Your Lordshipps Lettres by mr. B: I received the 7th of July, which were occasion of Comfort to me, both for your Lordshipps wellfare, and for your constant hearty Affection to our Colony and your undeserved favour to my selfe your most vnworthy servant: which shall so farre oblige me to your good Lordshipp as my poore prayers and indeavours shalbe euer improved for your honor and wellfare.

Now concerninge that which your Lordshipp desires to be satisfied in, I shall truly relate to you the state of the Country and our present Condition therin, so fully and faithfully as you shall not need to inquire any further therabout.

For the Contry it is for the most parte a light soyle black earth aboue and 492sand beneathe: it is very well watered with rivers, brookes and springs, with faire levels of good meadowe in many places, but much of it is full of hassocks and wett, for want of drayning.

The Timber is oak and pine, with some elme and ashe in the swampes, which are not bogge as in Ireland but in the summer they are dry and fine lande. By the sea Coast there is store of salt marsh which is for 3, 4 or 5 foote a meere Turfe, which will burne well, yet it beares very fine benty grasse, which will maintain Cattle well both in summer and winter.

The grounde is most apt for Rye, and summer wheate which afford sometymes 30 or 40 bushells of an acre, yet after 2 or 3 Croppes not aboue halfe so much except cost be bestowed upon it. diverse haue founde by experience that 2 or 3 Croppes of Rye will come of one Seedinge, and without any new ploughing. there is also this yeare great store of pease and barly, as good as I haue seen ordinaryly in England.

All sorts of English fruits and garden stuffe prosper very well heere. we have a Croppe of Corne now vpon the grounde that (in the best Judgment) may be sufficient to serve our people for neere 2 years.

Our Cattle thrive and increace as well as in Engld. and are of a large size.

The ayre is pure and healthfull, which makes it the more hott in summer and the sharper in winter.

Our winters are longe, so as we are forced to provide stover for our Cattle for 5 months, yet many tymes the winter is very milde, and the snowe lyes so little tyme as 3 or 4 months provision will suffice our Cattle.

The sea affords great store of Codd and many other sorts of fish, which may be had (some of them) all seasons of the year. Sea Fowle heere is store, but not so easye to be taken now as at our first Comming. heere are allso Partridge and heathe geese, and great multitude of pigeons, and Deare, but the Country is too full of Coverts for hunting or hawking. yet a man may ride all over the Countrye, except the Swamps which are very vaste and hideous.

Many woulves and foxes heere are which doe vs much damage but heere is no wild beast will assault a man.

For our Goverment it is mixed, the freemen (who are all church members) choose the Magistrates and cheife Officers, and deputyes, who make all the Lawes and levye monyes, and minister Justice, without any Appeale to the people. All our magistrates are chosen anewe every yeare. we have in our Jurisdiction 20 townes, and in euery of them a Company gathered into Church fellowshipp. most of them haue 2 ministers and one or 2 ruling Elders: The ministers are sustayned in some Churches by a treasury raised by a weekly contribution, in some others by a voluntary taxation.

Our Courts are of 2 sorts the general Courts, which are for making of lawes and levying monyes to which every towne sends one or 2 deputyes, and the other Courts held by the magistrates, which are for Judicature.

The Ministers have great power with the people, wherby throughe the good correspondency between the magistrates and them, they are the more easyly gouerned being of illegible general sober and religious etc.

I thanke yow for your Two lettres now rechued by this shippe, and your favour in acquainting mee with such occurrence as came to your knowledge from our miserable distracted cuntrey, which is likely to become to great vassaledge if not vtterly ruinated, the King prevayling against the Parliaments Armies if god in mercie prevent it not. Wee are not free from distractions, and hartburnings amongst vs, by reason of our Ministers setting vp of an Independant Church,2 from which they will not bee intreated to refraine, vntill wee heare what that Synode in England haue concluded: but having layd downe their ministeriall calling, which they receiued by authoritie of the Church of England, haue preached against the errors and Idolatrie, practised therein, and gathered a congregationall church (as they call it) into which not yet aboue 35 persons men and woemen are entred into covenant who haue called mr. white to bee their Pastor, and the Pastor and Church so gathered, haue chosen mr. Coapland and mr. Goulding to bee ruling elders, and all thus chosen haue elected their deacons and entend to choose wydowes when they fall. The ruling Elders notwithstanding they haue laid downe their ministerie yet exercise their guifts in some places of the Island, but neither baptize the children, nor administer the sacrament of the Lords supper but the pastor only to such are within the pale of their church. here are no papists amongst vs, nor any popistie affected, 494but wee think it very strange, that one man having beene so zealous for the Ceremonies of the Church of England, should so suddenly cry them downe, and sett vp a discipline of his owne for hee hath professed not to follow the discipline, either of the Church of old England, or of new England, nor of Scotland, nor of Geneua, but only the rule of Jesus Christ, which I will neuer receiue from the Authoritie of one mans exposition, much doubting of the truth of his revelations in that behalfe. Tis true that by their instigation, wee haue lately had a great change of our publicke officers amongst vs, and I am confident, at the Arryvall of our London shippe, wee shall haue the tide turne, and the winde blowe the contrary way to their expectacion. Wee are assured of a new Governour from England, and of Sir John Hothams and his Ladies comming hither with mr. Waller, an eminent gentleman sometimes of the lower house of Parliament who (wee heare) are bannished to theis Islands, for some offences committed of which I am ignorant, but surely they will not come without ministers, if which doe concurre with ours for their Independant Church, I will beleeue that mr. Edwards was ill advised to write against such a Church, and dedicate it to the parliament, who caused it to bee printed and published,3 which I haue seene, and so well approue of that I will neuer Joyne with an independant church whilst I liue. I will not trouble yow with their vncharitable censures, against all such as Joyne not with them in their Church covenant. but doe patiently awayt the yssue of mr. whites speeches, when hee began this noveltie vizt. That wee should bee patient and see the end, for if it were of god it would stand if not it would fall, which I lyked well and doe awayt the yssue in that kinde. I will not bee further Troublesome at present, but pray you to accept of 100 lymons and so many orenges, which I haue shipped for yow and as many more with yours for my much esteemde frend Mrs. Ames. Intreating that my bouldness with you herein bee not offensiue to yow: so concludes your very loving frend and ready servant in the Lord