No. X.

To his Excellency Samuel Shule, Esq., Captain General and Governour in Chief in and over his Majesty's Province of the Massachusells Bay, in New England, and to the Hon. Council and House of Representatives, in General Court assembled this 29th day of May, 1717.

The petition of sundry proprietors of the township of Falmouth, in Casco Bay, humbly sheweth, that your petitioners and their predecessors, formerly brought forward a good settlement in the said place, which had a hopeful prospect of being a strong and flourishing town, being very well and beyond most places accommodated for husbandry, navigation, fishery and the lumber trade; but the said Plantation was unhappily broken up and ruined by the French and Indian enemy, and now peace being restored, and several other settlements carrying on further castward, your petitioners and others concerned with them, to the number of upwards of thirty families, are desirous without delay to go or send and rebuild the waste places, and resettle the lands, which they are excited to do the more speedily by reason that great strip and waste is daily made of the wood and timber in their propriety to their great damage by ill minded persons, that frequently load vessels with the same. And your petitioners being informed that this Honorable Court have in their wisdom passed an order that no settlement shall be made in those parts without their approbation; do therefore now in obedience theroto humbly address your Excellency and Honours, praying your allowance, countenance and favourable aspect on the designed settlement, which for their own security they determine to make compact and in a manner as regular and defensible as may be, and your petitioners as in duty bound shall ever pray, &c.

In the House of Representatives, June 13, 1717. Read and ordered, that the prayer of the petition be granted, and that the petitioners apply themselves to the committee appointed by this Court in June, 1715, to prosecute the regular settlement of the eastern frontiers for advice in the manner of their settlements. Sent up for concurrence.

JOHN BURRILL, Speaker.

June 14th, 1717. In Council, road and concurred.

JOSEPH MARION, Deputy Secretary.

T His Excellency, Samuel Shute, Esq., Capt. General and Governour in Chief in and over his Majesty's Province of the Massachusetts Bay, in New England, and the Hon. the Council and Representatives in General Court assembled.

The memorial of the proprietors and settlers of the town of Falmouth, in Casco Bay, humbly sheweth, that by a petition of the proprietors of the town of Falmouth, in Casco Bay, to his Excellency the Governour, Council and Representatives in General Court assembled in May, 1717, liberty was granted to the said proprietors to resettle the said town, and in order there. unto the said proprietors are directed to apply themselves to a committee appointed in the

year 1713, for to regulate the settlements of the eastern frontiers, for advice in the manner of their settlements. That your memorialists have fully complied with the said direction, and yet notwithstanding we have repeated our applications to the said committee, the matter is still delayed, which has a tendency to great confusion in our settlements, and is a great discouragement to the proprietors and inhabitants of which there are a considerable number already upon the spot, that aro vory desirous of a good regulation.

In the House of Representativos, June 18th, 1718. Read and ordered that Lewis Bane, Esq., and Capt. Joseph Hill be added to the committee formerly appointed to direct and regulate the eastern settlements; any three of said committee (if no more be present) to have power to act in the said affair. Sent up for concurrence.

The names of ye persons taken in upon ye act of the town to pay ten pounds each.

To his Eezellency Wm. Burnett, Esq., Capt. General and Governour in Chief in and over his Majesty's province of the Massachuse'ls Bay in New England, and the Hon. the Council and House of Representatives in General Court assembled August 14, 1728.

The petition of the subscribers, the heirs or assigns of the ancient proprietors of the town of Falmouth, in Casco Bay, for ourselves, and at the desire and in behalf of the other proprietors of said town, most humbly sheweth, that whereas the Hon. the Gov. and company of the late colony of the Massachusetts Bay, proprietors of the Province of Maine appointed, and specially empowered their committee to regulate and bring forward the settlements of the eastern part of that country as may appear of record. And whereas the Hon. Thomas Danforth, Esq., Commissioner and President of said Province, by power and authority derived from the Ilon. the Gov. and company of the said late colony of the Massachusetts Bay, on the twenty-sixth day of July, one thousand six hundred and eighty-four, did give, grant, convey, and conarm the lands in Falmouth Township unto Capt. Edward Tyng, Capt. Sylvanus Davis, Mr. Walter Qendall, Mr. Thaddeus Clark, Capt. Anthony Brackett, Mr. Dominicus Jordan, Mr. George Brimhall, and Mr. Robert Lawrence, their heirs and assigns forever as trustees, for and in behalf of the inhabitants of Falmouth as appears of record, and the said trustees or committee of said town, by virtuo of the power and authority so delegated to them did proceed to lay ont miny lots of land, and gave, granted, and confirmed the same to sundry persons, who builded thereon, and made improvement of, until the late terrible war with the Indians, when the town was almost destroyed entirely, they having taken the fort and laid most of the houses in ashes, and what was as fatal to the true interest of your petitioners, the town book was then destroyed, for it cannot since be found; so that it is a difficult matter to find out the whole number that were admitted settlers and proprietors by the trustees aforenamed.

Since the late peace so happily established with the castern Indians, there are numbers of people from almost all parts of the Province, and many others from beyond the sea have rolled in on your petitioners' estates like a flood, and under pretence of the authority of the vote of Court, of the 11th of November, 1718, aforesaid, for admitting fifty families at least, to settle in the said town, which your petitioners humbly conceive, must undeniably be done by their consent only who were and are the true proprietors of said town, and they have without the leave, consent, or approbation of your suppliants the proprietors, in a most unjust and disorderly manner, set down on and possessed themselves of their known estates and settlements, which have been defended at the expense of the lives and blood of many of your petitioners' ancestors and predecessors and they are daily in the practice of these their unjust proceedings, for they now set themselves up not only as town inhabitants, but even proprietors of the lands, and admit such persons as they see cause into town. Wherefore, your petitioners take leavɔ to make known this their sad and unfortunate caso to your Excellency and Honours, and pray you would, of your wontel goodness, clemency and justice, interpose your authority in preserving our estates to us, and order that Mr. Danforth's deed may be

*

deemed good to the trustees therein named, for the use specified and to those that hold under and your petitioners as in duty bound shall ever pray,

them,

Robert Jordan,
Samuel Jordan,
Samuel Bucknam,
Nathaniel Jordan,

Benj. Skillin,

Edward Tyng,

Wm. Thomas,
Jno. Robinson,

John Sawyer,

Thomas Westbrook,
Wm. Cooper,
Jona. Sewall,
Joseph Calf,
John Tyler,

&c.

PLE

John Jordan,
Benjamin York,

Grace Marshall for the heirs

of Geo. Brimhall, Dominicus Jordan, John Robinson, Jeremiah Jordan,

Joseph Otis,

Samuel Bucknɩm,

Joseph Maylem,
Elinor Pullen in behalf of
heirs of Michael

tho

Mitton and

Brackett,

Anthony

Samuel Sewall,
Samuel Pousland,

Thomas Fayrweather, in
behalf of Mr. Samuel
Waldo.

Thomas Jordan,

No. XIII.

REPORT OF COMMITTEE AND RESOLVES OF FALMOUTH,
FEBRUARY 3, 1774.

The committee on the subject of the communication from Boston after the destruction of the

tea, made on the 3d of February, 1774, the following report:

We omit the report as it repeats the common grievances so often set forth.

We therefore further resolve,

1. That wo will not suffer to be imported from Great Britain to this town any article whatever, on which the parliament has laid a duty with the purpose of raising a revenue from us without our consent.

2. That we will have no dealings or correspondence with any person who may willfully promote either directly or indirectly, the operation of such arbitrary acts.

3. That it is the opinion of this town that one of the most effectual means for obtaining a redress of our grievances is, for every town to make proof of their virtue by desisting from the use of all India tea.

Therefore,

4. Resolved, That whoever shall endeavor to allure the minds of the people by any means whatever to use India tea until the act imposing a duty theroon is repealed, is pursuing measures in direct opposition to that freedom which the whole continent are at this time contending for, and evidently proves how little they are concerned if all America are enslaved if they can but thereby enrich themselves. Therefore,

5. Resolved, That we will not buy or sell any India tea whatever, after this third day of February, until the act which lays a duty thereon is repealed, and will hold in detestation every person who shall aim to counteract the designs of this town in this respect.

6. Resolved, That as we are at a great distance from Boston, the metropolis of this province, and cannot have so early intelligence of encroachments upon our rights as they have, we do acknowledge our obligations to them for their early notices of approaching danger, and for intrepid behaviour upon the late tea ships arrival. And we trust they will still be our watch tower, and they may depend on our utmost endeavors to support them at all times, in defense of our rights and liberties. Then,

Voted 2d. That the said committee of correspondence be a standing committee to correspond with the committee of correspondence for the town of Boston.

Voted 3d. That the selectmen of this town be a committee of inspection, whose business it shall be to observe if any persons buy or sell tea contrary to the resolves of this town, and to make report thereof to the committee of correspondence.

Voted 4'h. The selectmen be and hereby are desired to withhold their approbation for license