The said Counsell hath further given, granted, barganed, sold, infeoffed, alloted, assigned, and sett over, and by these presents doe clearly and absolutely give, grante, bargane, sell, alliene, enffeofe, allote, assigne, and confirme unto the said William Bradford, his heires, associates, and assignes, [etc.] All that tracte of land or part of New-England in America afforesaid, which lyeth within or betweene, and extendeth it selfe from the utmost limits of Cobiseconte,1 which adjoyneth to the river of Kenebeck, towards the westerne ocean, and a place called the falls of Nequamkick in America, aforsaid; and the space of 15. English myles on each side of the said river, commonly called Kenebeck River, and all the said river called Kenebeck that lyeth within the said limits and bounds, eastward, westward, northward, and southward, last above mentioned; and all lands, grounds, soyles, rivers, waters, fishing, etc. And by vertue of the authority to us derived by his said late Maljes]tis L[etter]s patents, to take, apprehend, seise, and make prise of all shuch persons, their ships and goods, as shall attempte to inhabite or trade with the savage people of that countrie within the severall precincts and limits of his and their severall plantations, etc. Now it so fell out, that one Hocking, belonging to the plantation of Pascataway,' wente with a barke and commodities to trade in The Cobiseconte, or Cobbesacontee, was a considerable stream which empties itself into the Kennebec River, on the western side of the river, about six miles below the present Cushnock. The Indians are said to have applied the name only to the mouth of the river. The name, in the language of the Abenakis, refers to the jumping of the sturgeon at the mouth of the stream. The falls of Nequamkick (Nequamke) were a rippling rather than a fall, and were some five or six miles nearer the sea than the Taconic falls. "The signification of Nequamke falls as the Indians have described to me is, by scooping down and up their hands, and they said, those falls took their name from such a motion of the water. Said Nequamkee falls do not any where fall perpendicularly, but are rather a rippling which break all times of the year, even when the river is flowed by the highest freshets." 1 Maine Hist. Soc. Coll., iv. 112. The patent, as printed in Plymouth Col. Rec., XI. 21, speaks of Cobbisecontee alias Comaseconte, Kenebeke alias Kenebekike. * Edward Hilton, fishmonger, of London, is believed to have come to New England, settling at Pascataqua. There he was joined by his brother William, some time before 1627, who had lived since 1621 at Plymouth. They represented an association 2 1 that river, and would needs press into their limites; 1 and not only so, but would needs goe up the river above their house, (towards the falls of the river,) and intercept the trade that should come to them. He that was cheefe of the place forbad them, and prayed him that he would not offer them that injurie, nor goe aboute to infringe their liberties, which had cost them so dear. But he answered he would goe up and trade ther in dispite of them, and lye ther as longe as he pleased. The other tould him he must then be forced to remove him from thence, or make seasure of him if he could. He bid him doe his worste, and so wente up, and anchored ther. The other tooke a boat and some men and went up to him, when he saw his time, and againe entreated him to departe by what perswasion he could. But all in vaine: he could gett nothing of him but ill words. So he considred that now was the season for trade to come downe, and if he should suffer him to lye, and take it from them, all ther former charge would be lost, and they had better throw up all. So, consulting with his men, (who were composed of merchants of Bristol, Shrewsbury and other western towns. The settlement appears to have grown slowly, and in 1630 the Council for New England issued a patent to Edward Hilton and his associates ceding a place called by the natives Wecanacohunt, and by the English Hilton's Point, about two leagues from the Pascataquack River. (The grant, known as the Squamscott Patent, is printed in the N. E. Hist. Gen. Reg., xxiv. 264.) A party of settlers came in 1631 under Captain Thomas Wiggin, who acted for the Shrewsbury men and others; and in the following year he returned to England to obtain a further sending of settlers and supplies. The interest of the Bristol men in the patent had now been purchased for £2,150 by a number of "honest men," among whom were Lord Saye, Lord Brooke, Sir Richard Saltonstall and Sir Arthur Hesilrige. A second party under Captain Wiggin came in the Grant, in October, 1633. Winthrop, History, 1. *115. 1 With Hocking were two men and a boy, presumably all from Pascataqua. The Deposition printed p. 179, infra, shows that Hocking had visited the place in 1633 and been disowned by the Pascataqua people. John Howland. 3 The competition for the trade with the Indians increased as the shores were more visited by fishermen and occasional traders. Winter, who served at Richmond's Island, wrote to Trelawny, in June, 1634: "Heare is such store of these goods brought heare by the Bastable ships, that fills all the traders with goods, and they put yt |