Another to Sir Ferdinando Gorges, touching the same subject.
Honourable Sir,
My humble duty remembered; we have of late received letters from the Dutch plantation and have had speech with some of them; I hold it my duty to acquaint your Worship and the rest of the Honourable Council therewith, unto whom we have likewise writ and sent the copies of their letters, that, together with their and your honourable directions, we may know how to order ourselves herein: They have used trading there this six or seven and twenty years, but have begun to plant of later time, and now have reduced their trade to some order, and confined it only to their company, which heretofore was spoiled by their seamen and interlopers, as ours is this year most notoriously, of whom we have made some complaint in our letters to the Council, not doubting but we shall find worshipful furtherance therein. We are now upon concluding with our adventurers, and shall be put upon hard straits by great payments, which we are enforced to make, for sundry years, or else to leave all, which will be to us very difficult; and, to say the truth, if these disorders of fishermen and interlopers, be not remedied, no plantations are able to stand, but will decay, whereas otherwise they may subsist and flourish: Thus in all humbleness I take leave, and rest,
At your service,
WILLIAM BRADFORD,
Plymouth, June 15, Anno 1627.
P. S. Besides the spoiling of the trade this last year, our boat and men had like to have been cut off by the Indians, after the fishermen were gone, for the wrongs which they did them, in stealing their skins and other abuses offered them, both the last year and this; and besides they still continue to truck pieces, powder and shot with them, which will be the overthrow of all, if it be not looked unto.
But I will now return to prosecute other letters out of England, touching our business and success thereof.
A letter of Mr. Shirley’s.