who knowes what the event of this dutch warre may be.

This colony furnished Cromwell with many instruments, & those who haue retraited thither since his Majesties happy return are much respected & advanced to be Magistrates. They did sollicit Cromwell by one Mr. Wensloe to be declared a free state, & in making their lawes did many times style themselves, this State, this Commonwealth; and now beleeues themselues to be so They demand what taxes they pleas, but their accounts could never yet be seen, some few soldiers & a Captain they keep their at Castle, the Governor hath 100 yearly, every magistrate 30 about 80 they giue yearly to the Colledge. about 1500, or 2000 yearly they rayse

If the Commissioners had stood in need of their assistance to reduce the Dutch, they did intend to haue made them pay eleven shillings a week for euery foot soldier.

They convert indians by hyring them to hear sermons, by teaching them not to obey their heathen princes, & by appoynting rulers amongst them over tenns, fifties &c. Those whom they say are converted cannot be distinguished by their lives, manners, or habitts from those who are not.

This colony wch hath engrossed the whole trade of New England hath many towns within its just limitts, wch the commissioners suppose to be Seconet brook on the South West, Merimuck river on the north east, & 2 right lines drawn from each of those 2 places till they come to Coneticot river; (wch will make it a very large province) or at the furthest till they come within 20 miles of Hudsons river (wh is supposed to be at the least 250 miles, from Boston) that river is already planted there abouts, & granted to his royall highnesse. Boston is the cheife town, seated upon a peninsula, in the bottom of a bay, wh is a good harbour, & full of fish, it was fortifyed this year 1665 with 2 blockhouses; they had before a small castle upon an isle in the rode where ships must passe about 5, or 6 miles from the

town. Their houses are generally wooden, their streets crooked, & unpaved, with little decency, & no uniformity. There nether dayes, months, seasons of the year, inns, nor churches are known by their English

names.

At Cambridge they haue a small colledge, (made of wood) for the English; and a small brick pile for the indians, where there was but one; one was lately dead, & 3, or 4 more they had at schole, as they sayd. It may be feared that this colledge may furnish as many scismaticks to the church, and the Corporation as many rebelles to the King, as formerly they haue donne, if not timely prevented.

In this colony too the King hath many very loyall subjects, who petitioned their generall court at his Majesties first comming in, for the owning of his Majesty, & now lately for complying with his Majesties commissioners, but haue had neither answear, nor good look since. They are sorry yt so few should carry on so strong a faction, for there are scarce aboue 8 of the most factious; yet they are so overawd, yt they canne doe nothing to remedy it. They say, it is now with them, as it was with the Kings party in Cromwells time. One of these was derided for being so civile as to accompany one of the Commissioners from the town he dwelt in to Boston. And others of Boston derided some of Rodeisland for having yeilded so much to his Majesties desires.

In Boston lyes ten iron gunns taken in the French fort in Cromwell's time, w°h would help well to defend the harbour of Piscatoquay where the masts are laden, if they be the Kings.

Endorsed" Massachusets 1665 B. No. (28) N. B. This paper is writ by Col. Cartwright, one of the King's Commissioners on his Return from America,"

XXXIV.

CARTWRIGHT'S ANSWER TO THE MASSACHUSETTS NARRATIVE OF TRANSACTIONS WITH THE ROYAL COMMISSIONERS.*

The relation of the Commissioners first comming to Boston, and the coppies of the Kings letters, & of the Commission are most probably tru.

p. 9. [Mass. Rec. IV. i. 164.]

That those 2 commissioners were not satisfyed with the Courts answear to their proposal is also tru; & the reason was, becaus it was so delatory.

12. [Mass. Rec. IV. This resolution of the court put in generall i. 166.1 terms needs expounding, The duties expressed in their patent, as they say, is onely paying the 5 part of all gold & sylver oar; & then they are obliged

to no more.

ii. 187.]

p. 13. [Mass. Rec. IV. The Com: desired what forces they could spare; and the Court orders yt the volunteirs should not exceed 200

As to the charges. The Captains of the frigots took for each frigot a pilot from Boston to the Manhatoes; one of wch complayned to Col: Cartwright in Nov: 1664 as he was going to Virginia, yt he was unpayd; his name was Throgmorton. And another of them (namd Cole) was payd, that winter, in Boston by Col: Cartwright, after he had been refused by Maj: g" Leveret: As to the soldiers, the Com: never heard that there were above 12 raysed. Their present charges were to haue been defrayed by the country, But the Court expected yt the Com: should haue repayed them; and they allowed eleven shillings a week to each soldiers. In wch their courtisie to the King had not been much.

The Courts order for admission of freemen is a mere

[*The document to which this is a reply—“A breife narrative of the late negotiation betweene his majestjes colony of the Massachusets & the hono'ble Colonell Richard Nicolls, S Robert Carr, Kn', George Cartwright, & Samuell Mauericke, Esq, his majestjes comissioners "-is printed in the Massachusetts Records; Vol. IV. Part ii. pp. 157–265.].

juggle to deceive his Majesty. The Com. have examined the lists or rowles of many towns and find, yt scarce 3 men in 100 pay 10" at single rate, besides head mony. But the order will speak for it selfe.

p. 14. [Mass. Rec. IV. ii. 168.]

p.

ii. 165.]

What was donne, or sayd by Mr Maverick at Piscatoway was not known to Col: Cartw: till now; nor does he now see what caus they had, from w, (they say) he did, to write such a letter 15. [Mass. Rec. IV. to his Majesty. That letter sayes so much, y no more need be sayd to prove, y y look upon themselues as a common wealth, & not obliged to the King further then paying the 5' part of all gold & sylver oar. Or if they had cause to suspect Mr Maverick, who had (as many other relate) received great affronts, & high jnjustice from them, they had no caus to suspect the other 3 at that time, or to accuse them for expecting great matters there.

p. 22. [Mass. Rec. IV. fi. 173.]

The Com: being told by severall men of quality, yt the non-freemen were not acquainted with any of the kings letters, nor with any thing donne by the Commissioners, sent such letters to 5, or 6 gentlemen, as is set down.

The motion of having the Country come in was made by Mr Maverick, & when it was violently spoken against by some of the magistrates; Col: Cartw: replyed y it was not desired, y' all the country should so come in as to leaue the towns empty; but yt such as might with their own conveniency, & were willing to come, might not be hindered. for many had complayned yt y had never seen nor heard the kings gratious letters; & that the kings favours might be known to all, was the onely caus of this motion. Whereupon S Ro: Carr saying something to the same purpose, Col. Cartw: reply'd, it was so reasonable a motion, for a thing so just & necessary, y none could refuse it, but would giue caus to be suspected a traytor; or to y effect. Never the lesse they appoynted traynings on the day of Election, or near it, purposely to hinder all they could. They here wholly forget (as y did page 9th when mention was

made of his Maj: letter of June 28. 1662) yt the Com: desired them to prepare a mappe or draught of their country.

ii. 174.]

175)

p. 23. [Mass. Rec. IV. The Com: being to compose the differences in the province of Rode-island & there being to be a tryall between Joseph Torrey & the persons mentioned, thought it necessary they should be summoned, & therefore sent that Warrant. The Com. were enformed yt Roger Plaisted had a hous in that province, both he & the rest had 14 dayes time; he who carryed the warrants made oath of serving them. But at a private consultation it was agreed yt he should not appear; it being against their charter to appear before any, but their own magistrates: as, afterwards it was [Mass. Rec. IV. ii. told to the Com: The 2 first clauses of the declaration concerning the Nanhiganset country were in direct obedience to his Majesties commands. As to the 3a, it is first observed, y1 there may be a mistake in coppying; For it was ordered yt when ever (not whatever) ether of the Sachims &c. And they thought, yt y' had good reason to doe so. For the Indians never knew what selling of land, or mortgaging meant, till the English taught them, yet it was proved before the Com: that the Indians sent to know where y' would haue the mony payd, before the time in the mortgage was expired; and answear was returnd, they could not receive it now, becaus M' Winthrop was in England, yet after that seized upon the country as forfeited.

ii. 175.)

24. [Mass. Rec. IV. To the 4th claus, it was proved before the Com: y Cachanaquand (of whom they pretended to haue bought land) was younger brother to Pessicas, & by custome of those Indians had not power to sell land. For there the cheife Sachim onely sold land, and disposed of the under sachims; as Miantonimo had sold Rode-island, Cononicut, & prudence isles, the township of Warwick, and Providence, & had disposed of those under-sachims. But besides it was proued, y Cachanaquand is simple, and yt he was se