USA > New York > New York City > History of the New Netherlands, province of New York, and state of New York : to the adoption of the federal Constitution. Vol. I > Part 17
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16SS This spy-priest was the Pere Vaillant, who came here early in 16SS. By him Dongan informed De Nonville that the only terms on which the Five Nations would make peace with France, was the return of the chiefs, treacherously seized and sent to the galleys ; the demolition of forts Cadaraqui and Niagara ; satisfaction to the Senecas for their losses ; and giving up the Caughnawahgas that they might be again received by the tribes they belonged to.
James II counteracted the efforts of Dongan for the good of his province, and ordered him to prevent the Iroquois from attending a council in Canada, to hear the proposals of De Nonville for a peace. Accordingly, a cessation of arms was agreed upon, and an exchange of prisoners. Twelve hundred of the Iroquois attended the council at Montreal. When this army of deputies arrived at Cadaraqui they demanded an officer to conduct them to Montreal, and the commandant sent his lieutenant, who, upon embarking, found himself in the midst of a host of Indians. At Montreal, De Nonville met them. The orator of the Iroquois told the governour that the confederates were in condition to exterminate the French, or drive them into the sea. "But I," he said, " have obtained permission to give you warning, that you may avoid this vengeance VOL I. 19
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by accepting the terms of peace offered by Corlear. I give you four days to resolve."
This speech, says Charlevoix, and 1,200 Iroquois ready to fall upon Montreal, threw the Canadians into consternation. De Non- ville proposed peace, if the Indians in his alliance should be included and suffered to supply Cadaraqui with provisions. Niagara he agreed to abandon. These terms were accepted, and he wrote home to solicit the return of the Indian galley slaves.
While these negotiations were going on, a chief of the Michil- mackinacks contrived to enrage the Iroquois by seizing some of their ambassadors, and pretending that he did it by order of De Nonville. The consequence was, that in July a large body of Iro- quois fell upon the Island of Montreal when the habitans were in perfect security, murdered men, women, and children, destroying every thing to the very gates of the fort. They slew one thousand persons, and carried off twenty-seven prisoners, who were burnt alive.
Never was Canada so weak. The French colonists had assimilated themselves to the Indians around them, and becoming Coureurs de Bois, married squaws, and their children became savages.
The Iroquois, flushed with success, and enraged at the real and supposed indignities offered them, again, in the following autumn, laid waste the lower part of the Island of Montreal, and seemed only to lack in knowledge of the art of attacking fortified places, to effect the overthrow of the French in Canada.
In the mean time, Dongan was recalled by James, and De Non- ville departed for France, fully persuaded that the only way to sub- ject or destroy the Iroquois was by the conquest of New York. Charlevoix says, that he stated that Andros, the successor of Don- gan, not being a papist, would be more inimical than his predeces- sor. He said 1,300 French soldiers, and 300 Canadians, led by himself, would pass by the Sorel and Lake Champlain under pre- tence of attacking the Iroquois ; but to them he would profess friendship, but enmity to the English. Albany, he said, had only a defence of palisades and a small fort of four bastions, defended by 500 soldiers, · (an estimate far too great,) and 300 inhabitants, (meaning, I suppose, fit to bear arms.) New York was represented as having a force of eight companies, half horse and half foot ; the town not enclosed, and with a fort of four bastions, mounted with cannon. This port taken, would give his master the best situation in America. The inhabitants, he said, were principally Dutch, conquered by the English, who would join with the Prince of Orange, and revolt from James II.
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The Court of France approved the marquis's plans, and ap- pointed Count Frontignac to put them in execution .*
* It is calculated tliat 500,000 IInguenots escaped from their butchers and executioners, to enrich other countries by their virtue and industry. In America, South Carolina is supposed to have had more than any other colony, but New York was enriched by the Jays, and thousands of her best citizens.
In the year 1686, James II, and his friend Jeffries, enriched Maryland by the vic- tims of Monmouth's rebellion, who were not hanged. James fixed their price at not less than £10, and prohibited their being set at liberty until they had served out the time for which they were condemned to slavery-at least ten years. James re- joiced that hundreds were hanged, and that hundreds would be sold to fill his cof- fers. But James and Jeffries had a rival in the Mayor of Bristol, who made a trade of convicting the accused, that he might sell them to the plantations. This, Jeffries would not permit. Kidnapping, too, was another source of population for the colonies, and Bristol had a full share in this trade.
1684 . In July, the Governours of Virginia and New York met the agent of Mas- sachusetts at Albany, and held council with the Iroquois. New York became the bond of New England and Virginia.
" After the fort was built, by the Dutch," says Mr. Abeel, "persons who came over from Holland to settle in America, for the purpose of trading with the natives for furs, etc. and who could not reside in the fort, built houses under the walls of the fort, and formed the first street, which they called Pearl street."
1686 The city had extended to a number of streets. The following sixteen are mentioned : - Pearl, Broadway, High street, Low street, Brewer's street, Prince's, Exchange, Stone, King, New, Beaver, Markettelt, Bridge, Broad, Smith, Queen, or Smith's-oly. The members of the Dutch church, in 1686, were 354 adults, and 702 children."
" We are informed" says the same MSS., " that the Dutch, in imitation of what was done in Holland, built dykes in Broad street, nearly as far up as the City Hall," or where the Custom House is now, (1839) erecting. "The posts were found standing about ten or twelve feet from the houses on each side of the street, not long ago." (that is, when Mr. Abeel wrote) "when the street was new paved." Mr. Abeel speaks of the city as he saw it in 1744. The wall, or rather palisades, from " the North River, near Trinity church," extended along Wall street to the East River. "In 1744, it had palisades, with block houses, surrounding it from river to river : from near the air-furnace to the ship yards, at the edge of what was called the meadow 4 on the west side. Not long before this, the water out of the Fresh-water Pond, now called Kollic," at the time he wrote, "ran down to both rivers, frequently increased so wide as to require logs to be laid across to walk over."
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CHAPTER X.
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The bigotry of James-Favours the French views, religious and political-Doctrines of Rome in opposition to self-government -- Success of James in introducing these doctrines-Alarm and resist- ance in England: in New York-Jacob Leisler raises the standard of William HI-Opposition made by the oficers of James-Con- vention of Albany-Bayard-Van Cortlandt-Phillipse-Schuy- ler-Letter from England, authorizing the present ruler to govern till further orders-Leisler, Lieutenant-Governour-Robert Liv- ingston-Leisler's proceedings-Bayard's petition.
16S5 JAMES II, succeeded his brother Charles, in 1685. The people of New York rejoiced in the change ; but soon found that as king, he had forgot, or violated with impunity, that which as Duke, James pledged himself to perform. Under the titles of York and Albany, he had promised the people of his province a constitu- tion; but, jesuitically might think or profess, that the king was 16S6 not bound by the promises of the subject. He invested Don- gan with a new commission, by which, (with his Council, and the governour's council were his friends, favourites, or creatures,) he might enact laws and impose taxes. The governour was ex- pressly enjoined to suffer no printing-press, (the dread of tyrants,) to be put up. There has always existed, as if by instinct, in the breasts of the usurpers upon the rights of man, a fear that he should be instructed.
The bigotry of James was such, that he gave facility to the poli- tical views of the French, by his orders to Dongan. Among the other modes of introducing popery into the province, which was the aim and wish of James, he ordered Governour Dongan to favour the introduction of priests and jesuits among the Iroquois : but the governour, although himself a papist, and willing to aid in bringing over the colonists to the religion of himself and master, was too prudent, as a politician, not to see that the intention of the French - was to gain the Five Nations from the English interest, by pushing their emissaries among them, under pretence of propagating the Christian religion. Dongan saw that the jesuits acted as spies for the governours of Canada, and counteracted the efforts of the Eng- lish to introduce and increase the trade of the province he governed, as well as to overcome, in the Iroquois, that jealousy of France, which made them a frontier rampart to New York in time of war.
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'Though active in otherwise promoting the king's religious views, he had too much good sense to be blinded, whatever his master might be, by the pretence, which only covered (in the eyes of the bigot king,) the designs of France for the extension of her domin- ions. The governour- insisted that the French should not hold conferences, under the pretence of making treaties, with the Iro- quois, without his intervention ; and in this persisted, although his conduct was offensive to these proud confederated republicans, who declared with manly dignity, that they were free to negociate with whom they pleased, without consulting either French or English.
The Iroquois were, however, attached to the inhabitants of New York - an attachment commenced with the Dutch - besides, they never forgave the alliance of Champlain with their enemies, nor the treacherous seizure of their sachems by order of Louis XIV. They likewise considered the supplies of arms, ammunition, and necessaries which the French of Canada carried to the ancient ene- mies of the Five Nations, as injurious and amounting to acts of hostility.
The governour of Canada prepared to chastise this in- 1688 terference of Dongan, who solicited permission to sup- port the Iroquois in their hostile demonstrations towards Canada. But the French Government at home had sufficient influence with James, to counteract the prudent measures of the governour of New York. They concluded a treaty of neutrality, by which neither England nor France was to assist such Indians, as were at war with the other.
These successful negotiations of France, with the continued preparations of the government of Canada, under Frontignac, all served in the sequel, to inflict those misfortunes on New York, which were attributed to Jacob Leisler.
Dongan did not give up the point, but continued his exertions among the Iroquois, whose alliance he saw was so necessary to New York. This, with his continuing in other respects, not to press the arbitrary measures of James, caused the king to add New York, to the other dominions already entrusted to the more com- pliant, or more tyrannic disposition of Sir Edmund Andros, and thus to supercede Dongan, at a time when the discontents of the people, and their fears of popery were ready to break forth in Eng land, to the overthrow of James ; and in America, to the suspen- sion of both his governours, and annihilation of his government.
The genius of popery is well known to be altogether favourable to kingly power; and, of course, ever in opposition to civil liberty. Submission without consideration, or any reference to reason, is the doctrine of Rome. Obedience to the dictates of reason, was a creed early introduced into America, and remains the safeguard of her prosperity.
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I am aware that at the present day, the fears entertained of popery by the people in 16SS, and the actions of Leisler and his friends in consequence of these apprehensions will appear, the first unfounded, and the second disproportioned to the alleged cause ; but the Smith- field burnings of. Good Queen Mary, the massacre of St. Barthole- mew on the 24th August, 1572, and revocation of the Edict of Nantz in 1685, were all at that time comparatively recent events. The Huguenots, who fled to Holland, after the bloody and complicated treachery and murder performed by the papists under Charles IX, had remained among their Dutch brethren until many of their descendants had become in language and manners, assimilated to the Hollanders, and emigrated to this country more Dutch than French. Such were- the Duryes, Cortelyous, Mercereaus and many others, while the refugees from the Dragoonades of Louis le Grand, the Jays, Aimars, Guyons, De Lancys, Goclets, Go- verneurs, Hamerslys and others, had yet scarcely found them- selves in safety from papistical persecution ; but when we look back to the History of England, without going to that of other countries, we see the evils that men had to dread from the intro- duction of a system, which had destroyed, not only religious, but civil liberty ; and inflicted miseries to which mankind now cannot be subjected. We must remember that James II, of England, (whose servant Dongan was, and who was appointed by James be- cause as a Roman Catholick, he was supposed to be bound to second his views,) had evinced his determination to make the popish reli- gion, and the tyranny congenial to it, the governing principles of all his dominions. We are to remember the influence which the ruler of a kingdom or a province-the dispenser of honours and riches-possesses over men generally, and particularly over the ambitious, who form his court ; those who, already possessed of riches, the more eagerly thirsted for more ; and forming, what they consider the first rank of society, are the more desirous to exclude others from the benefits they enjoy ; such men for offices of trust and power, will, more or less (from motives of interest, or the love of dominion, or desire for distinction,) conform to the views, whether political or religious, of the persons who dispense these gifts.
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It is well known, that James endeavoured to make every insti- tution bend to his arbitrary will, and to his intention of making the religion of Rome predominant, within his territories. He exercised what is called the dispensing power, to establish, contrary to exist- ing laws, papists in offices of trust ; by which many men were induced to adopt, or profess, the creed which led to preferment.
Hume* says, "the whole power of Ireland, was committed to Ca-
* History of England, Cha. 70.
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tholicks." The king entrusted the government of Scotland chiefly to converts from the Protestant to the Roman Catholick religion. He dismissed from their employments even his brothers-in-law, Ro- chester and Clarendon, because they adhered to protestantism. The doors of the church and the universities were attempted to be thrown open to papists. The king assumed the power at will of dispens- ing with the tests, which had been established to exclude men from office, who professed the faith of Rome, and among other promo- tions of persons of that creed, he brought four Lords, Powis, Arun- del, Bellasis and Dover, into his privy council.
This promotion of Romanists on one hand, and exclusion of Protestants on the other, without doubt, induced those who had no religion, to profess the creed which was profitable ; and others would follow in their train, to swell the power of tyranny. By this, I do not mean to assert that all who resisted James in Eng- land, or took part with Leisler in New York, did so from religious, or even honest motives ; and far be it from us now at this distance of time to impugn the motives of Schuyler, the worthy Mayor of Albany, and others, who might consider it their duty to oppose the government of Leisler, although confided to him by the people of New York, until the final determination of William III should be known.
Although the university of Oxford was bound by oath not to elect any officer of the faith of Rome, yet James expelled the Fellows of Magdalen College, for refusing to elect a popish pre- sident of his appointing. And when we know that Sir E. Hayes, and Lord Sunderland, with the Scotch Earls of Murray, Perth, and Melfort, did change their religion, (or profession) to accomodate themselves to the views of the king, and that many inferiours did follow their example, shall we suppose that Dongan, James's servant, had less influence over the Phillipses, the Courtlandts, the Bayards, and other aspiring men of the province of New York ?
We know that contrary to law, the chief officer of the customs, and many others in office were avowed papists, (not to mention Don- gan himself) and that the known intention of James, was, to intro- duce that religion. We likewise know that the governour of New York, was more likely to accomplish these views than his master, as being more prudent, and having adopted means more likely to succeed ; and we know the dread which both Dutch and English at that time, if not biassed by private and selfish views, had of the introduction of the faith and dominion of popery ; and that they who were not of consequence enough to be purchased by office, money, or titles, and received into court favour, must suffer all the evils of slavery and persecution. The gentry, the people of figure,
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as they were then termed, were either already in office, or in the way of promotion. James had recalled the Charters of the colo- nies ; sent out governours with absolute power ; and refused by himself or servants to permit a printing press to be introduced, and had decreed that the Jews should not exercise their reli- gion in public. Dissatisfaction and jealousy prevailed throughout among the people. The collector of the revenues and several prin- cipal officers threw off the mask, and openly avowed their attach- ment to the church of Rome. The people of Long Island were disappointed by a failure in performance of promises made by Dongan, which added to their discontent with his measures ge- nerally, and to their fears for the protestant religion.
1689 In this state of alarm for their civil and religious liberties were the inhabitants of the province of New York, when the news reached them of the inovements in England, by which James was subsequently overthrown, and William of Orange sub- stituted as king. It was soon known that the people of Massachu- setts had risen and put down Andros. Dongan had embarked for Europe,* and left the government of New York in the hands of Nicholson, the lieutenant-governour deputed by Andros, who was . governour of both New England and New York. Nicholson was , less popular than the governour ; and he was, with the council, im- plicated in the previous measures of James and Dongan.
Colonel Francis Nicholson, the lieutenant-governour, had been an officer in the army of James II : and by the testimony on oath of Nicholas Brower, aged 73, who had been a soldier in the same service, Nicholson had frequently joined in the popish or Roman Catholick religious ceremony, at the mass, in the king's tent. The members of the council left by Dongan, were Nicholas Bayard, colonel of the city militia, Frederick Phillipse, Mr. Van Cort- landt, (who was likewise mayor, by Dongan's appointment,) and Mr. Dudley.
" Smith says " Dongan returned to Ireland, and it is said, succeeded to the Earl- dom of Limerick." I lose sight of him from the moment of his departure, but think Chief Justice Smith is mistaken, because the descendants of Dongan continued in my time to possess the estate on Staten Island, which he had secured by grants from both New York and New Jersey : and they continued to bear the same name unde- formed or disguised, by title. The last of the race dissipated the property, lost all respectability of character, and was a recruiting sergeant during what was called "John Adams's war." Ebding says that Governonr Dongan delivered up his com- mand in April, 1058, and retired as a private citizen of New York to his estate ; but soon after went to Ireland, his native country. Notwithstanding this, it may be considered as certain that he sailed for Europe, on being superseded ; and it is established by the records of 1692, that he was not in New York at that period.
Dongan resigned his command to Nicholson, who was deputed by Andros, the governour of both New England and New York. This was in 1689 ; consequently Bayard, Van Cortlandt, Phillipse, etc., were commissioned under Andros.
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The fort, which was considered the safeguard of the city, was in a ruinous condition, and garrisoned by a few soldiers commanded by an ensign known to be a papist. On the land side, the city was fortified by the palisado or wall, extending through what is now Wall street, from the North River to the East, where in Smith's Valley, (by common usage called Smith's Vly or Fly,) was a block house without garrison.
That the people suspected Nicholson and the council of being opponents to William of Orange, is certain. They feared some attempt to seize the fort for King James. And sometime late in May or early in June, a report being spread that the papists would next Sunday attack the people while at church in the fort, massacre them, and declare for James ; and at the same time the inhabitants of Long Island having sent messengers to express their fears to the people of the city ; the latter, in a tumultuary manner assembled in arms, on the second of June, and some went to the house of Leisler, and requested him, as a captain of the train bands, and probably the oldest officer, to lead them to the seizure of the fort. This, it appears, he at first declined ; and in the meanwhile, others led by Ensign Stoll, proceeded to the fort. In the mean time, Leisler, having armed himself, marched with others of the people, entered the citadel as Stoll's superior officer, and was joyfully received.
The reader will recollect Jacob Leisler has appeared in these pages before ; first, as the friend of the widow and fatherless stran- ger ; and then, as the opponent of Governour Andros, with the other magistrates of Albany, denying admission to the altar of the church of which he was a member, of an Episcopal clergyman sent out to the province by an avowed papist. As such, he suffered imprisonment ; and finally with his brethren triumphed over the deputy tyrant supported by the Duke of York.
Nicholson and his council, alarmed at this commotion of the people, assembled the aldermen and such justices of the peace as could be brought together, to this meeting. He appears to have given it the name of a Convention for keeping the peace. The. people chose a Committee of Safety .* The public money was in the fort, and the convention, not thinking it safe, ordered it to be
" It will be remembered that all these magistrates held their commissions from Andros, Governour of New England and New York, under James.
The committee of safety was composed of the following freeholders of the city : viz. Richard Denton, Samuel Edsall, Thennis Roelofe, Peter Delanoy, Jean Mar- est, Mathias Harvey, Daniel Le Klerke, Thomas Williams, Johannes Vermylle, and William Lawrence. And on the Eth of June, 1689, they issued an order. constituting Captain Jacob Leisler, "captain of the fort" "until orders shall arrive from their majesties;" and they further order " that the said Leister shall have all aid from the city and county to suppress external and internal enemies of the VOL. I. 20
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removed to the house of Frederick Phillipse, who is described as a man of honour " and very rich." Stoll, who first went to the fort, on the contrary is represented as "not worth a groat;" and this is uniformly the distinction made between the two parties, ex- cept as to Leisler.
The public money, £773 12s, was not, however, given up, and in the evening, Captain Lodowick and his company, arrived to take possession of the fort, which appears to have been resigned to him by Captain Leisler, on an understanding that each captain should hold the citadel in his turn.
The train-bands of the city consisted of five companies, of which Nicholas Bayard was the colonel. But this turning out, under arms, was not with the consent of the colonel, who, with Nicholson and others, were devising means to prevent or counteract the move- ment of the people. The captains, however, acted in concert, and, without doubt, with the approbation of the citizens.
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