USA > New York > New York City > A history of the parish of Trinity Church in the city of New York, pt 1 > Part 25
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"Come to the help of the Lord against the mighty ; you that value your holy religion and your liberties, will spare nothing, even to one- half of your estate." 2
The previous year Massachusetts had every fifth able- bodied man in the field, while, as Smith points out, New York was shamefully backward, her frontiers being de- fended by New England troops, who, under Johnson, were mainly instrumental in winning the battle of Lake George.
During the memorable year 1756 the condition of pub- lic affairs caused great uneasiness throughout the province. Governor Hardy wrote on October 27, that
" Fort George has gone through great repairs and is now compleated- Two side & three Bastions Command the Rivers leading to the City, and should properly have heavy Cannon mounted, for the defence of the Harbour. Your Lordships will please to observe, that they are all but one 12 & 9 pounders, pour ordinance for such a defence. In the spring other works are to be constructed on the east River for the de-
1 When the Revolution was accomplished a considerable body of loyalists, repre- senting English, Scotch, and Irish, went to Nova Scotia, where they founded a Parish, which they divided into three wards, named respectively after St. George, St. Andrew, and St. Patrick. It is a mistake to suppose that all the Irish were in favor of the Revolution, while those who did favor it were nearly all Protestant Irish.
9 De Costa's Narrative of Events at Lake George, 19.
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fence of the Harbour, that will require twenty or twenty four, twenty four Pounders.
"It will be highly proper, to put this Province into a state of De- fence from any attack by Sea, that some heavy Cannon should be mounted in the Narrows and upon Nutten Island, a Ground if the Enemy should attempt this Country with a Fleet they will make them- selves Masters and from whence they can easily bombard this city. Twenty four Pieces of Cannon may be sufficient for these two Posts." 1
No French fleet appeared, however, and the city re- mained unmolested.
In the minutes of July 15, reference is made to fresh attacks by the Bogardus heirs.
" The Vestry having considered of the claim made to part of the Churches lands by the Representatives of Mrs. Catharine Livingstone are of opinion that the said claim is without any legall foundation, and thereupon Resolved that a Defence be made by this Corporation to any Action or suit that shall be commenced or brought by the Said Representatives."?
On the 23d of August, Sir Charles Hardy laid the cor- ner stone of the college, Lieutenant Governor DeLancey making a brief Latin speech.
Another claimant to the property of the Church arose about this time ; April 5, 1757, a committee was appointed to
" treat with Derick Die [Dey] about his claim to eight acres of land near a place in the Church Farm commonly called Old John's Land, and to settle the division Line between the said Derick Dies land and the Church's Farm." 3
It appears that at a meeting held March 28th in the fol- lowing year this Committee reported that they had pur- chased the land in question, " containing about nine acres, supposed to be a part of the Churches Farm, but claimed by the said Dirck Dey," and that they had paid him £50 for the same.
1 N. Y. Col. Docs., vii., 164. 9 Records, i., 280. 3 Ibid., i., 234.
1758]
Surrender of Louisburg 285
June 2, 1757, Sir Charles Hardy, having delivered to Lieutenant Governor De Lancey his commission and in- structions, embarked on board the Nightingale, falling down to Sandy Hook.1 This was the third time that Mr. De Lancey had been left at the head of the province.
On the 7th of August it was resolved to carry on the suit against Cornelius Brower, who claimed a part of the Farm. Two days after that meeting occurred the dread- ful affair at Lake George, so graphically described by Cooper in The Last of the Mohicans. The surrender of the English garrison, followed by the horrible massacre by the savages who formed a part of Montcalm's forces, excited general horror. The following winter was gloomy in the extreme.
Next year the war went on with better results. On Sunday, August 27, Mr. Auchmuty preached a sermon on "the agreeable news of the surrender of Louisbourgh," taking the text, " Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us," etc. Psalm cxv, I. At the close of the discourse he says,
" The strongest fortress in America has fallen into our hands, wh an almost incredible number of our vaunting enemies thro' ye Countenance of Heaven, & ye Divine blessing accompanying ye brave & unwearied end'ors of our gallant & worthy Commanders & their Troops. Gallic pride is at last humbled and British honour is in a great measure re- trieved. Should I err, I think not, was to say yt Dine providence has once more been conspicuous in ye reduction of Louisbourgh. How abortive have all their deep laid schemes for its preservation proved their mighty fleets wch last year prevented its reduction have by unfor- seen & unlooked for accidents been partly stoped & partly destroyed ; perhaps greater efforts were never made to save a place; & more favorable circumstances never appeared, in order to subdue one. Our forces both from Europe & here joined much at ye same time. Gentle & soft breezes wafted our Troops without any loss over ye mighty Ocean without meeting one storm, tho' on ye sea in a boisterous sea- son to the place of rendezvous. Tho' pent up in ye narrow compass
1 March 20, 1759, Dr. Johnson wrote, " We have rarely seen a Governor at Church in this Province except Sr. Charles since the year 1743." N. Y. Col. Doc., vii., 374.
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of Vessels, though some weeks upon a disagreeable element yet hath pleased God yt Health & cheerfulness, unanimity & a true patriotic desire to right their Country's wrongs reigned among ym and possessed their valiant breasts."
Further on the preacher says of the French,
" The numerous garrison at first consisting of full 5000 men strength- ened by ye addition of no less than 3000 sailors, as we are told, surrounded with strong walls, with cannons & men of war in their har- bor to assist, one wd naturaly wd have done great things towd fustra- ting ye designs of about 1500 men only ; whereas they have really done very little, the loss on our side from ye beginning of ye seige to ye place's surrender only 300 men, whereas a circumstance this almost incredible & indeed miraculous ye enemies loss was 1500. Little Philosophers may pretend to acct for these things by natural conse- quences, but to men of understanding & deep reflection ye interposition of heaven will plainly appear."
The summer while it brought a victory from Louis- burg, was darkened by disasters at Lake George, and General Abercrombie was defeated before Ticonderoga with heavy loss; many soldiers of the province fell, among them the young and gallant Lord Howe.
The year 1759 was, upon the whole, an uneventful year for the parish, if we may judge by the entries in the Record : yet it did not pass without the loss of an old and tried friend of the Church, Mr. Joseph Robinson, Warden.1
1 We glean the following from the Gazette,
" On Friday the 16th Instant, departed this Life, in the 76th Year of his age, Collonel, Joseph Robinson, of this City, Merchant, a Gentleman of unblemished Repu- tation; whose Memory will always be honoured by all that have had the Pleasure of being acquainted with him ; and particularly by the Members of Trinity Church, to whom he was a most faithful and industrious Steward, in receiving and disbursing the Revenues of that Church, and in prudently distributing the Alms of the Congregation. He was chosen Churchwarden in Easter week, in the Year 1724, and was annually elected to the same Office till 1756, when he insisted on being excused upon Account of his Age and Infirmities. The relations of a Father, a Husband, a Friend, and a Mas- ter, he discharged in a most tender, affectionate, faithful and indulgent Manner. His Remains were decently deposited in his own Vault, in Trinity Church Yard, on Mon- day Evening last."- The New- York Gazette, March 26, 1759.
287
Capture of Quebec
1759]
The military movements of the day kept the city in a state of excitement. During the beginning of the year New York had been filled with troops, but as the spring approached they took their way northward, and, in July, Amherst advanced upon Ticonderoga, though only to find the works deserted by the French, who had fled to Canada. On August 5th, the Sunday following this most important event, the occasion had general notice in the city. Dr. Auchmuty, among others, delivered a special sermon, and in St. George's Chapel discoursed from St. Luke xvii : 17, " Where are the nine?" This was the culmination of the campaign in New York which began disastrously with the defeat of Abercrombie. Under his fourth head, the preacher dealt with the baseness and the danger which attended the suppression of gratitude, and the preacher thanks God that He has so disposed the campaign as to allow large room for the expression of thanksgiving.
"Can we be thankful enough," he asks the people of St. George's Chapel, "to ye Supreme Disposer of all events yt he has been graciously pleased to suffer our worthy & victorious General [Amherst] to dispossess our inveterate enemy of their most important Fortress with the loss of only a few lives, especially when we look back, tho' we thereby revive our grief & consider yt our attempt on ye same place ye last year proved abortive & was attended with the loss of the brave & good Lord Howe and a great many more of distinguished merit."
There was rejoicing again when, in September, Wolfe captured Quebec, and substantially broke the power of France, in North America. The rector and his assistant preached thanksgiving sermons on the occasion.1
1 " On Friday last the Cannon on Fort George were fired on the Success of his Majesty's Arms at the Battle of Quebeck the 13th of September last, between General Wolfe and Mons. Montcalm, and in consequence thereof, of the surrerder of that Capital. At the same Time his Majesty's, and all the loyal Healths, were drank. The Shipping in the Harbour continued firing most of the afternoon, colors dis- played, and at night the city was illuminated very extraordinary ; besides two large
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At this period, 1759, Dr. Johnson, writing to Arch- bishop Secker, on July 25, gives a general estimate of the character and condition of the clergy in the middle and northern provinces. Of the South he professes to know but little ; he says :
" I have only heard that there are some worthy men, and two or three very bad ones : especially one Whitaker in Maryland, one of the worst of men. But they tell me the Constitution of that Government is such, that there is no such thing as dispossessing an incumbent, however so wicked or erroneous : if so, it is high time it were looked into, and if possible amended .- As to the Clergy of New-Jersies, New-York and New-England they are generally speaking virtuous and faithful per- sons : And I do not know of any of them now, suspected of any erron- eous principles .- There is but one whose character is exceptionable, I mean Mr. Lyons of Brookhaven on Long Island, under whose conduct, a pretty little Church is dwindling, and I fear, coming to nothing."
He says :
" As to learning, My Lord, much cannot be expected in such a country as this, where they have so little leisure or means ; but Mr. Chandler will be considerable .- I wish some few had a little more zeal, tho' this is not wanting in the generality of them, and they have divinity enough to render them useful preachers."
Passing to the Dissenters, he says :
"Indeed not only the English in this City, but the Dutch, Germans, and French are all very happy in their Clergy. Mr. Wetmore and the two Seaburys in this province and Messrs. Winslow Dibble and Leam- ing in Connecticut are all very worthy men, poor Mr. Gibbs is disabled in his understanding ; Mr. Standard was never agreeable to his people, so that religion is almost come to nothing under his Adminis- tration ; but he is quite superannuated, and intends to resign in favor of Mr. Greaton, a worthy Youth, who will soon go for orders, and is
Bonfires erected on the Commons, the one by the City, the other ('tis said) by the Company of Hatters.
And Yesterday two excellent Thanksgiving Sermons were delivered on the happy Occasion, by the Reverends Barclay and Auchmuty ; the former's from the XIXth Chapter of Exodus, 3d. 4th. and 5th Verses ; and the latter's from the CLth Psalm, 6th Verse." The New- York Gazette, October 15, 1759.
289
Sermon by Auchmuty
1760]
greatly wanted, the more so, as Mr. Stoup at New Rochel, the next parish, is quite disabled with the palsy ; which is also the case of good Dr. Cutler at Boston, who has been a learned and very faithful Divine. Mr. Caner excels there as a preacher, and they have in general a very faithful clergy in all those parts." 1
He adds however that of the missions there is hardly one able to support its clergyman.1
The year 1760 was opened on New Year's Day at Trin- ity Church with an appropriate sermon by Dr. Auchmuty on Deuteronomy, xi., 12 : " A Land which the Lord thy God careth for," etc. In speaking of the blessings which the people had enjoyed he says :
" Another blessing, almost peculiar to this Province, ye last year, was, yt tho' destructive war raged all around us, yet blessed be God, we con- tinued to set every man under his own vine & under his own Fig tree, in ye secure & peaceable enjoyment of whatever he had a legal right too. At the beginning of ye war indeed the poor inhabitants on ye Frontiers were frequently surprised & cut off, by Inhuman Savages, headed by Inhuman Canadians. The blood of our brethren was barbarously spilt & our country invaded & taken from us by de- grees. Besides this, our own City, from an hostile fleet & an enraged enemy ; and indeed such was ye gloomy prospect, yt ye most sanguine expectations could not reach ye great alteration for ye better wch we now happily experience. Thus have we dwelt in peace, whilst bloody war accompanied by an innumerable Train of Evils has destroyed where ere it came. Populous, fruitful countries are turned into barren wastes, thriving cities with their lofty & elegant buildings sink in heaps of ruin & rubbish ; and tho' thousands fall on our right hand & ten thousands upon our left, yet di'ne providence has hitherto guarded & protected us from the Horrors & Devastations of war."
He congratulates the people upon the rapidity with which "ye sword of Justice, ye avenger of unprovoked wrongs has chastised our Enemies," though he sorely laments the loss of Wolfe, who had fallen in the service of the country. In conclusion he warns the people against profaneness,
1 N. Y. Col. Docs. vii., 397.
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intemperance, and debauchery, and exhorts them to begin the new year in the right way. As the great festivals come this year we find him making each the subject of discourse.
Entering upon the new year of 1760, it is said, under date of January 30th,
"It being represented that the Pantiles on the Roofe of St. George's Chappell are too weighty for the Roofe and Walls of the said Chappel,"
the Board voted " that the said tiles be removed and sold and the Roofe shingled."
At this session we hear of " a clock from Europe," which Mr. Robert Cromelin, architect, of St. George's Chapel, had imported at his own expense, and which he offered to the Corporation " at the price cost." The offer was accepted, and a committee was appointed to have "the said Clock placed up in the Chappell in such man- ner as they shall think most convenient." It was also voted that the chapel burial fees be the same as those at the church.1
About the same time a movement was made to provide a public clock ; the minutes of the Common Council in February state that
" Mr. Watts and others had sent to Europe for a large clock which they intended as a publick one, and desire to know that if the Common Council would take charge of it and erect it in the Exchange at their own expense it was at their service."
July 28th, a legacy of {200 from Mrs. Elizabeth Sharpas in favor of the charity school, was reported, also one of the same amount from Mrs. Frances Auboyneau. In view of the increasing means of the school a committee was ap- pointed " to have a Cupulo erected and a Bell hung up on
1 Records, i., 294.
291
Death of Mrs. Horsmanden
1760]
the Charity School house." Not content with this, the vestry room was ordered to be " hung with paper and New painted and the chairs mended "; a committee was also appointed
"to meet the minister and Elders of the Lutheran Church and receive their proposals made to the Revd. Mr. Barclay relating to the exchange of some lands adjoining to the Charity School house."
In common with the churchwomen of this period Mrs. Vesey remained quite out of sight ; her earlier history is invested, more or less, with the work of imagination. Death, however, brought her out of her long obscurity ; July 28, 1760, the Mercury announced the end in the fol- lowing paragraph.
"On Monday last departed this Life, after a long and painful Illness, Mrs. Mary Horsmanden, of this City, late Wife of the Honourable Dan- iel Horsmanden, Esq ; and formerly the Wife of the Reverend Mr. Wm. Vesey, Rector of Trinity Church within this City, and on the Wednes day following was decently interr'd in the Family Vault-Many and valuable were her good Qualities, as well moral as religious ; as a Chris- tian, she entertain'd just and exalted Sentiments of the Truths and Grace of the Gospel, and acquiesced in the divine Administration and Government with a becoming Reverence and Submission. Hence she was religious, pious, benevolent and exemplary in her Life and Manners ; patient and resigned to the last tho' much afflicted, breathing after im- mortality and entirely weaned from every mortal Attachment. As a friend she was Constant, sincere, open, candid and impartial ; as a Wife affectionate, discreet, obliging and complaisant, and in her whole Deport- ment affable, agreeable amiable and courteous. At length, the Lamp of Life being quite exhausted, she obtained that Release from her bodily Infirmities, which she most ardently prayed for, and 'tis hoped now enjoys that Felicity, which is the End and Aim of every true Christian." 1
Two days later the death of Lieutenant Governor De Lancey was announced. Dunlap says :
' It has been stated that Judge Horsmanden, by his marriage with Mrs. Horsman- den, was relieved of great financial embarrassment, but of this no proof has been adduced.
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٤
"Lieutenant Governor DeLancey was found by one of his children, ex- piring as he sate in his study, on the morning of the 30th of July, 1760. He was a man of talents, with many virtues. Educated in England at the University of Cambridge, he was strongly linked to that country, which at this time commanded the general esteem and admiration of the people of America. Mr. DeLancey had dined the day before on Staten Island in company with Governour Morris, General Provoost, Mr. Walton, Mr. Boone, and Mr. Smith and others, the great men of the day ; and it is no disparagement to him, if we credit Smith, that too much eating and drinking took place. It was the custom of the times. Of the other causes mentioned by the historian, which might have dis- turbed the lieutenant-governour's equanimity during the convivial party, none are worthy of notice. Mr. DeLancey crossed the bay in the even- ing, rode out to his house in the Bowery, and was discovered expiring, too late for medical or surgical aid, sitting in his chair, as he probably had done through the night, being unable to repose in a recumbent posture at times from a cronick asthma." 1
The Mercury gave a long notice of Mr. DeLancey's life and character, together with an elaborate account of the funeral. Speaking of his personal traits this paper says :
"To do ample Justice to his eminent Character in so contracted a Compass and on so sudden and alarming Occasion, is what the World will hardly expect, or his distinguished Accomplishments, indeed per- mit. He enjoyed a quick Conception, a deep Penetration, a clear Judg- ment, and a retentive Memory. These natural Talents heightened and improved by his Attainments in Literature, and an intimate Acquaint- ance with Mankind, made him an agreeable and instructive companion to those who were honoured with his Conversation ; and qualified him to fill the most important Offices with uncommon Dignity and Lustre." 2
The description of the funeral is of special interest, as showing how a state funeral was conducted at that period.
" At three Quarters past Six P.M. his Majesty's Ship the Winchester, of 50 Guns, John Hale, Esq ; Commander, now in the North River, fired a Gun for the Funeral to move, which was done from his Hon- our's Seat in the Bowery Lane. At the same Instant Minute Guns be-
1 Dunlap's History, i. 402.
2 The New-York Mercury, August 4, 1760.
293
Funeral of Lieut. Governor De Lancey
1760]
gan firing from Copsy Battery, and continued to 57, the Number of his Age. The Battery was followed by the Winchester, and she by the General Wall Packet, each firing the same Number with the Battery, The Order of the Procession from His Honour's Seat to Trinity Church. was as follows, viz.
I. The Clerks of Trinity-Church and St. George's Chappel in an open Chaise.
2. The Rector of Trinity-Church in a Chaise.
3. The Clergy of the several Protestant Denominations in this City, Two by Two, in Chaises.
4. An open Hearse bearing the Body in a Coffin covered with black Velvet, richly adorned with gilt Escutcheons and Furniture. The Hearse was drawn by a beautiful Pair of white Horses belonging to his Honour, in mourning, and were drove by his own Coachman.
5. His Majesty's Council in mourning Coaches, being Pall Bearers.
6. Relations in mourning Coaches.
7. Members of the Assembly in Coaches.
8. The Magistrates, Two by Two, in Coaches and Chaises.
9. All the Gentlemen of the Law in this City, Two by Two, in Coaches and Chaises.
The extent of the Procession was more than half a mile. They moved in a very regular Manner, and with a slow Pace until they came opposite the House of Mr. Edward Willet, in the Broadway, where the Hearse stopped. The Corpse were then taken off and put on Men's Shoulder's : The Members of His Majesty's Council then came out of their Coaches and supported the Pall. The Rest of the Gentlemen alighted from their carriages likewise, and followed Two by Two, ac- cording to their Affinity and Rank. In this order they proceeded into Trinity Church, which was beautifully illuminated. The Corpse was then taken from the Men's Shoulders and placed on a stand before the Desk, where the Revd. Mr. Barclay performed the funeral Service, at the Conclusion of which the Body was removed a few Yards to the middle Isle where it was interred. The whole was conducted with the greatest Decorum and Solemnity." 1
DeLancey was the last of those four native-born men who governed New York. Pitt said that if he had lived
1 The New-York Mercury, August 4, 1760.
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in England he would have been one of the first men in the kingdom.1
William Smith, attorney for the plaintiff, writes to the rector from his office in the Superior Court that
"Mr. Justice Jones lodged at the ferry last night and that he desires to give notice that he will attend at Mr. Edward Willets at 10 of the clock this morning,"
for the purpose of " striking the Jury " in the case of Jack- son and Brower versus the Corporation.
The Mercury of October 27, 1760, has the following important announcement, conveying a result that must have proved very gratifying to the parish.
" Last Week a remarkable Tryal, which has been in the Law near 20 Years, came on in the Supreme Court here, between The Rector and Inhabitants of the City of New- York of the Church of England, as by Law Established, and the Family of the Browers, who sued for 62 Acres of the King's Farm ; when the Jury, after being out about 20 Minutes gave their Verdict in favour of the Defendants."
Turning from these matters we find a congenial sub- ject in connection with the efforts being made at this period for the amelioration of the condition of colored children. What was being done is gleaned from an ad- vertisement in the Mercury of August 4, which we here quote entire :
"WANTED immediately, a sober Woman, of a fair Character and Qualifications, necessary to keep a School, for the instruction of Thirty Negro Children, in reading, sewing, &c. Such a person by applying to any one of the Clergy of the Church of England, in this City, may be informed of the Terms, which are advantageous.
"N. B. The intended School will be chiefly Supported by a Chari- table Society of worthy and well disposed Christians in England : It
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