426

CONTROVERSY RESPECTING THE NEW HAMPSHIRE GRANTS.

D. That this Deponent believes there are now ten times as many Settlers in the Tract formerlyclaimed by New Hampshire aforesaid, than there were at that Day, and that these are almost alto-gether Purchasers under the New Hampshire Patents since the notification of the Kings Determi-nation of the Boundary as aforesaid a great many of whom settled in expectation of taking out newGrants from the Province of New York, which they are still desirous of doing, this Deponent havingbeen desired by the Inhabitants of several Townships to Assist them therein.

E. That a few of the Tracts granted by M r Wentworth on the Banks of Connecticut River andtwo or three of the Townships near the Massachusetts Line, have within about four years pastincreased considerably in Cultivation, tho’ even in these it bears but a small proportion to the Quan-tity of Lands in these Townships, And that with respect to the rest of the Tracis the greater part ofthem have but little Cultivation and very many of them none at all.

F. That this Deponent never hath heard of any Ejectments served by any Person claiming underNew York nor of any other action brought by any of them, against any Person to the Eastward ofthe Green Mountains except in two or three Instances for Debt & is satisfied if any such thing hadhappened he must have heard of it. That some few of the Inhabitants of that country have beenarrested in Civil Actions brought by them against one another.

G. That this Deponent is acquainted with the Inhabitants of that Country in General & hasnever heard that any of them served in his Majesty’s Regular Forces at any time during the lateWar except one or two Persons whom this Deponent hath heard are deserters—That a few of themserved as Rangers.

H. That within about two years past the People in that Country have been induced to ConceiveExpectations that this part of the Country would soon bee annexed to New Hampshire , that Reportsand Encouragements of that nature have been continually circulating among them ever since, whichwere generally reported and believed in that Country from time to time to have come from GovernorWentworth, and this Deponent himself believes the same to be true.

I. That something above a Twelvemont ago a Petition to his Majesty was circulated thro’ thatCountry for Subscriptions for that End as this Deponent understands and believes, which Petition was at that time and ever since generally reported there to have been drawn by Governor Wentworth—That this Petition was generally reported and this Deponent believes the same to be true, to havebeen subscribed by a great many Persons not Inhabitants of that Country, but of New Hampshire and else where, ana that in general the Names of the Children of the Inhabitants down to Twelveyears of Age and under were said to have been subscribed thereto as Petitioners—which Petition this Deponent hath understood hath been some time since Transmitted to England by GovernorWentworth.

K. That last Fall another Petition to his Majesty for the like purpose, was carried about thro’that Country for Subscription as this Deponent understands and believes that this Deponent sawthe original thereof as it was Called of which he took a copy, which original was wrote in a veryfair Hand, and was currently reported there to have been drawn at Portsmouth by the present Gov-ernor Wentworth, and to have been by him sent up into that Country by Benjamin Whiting who haslong acted as one of M r Wentworths Deputies, as Surveyor of the Kings Woods, to be copied forsubscriptions all which this Deponent verily believes to be true, and also that it was generally believedby the People there, this Deponent having frequently heard these Reports mentioned in Conversation and never heard a suggestion to the contrary.

L. That it was Reported that one Copy thereof was to be made to be handed about in eachTownship, and this Deponent has frequently heard and believes that many Copies thereof were