4:12 Frofessor TyndaU [May 3, 10, and 17, 



vrise end he adopted unwise means. " A vacancy having occmred 

 in a majorahip in the Second Provincial Eegiment of Xew Hampshire, 

 Grovemor Wentworth at once commissioned Thompson to till it." 

 JealoTisy and enmity natnrally followed the appointment of a man 

 without name or fame in the armv. over the heads of veterans with 



• - 



in^r.- r^ly stronger claims. He rapidly, however, became a favourite 

 with the governor, and on his proposing, soon after his apjKjintment, 

 to make a survey of the \S"hite Mountains, "Wentworth not only fell in 

 with the idea, bnt promised, if his public duties permitted, to take 

 part in the survey himself. It will be remembered that at this time 

 Thompson was not quite twenty years old. 



For a moment, in 1773, he appears in the character of a farmer, 

 and invok€^ the aid of a friend to procure for him supplies of grass 

 and garden ^>~^= from England- But amid pre-occupations of this 

 kind his sci --_:_, bias eiaerges. After a brief reference to the seed 

 procure?! for him by his friend Baldwin, he proposes to the latter the 

 following question : " A certain cistern has three brass cocks, one of 

 which will empty it in 15 minutes, one in 30 minutes, and the other in 

 60 minutes. Qx — How long would it take to empty the cistern if all 

 three cocks were to be openeii at onee ? If yon are fond of a corre- 

 spondence of this kind, and will favour me with an easy question, 

 Arithmetical or A^: "—iicaL I will endeavour to give as good an 

 acconnt of it as p-i.-i..,. ,. If you find out an answer to the above im- 

 mediately, I hope you will not take it as an affront, my proposing 

 aiijrthing which you may think so easy, for I must confess I scarce 

 ever mei with any little notion that puzzled me so much in my 

 life." 



In 1774 the ferment of discontent with the legislation of the mother 

 country had spread throughout the colony. Clubs and committees 

 were formed which often c-ompell^ men to take sides before the 

 requisite data for forming a clear judjzment had boen obtained. " Our 

 ca^donr." siyg Dr. Ellis, " must persuade us to allow that there were 

 I - . or at least prefudices and apprehensions which might lead 



hon i right-hearted men. lovers and friends of their birthland, 



to 1 ; the rising spirit of independence as inflamed by flemBr- 



- : . and as foreboding discomfiture and mischief.'' Thompson 

 ••' suspect,'*' though no record of any tmfriendly or unj^atriotic 

 ii_: oi speech on his part is to be found. He was known to be on 

 friendly terms with Governor Wentworth, but the governor, when he 

 gave Thomp=^' ^j ^ ' s commission, was highly popular in the province. 

 Prior Uj\\f .h's accession to office he "had strongly oj^posed 



every measure of Great Britain which was regarded as encroaching 

 upon our liberties.'*' He thought himsell nevertheless, in duty bound 

 to stand by the royal authority when it was openly defied ; and this 

 naturally rendered him obnoxious. 



T'- - -r - ~a= a man of refractory temper, and the drcumstances 

 of t_ . vie only too well calculated to bring that temper out. 



