That shortly after your petitioners began their settlements, a party of land-jobbers, in the city and state of New York, began to claim the lands, and took measures to have them declared to be within that jurisdiction:

That on the 20th day of July, 1764, the king of Great-Britain did pass an order in council, extending the jurisdiction of New York government to Connecticut river, in consequence of a representation made by the late lieutenant governor Colden, that for the convenience of trade, and administration of justice, the inhabitants were desirous of being annexed to that state :

That on this alteration of jurisdiction, the said lieutenant governor Colden did grant several tracts of land in the above described limits, to certain persons living in the state of New York, which were, at that time, in the actual possession of your petitioners; and under color of the lawful authority of that state, did proceed against your petitioners, as lawless intruders upon the crown lands in their province. This produced an application to the king of Great Britain from your petitioners, setting forth their claims under the government of New-Hampshire, and the disturbance and interruption they had suffered from said post claimants, under New-York. And on the 24th day of July, 1767, an order was passed at St. James's, prohibiting the governors of New-York, for the time being, from granting any part of the described premises, on pain of incurring his Majesty's highest displeasure. Nevertheless the same lieutenant governor Colden, governors Dunmore and Tryon, have, each and every of them, in their respective turns of administration, presumed to violate the said royal order, by making several grants of the prohibited premises, and countenancing an actual invasion of your petitioners, by force and arms, to drive them off from their possessions.

The violent proceedings, (with the solemn declaration of the supreme court of New-York, that the charters, conveyances, &c. of your petitioners' lands, were utterly null and void,) on which they were founded, reduced your petitioners to the disagreeable necessity of taking up arms, as the only means left for the security of their possessions. The consequence of this step was the passing twelve acts of outlawry, by the legislature of New-York, on the ninth day of March, 1774; which were not intended for the state in general, but only for the part of the counties of Albany and Charlotte, viz. such parts thereof as are covered by the NewHampshire charters.

Your petitioners having had no representative in that assembly, when these acts were passed, they first came to the knowledge of them by public papers, in which they were inserted. By these, they were informed, that if three or more of them assembled together to oppose what said assembly called legal authority, that such as should be found assembled, to the number of three or more, should be adjudged felons: And that, in case they, or any of them, should not surrender himself or themselves to certain officers appointed for the purpose of securing them, after a warning of seventy days, that then it should be lawful for the respective judges of the supreme court of the province of New-York, to award execution of Death, the same as though he or they had been attainted before a proper court of judicatory. These laws were evidently calculated to intimidate your petitioners into a tame surrender of their rights, and such a state of vassalage, as would entail misery on their latest posterity.

It appears to your petitioners, that an infringement on their rights is still meditated by the state of New-York; as we find that in their general convention at Harlem, the second day of August last, it was unanimously voted, "That all quit-rents, formerly due and owing to the crown of Great

Britain within this state, are now due and owing to this convention, or such future government as may hereafter be established in this state.”

By a submission to the claims of New-York your petitioners would be subjected to the payment of two shillings and sixpence sterling on every hundred acres annually; which, compared with the quit-rents of Livingston's, Phillips's, and Ransalear's manors, and many other enormous tracts in the best situations in the state, would lay the most disproportionate share of the public expense on your petitioners, in all respects the least able to bear it.

The convention of New-York have now nearly completed a code of laws, for the future government of that state; which, should they be attempted to be put in execution, will subject your petitioners to the fatal necessity of opposing them by every means in their power.

When the declaration of the honorable the Continental Congress, of the fourth of July last past, reached your petitioners, they communicated it throughout the whole of their district; and being properly apprised of the proposed meeting, delegates from the several counties and towns in the district, described in the preamble to this petition, did meet at Westminster in said district, and after several adjournments, for the purpose of forming themselves, into a distinct and separate state, did make and publish a declaration, "that they would, at all times thereafter, consider themselves as a free and independent state, capable of regulating their own internal police, in all and every respect whatsoever; and that the people, in the said described district, have the sole, exclusive right of governing themselves in such a manner and form as they, in their wisdom, should choose; not repugnant to any resolves of the honorable the Continental Congress." And for the mutual support of each other in the maintenance of the freedom and independence of said district or separate state, the said delegates did jointly and severally pledge themselves to each other, by all the ties that are held sacred among men, and resolve and declare that they were at all times ready, in conjunction with their brethren of the United States, to contribute their full proportion towards maintaining the present just war against the fleets and armies of GreatBritain.

To convey this declaration and resolution to your honorable body, the grand representatives of the United States, were we (your more immediate petitioners) delegated by the united and unanimous voices of the representatives of the whole body of the settlers on the described premises, in whose name and behalf, we humbly pray, that the said declaration may be received, and the district described therein be ranked by your honors, among the free and American states, and delegates therefrom admitted to seats in the grand Continental Congress; and your petitioners as in duty bound shall ever pray.

New Hampshire Grants, Westminster, Jan. 15th, 1777.

Signed by order, and in be-
half of said inhabitants,

JONAS FAY,
THOMAS CHITTENDEN,
HEMAN ALLEN,
REUBEN JONES.

THE REVISED DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE.

The following is the declaration of independence as "prepared for the press," by the committee appointed for that purpose in obedience to the 12th and 13th votes of the January Convention. It was published in the Connecticut Courant of March 17, 1777, and was not satisfactory to the

subsequent convention of the 4th of June, for the reason that it omitted to state the causes for the separation from New York, as will be seen by the proceedings of that body.

VERMONT'S DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE.

In Convention of the representatives from the several counties and towns of the New Hampshire Grants, holden at Westminster, January 15, 1777, by adjournment.

Whereas the Honorable the Continental Congress did, on the 4th day of July last, declare the United Colonies in America to be free and independent of the crown of Great Britain; which declaration we most cordially acquiesce in: And whereas by the said declaration the arbitrary acts of the crown are null and void, in America, consequently the jurisdiction by said crown granted to New York government over the people of the New-Hampshire Grants is totally dissolved:

We therefore, the inhabitants, on said tract of land, are at present without law or government, and may be truly said to be in a state of nature; consequently a right remains to the people of said Grants to form a government best suited to secure their property, well being and happiness. We the delegates from the several counties and towns on said tract of land, bounded as follows: South on the North line of Massachusetts Bay; East on Connecticut river; North on Canada line; West as far as the New Hampshire Grants extends :

After several adjournments for the purpose of forming ourselves into a distinct separate state, being assembled at Westminster, do make and publish the following Declaration, viz. :

"That we will, at all times hereafter, consider ourselves as a free and independent state, capable of regulating our internal police, in all and every respect whatsoever-and that the people on said Grants have the sole and exclusive and inherent right of ruling and governing themselves in such manner and form as in their own wisdom they shall think proper, not inconsistent or repugnant to any resolve of the Honorable Continental Congress.

"Furthermore, we declare by all the ties which are held sacred among men, that we will firmly stand by and support one another in this our declaration of a state, and in endeavoring as much as in us lies, to sup-. press all unlawful routs and disturbances whatever. Also we will endeavor to secure to every individual his life, peace and property against all unlawful invaders of the same.

Lastly we hereby declare, that we are at all times ready, in conjunction with our brethren in the United States of America, to do our full proportion in maintaining and supporting the just war against the tyrannical invasions of the ministerial fleets and armies, as well as any other foreign enemies, sent with express purpose to murder our fellow brethren, and with fire and sword to ravage our defenceless country.

The said state hereafter to be called by the name of NEW CONNECTICUT."1

Extract from the minutes.

1 See note and references, ante, p. 41–46.

IRA ALLEN, Clerk.2

B. H. HALL, in Eastern Vermont, p. 283, note, says:

The Convention, after sitting from the 15th to the 22d of January, adjourned to meet at Windsor on the first Wednesday in June following. There appears, however, to have been a meeting intermediate. A call was issued on the 30th of January by Nathan Clark, for a Convention at

ADJOURNED SESSION AT WINDSOR,

JUNE 4, 1777.

[From Vt. Hist. Soc. Collections, Vol. I.]

Of this Convention no full journal has been found, though the record of a portion of its proceedings has been preserved. It was held by adjournment from the convention of the preceding 15th of January. Only the following accounts of its proceedings (numbered one to five) have been obtained.

I. NEWSPAPER NOTICE FOR ITS ASSEMBLING.

In the Connecticut Courant of the 14th of April, 1777, the following notice appears:

In convention of the representatives from the several counties and towns in the New Hampshire Grants holden at Westminster, 15th January, 1777, by adjournment, voted unanimously

That it is the ardent wish of this convention that each town in the district would send a delegate or delegates to the next sitting of this convention, those towns that have not chosen any delegates to choose

Dorset, and by the records of the town of Chester, it seems that Lieut. Jabez Sargeant was chosen on the 13th of February, to attend the special Convention, and act "for the good of the state of New Connecticut, and for the town of Chester, according to the best of his understanding." Ms. Records of Chester. Slade's State Papers, pp. 68–73.

The pages of the State Papers cited contain the proceedings of the Convention of Jan. 15, 1777. If any Convention met, as suggested, it is certain that its record has neither been preserved until this time nor referred to in preceding days. Mr. Hall does not state when the Convention called by Nathan Clark was to be held, but the place is Dorset, instead of Windsor. Otherwise the editor would suggest that possibly Mr. Clark's "call" was rather an urgent request for the appointment of delegates to the then forthcoming Windsor Convention of June 4. Jabez Sargeant did represent Chester in that Convention. Perhaps a meeting earlier than June had been contemplated for some special purpose, but was abandoned. The Warrant for the Convention of Jan,

16, 1776, shows that this happened more than once in 1775.

and send.

This convention is adjourned to the first Wednesday of June next, to be held at the meeting-house Windsor, at nine o'clock in the morning.”

Extract from the minutes.

IRA ALLEN, Clerk. Nonresidents, that have a desire to attend the above convention, are hereby notified of the same. Said convention was formed to govern the internal police of said district, and if thought proper to form said district into a state.

II. ORGANIZATION AND LIST OF MEMBERS.

[From the manuscript of the Hon. JAMES H. PHELPS, published in Vt. Hist. Soc. Coll. Vol. I.]

NEW HAMPSHIRE GRANTS (alias)

NEW CONNECTICUT ;

WINDSOR, June 4th, 1777.

Convention opened according to adjournment.

PRESENT THE FOLLOWING MEMBERS.

Capt. JOSEPH BOWKER in the Chair.

1st. Voted, Lieut. Martin Powell, Assistant Clerk.

1 Doubtless"Josiah Powers" of Whiting should be Capt. Jeremiah Powers. See page 55, where that name is given. Josiah Powers represented Brandon in this convention, and also in the Legislature of Oct. 1778.