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thought meet, but not repugnant to the fundamental laws of our native country." A Governor and five Counsellors, annually chosen, were to have charge of the public affairs. Edward Godfrey, of Agamenticus, the only Counsellor who had been appointed by Gorges, was chosen Governor. The Counsellors were Edward Rushworth, also of that city, and Richard Leader, Nicholas Shapleigh, and Thomas Withers, of Kittery.?

1650.

Annexation

of Maine to Massachusetts.

George Cleaves, with a council of Assistants, carried on the government of Lygonia, as agent for Rigby; but on the death of the proprietor, Cleaves went to England, and the bond of allegiance to the heir was more lightly felt by the planters. Both in that province and in Maine, there were numbers who were dissatisfied with the existing state of things. Some desired a different settlement under a new charter; others preferred to follow the example of the Piscataqua towns, and place themselves under the government of Massachusetts. The patent of the Governor and Company of Massachusetts Bay granted a territory having for its northern boundary a line extending westward from the Atlantic Ocean on a parallel of latitude three miles north of the most northerly part of the river Merrimack. The General Court had obtained some knowledge of the geography of the region, and of their apparent right to lands earlier granted to themselves, but now claimed by the representatives of Gorges and Rigby; and they saw that circumstances favored their producing their claim, and obtaining a recognition of it which would be for the advantage of the settlers as well as for their own. They decided to begin with the inhabitants of Kittery, and accordingly appointed a commission of three distinguished citizens, Mr. Bradstreet, Oct. 14. Mr. Denison, and Mr. Hathorne,― to proceed to that place, conveying " a loving and friendly letter" to the

1651.

1 Mass. Hist. Coll., I 103.

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2 Williamson, History, &c., 303, 327.

inhabitants, and offering "to receive them under this government, if terms of agreement could be concluded upon by mutual consent; otherwise, having ..... laid claim to the place, to protest against any further proceeding by virtue of their combination, or other interest whatsoever."1

Dec. 5.

The Provincial Court of Maine solicited the intervention of Parliament, and sent a memorial, praying for a confirmation of the government which they had established among themselves "by way of combination." 2 Winslow, still agent of Massachusetts in London, had an advantage in being able to argue that the opposition was prompted by the prejudices of royalists; and the petition had no effect. The General Court of Massachusetts, "on perusal of the charter,” re- 1652. solved that, by the royal grant therein, their north- May 31. ern boundary was that which has been above described; and they appointed commissioners to survey the line.3 A correspondence between Rawson, Secretary of Massachusetts, and Edward Godfrey, calling himself "Governor of the Province of Maine," expressed the pretensions of the respective parties, but did nothing towards composing the dispute. The commissioners of Massachusetts came to Kittery, and there, after a conference with Godfrey and four others, "who declared themselves to be persons in present power," they formally claimed the jurisdiction as belonging to their Colony, and forbade the exercise of any local authority after the expiration of three months. Godfrey and his associates replied that they "resolved and intended to go on, till lawful power commanded the contrary." 4

July 9.

But such opposition as they could make caused no delay. Surveyors, employed by the General Court, traced the stream of the Merrimack as far north as the parallel of forty-three degrees, forty minutes, and

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Oct. 19.

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Nov. 20.

twelve seconds; and, on receiving their report, the Court again sent commissioners to Kittery. It made its submission, and was constituted by the commissioners a town of Massachusetts, within a new "county or shire, which was called by the name of Yorkshire," and embraced all the territory yet claimed by Massachusetts east of the Piscataqua. Courts were established for the county; an organization was prescribed for towns; assurance was given that "the people inhabiting there should enjoy protection and equal acts of favor and justice with the rest of the people inhabiting on the south side of the river of Piscataqua, and within the liberties" of Massachusetts; property held under "the grant of the town, or of the Indians, or of the former General Courts," was confirmed to the possessors; the franchise of the Colony was granted on the sole condition of taking the freeman's oath, independent of the religious or any other test; and Kittery was allowed to send two Deputies to the General Court.2

Nov. 22.

Such liberal dealing was followed by what must be supposed to have been its expected effect. Two days after this transaction at Kittery, "the commissioners held their Court" at Agamenticus; "and the inhabitants appeared, and after some time spent in debatements, and many questions answered and objections removed, with full and joint consent acknowledged themselves subject to the government of the Massachusetts in New England; only Mr. Godfrey did forbear until the vote was passed by the rest, and then immediately he did by word and vote express his consent." Fifty persons then took the freeman's oath; among whom were Godfrey and Rushworth, members of the late government. Agamenticus received the name of York, with the same privileges as had been allowed to Kittery.3

1 Mass. Rec., III. 288.

2 Hazard, I. 573.

Ibid., 575, 576.

to Massa

1653.

July 4.

It evinces a remarkable disregard of the recent action of the Parliament's Commissioners for Foreign Plantations, that the province of Gorges, as they had defined it, was thus mostly absorbed by Massachusetts. In the next year, the same course was taken with that part of it which as yet remained untouched, as well as with the territory which had been assigned to Alexander Rigby, and which was equally ascertained to lie within the chartered limits of Massachusetts, as they were now asserted. Commissioners from that Colony went to Wells, and summoned the inhabitants there, at Saco, and at Annexation Cape Porpoise (now Kennebunk Port),1 to make of Lygonia their submission, under liberal terms, similar to chusetts. what had been granted to Kittery and York. At Wells they met with opposition; perhaps the events which led to the settlement of that place were remembered with resentment. Six persons, however, took the oath at the first session of the Commissioners, and twenty more on the following day. At the same time, twenty freemen enrolled themselves from Saco, and twelve from the other settlement. This was accomplished without objection. After Rigby's death, his son and heir, in consequence of unfavorable representations 1652. which had reached him, sent a letter of rebuke July 19. to the local rulers, forbidding them to execute any acts of administration till he should give further orders. A measure of this kind could not but increase, or create, discontent, and thus facilitate the accomplishment of the purposes of Massachusetts. The three plantations were incorporated into the county of York, but did not as yet receive the privilege of being represented in the General Court.3

1 For as much as twenty years Cape Porpoise had been a resort of fishermen and traders. (Winthrop, I. 89.) It was still, however, a very inconsider

2

able settlement. Comp. Williamson, History, &c., I. 352 et seq.

2 See Vol. I 512, 593.

3 Mass. Rec., III. 335 – 338.

1655.

1656.

Aug. 12.

Attempts made in England, by Cleaves and others, to disturb this arrangement, had no success. Its expediency was too obvious, and the Protector was too friendly to its promoters. John Leverett, while he was in Massachusetts with Cromwell's fleet, increased the esteem with which he had always been regarded, and on his return to England, which took place after the death of WinsNov. 23. low, he was appointed agent for that Colony.1 By his interest, aided by the influence of Mr. Hopkins, the exertions of the malecontents were defeated. A memorial, addressed to the Protector by seventy inhabitants of the five towns, represented their wishes for the continuance of the new government. "Through God's mercy," they said, "we enjoy it to our good satisfaction, and for our continual settledness under it we daily pray;" and, for further information respecting their affairs, they referred to Wheelwright, the founder of Wells, who was then in England. The memorialists were the best part, if not the greatest part, of the inhabitants." And soon yet another enlargement took place, which extended the domain of Massachusetts to the shores of Casco Bay. Under conditions like those which had been made with the neighboring plantations, the planters at Black Point, at Spurwink, at Blue Point (which received the name of Scarborough), and at Casco Bay (which assumed that of Falmouth), took the oath of allegiance to Massachusetts, and received

1658.

July 13.

1 Leverett's account with the English government for the expedition to Nova Scotia is in Mass. Hist. Coll., XXXII. 221. The date is "March 10, 1655" (1656). It exhibits a balance due to him of £4,742. 9. 10. He charged twenty shillings a day for his own services for a year and eleven months; but the Council reduced the daily pay to fifteen shillings. For the amount of his debt, he received in July "His

Highness the Lord Protector's Privy Seal." But nearly four thousand pounds still remained due to him after the Restoration, when he petitioned the King for relief. (Mass. Rec., III. 222, 223.)

2 Hutch. Coll., 271-275; comp. Maine Hist. Coll., I. 290.

Maine Hist. Coll., I. 296 299. Letter of Rushworth to Endicott, August 14, 1656. Ibid., 299.

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