History of New England

of men in high degree, of revolutions due to nothing worthy and issuing in nothing profitable. In the colonial history of New England we follow the strenuous action of intelligent and honest men in building up a free, strong, enlightened, and happy State. With sagacity, promptitude, patience, and constancy they hold their ground from age to age. Each generation trains the next in the lessons of liberty, and advances it to further attainments; and, when the time comes for the result of the modest process to be disclosed, behold the establishment of the political independence of America, and the boundless spread of principles which are working for good in the politics of the world.

The administration of the controlling colonies of New England illustrates the power, wisdom, and virtue that may reside in a society of undistinguished men. Sometimes, though not often, those to whom this people gave their confidence proved untrustworthy, and sought and used office for selfish ends; but the popular manhood generally defeated them. It was not to the agency of leaders that the progress of New England was mainly due, nor did that community furnish many such persons for commemoration in biographies. It was the popular good principles and good sense transmitted from parent to son which brought the excellent results to pass.

Of the friends who have helped me in the progress of this work, some are now no more. Among those to whom I have been recently indebted, I have especially to acknowledge obligations to Mr. HOADLY of Hartford, and Mr. GOODELL of Salem, who allowed me the use of the proof-sheets of their respective publications of colonial documents; to Mr. DEANE of Cambridge, whose stores of knowledge have been freely imparted to me; and to Mr. TRUMBULL of Hartford, who has materially assisted my study of that history of Connecticut, which he is so richly qualified to write.

I have devoted much time to the Archives of Massachusetts. But such is the ingenious disorder in which, some thirty-five years ago, the precious documents in that collection were dispersed, that the search among them is laborious and unsatisfactory to a vexatious degree. Nor till the liberality of some future Legislature shall cause them to be replaced in a chronological series, will it be possible for a student to assume that he has found every thing contained in them that is material to his inquiries.

Since the following pages constitute a sequel to my three volumes of History of New England during the Stuart Dynasty, I believe that I have consulted the reader's convenience in references in the notes, by enumerating the volumes from I. to IV. as all belonging to one work. In these notes, the references in the present volume, as in the preceding, to "British Colonial Papers," indicate papers now in the custody of the Master of the Rolls, and mostly included in the two voluminous collections entitled respectively "Board of Trade," and "America and West Indies." These papers are not arranged in the precise order of the dates; but consultation of them will be easy after the completion of Mr. SAINSBURY'S Calendar, which as yet is brought down no further than to the year 1660. In my references to them, as well as in other notes, I shall be thought to have gone excessively into details; and I cannot dispute the justness of the criticism; such, at present, is the uncontrollable tendency of my mind.

The map which makes the frontispiece to this volume, reduced from the sheet published by William Price in 1743, represents the chief town of New England as it was at the close of the administration of Governor Belcher, and essentially as it remained for sixty years longer. I have some recollection of Boston before 1805, and it was not then very materially differ

ent from the delineation of it in Bonner's map of 1722. On the whole, the population of the town, gaining and losing from time to time, grew but little during the latter half of the past century. At the time of the capture of Louisburgh in 1745, it was reckoned at 20,000. The Federal census of 1800 reported it to be 24,937.

The plan of my work would be accomplished by the completion of one more volume, bringing down the narrative to the opening of the War of Independence.

CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS ;

1875, May 2.

J. G. P.

CONTENTS

OF THE FOURTH VOLUME.

BOOK IV.

PROGRESS IN THE REIGNS OF KING WILLIAM THE THIRD AND

QUEEN ANNE.

CHAPTER I.

PROSPECTS DISCLOSED BY THE FIRST REVOLUTION.

Politics and Parties in England