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Show 72 TiioMAs] RHODE ISLAND'S POLICY TOWARD THE INDIANS 623 from some particular plantations already sett down upon; and if any shall so purchase, they shall forfeit the Land so purchased to the Collonie. as also the President is to grant forth prohibition against any that shall purchase as aforesayd.' This proving insufficient to put an end to the practice, an additional act (or "order") was passed in 165S, as follows: Whereas, there hath beiue soverall purchases of laud made from the Indians by men within the precincts of this Collouy, which, for want of a law thereaboute in the collony, caunot be uow made voydo or hindered, as namely, the purchase of Quononagutt Island, and tho island called Dutch Island, which hath beine made by William Coddington and Benedict Arnold, aud many others joyned by covinants with them thereabouts cannot now bee made voyde, but must bee aud are alowed aud confirmed as lawfull as purchased from the Indians if it were not bought before; as also any other purchases made by others as aforesayd formerly. Yett to prevent the licke purchasings hereafter from the Iudiaus; it is ordered, by the authority of this preseut Assembly, that noc person, strainger or other, shall make any further purchases of lands or Islands from the Indians withiu tho precincts of this Collony, butt such only as are soe alowed to doe, and ordered therein by an express order of a court of commissioners, upon penalty of forfeitinge all such purchassed lands or Islands to the Collony, and to pay besides, u fine of twenty pound to the collony in case of transgressinge this order.- As examples of the orders granting permission to purchase under the aforesaid acts, the following are taken from the proceedings of 1657: Whereas, we have a law iu our collouy, dated November the 2d, 1658, that noe person within the precincts of this collouy shall buy or purchass any land of the Indians without licence of this Generall Court; and whereas, there is a place for a plantation iu the bownds of this Collouy, aboute a place so called Nyanteeutt: It is ordered, that the Court apoyut one man in each Towno of this Collony to purchass the foresayd land of Ninecraft, who are, viz.: Mr. Ben: Arnold, Mr. Arthur Fenner, Mr. William Baulston, and Capt. Randall Houlden, aud that it bo dispossed to such as have need of each towno of this collony; they payinge suflitiantly for it to such as are apoyuted to purchass it, or otherwise to be ordered, as each towno apoynt. It is ordered, that Providence shall havo liberty to buy out and cleare off Indians within the bowndes of Providence, as expressed in their towno evideuce, and to purchass a little more in case they wish to add, seeiuge they are straytened, not exceed-ingo three thousaud acres joyninge to their township.1 Also Juno 17, 16C2: The Court doe grant free liberty and leave to the petitioners and thoir sayd associates to make purchase of the natives within this jurisdiction, and to buy of them that are true owners, a tract of laud lying together, and not exceeding fowcr thousand aekors; always provided, it bee such land as is not already granted, or annexed to any of the townshipes of tlie Collony by purehaso or other lawfull meanes, nor that it be land already purchased and justly claimed by any other perticular persons, freemen of the Collony or tber successors.4 In 1096 an act was passed to prevent intrusion upon the lands of the Narragansett.s. It provided "that all possessions of any lauds iu the Narragansett country obtained by intrusion, without the consent and approbation of the general assembly, be deemed and adjudged illegal aud void in law." Tho Indians were made wards of the legislature, ' Rhode Ial.iud Colonial lipoids, vol. I, p.'J3ii. > Ibid., pp. 403-401. ' Ibid., p. 418. •> Ibid., p. 484. |