Settlement of boundaries between New Plymouth and Massachusetts—First steps towards winding up the partnership by a composition: 1639 and 1640. I will combine these two years, because there occurred but little of interest outside of the ordinary affairs of the colony. New Plymouth had several times granted land for various townships, and, amongst the rest, to the inhabitants of Scituate, some of them coming from here. A large tract of land there had also been given to their four London partners, Mr. Sherley, Mr. Beauchamp, Mr. Andrews, and Mr. Hatherley. At Mr. Hatherley’s request, the locality was fixed upon for himself and them, for the other three had given him power to choose for them. This tract of land extended up to the border-line of their neighbours of Massachusetts, who some years later established a town called Hingam on the land next to it. This now led to great disputes between these two townships, about their boundaries, and some meadow lands that lay between them. The inhabitants of Hingam began to allot some of these meadows to their people, measuring and staking them out for that purpose. The people of Scituate pulled up their stakes and threw them away. So it developed into a controversy between the two governments. Many letters passed between them about it, and it hung in suspense for about two years. The Court of Massachusetts appointed men to fix their boundary line according to their patent, and the way they went to work made it include all Scituate itself, and I know not how much more. On the other hand, according to the boundary lines of the patent of New Plymouth, theirs would take in Hingam, and much more within the bounds they had set. In the end both Courts agreed to choose two commissioners on each side, and give them absolute power to settle the boundaries between them, and what they decided was to stand irrevocably. They had one meeting at Hingam, but could not agree; for their commissioners stood stiffly on a certain clause in their grant: that their limits should extend from Charles River, or any branch or part thereof, and 3 miles further to the southward; or, from the most southern part of the Massachusetts Bay, and 3 miles further south. But they chose to adhere to the former limit, for they had found a small river, or brook rather, which a long way inland trended far southward and entered some part of what was taken to be Charles River; and from the most southerly part of this, and 3 miles further southward, they wished to run a line eastwards to the sea, about 20 miles, which would take in a part of New Plymouth itself. Now though the patent and colony of New Plymouth was much the older, the patent for the extension upon which Scituate stood was granted after theirs of Massachusetts; so the latter took first place as regards this extension.