That your Petitioners have not had for many years past, since their possession and inhabiting these western and innland parts of this wilderness, any opportunity, (by reason of the calamities of the late sad times) to look for and obtain such grant by letters pattents, from your excellent Majesty, the Sovreign Lord and King, as might assure them of such liberties and priviledges and sufficient power, as might encourage them to go on through all difficulties, hazzards and expences, in so great a work of plantation, in a place so remoate from the Christian world, and a desert so difficultly subdued, and no way improveable for subsistence, but by great cost and hard labour with much patience and cares; and whereas besides, the great charge that hath been expended by our Fathers, and some of their associates yett surviving, about the purchass, building, fortifying and other matters of cultering and improveing to a condition of safety and subsistence in the places of our present abode amonge the Heathen, whereby there is a considerable, and a reall addition to the honnour and enlargements of his Majesties dominion, by the sole disbursments of his Majesties subjects here, of their own propper Estates : They have laid out a very great summ for the purchassing a Jurisdiction Right, of Mr. George Fenwick, which they were given to understand was derived from true Royall authority, by Letters Pattents to certain Lords and Gentlemen therein nominated ; a copy whereof was produced before the commissioners of the colonys, and approved by them, as appears by their Records, a coppy whereof is ready to be presented at your Majesties command ; though either by fire, at an house, where it had been sometimes kept, or some other accident, is now lost, with which your poor subjects were rather willing to have contented themselves within those afflicting times, then to look for power or priviledges from any then their lawfull Prince and Sovreign.

May it therefore please your most gracious and Excellent Majestie to confer upon your humble Petitioners (who unanimously do implore your Highness favour and Grace therein) those liberties, rights, authoritys and priviledges which were granted by the forementioned Letters Pattents, to certain Lords and Gent, so purchased as aforesaid, or which were enjoyed from those Letters Pattents, granted to the Massachusetts Plantation by our Fathers, and some of us yett surviveing when there, in our beginnings inhabiting: and upon which those large incouragements, liberties and priviledges, so great a transplantation from our dear England, was undertaken (and supposed to be yett our inheritance, till the running of that western line, the bounded limits of those Letters Pattents did since our removall thence determine our lott to be fallen without the limits of that so bounded authority.) May it please your Majestie graciously to bestow uppon your humble suppliants such Royall munificence according to the tenour of a draft or instrument, which is ready here to be tendered at your Gracious order.

And whereas besides those many other great disbursments as aforesaid, in prosecution of this wilderness work, your poor Petitioners were forced to maintain a warr against one nation of the Heathens that did much interrupt the beginnings of your servants, by many bloody and hostile acts, whereby divers of our dear countrymen were treacherously destroyed, and have also been ever since, and are still at much charge in keeping such a correspondence of peace and amity, with the divers sorts of the heathen nations that are round about your plantations, thus far extended into the bowells of the country, besides the maintenance of all publick charges for church and civill affairs, which are very great, in respect of our great poverty: May it please your most Excellent Majestie, out of your princely bounty to grant our immunity from customes as may encourage the merchants, to supply our necessities, in such comodities as may be wanting here, for which we have neither silver nor gold to pay, but the supply in that kind may in able in due time to search the bowells of the earth for some good minerals, whereof there seem to be fair probabilities, or produce some such other staple comodities, as may in future time opperate to be good effects of y'r Majesties goodness and bounty. If your poor colony may find this Gracious acceptance with your Majestie, as to grant their humble desires, whereby they may be incouraged to goe on carefully and strenuously in their plantation business, in hope of a comfortable settlement for themselves, and their posterity, that under your Royall Protection, they may prosper in this desert, they shall, as is their acknowledged duty, ever pray for your great tranquility and perpetuall happiness, and humbly craveing leave they subscribe themselves, your Majesties Loyall Subjects and Servants,

The Generall Court of the Colony of Connecticott in New England, pr their Order,

DANIEL CLARK, Secry.

Dated June 7th, 1661.