Page:The Granite Monthly Volume 5.djvu/148

 126 THE GRANITE MONTHLY.

��LETTER FROM JOHN FARMER TO EX- GOV. WILLIAM

PLUMER.

��Concord, 12 May, 1830. Deal- Sir : I am greatly obliged to you for your notes respecting John Sul- livan and John Langdon, both of which I have copied and inserted in Bel- knap, with an acknowledgment of the source whence they were derived. The note on Gov. Langdon I have placed under 1788, as there is but a small notice for that year. It seems that something more might be said under 1789, — the visit of President Washington to New Hampshire, that year, is perhaps an event of sufficient magnitude to be commemorated. I have seen in some newspaper printed in this State, an account of his reception here, and an address or communication, which he made to some committee or public body. If you have any such paper detached from your files, or have it in files which you would be willing to lend, you will oblige me by sending such paper or files.

I have succeeded beyond my expectations in filling up my list of Counsellors yi\X!n. places of residence, times of decease and ages. In addition to executive officers, it may be useful to add a list of Presidents of the Senate from 1784 to 1830, and of Speakers of the House from as early a period as can be col- lected. If you have lists to which you can readily recur, you will oblige me by filling up the blanks in the enclosed and by making corrections in the printed part. I am apprehensive that I may weary you with requests, but I would state, that in all cases, when it is not perfectly convenient for you to attend to them, do not oblige me at the expense of your personal ease and comfort. The abundance of your treasures leads me to draw upon them oftener, perhaps, than it is proper. No repository in the State, I suspect, is so rich in documents suitable for American history as that of yours. Of the proper materials for the civil and political history of this State, we have very few depositories. Even our own Stdte library seems to be deficient of many documents, and among others, of the early legislative Journals, and especially those before the Revo- lution, some of which I presume were printed. Many public orders, procla- mations, &c., were printed on separate sheets during the Revolution, which are worthy of preservation, but which it is now difficult to find. Even our State Registers are often useful in determining facts and circumstances relative to public characters. I have a complete set since 1799, and before that period have the following : If others were published, of which you have copies, I will thank you to give me the years and the name of the compiler of those before that period.

1768, Mein and Fleeming's, and probably continued to the year 1774, do. do. do. do. do.

1788, Osborne's 18 mo. '^x'CixovX paging.

1795, (without a name) do. printed at Exeter.

1796, do. do. do. do. do. 1798, do. do. do. do. do.

I shall send you at this time the Gazetteer of Connecticut and Rhode Island, a volume of pamphlets (containing among other things the Revolution in New England, 1689, justified, &c., and the Total Eclipse of Liberty, by Daniel Foul, and several MS. papers among those received from Mr. John Belknap).

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