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The New Hampshire Gazette And Historical Chronicle Domestic News May 26, 1775
Portsmouth, Rockingham, New Hampshire
What is this article about?
About 20 barrels of gunpowder were removed from the Williamsburg magazine by the governor's wagon under a marine escort; the Common Hall protested and demanded its return, but the governor said he had moved it for safekeeping and would return it if needed.
Quality green show the numbers
Measured from the scan
— how cleanly the OCR engine read the characters
- Mean ink quality
- 98.0% The length-weighted average confidence across the OCR lines — the mean of exactly the per-line scores whose tails the two figures below report. Typical is 99%.
- Illegible ink
- 0.0% Text sitting in OCR-detected lines that scored below 80% confidence — very shaky reads. Weighted by line length, so one long bad line counts for more than a short one.
- Uncertain ink
- 1.6% Text in lines that scored 80–90% — somewhat shaky reads.
- Matches source
- 95.91% How closely the served text matches the raw OCR of the same boxes, letter by letter, after collapsing spacing and case. This measures agreement, not correctness: the OCR is often wrong and the extractor corrects it, so 100% does not mean perfect, and a low figure usually means poor scan text was rewritten rather than that text was lost (length vs source shows loss).
- Length vs source
- 99.65% Below 100% means text was dropped from the OCR; above means text was added to make it read.
Assembled by the extraction model
— whether the stitched-together text holds up; catches layout and segmentation errors, which the scores above cannot see
- Transcription confidence
- 95.0% (typical 96%) How cleanly the extractor could assemble what it was given. Low here with clean ink scores points at layout analysis — the characters were read correctly but grouped or ordered wrongly.
- Comprehension
- 95.0% Whether the piece reads coherently start to finish. Can stay high while transcription confidence drops, when only part of the component is affected.
Clipping
Full Text
WILLIAMSBURGH (in Virginia) April 21.
THIS Morning, between 3 and 4 o'clock, all the Gun-Powder in the Magazine, to the Amount as we hear, of about 20 Barrels, was carried off in his Excellency the Governor's Waggon, escorted by a Detachment of Marines from the armed Schooner Magdalen, now lying at Burwell's Ferry, and lodged on board that Vessel. As soon as the News took Wind, the whole City was alarmed, and much exasperated; and numbers got themselves in Readiness to repair to the Palace, to demand from the Governor a Restoration of what they so justly supposed was deposited in this Magazine for the Country's Defence. However, as some Gentlemen represented the Propriety of remonstrating to the Governor upon this Occasion, in a decent and respectful Manner, the Common Hall assembled, and, after deliberating some time, waited upon his Excellency with the following Address, which was presented by the Hon. Peyton Randolph, Esq; Recorder of this City, and is as follows:
My Lord,
WE his Majesty's dutiful and loyal Subjects, the Mayor, Recorder, Aldermen, and Common Council of the City of Williamsburg, in common Hall assembled, humbly beg Leave to represent to your Excellency, that the Inhabitants of this City were this Morning exceedingly alarmed by a Report that a large Quantity of Gun-Powder was, in the preceding Night, while they were sleeping in their Beds, removed from the public Magazine in this City, and conveyed under an Escort of Marines, on board one of his Majesty's armed Vessels lying at a Ferry on James River.
We beg Leave to represent to your Excellency, that as this Magazine was erected at the public Expence of this Colony, and appropriated to the safe keeping of such Ammunition as should be there lodged from Time to Time, for the Protection and Security of the Country, by arming thereout such of the Militia as might be necessary in Cases of Invasions and Insurrections, they humbly conceive it to be the only proper Repository to be resorted to in Times of eminent Danger.
We farther beg Leave to inform your Excellency, that from various Reports, at present prevailing in different Parts of the Country, we have too much Reason to believe that some wicked and designing Persons have instilled the most diabolical Notions into the Minds of our Slaves, and that therefore the utmost Attention to our internal Security is become the more necessary.
The Circumstances of this City, my Lord, we consider as peculiar and critical. The Inhabitants, from the Situation of the Magazine, in the Midst of their City, have for a long Tract of Time been exposed to all those Dangers which have happened in many Countries from Explosions, and other Accidents. They have, from time to time, thought it incumbent on them to guard the Magazine. For their Security, they have some time past judged it necessary to keep strong Patrols on Foot: In their present Circumstances, then, to have the chief and necessary Means of their Defence removed, cannot but be extremely alarming.
Considering ourselves as Guardians of the City, we therefore humbly desire to be informed by your Excellency upon what Motives, and for what particular Purpose, the Powder has been carried off in such a Manner, and we earnestly entreat your Excellency to order it to be immediately returned to the Magazine.
To which Address his Excellency returned this verbal Answer:
THAT hearing of an Insurrection in a neighbouring County he had removed the Powder from the Magazine, where he did not think it secure, to a Place where it would be in perfect Security and that upon his Word and Honor, whenever it was wanted, on any Insurrection, it should be delivered in Half an Hour.
That he had removed it in the Night Time to prevent any Alarm, and that Capt. Collins had his express Commands for the Part he had acted. He was surprised to hear the People were under Arms on this Occasion, and that he should not think it prudent to put Powder into their Hands in such a Situation.
THIS Morning, between 3 and 4 o'clock, all the Gun-Powder in the Magazine, to the Amount as we hear, of about 20 Barrels, was carried off in his Excellency the Governor's Waggon, escorted by a Detachment of Marines from the armed Schooner Magdalen, now lying at Burwell's Ferry, and lodged on board that Vessel. As soon as the News took Wind, the whole City was alarmed, and much exasperated; and numbers got themselves in Readiness to repair to the Palace, to demand from the Governor a Restoration of what they so justly supposed was deposited in this Magazine for the Country's Defence. However, as some Gentlemen represented the Propriety of remonstrating to the Governor upon this Occasion, in a decent and respectful Manner, the Common Hall assembled, and, after deliberating some time, waited upon his Excellency with the following Address, which was presented by the Hon. Peyton Randolph, Esq; Recorder of this City, and is as follows:
My Lord,
WE his Majesty's dutiful and loyal Subjects, the Mayor, Recorder, Aldermen, and Common Council of the City of Williamsburg, in common Hall assembled, humbly beg Leave to represent to your Excellency, that the Inhabitants of this City were this Morning exceedingly alarmed by a Report that a large Quantity of Gun-Powder was, in the preceding Night, while they were sleeping in their Beds, removed from the public Magazine in this City, and conveyed under an Escort of Marines, on board one of his Majesty's armed Vessels lying at a Ferry on James River.
We beg Leave to represent to your Excellency, that as this Magazine was erected at the public Expence of this Colony, and appropriated to the safe keeping of such Ammunition as should be there lodged from Time to Time, for the Protection and Security of the Country, by arming thereout such of the Militia as might be necessary in Cases of Invasions and Insurrections, they humbly conceive it to be the only proper Repository to be resorted to in Times of eminent Danger.
We farther beg Leave to inform your Excellency, that from various Reports, at present prevailing in different Parts of the Country, we have too much Reason to believe that some wicked and designing Persons have instilled the most diabolical Notions into the Minds of our Slaves, and that therefore the utmost Attention to our internal Security is become the more necessary.
The Circumstances of this City, my Lord, we consider as peculiar and critical. The Inhabitants, from the Situation of the Magazine, in the Midst of their City, have for a long Tract of Time been exposed to all those Dangers which have happened in many Countries from Explosions, and other Accidents. They have, from time to time, thought it incumbent on them to guard the Magazine. For their Security, they have some time past judged it necessary to keep strong Patrols on Foot: In their present Circumstances, then, to have the chief and necessary Means of their Defence removed, cannot but be extremely alarming.
Considering ourselves as Guardians of the City, we therefore humbly desire to be informed by your Excellency upon what Motives, and for what particular Purpose, the Powder has been carried off in such a Manner, and we earnestly entreat your Excellency to order it to be immediately returned to the Magazine.
To which Address his Excellency returned this verbal Answer:
THAT hearing of an Insurrection in a neighbouring County he had removed the Powder from the Magazine, where he did not think it secure, to a Place where it would be in perfect Security and that upon his Word and Honor, whenever it was wanted, on any Insurrection, it should be delivered in Half an Hour.
That he had removed it in the Night Time to prevent any Alarm, and that Capt. Collins had his express Commands for the Part he had acted. He was surprised to hear the People were under Arms on this Occasion, and that he should not think it prudent to put Powder into their Hands in such a Situation.
What sub-type of article is it?
Politics
Rebellion Or Revolt
What keywords are associated?
Williamsburg Gunpowder
Magazine Removal
Common Hall Protest
What entities or persons were involved?
Peyton Randolph
Capt. Collins
Where did it happen?
Williamsburg, Virginia
Domestic News Details
Primary Location
Williamsburg, Virginia
Event Date
1775 04 21
Key Persons
Peyton Randolph
Capt. Collins
Outcome
gunpowder removed from the magazine; city alarmed; governor promised to return it within half an hour if needed.