after the time of our resolution given in to this Honred Court, for our encorragement to settle a plantation soe furre remote as knowinge that many will be our inconveny ences (for a longe time) which we must expeckt to meet with all, which desires of ours beinge ansered, your petetioners shall ever pray for the happyness of this Honred Courte, and rest your humble petetioners. 18 (3) 59: [i. e. 18 May, 1659] The Committee do judge meet that the petitioners be granted a plantation of eight miles square, upon condition that at the sessions of the Generall Court to be held in Octo. 1660, they make report to that Court of their resolution to p'secute the same with a competent no. of meet persons that will ingage to carry on the work of the said place in all civill and eclesiasticall respects, and that within two years then next ensuing there be 20 families there settled. Also that they may have imunity from all publique charges (excepting in cases extraordinary) for seven yeares next ensuing the date hereof. Tho: Danforth This mountain, which is estimated at 2461 feet in height, is not excelled in beauty of form, from a southern or eastern view, by any in this part of the country. It is frequently visited by the lovers of nature's rude and majestic scenery. It is easy of access by the new road from Warner to Sutton, and round the north part of the mountain in Wilmot and Andover, where people can ride comfortably to within a mile of the top of the highest peak. From this bluff, the spectator may, by a glance of the eye, bring to view nearly all of Merrimack county, and parts of Hillsborough, Rockingham, Strafford, Grafton, Sullivan, and Cheshire counties. The Mink Hills are a range of low mountains, extending from the river to the south part of the town, a little west of a centre line. The farms in the neighborhood of these mountains are valuable for grazing, and afford good orcharding. The principal timber trees of our forests are pine, several species, oak, white and red, maple, birch, beach, chesnut, ash, hemlock, spruce, bass, &c. Pine and oak were found in the greatest abundance and of the best quality. So insensible were the first settlers to the value of timber, that thousands and thousands of dollars worth of the finest timber trees were destroyed by fires, and others wantonly cut down, and left to perish upon the ground. Many samples of this waste may be seen at the present day. Great quantities of excellent clear boards have been sawed at the several mills in town. The white oak also has been found in considerable quantities, and of an excellent quality. Our navy yard has been furnished with several very fine keel sticks for seventy four gun ships, from this and the adjoining town of HopkinTimber, however, is now becoming scarce. Warner may be considered strictly a farming ton. town. Beef, pork, butter, cheese, mutton, poul try and some wool, are the principal articles raised for the market. Corn, rye, wheat, oats, peas, beans, potatoes, turnips, and most garden vegetables are raised for home consumption. There is generally a very considerable deficiency in bread stuffs. Hay of a good quality is cut upon the upland farms, consisting of clover, herdsgrass, redtop, &c. and in the intervals and meadows, foulmeadow, bluejoint and several other kinds of grasses. Apples are raised in great abundance, but little attention has as yet been paid by farmers to the improvement of their quality by grafts. Pears, peaches, cherries and most kinds of stone fruits may be easily raised here to great perfection. Melons, squashes and pompions flourish well. Flax was raised formerly for home use, but latterly cotton cloths supersede linens, and the raising of it is almost entirely neglected. On the general scale, we may consider genius, not altogether as an exotic, but a native plant, common to all the human family, not confined to any locality, nor such a faculty as will vegetate and grow luxuriantly without care and cultivation. And the stinted growth of it here, is not so much attributable to any natural deficiency, as to a culpable neglect of literary, and scientific pursuits. The physicians who have been in practice any considerable time in town are the following, viz. Doctor John Hall was the first, and is now living in Maine, *John Currier, †-Cogswell, Thomas Webster, *William Dinsmoor, *Henry Lyman, Silas Walker, the writer of these sketches, *Caleb Buswell, and Leonard Eaton. They are inserted in the order in which they came into town. and commenced business. There are two Attorneys in town, the only two who have ever resided long in the place; HENRY B. CHASE and HARRI H SON G. HARRIS, Esquires. There are three stores and two taverns in town. A town Lyceum was formed in June, 1830, which will it is hoped exert an influence in favour of mental improvement, the great object for which it is formed. The following Table, which was taken from the records of RICHARD BARTLETT, Esq. will show the important information of the opening of Spring on the hills in Warner; the pine lands are ready for the plough usually at least a week or ten days earlier; this indicates the near close of foddering time of young cattle and sheep. BILL OF MORTALITY, IN WARNER, KEPT BY MRS. BENJAMIN Memoir of Rev, Federal Burt, of Durham, a member of the Society. [From the Sermon delivered at his funeral by Rev. Jonathan French, of North-Hampton, with some alterations.] The Rev. FEDERAL BURT was born in Southampton, Massachusetts, on the 4th day of March, 1789, being the memorable day on which the Federal Constitution first went into operation from that circumstance, his father, who was warmly in favor of the Constitution, gave that name to his son. Mr. Burt was one of eleven children. The names of the ten eldest were enrolled among the professed disciples of the Lord Jesus, before the death of their lamented brother. This fact may encourage the faith of christian parents in the covenanted mercies of their God: and excite them to fidelity in religiously instructing their children, and to earnest prayer for their conversion. It was Mr. Burt's privilege to be born in a place distinguished for the zeal with which the literary and religious education of young men has been promoted. In the course of twenty-five years, previous to August, 1826, twenty-eight young men, in that town, had received a collegiate education nineteen of whom were ordained minis Mrs. Susanna Stuart, an unmarried woman, aged 96 years, and Mrs. Foster, 92 years. |