THE DORSET COLONY IN MASSACHUSETTS. 103 



many objects of his hatred should be removed out of the reach of 

 his power, applied for and obtained an order from the Court to put a 

 stop to these transportations, and thus he kept forcibly from venting 

 itself that virulent humour which he lived to see the destruction 

 of himself, his religion, his master, and the constitution of the 

 country." Here now is a theme for the consideration of thinkers 

 what would have been the result had these potent spirits been 

 permitted to leave the country and expend their energy in taming 

 the wilderness and building up from its foundations a new nation ? 

 Firmly believing that the " Times make men not men the 

 times," I think the course of events would only have been 

 delayed by the circumstance. The printing press had long been at 

 work, and, men's minds having become somewhat enlightened, 

 changes had become inevitable, and awaited but a choice of 

 instruments. This prohibiting order was obtained February 7th, 

 1633, but was not strictly carried out. The district had long 

 before this increased greatly in population, for in less than six years 

 seven considerable towns had been built and settled in the colony. 

 This amount of success was not effected without interfering with 

 the " salvages," whose " courtesy" to the settlers on their landing 

 had been a subject of favourable remark. Unhappily, a case of 

 kidnapping by a white captain inflamed their hatred and suspicion 

 of the new comers, who were, however, entirely innocent of any 

 complicity in the crime. Indian wars followed, attended with 

 great cruelties and slaughter on both sides. Famine, pestilence, 

 fire-water, finally disposed of the native Indians, whose scanty 

 remnants fled westward to escape the fatal influence of civilization. 

 Yellow fever and small pox raged among them at times with great 

 violence, depopulating whole districts, which gave rise to the pious 

 comment " The hand of Providence is notable in these surprising 

 instances of mortality among the Indians to make room for the 

 whites." In the north-western territories of Canada small pox is 

 at present playing havoc with the natives, but in this case 

 Providence is playing another part, and vaccination, a providential 

 boon, is made compulsory on the wild man, on whose virgin 



