon, hy Rev Aaron llutchin-
SON, l777- 30 pnges.
/ g. The Vision Of Junus the Benningtonite,
/ l753-7 pages.
/ g. Miscellaneous Remarks on the proceedings
| Of thc State of Sew York AGAINST the State Of
/ Vermont, by IT,, Allen, May III and another
pamplletou tie .amc subject by the same author,
/ oct i117-35 page.
o. Sew York Land Grants 10 Vermont 765-
li10, hy lliand lhll-l6 pages.
= Documents iu relation 70 thc part taken hy
Vermont in resisting the invasion Of Bnrgoyrc in
M. enhancing many letters and documents new
or before printed in Vermont, and giving full ac-
counts Of the battles OF lluhhardion and Benning-
on-o0 pages
3. First Celebration in l77s OF tie the Battle
of Bennington, orati1n nnl poem-20 pages.
90 Petitions t. the King, l76G, embracing
the NAMES of .c,enl hundred Of the then owners
of land in yermont-ls pages.
lo The Vermont coinage, by Rev. Edmund
b. SLATER - pages
II. The Natural and Political History Of the
State Of Vermont by Ira Allen, written and
printed iu England in l705-l65 pages.
~. Fuu index 90 Aliens History, aud 70 tie
volume - pages.
Iii. table viii suffice t. show that the volume
will BE- vcry interesting 10 every Nermonier and
suffice a-1, we hoqe 90 provoke many of oui
readcr- 90 alla, ue Montpelier bookstores and
purchase copy Every town library should
have 10 and every private library without it viii
be incomplete in che most interesting points o
Vermont history.
z7- The price Of tic volume 20 members Of th,
Society {. So 70 others 50 So Hon. Charles
Reel Montpelier, will answer order.
The review referred t. above is as fjllows
rF.on ths Sow England Historical and Gouca' ica
Register Cor January, issol
, Tie State Of Vermont, -pringng as itwerc from
the ashes Of an old controversy between th'
ellonie- of New Hampshire and New York, has
history of peculiar and Of engros,ing interest
1hi- history can he most satisfactorily studied by
Ia uerusal of such documents, in the .hape Of let
3 ters, petitions, protests and proceedings of con
yeutions. as che process, o bringing the State int
. existence actually prodlcoi
The Historical Society has undertaken, in thi
Z volume. the important work Of laying these docu
ments before the historical student, Both th
/ State and ;he citizens Of Vermont are laid unde
!. deep Obligations by the issue of these papers.
They unfold the history Of the Green Mountain
{. State ia its pith and marrow
The character of the early settlers, their pat
:, rioti-m sclg reliance and courage slime out a
Z every point
Among ;hc important papers contained 10 th'
p volume Is q iIl account OF the Conventions OF th
inhabitants OF the New Hampshire Grants in op
5 position 70 tie claims Of New York. held at dill
! icrent times from 1868 10 IN.
81 These se; forth very clearly the gradual step
o. by which the territory was finally erected into al
4 independent State.
4 valuable paper j. contributed by the Hon
Iiland Hall, LII. D.. the venerable historian q
the State. on the Now York land grants in yei
mont from 1868 to i7GG.
l. The location of each grant i given approS
imately an entirely accurate statement Of til
exaa; boundaries could rot, we presume, be mad'
b nlg indeed would il he Of any historical impor
ance, since these grants only existed on paper
never having been realized by the uniortunat
grantees.
% The number of acres, however, covered by eac
patent is accurately given. Thewhole number
acres covered by the grants, including milar
I. patents, appears to have been hco million, on
n hundred and ffiesa thousand, sir hmdrcd an
e, ten. The estimated fees aocruiug to the Cover
lrs and other officials was one auadrsd and nine
s. thousand, nine hnHir.i and h,rfy three dolar
2. and seruig-fhrce clnts.
b. This granting of lands was plainly Aluris
ing business for tie royal governors and other o
be fcials especially as the lands were situated in
"a territory over which the State of New York h,
q, no actual, and at best but a very doubtful leg
50 jurisdiction.
4, The volume contains series Of original do
u uments relating to Burgoyne's Invasion
oii mn"
81 We commend these to the Sd, ,tention Of the rca
lie er as repleto with interest, and containing
he admirable history Of the battle Of Bennington,
No event Of primary importance in the progress
bio the revolutionary war.
a. paper on the " Coinage of Vermont" co
he tributed by the Rev Edmund F. Slater, Core
at ponding Secretary of the New England Iistol
Of Genealogical Society, contains full history
he the copper coinage Of Vermont, and deals
Gl length with the erroneous charge which appca
- to have crept into the works of several write
ned that Vermont issued coin bearing the image
,he George Ill.
Old This carefully prepared and very valuable ar
e Gle will be read with great interest, as it is indie
the only exhaustive history Of the Vermont col
cai age which has ever been published,
,aS It is accompanied by full engraved iush
~ tions of the Vermont coins.
DY The volume closes with a reprint of the " II
The The tory Of the State Of Vermont, by Ira All,
on Esq" written in England and printed in l.,
3 don in l795.
= This work had become exceedingly rare, a
- We are told that the Committee of Publicat
were obliged to seek for copy to print from
yond the limits of the State.
This history, though containing errors in
dent to the circumstances in which it was WI
90 ten, is exceedingly important, as tho author v
- a prominent actor in the scenes which he
The scribes.
bts These are only part Of the contents of the Il