History of Amesbury - Merrill.org

1 86 HISTORY OF AMESBURY.
1727.
A committee was chosen "to purchase of Mr. Ring two acres
of land at y e burying place at y e pond plain and to receive a
deed of y e same at y e cost and for y e benefit of s d town."
This was no doubt designed to enlarge the burying-ground,
but it is very doubtful if the purchase was ever made.
Nathaniel Brown was accepted as school-master till the March
meeting.
For a long series of years, perhaps from the first, people had
paid their province or country rates in grain arid the products
of their farms, which had to be transported to Boston and
delivered to the government. This year the town offered to
abate one-fifth to those who should pay direct to the treasurer
of the province. This tax was ^72 6 s. this year. Prices as
fixed by law were: "beef, ^3 per barrel ; pork, ^5 10 s.
winter wheat, 8 s. per bushel ; summer wheat, 7 s. ; barley,
6 s. per bushel ; rye, 6 s. per bushel ; Indian corn, 4 s. per
bushel; oats, 2 s. per bushel; flax 16 d. per pound; pease clear
of buggs, 9
s. per bushel; firkin butter, good, sweet, 12 d. per
pound; hemp, 9 d. per pound; beeswax, 2 s. 6 d. per pound";
dry hides, 6 d. per pound ; leather, 1 2 d. per pound ; merchant-
able dry codd, 30 s. per quintal ; oyl, £2 10 s. per barrel
whalebone six feet long and upwards, 3 s. 6 d. per pound ; bay-
berry wax, 16 d. per pound; turpentine full bound, 13 s. per
cwt. ; merchantable bar iron, 48 s. per cwt. ; cast iron potts and
kettles suitably sorted, not too heavy, 48 s. per cwt. ; well
cured tobacco, 4 d. per pound ; good tryed tallow, 8 d. per
pound."
At the annual meeting it was "voted that no person shall
cutt down or other ways distroy any trees standing on y e
country rode or on any town way within two miles of Merrimack
river, on y e forfeiture of forty shillings per tree so cut or
destroyed." How changed are things ! At
present there are not
trees enough beside the road for the weary traveller to rest
under.
Thomas Fowler died, October 3d. He was a man of con-
siderable note, having served as representative in 1695, I 7°°>
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