that matter must still ly for a further consideration. And as to Leut. Gov Phips & Capt. Shirleys Letters relating to receive into this Governm a number of the nuteral French brought up from Menis & Chenecto, as to which we are of opinion it would not be for his Majesty's interest to receive any of said French people into this Government, it being a long Frontier & but thinly inhabited & so near to the French & Indian settlements that it would be of a dangerous consequence to this his Majesty's Province. In the name & by order of the Committee

Portsmo, Dec. 19, 1755.

D. Warner. [Report accepted.]

[P. 59.]

Saturday Dec 20th 1755.

Whereas it appears probable that the money already granted to his Majesty for defraying the charge of the Crown Point Expedi

tion will not be sufficient

Therefore Voted, That one Thousand sheets of the Large Plate be struck off as soon as may be, by the Committee heretofore employed on that service & the said One thousand sheets be put into ve province Box, & remain there for the order of the General As sembly. Sent up by Mr. Hale.

Voted That the Key of the Province Box and the Recorders Bonds in the hands of the Honble Meshech Weare Esq. be put into the hands of Henry Sherburne jun. Esq. Speaker of this House and that Mr. Josiah Bachelder be & hereby is impowerd to Receive them from Mr. Weare & deliver them accordingly.

[r. 61.]

Wednesday, Dec. 24th 1755.

Mr. Secretary came & informed the house 'twas his Excellency's orders to him to adjourn the General Assembly to Tuesday the thirtieth day of Dec inst. to 10 o'clock in the forenoon, and ac cordingly adjourn'd the same.

Wednesday Dec. 31st, 1755.

Met according to adjournment.

[P. 62.] Mr. Sec'' came and inform'd the house that Sam1 Emerson Esq. (who was return'd as a Representative for the Town of Chester) was a member of this house & that he had taken the oaths appointed to be taken, instead of the oaths of Supremacy and Allegiance, and that he had subscribed the said oaths & the Declar ation.

Mr. See brought into the house his Excellencys message of this day to both Houses, and left it with the Speaker-wch is on file.

Province of

Governor's Message.

[Copied from MS. Goys Messages, Vol. II, p. 357.]

Prov Hampshire.}

Gentlemen of the Council

and of the Assembly

You are all sensible that large sums of the money Issued for the Canada & Louisbourg expedition are yet passing & you are likewise, from the measures that have been taken, fully acquainted with the sums of counterfit Bills that are passing in all Quarters of the Government that have been made in Imitation of the Genuine bills of the emission above referred to

To prevent the passing of these counterfit bills, well deserves your closest attention, & unless it is speedily effected there is great danger of their obtaining, as well in public as in private payment, by which means the Provincial debt will be greatly Increased & many evils will arise to the Government, which proper provisions now may in some degree prevent. B. WENTWORTH.

Council Chamber in

Portsmouth December 30th 1755.

LP. 63.]

Thursday, Jan" 1st 1756.

The house met according to adjournm*.

Mr. Sec' came & inform'd the house that Coll° Peter Gilman (who was return'd as a Representative for the town of Exeter) was a member of this house & that he had taken the oaths appointed to be taken, instead of the oaths of supremacy & allegiance, & that he had subscribed the said oaths and the Declaration.

[P. 64.]

Friday, Jan 2a, 1756, P. M.

Henry Sherburne jun. Esq. speaker being present, Mr. Sec' bro't into the House his Excellency's message to this house of this day, relating y Justices of ye Sup' Court(1)-on file.

Upon motion's being made that the house might be adjourn'd for a short time, that the members might converse more freely on the subject matter of his Excellency's message of this day, to this house, accordingly Mr. Speaker adjourned for a Quarter of

an hour.

The House met according to adjournment.

Mr. Speaker adjourn'd the house till 9 o'clock tomorrow morn".

(1) This message of the Governor cannot be found.-ED.

[P. 65.]

Saturday Jan 3d 1756.

The house met according to adjournment.

Resolved, That no member of this house shall be intitled to any pay for the first day of the sitting of the sessions, If he's not present to answer to his name when called either in fore or afternoon, and likewise

Resolved, That no member of this house be allowed pay during their sitting at any time, unless he's present to answer when called over one part of the day, except he give a sufficient reason satisfactory to this house for his absence.

May it please your Excellency

The House having taken into consideration your Excellency's message of the 24 Instant, beg leave to say in answer thereto that they find by ye Journal of the last Assembly that there was a vote passed & sent up to the Honble Council for Dividing the Province into Counties, and making an allowance for the Judges of his Majesty's Superiour Court. This house humbly conceives the Difficulties and hardships which his Majesty's subjects of this Province are put to in being obliged to come from all parts of the Governm to Portsmouth to attend upon the several Courts (which at present are all held in one Town) are so great that they cannot in justice to their constituents consent to any allowance for the Justices of his Majesty's Sup" court untill a suitable act be passed to divide the province into Counties.

Voted, that the preceding message be sent to his Excellency in answer to his message of yesterday. Sent up by Messrs Clark & Richardson.

Capt. Waldron was sent with an oral message to the Board to know, If there was anything done Relating the penny vote on Lands agreeable to the vote of this house Nov 28th 1755, who returned & informd the house, that they should send an answer immediately.

Soon after Mr. Sec', the Honble Daniel Warner, Richard Wibird & Joseph Newmarch Esqs. came into the house, & Mr. Sec' De livered the following message orally, viz.

[P. 66.] The Council could by no means see their way clear to come into such an act as to lay one penny per acre on all the lands in this Province agreeable to the vote of this house of ye 28th of Nov. 1755, as they look upon it unjust, as well as unreasonable, for thereby the poorer sort of people would pay the Bigest Tax & instanced Chester, Londonderry, Nottingham & Rochester &c. &c. And after he had delivered the message more fully than is expressed above he referr'd the house (for the subject matter of what he had said) to the message of the Honble Council of ye 17th Jan. 1755, to the late Assembly on the same occation, a copy of which he left with Mr. Speaker & is on file, and to a written message which should be sent to this house.

Mr. Zebulon Giddings was sent to Council Board to desire that the message of the Council to this House of the 3a Inst. might be

sent in writing. Mr. Sec. the Honble Daniel Warner & Richard Wibird Esq. came into the house and informed that the Vote for [P. 67.] one penny Tax pr acre on Lands was non-concurred by unanimous Vote, and that 'twas not customary for them to assign any Reasons therefor, unless when necessary to facillitate affairs. Mr. Speaker adjourned the house till 3 o'clock,

P. M.

The house met: Voted that every member of this house, when the Speaker shall put any Question to him for his answer, shall say Yea or Nay immediately without entering into the merritts.

His Majesty's Additional Instruction & the sundry Petitions for granting men for the protection of the Frontiers on Connecticut River, having been read, the house took the same into consideration this afternoon.

Mr. Speaker adjourned the house till nine o'clock tomorrow morning.

Wednesday Jany 7th, 1756.

The House met according to adjournment.

Voted That the Plate from which the Thirty & the fifteen Thousand Pounds for Crown Point Expedition was struck be immediately put into the Province Box & lay till further orders of the General Assembly. Sent up by Capt. Richardson.

This forenoon was chiefly taken up in inquiring into the charges in the Treasurer's Accts.

Mr. Speaker adjourned the house till 3 o'clock

P. M.

Upon examining Mr. James Neal's muster Roll, it appeared that it consisted of more than there was any grant for, & Capt. Waldron was ordered by the speaker to inform Mr. Neal that he must make out his Muster Roll for thirty days only which is according

to the Grant.

Voted, That Andrew Clarkson be & hereby is appointed Recorder of Deeds and Conveyances of lands for this Province for [P. 68.] the space of one year from the seventh day of Jan' 1756 & untill the third day of the next sitting of the General Assembly after the expiration of the said Term, & that he shall not be qualified to act as Recorder afores untill he hath given Bond with sufficient surety's jointly & severally in the sum of Ten Thousand Pounds, unto Henry Sherburne, jun. ye Speaker of the House of Representatives, & taken an oath for the faithfull Discharge of the said office, & that the fee for Recording shall be twelve pence a page, each page to consist of Twenty eight lines, eight words in a line, and three pence for attesting such record & its being com

pared with the original; and the same for a copy from the Record & the attestation thereof of it being compared with the Book, and that Richard Wibird, Daniel Warner, Eleazer Russell & Henry Sherburne jun. Esq. & Mr. John Knight jun. be a Committee, & that they or the major part of them take the Books & papers belonging unto the said office of Recorder, into their custody in case of the Death or Incapacity of the said Recorder or the expiration of the Term above mentioned & them safely keep untill further orders of the General Assembly. And it is further,

Voted, That the said Committee or the major part of them take a List of all the Books & Papers now belonging unto the said office & a Receipt for the same from the said Recorder, and that they be under oath for the faithful discharge of the trust & that a Duplicate of sd Receipt be lodged in the Secretary's office. Sent up by Messrs Wiggins, Richardson & Emerson, y 8th day of Jan.

Mr. Speaker adjourned the house till 9 o'clock to morrow morning.

Thursday, Jan 8th 1756.

The House met according to adjournment.

Voted, That Eleazer Russell, Esq. be a Committee of this house to joyn with such as shall be appointed by the Honble Council to farm out the Excise upon Liquors within this Province to the highest bidder for the space of one year from the first day of Jan' 1756 inclusively; That they give Publick notice in writing of the time & place of sale and take Bonds with suretys from the person to whom the same shall be sold, payable to the Treasurer of this [P. 69.] province for the time being quarterly, & take a Rec' for the same from the Treasurer unto whom the said Bonds are to be deliver'd by said committee, and make Report of their doings to the General Assembly as soon as may be. Sent up by Messrs Wiggins, Richardson & Emerson.

Voted That there be a new Goal built in the town of Portsmouth in y Province of New Hampshire, as soon as conveniently may be, of such materials & Dimensions as shall hereafter be agreed upon by the General Assembly, and that Eleazer Russell Esq. be a committee of this house to joyn with such as may be appointed by the Honble the Council to look out a suitable piece of ground to build a Goal upon & make enquiry what the same may be purchased for, and make Report thereof unto the General Assembly as soon as may be. Sent up by Messrs Knight & Moulton. Mr. Speaker adjournd the house till 3 o'clock

P. M.

Whereas by the Act for the emitting the sum of Twenty-five