Many a fair ship had her framing and finishing here, beMany a master, sides lesser vessels, barques and ketches. beside common seamen, had their first learning in this colony. Boston, Charlestown, Salem and Ipswich, our maritan towns, began to increase roundly; especially Boston, the which of a poor country village, in twice seven years is become like unto a small city and is in election to become a mayor town suddenly, chiefly increased by trade by sea."

All other trades have here fallen into their ranks and places, to their great advantage; especially Coopers and Shoemakers, who had either of them a Corporation granted, enriching themselves by their trades very much, Coopers having their plenty of stuff at a cheap rate and by reason of trade with foreign parts abundance of work. As for Tanners and Shoemakers, it being naturalized into these occupations, to have a higher reach in managing their manufactures, then other men in N. E. having not changed their nature in this, between them both they have kept men to their stander hitherto, almost doubling the price of their commodities, according to the rate they were sold for in England, and yet the plenty of Leather is beyond what they had there, counting the number of the people, but the transportation of Boots and Shoes into foreign parts hath vented all however: as for Tailors, they have not come behind the former, their advantage being in the nurture of new-fashions, all one with England; Carpenters, Joiners, Glaziers, Painters, follow their trades only; Gun-smiths, Lock-smiths, Blacksmiths, Nailors, Cutlers, have left the husbandmen to follow the plough and cart, and they their trades; Weavers, Brewers, Costermongers, Feltmakers, Braziers, Pewterers and Tinkers, Ropemakers, Masons, Lime, Brick, and Tilemakers, Cardmakers, to work and not to play, Turners, Pumpmakers, and Wheelers, Glovers, Feltmongers, and Furriers, are orderly turned to their trades, besides divers sorts of Shopkeepers, and some who have a mystery beyond others, as have the Vintners.'

It would be wrong to pass unnoticed the exertions of Hugh Peters towards exciting a commercial spirit. He went from place to place, labouring both publickly and privately to raise up men to a publick frame of spirit,' and induce them to engage in the fishing business and foreign commerce.* It was to his influence that Salem owed her first glory, and his counsel advanced her to that rank in commerce which enabled her to dispute preeminence with Boston when local advantages gave superiority to the latter.

The first page of the record September 1, 1634, speaks of ' a common landing place between the creeks' and contains an

*Winthrop, Nov. 1635. May 1636. Mass. H. C. 1. vi. 250.

order for keeping the same clear of all annoyances.* The numerous shipping which visited Boston from Holland, France, Spain and Portugal, according to Johnson, early required the erection of wharves for their accommodation. It appears by the records of Jan. 1639, that some important undertaking of this kind had been commenced prior to that time, in which the town felt considerable interest for on the 21st of that month there is granted to the overseers of the wharfes and crane an hundred acres of land at Mt. Wolaston next to the allottment already granted, towards the repairing and maintaining of the said wharfs and crane.'. Other wharves are mentioned in 1641; particularly, Nov. 29th, Valentine Hill and associates are authorized and agree to build certain wharves, and keep them in repair, on condition that for every hundred pounds thus laid out within five years, they are to have the improvement nine years thereafter, and to receive tonnage and wharfage. There are no traces by which we can ascertain where the two first of these wharves were situated, or whether the last was not a continuation of the same. This cost per account £818. 13s. 4d. and the company was granted four score years to possess and improve.

There is no doubt that this improvement embraced some of the wharves between the Town dock and Long wharf. At the expiration of the term specified in the contract the wharf and buildings thereon were to revert to the town and all be left in good repair. It is apparent from this circumstance that the town claimed the right of ownership in the marsh or dock the same thing is inferrible from the fact that individuals desiring to wharf before their lots were obliged to ask liberty of the town, and in granting that, the town reserved the right to inhabitants of coming to and going from such wharves free of charge, on their own accounts; but no man was allowed to sail for hire from another man's wharf. Numerous grants of this nature were made almost every year from this time till 1673, when the great work of constructing what has since been called the Old Wharf was accomplished.

The origin of the mill creek is to be traced in the following record. July 31, 1643. There is granted unto Henry Simons, G. Burden, John Button, John Hill and their partners all that cove (already bounded) on the N. W. side of the causey leading toward Charleston, with all the salt marish bordering thereupon, round about, not formerly granted to any other, reserving liberty from time to time to make use of any part thereof for repairing the said causey, to have and enjoy the said cove and marsh to them and their heirs and assigns for ever.

▲ Shaw, 73

2. The said grant is for this intent and upon this condition; that the said grantees shall within the space of three years erect and make upon or near the premises one or more corn mills and maintain the same forever.

3. Provides for a flood gate.

4. Appropriates 300 acres of land at Braintree for the use and encouragement of the said mills.

5. That if they shall carry their mill stream through the marsh on the northeast end of Goodman Low's* house, they have 60 feet in breadth throughout the said marsh granted

unto them.

6. They shall have liberty to dig one or more trenches in the highways or waste grounds, so as they make and maintain sufficient passable and safe ways over the same for horse and

cart.

7. The town will not allow any other common mill to be erected, except the necessary occasion of the town require it. 8. The selectmen shall procure what free help they can, by persuasion, upon any pressing occasion of use of many hands, about making the banks or trenches etc. for the better furtherance of the work to be speedily effected.

The grantees proceeded to carry into execution their part of this project. We sometimes find the trench which was thus formed called the ditch: but it soon acquired in deeds the name of Mill creek which it still retains. The causey mentioned was not what has in late years been known as such, but the one alluded to, page 111, and in the following record.

1640, March 30. C. Stanley shall have all the marsh on the east side of the way toward Charlestown ferry for £1.10. reserving eight feet in breadth all along the side of the ditch by the said high way and the swamp compassed by his upland for 6s. 8d. being about half an acre. The same is also mentioned in 1655. Oct 29. Respecting the great causeway we are not able as yet to say any thing more than we find in Shaw, that the Indians had a foot path over the highest part of the marsh or flats, which was raised and widened by a Mr. Crabtree to retain the water of the pond.' There was such a man and he was by trade a joiner.

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In process of time mills for various purposes were erected at three places on the margin of the pond thus formed. One at the west end of the creek, which was called the South mills; others at the north-east end of the causeway called

* Goodman Low's marsh was at the extremity of the triangle.

The same paragraph provides that there shall be a high way reserved through the millfield, two rods in breadth, from the W. corner of M. Chaffith's garden unto the little house by the said swamp, and from thence to the wind mill as directly as the land will bear.

the North mills and the Chocolate mills, and another at the south-west end of the causeway. This however did not take place seasonably to prevent the erection of a mill at Fox-hill in 1649, at which time there was also one at Fort hill and another in the new field. There was a watermill previously at Mt. Wolaston, in 1639: the "first in the colony" was erected at Dorchester, on Neponset river in the year 1633. The creek very soon became a sort of boundary (which has continued to this day) between the north and south parts of the town, and we find it so recognised in the appointment of two superintendants of streets in 1651, of whom one was 'for the Northend and one for the Southend, the mill creek to be the division.'

The Northend people seem to have undertaken at their own expence the construction of the north battery. The affair with Captain Stagg had made the Bostonians a little jealous of the armed vessels which visited their port, and they had been at great cost to put the castle and Fort hill in a state of defence. Another difficulty of a similar nature occurred in 1644 with one Capt. Richardson, who undertook to make seizure of a Dartmouth ship that lay in the harbour, but which the authorities here had determined to seize themselves, by way of reprisal for a Boston ship that had been taken in Wales by the king's party. Officers were put on board the vessel, and Capt. R. was warned to desist; this he either could not or would not do; his men boarded the vessel The Governour and the captain of her was made prisoner. hereupon ordered Capt. R. to come on shore to account for his conduct. His men were so unruly that he feared to leave them, and he declined obeying the command. Upon this a warning piece was fired at him from the battery, which cut a rope in the head of his ship: one of his men was about to return the fire but was providentially prevented. A stranger who was in the battery fired another gun, without orders, which however did no damage, except a slight injury to the prize ship in question. Forty men were then sent aboard and took possession of her, and Capt. Richardson came ashore and acknowledged his errour and his sorrow for what he had done. 'So we ordered him to pay a barrel of powder, and to satisfy the officers and soldiers we had employed and other expenses, and dismissed him.' The reason of their being so easy with him was that there was no hurt done, nor had he made one shot; for if he bad, we were resolved to have taken or sunk him, which we might easily have done, lying close under our battery so as we could have played

* Mass. H. C. 1. ix. 161. Town Records, Jan. 1651.

Winthrop, Sept. 1644.

upon him, with whole culverin or demi-culverin, six hours together.'

It is not improbable that such occurrences as these led the north-end people to think it prudent to have a suitable work of defence, for the protection of their part of the town from insolent aggressions. Accordingly, preparations were made for fortifying somewhere about Walter Merry's point. It was the point now known by the name of Battery or North Battery wharf. The position was well selected, commanding the entrance of the harbour, and the river also, as high up as vessels of large size would have been likely to venture. The work was completed in the course of the year 1646, when we have the following record concerning it:

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Proposicions presented to the townsmen, on the behalse of the inhabitants of the north end of the towne of Boston, the ratification whereof is desired, and the registeringe of them in the towne records,

1. That we of this end of the towne, whose harts the Lord hath made willing to set about erecting and maintenance of a fortification att Walter Merry's point, may for the future bee freed from all rates and assessments to what other fortifications bee in the towne, until such time as the other part of the towne, not joyning with us herein, shall have disbursed, and layd out in equall proporcion of their estates with ours, as by trew account may appeare.

2. That the land gained at the towne's charge, and stacked out to the towne's service by those deputed for that end, to the raysinge of a work upon, may not by any to their private occations, be imployed or made use of; as that the ground nor flatts, before the sayd worke may not be disposed of by the towne unto any particular man's imployment, to the prejudice of the said worke.'

It is easy to imagine what must have been the spirit of the times, when so great a work was undertaken in such a way: it evinced a growing readiness in the people to maintain their rights with their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honour. Johnson's account of the castle affords us a pleasant view of this subject. To say right,' (says he, b. ii. ch. xxvi.) 'some particular persons may be penurious in laying out their estates upon ammunition, but the general of Officers and souldiers are very generous that way: the reverend Doctor Wilson gave bountifully for the furthering this Wilderness-work, the which was expended upon great Artillery, his gift being a thousand pound; beside many persons that came over, the Lord was pleased to indow with a large portion of the things of this life, who were not backward liberally to dispose of it, to procure means of defence. And to that end there was a castle built on an Island, upon the passage into the Mattachu