I must at the same time apprize your Lordship that a great majority of the settlers are not only disposed toa peaceable submission to the decision of 1764, but very averse to the change projected in New Hampshire, as will appear by their Counter petition communicated to me, to be transmitted in their favor.

Nor can I omit mentioning that it is in this District that many of the reduced officers and soldiers have made their locations of the bounty pledged to them by the Royal Proclamation of the 7 Oct" 1763. Besides this I find that others of His Majesty's subjects have obtained Patents for many thousands of acres, under the great seal of this Province, which will be all frustrated

NEW HAMPSHIRE GRANTS. 677

upon detaching this Country from the Province of New York and greatly increase the general confusion.

Your Lordship will doubtless perceive that untill the order transmitted to Sir Henry Moore prohibiting grants to be made of lands before patented under New Hampshire, is rescinded there can be no established tranquility in that quarter of this Province, since it is Natural to suppose, that the discontented settlers (countenanced as they are by New Hampshire) will flatter themselves with hopes of favour, and make rapid accessions to their Number from the profligate Banditti of the other Colonies, who look for safety where Government is weak and disturbed.

I have only to add, my Lord, that from all the information I have been able to obtain, nothing more seems to me to be requisite for restoring peace than a Revocation of a late Order, by which the Grants of this Province were suspended. The inhabitants now amount to between six and seven hundred families, of which number 450 odd have signed a Petition to me, which Ihave by this Packet transmitted to your Lordship, praying to be continued in thisGovernment ; there is another Petition, as I understand, sent home by Governor Wentworth, signed by about 200, praying to be under the Government of New Hampshire ; but how these names were obtained your Lordship will easily be able to conceive if you take the trouble of looking into the different papers I have sent by this Packet ; but surely tis more natural, even supposing that the New Hampshire Claim was preferable to that of New York, to have a River such ag Connecticut for the boundary : Add to this, that the Income of Government would be considerably increased annually be receiving half a Crown Quit-Rent, instead of nine pence, per 100 acres, for so large a tract of Land as was disputed.