Sale of the White Angel to Allerton—The White Angel sold in
Spain—Hatherley settles in New England—Rapid increase of the
Colonists’ Prosperity—Divisions in the Church of New Plymouth—Wreck
of William Pierce in the Lyon: 1632.
Mr. Allerton returned to England, little regarding his bond of £1000
to perform his contract; for though bound to take the ship to London,
and to pay £30 per month for her hire, he did neither, for he stopped
at Bristol to fit her out again there; and this he did three times.
She had been ten months on the former voyage, but he never paid a
penny for her hire. It would seem he knew well enough how to deal
with Mr. Sherley—he, though he must needs foist her upon the general
account, disposing of her as he pleased. And though Mr. Allerton had
thus broken his contract in every way, Mr. Sherley goes and sells
him both the ship and all her accounts from first to last in a bond
for £2000,—in effect he might as well have given her to him,—and not
only this, but as good as gives him sanctuary, for he allows him one
year to prepare his account and present it to the partners here, and
another year to make payment of what should be due upon the account.
In the meantime he wrote earnestly to them not to hinder him in his
business, or delay him for the sake of the accounts, etc. The result
was that in the interim he collected all the money due for freight
and any other amounts belonging to her or the Friendship, as his
own private debts; and, after all, sold ship, ordnance, fish, and
other lading in Spain, as he had first planned, and what became of
the money he best knows. Meanwhile their hands were tied and they
could, do nothing but look on, till he had transferred everything to
other men’s hands, except a few cattle and a little land and a few
things he had here at New Plymouth, and so ultimately removed all his
belongings, as he had already done himself, from hence.
Mr. Hatherley came over again this year upon his own business, and
began to make preparations to settle in the country. As appeared
later, he had closed out his share in the business, and remained
a partner in name only, nor did he trouble about their affairs in
any way, except as regards his engagements in connection with the
Friendship. In connection with that, and some dealings between Mr.
Allerton and him, and some debts that Mr. Allerton owed him on
private transactions, he drew up an account of over £2000, and tried
to thrust it upon the partners here on the ground that Mr. Allerton
had been their agent. But they told him they had been fooled long
enough in that way, and showed him that it was no concern of theirs.
As for the debts of the Friendship he must expect to meet them.
Mr. Pierce did the same, Mr. Allerton having got into his debt also
in their private dealings. However, the partners here easily shook
off these worries! but Mr. Allerton brought much trouble and vexation
upon himself, as he had upon others, for Mr. Denison sued him for the
money he had disbursed for one-sixth share in the White Angel, and
recovered it with damages.
Though the partners were thus plunged into heavy engagements and
unjust debts, the Lord prospered their trading, and they made large
returns yearly, and would soon have freed themselves if they had
been fairly dealt with otherwise. The settlers, too, began to grow
in prosperity, through the influx of many people to the country,
especially to the Bay of Massachusetts. Thereby corn and cattle
rose to a high price, and many were enriched, and commodities grew
plentiful. But in other regards this benefit turned to their harm,
and this accession of strength to weakness. For as their stocks
increased and became more saleable, there was no longer any holding
them together; they must of necessity obtain bigger holdings,
otherwise they could not keep their cattle; and having oxen they
must have land for ploughing. So in time no one thought he could
live unless he had cattle and a great deal of land to keep them, all
striving to increase their stocks. By this means they were quickly
scattered all over the Bay, and the town in which they had lived
compactly until now was left very thinly peopled, and in a short time
almost desolate.
If this had been all the ill that resulted, it would have been small
in comparison with the rest; but the church also was disunited, and
those who had lived so long together in Christian and comfortable
fellowship, must now part and suffer many divisions. First, those who
lived on their lots on the other side of the Bay, called Duxbury,
owing to the trouble of bringing their wives and children to public
worship and church-meetings here, growing to a considerable number,
sued to be separated and become a distinct body. So they were allowed
to separate about this time though very unwillingly. To prevent
any further scattering from this place and weakening of it, it was
thought best to give out some good farms in the neighbourhood to
special persons who would promise to live at New Plymouth, likely
to be helpful to the church and commonwealth, and so tie the lands
to New Plymouth as farms for its inhabitants, so that their cattle
and their ploughed land might be kept there by servants, and they
retain their dwellings here. So some special lands were granted at
a place called Green’s Harbour, where no allotments had been made
in the former division, very well-meadowed and suitable for raising
cattle. But alas! this remedy proved worse than the disease; for
within a few years those who had thus got footing there, seceded from
the church, partly deliberately, and partly by wearing out the rest
with importunity and pleas of exigency, so that they either had to
let them go or live in continual contention. Others again, thinking
themselves impoverished, or for want of accommodation, broke away on
one pretence or another, thinking their own imagined necessity or the
example of others sufficient warrant. This I fear will be the ruin of
New England,—at least of the churches of God there,—and will provoke
the Lord’s displeasure against them.
This year Mr. William Pierce came over and brought goods and
passengers in a ship called the Lyon which belonged chiefly to Mr.
Sherley and the rest of the London partners, those here having
nothing to do with her. Besides some beaver which they had sent home
earlier in the year, they sent in this ship upwards of £800 worth,
and some otter skins. They sent, also, copies of Mr. Allerton’s
accounts, requesting them to examine them and rectify such things as
they should find amiss in them, as they were better acquainted with
the goods bought and the disbursements made there, than they could
be here. With these they sent a book of exceptions to his accounts,
where they could specify them, and did not doubt but they in England
might add to them. They showed them how much Mr. Allerton was debtor
to the general account, and as they had now put the ship White Angel
wholly in his control and had tied their hands here, they requested
them to call him to account. But it pleased God that the ship taking
these papers, on her way to Virginia before going home, was wrecked
on the coast not far from Virginia and their cargo was lost. This was
the first loss they had sustained of that kind. But Mr. Pierce and
the men saved their lives, and also the letters, and got to Virginia
and so safely home. Copies of the accounts were therefore sent over
again to England.
The following is part of Mr. Pierce’s letter from Virginia. It was
dated Dec. 25th, 1632, and came to their hands on April 7th, before
they had heard anything from England:
_William Pierce in Virginia to the New Plymouth Colony_:
Dear Friends,
The news of this fatal stroke that the Lord has brought upon me
and you will probably come to your ears before this comes to your
hands, and therefore I need not enlarge on particulars, etc. Almost
all my worldly belongings have been take away,—and yours also in a
great measure, by this and your various former losses. It is time
to look about us, before the wrath of the Lord break forth in utter
destruction. The good Lord give us all grace to search our hearts
and try our ways, and turn unto the Lord and humble ourselves under
His mighty hand and seek atonement.... Dear friends, know that
all your beaver and books of account are swallowed up in the sea;
your letters remain with me and shall be delivered if God bring me
home. But what more should I say? By this we have lost our worldly
goods—yet a happy loss if our souls are the gainers. There is more
in the Lord Jehovah than ever we had in this world. O that our
foolish hearts could be weaned from things here below, which are
vanity and vexation of spirit; and yet we fools catch after shadows
that fly away and are gone in a moment!... Thus with my continual
remembrance of you in my poor desires to the Throne of Grace,
beseeching God to renew His love and favour towards you all, in and
through the Lord Jesus Christ, both in spiritual and temporal good
things, as may be most to the glory and praise of His name and your
everlasting good, so I rest,
Your afflicted brother in Christ,
WILLIAM PIERCE.
_Virginia, Dec. 25th, 1632._