like manner with the remembrance of my service to his Lopp, beseeching him not to bee slacke, wherein you know his helpe may further the best wee shall gaine thereby wil bee the knowledge of what may bee expected from him hereafter, and so I comitt you to God, and rest.

(Signed)

Y'assured loveing friend,

Bristoll, the 6th April, 1632.

FERD. GORGES.

To his assured loveing friend Captaine John Mason att his house att Debtford. Psent theise.

LEVETT'S VOYAGE,* &c.

[FURNISHED BY HON. S. D. BELL.]

"A voyage into New-England, begun in 1623 and ended in 1624; performed by Christopher Levett, His Majesty's Woodward, of Somersetshire, and one of the Council of New-England:" was printed, as appears by the imprint, in 1628. It is prefaced by a report

"To the Right Honorable George, Duke of Buckingham; His Grace, Thomas, Earl of Arundel and Surrey; Robert, Earl of Warwick; John, Earl of Holderness; and the rest of the Council for New-England."

"May it please your lordships that whereas you granted your commission unto Capt. Robert Gorges, Governor of NewEngland, Capt. Francis West, myself, and the Governor of New Plymouth, as counsellors with him for the ordering and governing of all the said territories, wherein we have been. diligent to the utmost of our powers, as we shall be ready to render an account unto your honors when you shall be pleased to require us thereunto. In the meantime I thought it my duty to present to your views such observations as I have taken," &c. CHRISTOPHER Levett.

CHAPTER I. The first place I set my foot upon in NewEngland was the Isle of Shoals, being islands in the sea about

*See Me. Hist. Soc. II, p. 73.

two leagues from the main. Upon these islands I neither could see one good timber tree, nor so much good ground as to make a garden. The next place I came unto was Pannaway, where one M. Thomson hath made a plantation. There I stayed about one month, in which time I sent for my men from the east, who came over in divers ships. At this place I met with the governor who came thither in a bark which he had from one M. Weston, about twenty days before I arrived in the land.

The Governor then told me that I was joined with him in commission as counsellor, which, being read, I found it was 80. And he then, in the presence of three more of the council, administered unto me an oath.

In the time I stayed with M. Tomson I surveyed as much as possible I could, the weather being unseasonable, and very much snow. About two English miles further to the east I found a great river and a good harbor, called Pascattaway," &c.

Capt. Levett's account is sustained by Governor Bradford. See Morton N. E. Memorial, as follows:

"About the middle of September [1623] arrived Captain Robert Gorges in the Bay of Massachusetts, with sundry passengers and families, intended there to begin a plantation, and pitched upon that place which Mr. Weston, forenamed, had forsaken. He had a commission from the Council of NewEngland to be general governor of the country, and they appointed for his council and assistants Capt. Francis West, the aforesaid admiral [of New-England], Christopher Levett, Esq., and the Governor of Plymouth for the time being. Also they gave him authority to choose such others as he should find fit. Also they gave him by their commission full power to him and his assistants, or any three of them (whereof himself was always to be one), to do and execute what to them should seem, in all cases, capital, criminal, and civil, with divers other instructions, of which and his commission it pleased him to suffer the Governor of Plymouth to take a copy.

He, meeting with the aforesaid Mr. Weston, at Plimouth, called him before him and some of the other assistants, with the Governor of Plymouth aforesaid, and charged him with

the ill-carriage of his men at the Massachusetts, by which means the peace of the country was disturbed. Weston easily answered, that what was done in that behalf was done in his absence, and might have befallen any man. He left sufficiently provided, and considered they would have been well governed, and for any error committed he had sufficiently smarted.

Soon after this the said Capt. Gorges took his leave and went to the Massachusetts by land. His ship stayed at Plimouth and fitted to go to Virginia, having some passengers to deliver there. Capt. Gorges, after he had been at the eastward and expedited some occasions there, and some that depended on him, returned for England.

There were also some scattering beginnings made in other places [in 1623], as at Piscataqua, by Mr. David Thompson, and at Monhegin, and some other places by sundry others."

Sir Ferdinando Gorges, in his brief narration, ch. 23 (2 Maine His. Coll. 43), says: "The council were pleased to resolve of the sending some one into those parts as their Lieutenant, &c. Hereupon my son Robert Gorges, being newly come out of the Venetian war, was the man they were pleased to pitch upon, being one of the company, and interested in a proportion of the land with the rest of the patentees in the bay of Massechewset containing ten miles in breadth and thirty miles into the main land, who, between my Lord Gorges and myself, was speedily sent away into the said bay of Massechewet, where he arrived about the beginning of August following, anno 1623, that being the place he resolved to make his residence, as proper for the public as for his private, where landing his provisions and building his storehouses, he sent to them of New Plymouth, who, by his commission, were authorized to be his assistants, to come unto him who willingly obeyed his order and as carefully discharged their duties, by whose experience he suddenly understood what was to be done with the poor means he had, believing the supplies he expected would follow according to the undertakings of his friends, but they withdrew, and myself and friends were wholly disabled [by the proceedings in Parliament] to do anything to purpose; and he was advised to return home till better occasion should offer.

NOTE. These extracts from contemporary writers are made to meet allegations of the Massachusetts government and agents, that no seizin was delivered of Mason and Gorges Province, according to the grant, nor any possession taken under it.

Here Robert Gorges, appointed Attorney to deliver seizin, and David Thompson agent of the patentees, are shown to have been together at Little Harbor in 1623, "to expedite his occasions," and possession had been taken by Mason and Gorges by their agent Thompson, as well as by Hilton at Dover Neck, which there is no pretense was ever after abandoned.

Princes Annals 1626, 161, quoting Bradford, says: "Wanting proper goods [for the Indian trade], and understanding the plantation at Mohegan, belonging to some merchants of Plymouth [in England], is to break up, and divers goods to be sold, the governor with Mr. Winslow take a boat, and with some hands go thither. Mr. David Thompson, who lives at Piscataway, going with us on the same design, we agree to buy all their goods and divide them equally. Our moiety comes to £400; we also buy a parcel of goats," &c.

This shows the continuance of the settlement under Mr. Thompson at Piscattoway in 1626, and the purchase shows the character of its operations.

Ibid., 1627, 169. "With the return of the ships, we [the Plymouth people], says Bradford, send Mr. Allerton again to England (3) to get a patent for a fit trading place on Kennebeck River, especially since the planters at Piscatoway and other places eastward of 'em, as also the fishing ships envy our trading there, and threaten to get a patent to exclude us.” Belk., 1628: "The principal persons of Piscataqua readily united with their neighbors in making application to the colony of Plymouth, which was of more force than all the rest to put a stop to this growing mischief [the sale of fire-arms to the Indians], which they happily effected, by seizing Morton and sending him to England."

Of £12.10 expenses, Pascataquack paid £2.10, the same as Plymouth and Edward Hilton, £1.

THE WHEELWRIGHT DEED.

[NOTE. The famous Wheelwright Deed, which has been pronounced a forgery by HON. JAMES SAVAGE, the distinguished antiquarian of Boston, and the late JOHN FARMER, Esq., of Concord, bears date May 17, 1629. Hon. CHANDLER E. POTTER, who has devoted much attention and research to the subject, maintains the validity of the deed. But whether the deed be a forgery or not it forms a portion of our history;— is the basis on which rests the grant of several townships in the State, is recognized in various ways, in our public records, as genuine; and therefore I deem it proper to give it a place in this first volume of our Provincial History. The deed is recorded in the office of Recorder of Deeds, at Exeter, of which the following is an exact certified copy.-ED.]

Indian Sagamores to Wheelwright and Company.

Whereas wee the Sagamores of Penacook, Pentucket, Sqamsquot and Nuchawanick, are Inclined to have ye English inhabitt amongst us, as they are amongst our countrymen in the Massachusetts bay, by soch means wee hope in time to be strengthened against our enemyes, the Tarratens, who yearly doth us damage, likewise being perswaided yt itt will bee for the good of us and our posterety &ct. To that end have att a general meeting (att Squamsquot on Piscataqua River), wee the afores Sagamores wth a universal consent of our subjects doe covenant and agree wth the English as followeth Now Know all men by these presents that wee Passaconaway Sagamore of Penacook Runawitt Sagamore of Pentucket Wahangnonawitt Sagamore of Squamscott and Rowls Sagamore of Newchawanick for a compitent valluation in goods all ready received in coats, shurts and victualls and alsoe for ye Considerations aforesd doe (according to ye Limits and bounds hereafter granted), give, grant, bargaine, sell, Release, Rattafie and Confirme unto John Whelewright of ye Massachucets baye

*In the course of the following records, particular facts will be noted that may enable readers to form an opinion respecting the validity of the deed.-ED.