of Laconia, and as Mason was Secretary of the Council of Plymouth, and an influential member of that Council, it is evident that this grant of Massachusetts made to Sir Henry Roswell and others, must have been made by Captain Mason's con sent; and it is highly probable that it was made upon a relinquishment of Mariana, on the part of Captain Mason, he being moved thereto, by the facts before suggested, the grant of Laconia, and the insignificance of Mariana.

In the spring of 1629, Mr. Edward Colcord, purchased of Passaconnaway and three other Sagamons, a tract of land from the Piscataqua to the Merrimack, bounded as follows, viz. "beginning at Newiche wannock falls in Piscataqua river, aforesaid, and so down said river to the sea, and so along the sea shore to Merrimack river, and so up along said river to the falls of Pantucket aforesaid, and from said Pautucket falls, upon a northwest line, twenty English miles into the woods, and from thence, to run upon a straight line Northeast and Southwest, till it meets with the main rivers that run down to Pautucket falls and Newichewannock falls, and the said rivers to be bounds of said lands, from the thwart line, or head line, to the aforesaid falls, and the main channel of each river, from Pantucket falls and Newichewannock falls to the main sea, to be the side bounds, and the main sea between Piscataqua river and Merrimack river, to be the lower bounds, and the thwart or head line, that runs from river to river, to be the upper bounds; together with all islands within said bounds, as also the Isles of Shoals, so called."*

This purchase was made for the Rev. John Wheelwright and his associates, and a deed for the same was duly executed, at Squamsauke, on the 17th day of May, 1629-by Passaconnaway, and three other Sagamons.†

See copy in Register's Office, Rockingham County.

We are aware that the authenticity of this deed has been doubted,-and that much pains have been taken to prove the same a forgery;-but still, there are most conclusive proofs of its genuineness.

The original documents in the Secretary's office, show of themselves, that this deed to Mr. Wheelwright, from the four Sagamons, was executed prior to 1633; and more than this, there are two depositions, one in the files of the superior Court at Exeter, and the other at Salem Mass., made by the Rev. John Wheelwright, in 1663, showing that he made a purchase of the Indians at Exeter, before he settled there in 1638, and that this purchase of land was conveyed to him by the deed of 1629, and by no other deed whatever.

These affidavits are similar, and one only is subjoined, as follows.—

This deponent testifies, that himself, with some others who were to sit down at Exeter, did employ Edward Colcord to purchase for them as he remembers a certain tract of land from Oyster River to Merrimack, of the Indians for

This purchase includes the southern part of New Hampshire, its northern line passing through Manchester, Hookset, Candia, Deerfield, Northwood, Strafford, and intersecting with the Newichewannock in Rochester.

*

This purchase, doubtless, coming to the knowledge of Captain Mason, as suggested by Dr. Belknap, on the 7th day of November, of the same year, he obtained from the Council of Plymouth, a grant of land "from the middle of the Piscataqua river, and up the same to the farthest head thereof, and from thence northwestward, until sixty miles from the mouth of the harbor were finished; also through Merrimack river to the farthest head thereof, and so forward up into the land westward, until sixty miles were finished; and from thence to cross over land to the end of the sixty miles as counted from the Piscataqua river; together with all islands within five leagues of the coast." The land within this Patent, was called New Hampshire, and of course covered the land purchased of Passaconnaway and other Indians. It not only covered that purchase, but it covered the lands north of the Merrimack granted to Massachusetts. This was done, doubtless, by agreement with Mr. Cradock, the Governor of the "Company of Massachusetts Bay," as named in the report of the Commissioners of Charles II.t

which they gave him ten or twelve pounds in money and had a grant thereof signed by some Sagamons with their marks upon it of which Runnawit was

one.

Sworn before the Court at Hampton ye 13 of ye 8 mo. 1663. Thos. Bradbury, Recorder." This shows that the purchase by Wheelwright was mado before the settlement of Exeter, as he speaks of himself and others, employing Colcord to make the purchase for them, "who were to sit down at Exeter.' Then again he avers that Runnawit was one of the signing Sagamons, and it so happens that Runawit's name is attatched to the deed of 1629 and is not upon the deed of 1638, or upon any other, most conclusively showing that Wheelwright, in his deposition refers to the deed of 1629 and to that only. Now, this affidavit goes to the git of the whole matter. For it is charged that this deed of 1629, was forged after Wheelwright's death, to bear upon the suit of 1707 between Allen and Waldron. Now, this affidavit, showing that Wheelwright knew of this Deed in 1663, takes away the inducement to forgery, as the suit between Allen and Waldron was not commenced for near a half century after! and farther than this, it shows most conclusively, if the Rev. Mr. Wheelwright is to be believed, that the Deed of 1629, is authentic. Now, no doubt can be thrown upon the honesty or veracity of the Rev. John Wheelwright. His enemies, even, acknowledge his moral worth, and those who pronounce his deed of 1629, a forgery, yield to none in confidence in his integrity.

Hence the conclusion is inevitable that the deed of May, 17, 1629, to the Rev. John Wheelwight and others, is a genuine deed.

Belknap's History, p. 8.

† See Hutch. Coll. Papers, p. 423.

The affairs of Laconia being less prosperous than anticipated, and the part of that patent west of the Piscataqua, having been set apart to Capt. Mason, a grant of a tract of land was made to Edward Hilton and his associates, who had settled at much cost of time and labor at Hilton's Point, now known as Dover Neck. This grant took in Dover Neck, the north part of Newington and Greenland, the whole of Stratham, and a part of Exeter, up to Squamsauke Falls, carrying a breadth of three miles down the Exeter river, and the Great Bay to the Piscataqua. This grant was made March 12, 1630.

On the 3d day of November, 1631, a grant was made, of the land south upon the Piscataqua, to Sir F. Gorges, Capt. John Mason, John Cotton, Henry Gardner, George Griffith, Edwin Gay, Thomas Wannerton, Thomas Eyre, and Eliezer Eyre. These individuals had expended three thousand pounds upon the settlement at the mouth of the river, and this grant seems to have been made to them out of the grant of Mason, on the west side of the River, and the land of Gorges on the east side, as an equivalent, in part, for their expenditures, for settling this part of the patent of Laconia. This grant included the land on which "the buildings and salt works were erected on both sides the harbor and river of Piscataqua, to the extent of five miles westward by the sea coast, then to cross over towards the other plantation in the hands of Edward Hilton."* This patent included part of the present town of Kittery in Maine, all of New Castle, Rye, and Portsmouth, and the south parts of Newington and Greenland. These grants were made by the consent of all parties and for their mutual advantage. From this time the adventurers prosecuted the business of their colonies with energy.

After this division, the Patentees seem to have enlarged their views beyond the mere establishment of fishing stations, as men and women were soon sent over by Capt. Mason, and a large number of cattle and hogs, with an abundance of stores for the use of the colony. The cattle were brought from Denmark, were large and of a yellow color, and with them came Danes to have care of them, and to manufacture potash, with which manufacture, they had become acquainted in Denmark.

With this accession of colonists, came Renald Fernald, a surgeon and physician, whose presence was rendered necessary, by the prevalence of disease and the anticipated wants of the increasing colony.

Hutch. Vol. 1, page 216.

MASON AND GORGES DIVIDE THEIR PROPERTY.

21

This speculation did not meet the expectations of the proprietors, and Mason and Gorges soon had, by purchase, or the withdrawal of the members of the company, the entire control of the Patent, at the month of the Piscataqua. Mason and Gorges, in 1634, divided their property, real and personal, and Gorges relinquished to Mason his title to all lands west of the Piscataqua, and about the same time sold to him a tract of land three miles in width, east of the Piscataqua, and extending from the mouth of the same to the head of the Newichewannock river. The entire control of the Plantations upon the Piscataqua, except that of Hilton's patent before described, thus fell into the hands of Capt. Mason, while Gorges concentrated his energies upon his colony at York and Saco.

It is highly probable that Mason intended to emigrate to New Hampshire, and this accounts for the zeal with which he prosecuted the enterprise, and for the fact, that he had erected the large house known as "Mason Hall," and had attached thereto, a manor of some four thousand acres of land, and stocked the same with cattle, swine, and goats, with well skilled servants for the care of the same.

CHAPTER III.

The Indians of New England.-Smith's account of them.-Narragansets.-Pequots.- Nipmucks.-Norridgewocks or Abnakis, under French influence.Scootucks.-Milicetes.-Mic Macs.-Tarratines.-The Bashaba of Penobscot slain with his family.-A fatal disease,--Meadows, or intervales of the Merrimack, the bottoms of ancient lakes.-Abundance of fish.-An Indian Paradise. The Indian dislikes leaving it. The tribes upon the Merrimack.— Agawam.-Wamesit,—or Pawtucket.-Nashua.- Souhegan.—Amoskeag.— Pennacook.-Winnepesaukee.-Other tribes subject to Passaconnaway.Wachusett.-Coos.-Poquaquaukes-Ossipee.-Squamscot. - Winnecowett. Piscataqua-Newichawonnock.---Saco.--Amariscoggin.--Nipmucks. Abundance offish and facilities for taking them at Namaoskeag.-A royal residence.-Location of villages.-Ancient remains.-Eliot invited here by Passaconnaway.-Thinks of establishing an Indian town here.

The voyagers to the coast of New England, in the early part of the 17th century, found the same divided among several tribes of Indians, all speaking radically the same language,Algonkin. Capt. John Smith, of these early voyagers, gives the most minute account of these tribes. He says, He says, "The principall habitations I saw at Northward, was Pennobscot, who are in Warres with the Terentines, their next Northerly neighbors. Southerly up the Rivers, and along the Coast, wee found Mecadacut, Segocket, Pemmaquid, Nusconcus, Sagadahock, Satquin, Aumughcawgen, and Kenabeca: to those belong the Countries and people of Segotago, Pauhuntanuck, Pocopassum, Taughtanakagnet, Wabiggamus, Nassaque, Mauherosqueck, Warigwick, Moshoquen, Waccogo, Pasharanack, &c. To those are alied in confederacy the Countries of Aucocisco, Accominticus, Passataquak, Augawoam and Naemkeck, all those for any thing I could perceive, differ little in language or any thing, though most of them be Sagamos and Lords of themselves, yet they hold the Bashabes of Pennobscot the chiefe and greatest amongst them. The next is Mattahunt, Totant, Massachuset, Paconckick, then Cape Cod, by which is Pawmnet, the fles Nawset and Capawuck, neere which are the shoules of Rocks and sands that stretch themselves into the maine Sea twenty leagues, and very dangerous, betwixt the degrees of 40 and 41."* Most of these tribes, named by Smith, occupied the same

* See Mass. Hist. Coll. Vol. iii, third series, p. 20.