All these quantities were safely received and well sold, as appeared by letters. The coat beaver usually sold at twenty shillings per lb., and sometimes at twenty-four shillings; otter skins at fifteen shillings, and sometimes sixteen shillings each,—I do not remember any under fourteen shillings. It may be that the last year’s shipment fetched less; but there were some small furs not reckoned in this account, and some black beaver at high rates, to make up any such deficit. It was calculated that the above parcels of beaver came to little less than £10,000 sterling, and the otter skins would pay all the expenses, and, with other furs, make up besides whatever might be short of the former sum. When the former account was passed, all their debts, those of the White Angel and Friendship included, came to but £4770. They estimated that all the supplies sent them since, and bills paid for them, could not exceed £2000; so that their debts should have been paid with interest.

It may be objected; how came it that they did not know the exact amount of their receipts, as they did of their returns, but had to estimate them? Two things were the cause of it; the first and principal was, that the new accountant, who was pressed upon them from England, wholly failed them, and could never render them any accounts. He trusted to his memory and loose papers, and let things run into such confusion, that neither he nor anyone else could bring things to rights. Whenever he was called upon to perfect his accounts, he desired to have so long, or such a time of leisure, and he would finish them. In the interim he fell very ill, and in conclusion he could make no account at all. His books, after a brief good beginning, were left altogether imperfect, and of his papers, some were lost and others so confused that he knew not what to make of them himself when they came to be examined. This was not unknown to Mr. Sherley; and the colony came to smart for it to some purpose, both in England and here, though it was not their fault. They reckon they have lost in consequence some hundred of pounds for goods sold on credit, which were ultimately a dead loss for want of clear accounts to call for payment. Another reason of the mischief was, that after Mr. Winslow was sent into England to demand accounts and to take exception to the White Angel, no prices were sent with their goods, and no proper invoice of them; everything was confused, and they were obliged to guess at the prices.

They wrote back to Mr. Andrews and Mr. Beauchamp, and told them they wondered they could say that they had sent nothing home since the last accounts; they had sent a great deal, and it might rather be wondered how they could send so much, beside all the expenses here and what the French had captured, and what had been lost at sea when Mr. Pierce’s ship was wrecked off the coast of Virginia. What they had sent was sent to them all, to them as well as Mr. Sherley, and if they had not looked after it, it was their own faults; they must refer them to Mr. Sherley who had received it from whom they should demand it. They also wrote to Mr. Sherley to the same purpose, and what the others’ complaints were.

This year, two shallops going to Connecticut with goods from Massachusetts, belonging to those who had gone there to settle, were wrecked in an easterly storm, coming into the harbour at night. The boatmen were drowned, and the goods were driven all along the shore, and strewn up and down at high-water mark. But the Governor had them collected and an inventory made of them, and they were washed and dried. So most of the goods were saved and restored to the owners. Afterwards another boat from the same place, and bound for the same destination, was wrecked at Manoanscusett, and the goods that came ashore were preserved for them. Such misfortunes the Connecticut settlers from Massachusetts met with in their beginnings, and some thought them a correction from God for their intrusion there, to the injury of others. But I dare not be so bold with God’s judgments as to say that it was so.

In the year 1634, the Pequots, a warlike tribe that had conquered many of its neighbours and was puffed up with numerous victories, were at variance with the Narragansetts, a great neighboring tribe. These Narragansetts held correspondence and were on terms of friendship with the English of Massachusetts. The Pequots, being conscious of the guilt of the death of Captain Stone, whom they knew to be an Englishman, and of those who were with him, and having fallen out with the Dutch, lest they should have too many enemies at once, wished to make friends with the English of Massachusetts, and sent messengers and gifts to them, as is shown by some letters from the Governor there, as follows.

Governor Winthrop of Massachusetts to the New Plymouth Colony:

Dear and worthy Sir,

To let you know something about our affairs. The Pequots have sent to us desiring our friendship, and offering much wampum and beaver, etc. The first messengers were dismissed without answer; with the next we had several days’ conference, and taking the advice of some of our ministers, and seeking the Lord in it, we concluded a peace and friendship with them, on these conditions: that they should deliver to us the men who were guilty of Stone’s death.... If we desired to settle in Connecticut they should give up their right to us, and we should trade with them as friends,—the chief thing aimed at. To this they readily agreed; and begged that we should mediate a peace between them and the Narragansetts, for which purpose they were willing that we should give the Narragansetts part of the present they would bestow on us,—for they stood so much on their honour that they would not be seen to give anything of themselves. As for Captain Stone, they told us there were but two left who had a hand in his death and that they killed him in a just quarrel, for he surprised two of their men, and bound them, and forced them to show him the way up the river. He went ashore with two others, nine Indians secretly watching him; and when they were asleep that night they killed him and the others, to free their own men; and some of them going afterwards to the pinnace, it was suddenly blown up. We are now preparing to send a pinnace to them.

In another of his he writes thus:

Our pinnace has lately returned from the Pequots; they did little trade, and found them a very false tribe, so they mean to have no more to do with them. I have many other things to write you.