FIRST INDIAN DEED TO WM. PENN, 1682. THIS INDENTURE, made the ffifteenth day of July, in the yeare of o' Lord, according to English Accompt, one Thousand Six Hundred Eightye Two, Between Idquahon, Ieanottowe, Idquoquequon, Sahoppe for himselfe and Okonikon, Merkekowon Orecton for Nannacussey, Shaurwawghon, Swanpisse, Nahoosey, Tomakhickon, Westkekitt & Tohawsis, Indyan Sachamakers of y'one pte, And William Penn, Esq", Chief Proprietor of the Province of Pennsylvania of the other pte: Witnesseth that for and in Consideracon of the sumes and particulers of Goods, merchandizes, and vtensills herein after mentioned and expressed, (That is to say,) Three Hundred and ffifty ffathams of Wampam, Twenty white Blankits, Twenty ffathams of Strawd waters, Sixty ffathams of Duffields, Twenty Kettles, ffower whereof large, Twenty Gunns, Twenty Coates, fforty Shirts, fforty payre of Stockings, fforty Howes, fforty Axes, Two Barrells of Powder, Two Hundred Barres of Lead, Two Hundred Knives, Two Hundred small Glasses, Twelve payre of Shooes, fforty Copper Boxes, fforty Tobacco Tonngs, Two small Barrells of Pipes, fforty payre of Sissers, fforty Combes, Twenty ffower pounds of Red Lead, one Hundred Aules, Two handfulls of fish-hooks, Two handfulls of needles, fforty pounds of Shott, Tenne Bundles of Beads, Tenne small Saws, Twelve drawing knives, ffower anchers of Tobacco, Two anchers of Rumme, Two anchers of Syder, Two anchers of Beere, And Three Hundred Gilders, by the said William Penn, his Agents or Assigns, to the said Indyan Sachamakers, for the use of them and their People, at and before Sealeing and delivery hereof in hand paid and delivered, whereof and wherewith they the said Sachemakers doe hereby acknowledge themselves fully satisfyed, Contented and paid. The said Indyan Sachamakers, (parties to these presents,) As well for and on the behalfe of themselves as for and on the behalfe of their Respective Indyans or People for whom they are concerned, Have Granted, Bargained, sold and delivered, And by these presents doe fully, clearley and absolutely Grant, bargayne, sell and deliver vnto the sayd William Penn, his Heirs and Assignes forever, All that or Those Tract or Tracts of Land lyeing and being in the Province of Pennsylvania aforesaid, Beginning at a certaine white oake in the Land now in the tenure of John Wood, and by him called the Gray Stones over against the ffalls of Dellaware River, And soe from thence up by the River side to a corner marked Spruce Tree with the letter P at the ffoot of a mountayne, And from the sayd corner marked Spruce Tree along by the Ledge or ffoot of the mountaines west north west to a Corner white oake, marked with the letter P, standing by the Indyan Path that Leads to an Indyan Towne called Playwickey, and near the head of a Creek called Towsissinck, And from thence westward to the Creek called Neshammonys Creek, And along by the sayd Neshammonyes Creek unto the River Dellaware, alias Makeriskhickon; And soe bounded by the sayd mayne River to the sayd first mentioned white oake in John Wood's Land; And all those Islands called or knowne by the severall names of Mattinicunk Island, Sepassincks Island, and Örecktons Island, lying or being in the sayd River Dellaware, Togeather alsoe with all and singular Isles, Islands, Rivers, Rivoletts, Creeks, Waters, Ponds, Lakes, Plaines, Hills, Mountaynes, Meadows, Marrishes, Swamps, Trees, Woods, Mynes, mineralls and Appurtennces whatsoever to the sayd Tract or Tracts of Land belonging or in any wise Apperteyning; And the reverson and reversons, Remaindr. and remaindrs. thereof, And all the Estate, Right, Tytle, Interest, vse, pperty, Clayme and demand whatsoever, as well of them the sayd Indyan Sackamakers (Ptyes to these presents) as of all and every other the Indyans Concerned therein or in any pte. or Pcel. thereof. TO HAVE AND TO HOLD the sayd Tract or Tracts of Land, Islands, and all and every other the sayd Granted premises, with their and every of their Appurtennces vnto the sayd William Penn, his Heires and Assignes forever, To the only pper vse & behoofe of the sayd William Penn, his Heires and Assignes, forevermore. And the sayd Indyan Sachamakers and their Heires and successors, and every of them, the sayd Tract or Tracts of Land, Islands, and all and every other the sayd Granted pmisses, with their and every of their Appurtennces unto the sayd William Penn, his Heires and Assignes forever, against them the sayd Indyan Sachamakers, their Heirs and successors, and against all and every Indyan and Indyans and their Heires and successors, Clayming or to Clayme, any Right, Tytle or Estate, into or out of the sayd Granted prmisses, or any pte. or prcel. thereof, shall and will warrant and forever defend by these presents; In witness whereof the said Prtyes. to these present Indentures Interchangeably have sett their hands and seales the day and yeare ffirst above written, 1682. Sealed and Delivered in ye presence of LASSE COCK, RICH. NOBLE, THOS. REVELL. The mark of KOWYOCK HICKON, The mark of × WM. MARKHAM, First day of August, 1682. Att ye house of Capt. Lasse Cock. WM. PENN, Esq'. WEE, whose names are underwritten, for our Selves and in name and behalfe of the rest of the within mentioned Shackamachers, in respect of a mistake in the first bargaine betwixt us and the within named Wm. Penn, of the number of tenn gunns more than are mentioned in the within deed when we should then have received, doe now acknowledge the receipt of the saide tenn gunns from the said Wm. Penn; And whereas in the said deed there is certaine mention made of three hundred and fifte fathom of Wampum, not expressing the quality thereof, Wee yrfore for our Selves, and in behalfe also do declare the same to be one halfe whyt wampum and the other halfe black wampum; And we, Peperàppamand, Pyterhay and Eytepamatpetts,* Indian Shachamakers, who were the first owners of ye Land called Soepassincks, & of ye island of ye same name, and who did not formerlie Sign and Seal ye within deed, nor were present when the same was done, doe now by signing and sealling hereof Ratefie, approve and confirm ye within named deed and the ye partition of ye Lands within mentioned writen and confirm thereof in all ye points, clauses, and articles of ye same, and doe declare our now sealing hereof to be as valid, effectual and sufficient for ye conveyance of ye whole Lands, and of here within named to ye sd. Wm. Penn, his heirs and assigns, for evermore, as if we had their with the other within named Shachamakers signed and sealed in ye same. The mark of NOMNE SOHAM.* Sign and Sealed and delivered in p'nce of us, REDTHARNVELLEON,' * LASS COCK. WM. MARKHAM. [A Duplicate of this is also in the office without the addition of August 1st, 1682, some portions very indistinct. See Smith's Laws, Vol. II. page 109.] SIR WM. PETTY TO WM. PENN, 1682. OLD FRIEND, LONDON, y 14 Aug', 1682. My opinion is that not only Pensilvania but all ye habitable Land upon the face of ye Earth, will (within ye next 1500 years) bee as fully Peopled as England is now, That is to say, That there will be a head for every Four Acres of Land, Whereas in Ireland there are about 10 acres to every head, the medium whereof is 7. Wherefore, when God sendeth y" to Pensilvania, I advise you to take a perfect accompt of every Soule within ye Teritory and Jurisdiction, and then to sett out a peece of Land conteyning 7 times that number in acres, wch Land ought to bee chosen for its situation, healthfullness and fertility, and to bee defenceable by nature as much as may bee. It is not likely that in 7 years, that yo' People will encrease so fast, as to bring yo' s 7 acres to 4 acres pr Head. Wherefore, *These names are uncertain. VOL. I.-3 making no alteration in 7 years, I would then again number y Inhabitants and add to ye first parcell such an other parcell as might conteyne 7 times as many acres as was ye number of Encrease of People, and would consider whether it were best to make this additional parcell contiguous to y° first, or a new Colony distant from it. It may be here objected how this method will agree with ye Disposure wch you have already made of great Scopes of Land within y Territory, for such Scope may bee so sett out, as by this method to have noe People att all, To ye totall loss of those who purchased from yo". To wch I answer 1. That I would have ye whole Territory of Pensilvania valuedSuppose at 20., more or lesse, and Suppose yo" have received 80007. for Shares out of ye Same, I should then think it reasonable that yo'Self should have but 3th of ye proffitt of any new Plantation or Colony, and that y Purchasers should have y other ths to bee proportionally divided amongst them by Lott or agreement. My next Consideration is, how to make a proportion between y value of y Lands and hands, wch I will suppose, by ye Example of England, to bee as one to three, that is to say, that ye Rent of Land peopled as above mentioned, is to bee one quarter part of all that is to be produced or gayned by the said Inhabitants, wch when you can value by Silver, then you may pronounce not onely what y° Land is locally worth in Comodityes, but universally in Silver. It is to be feared that, If Lands fitt and prepared for Tillage bee worth in England but one-quarter of y produce, that in Pensilvania ye best uncultivated Lands cannot be worth soe much by y Labour must be bestowed in makeing them as fitt for use as y Lands in England already are. Wch I also think it not amiss (Supposeing ye Territory to bee 200 miles square) to conceive it divided into 400 parts or squares of ten miles in ye side, and thereupon supposing the whole to bee worth 2017., and each of y said Squares 507. at a medium, I say, I would have each of y s Squares valued att more or less than ye sd 50l., as y hopes of their being planted appears to bee, But so as that ye whole may amount to ye just Sume of 20 thousand pounds, & according to this method, with a Lott cast upon it, every one of ye Purchasers may have his whole scope sett out together where his Lott falleth, and his Lott may fall upon Land wch may be forthwith Planted, or wch may not be planted till 500 years hence, or perhaps not till y last Century of y 1500 years above mentioned. I conclude with repeating what I mentioned in my former Letter, that by Degrees a perfect Survey may be made of ye whole Territory, wth Divisions of the same, according to y bounds of nature, wth a Description of Animals, Vegetables, and Minerals appearing upon them, for such survey [would give] great light to your plantation and foreign commerce. I am your faithful ffriend. [Printed from the original in " Hazard's Annals," Vol.i. p. 584] WM. PENN'S CALL OF A COURT AT UPLAND, 1682. WM. DARVALL, FRANCIS WHITEWELL, JNO. HILLYARD, ROBERT STARR, JNO. BRIGGS, &c., Thes are to desire you to meet me at New Castle, next Thursday, (so called,) being ye 2a of November, where I shall hold a General Court for the Settlement of the Jurisdiction of thes & your parts, & in so doing you will oblige. Your Loving upland, 29th 8ber, 1682. iff there be any persons of note, or other, yt desire to come, they may freely do it, and this pray siguify. SR. THOMAS CULPEPPER TO WM. PENN, 1682. W P. GREEN SPRINGE, 23 Decemb., 1682. It hath been represented to me by the bearer hereof-Col°. Edward Hill, of this Country-that Having placed one Dare, Master of His shippe the Edward & Anna, for a voyage to the Barbadoes, with orders to returne hither again, He hath, contrary Hereunto and the trust reposed in him, run away with Her into your country, where upon fraudulent & untru pretences he is now indeavouring to dispose thereof and cheat him, to avoyd or prevent which He is now taking a journey to you in this unseasonable time of the yeare, Besides your readynesse to doe what is just in all things, and the merits of His case, I recommend Him particularly to you, begining my Correspondence with you, with this assurance, that not only in the like occasion, But all others that may happen, I shall be ready to give the utmost assistance of this His Maties Government to any that shall come from you. I congratulate your Arrivall into your new dominion, where I hope things will answer your expectations, and that you may have all successe and prosperity therein, are the wishes of Your Affectionate humble Servt., THO. CULPEPER. I shall hope to hear of your good successe by Col. Hill at his returne. You had a Better passage than I, but, God be thanked, I am come in good time, and all things are here in a good posture. For Mr. WILLIAM PEN, Proprietor of Pensylvania. Per Col. Edward Hlll. *In Penn's own hand-writing. |