Fifty years ago the gubernatorial chair of the State was occupied by one of its most distinguished citizens, a native and. resident of the old town of EppingWilliam Plumer-a man of marked ability, who had represented New Hampshire in the Federal Senate with honor to himself and credit to the State. A few weeks since our people, in their soverreign capacity, made choice of another native and resident of Epping to succeed Governor Cheney, as their Chief Magistrate, in June next.

BENJAMIN F. PRESCOTT, Governorelect, is the son and only child of Nathan Gove Prescott-a descendant of Capt. Jonathan Prescott who fought with Pep

perell at the siege of Louisburg-an Epping farmer who married Miss Betsey H. Richards, daughter of Capt. Benjamin Richards of Madbury. The Prescott homestead, where the Governor-elect was born on the 26th of February, 1833, is situated something more than a mile to the north west of the pleasant little village of Epping Corner, and less than a mile from the Plumer mansion. Here young Prescott passed his life, until about fifteen years of age, in daily labor upon the farm, with the exception of the time occupied in attending the brief terms of the district school, developing by honest toil the superior physical powers with which he was endowed, and laying the

foundation for that robust manhood, without which, complete success is almost unattainable in every department of human labor.

The first mental training, outside the district school, of which he secured the advantage, was afforded by a private school at the village, under the tuition of Samuel H. Worcester, who subsequently became a noted teacher, and is now a well known physician of Salem, Mass. After this he attended several terms at the Blanchard Academy in Pembroke and in the fall of 1850 he entered the preparatory course at Phillips Academy, Exeter, a year in advance, remaining three full years, so that in the fall of 1850, he was enabled to enter the Sophomore class at Dartmouth, where he graduated with honor in 1859. Among his class mates at Exeter was Jeremiah Smith of Dover, subsequently an Associate Justice of the Supreme Judicial Court, and among the same at Dartmouth were F. D.Ayer now pastor of the North Church at Concord, Sullivan M. Cutcheon, late Speaker of the Michigan House of Representatives, and Lyman G. Hinckley of Chelsea, Vt., subsequently Lieutenant Governor of that State. While at Dartmouth he was a member,and at one time president, of the United Fraternity literary society, and at Exeter he was a member of the Golden Branch society in which he occupied the position of president and orator.

Soon after his graduation Mr. Prescott entered the office of H. A. & A. H. Bellows, at Concord, as a student at law, where he diligently pursued his studies until 1859, when he was admitted to the Merrimack County bar and commenced the practice of the profession, which he continued at Concord for about two years. In 1861, upon the appointment of Hon. George G. Fogg, editor of the Independent Democrat,as Minister to Switzerland, he was offered the position of associate editor of the paper, which he accepted, remaining with Mr. Hadley, in charge of the paper until Mr. Fogg's return from Europe in 1866. The period of his editorial service covered that of the war of the Rebellion, and the develop ment of the reconstruction policy of Congress, and the vigorous support

which the Independent Democrat gave President Lincoln and the measures of the Administration party was due in no small degree to the earnest nature and forcible pen of Mr. Prescott. During the latter part of Lincoln's administration he received an appointment as Special Agent of the Treasury, which position he held until the change of policy under President Johnson, when he was removed and Harry Bingham of Littleton appointed in his stead. Subsequently he held the same position for a time under President Grant. After the death of his father in 1866, Mr. Prescott devoted much of his time and labor to the improvement of the old homestead at Epping, which thereupon came into his possession, though retaining his voting residence in Concord until some three or four years since. In 1872 he was chosen by the Legislature, Secretary of State, and was re-elected the following year, as he was in 1875 and 1876, holding the position at the present time. Through his long incumbency in this office he has not only become intimately acquainted with the leading men of both parties in all sections of the State, but has also acquired a thorough understanding of public affairs, which qualifies him in an eminent degree for the discharge of the duties of the Executive office, which he is to assume next June. Moreover, it will not, we trust, be improper to remark in this connection, that, in all his relations with the public in the performance of his duty as Secretary of State, he has given the highest degree of satisfaction to men of all parties, and his unfailing courtesy, as well as faithful attention to duty, has unquestionably drawn to his support some, who, had any other individual been the candidate in his stead, would have given their votes to the opposite party.

As is well known to many, Mr. Prescott has a decided taste for historical and antiquarian research, which he has indulged in no small degree. He has long been an active member of the New Hampshire Historical Society, and is now First Vice President of that association. He is also a member and Vice President of the New Hampshire Antiquarian Society which, although established but a few

years since, has, under its earnest and vigorous management, already acquired an honorable position among kindred associations, and has at its headquarters at Contoocookville a rare and extensive collection of antiquities. About a year ago Mr. Prescott was made a member of the Royal Historical Society of London, an honor which no other citizen of New Hampshire enjoys. The attention of the Society having been attracted to him, undoubtedly, through his extensive correspondence with officers and members, while engaged in the work of securing for the State the portraits of those who figured conspicuously in its early history, which, together with those of the celebrities of later years, most of which were also obtained through his instrumentality, constitute a collection of rare interest and great historical value. In making this collection for the State House, Mr. Prescott has labored with a disinterrested perseverance seldom equalled, overcoming serious obstacles in many instances, and the success which has crowned his efforts, while a source of honest pride to every citizen of the State, has redounded to his own credit and the esteem in which he is held by the public. As we have said, Mr. Prescott has spent much time and labor upon his farm, bringing it under a superior state of cultivation. He has added largely to the original homestead, and has now about three hundred acres of land, making, altogether, one of the largest, as it is one of the best, farms in the town. Its chief products are fruit, corn, hay and neat stock. Of the former, several hundred barrels of choice varieties are produced annually. When at home Mr. Prescott is, even now, often found in the field or the woods at work with the men, and few there are who can compete with him in any branch of farm labor. His love of Agriculture and practical knowledge of its requirements fits him in a high degree for the position to which he was appointed by Gov. Weston in 1874 as a member of the Board of Trustees of the State Agricultural College.

Upon the same spot occupied by the old family dwelling, Mr. Prescott erected in 1875, an elegant modern residence,

which is thoroughly and tastefully finished throughout, and furnished in a corresponding manner, with an aim to genuine home comfort and a certain degree of luxury. A choice library, rare paintings, curiosities and relics, gratify and illustrate the taste of the owner, and all the surroundings are pervaded with an air of refinement and prosperity seldom witnessed, yet most delightful to contemplate. The locality itself is one of the most pleasant and picturesque to be found in the region. In short, everything combines to make the home of the Governor-elect the abode of comfort and true enjoyment. Here his accomplished wife, formerly Miss Mary L. Noyes, daughter of Jefferson Noyes, Esq., of Concord, with whom he was united in June, 1869, presides with true womanly dignity and grace, while his beloved mother, whose devoted affection for her only child is fittingly supplemented by her just pride in his successful career, is a cherished member of the household.

Mr. Prescott is of commanding personal appearance, standing about six feet in height, with a large frame and full development. He has a fresh and ruddy complexion, showing the free circulation that comes of perfect bodily health. His clear hazel eyes look you frankly in the face, while his dark hair and beard, which he wears full but well trimmed, are tinged with gray. His mental organization is as fresh and vigorous as his physical, with a marked development of the perceptive powers, giving him the ready judgment of men, which has contributed in no small degree to his success. In his manners he is thoroughly democratic, meeting all as equals, and with a charming courtesy which puts one immediately at ease, and his popularity in the social circle is as great as in public life. In religion, while his sympathies are with what is known as the liberal element, he contributes alike to the support of the different denominations in his town.

Just in the prime and vigor of life, and having attained a distinction which few at his age have reached, our Governorelect may consistently look forward to a lengthy future career of honor and usefulness.

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No bells, bonfires nounced the arrival of the little barque which sailed up the "deep waters" of the Piscataquack in 1623, and landed on Odiorne's Point, the founders of a new State. Tradition does not repeat nor history record the name of the ship nor of the captain who commanded it. The Mayflower and the men who landed on Plymouth Rock, in 1620, are as famous in history as Jason and his associates, who sought the Golden Fleece,are in ancient mythology. New England men never weary of eulogies of forefathers' day; and they will, probably, never cease to commemorate the heroism and piety of those fortytwo god-fearing men, who signed the first written constitution known to human history. Still, the Plymouth Colony, by itself, wrought no nobler or better work for mankind than the unnoticed, almost unnamed colonists who founded New Hampshire. Massachusetts Bay settlers, the Puritans, eclipsed the humbler efforts of the Pilgrims at Plymouth. The Pilgrims bore the sufferings of exile, privation and toil; but the Puritans at a later date appropriated the fame and the honor which rose from the laws, government and institutions of Massachusetts. Capt. John Mason, the Proprietor of New Hampshire, sent over fifty Englishmen and twenty-two women, besides eight Danes who were employed in sawing lumber and making potash. This number exceeded that of the Mayflower. It is not probable that all these men and women came in the first ship. Many of them arrived several years after the first company of planters occupied Odiorne's Point. There is no reason to suppose that many women, possibly not one, came in 1623. Some writers suppose that the Hiltons and a few other leading men brought their wives with them. For, ten years after the first settlement, the

letters of the proprietor and his agents in London, speak of sending the wives of some of the colonists or of supporting them, at the company's expense, at home. The very slow progress of the settlements at Cocheco and Strawberry Bank show that the laborers were few; for only three houses had been built, on the Bank in seven years, and only three in ten years, at the upper plantation. If families were united in these labors, six houses would scarcely suffice for eighty persons. Why were these colonists less renowned than the Pilgrims of Plymouth? The previous history of the Pilgrims, their persecutions at home, and their residence in Holland made them famous. Religion occupied the thoughts of all Englishmen. The Pilgrims were exiles for conscience' sake; they suffered for the common liberties and rights of the whole people.

The first settlers at Portsmouth and Dover were adventurers, bold, hardy, and resolute,like all pioneers who go into the wilderness to better their condition. Such is generally the character of emigrants who found new states. Philosophers tell us that from the race, the epoch and the surroundings of a people, their future history may be accurately predicted. Here then is a problem for the prophet's solution. The race is Saxon; the epoch is one of progress, enterprise, discovery and controversy, both with the pen and the sword. The surroundings are the wilderness before them and the ocean behind them. The soil is rugged; the climate is severe. Tell me, then, thou boasting seer, what will be the fate of this handful of men, as destitute and helpless as though they had dropped upon the earth from some distant planet. Will they die of starvation, be devoured by wild beasts or be massacred by savages? By occupation, they were fishmongers,

farmers and mechanics. "Their several businesses" assigned by their employers, were to fell the trees, till the soil, fish, hunt and mine. Incessant labor in these occupations failed to support them; and the proprietors were obliged to sink their fortunes in the abyss of debt which these plantations opened. John Mason, who was a man of mark, and would have been distinguished in any age, was financially ruined; but like Phaeton, guiding the chariot of the sun, he fell from great undertakings. Instead of securing coronets and mitres for his posterity he died the victim of disappointed hopes:

"No son of his succeeding."

The men he hired to plant his colony had not sufficient education, religion nor integrity to make them true to their trust. That they were illiterate, appears from the fact that many of them could not write their names. So little is said of their religion that, it may be presumed they had none to speak of. They did not attempt to gather a church, at Dover, till 1638. Then, they were broken up by quarrels, and some of their early clergymen were fitter for the penitentiary than the pulpit. At Portsmouth. no provision was made for preaching till 1640, when a Glebe of fifty acres was granted for the support of an Episcopal chapel; and Richard Gibson was the first incumbent. The first Congregational church was formed much later. The founders of Exeter and Hampton were led by clergymen, and churches sprang up with the towns themselves. That the servants of Mr. Mason were dishonest appears from the fact that, after his death, they plundered his estate, drove away his cattle that he had imported at great expense, and sold them in Boston for twenty-five pounds sterling a head, and appropriated his goods. There was no local government sufficiently powerful to punish great crimes; while the proprietor ruled through agents, factors and superintend

ents, there was little restraint over servants but the personal influence of the so called governors. The laborers were the "hired men" of the proprietor who lived three thousand miles away. They were neither masters of their time, their labor, nor of its rewards. If the value of plantations and mills was enhanced, the profit was not for them. They neither owned the premises where they worked, nor shared the gains nor losses that resulted from their labors. When they became free-holders, and made compacts or "combinations" for the better government of the plantations, and the more certain punishment of crimes, the stimulus of property, liberty and suffrage elevated the laborers, and fitted them to do, dare and suffer more than any other New England Colony. The people of Portsmouth formed a political compact as early as 1633, but it gained from the crown no authority to make laws or punish offenders. Dr. Belknap says, that, till 1640, the people of Dover and Portsmouth had no power of government delegated from the King. At that time, they formed themselves into a body politic as the people of Exeter had done the year before. The next year, 1641, all the four plantations formed a union with Massachusetts, and voluntarily submitted to her jurisdiction. They were allowed peculiar privileges, for in 1642, the following decree was passed by the General Court of Massachusetts: "It is ordered that all the present inhabitants of Piscataquack, who formerly were free there, shall have liberty of freemen in their several towns to manage all their town affairs, and each town [shall] send a deputy to the General Court, though they be not church members." From this date the laws, usages and customs of the larger colony became the inheritance of the smaller; and the union which continued for thirty-nine years, was 66 a consummation devoutly to be wished," by both the high contracting parties.