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 thousand Pounds in paper money at which the said ship was appraised Amounted to no more by the said Scale than about Seven Thousand Pounds Lawful money In consequence of which several Petitions from your Petitioner and the Owners of the said Ship have been before the former The Honorable General Court, and through the multiplicity of Business nothing has yet been finally determined upon. Your petitioner therefore now prays this Honorable Court, to take the matter into their wise consideration and appoint a Committee to enquire into the truth of the above representation in order to the owners receiving the Sum that the said Ship was intended to be appraised at with Interest from the time it became due. Confiding in the Justice and Integrity of the Honorable Legislature, and not doubting of a speedy completion of this Business. will as in duty bound ever pray.— Boston September 24. 1783 Josiah Waters Jun' Action on Foregoing Petition. Commonwealth of Massachusetts In the House of Representatives October 18, 1783 On the petition of Josiah Waters J' in behalf of the owners of the ship Putnam. Resolved that the Prayer of the Petition be granted and the Treasurer is hereby Directed and Impowered to give to the owners of the said Ship Putnam; his Securities in behalf of this Commonwealth for the sum of their ten thousand three hundred thirty three Pounds Six Shillings and Eight pence (Including what may have been Paid if any) together with Interest from the time it was due: as full Compensation for said ship Appurtenances and stores. Petition William Lermond. To the Honorable Senante and house of Representatives of the Comon wealth of masachusetts The petion of William Lermond of the town of warran in the County of Lincoln Humbly Sheweth that whereas apart of my Land is Divided By thomas town Line to the Great Disadvantage of your petioner: and your pettioner Begs your Honours would anex that part of my Land which Lieth in Thomastown to the town of Warren Being twenty one Rods in width the Line Runing from St Georges River North, thirty two Degrees East two miles and a half to a Stake and Stones from thence Runing West thirty two Degrees North to town Line twenty one Rods And your petioner as in Duty Bound Shall Ever pray Warren Septembr 29th 1783 William Lermond To the Hon. Memorial Town of Bowdoinham. Senate & house of Representatives in General Cort Assembled ; The Memorial of ye town of Bowdoinham Humbly Sheweth; that by an Act passed the present year 1783 for Apportioning & Assessing a tax of two hundred thousand pounds To defray y Expences of ye Government; as sett forth in så Act, & Whereas by s act the town of Bowdoinham is taxed yo Sum of £200 pounds for their proportion of s Sum afores which Sum is Within £9:3 : 4 of what is assessed on ye town of Topsham a Circumstance which appears very Extraordinary to yo' memorialist Especially when they have been heretofore taxed but about one Third ye Amount of sa town & their Comparative Ability to pay Not in y° least Increased than when they stood in that proportion It is true there is a considerable quantity of wild land together with A Number off Scattered Inhabitants lately Join to ye town But ye Miserable Situation of ye Inhabitants being distitute of even ye Common Necessaries of life renders it next to Impossible that they can pay any Taxes, & even if any thing could be obtained of them, y° expences & Difficulty of Collecting it would be more than yo Value of y° Sum they could well pay But Such has been ye wrong Information that Yo" Hons have receiva Concerning these settlers that yo' Honr" have in Consequence of them thought proper to near Thribble Our proportion of tax this present year which we humbly presume your Honr will rectifye; as to ye Inhabitants of that large. quantity of land Yo' Honrs have Anext to Bowdoinham; their is not above three or four Excepting those few that have bought of Esq' Bowdoin that owns one foot of land.— It is true there is a larg number of polls But we beg you Would Consider Candedly what Value to put Upon them;- What we desire is that they may be taken again from us; or at least not to be a burden to us. Which we leav to your Wisdom And as to yo' Honrs Takeing that Sum of Money off from y town of Harpswell & Laying on us; we Conclude You were Some way Misled for we cant think that ye town of Harpswell was in y° least ye poorer for the few familys mooveing out off y town; as they left their farms to Others which is common in all towns Nor do we think y town of Bowdoinham in yo least ye Better As they did not Come into y town of Bowdoinham; But only Into y Adjacent parts were we had never tax a foot of land, When that money was laid on us. We shall take it as a favour If yo" Hon's wou'd Inquire more particularly in to that affair & then do as in your Wisdom you Shall think meet.-Your memorialists Beg leave further to Represent that by the proportions for ye three years & the three & five months men laid upon y town we apprehend ther must be a mistake as the town of Topsham & ye town of Bowdoinham are Apportioned near Alike. When y town of Bowdoinham Agreable to ye Order of Cort Rais two men, & y town of Topsham agreable to ye same Requisitions Raised Seven & Both towns gave alike price to their men. We therefore Humbly Beg Yo' Hons to Rectifye it. There is another article we would be glad to mention to yo HonTM If we knew how. We hear by ye bye that some orders are Isued to ye several towns that did not Send in or Diliver their proportion of Beaf Called for some time since But we have not heard what yo orders are & as we did not deliver y Beaf we Would acquaint you with yo reason which is this We did not Receive any orders to Raise any Beaf til y time of y year for killing of Beaf was near over, However we Collected it But Could Not git any Body to receive it; though Several days were spent on that account. We leave all With yo' Honour to do as You think meet, & as in Duty Bound Shall ever pray. By order of y town Abr" Preble-town Clerk. Bowdoinham October ye 4: 178 Petition Town of Bristol. Commonwealth of Massachusetts } In the House of Representatives Oct 22d 1783 On the Petition of the town of Bristol and other towns to the Eastward of Sheepscutt in the County of Lincoln Praying for abatement of Taxes Resolved that the Prayers of the Petitioners be so far Granted that Solomon Lovell & Edward Russell Esq' with such as the Hon' Senate may joyn Be a Committee to Repair to the Several towns to the Eastward of Sheepscut and Veiw |