NEW-HAMPSHIRE GAZETTE,
GENERAL ADVERTISER.
[Fol. XXVI ]
For the New-Hampsuire Gazerre,
- Obfla Principiis. .
W {2OK H E greatest insult that has
W ZxX Q) e ,veen oficred to the
:?{4 %&3: .#d States dur'ng the
@Nfiyfi@ whole war, and the most
S dieysy daring, impolitic and offend
— " ing praétices, have been
done by a people, inhabiting on lands cal
led the Hamgpjhbire Grants, and filing them
selves by the usurped name of the Siate of
Vermonz. lit thould be atked who these
people are, and why they are permitted to
carry on such offenf{ive measures 2 or why
they are tolerated in their ufurpatioss of
government ? To this it may be answered,
they are composed of thé fubjeéls of the
States of New York and New-Hampthire ;
and under the sanction of pretended or real
grievances, have revolted from, cheir allegi
ance ‘to said States 5 and have set up an
Independent State, with all the formalities
of government 3 and have exercised the
official duties belonging to States, made
money, and raised an army.—They have
done all this, without ever asking the Jeave
of the thirteen United States of America ;
and have {uffered and granted flags to pro
ceed to our enemies ia Canada, and are
strongly suspected of inimical praétices, even
of proposals for ghiances in case they are
not recognifed by the United States of
America. They have chosen delegates,
and sent them to. Congrels, to be received
into the Corfederation ; but Congress te
je€ted them afrer hearing their pretended
claims. . These imprudent people not fatif"
fied with their firft assumed jurifdition ;
but, (as if they wanted to spread animosity
and confufion amongst the peaceable inha
bitants of New Hamptfhire) have extended
thelr ptetended government over fifty-four
towns east of Connellicut river, and those
too in avowed allegiance to the State of
New Hampshire, and more than two thirds
- of the inhabitants thereof, unwiiling to join
them until they obtained the leave of Con
gress by a recognition of their indepen
dency. This they fought for, and the
alorefaid delegates attended Congress ;
and after a full difcuflion of their preten
sions, were dilmiffed with a refufal of being
recogtized at lealt until they relir quithed
all glaims eastward of Conne&icur river,
ahd thi: done by a folcmn and unanimous
resolve of Congress. This resolve being
reported-to their difaffected brethren, bas
had no cffeét upon their measures, which
may be seen by the late New Hampshire
papers ; for the secretary of Vermont has
publithed a pare of one of their aéts of af
~fembly, by which the proprietors or owners
of the lands in said fifty four towps east of
the said river are notified ' pay a tax of ten
shillings in silver money on every hundred
acres he owns in any of said towns, fr the
redemption of an emission of inoney they
SATURDAY, November 24, 1781.
have issued, as they fay to fugport the Ame
rican war ; ‘but we fay their ulurped civil
government, The treasurer of said State
has also called npon+faid owners to pay said
tax to him agreeable to (2id aéls 3 all which
fifty-four towns are also taxed by the State
of New-Hampthire, as heretofore ; and
most of them have paid the fume annually
during the war, and only a few (where the
refraltory ringleaders of this revolt reside)
are pegligent in their payments.—This is
not all 3 these Vermonters have changed the
eftablithed names of the two coundies of
Cheshire and Grafton,into others,B keep up
the farce so far as to have sessions of aflem
bly and courts of law in said counties ; and
at one of their courts imprisoned a man in
Charleftown, who was afterwards liberated
by a writ of habeas corpus issued front the
supreme court of New-Hampthire, to the
fheniff of the county of Cheshire, within
whose diftri& Charleftown was always al
lowed to be : They have daringly held
their courts calt of the river since ke refulve
of Congress before mentioned 3 and it is
said some of their lcaders have given out
that they have received the acvice of mem
bers of Congress to continve 1n their oppo
{liion, only alling peacesbly, and they will
finally succeed thercin, and be recognized.
They now want to mest with a committee
of New York and New-Hampihire, to ef
tablith their bounds 5 but why such conde
fcenflion to thele enemies of the State ?
Why should a commitree be appuinted to
ascertain boundaries that have ever been
acknowledged even by these difaffeéted
people themselves ? many of whom have
held commissions under the State of New-
Hampthire, within those claims : Such an
appointment would be a tacit acknowledg
ment of their independency, which should
never be done until they are received into
the confederacy es the United States, which
Is now flrongly fufpcéted will never be
done, as their proceedings (since the resolves
of Congress) have been rather more obsti
nate than before ;5 for surely after that fo
lemo resolve was krown, can any thing be
more daring than offeriog 10 demand the
tax on the lands within the jurifdiétion of
the State of New Hampthire, and east of
Conneéticut river, belonging to the sub
jects of said States, and contrary to the in
tention of said fubjefts 3 and in case of re
fufal, to order a sale of said lands for the
pay ment thereof, 'What can amount to a
defiance mote than this ? and 'does it not
plainly appear to be a dark and .desperate
attempt to divide the people and foment
divisions, and ‘keep alive the flame that
Lord Germaine desired Clinton to keep up,
and prevent the settlement of Vermont, Ihe
fecrer witl all come out by one means or
‘another, who are the instigators of these
commotions, and for what purposes they
have been raised. I
But now to the other question. Why
are these things tolerated ? I answer, to
prevent the eifufion of innccent blood.
Many of those who have joined Vermont,
have éen deceived by ariful men ; andif
a force was sent againit them to redyce them
to obedience and allegiance, it wouid cairy
the appearance of civil war, and make them
more obstinate, under the expc&ation of
being tieaied as rraitors against the State 3
besides, it would make them appear (in
their own conceit) of more consequence
- than they really are. Until ccercive mea
sures are taken, a Proclamation thould issue
‘from the General Court, forgiviug all per
sons that have been allive in this revolu
tion, and by renouncing their oath of alle
giance to Vermont, within a Jimited time,
and tzking an oath of fidelity to the State
of New-Hampshire, their properties shall
be prote€ted and preserved 3 and after that
time, to be considered as enemies to the
State, and their estates sequestered, or tobe
otherways difpcfed of as the aflembly may
cetermiie. There are many in the afore
faid towns that regret their haviog tzken a
part, and only want to fee an act of amrefly
from this State. ILet vs now put in a
poinied view, the eLe€@s of a sale of the
lands east of the river, exclusive of these on
the weft :—A tax is Jaid by Vermont, col
le¢tors proceed to, sale, and the purchasers
into pofl:fiion 5 a writ of ejcétment issues
from the court in the counties of Grafton
and Cheshire 3 the cfficer is obftruéled in
his duty s* the State supports the cfficer,and
Vermont fypports the opporents ; the ap
peal is maffit to the fwotd ; New Hamp
shire calls vpon the confederacy of the Uni
ted States, to support their caule ;—Can
the confederated Srates deny ? especially
when Congress know no such people asthe
State of .Vermont, but as the fubjeés of
New-Hampshire and New-York, and of
course must reduce these people to obedi
ence, and in case of oppcfition, nothing less
than a confifcation of all their estates must
be the corfequence of this unnatural oppo
sition (not to give it a worse appellatign. ) e
Will not this representation deter the oppo
rents from their preceedings ? Will they
still proceed ? Let this friendly admonition
flare them in the face, nor let them here
after pretend ignorance of the confederation
of the United States, for by this solemn
compact they are bound to support each
other in every attempt to difturh their se
veral governments by any person on earth g
and when the inhabitants of Vermont look
upon themlelves as a diflinét people from
“the other States, they are to be considered
-~ enemics and will be treated as fuck, tilf
the policy of the United States may think
them otherways. Much may be said in
favor of the peor " weft"of the river, bug
not epough to juitily them in their policy
of extending their claim east of the river,
[#Ve. 1308.]