called and known by the title of the four United Colonies of New England. Of these colonies, New Haven was and is one. And in this solemn confederation Connecticut joined with the rest, and with us.

"6. That in the year 1644, the general court for New Haven colony, then sitting in the town of New Haven, agreed unanimously to send to England for a patent; and in the year 1645, committed the procuring of it to Mr. Grigson, one of our magistrates, who entered upon his voyage in January that year, from New Haven, furnished with some beaver in order thereunto as we suppose. But by the providence of God, the ship and all the passengers and goods were lost at sea, in their passage towards England, to our great [grief] and the frustration of the design for the time; after which the troubles in England put a stop to our proceedings therein. This was done with the consent and desire of Connecticut to concur with New Haven therein. Whereby the difference of times, and of men's spirits in them, may be discovered. For then the magistrates of Connecticut with consent of their general court, knowing our purposes, desired to join with New Haven in procuring the patent, for common privileges to both in their different jurisdictions, and left it to Mr. Eaton's wisdom to have the patent framed accordingly. But now they seek to procure a patent without the concurrence of New Haven; and contrary to our minds expressed before the patent was sent for, and to their own promise, and to the terms of the confederation, and without sufficient warrant from their patent, they have invaded our right, and seek to involve New Haven under Connecticut jurisdiction.

"7. That in the year 1646, when the commissioners first met at New Haven, Keift, the then Dutch governor, by letters expostulated with the commissioners, by what warrant they met at New Haven without his consent, seeing it and all the sea-coast belonged to his principals in Holland, and to the Lords the States General. The answer to that letter was framed by Mr. Eaton, governor of New Haven and then president of the commission, approved by all the commissioners, and sent in their names with their consent to the then Dutch governor, who never replied thereunto.

"8. That this colony in the reign of the late King Charles the first, received a letter from the committee of Lords and Commons for foreign plantations, then sitting at Westminster, which letter was delivered to our governor, Mr. Eaton, for freeing the several distinct

colonies of New England from molestations by the appealing of troublesome spirits unto England, whereby they declared that they had dismissed all causes depending before them from New England, and that they advised all inhabitants to submit to their respective governments there established, and to acquiesce when their causes shall be there heard and determined, as it is to be seen more largely expressed in the original letter which we have, subscribed, 'Your assured friends,

'PEMBROKE,

'MANCHESTER,

'W. SAY AND SEAL, FR. DACRE, &C.

'WARWICK, 'DENBIGH.'

"In this order they subscribed their names with their own hands, which we have to show, and they inscribed or directed this letter'To our worthy friends the governor and assistants of the plantations of New Haven in New England.' Whereby you may clearly see that the right honorable, the Earl of Warwick, and the Lord Viscount Say and Seal, (lately one of his majesty King Charles the second's most honorable privy council, as also the right honorable Earl of Manchester still is,) had no purpose, after New Haven colony, situated by the sea-side, was settled to be a distinct government, that it should be put under the patent for Connecticut, whereof they had only framed a copy before any house was erected by the sea-side from the fort to the Dutch, which yet was not signed and sealed by the last king for a patent; nor had you any patent till your agent, Mr. Winthrop, procured it about two years since.

"9. That in the year 1650, when the commissioners for the four united colonies of New England, met at Hartford, the now Dutch governor being then and there present, Mr. Eaton the then governor of New Haven colony, complained of the Dutch governor's encroaching upon our colony of New Haven, by taking under his jurisdiction a township beyond Stamford, called Greenwich. All the commissioners, (as well for Connecticut as for the other colonies,) concluded that Greenwich and four miles beyond it belongs to New Haven jurisdiction; whereunto the Dutch governor then yielded, and restored it to New Haven colony. Thus were our bounds westward settled by consent of all.

"10. That when the honored governor of Connecticut, John Winthrop, Esq., had consented to undertake a voyage for England to procure a patent for Connecticut in the year 1661, a friend warned him by letter, not to have his hand in so unrighteous an act, as so far to extend the line of their patent, that the colony of New Haven

should be involved within it. For answer thereunto, he was pleased to certify that friend, in two letters which he wrote from two several places before his departure, that no such thing was intended, but rather the contrary; and that the magistrates had agreed and expressed in the presence of some ministers, that if their line should reach us, (which they knew not, the copy being in England,) yet New Haven colony should be at liberty to join with them or not. This agreement, so attested, made us secure, who also could have procured a patent for ourselves within our own known bounds according to purchase, without doing any wrong to Connecticut in their just bounds and limits.

"11. That notwithstanding all the premises, in the year 1662, when you had received your patent under his majesty's hand and seal, contrary to your promise and solemn confederation, and to common equity, at your first general assembly, (which yet could not be called general without us, if we were under your patent, seeing none of us were by you called thereunto,) you agreed among yourselves, to treat with New Haven colony about union, by your commissioners chosen for that end within two or three days after the assembly was dissolved. But before the ending of that session, you made an unrighteous breach in our colony, by taking under your patent some of ours from Stamford, and from Guilford, and from Southold, contrary to your engagements to New Haven colony, and without our consent or knowledge. This being thus done, some sent from you to treat with us, showed some of ours your patent; which being read, they declared to yours that New Haven colony is not at all mentioned in your patent, and gave you some reasons why they believed that the king did not intend to put this colony under Connecticut without our desire or knowledge; and they added that you took a preposterous course, in first dismembering this colony, and after that treating with it about union; which is as if one man proposing to treat with another about union, first cut off from him an arm, and a leg, and an ear, then to treat with him about union. Reverend Mr. Stone also, the teacher of the Church at Hartford, was one of the committee, who being asked what he thought of this action, answered, that he would not justify it.

"12. After that conference, our committee sent, by order of the General Court, by two of our magistrates, and two of our elders, a writing containing sundry other reasons for our not joining with you; who also, finding that you persisted in your own will and way, de

clared to you our own resolution to appeal to his majesty to explain his true intendment and meaning in your patent, whether it was to subject this colony under it or not; being persuaded, as we still are, that it neither was nor is his royal will and pleasure to confound this colony with yours, which would destroy the so long continued and so strongly settled distinction of the four United Colonies of New England, without our desire or knowledge.

"13. That, accordingly, we forthwith sent our appeal to be humbly presented to his Majesty, by some friends in London, yet out of our dear and tender respect to Mr. Winthrop's peace and honor, some of us advised those friends to communicate our papers to Honored Mr. Winthrop himself, to the end that we might find out some effectual expedient, to put a good end to this uncomfortable difference between you and us,-else to present our humble address to his Majesty. Accordingly it was done; and Mr. Winthrop stopped the proceeding of our appeal, by undertaking to our friends that

*

[Here the hand of the Secretary rested; and before he found time to finish the transcript, the New Haven jurisdiction had ceased to be.]

No. XI.

LETTERS FROM JOHN DAVENPORT TO GOV. WINTHROP.

[THE following letters are from the autographs in the possession of Francis B. Winthrop, Esq., of this city. They have never before been published; though they are occasionally referred to by Mr. Savage, who had access to them in preparing his invaluable edition of Winthrop's History.]

I.

Worthily honored Sir,-Upon frequent reports of God's gracious blessing your labors with good success in sundry cases, I was desirous to have made a journey to Pequot to confer with you about the state of my body, and desired Brother Andrews to signify the same unto you, by whom I understand that there is no conveniency for mine, and my wife's, and my son's lodging, and other accommodations there, and that yourself are upon a journey shortly for the Bay. I have therefore hired this Indian to be the bearer of these lines, and pray you to return by him your advice, not concerning my distemper, which I cannot so fully declare by writing, to your satisfaction and my own, as is meet, but concerning my way. My wife inclineth to our traveling with you to Boston, if you judge that a place and time fit for me to enter into any course of physic; but I hear the apothecary wants supplies of things, unless Carwithy be come; and I hear that Mr. Ling, &c., newly returned from the Bay, saw a vessel at sea, about 200 tons, coming towards Boston, and I fear that your business there will not permit liberty for that, and that my body and the season will not suit it; yet if you advise it as convenient, I shall consider what you propound. If not, my desire is to know when you purpose to return if God please. I was glad when he told me that you had some purpose of coming into these parts; and shall be more glad if I may understand from yourself that you continue that resolution, and will be pleased to put it into execution at your return from the Bay, and to accept of my house for your entertainment during your abode in these parts, there to refresh yourself with assurance that you shall be most heartily welcome to us. If you require it, for the preparing of directions suitable to my case,