412 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



1G87. — Gov. Dongan confirmed to certain parties their 

 rights on a certain ishind lying southeast of ' ' Martin's " 

 Vineyard, known by the name of Nantucket ; an island which 

 was purchased heretofore for a valuable consideration by 

 Thomas Mayhew, Sr., of " Martin's" Vineyard, and Thomas 

 Mayhew, Jr., his son, of James Forrett, agent to Wil- 

 liam, Earl of Stirling, etc., and referring to Gov. Lovelace's, 

 patent of exactly the same words to Thomas Mayhew in 

 1G71. 



Aug. 12, 1692. — Council minutes upon reading a letter 

 from Maj. Mayhew of " Martin's " Vineyard, etc. 



Oct. 31. — Order of council concerning the government of 

 " Martin's " Vineyard. 



Feb. 10, 1692. — Council of New York addressed the king 

 against any attempt to take from N^ew York "Martin's" 

 Vineyard, etc. 



Here we find in the colonial records of New York three 

 instances of the island being called "Martha's," and sixteen 

 where it is called " Martin's." This ends the colonial record, 

 but there is some recorded evidence of tradition outside, 

 showing that the island was only known as Martin's Vine- 

 yard. 



Thomas Lechford, a lawyer who lived some years in Bos- 

 ton, in his " Plaine dealing, or newes from Newe England;" 

 in 1641, is the first one to speak of this island before it was 

 deeded to Thomas Mayhew. He says : " Eastward off Cape 

 Codd lyeth an island called ' Martin's ' Vineyard, uninhab- 

 ited by any English." 



John Josslyn, in his " Voyage," written in 1670, says : — 

 "Twenty miles out to sea, south of Rhode Island, lyeth 

 ' Martin's ' Vineyard, in the way to Virginia. This island is 

 governed by a discreet gentleman, Mr. Mayhew by name. 

 To the eastward of ' Martin's ' Vineyard lyeth Nantucket 

 island-" 



John Winthrop, in the " History of New England," says 

 in 1 643 : — " This yeare some of Watertown began a planta- 

 tion at ' Martin's ' Vineyard beyond Cape Cod." 



In Hubbard's " Indian Wars," pubhshed in 16"f 7, a rude 

 map, one of the first drawn of New England, shows " Mar- 

 tin's " Vineyard south of Rhode Island. 



