"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.
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