Trusty and well beloved, wee greet you well. Whereas in pursuance of an order our privie Councell of the 4th of December last, directing our well beloved subjects, William Stoughton and Peter Bulkley, agents for the corporation of the Massachusetts Bay, in New England, to show by what authority or title Simon Bradstreet, Deputy Governour, and other inhabitants of that Colony, had by a printed paper called an advertisement, dated at Boston the 30th of July last, laid claim to the lands of Narragansett, and Niantic countreys called the Kings Province, they the said agents did declare, that the Government of the Massachusetts is not at all concerned in this claim, but only some inhabitants, who had purchassed those lands from the Indian Sachems: and where-as our well beloved subjects, Randall Holden and John Green, Deputies of the town of Warwick, in the Colony of Rhoad Island, have certified our said Privy Councill, (of their certain knowledge as having inhabited that country for above forty years) that never any legall purchase had been made thereof from the Indians, by the Massachusetts or any others, and there being likewise produced an act of the voluntary submission of the chief Sachem and the rest of the Princes, with the whole people of the Narragansetts, unto the Government of our late Royall Father of blessed memory, together with two declarations made by our commissioners, on the 20th of March, 1664, and 8th of April, 1665, whereby it appears that they had then received from some of the principall Sachems of the Narragansett Indians, a surrender of themselves, their subjects and their lands to our Government and dispose, not only by their personall acknowledgments and sending us presents, but by putting into the hands of our said commissioners the Deed aforementioned, of the 19th of April, 1644, and that as for the pretended purchasses made by Major Atherton, and others of the Massachusetts Colony, our said commissioners did then declare the said purchasses to be void, ordering the purchassers to leave the use and possession of those lands, and that the Magestrates of Rhoad Island exercise the authority of Justices of the Peace in the Narragansett country, by them called Kings Province, and doe whatever they should think fitt for the peace and safety thereof, untill our further pleasure should be known, we having taken the premises into our lloyall consideration, have thought fitt hereby strictly to will and require you to take care that all things relating to the said Narragansett country, or the Kings Province, be left in the same condition as now they are, or have lately been in, as to the possession and government thereof, and absolute and immediate sovreignty, as well as the particular propriety of all that country, appearing by the surrender of the Sachims, to be vested in us, our further pleasure is, that you doe forthwith signifie to all persons within your government, who pretend any right or title to the soyle or government of the said lands, that they do with all speed, and by the first convenience, send over hither persons sufficiently impowered and instructed, to make their right and title appear to us, and that upon default thereof, we will proceed to give such order for the government and settlement of the said Province, as we shall judge to be most consistent with justice, and the good of such of our subjects, who already do inhabit, or shall desire to make any further improvement within the said improvement. And whereas we have been also humbly informed by our well beloved subject John Crown Gent, that his Father William Crown, had sustained a great loss by our surrendring Nova Scotia unto the French, of part of which country he was proprietor, and therefore praying us to grant unto him the lands of Mount Hope, in New England, in compensation thereof, and we having referred the consideration of that his humble suit, to the Lords of the committee of our Privy Councill for foreign plantations, and having received their opinion upon that matter, that it opperates to them that the said land did belong to Sachem Phillip, and his adherents, and was conquered by our subjects of New England in the late warr against the Indians, not without great charge and bloodshed ; we have thought fitt hereby to signifie the same to you, together with our pleasure, that you forthwith certifie unto us, what right or title, any of our Colonies there, may pretend unto the said country, and also the true extent, value and propriety of the said lands of Mount Hope, with the grounds and evidences of their respective claimes, if any shall be made, that we may thereupon be enabled to give such further direction and order, as may suit with our Royall justice and bounty, and we cannot upon this occasion but take notice to you, that we have not hitherto received from you or any other of the said Colonies, the least intimation, much less account, of the conquest, claime, or disposall of the said country, not doubting but for the future, you will be more carefull to advertise us, or our Privy Councill of matters of this kinde, and which do any way relate to prerogative and authority—and so we bid you farewell.

Given at our Court, at White Wall, the 12th day of February, 1678-9, in the one and thirtieth year of our Reigne.

By his Majesties command,

SUNDERLAND.

To our trusty and well beloved, the Governour and Magistrates of Connecticutt colony, in New England, now and for the time being.