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immediately fall, which was to be the fignal for them to begin the attack. As foon therefore as Myantonomo had finifhed his laconic Ipeech, Uncas dropped his men inftantly obeyed the fignal, and poured in a fhower of arrows upon the unfufpecting Narraganfetts, and rushing on with their horrid yells and favage fiercenefs, put them to flight. Many were killed on the fpot-the reft were clofely purfued, and fome were precipitately driven down craggy precipices, and dashed in pieces. At a place called, froth this event, Sachem's Plain, Uncas overtook and feized Myantonomo by the fhoulder. They fat down together; and Uncas with a hoop called in his men, and the battle ceafed. Doubtful what to do with the royal prifoner, Uncas and his warriors, in council, determined to carry him to the governor and council at Hartford, and be advised by them. Thither he was accordingly conducted. The governor having advifed with his council, told Uncas, That the English were not then at war with the Narragansetts, and of courfe that it was not proper for them to intermeddle in the matter. Uncas was left to do with him as he pleased. Myantonomo was conducted back to the plain where he was taken, and put to death by Uncas himself. The tragic fcene did not end with his death. Uncas, after the manner of the Indians, with his tomahawk, cut off a large piece of flesh from the fhoulder of his flaughtered enemy, broiled and ate it, faying, with an air of favage triumph, It is the fweetett meat I ever ate-It makes me have a ftout heart.' His body was afterwards buried, and a pillar erected over it, the remains of which are visible to this day.

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Some hiftorians have infinuated, that the governor and council fecretly advifed Uncas to put Myantonomo to death-and others, more bold, have declared that they ordered him (Myantonomo) to be carried out of their jurifdiction, and to be flain; but that they kindly added that he should not be tortured; and fent fome perfons to fee execution done, who had the fatisfaction to fee the captive king murdered in cool blood *.' I know of no foundation for this unfavourable reprefentation of the affair.

Myantonomo was one of the most potent Indian princes in New-Eng land. Seven years before this he had affitted the English in their wars with the Pequots.

The Narragansetts were greatly enraged at the death of their prince, and refolved to take vengeance on the Mohegans. The united colonies interpofed to prevent a war between them, but in vain. The Narragans fetts refolutely declared, they would continue the war until they had Uncas' head. But as Uncas had ever been a friend to the English, they joined him against his enemies, and were victorious. Such, however, was the enuity of the Narragansetts to the English, that they afterwards fent fome of their men to Uncas, with large prefents, to induce him to join with them in a war with the colonies. Uncas replied, "Go tell your king that I will go to Norwich, and advife with Major John Mafon and Mr. Fitch; if they tell me to join him and fight against the English, I will join him.' In the war that happened foon after, Uncas affifted the English, and the Narragansetts were fubdued, and never after were formidable.

* Hift. of Providence, &c. published in the Providence Gazette, 1755, No. 128.

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In confideration of the fuccefs and increase of the New England colonies, and that they had been of no charge to the nation, and in profpe&t of their being in future very serviceable to it, the English parliament, March 10th, 1543. granted them an exemption from all cuftoms, fubfidies and other duties, until further order.

To write a connected, progreffive hiftory of any of the ftates, is not within the limits of my defign. This, as I have before obferved, is left to the professed historian *. Some of the mott remarkable and interelling events, related in a detached and summary manner, is all that must be expected.

In 1644, the Connecticut adventurers purchased of Mr Fenwick, agent for Lord Say and Seal, and Lord Brook, their right to the colony of Connecticut, for £.1600.

The history of Connecticut is marked with traces of the fame fpirit, which has been mentioned as characteristic of the Massachusetts, in different ftages of their hiftory. Indeed, as Maffachusetts was the stock whence Connecticut proceeded, this is to be expected.

The colony of Connecticut expreffed their difapprobation of the ufe of tobacco, in an act of their general affembly at Hartford, in 1647, wherein it was ordered, That no perfon under the age of twenty years, nor any other that hath already accuftomed himfelf to the ufe thereof, shall take any tobacco, until he fhall have brought a certificate, from under the hand of fome who are approved for knowledge and skill in phyfic, that it is useful for him; and also that he hath received a licence from the court for the fame. All others who had addicted themselves to the use of to bacco were, by the fame court, prohibited taking it in any company, or at their labours, or on their travels, unless they were ten miles at least from any boufe †, (I fuppote) or more than once a day, though not in company, on pain of a fine of fix-pence for each time; to be proved by one fubftantial evidence. The conftable in each town to make presentment of fuch tranfgreflions to the particular court, and, upon convic tion, the fine to be paid without gainfaying.'

Nor were the Connecticut fettlers behind their brethren in Maffachus fetts in regard to their feverity against the Quakers; and they have the fame apology The general court of New-Haven, 1658, paffed a fevere lav against the Quakers. They introduced their law with this preamble.

'Whereas there is a curfed fect of hereticks lately fprung up in the world, commonly called Quakers, who take upon them that they are immedis ately fent from God, and infallibly aflifted by the Spirit, who yet fpeak and write blafphemous opinions, defpife government, and the order of God in church and commonwealth, fpeaking evil of dignities, &c.

*The Rev. Mr. Benjamin Trumbull, of North-Haven, has for feveral years, with indefatigable industry, been making collections for a biftory of Connecticut His abilities as a writer, and his accuracy as a hiftorian, the public already know. It is hoped the public will shortly be favoured with bis biftory. Through bis indu'gence in permitting me to felett from his manufcripts, I am enabled to publifh most of the above facts.

There is a defect in the copy.

See Hift. of Maffachusetts, p. 188.

• Ordered

• Ordered-That whofoever shall bring, or caufe to be brought, any known Quaker or Quakers, or other blafphemous hereticks, fhall forfeit the fun of £.50.' Allo,

if a Quaker come into this jurifdiction on civil bufinefs, the time of his flay fhall be limited by the civil authoriy, and he fhall not use any means to corrupt or feduce others. On his first arrival, he fhall appear before the magiitrate, and from him have license to pafs on his bufinefs. And (for the better prevention of hurt to the people) have one or more to attend upon them at their charge, &c. The penalties in cafe of difobedience were whipping, imprifonment, labour, and deprivation of all Converse with any perfon.

For the fecond offence, the perfon was to be branded in the hand with the letter to fuffer imprisonment-and be put to labour. For the third, to be branded in the other hand, imprisoned, &c. as before. For the fourth, the offender was to have his tongue bored through with a red hot iron-imprifoned—and kept to labour, until fent away at their own charge.

·

Any perfon who should attempt to defend the fentiments of the Quakers, was, for the third offence, to be fentenced to banishment.'

Had the pious framers of thefe laws paid a due attention to the excelient advice of that fagacious doctor of the law, Gamaliel, they would, perhaps, have been prevented from the adoption of fuch fevere and unjuftifiable measures. This wife man, when his countrymen were about to be outrageous in perfecuting the apostles, addreffed them in the following words, which merit to be engraved in letters of gold: REFRAIN FROM THESE MEN, AND LET THEM ALONE: FOR IF THIS COUNSEL OR THIS WORK BE OF MEN, IT WILL COME TO NOUGHT: BUT I F IT BE OF GOD, YE CANNOT OVERTHROW IT; LEST HAPLY YE BE FOUND EVEN TO FIGHT AGAINST GOD. This divine maxim was but little attended to in times of perfecution. Our ancestors feem to have left it to pofterity tờ make the important difcovery, that perfecution is the direct method to multiply its objects.

But thefe people, who have been fo much cenfured and ridiculed, had, perhaps, as many virtues as their pofterity; and had they an advocate to defend their caufe, he no doubt might find as broad a field for ridicule, and as just a foundation for cenfure, in the furvey of modern manners, as has been afforded in any period fince the fettlement of America. It would be wife then in the moderns, who ftand elevated upon the fhoulders of their ancestors, with the book of their experience spread before them, to improve their virtues, aud veil their faults.

The colonies of Connecticut and New-Haven, from their first settlement, increafed rapidly; tracts of land were purchafed of the Indians, and new towns fettled from Stamford to Stonington, and far back into the country, when, in 1661, Major John Mafon, as agent for the colony, bought of the natives all lands which had not before been purchased by particular towns, and made a public furrender of them to the colony, in the presence of the general affembly. Having done thefe things, the colonists petitioned King Charles II. for a charter, and their petition was granted. His ma

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1 jefly on the 23d of April 1662, iffued his letters patent under the great feal ordaining that the colony of Connecticut, fhould forever hereafter be one body corporate and politic, in fact and in name, confirming to them their ancient grant and purchase, and fixing their boundaries as follows, (viz) All that part of his Majefty's dominions in New England, in America, bounden eaft by Narragansett river, commonly called Narra ganfett bay, where the river falleth into the fea, and on the north by the line of Maffachusetts plantation, and on the fouth by the fea, and in longitude as the line of the Maffachusetts colony, running from eat to welt. that is to fay, from the faid Narragansett bay on the caft, to the south fea on the weft part, with the islands thereunto belonging.' This charter has ever fince remained the basis of the government of Connecticut.

Such was the ignorance of the Europeans, refpecting the geography of America, when they first affumed the right of giving away lands which the God of nature had long before given to the Indians, that their pa2 tents extended they knew not where, many of them were of doubtfuk construction, and very often covered each other in part, and have produced innumerable difputes and mifchiefs in the colonies, fome of which are not fettled to this day. It is not my business to touch upon thefe difputes. I have only to obferve, that Connecticut conftrued her charter literally, and paffing over New York, which was then in poffeflion of the fubjects of a Chriftian Prince, claimed, in latitude and breadth mentioned therein, to the fouth fea. Accordingly purchases were made of the Indians on the Delaware river, weft of the western bounds of New York, and within the fuppofed limits of Connecticut charter, and fettlements were made thereon by people from, and under the jurifdiction of, Connecticut. The charter of Pennfylvania, granted to William Penn, in 1681, covered these fettlements. This laid the foundation for a dispute, which, for a long time, was maintained with warmth on both fides. The matter was at last fubmitted to gentlemen chofen for the purpofe, who decided the difpute in favor of Pennsylvania. Many, however, ftill aflert the juftice of the Connecticut claim.

The fate of Connecticut, has lately ceded to Congrefs all their lands weft of Pennsylvania, except a referve of twenty miles fquare. This ceffion, Congress has accepted, and thereby indutiably established the right of Connecticut to the reserve.

But to return, The colony of New Haven, though unconnected with the colony of Connecticut, was comprehended with the limits of their charter, and, as they concluded, within their jurifdiction. But New Haven remonftrated against their claim, and refused to unite with them until they fhould hear from England. It was not until the year 1665, when it was believed that the king's commiffioners had a defign upon the New England charters, that these two colonies formed a union, which has ever fince amicably fubfifted between them.

In 1672, the laws of the colony were revifed, and the general court ordered them to be printed; and alfo that every family fhould buy one of the law books-fuch as pay in filver, to have a book for twelve pence. fuch as pay in wheat, to pay a peck and a half a book; and such as pay in peafe, to pay two fhillings a book, the peafe at three fillings the buhel. Perhaps it is owing to this early and univerfal spread of law

books,

books, that the people of Connecticut are, to this day, so fond of the

law.

In 1750, the laws of Connecticut were again revifed, and published in a small folio volume, of 258 pages. Dr. Douglafs obferves, that they were the most natural equitable, plain and concife code of laws, for plantations, hitherto extant.'

There has been a revision of them since the peace, in which they were greatly and very judiciously fimplified.

There years 1675 and 1676, were diftinguifhed by the wars with Philip and his Indians, and with the Narragansetts, by which the Colony was thrown into great diftrefs and confufion. The inroads of the enraged favages were marked with cruel murders, and with fire and devastation.

In 1684, the charter of Maffachusetts bay and Plymouth were taken away, in confequence of Quo warrantos which had been iffued against them. The charter of Connecticut would have fhared the fame fate, had it not been for Wandsworth, Efq. who, having very artfully procured it when it was on the point of being delivered up, buried it under an oak tree in Hartford, where it remained till all danger was over, and then was dug up and reaffumed.

Connecticut has ever made rapid advances in population. There have been more emigrations from this, than from any of the other States, and yet it is at prefent full of inhabitants. This increase, under the divine benediction, may be afcribed to feveral caufes. The bulk of the inhabitants are industrious fagacious husbandmen. Their fatins furnish them with all the neceffaries, moft of the conveniencies, and but few of the luxu ries of life. They of course must be generally temparate, and if they choose, can fubfift with as much independance as is confiftent with happinefs. The fubfiftence of the farmer is fubftantial, and does no: depend on incidental circumftances, like that of most other profeffions. There is no neceffity of ferving an apprenticeship to the business, nor of a large ftock of money to commence it to advantage. Farmers, who deal much in barter, have lefs need of money than any other clafs of people. The eafe with which a comfortable fubfiftence is obtained, induces the hufbandman to marry young. The cultivation of his farm makes him strong and healthful. He toils cheerfully through the day- eats the fruit of his own labour with a gladfome heart-at night devoutly thanks his bounteous GOD for his daily bleffings-retires to reft, and his fleep is fweet. Such circumstances as thefe have greatly contributed to the amazing increase of inhabitants in this state.

Befides, the people live under a free government, and have no fear of a tyrant. There are no overgrown eftates, with rich and ambitious landlords, to have an undue and pernicious influence in the election of civil officers. Property is equally enough divided, and must continue to be fo, as long as eftates defcend as they now do. No perfon is prohibited from voting, or from being elected into office, on account of his poverty. He who has the moft merit, not he who has the moft money, is generally chofen into public office. As inftances of this, it is to be obferved, that many of the citizens of Connecticut, from the humble walks of life, have ariten to the first offices in the state, and filled them with dignity and re

putation.

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