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CONTROVERSY RESPECTING THE NEW HAMPSHIRE GRANTS.

“ Your Majesty having been pleased to refer unto this Committee the humble Petition of the“■ Incorporated Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts, Setting fortli among“ other things, that Benning Wentworth Esquire Governor of New Hampshire iu New England ,“ made several Grants of Large Tracts of Land lying on the West side of Connecticut River , which“ were incorporated into above one hundred Townsliips, and several shares were reserved in each“ of the said Grants to the Petitioners for a Glebe for the Church of England , and for the benefit of“a School: That the Government of New York having claimed the said Lands and the Jurisdiction“ thereof, granted great part of those Lands without reserving any shares for the abovementioned“ Publick Uses : And therefore the Petitioners Pray that the Grants made by the Government of“New Hampshire may be ratified and confirmed, or such order made thereupon as to your“ Majesty should seem meet—and your Majesty having been likewise pleased to refer unto this“ Committee the humble Petition of Samuel Robinson of Bennington in North America on behalf of“ himself and more than one thousand other Grantees of Lands on the West side of Connecticut “ River, under Certain Grants issued by the said Governor of New Hampshire , Setting forth among 61“ other tilings, that the said Governor made Grants to the Petitioners of several Tracts of Land“ lying as aforesaid on the Western side of the Connecticut River , which were incorporated into above“one hundred Townships and supposed to lie within the Government of New Hampshire , wliere-“ upon the Petitioners expended large sums of money in settling and cultivating the same. That on“ the 20 th of July 1764 the said Lands having been declared by your Majesty to be within the Govern-“ ment of Neu r York, the Lieutenant Governor of that Province made grants of part of the said“ Lands included within the Petitioners Grants, which being of infinite prejudice to them; they“ therefore most humbly pray (amongst other things) that their said several Grants made by Governor“ Wentworth may be ratified and confirmed under your Majesty’s Royal Order. The Lords of the“ Committee in obedience to your Majesty’s said Order of Reference, have taken the said Petitions“into their Consideration, together with a Report made by the Lords Commissioners for Trade and“ Plantations upon the former of the said Petitions, and do thereupon agree humbly to report as their“ opinion to your Majesty, that the most Positive orders should be immediately sent to the Gov-ernor of New York, to desist from making any Grants whatsoever of any Part of those Lands,“ until your Majesty’s further Pleasure shall be known.”

His Majesty taking the said Report into Consideration, w r as pleased with the advice of his PrivyCouncil to approve thereof, and doth hereby strictly charge require and command that the Governoror Commander in Chief of his Majesty’s Province of New York for the Time being, do not (uponPain of his Majesty’s highest displeasure) presume to make any Grant whatever of any Part of theLands described in the said Report, until his Majesty’s further Pleasure shall be known concerningthe same.

W: Sharpe.

On Reading and due Consideration Whereof, [20 th October 1769] his Honour the LieutenantGovernor was pleased to require the opinion of the Council, whether his Majesty’s said order extendedto restrain the Granting of any Lands formerly claimed by New Hampshire , but which have not beengranted by that Government: the Council thereupon declared they were of opinion his Majestys saidorder prohibited only the granting of such of the said Lands as have actually been granted by theGovernment of New Hampshire , and does not extend to any part of the said Lands which have notbeen granted by that Government.