Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1879-02-12
studies in Early Vermont History.
EY REV. r. IL. HOWARD, A. VI.

Vermont was born in the midst OF tu-
mults. and of strife. No other state, we
may safely affirm, save Kansas, ever suffer.
ed ST ch persecution, or came up out o.
sucE hibulation. 1t has been often sale
that had the mother country had the wis
dom to refrain from debating TO, ant
arogantly domineering over her colonies
the latter Nigh. still have been dependen
cies of the crown of Great Britain. A
late writer has intimated that had Newly orl
hod the good sense to acknowledge the
grants made by Gov. Wentworth of New
Hampshire, Vermont would today prob
ably have formed n portion of the Empire
State. Fortunately it was not so TO be.
The king of Great Britain having re.
peatedly recommended to the assembly oi
New Hampshire to make provision for the
support of Fort Dummer, that post was
generally supposed TO have fallen within
the jurisdiction of that province. Mean
time rs said fort was situated on the W est
side OF the Connecticut, it was assumed
that New Hampshire extended as far
westward rs Massachusetts.
On January 8. 1740, Gov. Benning
Wentworth made 4 grant of a township
OF land, six miles square, situated, as he
conceived on the western border Of New
Hampshire, and, in allusion to his own
.,name, called it Bennington. Other like
grants were also made, until in l75i they
had amounted to sixteen townships. After
the declaration of peace between England
and France, the governor of New Hamp-
shire, by advice of his council, ordered a
survey to be made Of the Connecticut
river for sixty miles, and three tiers of
townships to be laid out on either side. So
numerous meanwhile did the applications
for lands now become that during the
the year l1Gl no less than sixty townships,
six miles square, We're granted on the west
side of the Connecticut, while the whole
number Of grants, in one or two years
more, had amounted to one hundred and
thirty-eight. Gov. Wentworth was man.
ifestly on the high road to wealth; for by
the fees, and other emolumcnts received
in return for these grants, and by rescrving
five hundred acres in each township for
himself, it could not be otherwise than
that he was rapidly accumulating Il for
tune. But this fortunate governor was
not always thus, to pursue this prosperous
career unmolesled. The government OF
New York, coycting the profits of these
lands for itself, suddenly affected to be
greatly alarmed at these assumptions, and
high-hanAed proceedings On the part OF
the governor of New Hampshire, and
forthwith accordingly took vigorous meas
ures to check them. To this end proc.
lamation WAS issued, December 2S, 1863
arrogating to itself sole jurisdiction over
this territory, and founding its claim upon
the grant made by Charles II. to the Duke
of York in 1864, and in 1914, which en-
braced among other parts, "all the lands
from the west side of the Connecticut tc
to the east side OF Delaware Bay" Tc
aunul the effects of this proclamation, and
to inspire confidence in the validity of the
New Hampshire grants, the governor of
New Hampshire (March 13, 17Gt,) put
forth counter proclamation, declaring
that the grant male to the Duke of York
was obsolete, and eXhortng the settlers tc
be diligent and industrious in cultivating
their lands, anl not be intimdated by the
threatenings Of New York. New York
now made application to the crown for a
confirmation cf its claims, falsely anG
fraudulently averring meanwhile that this
was in accordance with the wishes Of the
inhabitants on the territory. The claim'
of New York We're confirmed July 20,l76l
Though very greatly surprised at thi
royal decree, the settlers on the New
Hampshire grants, yet, regarded it as ar
occasion for no serious alarm on their part
They considered it rs simply effocting {
change Of jurisdiction. 1t was mmateria
to them, other things being equal, tt
which jurisdiction they submitted. 1t hat
never once occurred TO them that thi!
change could in any way affect their IT'LL
TO lands on which they had setted-land
which they had duly purchased and pait
for, and for which they had obtained deel
under grants from the crown. Meantime
had the government of New York beer
sufficiently fIr-sighted to have given th'
royal decision the benefit of an interprcta
ton in harmony with the above-mention
ed, and certainly very reasonable eXpecIt
,ions, clearly there would have been NJ
trouble, no controversy, ~ bitterness; :
none Of those implacable, rancorous ami
mosties which led to that protracted an,
most painfully exciting border warfare
Unfortunately that government did no
give the royal decision such an interprc
tation; but, conleaGing that it had
reJr0Specijcc US well rs prospective appli
cation, or operation, it insisted that tn
order decided not only what should there
after be, but what had always been, tn
eastern limit Of New York; and that
hence, all the grants made by New Hamp
shire were, of necessity, Illegal and void
Imagine, now, the CONSERVATION tina
seized on the minds Of the unsuspectin;
settlers; and especially SO as the govern
meat of New York proceeded at once tt
enforce its Interpretation Of the roya
decree by demanding Of the settlers tn
immediate surrender of their charters-b
attempting TO compel them either to re
purchase their lands. or otherwise, incon
tjnentlv to abandon them. AS might have
been anticipated. while few compile
with this order, th3 great majority of tn
settlers peremptorily refused. Such refusal
not unnaturally. was followed by actions
If eiectmont in the courts at Albany, ant
these, in turn, of course, by Judgments
against the protesting settlers, or orisina
proprietols.