THOMAS] RHODE island's POLICY TOWARD THK INDIANS G23 



from some particuLiv plaiitatious already sett down upon; and if any shall so pur- 

 chase, they shall Corfeit the Land so purchased to the CoUonie, as also the President 

 is to grant forth prohibition against any that shall pjirchase as aforesayd.' 



This proving insufficient to put au end to the practice, au additional 

 act (or " order") was passed in 1058, as follows: 



Whereas, there hath beine severall ])urchases of laud made from the Indians by 

 men within the precincts of this Collouy, which, for want of a law thereal)0ute in 

 the collony, cannot be now made voyde or hindered, as namely, the purchase of 

 CJuononagutt Island, and the island called Dutch Island, which hath beine made by 

 William Coddiugtou and Benedict Arnold, and uumy others joyned by covinants 

 with them thereabouts cauuot now bee made voyde, but must bee and are alowed and 

 confirmed as lawfull as purchased from the Indians if it were not bought before; as 

 also any other purchases made by others as aforesayd formerly. Yett to prevent the 

 licke purchasings hereafter from the Indians; it is ordered, by the authority of this 

 present Assembly, that noe person, strainger or other, shall make any further pur- 

 chases of lands or Islands from the Indians within the precincts of this Collony, butt 

 such only as are soe alowed to doe, and ordered therein by an express order of a 

 court of commissioners, ujion penalty of forfeitinge all such pnrchassed lands or 

 Islands to the Collony, and to pay besides, a fine of twenty pound to the collony in 

 case of transgressingothis order. - 



As examples of the orders granting permission to purchase under the 

 aforesaid acts, the following are taken from the proceedings of 1657 : 



Whereas, we have a law in our collony, dated November the 2d, 1658, that noe 

 person within the precincts of this collony shall bixy or purchass any land of the 

 Indians without licence of this Generall Court; and whereas, there is a place for a 

 plantation in the bownds of this Collony, aboute a place so called Nyantecntt: It is 

 ordered, that the Court apoyut one man in each Towne of this Collony to purchass 

 the foresayd land of Ninecraft, who are, viz. : Mr. Ben : Arnold, Mr. Arthur Fenner, 

 Mr. William Baulston, and Capt. Randall Honldeu, and that it be dispossed to such 

 as have need of each towne of this collony; they payinge suffitiantly for it to such 

 as are apoynted to purchass it, or otherwise to be ordered, as each towne apoynt. 



It is ordered, that Providence shall have liberty to buy out and cleare oif Indians 

 within the bowndes of Providence, as expressed in their towne evidence, and to pur- 

 chass a little more in case they wish to add, seeiugi' they are straytened, not esceed- 

 inge three thousand acres joyninge to their township.'' 



Also June 17, 1662 : 



The Court doe grant free liberty and leave to the petitioners and their sayd asso- 

 ciates to make purchase of the natives within this jurisdiction, and to buy of them 

 that are true owners, a tract of laud lying together, and not exceediug fower thou- 

 sand ackers ; always provided, it bee such land as is not already granted, or annexed 

 to any of the townshipes of the Collony by purchase or other lawfull meanes, nor 

 that it be land already purchased and justly claimed by any other perticular persons, 

 freemen of the Collony or ther successors. < 



In 1006 an act was passed to prevent intrusion upon the lauds of the 

 Narraganeetts. It provided "that all possessions of any lands in the 

 Narragansett country obtained by intrusion, without the consent and 

 approbation of the general assembly, be deemed and adjudged illegal 

 and void in law." The Indians were made wards of the legislature, 



' KUodo IsLiuiI Colonial Records, vol. I, p. L'3ij. ■' Ibid., pp. 403-404. ^ ibid., p. 418. ■■ Iliid., ji. 484. 



