Consignments of Fur to England—The plague in London—Disorganization
of the accounts—Dispute between the London partners—The Pequot
Indians get unruly—Oldham killed—John Rayner minister: 1636.
Mr. Edward Winslow was elected Governor this year.
The previous year, seeing from Mr. Winslow’s later letters that no
accounts would be sent, they had resolved to keep the beaver and send
no more till they had them, or some further agreement had been come
to. At least they decided to wait till Mr. Winslow came back, and
they could arrive at what was best. When he came, though he brought
no accounts, he persuaded them to send the beaver, and was confident
that upon receipt of it and his letters they would have the accounts
next year; and though they thought his ground for hope was weak,
they yielded to his importunity, and sent it by a ship at the latter
end of the year, which took 1150 lbs. of beaver and 200 otter skins,
besides many small furs, such as 55 mink, two black fox skins, etc.
This year, in the Spring, came a Dutchman, who had intended to trade
at the Dutch fort, but they would not permit him. So, having a large
stock of trading goods, he came here and offered them for sale. They
bought a good quantity that were very suitable, such as Dutch roll,
kettles, etc., amounting to the value of £500, for payment of which
they gave bills on Mr. Sherley in England, having already sent the
parcel of beaver mentioned above. By another ship this year they
again sent a further considerable quantity, which would reach him and
be sold before any of these bills came due. The quantity of beaver
then sent was 1809 lbs., and 10 otter skins; and shortly after, the
same year, then sent by another ship, of which one Langrume was
captain, 719 lbs. of beaver, and 199 otter skins, concerning which
Mr. Sherley writes as follows.
_James Sherley in London to the New Plymouth Colony_:
I have received your letters with eight hogshead of beaver, by
Edward Wilkinson, captain of the Falcon. Blessed be God for
its safe arrival. I have also seen and accepted three bills of
exchange.... But I must acquaint you that the Lord’s hand is heavy
upon this kingdom in many parts, but chiefly in this city, with
His judgment of the plague. Last week’s bill was 1200 deaths, and
I fear this will be more, and it is much feared that it will be a
winter sickness. It is incredible the number of people who have
gone into the country in consequence—many more than went out during
the last plague. So there is no trading here; carriers from most
places are forbidden to enter; and money, though long due, cannot
be obtained. Mr. Hall owes us more than would pay these bills, but
he, his wife, and all, are in the country, 60 miles from London. I
wrote to him, he came up, but could not pay us. I am sure that if I
were to offer to sell the beaver at eight shillings per lb. I could
not get the money. But when the Lord shall please to cease His
hand, I hope we shall have better and quicker markets; so it shall
lie by in the meantime. Before I accepted the bills, I acquainted
Mr. Beauchamp and Mr. Andrews about them, that no money could be
got, and that it would be a great discredit to you to refuse the
bills,—none having ever been dishonoured,—and a shame to us, with
1800 lbs. of beaver lying by, and more already owing than the bills
came to, etc. But it was useless; neither of them would lift a
finger to help. I offered to put up my third part, but they said
they neither could nor would, etc. However, your bills shall be
met; but I did not think they would have deserted either you or me
at this time.... You will expect me to write more fully and answer
your letters, but I am not a day each week at home in town. I take
my books and all to Clapham; for here it is the most miserable time
that I think has been known in many ages. I have known three great
plagues, but none like this. And that which should be a means to
pacify the Lord, and help us, is denied us, for preaching is put
down in many places,—not a sermon in Westminster on the Sabbath,
nor in many towns about us; the Lord in mercy look upon us. Early
in the year there was a great drought, and no rain for many weeks,
so that everything was burnt up,—hay at £5 a load; and now there is
nothing but rain, so that much summer corn and late hay is spoilt.
Thus the Lord sends judgment after judgment, and yet we cannot
see, or humble ourselves, and therefore may justly fear heavier
judgments, unless we speedily repent and turn unto Him, which the
Lord give us grace to do if it be His blessed will. Thus desiring
you to remember us in your prayers, I ever rest
Your loving friend,
JAMES SHERLEY.
_Sept. 14th, 1636._
This was all the answer they had from Mr. Sherley, which made Mr.
Winslow’s hopes fail him. So they decided to send no more beaver
till they came to some settlement. But now there came letters from
Mr. Andrews and Mr. Beauchamp, full of complaints, surprised that
nothing had been sent over to meet the amounts due them, and that
it appeared by the account sent in 1631 that they were each of them
out about £1100 apiece, and all this time they had not received one
penny towards it; and now Mr. Sherley was trying to get more money
from them, and was offended because they refused him. They blamed
them here very much that all was sent to Mr. Sherley and nothing to
them. The partners here wondered at this, for they supposed that much
of their money had been paid in, and that each of them had received
a proportionate quantity yearly, out of the large returns sent home.
They had sent home since the account was received in 1631,—which
included all and more than all their debts, with that year’s
supplies,—goods to the following amount:
Nov. 18th, 1631. By Mr. Pierce 400 lbs. of beaver; otter 20 skins
July 13th, 1632. “ “ Griffin 1348 “ “ “ 147 “
1633. “ “ Graves 3366 “ “ “ 346 “
1634. “ “ Andrews 3738 “ “ “ 234 “
1635. “ “ Babb 1150 “ “ “ 200 “
June 24th, 1636. “ “ Wilkinson 1809 “ “ “ 10 “
1636. “ “ Langrume 719 “ “ “ 199 “
----- ----
12530 “ “ “ 1156 “
All these quantities were safely received and well sold, as appeared
by letters. The coat beaver usually sold at twenty shillings per
lb., and sometimes at twenty-four shillings; otter skins at fifteen
shillings, and sometimes sixteen shillings each,—I do not remember
any under fourteen shillings. It may be that the last year’s shipment
fetched less; but there were some small furs not reckoned in this
account, and some black beaver at high rates, to make up any such
deficit. It was calculated that the above parcels of beaver came to
little less than £10,000 sterling, and the otter skins would pay all
the expenses, and, with other furs, make up besides whatever might
be short of the former sum. When the former account was passed, all
their debts, those of the White Angel and Friendship included, came
to but £4770. They estimated that all the supplies sent them since,
and bills paid for them, could not exceed £2000; so that their debts
should have been paid with interest.
It may be objected; how came it that they did not know the exact
amount of their receipts, as they did of their returns, but had
to estimate them? Two things were the cause of it; the first and
principal was, that the new accountant, who was pressed upon them
from England, wholly failed them, and could never render them any
accounts. He trusted to his memory and loose papers, and let things
run into such confusion, that neither he nor anyone else could
bring things to rights. Whenever he was called upon to perfect his
accounts, he desired to have so long, or such a time of leisure,
and he would finish them. In the interim he fell very ill, and in
conclusion he could make no account at all. His books, after a brief
good beginning, were left altogether imperfect, and of his papers,
some were lost and others so confused that he knew not what to make
of them himself when they came to be examined. This was not unknown
to Mr. Sherley; and the colony came to smart for it to some purpose,
both in England and here, though it was not their fault. They reckon
they have lost in consequence some hundred of pounds for goods sold
on credit, which were ultimately a dead loss for want of clear
accounts to call for payment. Another reason of the mischief was,
that after Mr. Winslow was sent into England to demand accounts and
to take exception to the White Angel, no prices were sent with their
goods, and no proper invoice of them; everything was confused, and
they were obliged to guess at the prices.
They wrote back to Mr. Andrews and Mr. Beauchamp, and told them they
wondered they could say that they had sent nothing home since the
last accounts; they had sent a great deal, and it might rather be
wondered how they could send so much, beside all the expenses here
and what the French had captured, and what had been lost at sea when
Mr. Pierce’s ship was wrecked off the coast of Virginia. What they
had sent was sent to them all, to them as well as Mr. Sherley, and
if they had not looked after it, it was their own faults; they must
refer them to Mr. Sherley who had received it from whom they should
demand it. They also wrote to Mr. Sherley to the same purpose, and
what the others’ complaints were.
This year, two shallops going to Connecticut with goods from
Massachusetts, belonging to those who had gone there to settle, were
wrecked in an easterly storm, coming into the harbour at night. The
boatmen were drowned, and the goods were driven all along the shore,
and strewn up and down at high-water mark. But the Governor had them
collected and an inventory made of them, and they were washed and
dried. So most of the goods were saved and restored to the owners.
Afterwards another boat from the same place, and bound for the same
destination, was wrecked at Manoanscusett, and the goods that came
ashore were preserved for them. Such misfortunes the Connecticut
settlers from Massachusetts met with in their beginnings, and some
thought them a correction from God for their intrusion there, to the
injury of others. But I dare not be so bold with God’s judgments as
to say that it was so.
In the year 1634, the Pequots, a warlike tribe that had conquered
many of its neighbours and was puffed up with numerous victories,
were at variance with the Narragansetts, a great neighboring tribe.
These Narragansetts held correspondence and were on terms of
friendship with the English of Massachusetts. The Pequots, being
conscious of the guilt of the death of Captain Stone, whom they knew
to be an Englishman, and of those who were with him, and having
fallen out with the Dutch, lest they should have too many enemies at
once, wished to make friends with the English of Massachusetts, and
sent messengers and gifts to them, as is shown by some letters from
the Governor there, as follows.
_Governor Winthrop of Massachusetts to the New Plymouth Colony_:
Dear and worthy Sir,
To let you know something about our affairs. The Pequots have sent
to us desiring our friendship, and offering much wampum and beaver,
etc. The first messengers were dismissed without answer; with the
next we had several days’ conference, and taking the advice of some
of our ministers, and seeking the Lord in it, we concluded a peace
and friendship with them, on these conditions: that they should
deliver to us the men who were guilty of Stone’s death.... If we
desired to settle in Connecticut they should give up their right to
us, and we should trade with them as friends,—the chief thing aimed
at. To this they readily agreed; and begged that we should mediate
a peace between them and the Narragansetts, for which purpose they
were willing that we should give the Narragansetts part of the
present they would bestow on us,—for they stood so much on their
honour that they would not be seen to give anything of themselves.
As for Captain Stone, they told us there were but two left who had
a hand in his death and that they killed him in a just quarrel, for
he surprised two of their men, and bound them, and forced them to
show him the way up the river. He went ashore with two others, nine
Indians secretly watching him; and when they were asleep that night
they killed him and the others, to free their own men; and some of
them going afterwards to the pinnace, it was suddenly blown up. We
are now preparing to send a pinnace to them.
In another of his he writes thus:
Our pinnace has lately returned from the Pequots; they did little
trade, and found them a very false tribe, so they mean to have no
more to do with them. I have many other things to write you.
Yours ever assured.
JOHN WINTHROP.
_Boston, 12th of the first month, 1634._
After these occurrences, and as I take it, this year, John Oldham,
so often mentioned before, now an inhabitant of Massachusetts, went
trading with a small vessel, weakly manned, into the south parts, and
upon a quarrel between him and the Indians was killed by them, as
was before noted, at an Island called by the Indians, Munisses, but
since by the English, Block Island. This, with the death of Stone,
and the trifling of the Pequots with the English of Massachusetts,
incited the latter to send out a party to take revenge and require
satisfaction for these wrongs; but it was done so superficially, and
without acquainting those of Connecticut and their other neighbours
with the project, that little good came of it. Indeed, to their
neighbours it did more harm than good, for some of the murderers
of Oldham fled to the Pequots, and though the English went to the
Pequots and had some parley with them, they only deluded them, and
the English returned without doing anything effective. After the
English had returned, the Pequots watched their opportunity to kill
some of the English as they passed in boats, or went out fowling; and
next spring even attacked them in their homes, as will appear. I only
touch upon these things, because I have no doubt they will be more
fully covered by those who have more exact knowledge of them, and
whom they more properly concern.
This year Mr. Smith resigned his ministry, partly by his own wish,
thinking it too heavy a burden, and partly at the persuasion of
others. So the church looked out for some one else, having often
been disappointed in their hopes before. But it pleased the Lord to
send them an able and godly man, Mr. John Rayner, meek and humble in
spirit, sound in the truth, and every way unreprovable in his life
and conversation. After some time of trial they chose him as their
minister, the fruits of whose labours they enjoyed many years with
much comfort, in peace and good agreement.