THK DIVIDING LINE. 5 



In like manner New Plymouth joined itself to Massachusetts, except only- 

 Rhode Island, which, though of small extent, got itself erected into a sepa- 

 rate government by a charter from king Charles II., soon after the restoration, 

 and continues so to this day. 



These governments all continued in possession of their respective rights 

 and privileges till the year 1683, when that of Massachusetts was made void 

 in England by a quo loarranto. 



In consequence of which the king was pleased to name sir Edmund 

 Andros his first governor of that colony. This gentleman, it seems, ruled 

 them with a rod of iron till the revolution, when they laid unhallowed hands 

 upon him, and sent him prisoner to England. 



This undutiful proceeding met with an easy forgiveness at that happy 

 juncture. King AVilliam and his royal consort were not only pleased to over- 

 look this indignity offered to their governor, but being made sensible how 

 unfaii-ly their charter had been taken away, most graciously granted them a 

 new one. 



By this some neVv franchises were given them, as an equivalent for those 

 of coining money and electing a governor, which were taken away. How- 

 ever, the other colonies of Connecticut and Rhode Island had thfe luck to 

 remain in possession of their original charters, which to this day have never 

 been called in question. 



The next country dismembered from Virginia was New Scotland, claimed 

 by the crown of England in virtue of the first discovery by Sebastian Cabot. 

 By colour of this title, king James I. granted it to sir William Alexander by 

 patent, dated September the 10th, 1621. 



But this patentee never sending any colony thither, and the French believ- 

 ing it very convenient for them, obtained a surrender of it from their good 

 friend and ally, king Charles II., by the treaty of Breda. And, to show their 

 gratitude, they stirred up the Indians soon after to annoy their neighbours of 

 New England. Murders happened continually to his majesty's subjects by 

 their means, till sir William Phipps took their town of Port Royal, in the year 

 1690. But as the English are better at taking than keeping strong places, 

 the French retook it soon, and remained masters of it till 1710, when general 

 Nicholson wrested it, once more, out of their hands. 



Afterwards the queen of Great Britain's right to it was recognized and 

 confirmed by the treaty of Utrecht. 



Another limb lopped off from Virginia was New York, which the Dutch 

 seized very unfairly, on pretence of having purchased it from captain Hudson, 

 the first discoverer. Nor was their way of taking possession of it a whit 

 more justifiable than their pretended title. Their West India company tam- 

 pered with some worthy English skippers (who had contracted with a swarm 

 of English dissenters to transport them to Hudson river) by no means to land 

 them there, but to carry them some leagues more northerly. 



This Dutch finesse took exactly, and gave the company time soon after 

 to seize Hudson river for themselves. But sir Samuel Argall, then governor 

 of Virginia, understanding how the king's subjects had been abused by these 

 republicans, marched thither with a good force, and obliged them to renounce 

 all pretensions to that country. The worst of it was, the knight depended 

 on their parole to ship themselves for Brazil, but took no measures to make 

 this slippery people as good as their word. 



No sooner was the good governor retired, but the honest Dutch began to 

 build forts and strengthen themselves in their iU-gotten possessions ; nor did 

 any of the king's liege people take the trouble to drive these intruders thence. 

 The civil war in England, and the confusions it brought forth, allowed no lei- 

 sure for such distant considerations. Though it is strange that the protector. 



