William Stoughton letter to William Blathwayt, 1694 November 14

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The departure of the Governor, gives me this opportunity, & the receit of your fa
vourable letter of April last, the incouragement of addressing these lines to your
Honor, as the beginning of my duty in that station wherein their Majesties have been
pleased graciously to command my service in this their Province during the absence
of a Governor, which I hope will not bee long. We have reason to wish Sr
William Phips his conduct, & management, had been more happy, both for himself
& us their Majesties Subjects, & so the present interuption, & trouble had been
avoyded. His fidelity to their Majesties, & good intentions in the main, cannot
by any one bee questioned, but it hath been his misfortune, to doe too ma=
ny things upon his own Single opinion, or with adherence to the advises of
others, more then to those of their Majesties Councill, often much dissatisfyed there
by. his personall prejudices also, & compliances with prejudiced persons, have
run him upon putting too great disrepects, upon some worthy men, that
might have been otherwise very serviceable: and hereunto must bee
added, his manner of exercising the power of a vice admirall, & practising the
judicature of the Admiralty, having neyther Judge nor Register, nor Marshal
& indeed without any due process or former of holding such courts, but of those
things, & the consequences & complaints arising, his Majesty will bee a most e=
quall judge, whose decision, & disposall of us, we doe most humbly wayt for
eyther in the continuance of the present Governor or the Succession of another
as unto his wisdome & goodness shall bee most agreeable.

The return of the Informations & proofs directed to be taken upon oath be
fore myself & the Councill, I have made, unto the Right Honorable Mr
Secretary Trenchard. And as to the present state of the Province & our praiers
to his Majestie thereupon they are so farre represented in our most humble
addresse now sent, & will bee so fully layd open by our Agents, that I need
to ad nothing thereanto, untill new matters arising, it shall bee needfull by
after opppetunities. I wish our dangers from the common enemy were fewer
as also the difficulties in the management of the goverment that are
growing from among ourselves, it being hard many tymes, & uneasy, to the
representatives, after they have annually (according to the priviledge which
above other plantations is granted to them) put forth their power in choosing
their Majesties Councill, then to allow them the full excercise of that
power which of right belongs to them in assistance of their ^ ^Majesties Governor: There
is also another thing which may bee a great disadvantage to myself &
the councill at this tyme, which is that the Governor hath made an Adjourn
ment of the Assembly that was lately Sitting, unto a day four months
hence; so that whatever occasion, by commands receaved from his Majestie
or otherwise may happen in such a Season of continuall dangers to this
& the neighbousing Provinces we can not call a new Assembly or
have the help of that which is in being, untill the day of the adjournment
come. this we represented to the Governor, & much intreated that he
would rather dissolve the Assembly, but being under some displicency
he would not be persuaded There is one thing more only, that
presuming upon your perticular kindnesse & respect to Colonel Dudley I
make bold to ad, that in case his Majesty should not continue Sr William

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Sr William Phips is in the hope of considerable persons, & not a few
that upon consideration of his Singular abilities to serve their Majesties
through the assistance of yourself & other his friends, he may be
the person by his Majesty pitcht upon to Succeed

I have nothing to begge for myself but that my faithfull indeavours
in their Majesties Service may bee graciously accepted, & so that I may in
joy your honors favour & frendship in order thereunto, & (if the tyme
should happen to bee lengthened out, by the delayes of our settlement) your
most kind & needfull directions to me from tyme to tyme, & so I
play allmighty god to blesse their Majesties, & long to continue your
self with successe & growing honor in their Service which shall ever be
the sincere desire of

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To the Honorable
William Blathwayt Esquire
At the Plantacion Office
Whitehall

14 November: 1694
From Mr Stoughton
Lieutenant Governor of New England