It pleased God about this time to bless the country with such an influx of people that it was much enriched, and cattle of all kinds stood at high prices for many years. Cows were sold at £20, some at £25 apiece, sometimes even at £28. A cow-calf usually fetched £10; a milch-goat £3, and sometimes £4; and she-kids thirty shillings and often £2 apiece. By this means the original settlers who had stock began to increase in wealth. Corn also commanded a high price, viz., six shillings a bushel. So other trading began to be neglected, and the old partners, having forbidden Mr. Sherley to send them any more goods, abandoned their trade at Kennebec, and, as things stood, decided to follow it no longer. But a few of them were loth that it should all be lost by closing it entirely, so they joined with some others and agreed to give the colony about one-sixth of the profits from it; and with the first fruits of this the colony built a house for a prison. The trade at Kennebec has since been continued to the great benefit of the place; for, as some well foresaw, such high prices for corn and cattle could not long continue, and the revenue got by trade would be much missed.
This year, about the 1st or 2nd of June, there was a fearful earthquake. Here it was heard before it was felt. It began with a rumbling noise, or low murmur, like remote thunder; it came from the northward and passed southward. As the noise approached, the earth began to shake, and at length with such violence that platters, dishes, and other things standing on shelves came clattering down, and people were afraid for the houses themselves. It happened that at the time several of the chief citizens of the town were holding a meeting in a house, conferring with some of their friends who were about to move from the place—as if the Lord would hereby show His displeasure at their thus shaking apart and removing from one another. It was very terrible for a while, and as the men sat talking in the house, some women and others were just out of doors, and the earth shook with such violence that they could not stand without catching hold of the posts and palings near by. But the violence did not last long. About half an hour after, or less, came another noise and shaking, but not so severe as before, and not lasting long. Some ships along the coast were shaken by it; but it was not only felt near the sea, for the Indians noticed it inland. So powerful is the mighty hand of the Lord as to make both the earth and the sea to shake, and the mountains to tremble before Him when He pleases; and who can stay His hand?
It was observed that the summers for several years after this earthquake were not so hot and seasonable for the ripening of corn and other fruits as formerly, but were colder and more moist and subject to early and untimely frosts, so that often much Indian corn failed. Whether this was the cause, I leave it to naturalists to judge.
CHAPTER XX
Settlement of boundaries between New Plymouth and Massachusetts—First steps towards winding up the partnership by a composition: 1639 and 1640.
I will combine these two years, because there occurred but little of interest outside of the ordinary affairs of the colony. New Plymouth had several times granted land for various townships, and, amongst the rest, to the inhabitants of Scituate, some of them coming from here. A large tract of land there had also been given to their four London partners, Mr. Sherley, Mr. Beauchamp, Mr. Andrews, and Mr. Hatherley. At Mr. Hatherley’s request, the locality was fixed upon for himself and them, for the other three had given him power to choose for them. This tract of land extended up to the border-line of their neighbours of Massachusetts, who some years later established a town called Hingam on the land next to it. This now led to great disputes between these two townships, about their boundaries, and some meadow lands that lay between them. The inhabitants of Hingam began to allot some of these meadows to their people, measuring and staking them out for that purpose. The people of Scituate pulled up their stakes and threw them away. So it developed into a controversy between the two governments. Many letters passed between them about it, and it hung in suspense for about two years. The Court of Massachusetts appointed men to fix their boundary line according to their patent, and the way they went to work made it include all Scituate itself, and I know not how much more. On the other hand, according to the boundary lines of the patent of New Plymouth, theirs would take in Hingam, and much more within the bounds they had set.
In the end both Courts agreed to choose two commissioners on each side, and give them absolute power to settle the boundaries between them, and what they decided was to stand irrevocably. They had one meeting at Hingam, but could not agree; for their commissioners stood stiffly on a certain clause in their grant: that their limits should extend from Charles River, or any branch or part thereof, and 3 miles further to the southward; or, from the most southern part of the Massachusetts Bay, and 3 miles further south. But they chose to adhere to the former limit, for they had found a small river, or brook rather, which a long way inland trended far southward and entered some part of what was taken to be Charles River; and from the most southerly part of this, and 3 miles further southward, they wished to run a line eastwards to the sea, about 20 miles, which would take in a part of New Plymouth itself. Now though the patent and colony of New Plymouth was much the older, the patent for the extension upon which Scituate stood was granted after theirs of Massachusetts; so the latter took first place as regards this extension.
The New Plymouth answer to the deputies of Massachusetts was, they owned that their claims for Scituate could not be based in any way upon their original grant; but, on the other hand, neither could the others prove this stream to be a part of Charles River, for they did not know which Charles River was, except so far as the people here, who came first, gave the name to the river upon which Charlestown was afterwards built, believing it to be that which Captain Smith so named. Now those who first named it had best reason to know it, and to explain which it was. But they only termed it Charles River as far as it was navigated by them,—that is, as far as a boat could go. But that all the small brooks that should flow into it, far inland, and were all differently named by the natives, should now be made out to be the Charles River, or parts of it, they saw no reason to allow. They gave an instance of the Humber in old England, which had the Trent, Ouse, and many other rivers of lesser note running into it; and again many smaller brooks fell into the Trent and Ouse; but all had their own names. Again, it was contended that no mention was made of an east line in their patent; they were to begin at the sea and go west by a line, etc.
At this meeting, however, no conclusion was reached; but things were discussed and well prepared for an issue. Next year the same commissioners were appointed, and met at Scituate, and concluded the matter as follows.