otter one fisher thirty two Sables all which I promise to Deliver to Richard Devens Esq Commiserry General the Dainger of the seas & fire Excepted.

William Howard

Petition and Remonstrance of Enoch Freeman et al.

The Honourable the Senate and the Honourable the House of Representatives in General Court Assembled.

The Petition & Remonstrance of the Proprietors of a neck of Land in the Town of Falmouth in the County of Cumberland, by their Committee,

Humbly Shews

1 That at the beginning of the late War, a large Fortification was built on the heighth of Said Neck, by order of Government, for the common safety of the Publick; that the Persons Employed to build said Fortification, did dig up vast Quantities of Sods from the Land of Your Petitioners for the use of said Works, which almost ruined a number of Acres of Land, & a long House for Barracks was built within said Fortification, for the use of the Soldiers in opposing the common Enemey: by all which your Petitioners have lost the Benefit of Improving said neck, which contains 300 Acres, & the Same has laid open (untill the Summer past) & in common to the use of the Publick ever since, to the Damage of your Petitioners, in their Estimation, not less than six hundred pounds.

2 That contrary to the Expectation of your Petitioner, the said Barracks were hall'd off (it is said by order of Government, without notifying or consulting your Petitioners, or proposing any Compensation to them for said Damages, which was very unexpected to your Petitioners, Since Government did on the 7th Day of May 1777 pass a

Resolve that all Damages which have been or may be done to private property, by erecting such Fortifications Shall be fully compensated to the Proprietors.—

3 That many of your Petitioners, by the Town being burnt by the Enemy are reduced to great Straits & Difliculties, Wherefore your Petitioners humbly pray Your Honours, will please to take the Premises into Consideration & grant them Adequate Compensation for said Damages, & your Petitioner, as in Duty bound will ever pray, &e Falmouth Sep 16th 1783.

Enoch Freeman

Jedidiah Preble

Memorial Inhab's of Boothbay.

To the Honorable Senate & Hous of Representatives for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts

The Inhabitants of the town of Boothbay beg leave to represent to your Honours, that we have been ready and willing at all times during the late War with Grate Brittain, to contribute in behalf of Amarica Eaqual to any town in this Commonwealth in proportion to our ability and circumstances, and have answered all the demands of the Legislative Body in that respect to the Year of our Lord 1779 at which time the Enemy took post at Majabagaduce, but a little distance East of this Town; and this town being almost an Island or a neck, as we may say Sheepsgut River makeing the west Side Damascotty River the East, and the Atlantic Ocion the South, so that we ware annoyed almost in every part of the town by the Enemies privateers & Boats, our Vessals have been cheafly taken which was the main Suport of the town, and our young men that was imployed in those vessals, by that means were dispersed, sum a privateering and sum in the Continental Army which left the town in low

circumstances, cut of from any commerce, or geting any Supplies, Abliged to keep sentries on our own Expence for the preservation of our lives & Estates; which has reduced. this town to almost Extreme poverty; And now since peace, we remain in low circumstances, as we have not vessals of our own, nor Lumber to supply foring vessals as they have in other parts of this County up the Rivers. These circumstances has rendered this town incapable & unable to pay the public taxes since the year 1779. And for these reasons the Select men has posponded the Assessing Several Taxes knowing the Town unable to pay it

Therefore we pray the Honorable Court to take our deplorable case into your wise Consideration, And if it is consistant to Your Honours wise Council, we wou" pray for an abatement of our rereage taxes til news of tioners as in Duty bound shall Ever pray Boothbay 22 Sept 1783.

Edward Emerson

peace & your peti

Committee ap

To the Senate, Counsel, and House of Representatives in General Court Assembled

The humble petition of the Town of Bristol in the County of Lincoln & Common Welth of Massachusetts, most humbly sheweth that we ware assest in a Beef tax, by a Resolve of the General Court, of Sept 25. 1780. of four thousand Weight of Beef which we paid to General Wadsworth at St Georges and have a Recp' for the Same which we Inclose, and also was Taxt by another Resolve of Dec' 4. 1780. and one other Tax in June 1781-for which tax we did Collect

part of s" Beef-but no superintendent ever called upon us for sd Beef until Jan' at which time our Beef was Kild we not being able to Stall feed, it being a Verry scarce year for Hay, after which the Superintendent Could not Receive Salt Beef but ordered our proportion to be Drove alive to Barth, where they Should be Kill'd & he would give the town Or for Beef, Hides & Tallow-which Distance is thirty od miles & a Defucalt Season to cross the Rivers, they being frozen, & not strong Enuff to Bare, for which Reason we Could not Drive what few cattle we had left to the sd town of Barth & have not been Called upon Since, until now. Therefore we your petitioners humbly pray your Honours, to be pleased to take into your Consideration, the many Difficultys we have Labourd under,-which we set forth to your Honours in a purticular manner in our Last petition, & finely abate us the Whole or such part of s taxes as your Honours shall see meet, as it is wholey out of our power to pay any part of it at present as an Instance an Execution is now served on the Collector of this town for a State Tax, which Collector Cannot collect near Half the money to pay it of with, money being Exceeding Scarce in this town, but for further purticulars Refur you to WillTM Jones Esq. our Representative who will give you a trew Representation of our present Inability, after which, we pray your Honours to take our Situation into your Consideration once more and be pleased to Ease us of as Large a part of the above tax, as to your Honours shall seem meet, and your petitioners as in Duty Bound shall Ever pray &c

Petition Josiah Waters Jr.

To the Honorable the Senate and the Honorable the House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General Court Assembled in Boston

Humbly Shews, the Petition of Josiah Waters jun' in Behalf of the Owners of the Private Ship of war the General Putnam.

The Ship of War General Putnam was built in 1777 at New London by Nathaniel Shaw Esq' for the Sole purpose of a Cruizing Ship, and no cost or pains was wanting to compleat her for the Business, and by means of unfavorable Winds the said Ship put into the Harbour of Boston on the 26th June 1779 at which time an Expedition was forming against Penobscot and your Petitioner who was Agent for the Owners (seven eighths of whom were Inhabitants of the State of Connecticutt) was applied to for the said Ship to proceed with others on the said expedition, and as he did not conceive it to be his duty to consent, without first obtaining leave from the Owners; the said Ship was seized by the Sheriff of the County of Suffolk who was fully authorized for the purpose, to proceed on the said Expedition, and although your petitioner was requested to join with the then Board of War in nameing the Persons for the appraising the said Ship, on his refusal for the reasons before mentioned, they the said Board of War did appoint Captains Prince Fleet, and Waldo to appraise the said Ship who accepted the appointment and did approve the said Ship at Ten Thousand Pounds Sterling but in as much as their was no Specie circulating at that time they named the sum of One hundred and Ten Thousand Pounds in the then paper Money supposing it to be equal to the above mentioned sum of Ten thousand Pounds Sterling but sometime after a Scale of depreciation being fix'd the aforementioned sum of One hundred & Ten