shir Shall refuse to agree wth ye Agents of ye saide Roberd Mason upon ye terms aforesaide our will & pleasure is yt ye president & Counsill of new hamshire aforesaide for ye time being Shall have power & are hereby Impowered to Interpose & reconsile all Differanses if they can That Shall or maye arise betweene ye saide Roberd Mason & ye Saide Inhabitants but if they cannot then we doe hereby: Commande & requier the saide president & Counsill to send into England such Casses fairely & Imparsially stated together wth theire one opinions upon such Cases that we our ayres & Sucsesors by & with ye advice of our & there privy Counsill maye determin therein according to equity and Lastly our will & pleasure is that the saide president & Counsill for ye time being doe prepare & send into England such [torn] & methods for theire one prosedings as maye best suite with the Constitution of the saide province of newhamshire—for ye better establishing of Our authority theire and the goverment thereof that wee and our privi Councill maye examin & allter or aprove the same in witness whereof we have Caused these our letters to be made pattens witness our self at wesminster the 18th of September In the one and thirtieth yeare of our Reigne—
Peripsom Regem Barker—
[Note.—The foregoing commission of John Cutt was compounded from two mutilated copies, the most ancient in the possession of the state. The state does not possess the original commission, hut these copies were apparently made soon after the date of the original.—Otis G. Hammond.]
In Congress at Exeter, January 5, 1776.
Voted, That this Congress take up Civil Government for this colony in manner and form following, viz.
We, the members of the Congress of New Hampshire, chosen and appointed by the free suffrages of the people of said colony, and authorized and empowered by them to meet together, and use such means and pursue such measures as we should judge best for the public good; and in particular to establish some form of government, provided that measure should be recommended by the Continental Congress: And a recommendation to that purpose having been transmitted to us from the said Congress: Have taken into our serious consideration the unhappy circumstances, into which this colony is involved by means of many grievous and oppressive acts of the British Parliament, depriving us of our natural and constitutional rights and privileges; to enforce obedience to which acts a powerful fleet
- ↑ Verified by “Acts and Laws of the State of New Hampshire in America, by order of The General Assembly. To which is prefixed, The Resolution of the American Congress for Establishing a Form of Government in New Hampshire; and the Resolve of the Provincial Congress, for taking up Government in Form. With the Declaration of Independence. America: Printed at Exeter in the State of New Hampshire, MDCCLXXX.” pp. 2–4.
- ↑ This constitution was framed by a convention, or “congress,” which assembled at Exeter, December 21, 1775, (in accordance with a recommendation from the Continental Congress,) and completed its labors January 5, 1776. The constitution was not submitted to the people. This was the first constitution framed by an American Commonwealth.
