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Show 13o ACTS RELATING Part II, Sea. IV. To THE COLONIESa 13': At the refurret‘lion of the confiitution under king William, entreaty was ufed with his majefly to ref'tore the ancient charter. The requef'r, as to the fpecific this new charter which goes by the name of the fecond charter of the Maflachu~ fet's Bay. terms of it, was refufed. They were de« charters heretofore granted to the c‘ompa-fa' nied what they afked for; but, what is ny of Plymouth, and to the patentees of fingular, they were granted more: a char- ter was granted them, in many rcfpeéls more beneficial than their old one?16 It is Mail'achufet's Bay, and the vacating of this lafl charter on a writ of fcire facias in' court of Chancery); fets out with nama ing as the i‘ubjet't of its difpofal, the colony of Mailachufet's Bay: to which, how- "‘ See this charter in the Appendix to Neale's Hiflory of New England, vol. ii. number I. It is reprinted in the Colleaion printed for Almon. I could not read without furprize the following paf- fage in a book attributed to Mr. Burke 1-. The writer is {peaking of this colony. " Some time " after the revolution (fays he) they received a new " charter, which, though very favourable, was " much inferiar to the extenfive privileges of the " former charter, which indeed were too exten" five for a colony." Surely this writer had not attended to the firfi charter, or had forgot that it This charter (after reciting" the feVeral ever, we find now, for the firft time, aga gregated a number of other fettlements, known by the refpeélive names of " New " Plymouth; the province of Maine; the" " territories called Acadia, or Nova Sco" tia ;' 5 with the intermediate waftes. It is remarkable, that the terms un- der which they hand charaéterifed in the was granted to a company refiding in England. charter, are thofe of faflorier, and 'colo- And therefore with all it's exteryiw privilege: want- nies: the firfi of which feems to fhew td all the powers neceffary to conflitute a political the legal idea entertained of the fettlers government. under the former charters. + See Account of European Settlements in America, vol. ii. p. 169, edit. 5. ' this The law con- fidered them as faflorr, or agmz‘r, of a K 2 ‘ comm |