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lace of Portsmouth, and took shelter in the governor's house. The people demanded him, and planted a cannon before the door, upon which the offender was delivered up and conveyed to Exeter: the governor, conceiving himself insulted, retired on board the Fowey man of war, then lying in the harbour.

At the next meeting of the assembly, on the eleventh of July, the duties of Dr. Bartlett were extremely arduous, being at the same time a member of that body, of the committee of safety, and of the provincial convention. He was, however, soon relieved from the first mentioned, as governor Wentworth sent a message to the house, and adjourned them to the twenty-eighth of September. Having previously retired to Boston, the governor, in September, went to the Isle of Shoals, and there issued a proclamation, adjourning the assembly to the next April. This was the final act of his administration, and the last time he was within the boundaries of the province. Thus terminated the British government in New Hampshire, where it had subsisted ninety-five years.

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In September 1775, Dr. Bartlett was appointed to command a regiment by the first provincial congress, of which Matthew Thornton was president. The committee of safety was continued by that congress, and had full executive and legislative powers granted to them during its recess. They planned a re-organization of the state, and framed an oath of allegiance, which every individual was compelled to take; those who refused were confined until they acceded to it. This oath was called in pleasantry the "chevaux de frise."

On the twenty-third of August, 1775, he was chosen a delegate to the continental congress in the room of John Sullivan, who was engaged in the army, and took his seat in that body on the sixteenth of September following. His attention to the important duties of his station was strict

and incessant until the month of March, 1775, when he returned home. After a short stay, he again repaired to Philadelphia, where he resumed his arduous and laborious task. Congress met at nine o'clock, A. M. and sat till four o'clock, P. M., after which Dr. Bartlett frequently served on committees until a late hour of the night. The increasing prospect of important and untried events, in which their lives and families, and fortunes were put to the hazard,-the decease of their late valuable president, and of general Montgomery, the ravages of the incensed enemy, together with the thoughts of his distant family, who were not in an eligible situation, owing to his recent loss by fire;-all conspired to depress the spirits of Dr. Bartlett. He, however, sustained these cares with a consciousness of the justice of his cause, and a reliance on the goodness of the Supreme Disposer of all events, which confirmed his perseverance in the line of his duty.

On the twenty-third of January 1776, a second election for delegates to the continental congress occurred, and Dr. Bartlett was again chosen. His colleagues in this honourable office were two of his most attached personal friends, William Whipple and John Langdon. The former long served with him in congress, and their signatures are found together on the charter of independence. Mr. Langdon, owing to an appointment to another office lost the opportunity of recording his patriotic sentiments in the same conspicuous manner, though by the tenor of his useful and honourable life, he nobly supported the principles he was well known to entertain in common with them. With Dr. Bartlett he kept a constant correspondence; through him he learned the objects and wishes of congress, and gave every aid to them in New Hampshire, which his talents and character enabled him to do; on receiving in the month of June, 1776, while still a member, the

appointment of a general naval agent, he resigned for this, his more conspicuous, but perhaps less useful office, and devoted himself to the increase of the rising navy, with uninterrupted zeal-a zeal repaid by the gratitude of his country, which continued to bestow fresh marks of favour upon him, up to the close of his long life. From the correspondence which thus arose, it is fortunately in our power to give a few extracts from the letters of Dr. Bartlett, the knowledge of which has hitherto been confined to the circle of his immediate family and descendants, but which we think cannot fail to prove interesting to a general reader, and to make a useful authentic addition to the historical document of those times.

January 13th, 1776. This morning I see in the newspapers (which by the by is almost the only way I hear from our colony,) that Portsmouth has appointed Messrs. Cutts, Sherburne and Long, to represent that town in provincial convention; and by the instructions I find the town is very much afraid of the idea conveyed by the frightful word Independence. This week a pamphlet on that subject was printed here, and greedily bought up and read by all ranks of people, I shall lend you one of them, which you will please to lend round to the people; perhaps, on consideration, there may not appear any thing so terrible in that thought, as they might at first apprehend, if Britain should force us to break off all connections with her.

February 3d. Yours of the twenty-second ultimo, I received the first instant; and am glad to hear you got home well and in good order. I perceive by your letter that our colony have taken up government, as you say "a committee of both houses waited on you," and "that some difficulties had arisen which you hoped would be soon ended." I wish you had been a little more particular, as I am very desirous of knowing how things go on in our province.-I am glad to

hear that delegates are likely to be soon sent here to relieve me; I hope good hearty sons of liberty will be appointed.

February 19th. In your's of the 29th ult. you informed me that Col. William Whipple was to set out for this place the then next week, and in consequence I now look out sharply for him, and hope he will be here this week, as I am extremely anxious not only for his assistance, but to be informed of what nature the difficulties are which you say have unaccountably turned up in regard of the civil government of the colony; what you have hinted, has given me vast uneasiness, and I wish you had mentioned the particular difficulties, for I am greatly at a loss to guess at them. I am greatly surprised to hear, that there is danger that the poison of toryism will spread in the colony of New Hampshire: if you had informed me of the danger of the small pox or plague spreading, it would not have given me half the concern, as the one is only temporal, and the other in a sense eternal, for if our rights and privileges are now given up they are gone for ever. * The pamphlet Common Sense has already had three editions in this city; in the last there is an appendix and large additions: it has also been re-printed at New York. By the best information it has had a great effect on the minds of many here and to the southward. * ** I believe it is certain the British parliament has ordered all American vessels to be seized, as you will see by the public papers, two of the outward bound vessels fitted out by the secret committee, for the purpose of necessaries, are taken and carried into the West Indies; the master of one has got back. In short, we have nothing to expect from Britain but war and bloodshed, notwithstanding the pretence of sending commissioners here to treat. I am this day informed that a petition to the congress is signing fast by the inhabitants of this city, for leave to fit out privateers, and make reprisals

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on all British vessels, to indemnify them for the losses they have sustained by the depredations of British men of war. Indeed it seems very hard that Britain is seizing all American vessels, and the Americans are not permitted to return the compliment. The late measure has, I think, (sub rosa) much altered the minds of the people here and in the C―ss too. ** By the latest account it seems the parliament has altered their measure of treating, and the commissioners are to treat with each colony separate, which will certainly and unfailingly destroy the whole, for I am sure no colony will, at this time, treat separately; I think I may venture to engage for New Hampshire.

May 19th. Last Friday afternoon I arrived here, all well, and on Saturday we received a sad, but very imperfect account of affairs at Quebec. According to the account received, it seems there was a most shocking and unaccountable misconduct in the whole affair; however, I cannot help hoping that affairs are not so bad, as has been reported, and if they are, that the generals and soldiers who had not joined the army, will in a great measure retrieve matters, and that things there will soon be in a better situation.

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The order of congress concerning taking up government under the people, which colonel Whipple sent forward, has made a great noise in this province. Enclosed I send you an address to the people of Pennsylvania, and an order for a meeting of the city and liberties to-morrow; what will be the consequence I know not, but think the assembly will be dissolved and a convention called. *** * The order of congress for raising a regiment for the defence of our colony, you will receive before this comes to hand; I hope good officers will be recommended, and every thing put in the best posture of defence, and the courage and resolution of the people kept up, as I have great reason to think we shall have

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