With this leter they sent a draught of a formall deputation to be hear sealed and sent back unto them, to authorise them as their agents, according to what is mentioned in the above said letter; and because some inconvenience grue therby afterward I shall here inserte it.1

TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME greeting; Know yee that we, William Bradford, Gov[erno]r of Plimoth, in N. E. in America, Isaak Allerton, Myles Standish, William Brewster, and Ed: Winslow, of Plimoth aforesaid, merchants, doe by these presents for us and in our names, make, substitute, and appointe James Sherley, Goldsmith, and John Beachamp, Salter, citizens of London, our true and lawfull agents, factors, substitutes, and assignes; as well to take and receive all shuch goods, wares, and marchandise what soever as to our said substitutes or either of them, or to the citie of London, or other place of the Relme of Engl: shall be sente, transported, or come from us or any of us,as allso to vend, sell, barter, or exchaing the said goods, wares, and marchandise so from time to time to be sent to shuch person or persons upon credite, or other wise in shuch maner as to our said agents and factors joyently, or to either of them severally shall seeme meete. And further we doe make and ordaine our said substitutes and assignes joyntly and severally for us, and to our uses, and accounts, to buy and consigne for and to us into New-Engl: aforesaid, shuch goods and marchandise to be provided here, and to be returned hence, as by our said script. It is addressed to Governor Bradford, and may have been brought over by Allerton, on his return in the spring of 1627. . . . By comparing this copy of the letter with that preserved in Bradford's Letter Book, it will be seen that the author has omitted a few passages and abbreviated others, which is the case with other letters here cited, and sometimes to a much greater extent. It there bears date 1627; but is not its true date 1626? Sherley acknowledges at the commencement 'your letter of the 14th June last, by your and my loving friend Mr. Allerton."" DEANE. It is unfortunate that the dates of these two letters should be in doubt, preventing one correcting the error, if any, of the other; but Bradford would hardly have placed a letter of December before one in November, had they been of the same year.

1 This is in form and substance a general power of attorney, examples of which may be found in Lechford's Note Book.

2 Bradford gave the names of only three additional partners - Howland, Alden and Prence (p. 29, supra).

assignes, or either of them, shall be thought fitt. And to recover, receive, and demand for us and in our names all shuch debtes and sumes of money, as now are or hereafter shall be due, incidente, accruing or belonging to us, or any of us, by any wayes or means; and to acquite, discharge, or compound for any debte or sume of money, which now or hereafter shall be due or oweing by any person or persons to us, or any of us. And generally for us and in our names to doe, performe, and execute every acte and thing which to our said assignes, or either of them, shall seeme meete to be done in or aboute the premissies, as fully and effectually, to all intents and purposses, as if we or any of us were in person presente. And whatsoever our said agents and factors joyntly or severally shall doe, or cause to be done, in or aboute the premisses, we will and doe, and every of us doth ratife, alow, and confirme, by these presents. In wittnes wherof we have here unto put our hands and seals. Dated 18. Nov[em]b[e]r, 1628.

This was accordingly confirmed by the above named, and ·4. more of the cheefe of them under their hands and seals, and delivered unto them. Also Mr. Allerton formerly had authoritie under their hands and seals for the transacting of the former bussines, and taking up of moneys, etc. which still he retained whilst he was imployed in these affaires; they mistrusting neither him nor any of their freinds faithfullnes, which made them more remisse in looking to shuch acts as had passed under their hands, as necessarie for the time; but letting them rune on to long unminded or recaled, it turned to their harme afterwards, as will appere in its place. [157]

Mr. Allerton having setled all things thus in a good and hopfull way, he made hast to returne in the first of the spring to be hear with their supply for trade, (for the fishermen with whom he came used to sett forth in winter and be here betimes.) He brought a reasonable supply of goods for the plantation,' and without those great

1 The details of goods are given by Sherley (3 Mass. Hist. Collections, 1. 200): Shoes and leather, £30; cloth, £40; Irish stockings and cloth of all sorts, £40; pitch, tar, ropes and twine, £5; knives, scissors and the piece of rowle, £18; rudge of divers sorts, £14; lead, shot and powder, £25; hatchets, hoes, axes, scythes, reap-hooks, shovels, spades, saws, files, nails, iron pots, drugs and spices, £60. Total, £232.

interests as before is noted; and brought an accounte of the beaver sould, and how the money was disposed for goods, and the paymente of other debtes, having paid all debts abroad to others, save to Mr. Sherley, Mr. Beachamp, and Mr. Andrews; from whom likwise he brought an accounte which to them all amounted not to above 400li. for which he had passed bonds. Allso he had payed the first paymente for the purchass, being due for this year, viz. 200li. and brought them the bonde for the same canselled; so as they now had no more foreine debtes but the abovesaid 400li. and odde pownds, and the rest of the yearly purchass monie. Some other debtes they had in the cuntrie, but they were without any intrest, and they had wherwith to discharge them when they were due. To this pass the Lord had brought things for them. Also he brought them further notice that their freinds, the abovenamed, and some others that would joyne with them in the trade and purchass, did intend for to send over to Leyden, for a competente number of them, to be hear the next year without fayle, if the Lord pleased to blesse their journey. He allso brought them a patente for Kenebeck, but it was so straite and ill bounded, as they were faine to renew and inlarge it the next year, as allso that which they had at home, to their great charge, as will after appeare. Hithertoo Mr. Allerton did them good and faithfull service; and well had it been if he had so continued, or els they had now ceased for employing him any longer thus into England. But of this more afterwards.

Having procured a patente2 (as is above said) for Kenebeck, they 1 This foreign debt was stated on p. 28, supra, to be about £600, so that Allerton must have disbursed some £200 in addition to the £200 dividend on the purchase money. It is possible to compile a fairly satisfactory statement of the finances of the company's operations in 1628 from the tables given by Sherley, 3 Mass. Hist. Collections, 1. 199. The sales of furs produced £659. 16. 11; the expenditures were £773. 10.0. This left a balance against the company of £113. 13. 1, which added to the sum due to the three lenders of the £200 (now £280) will make £393. 13. 1, or about £400. This assumes that the three vessels brought in their cargoes in 1628. P. 33, supra.

No copy or summary of this patent is known to exist. It was superseded by the

now erected a house up above in the river in the most convenientest place for trade,1 as they conceived, and furnished the same with commodities for the end, both winter and sommer, not only with corne, but also with shuch other commodities as the fishermen had traded with them, as coats, shirts, ruggs, and blankets, biskett, pease, prunes, etc.; and what they could not have out of England, they bought of the fishing ships, and so carried on their bussines as well as they could.

This year the Dutch sent againe unto them from their plantation, both kind leterss, and also diverse comodities, as sugar, linen cloth, Holand finer and courser stufes, etc. They came up with their barke to Manamete, to their house ther, in which came their Secretarie Rasier; who was accompanied with a noyse of trumpeters, and so-called Warwick charter, issued January 13, 1629-30. The clause in this latter document relating to the Kennebec is quoted by Bradford on p. 175, infra. In Sherley's account for 1628 are two items of expense for the patent: "To Mr. Viner about the patent, and spent thereabouts, £39. 15. 0; More since laid out by Mr. Hatherley, as in your account, for the patent, 75." Thomas Viner was a goldsmith, like Sherley, and a successful negotiator with the court in later years. He may have been the intermediary, or Richard Vines, the agent of Sir Ferdinando Gorges at Winter Harbor in 1616, and, in 1630, the associate of John Oldham in the patent of lands on the west side of the Saco.

Sherley intimated that Sir Ferdinando Gorges was playing a double game in granting charters so freely as he did through the Council for New England. "I am persuaded Sir Ferdinando (how loving and friendly soever he seems to be) knows he can, nay, purposeth to overthrow, at his pleasure, all the patents he grants." Letter of March 19, 1629-30. Letter Book.

1 At a place called Cushenoc, now Augusta.

2 Rasiere's own account of this visit is given in New York Hist. Soc. Coll., 2 Ser., II. 350. He left New Netherland in the barque Nassau, late in September, 1627, and early in October reached Manomet. He returned to Manhattan with the letter of Bradford dated October 1, 1627, in which was said: "We desire your Honours that you would take into your wise and honourable considerations, that which we conceive may be a hindrance to this accordation, and may be a means of much future evil, if it be not prevented, namely, that you clear the title of your planting in these parts, which his Majesty hath, by patent, granted to divers his nobles and subjects of quality; least it be a bone of division in these stirring evil times, which God forbid: we persuade ourselves, that now may be easily and seasonably done, which will be harder