late pious predecessor's Goodness & your Majesties known virtues, the fame of which has reached their Ears, Your Suppliant has presumed to Appear personally before Your Majesty, praying that he & his People may be restored to & protected in that part of their Ancestors' Lands weh: they had reserved to themselves & their Tribe, for their Hunting & Planting wh: has been confirmed to them by Acts of the Colony, & adjudged to them by Her late Matyes Comm:, & that after having approved themselves for the Space of 100 years faithfull friends & Allies to your Colony of Connecticut & true to your Matie, & your Royal Predecessors, against all your Enemies, they may not now be forced to fly to some Indian Tribe for Subsistence, who are friends to the French, & Enemies to the English in the time of War, but Obtain a Redress of their Grievances from your Maj'ty's Royal Justice for wch may the just God the Avenger of Wrongs & protector of Good Princes shower down Happiness & Blessing on your Royal Person, & Crown your Reign with true Glory wch: is the Sincere Prayer of Your Maj'ty's most Obedient & faithfull Vassall,

MAHOMETT.

GOVERNOR TALCOTT TO FRANCIS WILKS.

HARTFORD, June 19th, 1736.

Sir: Agreeable to your order, I have sent your Salary, granted by our Gen" Assembly in May last,* (which was £150.) to Mr John Edwards of Boston. I have also sent of our Currency to Mr Thomas Hancoks in Boston, to procure £100. pounds Sterling, which I hope he hath procured and remitted to you, which is to be improved in defence of this Colony against the Complaints of Capt John Mason, and other serv

* Colonial Records, VIII. 50.

ice of this Colony. I now send also duplicates of one letter respecting Capt John Mason, dated Feb 17th, 1735/6, and other, dated May 31st, 1736. And not yet knowing any thing of Mason's Complaint, more than when the former letter was wrote can not add anything essential.

I am surprised, Sir, that I have not had a line from you since that of July 25th, 1735,* inclosing the two accounts of Silver and Gold that came to you in Capt Benit and Cap Surrie. It seems long not to hear from you, tho' I hope I have not done anything that hath merited your displeasure, nor forfeited your favor and good service. Hope I shall be informed. otherwise; so wait in expectation of an answer to all the foregoing, and divers other letters sent you since your last above mentioned, and am, Sir,

Your friend and humble servant,

J. TALCOTT.

TO FRANCIS WILKS, Esq', London.

THOMAS HANCOCK TO GOVERNOR TALCOTT.

JOSEPH TALCott, Esq'.

BOSTON, June 28th, 1736.

S': I have the honour of yours Mr Farnsworth with £150. Cash, and Order on Goven' Belcher for £100. who has accepted it and will pay it in a day or two. I have shipt the Gold on board Cap Shiperdson, as you will see inclosed Bill of Lading. Inclosed is likewise the accot of the same and the Ballance you'l observe due to me is £11. 8. 3 which I doubt not you'l send first oppertunity. The Gold I bought for £20. 10/ Ounce, and I doe assure you I

*See page 318.

Thomas Hancock was a wealthy merchant of Boston, uncle of Gov. John Hancock. He was born in 1703, and died in 1764. — Fifth Report of the Boston Record Commissioners; "Gleaner" Articles, 136. Memorial History of Boston, II. 519.

could have sold it for £21. and it cant be now bought under, so that I have saved the Colony £13. in that article. Your letters shall be forwarded to London, and if I can at any time be serviceable to you or the Colony, pray command, S,

Your Most Obedt Servt,

THO. HANCOCK.

P. S. The ship will saile in two or 3 days.

FRANCIS WILKS TO GOVERNOR TALCOTT.

S': I am favour'd with both yours, the former dated in May, and the latter the 19th of June. M'. Tho Hancock of Boston has sent me Cap" Sheperdson twenty six Ounces of Gold to be applyed to the use of the Colony, of which you shall have a faithfull account. No step has been taken at any of the Publick Offices by Mason with the Indians, since what I advised you of. I am informed that some time last week Mahomet dy'd of the Small Pox, and I hope an end is put to the Affair.* I have given proper notice that I am furnish'd with full Instructions concerning the scituation of affairs between the Government of Connecticutt and the Moheag Indians, and am ready to attend whenever any farther enquiry is made into the affair. If anything new should be wanting, I shall pray time to send for it. I am much obliged to you and to the whole Court for what they have been pleased to vote for my salary. Part I have received from Mr Edwards, and doubt not the rest will come by the first oppertunity. I have lately been informed by several hands that the Duke of Hamilton is design'd to revive a claim to a large tract of land

**Aug. 8, 1736. Dy'd in Aldermanbury, Mahomet Weyonomon, Sachem of the Tribe of Moheagone in the Province of Connecticut in New England. He was a great-grandson to the famous Sachem, Onkass, who took part with the English upon first settling that country."— Gentleman's Magazine, VI. 487.

in the Colony.* As yet I have had no regular notice of it, but when I have, shall act what may appear needfull on the occasion, and acquaint you for farther directions therein. I have been much pleased with the company and acquaintance of Mr. Hooker the little time he has been here. He goes passenger in the ship with this, and I hope will soon be with you. I am, Sir,

Yo' most Obed'. Hum. Servt.

LONDON, the 19th August, 1736.

To the Honble JOSEPH TALCOTT, Esq'.

FRA. WILKS.

GOVERNOR BELCHER, OF MASSACHUSETTS, TO GOVERNOR TALCOTT.

Honoble Sir. the Rev. Mr. Whitman I have your favour of the 21st August, and take a particular notice of all you say respecting Mason's Complaint.

After a full consideration of the letter you mention wrote to Col Winthrop, the Commiss here did not think it proper to write to the Corporation at home, or to interfere with respect to the Complaint about the Lands, nor did they write a line in Mason's Favour, which he prayed for.

The inclosed came to my hands two days since

*The claim of the Duke of Hamilton was based on a division made by the Council of Plymouth in 1635, before that body surrendered its charter to the King. The share allotted to the Marquis of Hamilton comprised a tract running from the mouth of the Connecticut, "along the seacoast to the Narragansett River, or Harbor," "and into the land northward sixty miles." In 1665 an attempt was made to enforce this grant, but the royal commissioners for New England reported against it. In 1683 Edward Randolph received a power of attorney from the Duke of Hamilton, son of the Marquis, to prosecute this claim before the commissioners at Boston. The Governor and Council of Connecticut in their answer took the ground of limitation, the Duke having had no share in any of the settlements or improvements in the Colony, and having neglected entirely to prosecute his claims for more than twenty years. On this ground the Lords of Trade decided in favor of Connecticut in 1697.-Trumbull's History of Connecticut, I. 288, 379-82, 557, 563. Connecticut Archives; Miscellaneous, I. 59-66; Foreign Correspondence, II. 48-52. Colonial Records, III. 333-336. Mass. Hist. Soc. Coll., Vol. IX. Fifth Series, 180-93.

one Capt Baker, under your Agent's Cover. My Son writes me he has attended the publick offices diligently, and that he thinks Mason will soon return with no other Advantage than being eas'd of the Burden of what money he carried.

Mr Belcher gives his Service to your Honour, and to the Gentlemen of the Council, and desires me to assure you, that he shall always with great pleasure do any services for your Colony, and so will, Sir, Your Honour's most Obedient Humble Servant, J. BELCHER.

BOSTON, Sept 10th, 1736.

Gov TALCOTT.

GOVERNOR TALCOTT TO FRANCIS WILKS.

HARTFORD, Sep'. 17, 1736.

S: I had the favour of yours of May the 19, and June 15th, Inclosing the Coppy of Mahomet's alias Yeomanones Petition against this Gov'ment, and soon after I had reced it began to prepare an answer in defence of the Colony to Shew the many falsitys Suggested in his petition and the reasons why we ought not at first to have Complyed with the Judgment of the Commis's Court held at Stoningtown in the Colony of Connecticutt on the 23d day of August, 1705, and much less now, since the matter had layn still so Long, and Uncas and Owaneco before that Time, and Owaneco the then Sachem had, since that Time, sold those Hunting Lands mentioned [in the?] Judgment, Massapecg and Considerable of the Land mentioned between New London and Norwich, and had taken valuable Considerations for them, Executing deeds and acknowledged ym before the Civil authority as the Law Directs, and that Long Since had Several Towns and parishes been planted and sd Lands