1633. farther encouragement of the hopeful work amongst them for the civilizing and helping them forward to Christianity, if any of the Indians shall be brought to civility, and shall come among the English to inhabit in any of their plantations, and shall live civilly and orderly, that such Indians shall have allotments among the English according to the custom of the English in the like case. It farther ordered, that if, upon good experience, there shall be a competent number of Indians brought on to civility, so as to be capable of a township, upon their request to the general court, they shall have grants of lands undisposed of, for a plantation, as the English have; and still farther ordered, that if any plantation or person of the English shall offer injuriously to put any of the Indians from their hunting grounds, or fishing places, upon their complaint and proof, they shall have relief in any of the courts amongst the English, as the English have.1 Other regulations, respecting traffic with them, were made at this time, which have the appearance, not only of justice and moderation, but of a parental regard to their interest and prosagainst idle- perity.2 Care was also taken to prevent, or punish, idleness,

ness and

extortion.

Sept. 4. Arrival of

eminent ministers

and others.

Oct. 11.

luxury, and extortion. The government required constables to present unprofitable fowlers, and tobacco takers, to the next magistrate; and ordered, that artificers, such as carpenters and masons, should not receive more than two shillings a day; and labourers but eighteen pence, and proportionably; and that no commodity should be sold at above four pence in the shilling above what their goods cost in England.3

Mr.

Three ministers of celebrity, John Cotton, Thomas Hooker, and Samuel Stone, together with John Haynes, afterward governor of Connecticut, and 200 emigrants from England, arrived at Boston. Mr. Hooker and Mr. Stone proceeded to Newtown, where the one was ordained pastor, and the other, teacher. Cotton remained in Boston, and was an assistant in the ministry to the first church in that town. His example and counsels were patriarchal. It was he, principally, who delineated the ecclesiastical polity of the New England churches, which, from this time, were styled Congregational. The fame of the removal of these

1 Massachusetts Colony Laws.

2 Belknap, Biog. ii. 417.

3 Winthrop, 116. Hubbard, c. 26. "Those good orders," regulating the prices of labour, and the profits of trade, "were not," says Hubbard," of long continuance, but did expire with the first golden age in this New World."

4 Hubbard, c. 28. Hutchinson, i. 419. Mr. Cotton had an early and intimate connexion with the Massachusetts colonists. At the embarkation for New England in 1630, he preached a sermon to governor Winthrop and his company, from 2 Sam. vii. 10. entitled " God's Promise to his Plantation." On his arrival at Massachusetts, he had very great influence in the affairs of church and of state. Hubbard says, "whatever he delivered in the pulpit was soon put into an order of court if of a civil, or set up as a practice in the church if of an ecclesiastical, concernment." See NOTE XXVII.

eminen men invited over great numbers of Puritans, who could 1633. find no rest under archbishop Laud's merciless administration.1

Connecti

cut river.

Wahquimacut, a sachem on the river Connecticut, having so- Colonists invited by licited the governors of the New England colonies to send men the natives to make settlements on the river, the Plymouth colonists had to settle on already made discoveries on that noble stream, and found a place where they judged a trading house might be advantageously erected.2 Governor Winslow and Mr. Bradford now visited Boston, and proposed to governor Winthrop and his council to join with Plymouth in a trade to Connecticut for hemp and beaver, and in the erection of a house for the purposes of commerce. It being reported, that the Dutch were about to build on Connecticut river, Winslow and Bradford represented it as necessary to prevent them from taking possession of that fine country; but Winthrop objected to the making of a plantation there, because there were 3000 or 4000 warlike Indians on the river; because the bar at the mouth was such, that small pinnaces only could enter it at high water; and because, seven months in the year, no vessels could go in, on account of the ice and the violence of the stream. This proposal being declined, the people of Plymouth determined to undertake the enterprise at their own risk. The materials for a house, entirely prepared, October. were put on board a vessel, and committed to a chosen company, which sailed for Connecticut. The Dutch of New Netherlands, Plymouth, hearing of the design, had just taken a station on that river, at the place where Hartford now stands; made a light fort; and planted two pieces of cannon.3 On the approach of the Plymouth adventurers, the Dutch forbade them to proceed up the river, ordered them to strike their colours, and threatened to fire on them. But the commander of the enterprise, disregarding

1 Mass. Hist. Soc. vii. 13. Neal says, that for several years hardly a vessel came into these parts, but was crowded with passengers for New England.

2 Trumbull, Conn. i. b. 1. c. 2. Mass. Hist. Soc. v. 167. The Pequots were conquering the river Indians, and driving their sachems from that part of the country. Wahquimacut, in 1631, made a journey to Plymouth and Boston, hoping that, if he could persuade the English to settle there, they would be his protectors. Governor Winthrop treated him with generosity, but paid no attention to his proposal. Governor Winslow seems to have gone soon after to Connecticut, and discovered the river and the adjacent parts, "when the Dutch had neither trading house, nor any pretence to a foot of land there." But whether the Dutch, or the English of Plymouth, were the first discoverers of the river, is uncertain. Trumbull.

3 Smith [N. York.] says, the Dutch built a fort on Connecticut river in 1623; but Dr. Trumbull says, Smith represents it "as built ten years before it was." In 1819, I went with Mr. Perkins of Hartford to see the remains of this Dutch fort, which were then distinctly visible, on the bank of Connecticut river-not far below the seat of the Wyllys family. There were some decayed pieces of timber, and bricks. In front of the mansion house we saw, still firmly standing, the venerable Oak which preserved the Charter of Connecticut. See A. D. 1687.

A company

sent from

erects the

in Connect

icut.

1633. the prohibition and the menaces, went resolutely forward, and, landing on the west side of the river, set up his house at some distance above the Dutch fort, and soon after fortified it with palifirst house sadoes. This was the first house erected in Connecticut.1 The river and country of Connecticut now began to attract much attention from the colonists. Several vessels went into this discoveries river, in the course of the year, to trade. John Oldham of Dorchester, Samuel Hall, and two other persons, travelled westward into the country as far as this river, on which they discovered many eligible situations for settlement.2

Trade and

there.

Rye produced. Ship and mills built.

Small pox

natives.

A specimen of rye was brought to the court of Massachusetts, as the first fruits of English grain.3 A ship of 60 tons was built at Medford. The first watermill in the colony was erected, this year, in Dorchester;5 another was also built, at Roxbury.

At the close of this year, and in the following winter, the among the small pox broke out among the natives of Massachusetts, and made great devastations among this unhappy race, apparently -destined, by various means, to ultimate extermination. Of this disease died Chickatabot, sachem of Neponset. John, Sagamore of Winesemet, and James, Sagamore of Saugus [Lynn], with almost all their people, also died of this disease. Above

1 Prince, 434-436, from Gov. Bradford. M'Clure, Settlement and Antiquities of Windsor, in Mass. Hist. Soc. v. 167. Trumbull, i. b. 1. c. 2. The place where this house was erected was a little below the mouth of Little River in Windsor. It was called by the natives Natawanute. The sachems, who were the original owners of the soil, having been driven from this part of the country by the Pequots; William Holmes, who conducted the enterprise from Plymouth, took them with him to their home, and restored them to their rights. Of these sachems the Plymouth people purchased the land, where they erected their house. The conquering Indians were offended at the restoration of the original proprietors of the country; and the proximity of two such neighbours, as the irritated Dutch, and the ferocious Pequots, rendered it difficult and hazardous for the English to retain their new purchase.

2 Hubbard, c. 27. Trumbull, Conn. i. b. 1. c. 2.

3 Johnson, N. Eng. 62. Hutchinson, i. 24. "This poor people," says Johnson, "greatly rejoiced to see the land would bear it."

4 Medford was begun to be settled very early; but we have scarcely any account of its first settlement. Deputy governor Dudley, speaking of the first transactions of the colonists, who arrived in 1630, says, "some of us" planted "upon Mistick, which we named Meadford." Lett. to countess of Lincoln, 14. It was so considerable, as to be taxed with the other towns in 1632. See that year.

5 Mass. Hist. Soc. ix. 164. Dr. Harris. from Blake's MS. Annals, says, it was erected by Mr. Stoughton, by leave of the plantation, on Neponset river. 6 Winthrop, 116. This at Roxbury "was built by Mr. Dummer." 7" This sachem lived near the Neponset river, probably on the eastern side, as there Wood, in his map, 1634, places his wigwam, but his power, no doubt, reached several miles round.- His son, Josiah, grandson, Jeremy, and great grandson, Charles Josiah, succeeded in the humble sovereignty." Savage, Note on Winthrop, 48. See Harris, History of Dorchester, Mass. Hist. Soc. ix, 160, 161. Morton, 175. Hubbard [c. 29.] says, this part of the country, which had been most populated with Indians, was almost "unpeopled" by this disease?

30 of John Sagamore's people were buried by Mr. Maverick, 1633. of Winesemet, in one day. John Sagamore was brought, by his desire, among the English; and promised, if he should recover, to live with them, and serve their God. He left one son, whom he assigned to Mr. Wilson, minister of Boston, to be brought up by him. He gave a good quantity of wampompeague to the governor, and gifts to several others; and died in a persuasion that he should go to the Englishman's God.1

chooses 7

The colony of Plymouth added two assistants to the former Plymouth number, making seven in the whole; and this number was never assistants. exceeded in its subsequent elections.2

1634.

icy of lord

LORD BALTIMORE laid the foundation of his province on the Liberal polbroad basis of security to property, and of freedom in religion; Baltimore. granting, in absolute fee, 50 acres of land to every emigrant; and establishing Christianity agreeably to the old common law, of which it is part, without allowing preeminence to any particular sect. George Calvert, brother of the governor, arrived early this year at Point Comfort, near the mouth of the Potowmac, with the first colony, consisting of about 200 Roman Catholics from England. Proceeding to Potowmac river, he passed by March 3. the Indian town of that name, and went to Piscataway, where, Firstcolon First colony by presents to the head men, he conciliated their friendship to Potowmac such a degree, that they offered to cede one part of their town for the setto the settlers, and to live in the other until they could gather their Maryland. harvest; after which they were to resign the whole to the English. Calvert, thus amicably obtaining possession of the whole town, gave it the name of St. Mary's; and applied himself, with great assiduity, to the cultivation of his new colony; the settlement of which is said to have cost lord Baltimore above £40,000 sterling.

The settlements in Massachusetts were now extended more than 30 miles from the capital, and the number of freemen was

Winthrop, 119, 120. "Divers of them, in their sickness, confessed that the Englishman's God was a good God; and that, if they recovered, they would serve him. It wrought much with them, that when their own people forsook them, yet the English came daily and ministered to them; and yet few took any infection by it." Among others, Mr. Maverick of Winesemet is honourably commemorated. "Himself, his wife and servants, went daily to them, ministered to their necessities, and buried their dead, and took home many of their children. So did other of their neighbours."

2 Hubbard, N. Eng. c. 16.

3 Chalmers, b. 1. 207. Belknap, Biog. ii. 376. Humphreys, Hist. Account, 28. Univ. Hist. xl. 468. Europ. Settlements, iii. 228. Bozman's Maryland, 270-274. They sailed from England 22 November 1633, and stopped at the West Indies; they were chiefly gentlemen of good families. The names of the principal characters are mentioned in Bozman's Maryland, 268, 269.

tlement of

sentatives

chusetts.

1634. greatly multiplied. So remote were some townships from the seat of government, and so great the inconvenience of assembling all the freemen for the business of legislation; that the constitution was altered, by general consent of the towns. At a general court for elections at Newtown in May, 24 of the principal inMay 14. First repre- habitants of the colony appeared as the representatives of the in Mass body of freemen. Before they proceeded to the choice of Massamagistrates, they asserted their right to a greater share in the government than they had hitherto been allowed, and passed several resolutions, defining the powers of the general court, and ordaining trial by jury. After the election of magistrates, they farther determined, that there should be four general courts every year; that the whole body of freemen should be present at the court of election only; and that the freemen of every town might choose deputies, to act in their names at the other general courts, which deputies should have the full power of all the freerepresenta men. The legislative body thus became settled; and, with but tives estab- inconsiderable alterations, remained in this form during the continuance of the charter. This was the second house of representatives in the American colonies.2

Trial by

jury.

House of

lished.

This innovation exciting an inquiry into the nature of the liberty and privileges of the people, which threatened disturbance to the colony; the ministers, and the most prudent citizens, were consulted, respecting a body of laws, adapted to the state of the colony, and a uniform order of discipline in the churches.3

1 Winthrop, i. 128, 129. Colony Records, cited by Mr. Savage, who gives the names of the first representatives of Massachusetts. Ib. Hazard, 320, 321, from Mass. Records. Hutchinson, i. c. 1. 1634, and c. 5. This first general court of delegates resolved, that none but the General Court has power to choose and admit freemen; to make and establish laws; to elect and appoint officers, as governor, deputy governor, assistants, treasurer, secretary, captain, lieutenants, ensigns, " or any of like moment," or to remove such upon misdemeanour, also to prescribe their duties and powers; to raise money and taxes; and to, dispose of lands, "viz. to give and confirm proprieties." It was farther ordered, that the constable of every plantation shall, upon precept received from the secretary, give timely notice to the freemen of the plantation where he dwells, to send so many of their said members, as the precept shall direct, to attend upon public service. It was also "agreed, that no trial shall pass upon any for life, or banishment, but by a Jury so summoned, or by the General Court." The representatives, at the same time, imposed a fine on the court of assistants for violating an order of the general court; but it was "remitted again before the court broke up." They enacted, that "it shall be lawful for the freemen of every plantation to choose two or three of each town before every general court, to confer of, and prepare such publick business as by them shall be thought fit to consider of at the next general court, and such persons as shall be hereafter so deputed by the freemen, shall have the full power and voices of all the said freemen derived to them for the making and establishing of lawes, granting of lands &c. and to deal in all other affairs of the commonwealth wherein the freemen have to do, the matter of election of magistrates and other officers only excepted, wherein every freeman is to give his own vote." The general courts were soon reduced to two in a year.

2 The first was in Virginia. See A. D. 1619.

3 Hubbard, N. Eng. c. 26.