The daily morning journal and courier., 1900-05-10

pedition. The Massachusetts muster rolls have long been missed and their papers on the subject are comparative ly few and unimportant. The same may be said of New Hampshire and Rhode Island. All the colonies seem to have sent their rolls to England as vouchers in the claim for reimburse ment. It appears from MT, steven Predatory Letter" that only those or Connecticut have been recovered The cost valuable historical material which we have found anywhere is in the Gov ernor Law collection of manuscripts m the archives of this society. Therein we have gathered in the main facts which have enabled us to tell the story of thls expedition.
 The volume which MT Stevens has so kindly prepared was received rev days since and is now before you. It IS an oblong folio of one hundred and flf- teen sheets, elegantly bound in green morocco, and is a beautiful specimen or the copyist's art.
 "The Transcriber's Predatory Letter. which is dated London, 9 April, 19OO''- the anniversary of the Duke of New castles letter commanding the expedi- ton, is as follows:
 In respectfully proffering this volume of Transcripts to the Connecticut His torical society. a few words about this unique muster roll may not be unaccep- table. The original book in it's contempora- neous canvas binding is made up of broadside sheets of paper of different sizes. It has nc title page. The first sheet, written on both sides, contains the resolution of the general assembly of Connecticut in May, TAG, to raise and maintain troops. The seal is lost. The second sheet, also written on both sides, contains further resolutions of June, 1746. This has the colonial seal in red wax. The third sheet is proclamation or certificate by Governor Law enume- rating the officers of the different com panies The governors seal on this is an imperfect impression. On the fourth sheet the muster rolls begin and are continued to the eighty-third, where the book ends The first, and first only of these rolls, bears the title beading, "A Muster Roll of the Regiment of foot un- der the Command of Colonel Elisha
 Williams raised for His Majesty's Ser vice for an Expedition against Canada by Order of the General Assembly of this Colony pursuant to His Majesties Directions signified to the same by his Grace the Duke of Newcastle in Let ter dated April 9th, 1745.' The rolls are for each of the ten companies and give the names of the officers, noncommis- stoned officers and privates with the dates of enlistment and are respectively for these eight periods: 30 May to A
 August. 1746: 9 August to 24 october; 25 October to 24 December; % December
 1746 to 24 February, 1747; 25 February to 24 April 25 April to "A June; 25 June to 24 August and 25 August to 3l Octo- Der. 1747 They each bear the auto graph signatures of their respective captains and leutenants and all are countelsigned by Governor Law and Commissary TIarpin. The eighty rolls are here transcribed page for page with their respective originals. with a single exception that it has been made con vanient to copy the one title heading on separate preliminary sheet.
 AS the acts of the general assembly and this mastering of the Connecticut forces for an expedition against Canada were pursuant to His Majestes Drec- ticns signifed by the Duke of Newcas- tie in a letter dated April g. 1746," and as that letter is not in the book with the muster roll I add copy of it's official draft GA. w. I 63) in the public record office. I also add the abstract of MT. Palmer's letter received August, 1747, and the extract of Governor Laws letter of tke 17th of October, 1747, received | from Governor Shirley but in quoting these three papers pertaining to the muster roll merely for convenient refer ence l am not opening for discussion the general subject of the concerted action of Connecticut with the other colonies for the reduction of Canada or the Lou isbury expeditions. Of course the fair copies of the Duke of Newcastles draft when written out for signature and dis patch would be addressed in the usual terms to the respective governors. In the body of the instructions "Connecti- 1 cut" or Rhode Island" would be sub l stituted for New Hampshire" now in the official draft.
 The spelling of names, abbreviations,
 capitals, punctuation and similar pecu- liarities have been carefully followed
 throughout the transcript. Only the fo- 1 liation on the eighty muster rolls has | been added
 The original muster roll recently dis covered in the public record office of
 England by Hubert Hall, Esq, F. s. A., custodian of the government search l