Colonial North America: Harvard University Archives

Rev'd Joseph Willard D.D. Honorary member of the Royal Society of Gottingen [ ? ] Boston

Dr. Lettsom

My esteemed friend!

After some lapse of time, I renew our correspondence by the medium of one of your citizens, who has occasionally favoured me with his company, and which has afforded me much satisfaction.

I trouble him with the delivery of a packet for thy acceptance, most of which, however, has been previously in thy possession. I wish I may have time to collect another volume or two upon similar subjects. Thou wilt see, by the publick prints, in a more copious manner than I can communicate by letter, the various approaches towards peace, and the present unhappy prospect of the renewal of hostilities, between France, and Germany & England. The preparations of the French, present such a formidable front to the emperor, and the ruin

ruin of his Italian influence so prominent, that I still think, he will submit to give up Mantua to the [ ? ] Republic, rather than venture another doubtful campaign, especially as a new republic has just started up, called the Cis [Rhesune?] Republic, in which Cologne, Aix la Chapelle & Treves have already entered; and this must eventually lessen, if not totally destroy his influence as head of the Germanic empire. This republic will probably be supported by the king of Prussia, who probably will be rewarded with Nuremburgh and Franconia.

The French without much exertion, exept acting as pirates on our commerce, & alarming us with invasions, may ruin us by our debt, which is now four hundred millions of pounds, and our expenses are at least one million of pounds a week; expences which no nation can long support. Peace we must have, and this the French know, and [ ? ] have demanded such lofty terms, as our Ministry did not chuse to accept, and Lord Malmesbury is again returned from France. After all, I cannot avoid thinking that before winter peace will be concluded—negociation draws nearer together contending nations— nations mutually exhausted by war, and the people at large equally courting peace. I sincerely wish you may long be preserved from entering upon the horrors of war, and from entailing upon your posterity debt and disgrace, both of which we e[ ? ] fully.

I am sincerely &c

J. C. Lettsom

London Sept. 27. 1797

{Reverend} Joseph Willard, D.D. Boston With a parcel by Mr [ ? ]

J. C. Lettsom

To the Honourable the [?] Govornor, and ye {Honorable} Council and house of Represenstatives now in {General} court assembled. The Humble addresse of us [?] [?] {honor} of Indians Inhabitants in punkapaugud doe for our selves and [?] of our Indian Neighbours in this plantation humbly show as followith: That whoras this great and {General} Court, hath so farr taken our [land?] patition refering to ye Settlement of our plantation, into your wise Con -sidorations, as to send two {Honorable} Committe's to us, who have as we returned very agrrable reports to your Honours, for which we are highly thankfull: yett whoras we have not yett obtained that [which?] undr our difficult circumstances, from this great [?] {General} Court, which we highly [?] and have hopd and prayed for: And we yet remaining in a suffering condition Doe take ye boldness humbly to continued praying that you would Consider further of our former pitition, and afford us some [?] help, as a present [?] for our [?], under our present [?] condition, that So our english Neighbours, that have fairly and [honorably?] livd and of [us?] may have your Confirmd to you By Deeds and that there may such a Regulation among us, of those things, ye are under great disorder ^as may be agreeable to our addresses to your {Honorable} Committees

We have greatly suffered this Eight or Ten year's age past for wont of some body, [?] us as to our Lands, and espehially as to our orchards, ye meadows, and to look after our timber, which hath been shamfully cutt down and carried away to our great [damage?] and still there is daily great havock made of it: we there for Humbly pray this {Honorable} court [possibly?] to send to us a comittee of two, or three judicious and [?] persons, who may be invested with power from this great and [good committee?] afford us some present help and reliefe, till we can obtain a more full settlement of our plantation By ye favour of this great and {Honorable} Court: and we still pray as in duty bound.

Punkapaugue {December}: 25: 1723

Hezakiah [signature mark?] Squamauge Amos [signature mark?] Ahatton

Hezekiah Squamauge {and} Amos Ahatton peticon To ye {General} Court 1723

At a Meeting of the President and Fellows of Harvard College April 5th 1773 -

That In Consideration of the aid we now receive from the Society in Scotland towards the Support of the Oneida Mission, Voted, That the Treasurer be directed to pay His Honor the Lieutenant Governor Treasurer of the London Commissioners the sum of forty pounds eighteen shillings & four pence 1/2, lawful Money, expended on the said Mission for Schools, Husbandry, Tools, &c, over and above the £ 150 Sterling paid by us to Mr Kirkland & Deacon Thomas -

{Samuel} Locke [Pb.?]

Copy

April 5th. 1773 Vote of Corporation relative to paying His Honr. what he [advd?} for the Oneida Mission

Century XII || Century XIV Matthew [Barir?]

Century XV || Century XVI

An account of the phoenomena atteding the Aurora borealis at [Tornea Sat?] 65.50.50 N. By [Mon de Mauper Tuis?], when he went to measure a degree on [the?] polar circle, in 1736. Figure of ? Earth page 86. "As soon as the nights begin to be dark, fires of a thousand colours & figures light up the sky, as if designed o copensate to a country [accusts?] [med?] to such length of day, the bsence of the sun in this season. These fires have not here, as in the more southerly climates any constant situation. Tho' you may often see a luminous are fixed towards the north they seem more frequently to [?] the whole extent of the hemisphere. Sometimes they begin in the form of a great sea of bright light with its extremities upon the horizon, which with a [matron?] resembling that of a fishing net, glides swiftly up the sky; preserving in this motion a direction nearby perpendicular to the meridian. Most commonly after these preludes, all the lights unite at the [zenith?] & form the top of a sort of crown. Areas like those we see towards the north in France are here frequently situated towards the South: and oftentimes towards both north & south at once. Their summets approach each other, while the distance of their extremities widens towards the horizon. I have seen some of the opposite [areas?], whose summits almost joined at the [zenith?]: and both the one & the other have frequently several concentric areas beyond it. Their tops are all placed in the direction of the meridian, tho' with a little declination to the west: which I did not find to be constant, & which sometimes is insensible. Some of these areas have their greatest width at the horizon; which contracting as they rise, gives them the form of more than half a great ellipse. Their mother is most commonly like that of a pair of colours waved in air, & the different tints of the light give them the appearance of so many [?] sheamers of that sort of [Taffeta?], which we call changeable. Sometimes they line a part of the sky with scarlet." _________" I never saw but two that were red."