178 NATURAL AND CIVIL 



supply of his men with provisions ; to take the 

 command of the militia, and march into the 

 grants ; to act in conjunction with the troops of 

 that new state, or any other of the states, or of 

 the United States."* About the same time,t 

 Mr. Weare, president of New Hampshire, in 

 behalf of the council and assembly, wrote to 

 Ira Allen, secretary of the state of Vermont, an- 

 nouncing the assistance they were sending ; the 

 Style and expressions of his letter were addres- 

 sed to Vermont, as a free and sovereign, but a 

 new state. From these events it was not doubt- 

 ed in Vermont, but that New Hampshire had 

 already acknowledged her independence ; and 

 would use her influence, to have it acknowl- 

 edged by Congress. 



But the conduct of some of the inhabitants 

 of New Hampshire, soon occasioned a contro- 

 versy of a very serious nature with that state. 

 New Hampshire was originally granted as a 

 province, to John Mason ; and was circumscribe 

 ed by aline, drav/n at the distance of sixty miles 

 from the sea. All the lands to the westward of 

 that line, were properly royal grants, and had 

 been annexed to New Hampshire, by force of 

 royal commissions. The inhabitants on the 

 eastern side of Connecticut river, well knew 

 what the original bounds of New Hampshire 

 were ; and they were desirous to join the in- 

 habitants on the west side of the river, in setting 

 up a new state. With these views, it was not a 

 difficult thing to find reasons to justify their 

 proceedings. They urged, that the province of 



• Belknap's Hist. New Hampshire, Vol. 11, p. 413. 



* July 19. 



