peace, and since that period, the villages of this County have been. but little disturbed by the sound of the war whoop or the yells of prowling savages. It is true that great alarms were excited in the subsequent French wars, but the mischiefs resulted in a few solita ry deaths at various intervals. The settlements now advanced with great rapidity. Lancaster had extended her borders; and a grant of land made to her inhabitants in 1713, began to be occupied at this period. This was the foundation of Leominster and Sterling. Uxbridge, Southborough and Shrewsbury were incorporated in the year 1727; and the next year Turkey hills adopted the name of Lunenburgh.

The inhabitants being subjected to great inconvenience in attending Courts, were now desirous of being established into a County. Eight of the towns then belonged to the County of Middlesex, five to Suffolk, and Brookfield was annexed to Hampshire County.

The Act incorporating the County of Worcester, passed April 2, 1731.

"An act for erecting, granting, and making a County in the inland parts of this province, to be called The County of Worcester, and for establishing Courts of Justice within the same.

"Be it enacted by his Excellency the Governor, Council, and Representatives, in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, That the towns and places hereafter named and expressed, that is to say, Worcester, Lancaster, Westborough, Shrewsbury, Southborough, Leicester, Rutland, and Lunenburgh, all in the county of Middlesex; Mendon, Woodstock, Oxford, Sutton, including Hassanamisco, Uxbridge, and the land lately granted to several petitioners of Medfield, all in the county of Suffolk; Brookfield, in the county of Hampshire, and the south town laid out to the Narraganset soldiers; and all other lands lying within the said townships, with the inhabitants thereon, shall, from and after the tenth day of July, which will be in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and thirty one, be and remain one entire and distinct county, by the name of Worcester, of which Worcester to be the county, or shire town: And the said county to have, use and enjoy, all such powers, privileges, and immunities, as by law other counties within this province, have and do enjoy.

"And be it enacted by the authority aforesaid, That there shall. be held and kept within the said county of Worcester yearly, and in every year, at the times and place in this Act hereafter expressed, a Court of General Sessions of the Peace, and an Inferior

Court of Common Pleas, to sit at Worcester, on the second Tuesdays of May and August, and the first Tuesdays of November and February, yearly and in every year, until this Court shall otherwise order-Also, that there shall be held and kept at Worcester, within the said county of Worcester, yearly and in every year, until this Court shall otherwise order, a Superior Court of Judicature, Court of Assize and General Goal Delivery, to sit on the Wednesday immediately preceding the time by law appointed for the holding the said Superior Court of Judicature, Court of Assize and General Goal Delivery, at Springfield, within and for the county of Hampshire :-And the Justices of the said Court of General Sessions of the Peace, Inferior Court of Common Pleas, and Superior Court of Judicature, Court of Assize and General Goal Delivery respectively, who are, or shall be, thereunto lawfully commissioned and appointed, shall have, hold, use, exercise and enjoy all and singular the powers which are by law given and granted unto them, within any other counties of the province, where a Court of General Sessions of the Peace, Inferior Court of Common Pleas, and Superior Court of Judicature, Court of Assize and General Goal Delivery, are already established.

"Provided, That all writs, suits, plaints, processes, appeals, reviews, recognizances, or any other matters or things which now are, or any time before the said tenth day of July, shall be depending in the law within any part of the said County of Worcester :-And also, all matters and things which now are, or at any time before the said tenth of July, shall be depending before the Judges of Probate within part of the said County of Worcester, shall be heard, tried, proceeded upon and determined in the counties of Suffolk, Middlesex, and Hampshire respectively, where the same are or shall be returnable or depending, and have, or shall have day, or days.

"Provided also, That nothing in this act contained, shall be construed to disannul, defeat, or make void any deeds or conveyances of lands, lying in the said County of Worcester, where the same are, or shall be, before the said tenth of July, recorded in the Register's office of the respective counties where such lands do now lie; but that all such deeds or conveyances so recorded shall be held good and valid as they would have been, had not this act been made.

"And be it further enacted by the Authority aforesaid, That the Justices of the Court of General Sessions of the Peace, at their

first meeting in the said county of Worcester, shall have full power and authority to appoint some meet person, within the said county of Worcester, to be Register of Deeds and conveyances within the same, who shall be sworn to the faithful discharge of his trust in the said office, and shall continue to hold and exercise the same according to the directions of the law, until some person be elected by the freeholders of the said county of Worcester, who are hereby empowered to choose such person, on the first Thursday of September next ensuing, by the methods in the law already prescribed, to take upon him that trust. And until such Register shall be so appointed, by the said justices, and sworn, all deeds and conveyances of lands, lying within any part of the county of Worcester, which shall be recorded in the Register's office of the respective counties where such lands do now lie, shall be held and deemed good and valid to all intents and purposes as to the recording thereof,

"And be it further enacted by the Authority aforesaid, That the methods, directions and proceedings by law provided, as well for the electing and choosing a Register of Deeds and conveyances, as a county Treasurer, which officers shall be appointed in the same manner as is by law already provided, on the first Thursday of September next, and also for the bringing forward and trying any actions, causes, pleas or suits, both civil and criminal in the several counties of this province and Courts of Judicature within the same, and choosing of Jurors to serve at the Courts of Justice, shall extend, and be attended, observed and put in practice within the said county of Worcester, and by the Courts of Justice within the same: Any law, usage or custom, to the contrary notwithstanding.

"Provided always, That the inhabitants of the several towns and places herein before enumerated and set off a distinct county, shall pay their proportion to any county rates or taxes already made and granted, in the same manner as they would have done, had not this act been made." G.

EDITORIAL NOTE.

Having now completed the general survey of the County, we shall proceed to furnish, in the successive numbers, a particular and minute account of the individual towns, embracing all those items which may be interesting to the present generation, or proper as matter of useful record for the information of posterity.

REVOLUTIONARY PAPERS.

REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE OF the Army,

ON THE DEPRECIATION OF THE CURRENCY.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 168.

PROVIDED, That the interest of said notes shall, if demanded, be paid according to the same rule and proportion annually. And to the intent that the current prices of the said four articles of Corn, Beef, Sheep's Wool, and Sole Leather, at the several times of payment herein mentioned, may be more easily ascertained; and in order that a just and equitable settlement, may be annually made with this State's quota of the Continental army, in future for their future services.

Be it further enacted, That

Richard Cranch, Esq. in the County of Suffolk,

Stephen Choate, Esq.

do.

Essex,

Simon Stow, Esq.

Justin Ely, Esq.

John Turner, Esq.

Micah Blackwell, Esq.

James Williams, Esq.

Seth Washburn, Esq.

Capt. Joshua Sewal,

Mr. Thomas Child,

Thomas Rice, Esq.

Asa Bemont, Esq.

Be, and they are hereby severally appointed to collect and keep a true account, according to the best of their judgments, of the prices of each of the aforesaid four articles, in their respective counties monthly, upon an average of the whole month, for every succeeding month during the term of eight years, from the first day of January in the present year, and they shall make a true report of the same into the Secretary's office, upon the last Tuesday in the month of August, and on the third Tuesday of the month of February, annually, during the eight years as aforesaid, which return shall be under oath testified by a Justice of the Peace for the same County, in the form following, viz.

This certifies that A. B. personally appeared, the day above, and made solemn oath, that the within report, by him subscribed, is a just and true report of the current prices, of the several articles of Corn, Beef, Sheep's Wool, and Sole Leather, in the County of upon an average of each month respectively (upon a medium taking the County to

for the months of

gether) according to the best of his judgment, upon the best information he could obtain. Before me,

A. B. Justice peace for the County of

And the Justices of the Superior Court as also the Committee of the General Court, who may be hereafter appointed to settle with the army for future service, shall have recourse to those reports, in order to assist them in their calculations.

And be it further enacted, That there be, and there is hereby granted, a tax of eight millions of pounds, to be levied on the polls and estates within this state, one million of which to be paid into the Treasury, on or before the twentieth day of December, in each of the years of our Lord 1780, 1781, 1782, 1783, 1784, 1785, 1786, 1787, each of the said millions to be levied according to such rules, and in such proportion as shail be agreed upon and ordered by the General Court, or assembly at their Sessions, in June, in each of the years aforesaid, respectively. And the sums so granted, shall be applied for the redemption of the aforesaid notes, which shall be issued by virtue of this act, and if any part of the said tax should remain after redeeming such notes, the remainder shall be applied to defray the necessary expenses of government.

TO BE CONTINUED.

FROM PERCY'S RELIQUES OF ANCIENT ENGLISH POETRY.

MY MIND TO ME A KINGDOM IS.

My minde to me a kingdome is;

Such perfect joy therein I finde

As farre exceeds all earthly blisse,

That God or Nature hath assignde;

Though much I want that most would have,
Yet still my mind forbids to crave.

Content I-live, this is my stay;

I seek no more than may suffice:

I presse to bear no haughtie sway;
Look what I lack my minde supplies.
Lo! thus I triumph like a king,
Content with that my mind doth bring.

I see how plentie surfets oft,

And hastie clymbers soonest fall:

I see that such as sit aloft

Mishap doth threaten most of all:
These get with toile, and keep with feare:
Such cares my mind could never beare.