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Precepts in the form following were issued to the Selectmen & Assessors of the several towns & Plantations composing the Hancock & Washington district, to wit.

State of Maine.

[to the left is a circle with "Seal." inside it and "Albion K. Parris," written under it]

To the Selectmen of the town of _______, in Hancock and Washington District:

Greeting:

Whereas it is provided by law, that if it appears by the returns of the votes for a Representative to Congress for any District, that no person is chosen by a majority of all the votes, the Governor shall cause precepts to issue to the Selectmen of the several towns, and the Assessors of the several plantations within such District, directing the requiring them t warn the qualified electors of said towns and plantations to give in their votes for a Representative for said District: And whereas it appears from votes duly returned from the several towns and plantations in said Hancock & Washington district, that no person has a majority of all the votes: These are in the name of the State, To require you, in manner as the law directs for calling town meetings, to cause the qualified electors of the town of _______, to assemble on the second Monday of September next, being the eighth day of said month, to give in their votes to the Selectmen, who shall preside at said meeting, for one Representative, that is an inhabitant of the said District, to represent them in the Congress of the United States of America:

And you the said Selectmen, or a major part of you, shall in open town meeting, sort and count the votes, and form a list of the names of the persons voted for, with the number of votes for each person, written in words at length against his name; and shall make public declaration in town meeting, of the persons voted for, and of the number of votes they respectively have; and shall in open town meeting seal up said list, certified by you, expressing on the outside thereof the District in which the votes were given, and transmit the same to the Secretary of this State, on or before the seventh day of October next.

Given at the Council Chamber in Portland, this twenty second day of July, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and twenty three, and in the forty eighth year of the Independence of the United States of America.

By the Governor;

A: Nichols, Secretary of State,”

[The following is in the left margin under the seal/signature]

A List of the persons voted for in Lincoln District, showing the number of votes for each person according to the second return.

Mark L. Hill, 833 Ebenezer Herrick, 821 Jeremiah Bailey, 333 Daniel Rose, 65 Samuel Thatcher, 22 Nathaniel Groton, 1 Parker McCobb, 1 Josiah Bailey, 1 Benjamin Fisk, 1 Edward Killeran, 1 Oliver Platt, 1 M. Hill, 1 Jotham Chase, 1

[Total,] 2082