The Literary echo, and Pawcatuck advertiser. [volume] (Westerly, R.I.) 1851-1854, 1852-04-15
~The Osden Times.o


subject, John Clarke" the merrie
monarch" Charles the Second, by the
grace ofGod, King of England, Scotland
France and Ireland, Defender of the
Faith, &c." did condescend to stretch
forth his royal hand and append his sig
nature to a document wherein he says,
+" We have ordained, constituted and
declared, and by these presents, for Us,
Our heirs and they, William Benton,
William Coddington, Nicholas Easton,
Benedict Arnold, William Boulston,
John Porter, Samuel Gorton, John
Smith, John Weekes, Roger Williams,
Thomas Olney, Gregory Dexter, John
Cogeshall, Joseph Clarke, Randall
Holden, John Greene, John Roome,
William Dyre, Samuel Wildbore, Rich
ard Tew, William Field, Thomas Harris,
James Barker, Rainsborrow,
Williams, and John Nickson, !
and all such others as now are or here
after shall be, admitted and made free,
of the Company and Society of Our
Colony of Providence Plantations, in
the Narragansette Bay, in New England,
shall be from time to time, and forever
hereafter, body corporate and polite,
in fact and name, by the name of The
Governor and Company of the Rnglish h
Colony of Rhode Island and Providence
Plantations in New England, in Ameri-
ca" Thus giving to his trusty and
well-beloved subjects" the control and
under certain restrictions,
Of the affairs of our little State forever.
After going Oh to give directions as
to the manner in which the government
shall be administered, the treatment Of
the Indians, the method Of choosing
officers. the order in which religions
affairs shall be conducted, the manage
ment of commercial and agricultural
matters, &c., he proceeds to specify the
boundaries of the territory which he had
most graciously bestowed, which were
as follows -
"The west, or westerly, to the middle
or channel of river there, commonly
called and known by the name of Paao-
catuck, alias Paaccawtuck river, and SO
along the said river there, as the great
er or middle stream thereof reacheth or
lies up into the north country, north
ward, unto the head thereof, and from
thence, by a straight line drawn due
north, until it meets with the south line
of the massachusetts, Colony; and on the
north, or northerly, by the aforesaid
south or southerly line of the MassacAu-
sets Colony or Plantation, and extend
ing towards the east, or eastwardly
three English miles to the east and
north east Of the most eastern and north
eastern parts of the aforesaid Narragan-
sell Bay, as the said bay lyeth or extend.
eth itself from the ocean on the south,
or southwardly, unto the mouth of the
river which runneth towards the town OF
Proridence, and from thence along the
eastwardly side or bank of the said river,
(higher called by the name of Seacunh
river) up to falls called PatucleH falls,
eing the most westwardly line of PHI
mouth Colony, and so from the said falls,
in straight line, due north, until it
meet with the aforesaid line of the Mas
sachusetts Colony; and bounded on the
south by the ocean," "**
"The aforesaid Pawcatuck river hav-
ing been yielded, after much debate, for
the fixed and certain bounds between
these Our said Colonies, by the agents
thereof; who have also agreed, that the
said Paoeeatuek river shall be also called
alias NorroganseH or Narrogansett river
and, to prevent future disputes, that
otherwise might arise thereby, forever
hereafter shall be construed, deemed,
and taken to be the NarrogamseH river,
in Our late grant to Connecticut Colony,
mentioned as the easterly bounds Of that
Colony"
As for ourselves, we confess to lik-
ing of these musty old volumes, contain
ing records Of the Golden time," when
kings ruled "by divine right, and when
subjects bowed submissively to the de.
crccs of those whom the Lord Of
| nnsfsV had sni 10 r,,la and reinn nve1