ALGONQUIAN LANGUAGES. 



399 



Pierson (A.) — Continued. 



also that he would run his sword through the 

 body of Stayvesant, the director general. 

 When he met the Dutch commissioners on 

 the 14th, he exhibited an unsigned writing, 

 "wherein his Majesty of England granted to 

 him the whole of Long Island." A temporary 

 agreement was then made that he should leave 

 the Dutch towns unmolested for a period of 

 one month, which limit was subsequently (Feb- 

 ruary 24th) extended to one year. On account 

 of these and other unwarranted proceedings, 

 the government of Connecticut issued a war- 

 rant for Scott's arrest, March 10th, 1664. He 

 was accordingly taken into custody, and on his 

 trial was convicted, May 24th, of the following 

 "Hainous crimes and practises seditious: " 1, 

 Speaking words tending to j}he defamation of 

 the king's majesty; 2, Seditious practices and 

 tumultuous carriages; 3, Abetting and encoiir- 

 aging the natives in hostile parties, one against 

 another; 4, Usurping theauthority of the king, 

 pretending to pardon treason; 5, Threatening 

 his majesty's subjects with hanging and banish- 

 ment; 6, Gross and notorious profanation of 

 God's holy word; 7, Forgery and violation of 

 his solemn oath; 8, Acting troacherously to 

 the colony of Connecticut; 9, Usurping au- 

 Ihoritj^ upon pretence of a commission ; and 10, 

 Calumniating a commissioned officer with the 

 charge of villanous and felonious practices. 

 He was therefore sentenced to pay a fine of 

 250L, to be imprisoned during the pleasure of 

 the court, and to give 500Z. bonds for future 

 good behavior. Before July, he had escaped 

 from prison and returned to Long Island, where, 

 in the latter i)art of August, he joined the En- 

 glish forces under Col. Richard Nicolls before 

 New Amsterdam, with his own company of 

 horse and foot. On the 11th of September, 

 wishing to return to his residence at Ashford 

 on the island, but fearing another arrest from 

 Connecticut, he requested and obtained from 

 Nicolls a passport which protected him from 

 interferen«;e. 



On the 18th of January, 1665, his name ap- 

 pears as attorney in a trial at Jamaica; and 

 again on the 1st of March in a trial at Hemp- 

 stead. On February 1st the secretary of Con- 

 necticut wrote to Coll. Nicolls, " that Mr. John 

 Scott according to his wonted coiirse is agayne 

 making disturbance amongst the people of 

 Setawkett, by laboring to deprive the people of 

 that place of the land expedient for their sub- 

 sistance." This complaint was followed by an 

 order of the General Meeting at Hempstead 

 held in March, 1665, "wherein Capt. John Scott 

 was obliged to bring in at the General Court of 

 Assizes following a certain deed or writing 

 called by the said Capt. Scott a Perpetuity with 

 the King's Picture on it, and a great yellow wax 

 seale atfix't to it, which hee very frequently 

 shew'd to divers persons and deceived many 

 therewith." Before the court met, however, 

 Scott became alarmed at the prospect of his 

 forgeries being exposed, and deserting his wife 



Pierson (A. ) — Continued. 



and child, he fled to Barbados. On the 4th of 

 October, 1666, Coll. Nicolls issued a special war. 

 rant to the high sheriff to seize and confiscate 

 all " Lands, Goods or Chattells the said Capt. 

 John Scott hath any right or pretense unto 

 within this government." At this period it is 

 related that Scott's mother " lived miserable 

 poore in this Government, a poor bankrupt 

 miller's wife till very lately, even next unto 

 want and beggary, scarcely ever looked at or 

 acknowledged by her son in his grandeur here, 

 or «iver remembered by him, by letter, token or 

 recommendation." On the 24th of October, 

 Coll. Nicolls wrote to Secretary Morrice, that 

 " formerly the very Originall of Mr. Maverick's 

 peticon to the King & Councell (concerning the 

 Massachusetts Colony) was stolen out of the 

 Lord Arlington's Office in Whitehall by one 

 Captaine John Scott and delivered to Governor 

 and Councell at Boston ; This I afiBrme posi- 

 tively to bee true, though when I question'd 

 Scott upon the matter, Lee said a Clarke of Mr. 

 Williamsons gave it him. This same Scott by 

 a pretended seale affixed to a writing in which 

 was the King's picture drawne ^ith a pen or 

 black lead, with his Majesties hand Charles R. 

 and subsign'd Heni*y Bennet, hath horribly 

 abus'd His Majesties honor in the^ie parts, and 

 fledd out of the Country to Barbadoes. My 

 Lord Willoughby sent me word that hee would 

 send the said Scott prisoner into England upon 

 this account and therefore I thought fitt to give 

 you this information against him, that such fel- 

 lowes may have some marke of Infamy put upon 

 them." In another letter of NicoUs, written to 

 theDukeof York, he gave an account of "Capt. 

 Scott who was borne to worke .mischiefe as 

 farre as hee is credited or his parts serve him. 

 This Scott (it seems) aim'd at the same patent 

 which Your Royal Highress hath, and hath 

 since given words out that hee had injury done 

 him by Your Royal Highness, whereupon he 

 contriv'd and betrayed my Lord Berkely and 

 Sir G. Carterett into a designe (contrary to 

 their knowledge) of ruining all the hopes of 

 increase in this Your R. Highness territory, 

 which hee hath fully compleated, unless Your 

 Royal Highness take farther order herein.'' 



After Scott's flight to Barbados, he obtained 

 a commission as Captain, and was engaged in 

 fighting against the Dutch in Tobago. In 1G67 

 he returned to England, and through the influ- 

 ence of his friends, who considered him "a very 

 useful rogue," was appointed geographer to the 

 king, August 29th, 1668. This position he did 

 not hold long, for Coll. Nicolls, on his return to 

 London soon after, told the king, the queen, and 

 the duke enough about Scott to make the latter 

 "forsake Whitehall." He next appeared on 

 the continent, and about the year 1672 was 

 detected in taking sketches of the fortiflcations 

 of Bruges, and ordered to leave the town within 

 twenty-four hours. In 1673 and 1674 he was in 

 the service of the Dutch in Holland as major 

 and afterwards as colonel. In 1678 he returned 



