Mutch Honered said In Obedents to your Com'ands have Survaied the River from the Mouth of the harbor to Squamscutt ffales and liquise from the harbors Mouth by the Sea side to the Massathusets Bounds and find that the Bounds of your Pattents will Not aford More then for two Tounes in the River of Piscataway and the remainder will make a Nother good Toune haveing mutch Salte Marsh in it, And because You would have foure Tounes Named, as you Desird, wee have Treated With a Gentleman who has Purchassed a Trackt of land of the Indyans at Squamscutt ffales, and your land Runing up to the said ffales on one Side of the River, & from the ffales about a mile Doun words. gentleman, haveing a mind to Said land on your side to a Certaine Crike and one Mile Bacward ffrom the River, wch wee agreed on, and the Crike is caled Weelerights, the gentlemans Name being Weeleright, and he was to name Said Plantatyon (when Setled) Exeter. and the Other two Tounes in the River, the one North ham, and Portsmouth the Other Bounded as folloeth Vizt Portsmouth Runes from the harbors mouth by the Sea sid to The Enterance of a little River betwene two hed lands weh wee have give the Names of, the little Bores hed and the grete Bores hed, and ffrom the Mouth of that little River to go on a Straight line to the afore said Creeke which wee have Named Weelerights Creeke and ffrom thens Doun the River to the harbors Mouth Wher it began. And North ham Is the Bounds of all the land of hiltons poynt Side, And the other land ffrom the little River betwene the two Boores heds to Run by the Sea till it meets With the line betwene the Massatusets and you and So to Run from the Sea by Said Massatusets line in to the Woods Eight Miles and ffrom thence a Twart the Woods to meete wth Portsmouth line nere Whelerights Creeke, And that Tracte of land to be Caled hampton, so that there is ffoure Towns Named as you Desired, but Exeter is Not wth in the Bounds of your Pattents. But the grete Dificulty is the Agrement about the Dividing line betwene the pattent of the Twenty Thousand Acres belonging to the Company of Laconyah, and the pattent of Bluddy poynt. the river Runing So Intrycate, And Bluddy poynt patten' bounds ffrom thence to Squamscutt ffales, And to Run three Miles into the Woods from the Watters side-Butt for your better Understanding thereof wee have sent you a Draft of it, according to our best Skill of what wee know of it at present, and have Drawn a Dividing line betwene the two pattents so that Portsmouth is parte of booth pattents, and hampton Wee Apprehend will be holly in the Twenty Thouzand acre pattent, and North ham is the bounds of hiltons poynt patten If in what we have Don be to your likeinge wee Shall Thinke our time well spent, And What ffurther Com'ands You will plese to lay on us, wee Shall redyly obaye to the Utmost of our power. wee humbly take leve and Subscribe our Selves Your Devoted and Most Homble Servants Walter Nele North ham on Piscataway River in New England 13th Augst 1633 Superscribed To John Mason Esq Governor of Portsmouth to be Comunicated to the Pattentes of Laconiah and hiltons poynt hombly present-In London Wee Under written Being of the Government of the Province of Maine doe Affirme that the above letter written & Sind by Walter Nele and Thomas Wiggin, and Directed to John Mason Esq' Governor of Portsmouth to be Comunycated to the pattentes of Laconiah and Hiltons Poynt Is a Trew Copia Compared with the Origenall— And ffarther Wee Doe Affirme that there was ffoure Grete Gunes brought to piscatequa Which ware given by a March' of London for the Defence of the River, and at the Same time the Earle of Warwicke S Fhardenando Gorges Capt Jn° Mason and the Rest of the patten Teies sent an Order to Cap" Walter Nele and Cap" Thomas Wiggin ther Agents and Governors at Piscatta way to make Choise of the most Convenint place in the Said River to make a ffortefecatyon for the Defence therof, and to Mount those ffoure Gunes given to the place Which accordingly was done, by Cap" Walter Nele and Cap" Thomas Wiggens and the Pattentes servants and a Draft was Sent to the place that they had made Choice of to the said Earle and Company and the Draft Did Containe all the Necks of Land in the North Este Side of the Grete Island that makes the Grete Harbor, and they gave it the Name of ffort poynt and alloted it so for bake in to the Iland about a bow shoat to a grete high Rocke Where on was Intended in time to Sett the Principall fforte-That the above is all Truth wee affirme and by the Desier of Cap" Walter Nele and Cap" Thos Wiggen wee have orderd This Wrighting to ly in our ffiles of Records, of there doinges therein; In Witnes Where of wee have here Unto sett our hands and Seles at Gorgeana In Province of Maine In New-England 20th August 1633. Ritha Vines [seal] Agreement between John Mason for himself, and John Cotton, Henry Gardner, George Griffith, and Thomas Eyer, for Thomas Wannerton and Eliezer Eyer, for division of property, Dec. 6, 1633, State Papers, Vol. 17, p. 487. Allotment of Capt. Mason's part by the Council of New England, Feb. 3, 1634, State Papers, Vol. 17, p. 488. [Gorges and Mason to Wannerton and Gibbons, May 5, 1634.] [Council Book 1, p. 27.] Mr Wannerton & m' Gibbins These are to let you know that wee wth the Consent of the rest of our partners have made a devision of all our Lands Lying on the northeast side of the harbor and River of Pascattaway of the quantities of wch Lands and bounds agreed uppon for every mans part we send you a Coppie of the draft, desiring your furtherence with the advice of Cap Norton & m' Godfrey, To set out the lynes of division betwixt our lands, & the lands of our parners next adjoyning, because we have not onelie each of us shipped people present to plant uppon our owne lands at our owne charge but have given direction to invite & authoritie to receive such others as may be had to be Tenants to plant & live there for the more speedie peopling of the Countrie: And wheras there is belonging unto me S' fferdinando Gorges & unto Cap Mason for himselfe & for m' John Cotton & his deceased brother m' William Cotton both whose interests Capt Mason hath bought the one halfe of all matters mentioned in the Inventorie of householde stuffe & Implements left in trust with you by Capt Neale wherunto you have subscribed yo' names & wherof a Coppie is herewth sent, we desire you to cause an equall division as neere as possiblie maye to be made of all the saied matters menc'oned in the Inventory in kinde or if some of them cannot be soe divided, then the on halfe to be made equal to the other in valew of all the said matters except the Cattell & suites of apparell & such other thinges as belong perculiarly to Cap Mason, And to diliver the said one halfe of all the saied matters soe to be divided unto in Henry Jocelyn for the use of our Plantations, Taking an Inventory therof under his hands of all you shall soe deliver hime & making Certificate to us therof And for your soe doeing this shall be your suffitient warrant & discharge, And soe we rest Yo' verie Lovinge ffreinds Portsmouth maye 5th 1634. fferdin: Gorge John Mason [Capt. Mason to Ambrose Gibbons, May 5, 1634.] [Mr. Gibbins: [Council Book 1, p. 28.] These people and provisions, which I have now sent wth Mr. Jocelyne, are to sett upp two mills uppon my owne division of lands lately agreed upon betwixt our adventurers; but I think not any of them will adventure this yeare to the plantation, besides Sir Ferdinando Gorges and myselfe; for which I am sorrye, in that so good a business (albeit hitherto it hath bene unprofitable), should be subject to fall to the ground; and therefore I have strayned myself to do this at this present, and could have wished that the rest would have joyned. to have sent you some provisions for trade and support of the place; but that failing, I have directed to you, as a token from myselfe, one hogshead of mault to make you some beare. The servants with you, and such others as remain upon the companies charge, are to be discharged and payed their wages out of the stocke of beaver in y1 hands, at the rate of 12 s (?) the pound, whereof I thinke the company will write you more at large: And we have agreed to divide all our moveables mentioned in the Inventory that Capt. Neale brought home, we were left in trust wth you and Mr. Wannerton. I bought Mr. Cotton's and his brother's parte of all their adventures, so that the halfe of all belongs to Sir Ferdinando Gorges and myselfe; and of that halfe, three quarters] wilbe dewe to me and one quarter to Sfferdinando; These thinges being equally divided, they are to be delivered to Mr Joceline my three partes of the halfe and the other fourth to whom Sr fferdinando shall appointe; And yo" must afford my people some houseroome in Newitchwannocke and the Cowes and goates we are all mine and 14 Swine wth their increase some ground to be uppon till wee have some place provided uppon my new divided lands, or that you Receive my further order a Copie of the division. of the landes is here wth sent unto yo". The stockinges and the Mault and Suites of cloathes and suggar and Raysinges and wine that was delivered by Mr Bright and Mr Lewes I have not received any satis faction for; wherein I must crave yo' helpe and such satisfacc'on as may be sent by this shipp The Christall stoanes yo" sent are of little or no valew, unless they were so great to make drinking Cuppes or some other workes as pillers for faire lookeinge glasses or for garnishinge of rich Cabinetts good Iron or Lead oare I should like better of, if it could be found; I have disbursed a great deale of mony in yo' plantac'on and never Received one penny, but hope if there were once a discoverie of the lakes that I should in some Reasonable time be reimbursed againe, [I pray you helpe the Mr. what you can to some of the best iron stoane for ballast, and in case he want other laddinge, to fill the shipp upp wth stocks of cypress wood and cædar. Let me here from you of all matters necessary, and wherein I maye doe you any pleasure, I shall be reddie. And so wth my heartie commendacons, I rest Yo' verie loving friend Portsmouth May 5, 1634.] John Mason. [That part of the foregoing which is included in brackets is missing in the original, and the text is supplied from Dr. Bouton's copy in Vol. I of this series, p. 89. ED.] Yo' Wors have donne well in setting forward your Plantacon, & for your Milles they will ve benificiall unto you, by gods assistance. I would you had taken this coorse sooner, for the Marchants I shall be very Cautylouse, how I deale wth any of them while I live, but Gods will be donne, I & the world doth Judge, that I could not in these my dayes have spent my time for noethinge, for there sending trade & support I desire it not, I have supported but now sonke under my burthen, the more I thinke on this, the more is my greife, I have recd the hogd of mault that you sent me giveing you humble thankes for the same, The servants that were with me are discharged & payd there wages for the yeare past, & I have deliv'ed unto m Wannerton, 43" of beaver to pay those that were wth hime for the yeare past, for the paying of the servants there old wages, or the deviding of the goods, I expect agenerall letter, if not then to heare further from your worshps Yor Carpenters are wth me & I will further them the best I can, Capt Neale appoynted me two of your goates to keepe at his departinge, I praise God they are 4: of the goods that |