Sixteen of the Pilgrims volunteered for this expedition, headed by
Rodolph Maitland, whose military experience, and superior intelligence,
well fitted him to be the leader of the party. The rest of the men
remained to protect their families, and to complete the village; which
already presented a very respectable appearance, and promised to afford
a tolerably comfortable residence to the new settlers, until they
should have leisure and means to erect dwellings more in accordance
with their previous habits of life.

The government of the little colony was unanimously confided to John
Carver, who was elected President for one year; but he did not live
long to exercise his authority, or to enjoy the confidence reposed in
him by his fellow-settlers. During the short period, however, that he
was spared to them, he exerted himself successfully to promote the
welfare of the community, and to preserve peace and unanimity among the
members of which it was composed; and before the departure of the
exploring party, he called on all the Pilgrim Fathers to sign a
covenant, which had been drawn up during the voyage, and which
contained a statement of the peculiar religious principles of the
congregation, and also of the mode of civil government that they proposed
to establish in the colony. This government was not to be independent
of the mother country, for the Pilgrims regarded themselves as still
being the subjects of King James; and the patent which they had
procured to enable them to settle in New England was granted by the
Company to whom the king had assigned the right of colonizing that part
of North America. They, therefore, intended to be governed mainly by
English laws, and to keep up a constant and intimate connection with
their English brethren. It may be well here to mention that their plan
of civil government consisted in the election of a governor or