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Dominions of New England in America , bounded on the south side, by a simular Curve line pur-suing the Course of Merrimac River, at three Miles distance, on the North side thereof, beginning atthe Atlantick Ocean & ending at a point due North of a place called pautucket Falls, and by aStraight Line drawn from thence due West Cross the said River ’till it meets witli our otherGovernments, and bounded on the South Side by a line passing up through the Moutli of PiscataquaHarbour, and up the Middle of the River , to the River of Newiclnvannock, part of which is nowcalled Salmon Fall, and through the Middle of the same to the Furthest head thereof, and fromthence North two degrees Westerly, untill one hundred and twenty miles be finished from theMouth of piscataqua Harbour aforesaid, or untill it meets with our Other Governments.
His Majesty’s Description of the province of New Hampshire , as it stands in his Excellency’sCommission.
Given at Whitehall July the 3 d in the 15 th Year of His Majesty’s Reign.
Attest Theodore Atkinson Sec’ry.
Province of New Hamps re Portsm 1 Nov 1 ' 17, 1749.
In Council New York , 3 April 1750.
Ordered that his Excellency do acquaint Governor Wentworth That this Province is boundedEastward by Connecticut River The letters Patent from King Charles the 2 d to the Duke of York Expressly granting all the Lands from the West side of Connecticut River to the East side ofDelaware bay.
GOV. WENTWORTH TO GOV. CLINTON.
Portsmouth , April 25 th 1750.
Sir I have the Honour of your Excellency’s letter of the 9 th Inst, before me, in which you arepleased to give me, the opinion of His Majesty’s Council of your Government, that ConnecticutRiver is the Eastern boundary of New-York Government, which would have been entirely Satisfac-tory to me, on the Subject of my Letter, had not the two Charter Governments of Connecticut , &the Massachusetts Bay, extended their bounds many miles to the Westward of Said River; and itbeing the opinion of Majesty’s Council of this Government, whose Advice I am to take on theseOccasions, that New Hampshire had an equal right to claim the Same extent of Western boundary’swith those Charter Governments, I had in consequence of their Advice, before your Letter came tomy hands, granted one Township due North of the Massachusetts-Line, of the Contents of Six MilesSquare, and by measurement twenty-four miles, east of the City of Albany, presuming that thisGovernment was bounded by the Same North and South line with Connecticut and Massachusets Bay,before it met with his Majesty’s other Governments. 1
Altho’ I am prohibited by his Majesty’s Commission to interfere with his other Governments, Yetit is presumed that I should Strictly adhere to the Limits prescribed therein, and I assure you thatI am very far from desiring to make the least iucroachment, or Set on foot any dispute on thesepoints. It will therefore give me great Satisfaction, if at your leisure, you can inform me by whatAuthority Connecticut and the Massachusetts-Government claim’d So far to the Westward as theyhave Settled, and in the mean time I shall desist from Making any further Grants on the WesternFrontier of my Government, that may have the least probability of Interfering with your Government.
I am with great respect, Sir, Your Excellency’s most obedient hum ,e servant,
B. Wentworth.
1 “ In allusion to his own name, he (Gov. Wentworth) gave to this township the name of Benning-ton.”— Williams’Hist. Vermont .