USA > New Hampshire > Sketches of the history of New-Hampshire, from its settlement in 1623, to 1833: comprising notices of the memorable events and interesting incidents of a period of two hundred and ten years > Part 18
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This period is marked by the introduction into New-Hamp- shire of the Methodist denomination. The first Societies of this name in England were organized in 1739, by the celebrated and excellent John Wesley, one of the burning and shining lights of the last Century. In 1766, the Rev. Philip Embury, a preacher of this denomination, removed from Ireland to the City of New-York, and from among his countrymen who had emigrated to this country, he gathered a Society, the first of the name in America. Not till after the Revolution was Methodism introduced into New-England. Elder Jesse. Lee, from Virginia, formed at Lynn the first regular Methodist Society in Massachusetts, in the summer of 1791; and not long after, visited New-Hampshire and Maine, preparing the way for the formation of Societies in these States. This body of Christians now ranks among the most numerous denominations in the country, and has in this
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State a large number of stations and circuits, supplied by about ninety travelling and local preachers.
That great Revolution in France, which had overturned the throne and brought the King to a public execution, not only kindled in Europe the flames of war, but produced even in this country a powerful excitement. Enlisting, as it did, the sympathiies of one portion of the people in favor of France; and producing, by its shocking and murderous excesses, an alienation from their former allies in the minds of another portion, accompanied with a disposition to cultivate a good understanding with Great Britain ; it was a leading cause of the division of the Americans into two great political parties. The one assumed the name of Republicans; the other, that of Federalists. It was the opinion of many, that our obligations to France for her aid in the Revolutionary war, could hardly be canceled, and that we ought to unite with her in opposing Great Britain. This was not the prevailing opinion. Washington, sustained by a majority of the people, decided not to interfere in the contest. His celebrated Proclamation of neutrality, requiring the Citizens of the United States to abstain front any hostile acts towards either of the belligerent powers, was received in this State with great satisfaction. At a meeting of the citizens of Portsmouth, resolutions were passed, approving the Procla- mation, and expressing full confidence in the measures taken by Government to free our commerce from the depredations committed by the powers at war.
The 17th of May, 1794, is remembered as the date of one of the most destructive frosts recorded in the annals of New- England. The season was unusually early ; the young apples were formed, and the rye headed; when one fatal night blasted the hope of the husbandman, and destroyed almost entirely the fruit and English grain.
At the election of this year, Jolin Taylor Gilman of Exeter was chosen to succeed Gov. Bartlett in the chief Magistracy, und was continued in the chair for a period of eleven years. Gov. Bartlett had been induced by declining healthi to resign his office before the expiration of the year, and his retire- ment to private life was soon followed by his death. The first years of Gov. Gilman's administration furnish few events of importance ; they were however distinguished by the prevalence of harmony in the public councils, and the State was eminently prosperous. A great majority of the Citizens acted, at this time, in concert with the political party long distinguished by the name of Federalists ; the
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[1795.
Legislature of course was decidedly of the same political complexion.
An architectural enterprise, more important and difficult than any of the kind that had been achieved in the country, was now undertaken and accomplished. It was the erection of a bridge over the Pascataqua, from Newington to Durham, formed of three sections; two of them were horizontal ; the third, arched ; the whole presenting a surface of planking almost a half a mile in length. It was thrown over the river at a place, where the depth, at high water, is generally more than fifty feet, and was [finished with much elegance at an expense of sixty-two thousand dollars. The construction of this bridge, which excited the admiration of every traveller, required five thousand tons of timber, eighty thousand feet of plank, twenty tons of iron, and eight thousand tons of stone. John Pierce Esq. of Portsmouth, was the principal Superintendent of this great work, of which the chief object was to divert to Portsmouth a portion of the country trade, that had long been engrossed by Boston and Salem.
In common with the rest of the country, the State was ag- itated in the summer of 1795, by the question of the ratifica- tion of Jay's treaty with Great Britain. By the constitutional majority of the Senate, the ratification had been advised. One of the New-Hampshire Senators, Mr. Livermore, was in favor of this measure ; Mr. Langdon was opposed. While the President had the subject under consideration, a Virginia Senator, in violation of an injunction of secrecy, caused the treaty to be published. There was at first a rush of public opinion against it, which for a little time seemed to be irresis- table, and Washington found himself placed in a state of seri- ous perplexity and embarrassment. Following the current ex- ample,the town of Portsmouth held a meeting and voted an Address against the treaty. A counter address was however prepared and signed by a large number of respectable indi- viduals. With the design of preventing the transmission to the President of the counter address, a mob, armed with clubs, paraded the streets, insulted many of the signers, broke their fences and windows, injured their ornamental trees, and with threats demanded the surrender of the paper from the person who had it in possession ; nor did they dis- perse till they had kept the town for some hours in confusion and alarm. Several of the ring-leaders were indicted for a riot at the next Superior Court. After a little calm reflection, a majority of the people of the State made up their minds in favor of the acceptance of the treaty. Washington, who
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followed no other guidance than a sense of duty, decided after due deliberation to ratify it; and its beneficial influence for many succeeding years on the commerce of the United States, has fully evinced the wisdom of the determination.
The progress of internal improvement is seen in the grant of the first New-Hampshire turnpike, extending from Con- cord to the vicinity of Portsmouth. This was in 1796. It was followed in a few years by the grant of a second, from Claremont to Amherst; of a third from Walpole, through Keene and Jaffrey, to Ashby ; of a fourth, from Lebanon to Boscawen; and of many others in various sections of the State. Among them is one from the west line of Bartlett through the Notch of White Mountains.
With deep regret the people of the United States learned from the farewell address of Washington, his determtnation to decline another re-election to the Presidency. The con- troversy between the two great parties, into which the course of events had divided them, became violent. John Adams was the favorite candidate of the Federalists; Thomas Jef- ferson, of the Republicans. The electoral votes of New- Hampshire were given to Mr. Adams, who was elected by a small majority, and inaugurated as President of the United States on the 4th of March 1797.
In the following winter the frigate Crescent of thirty-two guns, built at Portsmouth by Col. Hackett, sailed from that port to the Mediterancan. She was destined to Algiers as a present from the United States to the Dey. For a series of year's our government, was under the necessity of purchasing exemption from the depredations of the piratical Barbary powers on our commerce, by occasional payments under the name of presents : but for a long time this degrading system has been abolished, and these barbarians have been taught by merited chastisements to respect the American flag.
A Medical Department was attached to Dartmouth College in 1798, chiefly by the enterprise of Doct. Nathan Smith of Cornish. Without early advantages of education, this gen- tleman had raised himself by dint of talent and industry, to the first rank in his profession. At a a time when a passage across the Atlantic for literary purposes, was deemed in this country to be a great achievement, he visited Europe for the purpose of acquiring information. For some years he was the only Medical Professor at Hanover, and by his personal efforts raised the Department to great usefulness and respectability. His practice as a physician and surgeon extended over a large portion of New-England. The views of the celebrated Dr.
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[1798.
Rush, in relation to the deleterious effects of ardent spirits on the human system, he adopted and ably advocated ; and by communicating them to his numerous pupils, exerted an im- portant influence in preparing the Medical practitioners for the honorable stand they have since taken in promoting a Temperance reformation. Several of the last years of his life he spent in Connecticut, in connection with Yale College .- The Medical institution remained without the accommodation of a distinct edifice till 1810; when, by the aid of the Legis- lature, a neat and convenient Medical College was erected .- Among its means of usefulness, the Institution possesses a valuable Anatomical Museum, a well furnished Chemical Labratory, and a collection of botanical specimens. It has three Professorships, and its Lectures are well attended.
In some preceding years the Yellow Fever had visited sev- eral of the Atlantic cities, bringing in its train alarm and death. It had caused in one of these years, the death of 4000 persons in Philadelphia, and the precipitate flight from the city of seventeen thousand of its inhabitants. In the summer of 1798, it appeared in the north part of Portsmouth. Though a gen- eral removal of the inhabitants from the infected neighborhood greatly limited its spread, yet it carried off a considerable num- ber of victims ; and but few who were seized recovered from the attack.
The conduct of France was at this time so hostile as to excite in the United States a general indignation. Her gov- ernment encouraged depredations on our commerce, and or- dered our minister to quit her territory. On the arrival of three American Envoys to treat of reconciliation, a sum of money was demanded as a pre-requisite to negotiation. "A de- mand so insolent aroused the spirit of the country, and " Mill- ions for defence but not a cent for tribute," was the general language of the day. The tide of indignant feeling rose to as great a height in New-Hampshire as in any portion of the American Republic. An address to President Adams, ex- pressive of the fullest approbation of the measures of his administration, and breathing the warmest resentment at the aggressions of France, was adopted by the Legislature, being carried in the Senate an unanimous vote, and in the House with only four dissenting voices. The warlike attitude as- sumed by the United States, together with the achievements of our then infant Navy in the capture of several French ships of war, taught the French Government that the rights of Americans were not to be outraged with impunity.
In the midst the controversy, Washington, who had accept-
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ed the office of Commander in Chief of the American Armies, died, on the fourteenth of December, 1799, after an illness of only one day. The country was clad in mourning. In this State, and throughout the Union, the twenty-second day of the succeeding February, the anniversary of his birth, was devoted to expressions of public sorrow ; and eulogies, almost without number, were pronounced before crowds of citizens, lamenting the fall of the man "first in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen."
Almost without opposition had the Federalists hitherto car- ried the re-elections of Gov. Gilman. He was firm and decisive in his political opinions, and in concert with great majorities in both branches of the Legislature, yielded to the Federal Administration of President Adams a steady support. The current of popular feeling ran strong against France ; the black cockade, the distinguishing badge of the Federal party, was almost universally worn ; and in some parts of the State, to wear what was called the French cockade, rendered the security of the wearer's person somewhat precarious. But causes, tending to a political change, were in operation. With an increasing portion of the community, the measures of the Federal administration, especially the Alien and Sedition laws, and the Act requiring in many instances the use of stamped paper charged with a duty, were becoming unpopular .- Having enlarged their ranks with numerous recruits, the Republicans began in 1800 to take the field in regular array. This year and the next they supported as their candi- date for Governor, Judge Walker of Concord-and afterwards Mr. Langdon : but Gov. Gilman and the Federalists main- tained the ascendency some years longer.
Convinced that nothing was to be gained by treating the United States in an overbearing manner, the French Directory was at length induced to make overtures of peace. These overtures were promptly met by the American government, and Ministers were appointed to repair to France, who, on their arrival, found the supreme authority in the hands of Bounaparte, as First Consul. With his government they concluded in September, 1800, a treaty, which was satisfactory to both countries.
A new religious denomination had at this time its origin in Vermont, and was soon extended into New-Hampshire .- Elder Abner Jones, of the former State, having become dis- satisfied with some of the principles of the Freewill Baptist Churches, with which he had been connected, withdrew from their communion and began to propogate his own peculiar
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sent iments. Many individuals in Vermont, New-Hampshire, and Maine, adopted his views, and took the distinctive appel- lation of Christians. A church of this denomination was afterwards collected at Portsmouth, and a considerable number of others have since been formed, chiefly in the central sec- tion of the State.
In the summer and autumn of this and the two following years, a malignant Dysentery, occasioning a great mortality, prevailed in many of the towns. In the short space of a few weeks, the towns of Antrim and Hancock lost almost. one fifteenth part of their whole population ; and other places suffered severely, though not in an equal degree. The most malignant form of this fatal disease has not since, to any con- siderable extent, been witnessed in the State.
The recurrence of another Presidential election excited in the country an acrimony of feeling then unparallelled. So nearly were the political parties balanced, that each made the most strenuous exertions, and formed sanguine hopes of success. The candidates were the same as in the preceding election ; and again the votes of this State were given to Mr. Adams. No choice was effected by the Electoral Colleges : but after a violent struggle, Mr. Jefferson was elected by the House of Representatives, and the administration of the General Government fell in 1801 into the hands of the Re- publican party. This great change inspired the friends of that party in New-Hampshire with sanguine hopes of gaining the ascendency in the State government. Mr. Langdon, one of their most popular and efficient leaders, having been retur- ned to the House as a Representative from Portsmouth, they attempted, unsuccessfully however, to carry his election as Speaker. The next year they brought him forward as their candidate for Governor : but not till after a three years' strug- gle did they succeed in placing him in the Chair.
Though the period now under review furnishes few events of thrilling interest, it affords unequivocal indications of public prosperity. The new Census gave the United States a popu- lation of more than seven millions ; of whom New-Hampshire contained 214,000-exhibiting an increase of more than 30,000 during the preceding ten years. The state of religion was becoming more prosperous. In some former years, Thomas Paine's scurrilous pamphlet, called by a strange misnomer The Age of Reason, filled with coarse and sophistical abuse of christianity, had infected not a few minds with the taint of infidelity. It has been stated that he had submitted this work in manuscript to the perusal of Dr. Franklin, for his opinion ;
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who on returning it, said, " I would advise you not to attempt unchaining the tiger ; but to burn this piece before it is seen by any other person ; if men are so wicked with religion, what would they be without it?" The tide of infidelity, which the writings of Paine and Godwin, together with the blasphemous publications of the French school, had rolled in upon us, was now on the cbb. Revivals of religion, which since the days of Whitefield had been of rare occurrence, became more frequent. They had indeed occurred in considerable numbers for a few of the last years of the preceding century, in portions of Massachusetts and Connecticut, and now began to be more known in New-Hampshire. Wherever they existed, and were conducted with discretion and humility, they awakened a spirit of attention to christian instruction ; excited numbers to the great duties of prayer and religious enquiry ; produced a happy reformation of morals ; and resulted in numerous accessions to the churches. The permanent fruits of piety and benevolence, exhibited by a multitude of their subjects, form the best attestation that they were the effect of a divine influence on the hearts of inen. Some of the great objects of christian effort, which have since become so prominent, began at this time to attract attention. The New-Hampshire Missionary Society, the earliest charitable Institution of a religious nature in the State, of any considerable extent, was formed in 1801, for the purpose of furnishing to the scattered inhabitants of the new settlements, and to feeble churches, the means of christian instruction. During a period of thirty-two years its operations have been eminently useful. It has sent Missionaries into all the destitute parts of the State, and it now aids in sustaining many ministers in places, where, without such aid, the christian ministry could not be supported. Its annual income for many years averaged about two thousand dollars, and has lately risen to more than four thousand ; its efforts, in connection with the labors of other christian denom- inations, leave but few of the inhabitants of the State destitute of at least occasional opportunities of attendance on religious instruction. At a later period was formed the New-Hampshire Baptist Missionary Society.
In February of the next year, a snow fell in New-England of great depth and density, much of it consisting of small particles like hail. Had it fallen in a light, fleecy form, it was thought it would have exceeded in depth the great snow of 1717. Near the close of the year, the town of Portsmouth was visited by a most calamitous conflagration, which consu- med more than a hundred buildings, and laid waste a fair and
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[1804.
important portion of the place. ' The amount of property destroyed was estimated at two hundred thousand dollars : and more than forty-five thousand were contributed in various places for the relief of the sufferers.
We have now come to the era of the introduction into the State of the Cotton manufacture. Machinery for spinning cotton had been introduced into Rhode-Island as early as 1790-little more than twenty years after its invention in Eng- land by Sir Richard Arkwright. At New-Ipswich was erected, in 1803, the first Factory in New-Hampshire, followed in a few years by others in Peterborough, Pembroke, Hillsborough, and Jaffrey : and at a later period, by the extensive establish- ments in Dover, Somersworth, Dunstable, New-Market, Amoskeag, Franklin, and Exeter. The whole required an immense amount of capital, which in general has been inves- ted profitably for the owners, and usefully to the public. At the close of the year, the northern portion of the State was detached from the County of Grafton, and formed into a dis- tinct County by the name of Coos.
Political disputes ran high. The Federalists had hitherto supported Gov. Gilman with uniform success, and secured majorities of their own party in both branches of the Legis- lature. For some years, Gen. Amos Shepherd of Alstead had been President of the Senate, and the Hon. John Prentice, a lawyer of Londonderry, Speaker of the House. But the Republicans were constantly gaining fresh accessions to their ranks ; and with increasing numbers, put forth more strenuous efforts. Though Gov. Gilman was re-elected in 1804, yet the majority in his favor was extremely small; and the Republi- cans obtained a partial triumph by the return of majorities of their party both to the Senate and House of Representatives- Mr. Langdon being chosen Speaker in the popular branch of the Legislature. The Federalists however, in the quadrennial election of President at the close of the year, carried their ticket of Electors, and the votes of the State were accordingly given to Mr. Pinckney. In most of the other States the elec- tion resulted in favor of Mr. Jefferson, who had a great majority of the whole number of votes.
After a warm contest, the Republicans in 1805 succeded in their efforts to displace Gov. Gilman, and brought in their favorite candidate, Mr. Langdon, by a majority of 4000. They also returned majorities attached to their party, not only to the Senate and House, but at this time to the Council also :-- thus revolutionizing the government in all its branches. Gen. Clement Storer of Portsmouth was chosen President of the
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Senate, and the Hon. Samuel Bell of Francestown, Speaker of the House. Philip Carrigain of Concord was elected Secretary of the State in the place of Joseph Pearson, and Nathaniel Gilman succeeded Oliver Peabody as Treasurer .- The administration of the government fell entirely into the hands of the Republican party ; and with the exception of a few intervals of no long duration, they have retained it down to the present day. A change so important excited, as many of the actors now on the stage well remenber, a deep interest in the community at large : nor could it be otherwise-politi- cal parties never acquire power without exultation, or part with it without regret. Gov. Gilman retired to private life, carrying with him a reputation for consistency, integrity and decision, which commanded the respect even of his political opponents.
During the period now under review, death deprived the State of several distinguished citizens. Doct. Clement Jack- son, an eminent physician of Portsmouth, of extensive prac- tice, who possessed a disposition which "never turned from distressed objects without making exertions to relieve them," died at an advanced age in 1788. His son, Doct. Hall Jack- son, who inherited his father's practice and reputation, survi- ved him but a few years. The year 1795 is the date of Gen. Sullivan's death. Descended from Scottish parents in narrow circumstances, he evinced in early life a thirst for knowledge, which led him to offer his services to Mr. Livermore, an emi- nent lawyer of Portsmouth, to cut his firewood and take care of his horse-requiring no other compensation than his board, and the privilege of access to his library. His patron soon discovered in him talents, which induced liim to transfer the youth from his kitchen to his office, as a student at law. He became a lawyer of eminence. In a variety of public offices -as a Revolutionary General-as President of the State-and as Judge of the United States' District Court-he exhibited ability and commanded respect. He deserves a high rank in the catalogue of self-made men, and furnishes a fine example to stimulate the young in the pursuit of useful knowledge. The Rev. Dr. Langdon, who was called from his ministry in Portsmouth to the Presidency of Harvard University, and was afterwards the minister of Hampton Falls, died in 1797. In 1799 occurred the death of Gen. Joseph Cilley of Notting- ham, an officer distinguished in the annals of the revolution, and afterward for many years a prominent member of one or the other branch of the Legislature, or of the Council .- Death deprived the community in 1802 of William Gordon
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