GEORGE CLEEVE TO JOHN WINTHROP. To the honered John Winthrop Esquire Gouernour thes present. CASCO BAY, this 27th of the 11 moneth, 1643. HONERED SIR,-With my most hymble sarvice I salute you, accnolidging my duty of thankfullnes to you for all formar favors shewed mee; and whereas you were plesed at my request to writ to Mr. Vines & others in behalfe of Mr. Rigbies athority, of which I informed him in my last lettars, assuring my selfe that hee will not be vnmymilfull to requit your love therein. What Mr. Vines answered you I know not, but thus can afferme & proue, that by his practis ho doth slitly regard your advice therein (as may appcare by the supplication of the inhabitants of Ligonia and other passeges, the truth whereof this bearar can informe yon, as allso of there c[on] saltations with Mr. Gurdin (Jordan) a ministar of antichrist, there chefe counsellar) who doth not only calumniate and slander the parliament of England with vile reproachfull termes, as rebellions, factias, trayteros parssons against the king) but allso belteth out his blasfemise, against the Churches of Christ in this land, charging them with scisme and faction for fasting & praying for the affliction of there brethren in Englaud, denying it to be the hand of God vpon the land for sinn nor the occation of papist or evell counsellars, but for the rebellion of the parliament and the puritant faction there, with many othar passeges of that vnworthy Ballitte, of which this bearar Mr. Tuckar can informe you: ns allso of Vines his dealings with him, and of his thretning to send mee pressonar to England in Mr. Trelanies ship, which inforketh nice once more to joyne with the inhabitants of Ligonia and humbly to desire your assistance against there vnlawfull practisses, and so much the rathar for there wicked oposition of the ways of Christ. They seeing vs about to settle our selues vndar the ministry, and that wee ar in hope that the Lord will gathar a Church amongst vs,* this canseth them & there prelatticall counsellar to raidge the more, which will insite you to assist vs so mych the rather. * Whilst I am GEORGE CLEEVE. GEORGE CLEEVE AND OTHERS TO THE GOVERNOR, DEPUTY GOVERNOR, AND ASSISTANTS OF MASSACHUSETTS. To the honoured Gouernour & Deputie Governour, & Court of Assistants in the Massetusels Bay, these present. HONOURED SIRS,-With our most humble service we salute yow in the Lord Jesus Christ Shewing vnto yow that we are in great distresse by a company of factious men, who haue leagued them selues together to murther vs, together with all the well affected in Mr Rigbyes Province of Ligonia, vnder pretence of a protest against vs, whoe have severall Commissions from Mr. Rigby for the present government of his Province. The heads of this league are Mr. Henry Jocelyn, Mr. Arthur Mackworth, & Ffrancis Robinson, which Mr. Mackworth did willingly submit to Mr. Rigbyes authority formerly, and did subscribe to his constitucions, & received a Commission from him to be an Assistant, & acted by it till he was drawno away by the perswasion of Mr. Vines & Mr. Jorden, (one vnworthily called a minister of Christ.) From these two men all this evill doth principally flowe, for though Mr. Vines be now gone, yet he hath presumed to depute Mr. Jocelyn in his stead, although he never had any Commission soc to doc; yet he, by the councell of Mr. Jorden, hath taken vpon him, as a lawfull Magistrate to come into Cascoe Bay & hath gone from house to house, being accompaned with Ffrancis Robinson & Arthur Mackworth, & have discourraged the people of Ligonia, & drawne them offe, some by fraude & some by force, from theire subiection to Mr. Rigbys lawfull anthority; contrary to theire oathes freely and willingly taken, a true coppy whereof is herewith sent. And hane alsoc presumed to take deposicions of severall people, to accuse some of vs falsely and slanderously with treason & other crimes, whereof we are innocent; intending vpon those grounds to deale with vs at theire pleasure, and thus we are all destined by them vnto destruccion, if the Lord prevent not their wicked plotts against vs. And this is to be put in execu *[Stephen Bachillor appears to have had a call from Casco about this time to settle.-EDs.] cion vpon the last day of March next, vpon which day we haue appoynted to keepe a Court in Cascoe Bay, which Court is already summond, & severall actions entred, which are at issue, & some of theire party bound over for misdemeanor, & seueral actions against many of them, & therefore cannot be reiourned; at which time, they having made a party of neare an hundred (as we are informed) to set vpon vs, & violently to resist Mr. Rigbyes authority, & so take vs & our partie, & slay vs, or deale with vs at their pleasures. And further, we are truly informed that they intend to make this the begining of a sivill warre, which they intend to blowe abroade into all parts of this land, & giue it out there be many amongst yow, & elsewhere, that doe but looke for an opportunity to declare themselues Cavileers, & for the King, as if yow or wee were the Kings enimies, & they onely his friends. Commending you all to the grace of God & resting your humble seruants. WILLIAM RYALL. GEORGE CLEEVE. CASCO BAY, this 18th ffebr: 1645. [The following draught of an answer to the foregoing letter, in the handwriting of Gov. Winthrop, is written upon the reverse of the leaf.] To our worthy friends Mr. George Cleves, Deputy President of Ligonia, & his Assistants, at Casco, dd. SIR,-We haue received & considered your lettres by this bearer, Mr. Purchas, together with the Testimony and other writings sent therwith: we received also lettres & other writings from Mr. Jocelin & others; by all which we perceine that the differences between you are growne to a great height of contention, which we are very sorrye for, & would not be wantinge to dce what lycs in vs for composinge the same. But whereas the differences grewe vpon extent of some Patents & right of Jurisdiction wherein Mr. Rigby & others in E: are interested, & lettres have been sent to them from both partyes, & answer is expected by the first return, therevpon we have thought it expedient to perswade you bothe to forbeare any further contention in the meano tyme, & have written to Mr. Jocelin, &c, to that ende, who having desired our advice, we may presume they will observe the same, & will not attempt any acts of hostility against you; and we doubt not but you wilbe perswaded to the same; which we judge will conduce most to Mr. Rigbys right, and your owne & your neighbours peace. Your loving friends. BOSTON, 5. (1), 1645. No. V. FROM JOHN JOCELYN'S VOYAGES. I Towns there are not many in this province. Killery situated not far from Pascataway is the most populous. Next to that eastward is seated by a river near the sea Gorgiana, a majoraltie and the metropolitan of the province. Further to the eastward is the town of Wells. Cape Porpus eastward of that, where there is a town of the same name, the houses scatteringly built, all these towns have store of salt and fresh marsh with arable land, and all well stocked with cattle. About 8 or nine miles to the Eastward of Cape Porpus is Winter harbour, a noted place for fishers, here they have many stages. Saco adjoins to this, and both; make one scattering town of large extent, well stored with cattle, arable land and marshes and a saw mill. Six miles to the eastward of Suco and 40 miles from Georgiana is seated the town of black point, consisting of about 50 dwelling houses, and a magazine or doganne scatteringly built, they have store of neat and horses, of sheep near upon 7 or 800, much arable and marsh salt and fresh and a cornu-mill, To the southward of the point (upon which are stages for fishermen) lie two small islands; beyond the point, North eastward runs the river of Spurwink. p. 200. 1The period to which this narrative rolatos is 1070: Jocelyn returned to England in 1071. p. 201. Four miles from black point, one mile from Spurwink river castward lyeth Richmond's island, whose long. is 317° 30′′ and lat, 43° 34', it is 3 miles in circumference and hath a passable and gravelly ford on the North side, between the main and the sea at low water, here are found excellent whetstones and here likewise are stages for fishermen. Nine miles castward of Black point lieth scatteringly the town of Casco upon a large bay, stored with cattle, sheep, swine, abundance of marsh and arable land, a corn-mill or two, with stages for fishermen. Further eastward is the town of Kennebec seated upon the river. Further yet eastward is Sagadehock, where there are many houses scattering and all along stages for fishermen, these two are stored with cattle and corn lands. p. 202. 12 miles from Casco bay, and passable for men and horses, is a lake called by the indians Sebug on the brink thereof at one end is the famous rock shaped like a moose deer o helk, diuphanous, and called the mouse rock. Here are found stones like crystals and lapis specularis or muscovia glass both white and purple. p. 205. From Sagadehock to Nova Scotia is called the Duke of York's province, here Pemaquid, Montinicus, Mohegan, Capeanawhagen, where Capt. Smith fisht for whales: Muscataquid all filled with dwelling houses and stages for fishermen and have plenty of cattle, arable land and marshes. p. 207. The people in the Province of Maine may be divided into magistrates, husbandmen or planters, and fishermen; of the magistrates some be royalists, the rest perverse spirits, the like are the planters and fishers, of which some be planters and fishers both, others meer fish ers. Handicraftsmen there are but few, the tumelor or cooper, smiths or carpenters are best welcome amongst them, shopkeepers there are none, being supplied by the Massachusetts merchants with all things they stand in need of. English shoes are sold for 8 or 9 shils, a pair, worsted stockings of 3s. 6d. for 7 and 88. a pair, Douglass that is sold in England for 1 or 2 and 20 pence an ell, for 4s. a yard, serges of 2 or 3s. a yard for 6 and 7 shillings. p. 208. They have a custom of taking tobacco, sleeping at noon sitting long at meals sometimes four times a day, and now and then drinking a dram of the bottle extraordinarily They feed generally upon as good flesh, beef, pork, mutton, fowl, and fish as any in the world besides. Their servants which are for the most part English, will not work under a half a crown a day, when they are out of their time, although it be for to make hay, and for less I do not see how they can by reason of the dearness of clothing. If they hire them by the year they pay them 14 or £15 at the years end in corn, cattle and in fish: some of these prove excellent fowlers, bringing in as many as will maintain their master's house; besides the profit that accrues by their feathers. p. 210. The fishorinen take yearly upon the coast many hundred kentals of cod, hake, haddock, polluck, &c. &c. which they split, salt and dry at their stages, making three voyages in a year. When they share their fish, which is at the end of every voyage, they separate the best from the worst, which is known when it is clear like a lanthorn horn and without spots; the second sort they call refuse fish, that is such as is salt burnt, spotted, rotten and carelessly ordered; these they put off to the Massachusetts merchants; the erchantable for 30 and 32 reals a kental (112 pounds) the refuse for 9 and 108. the quintal. The merchants send the merchantable fish to Lisbon, Bilbo, Burdeaux, Marsiles, Talloon, Rochel, Roan, and other cities of France, to the Canaries with claw board and pipe staves, which is there and at the Charibs a prime commodity; the refuse fish they put off at the Charib islands, Barbadoes, Jamaica, &c. who feed their Negros with it. p. 211. To every shallop belong four fishermen, a master or steersman, a Midshipman, and a foremast man and a shore man, who washes it out of the salt and dries it upou bundles and tends their cookery. These often get in one voyage 8 or £9 a man, but it doth some of them little good, for the merchant to increase his gain by putting off his commodity in the middest of their voyages, and at the end thereof comes in with a walking tavern, a bark laden with the legitimate blond of the rich grape which they bring from Phial, Madera, Canaries, with brandy, rum, the Barbadoes strong water and tobacco, coming a shore he gives them a taster or two, which so charms them, that for no persuasions will they go to sea, although fair and seasonable weather for 2 or 3 days, |