HISTOflY OF VERMONT, 183 



Constituents, to instruct them how to proceed 

 with regard to the union with New Hampshire, 

 at their next session.^ The members who had 

 "withdrawn themselves from the assembly, form- 

 ed into a convention, and gave an invitation to 

 the towns on both sides of Connecticut river, to 

 unite, and to meet with them in a convention at 

 Cornish, in New Hampshire, December nine, 

 1778. The interests and views which produced 

 tlitse proceedings, were pretty well understood, 

 and proved greatly injurious to Vermont. The 

 people on both sides Connecticut river, wished to 

 form a government, the center and seat of which, 

 should be upon the river. The people on the 

 west side of the mountains, were averse to this 

 plan, and to any connexion with New Hamp- 

 shire. 



On December the ninth, the convention which 

 Imd been called, met at Cornish, one of the six- 

 teen towns. They agreed to unite, without any 

 regard to the limits which had been assigned to 

 New Hampshire, in 1764 ; and to make the 

 following proposals to that government. Either 

 to agree with them on a divisional line, or to 

 submit the dispute to Congress, or to arbitrators 

 mutually chosen. If neither of these proposals 

 should be accepted, and they could agree with 

 New Hampshire upon a plan of government, 

 they resolved further, " We Vv^ill consent that 

 the v/hole of the grants connect with New Hamp- 

 shire, and become with them one entire state, 

 as it was limited and bounded, before the settliner 

 ef the said line in 1764." Until one of these 

 proposals should be complied with, they resolv- 



* Allen's Vindication, p. I4. 16. zz, li^ 



