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our committee meeting on the New Hampshire Grants, upon due notic

On the 5th of July previous to the Convention, Ethan Allen proposed to the Provincial Congress of New York the following list of officers for the regiment of Green Mountain Boys:

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Levi Allen, Adjutant; Elijah Babcock, Commissary; Jonas Fay, Doctor & Surgeon.--See Ethan Allen Mss., p. 157; Collection of Historical Mss. relating to the war of the revolution, in the office of the Secretary of State, New York, published at Albany in 1868, vol. I, p. 109. This was a bitter dose for New York, as Ethan Allen, Seth Warner, Remember Baker, Robert Cochran, and Peleg Sunderland were all declared guilty of felony and sentenced to death by the act of New York of March 9, 1774.-See Slade's Vermont State Papers, pp. 42-54. Most of the persons in Allen's list were appointed. Of the others, Baker was killed previous to the Convention, otherwise he would probably have been a favorite. Ethan Allen received from Congress, 14th May, 1778, a brevet commission as Lieutenant Colonel, "in reward of his fortitude, firmness and zeal in the cause of his country;" Cochran joined Elmore's Connecticut regiment in 1775, and the 3d battalion of N. Y. in the continental army in 1776, rendered brave service as captain, major, and lieutenant colonel, and died at Sandy Hill, New York, July 3, 1812, and was buried at Fort Edward, N. Y., near the grave of Jane McRea, who was murdered by Burgoyne's Indians in 1777. Levi Allen served in the Canada campaign of 1775, but in 1779 he was denounced by Ethan Allen to the Court of Confiscation in Bennington County as being " of Torey principles," and his property was confiscated.-See Vt. Hist. Mag., vol. I, pp. 571-574; Slade's State Papers, 563. Capt. Peleg Sunderland" appears in the legislative records. He was a mighty hunter" of both wild beasts and tories, and a man of considerable acquirements. Dr. Fay did serve for a time in Warner's regiment.-See biographical notices in Early History of Vermont.

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In this connection it should be stated that Ethan Allen's disappointment did not abate one whit of his zeal for his country. He joined Gen. Schuyler in the capacity of an officer, but without a commission, and succeeded in raising a body of two hundred and fifty Canadians,

to the towns in general-all which is humbly submitted to your wisdom, not doubting but the warrants will issue agreeable to our wishes.

We are your most obedient,

In behalf of the committee,

NATHAN CLARK, Chairman.1

which he commanded. With only about one half of this unreliable body he attacked Montreal, fought bravely, but was deserted by most of his men and taken prisoner. Warner in the same campaign was more cautious and successful. These events justified the wisdom of the Convention in preferring Warner.-See Early History, pp. 214-218; Ira Allen's History of Vermont in Vermont Historical Society Collections, vol. I, p. 366, text and note.

1Journal of New York Congress, July 1, 4, and August 15, 1775.

CONVENTION AT DORSET,

JANUARY 16, 1776.

First printed

[From a manuscript copy in the possession of Hon. JAMES H. PHELPS, of West Townshend, made by him from an official copy certified by JONAS FAY, clerk. in Vermont Historical Society Collections, Vol. I.]

WARRANT.

ARLINGTON, 10th Dec'r, 1775.

Whereas, there has been several warrants or notifications sent up the country for a general meeting on the N. Hampshire Grants to be held at Mr. Cephas Kent's, in Dorset, on the first Wednesday of January next, and as it was thought very necessary that Col. Seth Warner with others should attend the said meeting, and their business being such that they could not attend at that time:

This is therefore to warn the inhabitants on the said N. Hampshire Grants west of the range of Green Mountains, to meet together by their Delegates from each town at the House of Mr. Cephas Kent's in said Dorset on the sixteenth day of January next, at nine o'clock in the morning, then and there to act on the following articles, (viz :)

1st.

To choose a Moderator or Chairman for said meeting.

2d. To choose Clarks for said meeting.

3d. To see if the Law of New York shall have free circulation where it doth [not?] infringe on our properties, or Title of Lands, or Riots (so called) in defense of the same.1

4th. To see if the said Convention will come into some proper regulations, or take some method to suppress all schismatic Mobbs that have, or may arise on said Grants.

5th. To see if they will choose an Agent, or Agents, to send to the Continental Congress.

6th.

To see whether the Convention will consent to associate with N. York, or by themselves, in the cause of America.

By order of

MOSES ROBINSON,
SAMUEL ROBINSON,
SETH WARNER,
JEREMIAH CLARK,
MARTIN POWELL,

DANIEL SMITH,

JONATHAN WILLARD,

'See Vt. Hist. Soc. Coll., vol. II, p. x.

Committee.

N. HAMPSHIRE

GRANTS.

DORSET, January 16, 1776.

At a Meeting of the Representatives of the several towns in N. Hampshire Grants, the West side of the Range of Green Mountains, held this day at the house of Mr. Cephas Kent's, Innholder, in said Dorset : Proceeded as follows, viz

1st. 2d. 3d.

Made choice of Capt. Joseph Woodward, Chairman.

Made choice of Doct. Jonas Fay, Clerk.

Made choice of Col. Moses Robinson, Messrs. Samuel McCoon and Oliver Everts, Assistant Clerks.

4th. Made choice of Messrs. Thomas Ashley, William Marsh, Heman Allen, Abel Moulton, Moses Robinson, John McLane, Gamaliel Painter, James Hurd and Joseph Bowker, a Committee to examine and report their opinion to the Convention, relative to the third article in the warrant.

Adjourned to 3 o'clock, P. M.

Met at time and place.

Voted, To make an addition of four persons to the above Committee. Voted, To reconsider the two last votes, and to discourse the matter for which they were appointed in publick meeting.

Voted, That the paper with a number of signers exhibited to this Convention relative to Capt. Bowker's character, be ordered to lay on the table, till further order.

Voted, That two persons from each Town in the Grants (who are present) be allowed to vote in this Meeting, and no more. Adjourned to 8 o'clock to-morrow morning.

January 17, 1776-Met at time and place.

Made choice of Capt. Heman Allen, Capt. Joseph Bowker, Col. Moses Robinson, John McLane, and Col. Timothy Brownson as a Committee to report their opinion relative to the number of Committee men each Town in the Grants shall be allowed.

REPORT OF THE FOREGOING SUB-COMMITTEE.

Your Committee beg leave to report as their opinion, that the several Towns in the Grants hereafter named, be allowed the number of Members set against the name of each town, and that each other inhabited town in the said Grants be allowed one, or more or less votes in proportion to the number such deputed Member or Members shall represent. No. votes allowed. Towns' Names. Clarendon,

Towns' Names.

Pownall,

Bennington,

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No. votes allowed.

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Shaftsbury,
Arlington,

Sunderland,
Manchester,

Dorset,
Danbee,
Tinmouth,

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Rupert,

Pawlet,

Wells,

Poultney,

Castleton,

Neshobee, [or Brandon,] 1

JOSEPH BOWKER, Chairman Sub-Committee.

A true Copy, Examined,
By JONAS FAY, Clerk.

The above report being read was voted and accepted Nem. Con. Voted, To represent the particular case of the Inhabitants of the N. Hampshire Grants to the honorable the Continental Congress by Remonstrance and Petition.

Voted, That Lt. James Breakenridge, Capt. Heman Allen and Doct. Jonas Fay be, and they are hereby appointed to prefer said petition.

Voted, That Doct. Jonas Fay, Col. Wm. Marsh and Mr. Thomas Rowley be a Committee with the above delegates to prepare the said Remonstrance and Petition.1

Voted, Nem. Con., to pay the above agents their Reasonable costs for their services on their return and exhibiting their accounts.

Voted, Messrs. Simeon Hathaway, Elijah Dewey, and James Breakenridge, [of Bennington,] or either two of them, be and are hereby appointed a Committee with power to warn a General Meeting of the Committees on the Grants when they shall judge necessary from Southern intelligence.

And that Col. John Strong, Zadock Everest and Asahel Ward, [ of Addison,] be a like Committee with like power of warning such General Meeting of Committees in the Grants when they shall judge necessary from northern intelligence.

Voted, That the several Committees of Correspondence continue their duty as usual.

Lastly voted to Dissolve the Meeting.

Errors excepted.

True Copy examined.

pr JOSEPH WOODWARD, Chairman.

pr JONAS FAY, Clerk.

Cash received for the purpose of Defraying the charges of the Delegates appointed to attend Congress.

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'The Remonstrance and Petition, thus ordered, was reported and adopted by this Convention, and that part of the proceedings is quoted in full in the record of the Convention of July 24, 1776, following.

2 This is the first allusion in the record of any General Convention, that has been preserved, of Committees of Correspondence. The inference is that Conventions were held of which we have no record. Probably the committee that warned this meeting was appointed and authorized by a previous Convention.

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