102
CHAPTER 4
T H E IMPERIAL
SIR
FROM
PERSPECTIVE
EDMUND
ANDROS
A Report on the Administration of the
Dominion of New England (1690)
Governor Andros's duty was to implement and administer a new, centralized system
incorporating
multiple colonies that was supposed to benefit the empire both in
terms of security and trade. Andros, as an experienced soldier and
had the professional qualifications for the job,
administrator,
but due to his imperious nature, per-
haps not the personal ones. After the revolt, and upon his return to England,
An-
dros laid his defense of his actions before the Lords of Trade.
From Charles M . Andrews, ed., Narratives of the Insurrections, 1675-1690 (New York:
Charles Scribner's Sons, 1915), pp. 229-36. [Editorial insertions appear in square brackets—£d.]
To the Right Hon'ble the Lords of the
Committee for Trade and Plantations
The State of New England under the
Government ofSr Edmond Andros
w h o m the French had made severall incursionsand to demand the setting at liberty severall of
them surprized and deteyned by the French, and
reparation for sundry goods taken f r o m severall
Christians H i s Majesties
subjects i n the l a w f u l
prosecution of their trade.
That in the yeare 1686 Sir E d m o n d A n d r o s was
i*r
*
*
*
by comission under the Create Seale of England
appoynted to succeed the President Dudley and
The severall Provinces and CoUonys i n N e w En-
C o u n c i l l i n the government of the Massachusetts
gland being soe united, the revenue continued and
C o l l o n y , the Provinces of Hampshire and M a i n e
setled i n those parts, for the support of the gov-
and the Narragansett C o u n t r y , to w'ch was an-
ernment,
nexed the Collonyes of Rhoad Island N e w P l y m -
pounds per annum and all places were weO ar.;
outh and the C o u n t y of C o r n w a l l .
quietly setled and i n good posture.
amounted
to about
twelve t h o u s a r i
In the yeare 1687 the C o l l o n y of Connecticott
The C h u r c h of England being unprovided :-
was also annexed and in the yeare 1688 he re-
a place for the)T publique woship, he d i d , by zz-
ceived a new C o m m i s s i o n for all N e w England
vice of the C o u n c i l l , b o r r o w the new meeting
includeing the Province of N e w Yorke and East
house i n Boston, at such times as the same -.••i
and West Jersey, w i t h particuler order and direc-
unused, untill they could provide otherwise; a ^ :
tions to assert and protect the Five warlike Nations
accordingly o n Sundays went i n between clever
or Cantons of Indians, lying West from A lba ny
and twelve i n the m o r n i n g , and i n the afternocri;
above the heads of our rivers as far or beyond
about fower; but understanding it gave offer_;-
Maryland
hastned the building of a C h u r c h , w ' c h was ;
vizt Maquaes,
Oneydes,
Onondages,
Caeujes, and Sennekes, as the Kings subjects u pon
fected at the charge of those of the Church
SIR E D M U N D A N D R O s :
FROM
A Report o n the Administration of New England
-gland, where the Chaplaine of the Souldiers"*
erformed divine service and preaching.
He was alwayes ready to give grants of vacant
=nds and confirme defective titles as authorized
-j:e late Corporation not haveing passed or conrved any pursuant to the directions i n their Chariz but not above twenty have passed the seal i n
-e time of his government.
Courts o f Judicature were setled i n the severall
; r : i , soe as might be most convenient for the ease
- i benefitt of the subject, and Judges appoynted
; - o l d the Terms and goe the Circuite throughut the D o m i n i o n , to administer justice i n the best
-iT^ner and forme, and according to the lawes
1 _i:omes and statutes o f the reaime o f England,
- i some peculiar locall prudentiall laws o f the
; : untry, not repugnant therto; and fees regulated
:: i l l officers.
That particular care was taken for the due
i j r n a n c e of the severall Acts made for the en' : -Tigement o f navigation and regulateing the
^ - : a t i o n trade, whereby the lawfull trade and
-1; Majestys revenue of Customs was considerably
--ised.
The Indians throughout the goverm't contin:r. good order and subjection untill, towards
::r fitter end of the yeare 1688, by some unad-j-ii proceedings o f the Inhabitants i n the Eastern
i_--5 of N e w England, the late rupture with the
: -^ir^s there commenced, severall being taken
- : some killed, when Sir E d m o n d A n d r o s was at
Torke more than three hundred miles distant
r : — ± a t place; . . . by advice of the C o u n c i l l he
•
"-Wth [the forces] i n person and by the set. : - r - t o f severall garrisons, frequent partyes,
-:_-:-es and pursuits after the enemy, sometimes
one hundred miles into the desart further
• _r_ m y Christian settlement, i n w ' c h the officers
. - : ;3uldiers o f the standing forces always i m r i . takeing and destroying their forts and
r—'ts, corne, provision, a m m u n i c i o n and cadispersed and reduced them to the utter-
-
-.-.ants and necessitys, and soe secured the
--:rey, . . .
--TDUt the latter end of M a r c h 1688 Sir E d - ; Andros returned for Boston, leaveing the
103
garrisons and souldiers in the Easterne parts i n
good condition, and sufficiently furnished with
provisions and all stores and implyments of warr
and vessells for defence o f the coast and fishery.
O n the 18th of A p r i l l 1689 severall o f H i s M a 'ties C o u n c i l l i n N e w England haveing combined
and conspired togeather with those who were
Magistrates and officers i n the late Charter G o v ernment annuaOy chosen by the people, and severall other persons, to subvert and overthrow the
government, and i n stead thereof to introduce
their former Comonwealth; and haveing by their
false reports and aspersions gott to their assistance
the greatest part of the people, whereof appeared
in arms at Boston under the comand o f those who
were Officers in the sayd former popular goverment, to the number o f about two thousand horse
and foote; which strange and sudden appearance
being wholly a surprize to Sir E d m o n d Andros, as
knowing noe cause or occasion for the same, but
understanding that severall of the C o u n c i l l were
at the C o u n c i l l Chamber where (it being the O r dinary C o u n c i l l day) they were to meet, and some
particularly by h i m sent for from distant parts also
there, he and those with h i m went thither. A n d
tho' (as he passed) the streets were fuU o f armed
men, yett none offered h i m or those that were
with h i m the least rudeness or incivillity, but o n
the contrary usuall respect; but when he came to
the C o u n c i l l Chamber he found severall of the
sayd former popular Majestrates and other cheife
persons then present, with those of the C o u n c i l l ,
who had noe suitable regard to h i m , nor the peace
and quiet of the Countrey, but instead o f giveing
any assistance to support the Goverment, made
h i m a prisoner and also imprisoned some m e m bers of the C o u n c i l l and other officers, who i n
pursuance o f their respective dutyes and stations
attended o n h i m , and kept them for the space of
ten months under severe and close confinement
untUl by H i s Ma'ties comand they were sent for
England to answer what might be objected them,
Where, after summons given to the pretended
Agents of N e w England and their twice appearance at the C o u n c i l l Board, nothing being objected
by them or others, they were discharged. In the
\
104
CHAPTER 4
T H E IMPERIAL PERSPECTIVE
time of his confinement being dehyed the liberty
of discourse or conversation with any person, his
own servants to attend him, or any communication or correspondence with any by letters, he
hath noe particular knowledge of their further
proceedings, but hath heard and understands:—
That soone after the confinem't of his person,
the Confederates [took the] fort and Casde from
the Officers that had the comand of them, whom
they also imprisoned and dispersed the few souldiers belonging to the two standing Companyes
then there, as they did the rest, when they recalled
the forces imployed against the Indians Eastward
(which two Companys are upon His Ma'ties establishment in England,) in w'ch service halfe a
company of the standing forces at New Yorke being also imployed, the officers were surprised and
brought prisoners to Boston, and the souidiers
dispersed, as the remaining part of them at New
Yorke were afterwards upon the revolucion there.
The other company was, and remained, at Fort
Albany and are both upon establishment to be
payd out of His Ma'ties revenue there. And the
Confederates at Boston possessed themselves of all
His Ma'ties stores, armes ammunicion and other
implements of warr, and disabled His Ma'ties man
of war the Rose frigatt by secureing the Comander
and bringing her sayles on shoare; and at the same
time haveing imprisoned the secretary and some
other officers, they broke open the Sec'rys Office
and seized and conveyed away all records papers
and wrightings.
>f
)<•
*
By the encouragem't and perswasion of those of
the Massachusetts the severall other provinces and
coUonys in New England as far as New Yorke have
disunited themselves, and set up their former seperate Charter, or popular governments without
Charter, and by that meanes the whole revenue of
the Crowne continued and setled in the severall
parts for the support of the Goverment is lost and
destroyed.
The usuall time for election of new Majestrates
at Boston comeing on in the begining of May
1689, great controversie arose about the setling of
Civill Goverment; some being for a new election,
and others that the Majestrates chosen and sworne
in 1686 before the alteracion should reassume; the
latter of w'ch was concluded on by them and the
pretended representatives of the severall townes of
the Massachusetts, and assumed by the sd Majestrates accordingly, and thereupon the old Charter
Goverment, tho' vacated in Westminster Hall, was
reassumed without any regard to the Crowne of
England, and they revived and confirmed their
former laws contrary and repugnant to the laws
and statutes of England, setled their Courts of Judicature, and appoynted new officers, and have
presumed to try and judge all cases civill and
criminall, and to pass sentence of death on severall
of Their Ma'ties subjects, some of whom they have
caused to be executed.
Alltho in the revenue continued on the
Crowne for support of the goverment dureing his
time, the country pay'd but the old establisht rate
of a penny in the pound per Annum as given and
practised for about fifty yeares past, the present
Administrators have of their own authority, for
not above six months, raysed and exacted from
the people of the Massachusetts CoUony seven
rates and a half
Since this insurrection and alteracion in New
England they doe tollerate an unlimited irregular
trade, contrary to the severall acts of Plantations,
Trade and Navigacion, now as Uttle regairded as in
the time of their former Charter Goverment; they
esteeming noe laws to be binding on them but
what are made by themselves, nor admitt English
laws to be pleaded there, or appeales to His Ma'tie.
And many shipps and vessells have since arrived
from Scodand, Holland, Newfoundland, and other
places prohibitted, they haveing imprisoned His
Ma'ties Collector, Surveyor and searcher, and displaced other Customhouse officers.
That they sent to Albany to treat with the Indians in those parts, particularly with the Five
Nations, Maquaes etc. and invited them to Boston;
which is of ill and dangerouse consequence, by
makeing the sayd Indians particularly acquainted
with the disunion and seperate goverments, and
shewing them the countrey and disorders therof.
JOHN LOCKE:
F R O M
The Second Treatise on Civil Government (1689)
as far as Boston, giveing thereby the greatest advantage to the French of gaining or subdueing
the sayd Indians and attempting Fort Albany (the
most advanced frontier into the country and great
mart of the beaver and peltry trade) and of i n festing other parts.
The forces raysed and sent out by them the
last summer, notwithstanding the great encouragem't they promised of eight pounds per head
for every Indian should be killed, besides their
pay, proved neither effectuall to suppresse the enemy or secure the country from further damage
and murthers; and upon the winters approaching
the forces were recalled and the country left exposed to the enemy, who have already over r u n n
and destroyed soe great a part therof. A n d now by
the assistance o f the French of Canada may probably proceed further into the heart of the country,
being soe devided and out of order unless it shall
please H i s Ma'tie by his owne authority to redress
JOHN
FROM
105
the same, and put a stop to the French and Indians, and thereby prevent the ruine or loss o f that
whole d o m i n i o n of N e w England and consequently o f Their Maj'ties other American Plantacions; . . .
REVIEW Q U E S T I O N S
1. W h a t were A n d r o s ' answers to some of the
charges that had been laid against h i m i n the
colonists' declaration?
2. Whose account—Mather's or A n d r o s ' s — d o
you tend to believe? Why?
3. F o r what actions i n particular d i d A n d r o s condemn the colonists?
4. H o w w o u l d such condemnations bolster his
position before the crown and gain h i m advocates among the Lords of Trade?
LOCKE
The Second Treatise on
Civil Government
(1689)
The philosopher John Locke (1632-1704), a supporter of the Glorious Revolution
that deposed King James U, enthroned William and Mary, and established the supremacy of Parliament, attacked the divine right of kings in his first treatise on civil
government. In his second treatise, the one excerpted here, he promulgated the idea
that government rests in the will of the people, thus those people have the right to
challenge and change their rulers and government. The colonists readily accepted
Locke's theory, but it would be a later generation of provincials who would apply
this revolutionary concept.
From John Locke, The Second Treatise of Civil Government, ed. John W . Gough (Oxford:
Basil Blackwell, 1946), pp. 4, 15, 48-50, 66-72, 107-109, 118-19.