Part 3

This was, in brief, the general atmosphere of the provinces when Governor Belcher went to New Hampshire to meet the Assembly in the winter of 1733–4, and there delivered his regular speech and scolded on his regular subjects. That he was not considered seriously by all the inhabitants was not due to any lack of earnestness on his part. The author of the poetical reply has not yet been ascertained. Suspicion, however, points to Richard Waldron. The handwriting resembles his, but cannot be certainly identified.

During the first century of the life of the province no family was more prominent or carried a larger influence in the public affairs of New Hampshire than the Waldrons. Whatever may be said of peculiar characteristics which were displayed by some members of the family, the early Waldrons were, as a rule, strong, hard-headed pioneers, the type of men most needed in subduing a hostile wilderness. Later generations became wealthy, and wealth brought to them education and refinement, as brains brought distinction, both civil and military.

Secretary Richard Waldron, whom we assume to be the author of the reply to Governor Belcher’s message, was the son of Richard, and grandson of Major Richard, who was killed by the Indians at Dover in 1689, and was born Feb. 21, 1693–4. He was graduated from Harvard in 1712, and soon removed from Dover to Portsmouth. He was a member of the Governor’s council, Secretary of the province, and Judge of Probate. It is to the burning of his house in 1736 that we may charge a considerable loss of the early New Hampshire archives and records, and the breaks in the records which were thus created are serious obstacles to the historian of the present day.

The friendship of Governor Belcher kept Waldron in his office of Secretary until the end of the Belcher administration, but Governor Wentworth suspended him from the council, and removed him from the offices of Secretary and Judge of Probate. In 1749 he was elected Speaker of the House, which the Governor refused to allow, and a controversy was created which lasted three years. He died soon after, August 23, 1753.

The original manuscript of his “Scrub Poetry” is on file with the Governors’ messages in the archives in the office of the Secretary of State at Concord, N. H.

On the second day of January, 1733–4, the governor thus addressed the Council and House of Representatives:

Gen^t of the Council & House of Representatives.

By the last ships from London I have received an account of the French King’s Declaring War against the Empe^r of Germany with whome his Brittanick Maj^{tie} is in alliance & how far this unhappy Rupture may lead to a Gen^{ll} War in Europe is uncertaine, however I think it a faire Alarm to all his Maj^{ties} Dominions to put themselves in a Posture of defence & you cannot but be sensible how naked & Exposed this Province is both by Sea and Land. Fort William & Mary at the Entrance of this River (the only Fortifications his Maj^{tie} has in this Province) you know Lyes in a miserable condition nor are you ignorant how often I have prest the Repaire of this Fortress upon the Assembly here altho it has forty Guns yet it has for a long time had only a Capt a Gunner and two Centinels belonging to it. I hope your own Safety as well as his Maj^{ties} Hon^r (at this Critical juncture) will put you upon doing what is absolutely necessary in this Important affaire.

I have Gen^t frequent Complaints of the ruinous condition of the Gaole of the Province which will Require a large Repaire or Rather Rebuilding as soone as may be their being Continual Hazards of Escapes thro’ its present Deficiency.

Gen^t of the House of Representative.

you very well know there has been no money in the Treasury of the Province for neare three years past which has greatly Exposed and dishon^d the Kings Goverm^t and has been a Publick Injustice & oppression—this with the threatening Aspect abroad (I have no doubt) will lead you to make Ample Provision for what I have now mentioned as well as for all the other Exigencies of the Goverm^t.

Gen^t of the Council, & House of Representatives.

Upon my meeting of the Ass^m of the Mass^{ts} Bay in April last I earnestly recommended to them the passing an Order (agreeable to what had been done in this Province) for putting a stop (at present) to any process in the Law ag^t the Borderers on the disputed Lines of the two Provinces. But the Publick Prints have long Since told you it had not the desired Success.

In January Last, I wrote verry fully to the Right Hon^{ble} the Lords of Trade praying them to Represent this long unhappy Dispute to his Maj^{tie} that there might be an End put to the Contention to which letter I have rec^d the Hon^r of their Lordships Answer, Saying they hope upon the return of my answer to their Letter no further delay may be occasioned to the accomplishing a matter of so much advantage to both Provinces and my answer to their Lordships Letter is Long Since gone forward and I shall rejoyce in Seeing this troublesome affaire bro^t to a happy conclusion.

Gen^t In whatsoever you can project for his Maj^{ties} Hon^r & Service and for the Prosperity of his good Subjects in this Province you Shall have my hearty assistance and Consent.

Jan^r 1^t 1733–4.

J. BELCHER.

The reply in rhyme is found to follow very closely the official and more dignified document which was presented to the Governor, and is probably a versification of the prose message done for the amusement of the writer only, and never intended for the Governor’s ear. It is endorsed “Ans^r to y^e Gov^{rs} Speech Jan^y 1733–4. Scrub Poetry.”

PUNCH TO SHEARBACK

Good Sir, what fatall Dreadful things The proclamation of French King’s War ’gainst Emperour of Germany May bring upon this new Country! And Else how far it may effect Tranquility of Europe great, Approaching time must only speak. But, Sir, great Britain, wee do hope And other powers of Europe, By prudent Mediation, may Divert unto another day Th’ alarming noise of cruell War, With which wee so frightened are, And then conclude a happy peace, That war & war’s alarms may cease. And this wee do believe full well, Because, Great Sir, you did not tell In Speech to us you lately made The advise came from Board of Trade. For surely wee do apprehend That they would forward to us send There timely wise Direction, If of war they had Conception.[2] If with such sums wee should Supply The present wants of Treasury, As wee do Judge Sufficient are, The Walls & Towers to repair Of Old Fort William and Mary, And to pay poor Jos. & Harry; If wee the Prison should rebuild, Our promises not yet fulfill’d, Together with the gen’rall Tax Already laid by sev’ral Acts For repaying and for drownding, For Sinking & for Confounding Money borrowed heretofore, When Indians bad in Days of yore, Like Dastard sons of Swarthy whore, Proclaim’d a sad Unnatural War; These things (if wee are right) wee Count, To Sums so large would sure amount, As Constable would not be able, On Poles[3] & ’states (O Lamentable) Of Subjects good of Majesty, To gather in a Subsidy. And such an Act would surely be A great and sore Calamity, And war itself by far outvye. Which, should this house be Instrumental in, It would not only much dishonour King, But of Oppression be a peice, And savour much of Injustice; And wee presume you well do know Peices this House are strangers to. And to prevent such Imputations, Wee once did, in December Sessions,[4] An act pass for the Emitting Pounds Six thousand paper bills in, To repair William and Mary, Treasury also to supply, Which did both houses pass, ’tis said, With the act which Courts Removed From Portsmouth, O Unhappy Mischance! To Towns from us a greater Distance. And to say truth, O strange mistake! Wee thought one Common happy fate Would both these Laws attend, And money stand poor Portsmouth Friend. But your Excellence approved That the Courts should be removed, And the poor Ready money Act Was into Breeches pocket clapt Till pleasure of his Majesty Be known to your Excellency, Since which three Years are gon & past, And yet this Act doth hang an Arse.

This House hath also often, too, Made Estimate exact & true Of province Debts, as well as Creditt, (And being in debt have never paid it). Into the Treasury wee voted That what was due should be transported, For to pay of the claims of Many, Tho’ wee design’d not to pay any; Which being sent down Non concur’d, A written Message did Afford, (And by the way a strange one, too).

[An explanation here seems necessary, beyond the possibilities of a foot-note.

March 6, 1732–3, the House passed a bill for emitting £20,000 in paper money. The province was much in debt on account of Indian warfare, repairing and maintaining fortifications, etc., and provision for payment of this debt had been made by heavy taxes to continue annually until 1742. But money was very scarce, and the House considered that the people would be unable to pay the taxes laid upon them for the want of a proper medium. Therefore this £20,000 was to be placed in the hands of a committee, to be loaned to the people at 5% interest for sixteen years, and the principal of each loan was to be paid at the rate of 25% each year for the four years next following the term of sixteen years for which the loan was made. And for the supply of the treasury for the time before the first interest payment was due, a further sum of £1,000 was to be issued. The council, however, was unanimous in refusing to concur with the House on this bill.

The House attempted to bring about a compromise by reducing the loan term to eight years and by other changes in the original bill, but was not successful, the Governor claiming that the approval of such a bill would be contrary to his instructions.

Finally, March 9, the House addressed a message to the Governor, in which the council is charged with saying that the House had nothing to do with the matter of issuing money; and the House further defends its action and position thus: “Now this House thinks they have and ought to have a vote in the disposall of all Publick money and that the Board were formerly of this opinion appears by their Sending down Mr. Atkinson’s account to be past upon in the last Sessions. So that, that money is Still unapplyed notwithstanding the Said Atkinson hath declared his readiness to pay the Same. So that the House can See no other way of Supplying the Treasury without oppressing the People whome we Represent than what they have come into. Wherefore this House are humbly of opinion that it will greatly tend to the Prosperity and welfare of his Maj^{ties} Subjects of this Province to address his Maj^{tie} by the hand of our agent to obtaine his Royall leave for a further Emission of Paper Currency more Especially Since your Excell^y has informed this House that you cant consent to. It being contrary to his Maj^{ties} Royal Instruction to your Excell^y and if the Hon^{ble} Council Should think proper to appoint a com’ittee to Joyne with a Com’ittee of this House for the Ends aforesaid we are humbly of Opinion it would be attended with the desired effect.”

The next day, March 10, the council sent down a sharp and angry reply, as follows:

“Whereas in a Mess^a from the Hon^{ble} House to his Excellency the forenoon bearing date the 9th Curr^t & Sent up this day and communicated to the Council There are Sundry things mentioned which Seem to cast an Odium on the Council as tho it lay at their door that there is not a due Supply of the Treasury to which the Council in justice to themselves are oblidged to Say that the reason of their non-concurrence to the 20000£ Bills on Loan was (as the House has been Heretofore once and againe Informed) because the Emission of Bills on Loan is directly contrary to his Maj^{tie} Royal Instructions And as to the thousand pounds Mentioned for the im’ediate Supply of the Treasury it was couched in the Twenty thousand pound Bills from whence tis plaine that the House never intended one Should pass without the other but that if the thousand pounds for the Supply of the Treasury would not tempt the Council to break this the Kings Instruction their complyance with the Kings Instruction Should defeat the Supply of the Treasury but if they had a Sincere disposition to Supply the Treasury as they pretended and Sent up a Bill for the Same they would have soon seen the heartiness of the Council in doing their Duty to his Maj^{tie} and the utmost Justice to this Province by the rediest concurrence as to the Interest of the 1730£ the Council have been long Endeavouring that that Loan Might by some means or other be beneficial to the Publick Tho to their great grief by the disappointment of their attempts in the Honb^{ble} House Private psons have enjoyed the benefit of that money at 2½ p Ct when there have been many that would gladly have given more than double yea treble for the same if they might have been favoured with it and the Council have this day Sent down a vote for the Setting that Loan at 6 p C^t for 2 years instead of 2½ p Ct in order to Ease the Tax of the Province which has at last Succeeded as to the Money in Mr. Atkinsons hands which he recd of Hughs’s Estate long agoe and which ought for Several years past to have been in the Treasury the Council presume his Excell^y will take a due Care that that £292 Ball^{ce} Settled under his hands be paid by a Course of Law Since there is no prospect of its being done without it even after So much indulgence to him who has been So notoriously delinquent to the vast dishon^r of the Goverm^t & unspeakable oppression of Sundry poor distressed Creatures to whome the Province is indebted—as to the Houses Saying they ought to have a vote in the Disposal of the Publick Money the Council Reply when they the Council think proper to deny that Point in Politicks it will be time En^o for them to form an argum^t against it but that is not yet got unto the Question for saying the House of Representatives have nothing to do with a Confiscation or a forfeiture to his Maj^{tie} by a Judgm^t in Court Is not Saying the House have nothing to do with the disposal of Publick Money unless it [is] So by some Logick in the House w^{ch} the Council have not Learn’d—As to Mr. Atkinsons declaration of his readiness to pay the Money in his hands what is there in it did he not declare heretofore even in the House and most Solemnly at the Council Board too that he would pay part of his Debt at Such a time and the Residue in a Short Space after & are not the terms long Since Expired But are the paym^{ts} made let the Treasurers accounts answer which Say no not one penny why then Gen^t Should you trouble your Selves in making Such a mess^a & boasting of Such declarations the Council might further verry well observe too that the Scheme of the House for an audit to be appointed by the Gen^{ll} Court to Examine a Sheriffs Return of an Execution is intirely new however is a full Evidence that the House have been much bent on trifling as to what the House propose of the Councils Joyning with them in addressing his majesty by the hand of our our agent as they express it) &c the Council Say they know of no Person So qualified But if the House mean Cap^t John Rindge, Marriner then they answer That when it appears to them that his Capacity & other Quallifications are Equal to Such a Trust & he is hon^d with a Comiss^n for that place the Council will readyly do w^t is proper on those heads.”]

They say the House had nought to do With money to the province due, And by which means that Money Still is out of Treasury, As also is the Interest (As some do say who know it best) Of pounds more than seventeen hundred, And is not this much to be wondred, Which the verry last assembly Voted into the Treasury. And if any wicked elf Refused, for the sake of pelf, To pay the Interest then due, Also his Bonds for to renew, Then Speaker he the Bonds must see, And Borrower to Hampton send, His Destiny there to attend. Butt, Oh! when Mortals most are pleas’d, How Subject are they to be Teaz’d! The house disolv’d,[5] the Speakers gone, And none the Affair can carry on, Which to the province, and to us, Has been occasion of much loss. And this wee hope will imputation Of Injustice or Oppression Take from a Guilty Generation, And so Confirm the good Opinion You express’d towards us whilome, By saying that wee always acted What a good and gracious King expected, A Charracter wee always merritted, And so shall never be Dispirritted. Wee think it then our Duty is His Majesty for to address, That wee may Cash sometimes Emitt, (You know ’tis Money that buys wit), Upon this province’s Credit. And so wee hope for the Concurrence Of the Council & Your Excellence.

Of the house you do receive the Thanks For telling of the Circumstance Of Borderers on line distressed,[6] And staying process ’gainst th’ Oppressed, Unto your other Government, Tho’ what you said had no Effect.

Some of these towns, being offended, Money at Law have much expended. And is not this a Dismal sound? Some say ’tis full a thousand pound, Besides there time and loss of Ground. But this, by what in yours you said, And the Success our agent[7] had, When at great Britain he resided, Gives hopes that soon ’twill be decided. For Copy, wee do Understand, Of Memoriall from the Land.

From King and Council hath been sent To Massachusetts Government For answer, (if wee right remember), By the first day of Last November. After which wee dare boldly say Wee hope there will be no Delay.

Wee beg leave to tell you next, That wee are met with good pretext, Such things Determined to act As C——k May in our Noddles pack; Which wee conceive was the Intent Of those whom we do represent— OTIS G. HAMMOND.

CONCORD, N. H.

HAS GOVERNOR LOVELACE OF NEW YORK BEEN PROPERLY IDENTIFIED?

I am not sufficiently acquainted with the details of historical investigation in New York to know whether there has ever been any doubt as to the identity (or rather the family) of Governor Lovelace; but I presume that the Dictionary of National Biography gives the generally accepted account when it states that he was the second son of Richard, first Baron Lovelace.

Recently the examination of some old documents has led me to the belief that the Governor of New York was of a much more distinguished kinship than that which has been usually assigned to him. To most of us the Lords Lovelace are only known by a passing reference in Macaulay; but the author of the two songs to Althea and Lucasta is one of the immortals.

In a volume in the Congressional Library, which was bought from President Jefferson and which contains copies of miscellaneous historical records relating to Virginia, are two documents signed by Francis Lovelace, Governor of New York.

The first of these is a letter evidently written to Governor Berkeley of Virginia. It is as follows:

“DEARE SIR:

Since my last to you sent by M^r Machen in answere to yo^{rs} I received a letter from Mr. Tho: Todd of Mockjack bay who being appointed Guardian to the will Whitbey’s son by my neece M^{rs} Ruth Gorsuch he having hitherto taken great care and paines in the adjusting his interest in severall plantations being devolve to him by the death of his father M^r Tod desired me to signify to you that this lad I have brought over is the recitable child, and heare to M^r Whitby w^ch by these I declare to be soe and if you be satisfyed w^{th} this relacon w^ch I assure you upon the faith of a Xtian and Honor of a gentleman you may rest assured of it but if the Ceremony of an oath be requisite, I shalbe ready (if desired as necessary) to make my Deposicon of it, and I shall furt^r desire of you that when an application is made to you in his behalfe you would affourd him what favo^r and Countenance the Justness of his Cause & p^rtentions will beare he is now an orphant & I have been at considerable charge both to his transport education & clothing expecting noe other retorne but when he is in a capacity to make it onely to reimburse me with what I have expended for him, S^r I know his cause is safe in yo^r hands to whome I must refer him & the experience all that know you have of yo^r Justice & Compan * * [?] in p’tecting the fatherles shalbe argum^{ts} sufficient that I shall not miscarry in these my desires for him in gratitude of w^{ch} I can pay noe other returne but if you please to prepare any service for me you shall find me most ready to obey it when you reflect upon what I subscribe w^{ch} is

Yo^r most assured fathfull serv^t

FRAN: LOVELACE.

From y^e Barbadoes I hear yo^r Bro: Ld Berkeley is designed to be Governor but the truth I refer to your Consideracon. M^r Winthrop Newley sent me This newes w^{ch} here inclosed will kisse yo^r hands adue

Jeames ffort 6^{th} Decemb^r 1669 Rec^r p. RICH. AWBORNE Jan: ye 7^{th} 1668”

Richard Awborne was clerk of the Virginia Council, and this letter was evidently recorded for young Whitby’s benefit.

The other paper is entitled “Resolutions for the settlem^t of Comerce to and from all his Maj^{ties} Plantations in America, and other places to the port of New York & the rest of his Royall Highnes his Territoryes not p’hibited by act of Parliam^t” and concludes “Given und^r my hand at ffort James in New York on Manhatans Island the 18^{th} day of November 1668

FRAN: LOVELACE”

This also had been copied into the Virginia records and attested by Awborne.

In the present discussion this last paper is valuable as proving that the writer of the letter to Berkeley was certainly Governor Lovelace of New York.

The chain of evidence which appears to contradict the commonly accepted statement in regard to Governor Lovelace’s family begins with the pedigree of a family of Gorsuch in the Visitation of London, 1633–4. (Harleian Society, p. 327.) In this pedigree it is stated that John Gorsuch, rector of Walkhome, Hertfordshire, 1633, married Anne, daughter of Sir William Lovelace, of Kent, Knight, and had the following children at the time of the visitation: 1. Daniel “about 4a^o 1633”; 2. John; 3. William; 4. Cathrin.