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or make a new one.. They discharged one Humphry Wetherley from his employment as water-bailiff and searcher, at Londonderry, for misconduct. They granted leases of most of the houses at Derry for thirty-one years, and allotted to every house a portion of land according to the rent, and distributed the island (except the bog) for gardens and orchards, as belonging to every house, in ease of the rent; and the bog they leased out to sundry persons for small rent, in hope that the same might be made firm and good meadow, in time to come. And they stated, that whereas the City had nothing for the bog before, they had procured a profit then of £7 yearly for the same. They delivered swords as presents from the City to the several Mayors of Derry and Coleraine. Tristram Beresford, the general agent, about this time, was Mayor of Coleraine. The Commissioners allotted three hundred acres for a free school, when it should be finished, which Mr. Springham promised to erect, at his own expence, the next year. They made estimates of the expence of repairing the churches and fortifications. They represented, that out of the four thousand acres of land to be laid to Derry, three thousand two hundred and seventeen acres had been granted to the Mayor, or otherwise laid to houses; and that, at Coleraine, one thousand eight hundred and twenty-six acres had been allotted to one hundred and twelve houses; and that Sir Randall M'Donnell had engaged to make good to the general agent two thousand one hundred and sixty acres of measurable land.

17th February.-Thomas Raven, the surveyor, was employed to make a survey and map of the proportions of the several Companies, for their use.

8th September, 1617.-Conveyances were made by the Irish Society, appointing manors and granting demesnes, with manorial rights and privileges, to the twelve chief Companies. 16th September.-Mr. Calvert was Secretary.

A free school was erected this year, at Derry, at the expense of Mr. Springham.

9th September.-A feoffment was made by the Governor and Assistants to a tenant of the Goldsmiths' Company, of certain lands, reserving timber, game, and fishing of all sorts, and other seignoral rights to be held by him of the Society, as lords of the manor of Goldsmith's Hall. A similar instrument was executed to the other Companies' tenants. Six of these feoffments were made to various tenants of the Goldsmiths' Company, to constitute them freeholders. A grant was made by the Society to the Wardens and Commonalty of the Goldsmiths, of their manor of Goldsmiths' Hall, stating the name of each balliboe, with all manorial rights, to hold to them in fee, in which conveyance is contained the following exception, "except, nevertheless, and out of these presents always reserved, unto the said Society of the Governor and Assistants of the New Plantation in Ulster, within the realm of Ireland, their successors and assigns, all timber trees, growing or being, or that thereafter should grow or be, in or upon the aforesaid premises, or any part thereof, with free liberty to, and for the said Society, their successors and assigns, where, and as often as they should think good, to fell, cut down, and carry away the same, and every or any part thereof. And also except and reserved to the said Society, their successors and assigns, free liberty to hawk, hunt, fish, fowl, come, go, ride, carry and re-carry, over, in, and through the same premises, and every part and parcel thereof, at all times convenient. And also except all the fishing and taking of salmons, eels, and other fishes, in the rivers of Bann and Lough Foyle, within the province of Ulster; and in all creeks and members of the same rivers, and either of them; and all the soil and ground of the same rivers, and every of them. And also free liberty to and for the said Society, their successors and assigns, to dig and search in the premises afore-granted, or any part thereof, (except and other than in the houses, gardens, orchards, meadows, or lands sown with corn) for stone, slate, loam, gravel, sand,

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or other necessary materials, and the same to take and carry away, to be employed and converted for, in, and about buildings in the aforesaid county and province."

A covenant from the Society, to allow timber to be taken from any adjoining premises for the use of the Company. Similar grants were made to the other Companies.

About this time, the crown being dissatisfied with the City of London, by reason of various representations which had been made, suggesting, that the City had not performed the original conditions of Plantation, appointed Commissioners in Ireland, to inquire into the affairs of the Plantation, to whom the Mayor and Corporation of Derry presented a petition, complaining of many grievances which they suffered by the conduct of the Society.

16th September.-The Goldsmiths' Company paid Mr. Calvert, the secretary to the Irish Society, £9 for the Company's assurances, and to his assistant £1.

10th April, 1618.-A commission was sent from the Lord Deputy, to raise an aid on the Plantation to make the Prince a Knight. The tenant of the Goldsmiths' Company complained of this levy as a grievance. The sum of £7 10s. was exacted of each Company's proportion.

11th January. A new officer, Nicholas Pynnar, was appointed in the place of Sir Josias Bodley, to take a general survey of the works of the Companies on their proportions in Ulster.

1622.-The town house of Derry erected by the Society. The Lord Deputy Chichester granted Lough Neagh to the Irish Society in fee farm, for ever, at £100 a year.

10th October.-Sir Thomas Phillips made a survey of the Plantation.*

1624.-A reference was made by the crown, to the Lords Commissioners appointed by his Majesty, to remedy some defects of the Plantation, who ordered certain things to be

* This survey is extant among the archives in his Grace the Archbishop of Canterbury's Palace, at Lambeth.

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immediately performed, and a sequestration of the City's estates in Ireland, was directed to be made, for the performance of the works required to be done, which sequestration was opposed by the City. The propositions made by the Privy Council, and the answers intended to be given to them, were at the same time determined on.

In the year 1625 his Majesty King Charles the First came to the crown, Lord Wentworth was appointed Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, and Dr. Bramhall, who was afterwards appointed Bishop of Derry, accompanied him as chaplain.

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In the beginning of his Majesty's Reign, Sir Thomas Phillips, who appears to have entertained hostile designs against the citizens of London, as. British undertakers of the Plantation in Ulster, prepared and sent to his Majesty, a virulent accusation against them, charging them with breach of the original articles, and strongly urging the King to revoke the charter, and seize into his own hands the territories in Ulster; and in addition to this circumstance, various informations were sent from Ireland, at the instigation of Dr. Bramhall, against the Society, charging them with crimes and misdemeanors, in consequence of which, a sequestration was issued, and the county of Londonderry was seized into the King's hands. 24th July, 1631.-The King sent a letter to the Lords Justices of Ireland, as follows:

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"CHARLES, REX. Right, trusty, and right well-beloved cousins and councillors, we greet you well.

"Our Father, of blessed memory, in his wisdom and singular care, both to fortify and preserve that country of Ireland, from foreign and inward forces, and also for the better establishment of true religion, justice, civility, and commerce, found it most necessary to erect British Plantations there; and to that end, ordained and published many politic and good orders; and for the encouragement of planters, gave them large proportions and privileges. Above the rest,

his grace and favor was most enlarged to the Londoners, who undertook the Plantation of a considerable part of Ulster, and were specially chosen for their ability and professed zeal to public works; and yet, advertisements have been given from time to time, not only by private men, but by all succeeding Deputies, and by Commissioners sent from hence, and chosen there, and. being many of them of our Council, that the Londoners for private lucre, have broken and neglected both their general printed ordinances, and other particular directions, given by us and our Council here, so as if they shall escape unpunished, all others will be heartened to do the like, and in the end, expose that our Kingdom, to former confusions and dangers; for prevention whereof, we have upon mature advice of our Councillors for those causes, caused them to be questioned in our high Court of Star Chamber here, whence commission is now sent to examine witnesses, upon interrogatories, for discovery of the truth; and because, we understand, that the Londoners heretofore prevailed with some, from whom we expected better service, that in the return of the last Commission, many things agreed under the hands of most Commissioners, were not accordingly certified. Now that our service may not suffer by like partiality, we will, and require you, to have an especial eye to this business; and take care that this Commission be faithfully executed; and that no practice or indirect means be used, either to delay the return, or to frustrate the ends of truth, in every interrogatory. For other particulars, we refer you to our Committees for Irish causes, and expect from you, a good account of this business, wherein our government, and the state of that, our Kingdom, are interested very much. Given under our signet, at Oatlands, 24th July, in the seventh year of our reign."

4th August, 1631.-The Lord Chancellor of England, (Coventry,) sent to the Lords Justices, the following letter: "After our very hearty commendations to your Lordships, I

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