the said Battle, Gloucester did itself the honor of appointing the Lord General Oliver Cromwell, 'in consideration of the singular favor and benevolence which his Excellency hath manifested to us and to this City,' High Steward of the same, 'with an annual rent of 100 shillings, issuing out of our Manors;'—for at least one payment of which there exists the Lord General's receipt, in this form: 23 Novemb 1652. Reed of the Maior and Burgs of Gloucr by the hands of Mr. Dorney, Townclerke of the said City, the day and year abovesd the some of ffive pounds as being a fee due to me as Lord High Steward of the said Citty, I say Recd £ s. d. 05 00 00 O. CROMWELL.* 4 and 5. Two poor American scraps, which our New-England › friends ought to make more lucent for us; worth their paper and ink in this place. To Our trusty and well-beloved the President, Assistants, and Inhabitants of Rhode Island, together with the rest of the Providence Plantations, in the Narragansett Bay in New-England. GENTLEMEN, 'Whitehall.' 29th March, 1655. Your Agent here hath presented unto us some particulars concerning your Government, which you judge necessary to be settled by us here. But by reason of the other great and weighty affairs of this Commonwealth, we have been necessitated to defer the consideration of them to a further opportunity. In the meanwhile we were willing to let you know, That you are to proceed in your Government according to the tenor of your Charter formerly granted on that behalf; taking care of the peace and safety of these Plantations, that neither through any intestine commotions, or foreign invasions, there do arise any detriment or dishonor to this Commonwealth or yourselves, as far as you by your care and diligence can prevent. And as for the things which are before us, they shall, as soon as the other occasions will permit, receive a just and fitting determination. And so we bid you farewell; and rest, Your very loving friend, OLIVER P.t * Bibliotheca Gloucestrensis (Gloucester, 1825;-see Antea, vol. i., p. 143), p. 412:-from the City Records of Gloucester. + Original in the Rhode-Island Archives: Printed in Hutchinson's Col lection, and elsewhere. Towards the end of the Dutch War, during that undefinable relation with France, 'hostile rather than neutral,' which did not end in Treaty till October, 1655,* Oliver's Major Sedgwick, whom we have since known in Jamaica, had laid hold of certain French Forts,' and indeed of a whole French region, the region now called Nova Scotia, then called Acadie; of which Forts and of the region they command, it is Oliver's purpose, for the behoof of his New-Englanders, to retain possession ; as the following small Document will testify: To Captain John Leverett, Commander of the Forts lately taken from the French in America. We have received an account from Major Sedgwick of his taking several Forts from the French in America, and that he hath left you to command and secure them for Us and this Commonwealth: And although We make no doubt of your fidelity and diligence in performance of your trust, yet. We have thought it necessary to let you know of how great consequence it is, that you use your utmost care and circumspection, as well to defend and keep the Forts abovesaid, as also to improve the regaining of them into Our hands to the advantage of Us and this State, by such ways and means as you shall judge conducible thereunto. And as We shall understand from you the state and condition of those places, We shall from time to time give such directions as shall be necessary. Given at Whitehall, this 3d of April, 1655. OLIVER P.4 To which there are now, from this side of the Water, the following small excerpts to be added : Grant of Privy-Seal: 6th June, 1655, To Major Robert Sedgwick, £1793 7s. 8d., in full of his Account for service done against the French.' And † In Bancroft's History of the United States (Boston, 1837), i., 445, is some faint and not very exact notice of the affair. Original in the possession of the Massachusetts Historical Society: Printed in their Third Series, vii., 121. In vol. ii. of the same Work (Boston, 1820), p. 323-364, is an elaborate Notice of certain fragmentary мs. Records of the Long Parliament still extant at New York,-which Notice ought to be cancelled in subsequent editions! The amazingly curious 'Records' at New York turn out to be nothing but some odd volumes of the Commons Journals of that period; the entire Set of which, often enough copied in manuscript, was printed here about fifty years ago, and is very common indeed, in the Butter-shops and elsewhere! Ditto, 28th July, 1656, To Captain John Leverett, £4482 3s. 11 d., in full satisfaction of all sums of money due to him upon Account of his receipts and disbursements about the Forts taken from the French in America, and of his Salary for 760 days, at 15s. per diem.'* Oliver kept his Forts and his Acadie, through all French Treaties, for behoof of his New-Englanders: not till after the Restoration did the country become French again, and continue such for a century or so. 6. Is a small domestic matter: SIR, For Colonel Alban Cox, in Herefordshire. Whitehall, 24th April, 1655. Having occasion to speak with you upon some Affairs relating to the Public, I would have you, as soon as this comes to your hands, to repair up hither; and upon your coming, you shall be acquainted with the particular reasons of my sending for you. I rest, your loving friend, OLIVER P.+ No. XV. From 1657. LAST ROYALIST PLOT. [Vol. ii., p. 260.] 1. To our trusty and well-beloved the Vice-chancellor and Convocation of our University of Oxford. OLIVER P. TRUSTY and well-beloved,-We greet you well. Among the many parts of that Government which is entrusted to us, we do look upon the Universities as meriting very much of our care and thoughts: And finding that the place of Chancellor of our University of Oxford is at present in Ourself; and withal judging that the continuance thereof in our hands may not be so consistent with the present constitution of affairs, We have therefore thought fit to resign the said Office, as we hereby do; and to leave you at freedom to elect some such other person thereunto, as you shall conceive meet for the execution thereof. *Fourth Report of Deputy Keeper of the Public Records (London, 1843), Appendix ii., p. 192; Fifth Report (London, 1844), Appendix ii., p. 260 + Gentleman's Magazine (London, 17881 lviii 270 Our will and pleasure therefore is, That you do proceed to the election of a Chancellor with your first conveniency. Not doubting but you will, in your choice, have a just regard to the advancement and encouragement of Piety and Learning, and to the continuing and further settling of good Order and Government among you; which you may easily find yourselves obliged to have principally in your consideration and design, whether you respect the University itself, or the good of the Commonwealth upon which it hath so great an influence. And although our relation to you may by this means in some sort be changed, yet you may be confident we shall still retain a real affection to you, and be ready upon all occasions to seek and promote your good. Given at Whitehall, this 3d day of July, 1657.* 2. To Our trusty and well-beloved the Bailiffs and Free Burgesses of our Town of Oswestry: These OLIVER P. TRUSTY and well-beloved,-We, being informed that the Free School of our Town of Oswestry is now void of a Head Schoolmaster settled there, by reason of the delinquency and ejection of Edward Paine, late Schoolmaster thereof, Have thought fit to recommend unto you Mr. John Evans, the son of Matthew Evans, late of Penegos in the County of Montgomery, as a fit person, both for piety and learning, to be Head Schoolmaster of the said School; and That, so far as in yourselves 'is,' the said Mr. Evans may be forthwith settled and invested there accordingly. Which Act of yours we shall be ready to confirm, if it be adjudged requisite and proper for us. And not doubting of the performance of this our pleasure, we commit you to God. Given at Whitehall, this 13th day of July, 1657.† 3 To our trusty and well-beloved the Mayor, Aldermen, and Common Council of our City of Gloucester: These. OLIVER P. TRUSTY and well-beloved,-We greet you well. I do hear on all hands I that the Cavalier party are designing to put us into blood. We are, hope, taking the best care we can, by the blessing of God, to obviate this * Archives of Oxford University. Communicated by the Rev. Dr. Bliss. + Endowed Grammar Schools, by N. Carlisle (London, 1818), ii., 369, Art. Salop. danger; but our intelligence on all hands being, that they have a design upon your City, we could not but warn you thereof, and give you authority, as we do hereby, To put yourselves into the best posture you can for your own defence, by raising your Militia by virtue of your Commissioners formerly sent to you, and putting them in a readiness for the purpose aforesaid. Letting you also know that, for your better encouragement herein, you shall have a Troop of horse sent you to quarter in or near your Town. We desire you to let us hear from you from time to time what occurs to you touching the Malignant party: and so we bid you farewell. Given at Whitehall, this 2d of December, 1657.* A Paper of the same date, of precisely the same purport, directed to the Authorities at Bristol, has come to us; another out of many then sent but of course only one, if even one, requires to be inserted here. 4. Letter written directly on dissolving the Parliament; probably one of many, to the like effect, despatched that day: For Colonel Cox, Captain of the Militia Troop in our County of Hertford: These. For our special service. To be left with the Postmaster of St. Alban's: to be speedily sent. SIR, Whitehall, 4th February, 1657. By our last Letters to you, we acquainted you what danger the Commonwealth was then in from the old Cavalier Party, who were designing new insurrections within us, while their Head and Master was contriving to invade us from abroad;—and thereupon desired your care and vigilancy for preserving the peace, and apprehending all dangerous persons. Our intelligence of that kind still continues. And we are more assured of their resolutions to put in execution their designs aforesaid within a very short time; 'they' being much encouraged from some late actings of some turbulent and unquiet spirits, as well in this Town as elsewhere, who, to frustrate and render vain and fruitless all those good hopes of Settlement which we had conceived from the proceedings of Parliament before their Adjournment in June last, framed a treasonable Petition to the House of Commons, by the name of the "Parliament of the Commonwealth of England ;" designing thereby not only the overthrow of the late • City Records of Gloucester (in Bibliotheca Gloncestrensis, p. 419). |