severly with us, as to require of us the Taxes laid on us when we were in a State but little better then imprisonment (which we hope and trust you will not) it would plunge us into such wreached circumstances that it would be out of our power ever to recover

Your Petitioners would therefore humbly recommend the Town of Newcastle, under it present circumstances; to your Honors most wise and serious consideration, and pray your Honors to grant us that relief, which our necessity compells us to aske, Viz' a remittance of the Taxes laid on us by Government for the Last three years or other ways as your Honors see fit and your Petitioners as in Duty bound shall ever

Commonwealth of Massachusetts

The Governor & Council upon Examination of the Returns. of the several Towns in this Commonwealth found the Votes for Counsellors and Senators in the several Counties of said Commonwealth to stand as follows

Viz

To the Honourable the Senate & House of Representatives in General Court assembled

The Petition of the Town of Waldoborough in the County of Lincoln Hombly Sheweth, That by Reason of the Late war, this town has been Reduced to Great Distress, and tho now by the Blesing of Providence Peace be Restored into us: yet we shall Sorely feele the Effects of the War-By our Enemies taking Post at Penobscut and Continually infesting this Coast with their Privateers & small Boatts- our Lumber & fishing Trade in which alone we had any Concern -- Has been almost totally Suppressed, almost Every Vesel we owned in the Begining of the war, fell into their hands: & tho from time to time Vesels have been purchased Money borrow for this purpose, whereby a debt has been Contracted as the Inhabitants Could not possebly subsist without Some to Convey their lumber to Market, yet of this we have been Stript of our Lumber & fish on Board, or the Returns of it in Provision for the Support of our families-So that by a Late Computation our Losses by water amounts to £3160 Besides the Arms Ammunition Provisions and Apparels that have been taken by

Plundering Refugees, The Season for a Number of years Past have been Verry unfavourable, and the Drought so severe that the Peoples Attention has been more than Ever to Coltivate their farms; yet they have not been able to Raise above half enough of Bread for their Consumption, and the resque of Importation being so Great, & many Dispos'd to take advantage of the necessities of others, there by the Price of the Necessities of Life has been raised So high that People were in the Greatest Difficultys & obligd to part with Evry Commodity they had to Dispose at the Buyers Price, So that Corn has been sold for four Dollars and more and other articles in Proportion-Our hay has also been Cut of with the Drought for several years So that our Stoks ar Greatly Diminished by what they were at the Begining of the War, & at Present there is Such a Scarcity of Bread that hardly all the Lumber we have on hand Can procure us bread for the Season, A Cord of wood not fetching above half a Bushel Corn-Besides the Debt Contracted by Individuals thro the occasions by the war, The most part of the State Taxes, for some years have not been Discharged, & the Town is utterly unable to Discharg the Same, & if your Honours should now exact from us these Taxes it would utterly Ruin the Town and Give Such a Crush to the town, as it Could not for many years Recover of & Put it out of its Power for the future to pay Such a Proportion of Taxes for Defraying the Expences of Government as otherwise it might, we would therefore beg your Honours would take our Distressing Situation under your Serious Consideration and Discharge us of these Taxes that were Due before Peace was made & your Petitioners as in Duty bound Shall Ever Pray

Philip M: Ulmer
Joshuah Howerd

Jacob Ludwig

Selectmen of

Waldoborough

Waldoborough May: 13: 1783

Memorial Grantees Townships No. One to Six.

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

The Memorial of the Grantees of the Townships N° OneFour Five- & Six lying to the Eastward of Mount Desert or Union River in said Commonwealth by their Committees, the Subscribers thereof

Humbly sheweth

That the said Townships were granted to your Memorialists by the Honorable General Court of the Province of Massachusetts Bay, now Commonwealth of Massachusetts, on the 27th January A. D. 1764; upon this condition-viz — That your Memorialists should within a limited time, obtain a confirmation of said Grants from his Majesty the then King of Great Britain &c: The said General Court not having then authority to make an effectual Grant of any Land between the River Sagadahock and the Province of Nova Scotia (within which bounds the Townships aforesaid are included) until his Majesty should signify his approbation of the same -But thanks to an over-ruling Providence, it is, by a successful termination of the late War with Britain, become unnecessary to apply to Britains King to ratify the Acts and Doings of our General Assemblies-Your Memorialists therefore, with heartfelt satisfaction turn their backs upon his Authority and address your Honors as the rightful Sovereign of the Commonwealth

Your Memorialists now consider this provisional Clause of their Grants as nul- and of no force or effect. and doubt not your Honors will so determine it—and that therefore cording to the true intent and meaning of our Honorable Grantors the said Townships are the proper Right in Fee of

ac

your Memorialists-subject only to the Terms of Settlement as expressed in said Grants,

These Terms have in some Degree been complied with but the unwillingness of the said King to confirm the Grants has discouraged many of your Memorialists from settling their Rights.

They have nevertheless had their Towns surveyed and partly laid out in Lots - In doing which as well as in Prosecution of other measures for promoting their settlement — and their application to the sd King for his approbation of their Grants, they have been at great Expence - Your Memorialists therefore humbly pray- That your Honors would renew the Grant of said Townships and give them a further time

to fulfil the Conditions of the same

And your Petitioners as in duty bound will pray

At a Meeting of the Committees of the Townships N° 1 N° 4 & 5 & 6 at Mrs Mary Parkers in Cape Elizabeth the 20 May 1783

Voted Cap Eben Thorndike Chairman for N° 1

Voted Mr Jn° Armstrong D° for N° 6

Voted Sam' Freeman Esq' D° for N° 5

Voted Mr Peter Woodbary D° for No 4

Voted the above Chairmen Sign the Petition for Confirma

tion of the above Towns in Behalf of the whole

Attest

In Senate June 10th 1783

George Deake Clerk Prob

Read & thereupon Order'd that this Memorial & paper accompanying the same be Committed to the Committee of both