HISTORY OF VERMONT. 17 



provinces of New Hampshire and New York." 

 This determination of the king, did not appear 

 to be founded on any former grant to the duke 

 of York ; but was a decision, de ?iovo ; as the 

 occasion, and convenience of the people, were 

 supposed to require. 



In this decision of the boundary line, there 

 was nothing alarming to the people who had 

 settled on the new lands. They had no idea of 

 disputing the jurisdiction, or opposing the gov- 

 ernment of New York. They concluded the 

 title to their lands, would not be in any way af- 

 fected, by the decision, but rather confirmed : 

 And that the determination was expressed ia 

 language fto be J designed to relate to i}\Q future, 

 and not to any past transactions, or time. Had 

 the government of New York assigned the same 

 construction to the royal decision, no controver- 

 sy would ever have arisen ; the settlers would 

 have remained quiet and easy, under their ju- 

 risdiction. But a very different construction 

 was put upon the royal determination, in New 

 York. The government of that province con- 

 strued it, as a declaration not only of what was 

 to be, for the time to come, but of what was, 

 and always had been^ the eastern limit of New 

 York : And of consequence, that the grants 

 which had been made by the governor of New 

 Hampshire, were grants of what had always be- 

 longed to New York. 



In conformity to this explanation, the grants 

 from New Hampshire, were considered by the 

 gov^ernment of New Y©rk, as illegal, and of no 

 authority. The new district was divided into 

 four counties : The south western parts, were 



VOL. II. B 



