History of Northampton, Massachusetts, from its settlement in 1654;

1793.] ST. CLAIR S DEFEAT—POST-OFFICE—FIRE ENGINE. 561
cause there must also be a great increase of expense for public buildings
all which the present County are completely furnished with in a
central situation.
"5. Because we humbly conceive that if the Legislature should
adopt some more certain method to obtain the sentiments of the several
Towns within this County they would find a very great majority
opposed to a division ; and a very considerable majority even of the
Towns within the limits of the new proposed County ; as only eleven
Towns joined in the Petition when the whole were called on for that
particular purpose.
" 6. Because we look forward to 1795, and contemplate at the time
of revising the Constitution, that (if necessary) there will be a revision
of all the Counties within the Commonwealth, and that any partial
division at this time may interfere vnth the general plan that may then
be adopted, or that some other measures will be concerted that shall
effectually remedy the local inconveniences that many of the Counties
within the Commonwealth are now complaining of.
"The foregoing report being read and unanimously accepted, and
the Town Clerk directed to transmit an attested Copy thereof to the
General Court."
A Committee to In- The STiggestion in the above report that a
vestigate. Committee should be sent into the county
to ascertain the sentiments of the people,
was acted upon by the Legislature. In May, 1793, the
town apjjointed Ebenezer Hunt and William Lyman,
agents to appear before the committee with instructions to
oppose a division and "urge the expediency and necessity
of holding all the Courts in a central situation in preference
to any other possible alteration." The legislative committee
met at Asahel Pomeroy's tavern on the third Tuesday
in October. Nothing resulted from this attempt to divide
the county. Probably the committee found that the sentiment
of the people was not yet sufiiciently concentrated to
render any such movement desirable.
Attempt to Increase In the Warrant for the April meeting in
the Schoolmaster's 1793^ ^as an article "to see if the town
Wages. Dancing. .,, __ _ , __
Will encrease Master Lyman and Master
Guilford's wages" and another "to see if the Town will
permit dancing in the school under certain regulations."
Was the above action owing to the admission of girls to
the schools ? In the first place it is but reasonable to suppose
that the schoolmasters considered themselves entitled