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REYNOLDS HISTORICAL GENEALOGY COLLECTION
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ALLEN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY 3 1833 01151 5225
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A
HISTORY OF NEW YORK,
V.1.
FOR
SCHOOLS.
BY WILLIAM DUNLAP.
IN TWO VOLUMES. VOL. I.
840
NEW YORK:
COLLINS, KEESE, & CO. 230 Pearl atreet.
1837.
Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2015
https://archive.org/details/historyofnewyork01dunl_0
1737598
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ENTERED, According to Act of Congress, in the year 1837, by WILLIAM DUNLAP, In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the Southern District of NEW YORK. 6 1
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NEW YORK : STEREOTYPED BY F. F. RIPLEY.
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PREFACE.
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A FEW words respecting the origin of our present population, and the motives which in- luced the first emigrants to seek a home in a new world, may not be amiss as a preface to a .. istory of New York.
The Puritans, or Pilgrims, who abandoned all that men usually hold dear, and sought a resting place in the wilderness " for conscience' sake," were people of property and education ; . and although there were among them men of high attainments and heroick character, equal- ity was the distinguishing feature of the colo- ny. They were democratick republicans. None were distinguished as the rich, or despi- sed as the poor-none were ignorant-none were immoral. Such were the settlers from whom a great portion of the present inhabit- ants of this State have sprung.
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PREFACE ..
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The original emigrants to New Amsterdam were such as may be the boast of their descend- ants ; and the second race that flowed in upon and mixed with them, were at least their equals. In 1609 Henry Hudson saw the Highlands of Navesink. In 1614, Adrian Block and Hendrick Christianse landed the first Dutch colonists on this shore. In 1620, the Mayflower arrived at Plymouth Rock. Of those who arrived in her, a poet has said,
Amidst the storm they sang : And the stars heard, and the sea ! And the sounding aisles of the dim woods rang To the anthem of the free !
Yes ! " amidst the storm they sang" the praises of their Creator-Amidst the howlings of the wilderness and the yells of the savage, they forgot not that the only sure foundation for a republick is education. In ten years from the landing of the Pilgrims, they established the university of Cambridge. .
Thus we see, that however honourable the descendants of the Dutch colonists of New Amsterdam may, and ought, to esteem
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PREFACE.
their origin, the progeny of the New England settlers, who now form so great a part of our city's population, may claim as high and pure a source. Neither must we forget another race, as pure, in the persecuted protestants of France, many of whom sought and found a resting place here, adding to the brightest in tellectual light of the country.
It is not our part to forget, but to forgive. And while we remember the injuries inflicted and attempted by the government of Great Britain, let us bear in mind the many, many blessings, we owe to England and Englishmen. The first press that came to the Colonies was sent from England-the first printer that came hither was an Englishman ;- the sentiments of republicanism we now feel are from Eng- land ;- we owe to her literature, law, religion -- not to her government, but to her poets, phi- losophers, statesmen, and divines. To enu- merate the good derived from England, would require pages ; but I must mention one that is beyond all price-language. Our language is that of Shakspeare and Milton ;- while those who are not familiarized to the idiom of
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PREFACE.
these great men from infancy, are blind to their beautics, to us they are as " household words," ever in our mouths and in our hearts.
If these little books should render the histo- ry of the State of New York more familiar to the generations who are to follow me, and whose duty it will be to support her honour and increase her prosperity, my end will be attained.
THE AUTHOR.
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CONTENTS
OF
THE FIRST VOLUME.
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CHAPTER I.
Henry Hudson sees the Navesink hills, p. 10-John Colman killed, p. 11 -Rum and tobacco, p. 12-Hudson's River, p. 13-Hudson betray- ed by Green, and turned adrift to perish in the Northern Ocean, p. 17.
CHAPTER II.
Arrival of Block and Christianse-Helle-gaat, p. 18-Commencement of New York and Albany ; first fort on Manhattan Island, p. 19- Second Fort, p. 20-Peter Minuit, p. 21-Dutch houses, p. 22- Wouter Van Twiller, p. 23-Governor Kieft, p. 24-Iluys van goede hope, p. 24-Peter Stuyvesant, p. 25-Surrender to the English, p. 25 -Charles II, and Duke of York, p. 26-Nichols, Lovelace, Andros, Dongan, p. 26-First representative assembly, p. 28.
CHAPTER III.
James II. William III .- Jacob Leisler, p. 29-Sloughter; Leisler exe- cuted as a rebel, p. 31-Fletcher governor, p. 32-Col. Peter Schny- ler, p. 33-First printing press in New York-William Bradford, p. 34-Printers and newspapers, p. 37.
CHAPTER IV.
Lord Bellamont, p. 38-Size of New York, p. 33-Kidd the pirate, p. 40 -- Lieutenant governor Nanian, p. 43-Lords Cornbury and Lovelace, Mr. Ingoldsby, p. 43-Governors Hunter and Burnet, p. 45-Ameri- can congresses, p. 46-Montgomerie, Vandarn, Cosby, p. 47-Lord Augustus Fitzroy and his wedding, p. 45-Clarke, p. 13-Crines, slaves, redemptioners, and convicts, p. 51-A story, p. 53.
CHAPTER V.
The Negro plot-Stadt Hnys or City Hall at Counties Slip, p. 57-A new City Hall in Wall Street, p. 58-More of the Negro plot, p. 61 -- John Ury, p. 63-Campbell and Highlanders, p. 66-Burning of Schenectady, p. 72.
CHAPTER VI.
Governor Clinton, p. 73-Sir Danvers Osborne, p. 75-Mr. Delancey, p. 76-Sir Charles Hardy, p. 70-Story of Sarah Wilson and Tom Bell, p. SS.
CHAPTER VII.
Great designs of the French, p. 90-Lord Chatham's opinion of men fit for governors of the Colonies p. 90-Cadwallader Colden and Wentworth, p. 91-Robert Monckton, p. 92-Story of Indian war. fare, p. 94-Blessings derived from England, p. 95.
CHAPTER VIII.
Flattenbarick hill, p. 97-Captain Isaac Sears. p. 100-Cause of the war of 1775-Custom-house officers, p. 103-Captains of English armed ships made custom-house officers, p. 103-Smugglers and informers, p. 103-Tarring and feathering, p. 105-Murder of a fe- male by an English man-of-war firing into Mr. Ricket's pleasure boat, 105-Impressmient, p. 110-Death of Lieutenant Panton, p.
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CONTENTS.
110-John Adams and Michael Corbett-the Trial, p. 111-Stamp . Act, p. 112-Congress at New York, p. 113-Reception of the stamps at New York, p. 115-Riot, p. 117-Governor Moore, p. 118-Letter of William Smith to Major Horatio Gates-Repeal of the Stamp Act and Lord Chatham's statue in Wall Street, p. 123. 7.
CHAPTER IX.
Equestrian statue of George the Third set up in Bowling Green, p. 125 -Overthrown, p. 126-Further attempts at taxation ; and disputes re- specting quartering soldiers, p. 128-Death of Sir Henry Moore, p. 129-Meeting in the fields, and its consequences, p. 129.
CHAPTER X.
The liberty pole, p. 130-Contest between the citizens and the English soldiers, p. 131-Honours paid to Captain MeDougal in jail, p. 137- Philip Schuyler, p. 138-Conclusion of the story of the princess, p. 140.
CHAPTER XI.
Insolence of the king's officers, p. 140 -- Letter of a military officer, p. 141-East India Company's tea, p. 143-Isaac Sears, p. 144-Philip Schuyler, George Clinton, and Nathaniel Woodhull. a minority in the assembly, p. 145-Doctor Yeldall, the mountebank, p. 147-Sad end of Mr. Merryman, p. 119-Pirates, p. 150.
CHAPTER XH.
Indians, p. 151-The Six Nations, p. 132-Webster the interpreter, p. 153-Confederacy of the Iroquois. p. 154 -- Customs and religion, p. & 155-Hospitality, p. 157- Riches and poverty, p. 158-Reformation of the Onondagas, p. 159-Education. eloquence, instability of reforma- tion founded on deception, p. 160-Ease with which the Indians parted with large tracts of land-Johnson, Smith, p. 164-Town of Pompey, p. 165.
CHAPTER XIII.
French church, p. 167-Case of spontaneous combustion, p. 168- Governors Montgomerie, Tryon. Dunmore, p. 171-Disputes with New Hampshire-Ethan Allen. Seth Warner-Bennington mob, p. 172-Resolutions to send back the tea, p. 125-Province house burnt, p. 176-Departure of Tryon, p. 177-James Rivington and Christopher Colles, p. 179.
CHAPTER XIV.
Old house in New Street, p. 180-Arrival of the tea-The ship stopped at Sandy Hook, p. 131-Arrival of Chambers and his tea, p. 153- Departure of the Nancy, p. 191-Great committee, p. 155-Delegates to congress, p. 185-John Jay's declaration of rights, p. 187.
CHAPTER XV.
Settlement of New Jersey, p. 189-Delaware Indians, p. 190-An In- terpreter's story, p. 193.
CHAPTER XVI.
Early government of New Jersey, and purchases from the Indians, p. 197-Perth Amboy, original name of the place, p. 198-Story of robbers and counterfeiters, p. 205.
CHAPTER XVII.
Painting and printers, with other artists. p. 207 - Newspapers. p. 207- Cunningham and Hill, at the liberty pole, p. 209 -- Cunningham pro- vost marshal. p. 211-Rivington and the committee of the provincial congress, p. 213 -- Minority in the New York legislature, p. 211 -- Doctor Warrenpp. 216.
A
HISTORY OF NEW YORK,
FOR SCHOOLS.
CHAPTER I.
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The interlocutors are three boys : John, aged 14; William, aged 12; Philip, aged 10; one girl, Mary, aged 8; and their Uncle, aged 71.
William. , Now, that Uncle Philip has gone away, will not you tell us the history of New York during the war? You know he only told us how the quar- rel began between America and England, and the most curious things must have happened after that. Now, do you tell us, Uncle; you are older than Un- cle Philip, and ought to know more.
Uncle. That does not follow, my boy ; Uncle Phil- ip knows by reading. A man can know but little who does not read : he has read more than I have.
Mary. But you have seen all the people he told us about.
Un. Oh, no, child. Do you suppose that I saw Henry Hudson ?
John. Hush, Mary. You should remember dates; Uncle Thomas told us he is 71 years old; and, of course, he can only remember what passed 50 or 00 years ago.
Phil. Uncle might remember many things that Uncle Philip could only know from hearsay, or reading of them.
Mary. I am S years last June, and I remember a long, long time.
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HISTORY OF NEW YORK.
Phil. Now, sir, you will oblige us all very much, - if you will go on with the stories of old times. You have read all the books as well as Uncle Philip, and know some things of your own, besides.
Un. Well, children, I will do as you wish ; but I must first examine you in respect to what you have been told. Do you think you remember the first part of the History of New York sufficiently to un- derstand the second ?
Mary. O yes, sir: I remember all about In- dians --
John. Hush, Mary.
Un. You, John, William, and Philip, having be- come some years older since your Uncle Philip taught you, should have gained more particular in- formation on many points that were then only touched upon. And Mary is almost as old now as Philip was, when your Uncle gave you the first part of the history of your native town and state. I will question you, John, as the oldest, respecting the early history, and will perhaps add circumstances which, at that time, your Uncle thought you were all too young to understand. Who was the discov- erer of this Island, and the beautiful bay and rivers that surround it ?
Mary. O! I know! Henry Hudson! Henry Hudson !
John. Henry Hudson, an Englishman, who had failed in his attempts to find a northwest passage for ships to the East Indies, and had been dismissed from the service of the English, was received into the employ of the Dutch East India Company, and in his third voyage of discovery, after coasting as far south as Virginia, he turned north again, and saw for the first time the highlands of Neversink.
Un. I should call them Navesink, which I believe was the Indian name.
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HISTORY OF NEW YORK.
Mary. But Uncle Philip said Never-sink; and that you know means that they keep above water.
Un. Well, we will not dispute that point; but, John, when did Hudson arrive in this neighbour- hood ?
John. He saw land the 2d of September, 1609, and next day entered the great bay between Sandy Hook, Staten Island, and Amboy.
Phil. And then, you know, the Indians killed John Colman.
Un. You are right. Colman had command of a boat that was sent out to catch fish, and the Indians attacked the men, perhaps thinking that they had no right to come upon their fishing grounds; so they discharged a flight of arrows, headed with sharp flint stones, one of which struck Colman in the throat and killed him.
Phil. Why didn't the sailors shoot the Indians ? Hlad they no guns in the boat ?
Un. Yes; but the guns of that time were clumsy things, without locks, and could only be fired off by applying a match to the touchhole.
Mary. As they fire off' cannon on the Fourth of July.
Un. Yes. And it so happened that the weather was rainy, and the sailors had let their matches be- come wet, so that they could not defend themselves, and got back to the ship as fast as they could, car- rying poor Colman dying with them. You see, on the map, a little island outside of the Narrows, just off Long Island.
John. Yes, sir.
Un. Well ; there they buried Colman, and called the place Colman's Island.
Phil. It is called Coney Island on the map.
Un. We shall find that many places have had their names changed, as I think very foolishly.
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HISTORY OF NEW YORK,
Now, it is a pity the name of John Colman had not been preserved by calling the place of his burial after him; for it appears that he commanded the boat which bore the first Europeans through that passage so familiar to us all, as the Narrows. They described it as entering a river between two islands, and said, that after proceeding some distance, they came to an open sea, for so they called our beautiful harbour. It is probable that the wet, rainy, or misty atmosphere, prevented them from seeing Manhattan Island and its rivers. After the death of Colman, many Indians came on board, and brought tobacco and Indian corn, which they exchanged for knives and beads. They afterward brought oysters and beans, as well as tobacco and corn.
John. Is it not strange, sir, that they should cul- tivate such a nauseous weed as tobacco ?
Un. Is it not strange that civilized men should cultivate it ?
John. They do it for the purpose of trade, sir.
Un. True, my boy, it seems as if for the purposes of trade and gain-men, calling themselves civilized, and Christians, will cultivate and manufacture any thing, however noxious. But it is equally strange, that civilized men should consume this nauseous weed; yet we find it sought after, and its juices, its smoke, or its dust, applied to the organs of taste and smell all over the world. There is an exciting, stim- ulating, intoxicating effect, produced by tobacco.
Phil. And you know, Uncle, that the Indians delighted in rum, which Uncle Philip said Hudson gave to them. Was it not wicked to do so ?
Un. Europeans found they could gain their in- terested ends by distributing this poison among the Indians. We may lament that the poor ignorant · savages should be tempted to an indulgence which deprives them of reason : but we must wonder that
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HISTORY OF NEW YORK.
men who know that it is an evil, and leading to every enormity, should still continue a practice so degrading as the use of intoxicating liquors ; or so base as the distribution of them among the ignorant of the savage or the civilized race. But go on, John. Did not Henry Hudson pass with his ship through the Narrows ?
John. O yes, sir, and he went up the North river as far as he could find depth of water for his ship.
Phil. And he called it Hudson's river, and he landed among the Indians.
John. It is supposed that he went with his vessel, the Half Moon, as far as where Albany now stands, and then returned ; and after sometimes trading with the Indians, and sometimes killing them, he went back to Europe again, without going up the East river at all. It is said his men forced him to go to England, although he was sent out by the Dutch. The king of England kept Hudson from going to Holland, and employed him to make discoveries for Great Britain : but he never returned to New York.
Un. So we have no farther to do with his history.
John. But we know that he was sent by the Eng- lish on his fourth voyage, and discovered Hudson's Bay, and that he was set adrift in a boat by his crew, and was never heard of more.
Un. True; and there are particulars of this mu- tiny which were published by a man who was on board the ship, which I have read, and think you ought to know. It was the 17th of April, 1610, when Hudson sailed on his fourth voyage of dis- covery. Before he weighed anchor, it had been his misfortune, as it proved, to be applied to for charity by a young man of the name of Henry Green, a Kentish youth of good family and educa- cation, who had fallen into evil company and courses
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HISTORY OF NEW YORK.
in London; had spent all his property, and so dis- gusted his friends and relatives, that they turned him away as a worthless vagabond. He pretended repent- ance, and by his art gained the good will of Hud- son, who took him to his house, and gave him em- ployment, and, when he sailed, took him along as his clerk or bookkeeper. Green proved both a hy- pocrite and a reprobate. He gained Hudson's fa- vour, and ill used the officers and men of the ship. The Captain's partiality created great dissatisfaction among the mariners, which was increased by the hardships they underwent among the ice and snow of the polar regions, and was brought to a mutiny by the failure of their provisions and the arts of Green.
Wm. I remember that Green was the ringleader in the mutiny, as Uncle Philip told us; but how' could he be so, if he quarrelled with the sailors and was a favourite with the Captain.
Un. He was an unworthy favourite, a man of evil habits, in a word, children, he was selfish; and the selfish are ready to destroy others for the grati- fication of their own ambition or vanity. Such are the great heroes and conquerors you read of, who, to accomplish their schemes, sacrifice the friends they mislead, the dependants who look to them for support, and the peaceful inhabitants of foreign countries; who are denominated enemies, or here- ticks, or infidels, or by any name that can deceive the soldiers who are led on to murder their fellow men : such have been all the great conquerors of the earth. 4
Mary. Uncle, I don't understand you.
Un. My feelings have made me forget that my auditors are children.
Wm. I think I understand.
John. I know I do; for I have read of Alexander
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and Cesar; but I never thought of the miseries you speak of: then, Bonaparte-ah! I remember now what I read of the wounded men at Leipsic-' and the poor soldiers in Russia ; thousands on thou- sands freezing and dying.
Phil. But Washington was a conqueror, and I am sure he was good.
Un, He was victorious in defence of his country ; in repelling those who, if successful, would have been conquerors. The conquering hero is one who carries blood and devastation over other countries than his own; the victorious patriot defends the property, lives, and liberties of his countrymen. But we have left poor Henry Hudson in the ice, sur- rounded by mutinous, half-starved sailors, and ex- posed to the arts of the selfish Henry Green. This man became the enemy of Hudson apparently for a very trifling cause. The gunner of the ship died ; and, as is customary, his clothing was sold by auc- tion, that the sailors might buy what they wanted, and the money be kept for the heirs of the deceased. Green coveted a particular garment; but Hudson justly sold it to the highest bidder, a man who chose to give more than Green. This was the ostensible cause of Green's enmity to his benefactor; but the real cause was the wicked disposition he had ac- quired while a debauched spendthrift in London. It is in vain that you give to the selfish: they require all; if you refuse the last thing coveted by the sel- fish man, you make an enemy of him, because he sceks his own gratification, rather than the welfare of his fellow. I have dwelt upon this, my children, because I shall show you in the history of New York, and could point out in all other history, just such men as Henry Green, seeking their own gra- tification at the expense of others.
John. I shall remember, sir ; and when you speak
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HISTORY OF NEW YORK.
of a selfish man, I shall think of Green. But Green destroyed Hudson, the man to whom he owed so much.
Phil. And to whom we owe New York:
Mary. And Hudson's river.
Un. The wicked do not always prevail to the de- struction of the good; and when they do, they do not gain happiness for themselves, though their prosperity may flatter them for a time. Green, like many selfish men, could make himself agreeable by pretending to act for the good of others, and by flat- tering personal attentions to those he wished to gain. Green finding Hudson's ship in difficulty, sur- rounded by ice, provisions short, and the Captain still bent on pursuing his voyage for the benefit of his employers, paid his court to the sailors, and soon persuaded them that he was their friend, and that Hudson, for his own private views, kept them in these inhospitable seas, where their lives were in constant jeopardy. He told them that only fourteen days' provisions remained, and that they must take command of the ship and seck their safety, or · starve; that by getting rid of Hudson, and some others, particularly the sick men, they would in- - crease the share of provisions and the chance of escape ; that the Captain had concealed bread and other necessaries in his cabin, for his own private use, while they were starving ; that self-preservation was the first law of nature, and to save themselves they must turn the Captain and the sick men adrift in the shallop.
Mary. Uncle, how do you know that he said all this ?
Un. Well asked, my little girl. Like other his- torians, I make my personages speak my own lan- guage. But the substance of this is recorded by one who was of the crew, and witnessed the transaction.
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HISTORY OF NEW YORK.
His name was Habakkuk Pricket. He heard this said; at least he told the world so.
John. Pray, go on, sir.
Un. The mate had, for misconduct, been de- graded, and another appointed. The boatswain and others, who had been punished or reprimanded for misdeeds, entered into the conspiracy. So, on Sun- day, the 22d of June, 1610, (which we may consider as the day of Hudson's death,) upon his coming out of his cabin at the call of Juett the discarded mate, two conspirators, John Thomas and Bennet Ma- thews, seized him by the collar, and Wilson, the boatswain, stood ready to tie his hands behind him. He asked what they meant. They answered, " You will know when you are in the shallop." They drove all the sick people upon deck, and then forced them and the Captain into the small boat, which they had ready to receive them. John King, the carpenter, and John Hudson, the Captain's kinsman, who would not join the conspirators, but rather chose to share the fate of the honest and innocent, were added to the devoted crew of the boat; and thus were nine persons, assuredly the best of the ship's company, including the intelligent and hon- est Henry Hudson, committed in an open shal- lop to the merciless sea, without compass to guide, or food to sustain their strength.
Phil. Oh, Uncle, I cannot but think of Henry Hudson, when he landed among the Indians of New York, and they thought a God was come to bless them.
Un. The contrast is great, my boy.
John. But though he and his companions perish- ed, I would rather be with them than with Green and his murderous crew. Uncle Philip told us that they suffered much ; that Green was killed in attempting to land somewhere; and that those who lived to 2*
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reach England, were wasted by famine and suffer- ing to mere skeletons; but he did not know whether the scoundrels were hanged or not. Poor Hudson! that was the last we know of him.
CHAPTER II.
Un. Now, John, tell me what happened in con- sequence of Hudson's discovery of New York.
John. Why, sir, the Dutch finding that they could get furs nearer than the East Indies, sent out an- other ship to New York to trade with the Indians ; and in 1614, the Dutch government encouraged a company of merchants, and licensed them as the West India Company, and they sent out two ships, commanded by Adrian Block and Hendrick Chris- tiansee. Block came first, and he sailed both up the Hudson and the East river, and called the last Helle-gaat river.
Phil. That is, Hell-gate.
Un. I must tell you, children, this name is vari- ously given by writers. Some say hurl or whirl gate, from the boiling of the water at a certain time of tide; some Hell-gate, because of the danger of getting on the rocks.
Mary. And what do you call it, Uncle ?
Un. I am willing to let the popular or vulgar name stand, Hell-gate : though I believe that the Dutch, when they entered the beautiful strait be- tween New York Island and Long Island, called it the Helder or Helle-gaat, which is the bright pas- sage or strait. And so says Judge Benson in his Memoir.
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