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bours and to his successors. I had experience of this kind, when I lived at Dover. I had only my salary to live upon. A rich neighbouring minister had a less salary than I, but was able to live independent of his people; and one year, in the course of paper money, he gave up his salary at a time when I was struggling to have mine made good. It had an ill effect on my people. Good Mr. Pike was highly celebrated, and poor Mr. B. was censured as a discontented, uneasy creature. The only way in which Mr. M. can remedy the matter now is to receive his 11 dollars after the time is expired for which he gave up 1 dollar per week. This will be doing justice to his people, to his neighbours, and to his successors.

I thank you for your kind hints about my 2d volume of the History of New Hampshire. If Trenchard will let me alone, I will endeavour to pursue it. I have got to finish Penn's Life, and am waiting for your anecdote about the controversy between him and Lord Baltimore. In the mean time, I have got to transcribe my sermon, preached at Charlestown, for the press, - a labour equal to that of originating two. Pray who or what is the Mr. Linn whom the House of Representatives have appointed their chaplain? I never heard of him before.

In addition to what I wrote about Fenno, I would inform you that he is the son of an ale-house keeper in this town. Being a good penman, his first employment was as an usher in a writing-school. He then went into trade, imported largely just at the close of the war, sold at disadvantage, kept it up awhile, then compounded with his creditors, and finally left this place to give scope to his genius in the conducting a newspaper. He has poetical talent, is industrious, has a retentive memory, and is a person respected and beloved by his friends. I never heard any thing ill of him. I think it will be well for you to encourage him, if, as you say, he visits and puts himself in your way. It is probable that the fertility of

his genius may produce redundancies which may need the pruning-knife. It is a great mortification to me that I have lost Dr. Clarkson's letter, and Morse's. Pray let the Dr. know of the accident. It is probable it may have been left at Springfield ferry. I hope your rivals will not succeed, but that you will continue to fill the station you now occupy. Mrs. H. will probably be absent when you receive this. My respects to Mr. Wingate; and tell him, for the honour of New England, not to consent to the duty on molasses. If Mrs. H. was to hear this, she would shake her sides. Adieu.

Yours,

J. BELKNAP.

HAZARD TO BELKNAP.

NEW YORK, May 14, 1789.

MY DEAR SIR, I am pleased to hear that every thing went, and goes on, so well at Charlestown. The people, I think, will be pleased with both him and his intended. She is a valuable young woman, and I believe truly pious. She is the grand-daughter of Dr. Finley, formerly President of N. Jersey College.* Mr. Morse left us yesterday morning for Shrewsbury, and I think it not improbable that he is married by this time. The enclosed is for him. Mrs. Hazard left me last Sabbath week, with our son; and they have been at the Judge's ever since. I expect them back, with the other wedding folks, the beginning of next week. Post just going. Love to Mrs. B.

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* She was the daughter of Judge Breese, of Shrewsbury, N.J. — Eds.

HAZARD TO BELKNAP.

NEW YORK, May 16, 1789.

MY DEAR SIR, Yours of the 8th inst. is before me. With respect to the impost, I think it probable there will be some alterations made in it. Molasses has already been reduced to 5 cents; but it will not do to take the parts of the system, and consider them absolutely apart. Some of them will bear hard upon some States, others on others; but I am inclined to think that, take the whole system together, it will operate pretty equally. If each State might reject such part as it disliked, we should have no system at all, and Government could not be supported. In the present state of things, mutual concessions must be made for the common good.

I believe Mr. M. will take a "singer" to Charlestown, but not one of those who sung the President either into or out of the State. I think she has learned psalmody. The reasons Mr. M. assigned to me for giving up the dollar per week were: the losses the people had sustained by the war; the present impoverished state of their commerce; and the expence they must be at in building an house for him. These considerations certainly have weight in them; and reasonable people, who were not in the same circumstances, would never think of improving Mr. M.'s conduct into an argument for their minister's doing likewise. However, the deduction, or abatement, is to be made only for two years; and then, I suppose, he will revert to the original contract, which I think will be right.

I am sorry I cannot yet send you the anecdote of Penn. The gentleman has promised it to me; but I do not find. him as ready to look over his papers as I should be, to oblige him. When I see him again, I will try to get it verbally, at least.

Mr. (now Dr.) Linn is an excellent preacher. He was formerly a Presbyterian minister, and settled at Elizabeth Town, where the people were very kind to him. While he was there, the Low Dutch Church wanted an assistant for Dr. Livingston (of this city), and in an underhanded way tampered with him. He listened to them, and agreed to accept their offer; and the first notice his congregation had of his design to remove was given by himself, from the pulpit. He was pretty severely handled for it by the Presbytery, when he applied for his dismission. It is supposed his wife liked New York best, and tempted him. When Congress wanted chaplains, his friends were indefatigable in making interest for him; and it is said (and I believe with truth) that he personally applied to

the members.

His congregation, which is a very rich one, gives him £400 per annum, and finds him an house; and yet his great poverty was assigned as the reason why they wished the appointment for him, and it has been mentioned as the reason why he was chosen; so that he has got the appointment upon the footing of an act of charity. Since his election, we have had a Commencement here, and six Doctors of Divinity baked in one batch. IIe was one of them.

I can recollect but two ministers in the city, except Methodists, Baptists, and Moravians, who are not D.D.; and, of these, one is but just come among us, and the other is not settled. This last ought to be doctorated, for he seems to know more about divinity than any of them; for, in an ordination sermon preached here before his Bishop and other clergy, in which he decried all except Episcopal ordination, he asserted that, under the law, Bishops were made by carnal procreation (this was adding a fine parcel of links to the chain of uninterrupted succession!) but, under the Gospel, by imposition of hands; and that common ministers could beget children for the

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church, but bishops only could beget fathers. Is not he fit for a doctor? Mrs. H. is still absent. Fenno says you can get his paper from the beginning, and be regularly supplied, in future, in Boston, -I think by Russell. Give my love to Mrs. Belknap. I am, dear sir,

Your friend,

EBEN. HAZARD.

BELKNAP TO HAZARD.

BOSTON, Sunday evening, 24th May, 1789.

MY DEAR SIR,—I received yours of 16th last evening, and, being now about to attend a funeral, can write but shortly. I heard Mr. Morse's reasons before, and fully believe that his motives were benevolent; but still I disapprove the action. However, I have no reason to think that any ill use will be made of it by unreasonable people, though it might, in some circumstances, serve as a handle for such conduct as I mentioned. When your Columbia College is in the humour of making doctors, I would recommend to them a M. Sayre. I know not whether he is the person whom you speak of as adding links to the chain of uninterrupted succession; but, if he is not, he is one of the same complexion. I will give you a specimen of his language while he preached at Newport. He is now said to be gone southward. It was in a sermon on Matthew 5, 20: Except your righteousness, &c. "If I did not believe that the Church was the Kingdom of Heaven; that a minister, lawfully ordained by a bishop, hands the forgiveness of sins and eternal life from his Master, who is both in heaven and upon earth, to every fit subject of baptism, when he baptises that subject; that such a minister has power to bind and loose upon earth,- that is, to forgive sins or to retain them, to administer full pardon of sins in absolution to the really penitent and believing; and that his regular

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