To the honnourable Sr Robert Carr, Knight, George Cartwright, Esqr. and Samuel Maverick, Esqr. his Majesties Commissioners.

In answer to Duke Hamilton's Petition, respect ing a grant of land of sixty miles square, on the east side of the river Coverticu.

1. We are wholly ignorant of any river within the extent of our charter, that is known under such an appellation, and therefore cannot concieve that any part or tract of land under this Government is concerned in this demand.

2. Yet upon supposition that it may be conceved to intend Connecticut river, wee humbly conceive that the originall pattent grant from Royall authority, to the Lord Say, and other Nobles and Gentlemen which we purchased at a dear rate, is lately ratified and confirmed by our gracious Sovreign, under the broad Seal of England, (the most absolute and unquestionable security of the English subjects) in which grants the lands forementioned are comprized. The grant to Connecticutt was precedent to that of Duke Hamilton severall years, which gives us to conclude, that propriety of title, will be settled upon priority of Grant.

3. A Considerable tract of this land which the Duke's Petition refers to, (if as before supposed, it be determined Connecticutt,) was possessed by a people most malignantly spirited against his Majesties English subjects, and at our first settleing here, when we were weak and few, they grew very insolent against us, making invasion upon us, murthering many of our people, thereby necessitating us to a hazardous undertakeing, to cast ourselves into the arms of God's Providence, in endeavoring to suppress those bloody heathen, and through benediction we found a good success, and tho that wilderness land would not afford any considerable recompence for the loss of lives and great expences, yet our peace, attained by that conquest, did greatly rejoyce us.

4. We have had peaceable possession this 30 years, free from the least claime of any other that ever we heard of, to this day, which perswades us, that if the Dukes Highness had ever reason by vertue of his grant, to make claime, yet that right pretended, is extinct in law many years since. His Majesty our Gracious Sovreign was pleased, of his abundant favour and grace, to his subjects of this colony, so farr to declare his free reception of the reasons forementioned, of our purchase made, and conquest recovered, and likewise by our improvement and labour bestowed upon these lands, as to insert them as motives to that late renewal of our charter.

We humbly crave that as it hath been his Majesties Royall pleasure to manifest his tender affection to, and care of his subjects wellfare in these his colonies of New England, in sending over his honnourable Commissioners to compose and issue those things that might be of ill consequence between the severall colonies, so likewise that it be well pleasing to his majesty, that this his colony of Connecticutt might be free from further trouble or inconvenience by this claime that wee understand hath been presented by the Marquis Hamilton.

And whereas your honnors are pleased so farr to exercise your thoughts about the promotion of the welfare of his Majesties subjects in this his colony, as to vouchsafe us so favorable a tender to be solicitous in our behalf to his Majesty our gracious Sovreigne, in any particulars wherein we may be advantaged, we crave your honnors assistance as followeth.

1. That his Majestie would be graciously pleased to silence the claim of Duke Hamilton, if any be by him pretended or presented, to any tract of land lying or being within the precincts of our charter, (renewed and established to us by our Royall Sovreigne,) and possessed and improved by severall poor people, whose progress in ther labours and endeavors for their subsistence (at the best very meane) will be impeded and obstructed through fear of the event of such claimes.

2. Whereas this colony is at a very low ebb in respect to traffick, and although out of a respect to our relation to the English nation, and that we might be accounted a people under the Sovreignty and protection of his Majestie the King of England, we presumed to put the name or appellation of New London, upon one of our towns, which nature hath furnished with a safe and commodious harbour, though but a poor people, and discapacitated in several respects to promote traffique; we humbly crave of our gracious Sovreigne, that he would be pleased out of his Princely bounty, to grant it to be a place of free trade for 7, 10, or 12 years, as his Royall heart shall encline to conferr, as a boon upon his poor yett loyall subjects.

3. We request of your honnors,

—1. that you will please to represent unto his Majesty, our allegiance, with our ready acknowledgement of his princely grace, in the late renewall of our charter,

—2. his more abundant grace in reratifying our priviledges, both civill and ecclesiastick, in his late gracious letter, sent to us by your honnors,

—3. our ready compliance with his Majesties Royall will and pleasure therein expressed,

—4. our christian moderation to men of different perswasions,

—5. we humbly implore the continuation of the shines of his Royall favour upon our mean beginnings, that so we may flourish under the benigne aspect of our Lord the King.