wis

Montreal. A committee appointed for the purpose by the citizens of Burlington met their distinguished visitor at St. Johns, Canada, and came up Lake Champlain to Burlington in the boat "Phonix," and as he landed at the wharf, crowds pressed towards him to get a fair view of him or to shake hands. Before he left the wharf an amusing incident took place. Edward Higby from the town of St. George, an active town politician, and an enthusiastic Whig, and a great admirer of Clay, climbed a board pile to get near the person of Clay, and as he reached out his hand toward him, a board on which Higby stood gave away and would have sent Higby head long to the ground, had not Clay, who saw the fix that Higby was in, placed his foot on the board to keep it from sliding and grasped Higby by the hand. As Clay placed his foot on the board Higby was shouting at the top of his voice. "Henry Clay saved his country twice," as he got so far Clay grasped him by the hand, and Higby closed his sentence by saying, "and Lewis Higby once by-."

When the citizens of Burlington learned that Clay was to give the town a visit a cavalry company of 80 men were hurriedly gathered, uniformly dressed in white pantaloons, vests and coats and plug hats, that served as an escort while Clay was in town. He was escorted to the Hotel of John Howard on the north side of what was then called "Court House Square," where Clay addressed the throng. He was then escorted to the dwelling house of Horace Loomis on the north side of Pearl Street where he remained over night as the guest of

Horace Loomis. The next day he attended the commencement exercises of the Vermont University at the old White Street Church. As the procession came from the college down Pearl Street, they stopped at Loomis's where Clay and his escort joined the procession and walked to the church. James Clay was with his father on this tour. In the evening of the same day a reception was held at the house of Samuel Hickock on the north side of Main Street opposite of the present site of the Van Ness House. At ten o'clock that evening Clay left Burlington, accompanied by the Committee in the boat "Congress" amid the deafening shouts and good wishes of the people, as the boat moved up the lake towards Whitehall.

Henry Clay gave Horace Loomis, whose guest he was, a cane that was cut by Clay from his Ashland, Kentucky homestead. The cane now is in possession of Edward C. Loomis, the son of said Horace Loomis, and is highly prized.

CHAPTER III.

DISTURBANCES AND BRITISH AGGRESSION ON THE NORTHERN FRONTIER FROM 1791 TO 1798 AND VERMONT'S

PART THEREIN.

It has been stated in Volume II of this history, there was, after the treaty of peace between the United States and Great Britain considerable irritation created on the northern frontier and especially in Alburg growing out of the British troops continuing to occupy some points within the jurisdiction of Vermont and there interfering with the duties of Vermont's officers under the laws of the State.

In considering the disturbances on the northern frontier with the British and the Indians, it will not be devoid of interest to relate more fully the nature and extent of the difficulty. Perhaps it was natural that the haughty British nation should look with disdain upon young America that had compelled her to grant to the Colonies an independent power, and to be extremely watchful that American citizens did not tread upon their rights or interfere with their pride.

In 1784, British garrisons were maintained from Ogdensburg easterly on the frontier in New York and northwestern Vermont, even as far south on

Vermont soil as North Hero at Dutchman's Point, and that a Britished armed sehooner, with a full complement of sailors, gunners and marines, was stationed at Windmill Bay between Alburgh, Vt. and Point au Fer in New York, and its commander had supervision of all boats passing through the Lake in any direction, co-operating with the garisons which the British had materially strengthened in 1791. All this looked, at least, as though they did not intend to live on terms of friendship with the people who lived on territory that had been wrenched from their grasp. Alburgh had been chartered to Ira Allen, February 23d, 1781, but had no legally organized government until June 7, 1792, when the people met and organized as a Vermont town. Congress had made Alburgh a port of entry but no serious disturbance had been created previous to 1792, as the act creating the place as a port of entry and making a place of residence for the collector of the district had not been put in force by Secretary Hamilton, but soon after interference by British officers commenced and continued with great annoyance till late in 1794. The difficulty was on the question of jurisdiction. When Canada belonged to France the jurisdictional line was latitude 45° north. And this line in 1776, had been agreed upon by Sir Henry Moore, then Governor of the Province of New York and Brig. Gen. Guy Carleton, then in Canada, and this line was acknowledged by Great Britain in the treaty of 1783 to be the northern boundry of the United States so far as a part of New York and Vermont were concerned. For

Great Britain

to maintain posts south of this line after 1783, was, clearly an infraction of that treaty, and this was finally admitted by the representatives of Great Britain, but they excused themselves for their course, and the exercise of authority south of that line on the ground, as they claimed, that the United States were at the same time violating some other articles of the treaty. On this question, that the facts may appear, it will be necessary to state that, on the first day of November 1744, the King of France had granted the township of Alburgh to Francis Focault; that after the conquest of Canada by Great Britain this grant had been confirmed by the King; that the title had passed from Focault through Gen. Haldimand and Henry Caldwell to John Caldwell-all British subjects; and that at the time of this controversy many citizens of Caldwell (now Alburgh) were in possession of their lands under the Caldwells, either by deeds or leases, and the British claim was that the title in Focault's successors was good. It has been stated that Alburgh had been granted to Ira Allen by Vermont. Henry Caldwell wrote Governor Chittenden from Belmont near Quebec on March 20, 1785, and said he had had frequent conversations with Col. Ira Allen respecting his property to the southward of the Province of Canada and he had stated that his claim was founded on a late grant from Vermont in consideration of his services rendered and expenses paid in the interest of the State, but that he was willing to relinquish his claim provided he got an equivalent from the State or elsewhere.