"uty governor, judges, justices, and other officers, and to execute the powers of vice admiral. Here commenced a new order of things: Cranfield arrived, disclosed his commission, and commenced a system of tyranny, and persecution. A new assembly was called, and many new laws enacted, and a douceur of 250l. voted to the governor, which softened for a time, the rigors of his administration. sembly was adjourned.

The as

At an early day after the meeting of the next assembly, January 1683, a new collision sprang up between the governor, and the assembly, which produced so much warmth, that the governor dissolved the assembly. This struck a fatal blow to the peace of New-Hampshire. These sons of liberty could not brook such arbitrary power, especially, when aimed at the vital priciples of their existence, as a body politic; they raised a hue and 'cry against the measure, with the sound of trumpet, and proclaimed "Liberty and Reform." This outrage was so notorious, that it became necessary for the civil magistrate, to unite with the governor to suppress it, by the arm of the law; and one Gour, who was a principal, was convicted of high treason, and sentenced to death this sentence was remitted, and he was sent to England, and imprisoned in the Tower three years, and afterwards released, and was restored to his country and estate. These scenes opened the way for new troubles. Mason* again appeared, and set up his claim, and demanded that all lands, and estates, should be held of him by lease, upon an annual rent; and the governor favoured the claim. The people resisted, prosecutions commenced, and judgments were rendered in favour of Mason; but he could not obtain any consideration: all was anxiety, and alarm, and the people petitioned the king. The governor called an assembly for the purpose of quieting Son and heir to the original grantee.

the people, and to raise money: they were not cordial to his views, and he dissolved them. He next commenced a religious persecution, upon the statutes of non-conformity in England, which had driven our fathers from their country, their fires, and their altars, to take refuge in the wilds of New-England; and actually obtained judgment against the Rev. Joshua Moody, minister of Portsmouth one of the worthies of New-England, and committed him to prison for the term of six months, without bail. At the expiration of the time, Mr. Moody was released; and upon a call to settle in Boston, he accepted, and thus eluded his enemies. Here he was invited to the presidency of the college at Cambridge, but declined the offer, and remained with his people in Boston, (often visiting and preaching at private meetings, with his church at Portsmouth,) until 1692, when the Indian wars recommenced; he then found his enemies were removed, and a way was open for him to return to his people at Portsmouth, which he readily embraced; and there spent the remnant of his days in peace.

In the spring of 1684, the Baron De Castine, who resided at Penobscot, and had married the daughter of the sachem of that tribe, excited the savages to hostilities against the English. To meet the exigencies of this war, the governor levied taxes, with the advice of his council, without calling an assembly, and issued warrants for their collection. This again inflamed the popular resentment, and associations were soon formed for resistance, and mutual support. They next proceeded to resist the sheriff at Exeter, in an attempt to distrain, for the collection of the tax. Men, women, and children, engaged with clubs, spits, and scalding water, and repelled the attempt. At Hampton they resisted again, beat off the sheriff, took away his sword, seated him upon his horse, with his feet tied under the horse's belly, and a rope round his neck, and

conveyed him out of the province. The magistrates attempted to commit some of the rioters; but they were rescued on their way to prison. The governor then ordered out a troop of horse; but not a man appeared; the governor desisted, and the people, by their agent in England, exhibitted a complaint against him to the king, stating his tyranical usurpations, and their grievances. This was referred to the board of trade, and was soon followed with a new, and more extensive complaint. These complaints were duly noticed, and tried in England, and the governor was recalled, and sent out to Barbadoes; and Barefoot, the deputy governor, succeeded to the chair; where he continued until removed by Dudley, as President of NewEngland.*

I have given a more particular `sketch of the characters, who first opened the government of New-Hampshire, for two important reasons; first, to shew the similarity in the spirit of the people; and next to shew the difference in the genius of the governments. If such riots and feuds, could so easily be produced from the usurpation of one tyranical governor, what would have been the fate of NewEngland, had Mason and Gorges succeeded in dividing it up into Lordships? What would have been the fate of the church in the wilderness, and where would have been these boasted civil, religious, and literary privileges, which we so richly enjoy? Let us eye the hand of God in these events, and give him all the glory. Let us at the same time see to it, that we, by our virtues, add a lustre to the names of such renowned ancestors, and by preserving those liberties, which they so dearly purchased, shew ourselves worthy of our immortal sires.

At this time, 1685, a general peace took place between the colony of New-Hampshire, and the eastern Indians,

*Barefoot and Mason, were held in such contempt by the people, that they met with personal abuse, and some times were treated with great severity and violence. Mason was thrown into a large fire, and Barefoot, in attempting to rescue him, had his ribs broken and his teeth knocked out.

and Mason farmed out his claims to other adventurers, which served to perpetuate a nominal possession, and departed for England, April, 1686. This opened the way for a new order of things.

This spirit of liberty, which prevailed throughout the colonies, gave great offence to the king, and he determined to check and controul it; accordingly he appointed Sir Edmond Randolph, as the special agent of the crown, to remove the charters from all the colonies, by writs of Quo Warranto and Scire Facias; and appointed Joseph Dudley, Esq. as president, and Sir William Stoughton deputy president-Simon Bradstreet, Robert Mason, John Fitz Winthrop, John Pynchon, Peter Bulkley, Edward Randolph, Wait Winthrop, Richard Warton, John Usher, Nathaniel Saltonstall, Bartholomew Gidney, Jonathan Tyng, Dudley Bradstreet, John Hynckes, and Edward Tyng, counsellors. This government embraced the colonies of Massachusetts, New-Hampshire, Maine, and RhodeIsland. This form of government commenced May 1686, to the utter exclusion of those legislative assemblies so offensive to the governors of the crown. From this council of the country, were selected judges of the county courts. with right of appeal to the superior courts, to be holden at Boston, and from thence, to the crown. Justice courts, and probate courts, were organized under this new government, and a complete new order of things, appeared in the government of New-England.

To strengthen the dominion of the crown, yet further, Sir Edmond Andross, late governor of New-York, was appointed captain general and governor in chief, over the Colonies of New-England, including Plymouth. To this government was attached a council, five of whom, with the governor, made a quorum, with powers almost unlimited. To this government the colony of New-York was annexed, in 1687.

This new order of things in New-England, arose out of

the change which had taken place in England. Charles 11. had died in 1685, and James II. a bloody Papist, was now upon the throne, and England was groaning under his despotic sway, as well as the colonies. Whilst James II. was attempting to restore Popery in England, Andross was oppressing the colonies, with almost every exertion of des-potic sway; and when the people of England expelled James, from the throne, and conferred it upon William and (Mary, the colonies rose in arms, seized and imprisoned Andross, and sent him home to meet his trial.

The colonies were again thrown into an unsettled state; their charters were gone; their governments were gone; and now their general government was at an end. Massachusetts resumed her former government, and at the request of New-Hampshire, admitted her again under their protection; but Mason's claim opened a new field of controversy in New-Hampshire. The heirs of Mason, sold their claims to the New-Hampshire grant, for seven hundred and fifty pounds, free from entail, to Samuel Allen, merchant, of London; and he obtained a commission for the government of New-Hampshire, with the appointment of John Usher, his son-in-law, as deputy-governor, with full powers in Allen's absence. This commission had also annexed to it, twelve counsellors, who acted under the crown, independent of the legislative assemblies.

In 1692, Usher took possession of his government, in the midst of a most extensive and distressing Indian war, which filled that country with distress, and drenched it in blood. To enumerate the particular adventures of this long and distressing war, would swell this work beyond my design; nothing like it had appeared in New-England, excepting Philip's wars, which have been noticed; a general sketch of the more prominent events, will be sufficient. The Indians in Canada and Novascotia were extensively engaged in it, and like the war of Philip, it was a desperate war of extermination.