USA > New York > Geography of the state of New York. Embracing its physical features, climate, geology, mineralogy, botany, zoology, history, pursuits of the people, government, education, internal improvements &c. With statistical tables, and a separate description and map of each county > Part 7
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Changes, however, made at his suggestion, in the organization of the colony, and the difference of opinion which existed between the different chambers of the company, relative to the propriety of these changes, prevented him from proceeding immediately to take charge of his post; and it was not till the 27th of May, 1647, that he entered upon the duties of his office. Meanwhile, the colony continued under the misrule of Director Kieft.
Though possessed of stern integrity and honesty of purpose, yet the strict military education which he had received, had im- pressed Governor Stuyvesant, with ideas of the necessity of rigid discipline, which soon involved him in contentions with the citizens. These, having tasted in their own country, some of the blessings of freedom, and witnessing, daily, the liberty enjoyed by their English neighbors, were desirous of making trial of a liberal form of government.
His first controversy was with the guardians of Johannes Van Rensselaer, son of the first Patroon, Kiliaen Van Rensselaer, who had deceased in 1646, leaving his son Johannes, then a minor, to the guardianship of Wouter Van Twiller, (the second Director, ) and one Van Sleightenhorst. This controversy was kept up for a long period, and finally terminated, by a reference to the States General.
While it was pending, in 1649 and 1650, the Gemeente, or Commonalty of New Netherlands, instigated by Adriaen Van der Donck,* already mentioned as the first Attorney General of Rensselaerwyck, sent repeated remonstrances to the States General, concerning the administration of Stuyvesant, and earnestly solicited his recall.
The States General, unwilling to act hastily, in a matter of so much importance, repeatedly appointed committees to investi- gate the charges made against him ; and on the 27th of April,
· Van der Donck seems to have been a man of considerable ability and learn- ing, but possessed of a restless and ambitious spirit. He had, previously to this. period, created some disturbance at Rensselaerwyck. He evidently possessed the art of enlisting the populace in his schemes.
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1652, passed an order for his recall. Just at this juncture, a war with England commenced, and the States General, esteem- ing it highly important, that their interests in the New World should be protected, by an officer of courage and ability, on the 16th of May, rescinded their resolution of the 27th of April, and Stuyvesant retained his station.
In order to compensate, as far as possible, for thus slighting the wishes of the people, the States General, in 1653, granted to the city of New Amsterdam, a charter of incorporation, making the city officers elective, and giving them jurisdiction, except in capital cases.
During this period the English, against whom Kieft had so often protested, encroached still farther upon the bounds of the Dutch. They established settlements upon the Housatonic river, and at Greenwich, upon the main land ; and crossing over to Long Island, organized colony after colony, upon its fertile lands.
In vain Stuyvesant remonstrated; in vain he attempted to remove their settlements by force, or compelled the inhabit- ants to swear allegiance to Holland. For every remonstrance they had a reply ; and against the employment of force they made threats, which the more flourishing state of their colonies, he well knew, would enable them to fulfil. They seemed as much offended at his resistance, as the Dutch were by their aggressions ; and frequently, in their controversies, laid claim to the whole territory under the king's patent, or on account of Cabot's discovery.
Wearied with these protracted disputes, Governor Stuyve- sant repaired to Hartford, in September, 1650, where the com- missioners of the colonies were in session, to adjust their diffi- culties, by a personal interview. Unsuccessful in this, he left the settlement in the hands of four deputies, two to be chosen by each party ; and, secure in the justice of his cause, appointed as his commissioners, two Englishmen, Willet and Baxter.
On the 29th of September, the commissioners reported arti- cles of agreement, relinquishing to the English, half of Long Island, and all the lands on the Connecticut, except those actu- ally occupied by the Dutch, and prohibiting the Connecticut col- onists from settling within ten miles of the Hudson.
Hard as were these conditions, Stuyvesant having once agreed to them, determined to maintain them in good faith, and obtained their ratification, from the States General, in February, 1656. The English government never ratified them, nor did the English colonists pay much regard to them, in their subsequent treat- ment of the Dutch, for in 1655 they seized, (under Cromwell's orders,) the fort at Hartford, with all its effects; thus termina- ting, by force, the existence of that colony.
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In 1653, a charge of conspiracy between Governor Stuyve- sant and the Indians, to massacre the inhabitants of all the New England colonies, was falsely preferred, by Connecticut and New Haven; and but for the firm resistance of Massachusetts, to so iniquitous a transaction, they would have proceeded im- mediately to destroy New Amsterdam. When this foul charge reached the ears of Governor Stuyvesant, it met with an in- dignant denial; a denial, to the truth of which, his whole life gave the fullest evidence.
In 1659, Massachusetts, pretending that the agreement made at Hartford, did not extend farther than twenty miles from the coast, claimed the land on the Hudson, above the parallel of 42º, and demanded the right of free navigation of that river.
On the southern frontier, too, the Swedes were not idle. To prevent their encroachments, Stuyvesant, in 1654, erected and garrisoned fort Casimir, on the Delaware, at the site of the present town of New Castle. Risingh, the Swedish governor, soon visited it; and, having, under the guise of friendship, ob- tained admission, treacherously possessed himself of the fort.
The West India company, indignant at this perfidious act, sent orders to Stuyvesant, to reduce the Swedish settlements on the Delaware. Accordingly, in September, 1655, he left New Amsterdam, at the head of a force of nearly 700 men; and on the 16th, Fort Casimir, and on the 25th of September, Fort Christina, the head quarters of the Swedish governor, capitula- ted, without bloodshed. The terms offered by the Dutch, to the conquered, were so favorable, that most of them remained in the colony.
During Governor Stuyvesant's absence, upon this expedition, a large body of Indians, deeming it a favorable opportunity to plunder, came upon the defenceless plantations, murdered a number of the inhabitants, and robbed several farms. There- turn ofthe Governor, however, put an end to their incursions.
Fort Casimir, after its recapture, became the nucleus of a colony, founded by the city of Amsterdam, and called New Am- stel. The terms offered to emigrants were so favorable, that it soon became a place of importance; and in 1657, one Alricks, was appointed Lieutenant Governor of that, and the other Dutch possessions, on the Delaware.
In 1656, Governor Stuyvesant, who was a zealous and some- what bigoted supporter of the Reformed Dutch church, impris- oned some Lutherans, who had come into the colony, and per- wisted in the observance of their own forms of worship. In 1658, he banished from the colony, a Lutheran preacher, who attempted to establish a church of his own persuasion. At Vlissingen, (now Flushing,) where the doctrines of the Qua- kers had made some progress, he attempted, but, of course, un-
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successfully, to eradicate them by fines, imprisonment, and ban- ishment. Their numbers increased with their persecution.
In 1659, Lord Baltimore protested against the settlements on the Delaware, as being within the bounds of his patent. To this protest, Stuyvesant replied on the 6th of October, setting forth the claims of the Dutch to the South, or Delaware river, and its coasts.
In 1663, a body of Indians attacked Fort Esopus, now Kings- ton, and killed sixty-five persons. Suspecting that several tribes were leagued together in these hostilities against the colo- nists, Stuyvesant assembled the magistrates of the adjacent towns, to confer on the measures necessary for the defence of the colony. Having recommended such measures as they thought advisable, the magistrates turned their attention to the civil condition of the colony, and urged in forcible language, upon the governor, and the West India Company, the right of the people to a share, in the administration of the government.
In 1653, a convention of delegates from the different towns had met in New Amsterdam, and in similar terms had remon- strated with the Governor and Company, against the abridge- ment of their rights, as citizens of Holland. But Stuyvesant, true to his military education, regarded such remonstrances, or petitions, with little favor.
On the 30th of March, 1664, Charles II., King of England, regardless of the rights of Holland, granted to his brother James, Duke of Albany and York, the whole of the New Neth- erlands. The Duke forthwith despatched Colonel Nicolls, with three ships of war, and a sufficient force, to conquer his province.
Governor Stuyvesant hearing of their approach, attempted to put the fort and town in a state of defence, but the sturdy burghers, tired of an arbitrary and despotic government, refu- sed to second his exertions. When, therefore, the fleet ap- peared before the city, and offered favorable terms, they insisted upon a capitulation. Governor Stuyvesant, angry at their want of spirit, tore the letter of Colonel Nicolls in pieces before them ; nor could he be induced to sign the articles of capitula- tion, till the 6th of September, (1664,) two days after they were prepared.
These terms were, perhaps, the most favorable ever offered to a captured city. The inhabitants were permitted to remain in the colony, if they chose, upon taking the oath of allegiance to the English crown; to retain or dispose of their property ; to elect their own local magistrates ; and to enjoy their own forms of religious worship. The name of the colony and city was changed to New York.
Governor Stuyvesant, soon after the capitulation, went to Holland, but returned to New York in a few years, and spent the remainder of his life there.
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THE ENGLISH COLONIAL GOVERNMENT.
COLONEL NICOLLS having thus acquired the peaceable posses- sion of the New Netherlands, was appointed by the Duke, Gov- ernor of the province, in the autumn of 1664.
He appears to have been a man of prudence, moderation, and justice ; and though vested with almost absolute authority, used it in promoting the good of the province. During his administration, an effort was made, but unsuccessfully, to determine the boundary between New York and Connecticut.
In January, 1665, a law was passed, requiring the approval and signature of the Governor, to all deeds of lands purchased from the Indians, in order to render the titles valid. This was necessary, as the Indians frequently sold the same tract of land to different individuals.
On the 12th of June, 1666, Governor Nicolls granted a char- ter to the city of New York.
In 1667, he gave place to Colonel Francis Lovelace, who held the reins of government till 1673, when it was recaptured by the Dutch.
Though somewhat arbitrary, and disposed to burden the people with heavy taxes, the urbanity of his manners, and his desire for the welfare of the colony, . caused Col. Lovelace to be regarded as a good governor. In 1670, on the petition of the Dutch inhabitants of the colony, he granted them permission to send to Holland for a minister, and guarantied his support from the public treasury.
On the 7th of August (New Style) Captains Evertsen and Binckes, the commanders of a Dutch squadron, which had been cruising off the American coast, entered the harbor of New York. Governor Lovelace was absent in New England; and the fort and city were under the command of Captain Manning. The fort appears to have been much dilapidated, and scantily supplied with ammunition.
The Dutch squadron demanded its immediate surrender. Captain Manning asked for delay ; but the invaders replied that he should have but half an hour. At the end of that period they opened their fire upon the fort, which Captain Manning returned, as well as he was able, until his ammunition was exhausted. The Dutch, meantime, had succeeded in effecting a landing upon the island, in the rear of the fort; and perceiving that further resistance was useless, Captain Manning surren- dered, without formal terms of capitulation .*
" The above account of the capture of New York differs materially from that of Smith, which has been copied by all succeeding historians; but is fully sub- stantiated by the documents obtained in England, by J. R. Brodhead, Esq. Cap- tain Manning was not, perhaps, a very efficient officer, but he certainly did not merit the epithets of coward and traitor, which have been so freely bestowcd apon him. 'The affidavits of the witnesses in his trial, prove that his punishment [the breaking of his sword over his head, and incapacitation to hold office] was sufficiently severe for his offence.
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Fortunately for the city, the Dutch commanders were men of liberal feelings ; tud mindful of the courteous treatment their countrymen had received in 1664, they granted every privilege of citizens, to the inhabitants.
The name of New York, they changed to New Orange, that of Albany to Williamstadt, and the fort previously called Fort James, to William Hendrick. Captain Anthony Colve was appointed Governor. Connecticut protested against this invasion, but with as little success, as Governors Stuyvesant and Kieft had formerly done, to her usurpations. By the treaty of February 9th, 1674, New York was restored to the English. It was not, however, given up by the Dutch, till the following autumn.
Some doubts existing, relative to the validity of the Duke of York's patent, both on account of the Dutch occupation, and the fact, that it was wrested from that nation in time of peace, he deemed it advisable to obtain a new patent, from his brother, in 1674.
In the autumn of this year, Major Edmond Andross, after- wards so well known as the tyrant of New England, arrived in New York, and assumed the office of governor.
His administration in New York seems to have been marked by few striking events. He won neither the love nor the batred of the citizens ; and being ab- sent a part of the time, attending to the more refractory New England colonies, he did not manifest, in his own state, the tyranny, which subsequently rendered him so odious.
In 1675. Nicolaus Van Rensselaer, a younger son of the first Patroon-came over to New York, with a recommendation from the Duke of York, whose favor he had obtained, and wished to settle as minister in Albany. Niewenbyt, who was, at the time, pastor of the Reformed Dutch church, in that city, refused to recognize him, on the ground that he had received Episcopal ordination. In the difficulty resulting from this refusal, Andross took sides, though unsuccess- fully, with Van Rensselaer.
During Governor Andross' frequent absences, Mr. Brock- holst, the Lieutenant Governor, officiated.
In August, 1683, Colonel Dongan succeeded Andross in the government of the colony ; and among his first acts, was one, granting permission to the people to elect an assembly, con- sisting of a council of ten persons, named by the proprietor or his deputy, and a house of representatives, eighteen in number, elected by the freeholders, to aid in the administration of gov- ernment.
In this year, the ten original counties were organized.
In February, 1685, the Duke of York, on the death of his brother Charles II., ascended the throne, under the title of James II. Among the first acts of this bigoted and short sighted monarch, were his instructions to Dongan, to allow no printing press to be established in the colony.
Colonel Dongan, mindful of the necessity of keeping up friendly relations with the powerful confederation of the Iroquois, visited them in person, and by pres-
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thuits and addresses, won their friendship and alliance. The Jesait priests, sent by the French among the Indiana, were, however, a formidable obstacle to his com- plete success, in his negotiations with the savage tribes ; for, residing among them, and conforming to their habits, they exerted a powerful influence in favor of the French, who had been the hereditary enemies of the confederated tribes.
Colonel Dongan, though himself a Roman Catholic, was too shrewd a states- man not to perceive the injurious induence exerted by the priests upon these Indians, and accordingly attempted to prevent their continuing among the tribes. But James, infatuated by bis zeal for Catholicism, forbade him to molest them, and ordered that he should rather aid them, in their efforts, to convert the indians to the Catholic faith.
In vain, Dongan remonstrated ; he only irritated his royal master, and in 1686 was recalled.
Andross, who had preceded him, was designated as his suc- cessor, and New England was added to his jurisdiction.
Preferring to locate himself, where he could more easily inspect the conduct of his New England subjects, Governor Andross made Boston his residence, com- mitting the care of the colony of New York, to his Lieutenant Governor, Colonel Nicholson. The latter seems to have been much more mild in his administration than his chief, whose enormities so exasperated the people of Massachusetts, that, on the arrival of the news, at Boston, of the accession of William, Prince of Orange, to the throne, they immediately imprisoned Andross, and sent him to England for trial.
In New York, the intelligence of the accession of the Prince of Orange did not, at first, produce a civil commotion. After a short time, however, a portion of the populace selected Jacob Leisler, a merchant of New York, of Dutch extraction, and the senior captain of the militia, as their leader, and proclaimed William and Mary. This movement, though popular with the masses, was discountenanced by most of the prominent citizens, who were unwilling to acknowledge Leisler, as a leader. Colonel Nicholson, apprehending popular violence, escaped on board a vessel in the harbor, and sailed for England.
On the 3d of June, 1689, finding himself surrounded by a large number of adherents, Leisler assumed the reins of government, associating with himself in the cares of state, his son-in-law, Jacob Milborne.
In the spring of 1690, Milborne, at the head of a considerable force, went to Albany, to reduce that town [which had hitherto remained refractory], to allegiance to the government of his fa- ther-in-law. At his first visit he was unsuccessful, but, at a sub- sequent period their fears of an Indian invasion, led them to submit to his jurisdiction. His confiscation of the estates of some of those who opposed him, excited prejudices which ter- minated in the ruin of both Milborne and Leisler.
During Milborne's absence at Albany, a letter from the Eng- lish ministry arrived, addressed to "Francis Nicholson, Esq .: or, in his absence, to such as, for the time being, take care for the preserving of the peace, and administering the laws, in his majesty's province of New York, in America." This letter em-
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powered the person addressed, to take charge of the govern- ment, calling in the aid of such of the inhabitants, as he should think proper, until farther orders.
Leisler, being by popular election acting governor, very prop- erly assumed, that this letter was addressed to himself; and consequently, by advice of the citizens, who constituted a com- mittee of safety, selected a council from each of the counties, except Ulster and Albany, which had not yet submitted to his authority.
He also summoned a convention of deputies. from those portions of the province over which his influence extended. This convention laid some taxes, and adopted other measures, for the temporary government of the colony ; and thus, for the first time in its existence, was the colony of New York under a free government. The strong prejudices, however, which had been awakened by Leisler's measures, soon produced in the minds of his adversaries, a rancor and bitterness, which was perhaps never surpassed in the annals of any political con- troversy.
This condition of things existed for nearly two years. To the horrors of civil commotion, were added the miseries of for- eign war, and hostile invasion. The French Court, being at war with England, had placed over its colonies in Canada, the aged but enterprising Count de Frontenac, the ablest and most formidable governor of their American possessions.
This wily veteran at once determined to annoy his English neighbors, and accordingly despatched a force against Schenec- tady, in mid winter, which, after enduring extreme hardships, reached that place in the dead of night, and with the utmost barbarity, butchered its sleeping inhabitants, in cold blood.
Attempts were made to revenge this barbarous invasion, by an expedition against Quebec, of which Sir William Phipps and Fitz-John Winthrop, afterward governor of Connecticut, were the commanders; but through mismanagement, and the sickness of the troops, the expedition was unsuccessful.
Colonel Henry Sloughter, who had been appointed governor of New York, by King William, in 1689, arrived in 1691. His coming had been heralded, a few weeks before, by one Ingoldsby, a captain of foot, who, without credentials of any kind, demanded that the fort should be surrendered to him.
This demand, Leisler, with propriety, refused to obey; and when Colonel Sloughter, on his arrival, sent this same In- goldsby, to demand the surrender of the fort, Leisler asked a personal interview with him. His enemies, who had determined upon his ruin, seized upon this imprudent hesitation, as evidence of treason, and filling the ears of the weak-minded Sloughter with charges against him, they demanded his arrest. The next day he surrendered the fort, and was immediately arrested, and with his son-in-law, after a mock trial, condemned to death for high treason.
Sloughter, however, hesitated to execute the sentence, and
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wrote to the English ministry, for directions how to dispose of them. Their enemies, thirsting for their blood, were deter- mined not to be thus foiled, and, persuasions having failed, they availed themselves of the known intemperate habits of the gov- ernor, invited him to a banquet, and when he was completely intoxicated, induced him to sign the death warrant. Ere be was recovered from his debauch, the unfortunate prisoners were executed. They met death with heroic fortitude, and Leisler exhibited a martyr's spirit.
Their estates were confiscated, but their adherents were soon after pardoned, by an act of general indemnity. The circumstances of Leisler's execution, roused the indignation of those who had attached themselves to his party, and for many years after, the citizens of the state were divided into Leislerians and Anti- Leislerians."
In June, 1691, Colonel Sloughter went to Albany, to hold a conference with the Indians. On his return he died, very sud- denly, in July, 1691; and, until the English government could appoint a successor, Ingoldsby, the lieutenant governor, as- sumed the government. The only event of importance, during his administration, was a conference with the Indians, with whom he concluded a treaty.
In August, 1692, he was superseded by Colonel Benjamin Fletcher, who soon exhibited the unamiable traits of his char- acter. In his intercouse with the Indians, he fortunately suf- fered himself to be advised by Major Peter Schuyler, a man, whose influence over them was unbounded, and who, in his in- terviews with them, gave them a favorable impression of the English.
During most of Fletcher's administration, he was engaged in controversies with the assembly, principally in regard to appropriations for his expenses. He was empowered, by his commission, to take command of the militia of New Eng- land, as well as of New York ; but proceeding to Hartford for this purpose, he found himself thwarted, by the stubborn resistance of the people of Connecticut.
Richard, Earl of Bellomont, appointed in 1695, arrived as his successor in April, 1698. He was a man of great dignity, reso- lution and moral worth; and was sent out by the king to take measures for the suppression of piracy, which had at that period reached a fearful height. For this purpose the earl, before leaving England, at the recommendation of Mr. Livingston, commissioned Captain William Kidd, to sail in pursuit of the pirates, and endeavor to rid the seas of them.
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