The Mayflower and Her Log | Page 5

Morton's "New
England's Memorial."
Davis, in his "Ancient Landmarks of Plymouth," makes a singular error
for so competent a writer, when he says: "The agents of the company in
England had hired the SPEEDWELL, of sixty tons, and sent her to
Delfthaven, to convey the colonists to Southampton." In this, however,

he but follows Mather and the "Modern Universal History," though
both are notably unreliable; but he lacks their excuse, for they were
without his access to Bradford's "Historie." That the consort-pinnace
was neither "hired" nor "sent to Delfthaven" duly appears.
Bradford states the fact,--that "a smale ship (of some 60 tune), was
bought and fitted in Holand, which was intended to serve to help to
transport them, so to stay in ye countrie and atend ye fishing and such
other affairs as might be for ye good and benefite of ye colonie when
they come ther." The statements of Bradford and others indicate that
she was bought and refitted with moneys raised in Holland, but it is not
easy to understand the transaction, in view of the understood terms of
the business compact between the Adventurers and the Planters, as
hereinafter outlined. The Merchant Adventurers--who were organized
(but not incorporated) chiefly through the activity of Thomas Weston, a
merchant of London, to "finance" the Pilgrim undertaking--were bound,
as part of their engagement, to provide the necessary shipping,' etc., for
the voyage. The "joint-stock or partnership," as it was called in the
agreement of the Adventurers and Planters, was an equal partnership
between but two parties, the Adventurers, as a body, being one of the
co-partners; the Planter colonists, as a body, the other. It was a
partnership to run for seven years, to whose capital stock the
first-named partner (the Adventurers) was bound to contribute
whatever moneys, or their equivalents,--some subscriptions were paid
in goods, --were necessary to transport, equip, and maintain the colony
and provide it the means of traffic, etc., for the term named. The
second-named partner (the Planter body) was to furnish the men,
women, and children, --the colonists themselves, and their best
endeavors, essential to the enterprise,--and such further contributions of
money or provisions, on an agreed basis, as might be practicable for
them. At the expiration of the seven years, all properties of every kind
were to be divided into two equal parts, of which the Adventurers were
to take one and the Planters the other, in full satisfaction of their
respective investments and claims. The Adventurers' half would of
course be divided among themselves, in such proportion as their
individual contributions bore to the sum total invested. The Planters
would divide their half among their number, according to their

respective contributions of persons, money, or provisions, as per the
agreed basis, which was:
[Bradford's Historie, Deane's ed.; Arber, op. cit. p. 305. The fact that
Lyford (Bradford, Historie, Mass. ed. p. 217) recommended that every
"particular" (i.e. non-partnership colonist) sent out by the
Adventurers--and they had come to be mostly of that class--"should
come over as an Adventurer, even if only a ser vant," and the fact that
he recognized that some one would have to pay in L10 to make each
one an Adventurer, would seem to indicate that any one was eligible
and that either L10 was the price of the Merchant Adventurer's share,
or that this was the smallest subscription which would admit to
membership. Such "particular," even although an Adventurer, had no
partnership share in the Planters' half-interest; had no voice in the
government, and no claim for maintenance. He was, however,
amenable to the government, subject to military duty and to tax. The
advantage of being an Adventurer without a voice in colony affairs
would be purely a moral one.]
that every person joining the enterprise, whether man, woman, youth,
maid, or servant, if sixteen years old, should count as a share; that a
share should be reckoned at L10, and hence that L10 worth of money
or provisions should also count as a share. Every man, therefore, would
be entitled to one share for each person (if sixteen years of age) he
contributed, and for each L10 of money or provisions he added thereto,
another share. Two children between ten and sixteen would count as
one and be allowed a share in the division, but children under ten were
to have only fifty acres of wild land. The scheme was admirable for its
equity, simplicity, and elasticity, and was equally so for either capitalist
or colonist.
Goodwin notes, that, "in an edition of Cushman's 'Discourse,' Judge
Davis of Boston advanced the idea that at first the Pilgrims put all their
possessions into a common stock, and until 1623 had no individual
property. In his edition of Morton's 'Memorial' he honorably admits his
error." The same mistake was made by