ment between them, it happened that Myantonomo, the young king of the Narragansets, was taken prisoner by Uncas, king of the Mohegins. The savage soul of Uncas doubted whether he ought to take away the life of a great king, who had fallen into his hands by misfortune; and to resolve this doubt, he applied to the Christian commissioners of the four united colonies, who met at Hartford, in September, 1644: They were less scrupulous, and ordered Uncas to carry Myantonomo out of their jurisdiction, and slay him; but kindly added, that he should not be tortured; they sent some persons to see execution done, who had the satisfaction to see the captive king murdered in cold blood. This was the end of Myantonomo, the most potent Indian prince the people of New England had ever any concern with; and this was the reward he received for assisting them seven years before, in their war with the Pequots. Surely a Rhode Island man may be permitted to mourn his unhappy fate, and drop a tear on the ashes of Myantonomo, who, with his uncle Conanicus, were the best friends and greatest benefactors the colony ever had: They kindly received, fed, and protected the first settlers of it, when they were in distress, and were strangers and exiles, and all mankind else were their enemies; and by this kindness to them, drew upon themselves the resentment of the neighbouring colonies, and hastened the untimely end of the young king. The Narragansets were greatly and justly enraged at the death of their sachem, more especially as they affirmed they had paid Uncas a ransom for him before he was slain, and therefore now resolved to take vengeance of the Mohegins. This the united colonies were determined to prevent; and first sent messengers, to exhort them to make peace with the Mohegins, and offered to become mediators between them :-The Narragansets rejected this offer, and resolutely answered, they would continue the war till they had Uncas's head. Upon this the united colonies raised an army of three hundred men, part of which having marched, and being ready to enter their country, the Narragansets not thinking themselves able to support a war against both the English and Mohegins together, were forced to submit to the hard terms imposed on them by the commissioners; and which were, That they should make peace with Uncas, and restore all they had taken from him ;-that they should not hereafter make war with any people, without leave first obtained;—that they should pay to the united colonies two thousand fathom of wampum-peag, for the expenses they had been at; and give hostages for the performance of these articles. These terms were submitted to by the Narraganset Indians on the 30th of August, 1645. How far the united colonies were justifiable in the whole of this their conduct, toward a free and independant prince and people, who lived quite without the jurisdiction of any of their governments, and who had never been enemies, but always friends and allies to them, must be left to civilians to determine. Be that as it will, it is certain, these things greatly alienated the minds of the Indians from the English, and filled them with prejudices that could never afterwards be removed. And this will, in some measure, account for their obstinate refusal to receive or hear any of the ministers and missionaries that came from these colonies, as we are told by historians they constantly did; for these Indians seem to have thought no good could possibly be intended for them, by the people from whom, as they imagined, they had received so great injuries. That this was the cause, and not any aversion to the Christian religion, as has been commonly represented, is evident from their willingness to hear Mr. Williams, who, for many years, went to Narraganset, once a month, to preach Christianity to them. [The publisher added, at the close, to be continued, but the author was probably interrupted by the distractions of the times, and we are left to regret, that the History has never been written, or at least never printed. ED.] |