429
Person on the East side of the Green Mountains, by any Person Claiming under New York , nor ofany Person there being imprisoned, except for Criminal^Matters, and in Suits brought by the Inhab-itants of that Country against each other, nor of any Persons property being wrested from him,except that he has heard that some of the Lots reserved by the late Governor Wentworth for himselfin some of his Grants have been granted to others by the Government of New York . And thisDeponent verily believes that no such Things could have happened without his hearing of them.
L. That soon after the present Governor Wentworth took on him the Administration of this Gov-ernment, the Claimants under New Hampshire on the West of Connecticut River , were led to con-ceive great Expectations of that Country’s being annexed t6 the Government of New Hampshire aswell by Reason of his Majesty’s Commands to Sir Henry Moore to grant no more of these Landsuntil further Order, as from the encouragements continually circulating thro that Country to thatImport, which were there universally said and believed to come from Time to Time from GovernorWentworth, and this Deponent has no doubt that had it not been for those repeated Encourage-ments, the People would have been long since easy and content under the Jurisdiction of the Provinceof New York . And this Deponent is very sure that the Majority of the Inhabitants of that Countryare satisfied in remaining under the Jurisdiction of New York , and that the Strength of Oppositionthereto, except on the West side of the Green Mountains is in the Inhabitants of Windsor andWestminster.
M. That this Deponent was in the month of August last at Portsmouth in New Hampshire , andwas desired by George Jeffries Esquire Treasurer of New Hampshire to breakfast with him, whichhe did—That the said M Jeffries desired this Deponent to attend while he read a Representation onthe part of New Hampshire respecting, the Lands on the West side of Connecticut River in the Prov-ince of New York, and the Distresses of the Settlers there under New Hampshire , which the saidM r Jeffries told the Deponent was to be transmitted to his Majesty, that accordingly this Deponent heard the said Representation read by M 1 ' Jeffries, and that it contained Variety of Matter whichthis Deponent of his own knowledge knows to be false, and informed the said M r Jeffries at thatTime particularly thereof.
Ol e Willard.
Sworn this second day of March 1771 Before me.
Dan Horsmanden.
City of New York ss: James Van Cortlandt of the Yonkers of the County of Westchester Esquirebeing duly sworn malceth oath that in the Summer of the year one thousand seven hundred and sixtyfour this Deponent was at Albany where Information was brought that a number of Persons pretend-ing Title under New Hampshire had collected together and were distressing several persons holdinglands under the Grants of this Government of New York in the Patents of Hosick and Renslaerswvckor one of them, that they had seized and drove off the Cattle of some of the said Tenants and hadseized the Grain of one of them named Bostian Deal, and that they intended to distress everyperson holding within their Claim, who would not submit to hold under them That thereupon Her-tnanus Schuyler then Sheriff of the City and County of Albany , and two magistrates of the County°f Albany went to the Place where it was said these Riotous Proceedings were committing in ordersuppress the same, the Sheriff' taking a Posse with him, of which this Deponent made Part. Thatthey left the City of Albany on Saturday and arrived on the Sunday at Hosick where they were againinformed of the Proceedings of the Rioters as above set forth and they were gone to Bennington andthreatened to return again on Monday Morning and accordingly about the break of the Day on