P. S. What state is the Egg in? By the bye, in reading Plutarch's Symposidcks t' other day, I met with a curious debate upon this question, Which was first in the order of nature, the Egg or the Hen?

I suppose the " all-sufficient, the self-sufficient, and the insufficient being" has got safe home. I saw him ride through a village with a 4to volume in his hand, and was told he rode through a town in the same manner, but with his eyes shut —" in cogitation most profound," no doubt.

HAZARD TO BELKNAP.

Philadelphia, November 6, 1781.

My Dear Sir,—I have received your favours of October 1st and 17th. The first was answered when I saw you at Jamaica Plain; the latter shews that I was not sufficiently explicit about the books. Lib. E, and all the others marked with letters, which are not in Mr. Avery's hands, are at Major Fuller's at Newtown, though Mr. Avery has copies of them, but without the letters, which I put on those I had merely to enable me to distinguish them in my transcripts. Mason s Agreement I think I got from the New Hampshire records; but you need not trouble yourself about the papers you mention, as I can furnish you with them as soon as I can get leisure. At present am much, hurried.

Mr. C. has disagreeable feelings about his oration's being printed; for, as it is known that he has been to the eastward, he fears its appearance in public will be ascribed to his vanity. I think I have a right to expect the compliment of half a dozen copies from the printer, and I shall be obliged to you for one of your new constitutions when published, whether it is approved by the people or not. I cannot write properly about the great, the important, &c, news contained in the enclosed, and shall therefore leave it to your own reflections. My best respects to Mrs. B. Adieu, Eben. Hazard.

BELKNAP TO HAZARD.

Dover, Nov. 16,1781.

Dear Sir, — You will scarcely believe me if I tell you that I have been waiting ever since my return from Boston, which is almost four weeks, for a fit opportunity to take a copy of the plan which you requested of me. Yesterday P.m. I seized an opportunity, and vi et armis carried my design into execution, as you will see by the enclosed papers, whereon is described (I need not say inartificially, for that you cannot but see), with, I think, a pretty good degree of correctness, the courses of the rivers, and the proposed road to Canada, with the distances, and scale corresponding to the original. I should have pasted both sheets together, but I thought they would not then fold so well in a letter. You will see by the letters C C and D D how to place them. You have also a piece of our Ising Glass, as large as is any way convenient to be enclosed in a letter. It is frequently brought along to sell by pedlars, and a square of 8 by 6 is sold for sixpence. The man of whom I had this says it is found, many laminae together, sticking edge uppermost out of the rock. They beat the rock to pieces on one side, and the laminae fall out, some as large as half a common house window.' The mountain is entirely barren. It is in Grafton township, in New Hampshire, twenty miles east from Dartmouth College; and not, as Mr. Bowdoin in his oration says,* twenty to the S.W., for that would carry you into Vermont.

I believe you need give yourself no further trouble to search for Mason's confirmation of his patent from the King in 1635; for, in addition to the evidences which I have communicated to you formerly, I have now by me a copy of a Report of the Board of Trade, who examined the matter in 1753, wherein is the following paragraph: —

"It is alleged that this last grant (viz., 22 April, 1635) to Mr. Mason was ratified and confirmed by the Crown by charter dated 19th August, 1635, writh full power of civil jurisdiction and government, but no such charter as this appears upon record"

Pray have you got in your collection a copy of the Determination of the King in Council respecting the Boundary between New York and New Hampshire in 1764? If you have not, I can furnish you with one from the original, which is in my hands.

I found safely lodged the bundle you sent me from Portsmouth, containing Gove's papers, &c. I have forgot the direction you gave me concerning them when I saw you at Dr. Gordon's; pray repeat it in your next letter. The little books for my children are peculiarly pleasing. I beg you to accept of my thanks, and theirs in particular, for your condescending notice of them.

Our Constitution is just now printed; and, if you will believe it, the Convention is to sit in January to collect the votes of the people in the several towns whether it shall stand or fall, so that we have about seven or eight weeks only to determine on so important a point, and that the worst season in the whole year for travelling. I have not yet seen it, so can give you no account of it.

You will observe in the plan some mountains, called Monadnock. There is another range down the country that bears the same name; viz., near the southern limit of New Hampshire, and E. of Connecticut R. I forget wThether I told you that a road has been, since the war, begun, and cut for forty miles from the lower Cowass * towards St. John's, which is, in my apprehension, a much more preferable rout for a post-road than that here depicted, because it would accommodate Montreal, which this would not, and because it would not pags through the St. Francis tribe of Indians, but would go directly from the English to the French settlements, which is said to be but sixty miles.

My family are all well, and Mrs. B. desires her particular regards to you. The Metropolitan's marriage is not yet completed, but things are in a fair way. ,

Tour very sincere and affectionate friend,

Jeremy Belknap.

To Ebenezee Hazard, Esq.

HAZARD TO BELKNAP.

Philadelphia, Dec. 4,1781.

I Have but a few moments, my dear sir, to acknowledge the receipt of your favour of 16th ult., which came to hand yesterday, with the plan of the road, &c, and Isinglass. Accept my thanks for them. Shall observe your hint about Mason's patent in 1635. Pray can you favour me with a copy of the Report of the Board of Trade in 1753 relating to that matter? If it is so lengthy as to put you to inconvenience in transcribing, don't do it. But I will be much obliged to you for the copy of the K.'s Determination of Boundary between New York and New Hampshire in 1764, as I have it not in my collection. Gove's Papers, &c, may either be kept in your hands till my next visit, or sent to Dr. G. for me. If you send per post, direct to E. H. at Boston; in his absence, to be delivered to Dr. G.? to keep till called for. I received a copy of your Constitution per yesterday's post, but have not had time to look into it yet. I think the Metropolitan makes long work of it. I wish him happiness, but am not sure I shall not break the tenth commandment. The Rev. Mr. Caldwell * has lately been shot. It is supposed that the fellow who killed him was hired to do it by the British in New York. Mrs. C, you remember, was killed when the British came to Springfield. By this cruel act nine children are made orphans; the youngest is but two years old. Except the care of Heaven, the cold hand of charity will be their principal dependence. Remember me to Mrs. B. Adieu.

Eben. Hazard.

HAZARD TO BELKNAP.

Philadelphia, Dec. 18, 1781.

My Dear Sir, — I was yesterday favoured with yours of 28th ult., through the medium of our friend Colonel Langdon. One of the papers containing the oration and the MS. were sent me some time ago. From the sooty appearance of the latter, it had evidently been in the Devil's hands. The oration was correctly printed, but too much liberty was taken in connecting it with an introduction, intended, as I suspect, to answer purposes very different from the design of the orator.

Mr. Libbey sent me a copy of the Constitution. I have read it over, and think I could live very comfortably under it. That of Massachusetts was evidently your pattern. In some parts you have improved upon it; in others, perhaps, you have not. It does not appear to