fury the Mayflower encountered; and it was not till the 9th of November that they came in sight of the coast of New England, at no great distance from Cape Cod. As their object had been to settle near the Hudson River, the course of the ship was turned to the south ; getting entangled, however, among the shoals, they bore up again, and came to anchor in Cape Cod harbor.[1]
Weary of the discomforts of the crowded Mayflower, they were all eager to land; but as they were out of the limits of the Virginia Company, and as there were some signs of insubordination among a portion of the emigrants, it was judged best to enter into a voluntary compact as a basis of social polity, and to appoint a governor. John Carver was chosen to act as governor for the term of one year, and the whole company of the men —who, with their wives and children, amounted to one hundred and one souls—affixed their signatures to the following document:—
In the name of God. Amen. We, whose names are underwritten, the loyal subjects of our dread sovereign lord, King James, by the grace of God, of Great Britain, France, and Ireland, King, Defender of the Faith, etc.,
"Having undertaken, for the glory of God, and the advancement of the Christian faith, and the honour of our king and country, a voyage to plant the first colony in the northern parts of Virginia, do, by these presents, solemnly and mutually, in the presence of God and one of another, covenant and combine ourselves together into a civil body-politic, for our better order and preservation, and furtherance of the ends aforesaid; and by virtue hereof to enact, constitute, and frame such just and equal laws, ordinances, acts, constitutions, offices, from time to time, as shall be thought most meet and convenient for the general good of the colony; unto which we promise all due submission and obedience. In witness whereof we have hereunder subscribed our names. Cape Cod, 11th November, in the reign of our sovereign lord. King James, of England, France, and Ireland, 18, and of Scotland, 54. Anno Domini 1620."
An exploring party was sent out directly. The country was covered with pine forests, and here and there a deserted wigwam was found, but rarely did they get sight of any of the natives. A quantity of Indian corn was discovered buried in the sand in baskets, which proved a very timely supply of seed for the following spring. Winter came upon them in all its severity ; and as it was absolutely necessary to fix upon some spot for a settlement, the hardiest of the company, despite the cold and the fatal exposure, undertook the labor of searching out a good harbor and convenient place where they might begin to lay the
- ↑ The story which has often been told, to the injury of the Dutch, that they bribed the master of the Mayflower not to land the company on the Hudson,is without solid foundation. It seems to have originated in the ill feeling which sprung up at a subsequent date between the New England colonists and the Dutch. Grahame (History, vol. i., p. 144,) repeats the story as if it were undoubtedly true. Bancroft (History, &c., vol. i., p. 30'J,) leaves the matter somewhat in doubt.
