Page:Notes on the History of Slavery - Moore - 1866.djvu/37

 Confederacy, in which Maachuetts was the ruling colony. The Commiioners of the United Colonies found occasion to complain to the Dutch Governor in New Netherlands, in 1646, of the fact that the Dutch agent at Hartford had harbored a fugitive Indian woman-lave, of whom they ay in their letter: "Such a ervant is parte of her mater's eftate, and a more coniderable parte than a beat." A proviion for the rendition of fugitives, etc., was afterwards made by treaty between the Dutch and the Englih. Plymouth Colony Records,, 6, 64, 190.

Hitorians have generally uppoed that the transactions in 1644–5, in which Thomas Keyer and one James Smith, the latter a member of the church of Bofton, were implicated, "firt brought upon the colonies the guilt of participating in the traffic in African laves." Bancroft,, 173–4.

The account which we have given of the voyage of the firt colonial lave-hip, the Deire, shows this to have been an error, and that which we hall give of thee tranactions will expoe another of quite as much importance.

Hildreth, in whoe hiftory the curious and intructive tory of New England theocracy is narrated with scrupulous fidelity, gives o clear an account of this bufines as to require little alteration, and we quote him with light additions, and references to the authorities, which he does not give in detail.

This affair has been magnified by too precipitate an admiration into a protet on the part of Maachuetts againt lavery and the lave-trade. So far, however, from any uch protet being made, the firt code