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. II > Part 43
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Manufactures were discouraged by the English government. Education was not in a flourishing state : yet Princeton College was founded in 173S.
In 1677, the beautiful town of Burlington on the banks of the Delaware, was established by English emigrants from London and from Yorkshire, who agreed upon this spot, and laying out the main street directly from the river-the Londoners taking ten lots on the west side, and the Yorkshiremen the same number on the east. It was first called New Beverley, then Bridlington, and finally Bur- lington.
In 16$3 a town was laid out on the point of land which is situa- ted at the mouth of the Raritan, having that river to the south-west, and the sound, called Arthur Kull, dividing it from Staten Island on the north-west. This beautiful situation, having a harbour for large ships, overlooks the point of Staten Island, and gives a view
. See S. Smith's Hist. of New Jersey.
0
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of the Great Bay, Sandy Hook, the Highlands of Neversink and the hills of Monmouth.
Gawin Lawrie arrived as deputy-governour of East Jersey under Robert Barclay, in 1683, and pitched upon this point for the capi- tal. It was called originally Amboge, as may be seen by old records ; shortly after, Ambo Point, and when in compliment to the Earl of Perth, one of the second set of proprietors, the town was named, the original Amboge was changed to Amboy, and the city called Perth Amboy.
Lawrie, writing to a friend in Britain, says : " There is no such place in England, for conveniency and pleasant situation." He says, he has laid out " a place for a market, with cross streets from the river" where the town houses are to be built. " I engage all to build a house of thirty feet long, and eighteen broad, and eighteen feet to the raising. I have laid out forty or fifty acres for the governour's house."
The proprietors of New Jersey established universal freedom of religious worship. The government and church of England sent out missionaries to that province ; the first who arrived was Edward Perltinch : the people of Perth Amboy fitted up a house for public Episcopal worship : this was near the gate of the dwelling-place now owned (1840) by Mr. Andrew Bell. The site of this first place of publick worship was long marked by a hollow which had been the cellar, and in that hollow grew a cherry-tree. This was on the church-lot.
According to the original plan, the city of Perth Amboy was divided into 150 lots, each of ten acres : the price to those who first purchased was £15 sterling ; and one year after it was raised to £20. Four acres were reserved for a market square. Gawin Lawrie gave the plan for a regular town.
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MISCELLANEOUS MATTER .*
I HAVE given the unsuccessful negotiations of Governour Stuy- vesant to prevent the New England encroachments in the settle- ment of Westchester ; but the Dutch did not confine their efforts to self-preservation (or at least preservation of their territory) to mere negotiation-they resisted the intruders, and at length car- ried off twenty-three persons to Fort Amsterdam, and there held them prisoners. They were, however, dismissed by the gover- nour, on submitting to his jurisdiction, or removing. When Nicolls arrived at Westchester, they complained to him ; but were, of course, adjudged to belong to New York. At this period, Carr and Cart- wright, took possession of Albany for Nicolls, and concluded a treaty with certain chiefs of the Mohawks and Senecas, by which it was stipulated, that the English should furnish to the Iroquois, all such articles as the Dutch had done ; and should punish any Englishman who behaved ill to the Indians, they agreeing to do the same by their people. The English commanders likewise agreed, to conclude a peace for the Iroquois with the Indians on the river and on Manhattan Island.
Of the changes that have taken place on our shores by the in- fluence of the sea, most people are aware. Itis stated, that " Coney Island proper," lay at the entrance of the Narrows, and was sepa- rated from the Island now called by that name, a channel . interve- ning. Who shall say, that when Verrazzano entered within Sandy Hook, he did not find in Amboy Bay, five small islands ? It is certain that Nutten, or Governour's Island, was almost within the memory of man, part of Long Island, insomuch that at low water the
* The author had collected a great mass of materials for his work, which could not properly be introduced as part of the text, but yet were too important, or in- teresting, or curious to be overlooked. These principally consist of abstracts from records and other authentick documents in the possession of the Corporation of the City of New York, to which the writer was in the kindest manner permitted unrestricted access. There are other extracts from tiles of cotemporary newspa- pers, which are probably now ouly to be found in the libraries of publick institu- tions. The collections of the author extend from before the year 1669 to the period, and after, when his history was to be concluded. This collection is con- tained in upwards of 300 close written pages of foolscap. The writer had evi- dently arranged the first part of these abstracts for the purpose of " An Appendix of Miscellaneous Matter," with the design of introducing such interesting subjects as would not swell ont the work to an inconvenient extent. The Editor has en- deavoured out of this treasure, to select the pieces most valuable-although if the whole were to be published, very little would be found either uninstructive or uninteresting.
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cattle passed and repassed. A ship channel now separates the two islands. On the other hand, in 1643, Gravesend had a good har- bour for shipping, which is now meadow land.
The trade of Long Island was among the people themselves by exchange of commodity or barter. Land, as well as every thing else, was paid for in produce. The herdsman who attended the cattle of the town was paid in butter, wheat and corn. The min- ister of East Hampton had £60 a year " in such pay as men raise, as it passes from man to man." And the people of Newtown gave William Leveredge their minister, annually, 40s. a piece, to be paid half in corn and half in cattle ;" and thus of every service performed, or debt adjudged to be paid. Stock and produce were estimated by assessors, and Mr. Wood gives the prices as fixed in 1665 and 1679. This practice continued until 1700, when money became more plenty.
Of the Indians of Long Island the Montauks appear to have been the principal, and their name is perpetuated by the appella- tion of the extreme eastern point of the Island. They were, how- ever, subject to the Pequots of New England, and perhaps to the Iroquois of New York. In 1643 the Montauks and neighbouring tribes put themselves under the protection and government of the Commissioners of the United Colonies, and a sachem of the Mon- tauks was made chief of the Long Island Indians. In 1654 the Narragansetts invaded the Montauks, and the whole tribe would have been extirpated but for the protection of the settlers of East Hampton.
It being found inconvenient that the town and county rates should as heretofore be paid in beef, pork, etc., Nicolls ordered the towns to meet and send in the combined rates, as no more beef, pork, etc., would be received.
William Smith* says that at the time of the surrender to Nicolls, New York " consisted of several small streets, laid out in the year 1656." We know that the fort was on an eminence overlooking the bay on the side of approach from the sea, and the town on the land side. It was a square, with four bastions; the outer and lower wall was of stone. Within the fort were the governour's house, secretary's office, the church, and barracks for the garrison.
In.1653, Governour Stuyvesant raised the wall composed of stones and earth, surmounted by palisadoes, which extended from water to water, about the site of the present Wall street. It had two gates: the water gate, near the present Pearl street, then close on the East river, and the land gate, on the high ground, now Broadway.
* History of New York, Vol. I, p. 32.
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A Dutch memorial states the population of the province at 6,000. The city is supposed to have contained 3,000.
1669 When Governour Lovelace required aid from Long Island to fortify New York, it was refused " unless the peo- ple might have the privileges which others of his majesty's subjects in these parts enjoyed." Evidently meaning by " his majesty's sub- jects" the people of New England. These proceedings were pro- nounced " scandalous, illegal, and seditious." The governour and council ordered the paper demanding these rights (which had been promised in fact by Nicolls) to be burned before the 'Town house.
We have seen (vol. 1., p. 127,) that Mr. Bedlow was one of the governour's council. The island which is now called by his name, once had the name of " Love Island," and subsequently the more appropriate one of " Oyster Island." In 1669, by request of Mr. Bedlow, it was made a place of privilege from warrant of arrest.
We find an order from Governour Lovelace and council, dated January 2Sth, 1669, for the transportation of Marcus Jacobs, or Jacobson, called the Long Finn, to Barbadoes, there to be sold for a servant to the best advantage. He had been imprisoned a month in New York. Marcus has not printed his autobiography, or perhaps he would appear a patriot hero. As his enemies say, he was an imposter and a rebel, assuming the name of a distinguished Swede, and opposing the legal government of England in Delaware Bay. He was tried by a special commission, as Leisler afterwards was, that is, by those who had determined to destroy him. He was sentenced to death, but mercifully the sentence was changed to whipping, branding, imprisonment, transportation, and slavery.
March 24th, 1669, Governour Lovelace established by order a time and place for merchants to meet. The time was to be on Fridays, between the hours of eleven and twelve, at present near the bridge. The bridge was a planked walk over a part of the canal near the foot of Broad street. This canal or sewer had for- merly been the creek leading from the bay to near the present Cus- tom-house, that is, to the foot of the hill called by the Dutch Ver- lettenberg, and long after by the English, Flattenbarrack Hill. Berg is in itself hill, and rerletten is to stop. Thus the hill was called the stopping-hill, or the termination of the tide water ; and here was the Ferry house.
When Lovelace fixed the time of meeting for the merchants, he ordered the mayor to take care that they be not disturbed ; and the ringing of a bell denoted the times of congregating and dispers- ing. In afterdays, a building was erected on this spot, called the Exchange.
1670 It is believed that Pauw, one of the first patroons, pur- chased Staten Island from the Indians ; but in 1651 it was
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again purchased from them by Augustine Herman, on the 6th of December ; notwithstanding which, and another sale made to the Dutch in 1657, certain Indian sachems claimed the whole or, a greater part of it, from the governour and council, in 1670. Love- lace appealed to the old sales, but the Indians said the Dutch had not paid them in full, and they now demanded an addition of six hundred fathoms of wampum, but finally agreed to receive four hundred, together with a number of guns, axes, kettles, and watchcoats. The governour and council came to an agreement with them on the 9th of April, 1670, by which, on receiving payment, they promised to aban- don the island. On the 13th, they were satisfied, and on the 1st of May they formally delivered up the island to Mr. Thomas Love- lace and Mr. Matthias Nicolls, who were deputed by the gover- nour. Yet, Nathaniel Sylvester is represented in a publick instru- ment of the government, in 1672, July Sthi, as the owner of the island.
In July of this year, (1670,) Catharine Harrison, a native of England, (who lived nineteen years at Weathersfield, in Connec- ticut, where she had been tried for witchcraft, found guilty by the jury, acquitted by the bench, and released out of prison upon con- dition that she would remove) appeared before the council on the accusation of Thomas Hunt and Edward Waters, in behalf of the town of Westchester, they praying that she might be driven from the town. This affair was adjourned to the 24th August, when being heard, it was referred to the general court of assizes-the woman being ordered to give security for good behaviour.
In Albany, the excise, on beer was farmed out to Delavall, the mayor, for 7,500 guilders.
There were three companies of militia at the city of New York, and when Governour Lovelace went to Delaware, he ordered out twenty horse, to escort him.
Lovelace being applied to for a bill of divorce, which a court had declared beyond their powers, he, in council, decreed that " it being conformable to the laws of this government as well as to the practice of the civil law and the laws of our nation of England," the marriage should be dissolved, on proof of the wife's adultery. 1671 The governments of New York and New Jersey, made preparations for a war with the Indians of the latter pro- vince, in consequence of two murders committed on whites, who lived upon the Little Island in the Delaware, lying between Bur- lington and Bristol. But the Indian sachems, disowned partici- pation in the act, and proved it by ordering the death of the mur- derer. He was a young man, who in a fit of grief. or frenzy, oc- casioned by the death of his sister by sickness, had committed this deed, and on being informed that the sachems ordered his death, covered his eyes with his hands, saying, " kill me." The Indian
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sent with the message, immediately shot him. The English hung his body in chains, and gave the sachems five matchcoats.
In June this year, Sir William Berkeley, governour of Virginia, returned thanks to God, that there were neither free schools nor printing in the colony. " God keep us from both." Agreeably to this sentiment of the good old times, when Lord Effingham was appointed governour of Virginia, he was ordered by the English government, " to allow no person to use a printing press on any occasion whatever," This order was in 1683. Evelyn tes- tifies that in 1670, there were fears that the New England planta- tions would break from all dependance on England. The pros- perity of the colonies was a constant source of jealousy to England, and to make profit by engrossing their trade was the great object of English legislation, in respect to them.
The books of the council give as the yearly charge to the town of Albany for officers-to the minister, 125 beavers, "at thirty guilders or stuyvers" the beaver. The secretary 600 guilders : the recorder 400.
The governour commissioned an Indian to be sachem of the Shinnacocks : and he commissioned an Indian as constable among the Shinnacocks.
. Samuel Drisius, the Dutch minister of the city, applied to the governour and council, December the 5th, 1671, to have two years arrears of salary made good : they determined that as he had been sick one year of the time, they would only pay him one year, and accordingly, ordered £100 to be paid him. And they recom- mend to the elders and deacons of the church, that if it should not be thought sufficient, they will by some means help him further, and for the future his salary go on as before.
1672 Henry Roonboome the Dutch sexton at Albany, applies to the governour and council, that he might have liberty to bury Lutherans and all there. Ordered, that since the Lutherans have a toleration for their religion, they may bury their own dead.
Ordered by the court of assizes, " that a good piece of eight of Spanish coin of Mexico, Sevil, or Pillar, be valued and go for six shillings."
. Gardner's Island, had been called the Isle of Wight by the English, and by the Indians Manchouack. It appears, that David Gardner (son of Lyon) in 1665, received a patent from Nicolls, in which was stipulated, that he should pay a yearly rent of five pounds, but Gardner petioned Lovelace, in September, 1670, to have the above rent remitted. Accordingly, the governour remit- ted it, and in lieu, ordered a lamb (if demanded) to be paid on the 1st of May, yearly, forever. About this time governour Love- lace purchased Staten Island.
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On the 12th of October, 1672, Lovelace elected out of the pier- sons nominated by the mayor and aldermen then in office, Mr. John Lawrence to be mayor for the coming year, Cornelius Van Ruy - ven -to be deputy-mayor, and Messrs. Isaac Bedlow, Johannes Depeyster, William Darvall, and Francis Romouts, to be aldermen. Mr. Matthias Nicolls, the mayor for 1672, on "taking leafe of the bench," recommended that certain days be appointed for holding the court, with other regulations : and that " Mr. Charleton may be admitted to continue his schoole in the state-house." By the influence of Mr. Matthias Nicolls, it was ordered that no person arrested, should be detained in prison, any longer than the next ensuing court day, and then to have a hearing, or else be released. The court allowed to Peter Schieflein, as a gift for this present year, " above his former salary, the sum of fifty guilders, provided it be laid out in cloaths."
In 1672 the number of militia in the province was 2000-num- ber of inhabitants 10 or 12,000. In 1686 this number was doubled. Militia 4000 foot, 300 horse, and a company of dragoons. Regu- lar troops, a company at New York, and one at Albany. New York had a fort of 46 guns. A small fort at Albany of palisades, was the defence of that place.
Negro slaves were brought from Barbadoes and exchanged for the necessaries of life. Twenty-four villages divided into six cir- cuits constituted the province. Sixty thousand bushels of wheat were now annually exported : other produce was peas, tobacco, carpenter's wood, and nut wood. Already tar and pitch were made. Beef, pork, horses, were also exported, and the traders received much fur from the Indians. The imports were manufactures of all kinds. Woollen blankets and other articles for the Indians, the trade with whom was carried on at Albany, to the amount of £50,000 per annum. Yet a merchant possessed of £1000, or even . £500, was accounted rich. The moveable property of the mer- chants and landholders was estimated at £150,000. Trade was carried on in ten or fifteen vessels of 100 tons, belonging to Europe, New England, and New York. Of the latter, six small vessels were all. A hogshead of tobacco paid a tax of £25, and one of beaver skins £15 : other articles exported free : 2 per cent. was paid on imports, and 3 per cent. on the Indian trade. Dealers in spirits paid a higher duty and for a license. There were many sects, but few supported ministers. The Presbyterians and Inde- pendents were the richest. Jews were tolerated.
October 23d .- At a special court of the mayor, John Lawrence and Aldermen Van Ruyven, Depeyster and Darvall :- Messrs. Johannes Van Brugh, Jeronymus Ebburgh, Jacob Leisler, and Nicholas Bayard, or in his absence Gelyne Verplank, were ap-
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pointed to examine a certain claim made by Jaques Cousseau. In the next record Jacob's name is written Leislaer.
October 26th .- In the mayor's court the first cause is recorded in Dutch, the others in English. Anna Wessels demands for a debt to her, from Rymer Van der Coote, that Symon Hawkes, the servant of Rymer Van der Coote, may be condemned to serve out the remainder of his time for said debt. Hawkes says, that Rymer Van der Coote, paid 450 guilders for him, which he was to work out " by said Van der Coote." Gelyn Verplanck and Thomas Taylor appointed constables for a year.
November 6th .- By the order of Governour Francis Lovelace, the following ordinances are published from the State-house. " Concerning the prosecution of servants with hue and cryes at the publick charge." 2d-" Touching the killing of wolves." 3rd -" That no stranger or person unknown, should travel within this government without a passport whence he came." A law for the observing of the Sabbath, passed in 1665, renewed. Nicholas Bayard at this time vendue master ..
December 3d .- The sheriff brings Thomas Crancon, a carman, into court, for "uttering of [here a word occurs in the record which I cannot decipher, ] language, and bad speaches against Mr. Pell, Mr. Atwood, and others of the inhabitants." The carman confessed, and promised better behaviour : " the court passed by his errour, but ordered him not to suffer his daughter to go any more in the cart ; but he himself to attend the Kart, or put an able person in his stead." A man coming into court states that in compliance with their order, he had kept the peace and in no manner molested his wife, and therefore, requested that his wife should be ordered to come and live with him, he promising to behave himself. She is sent for, but declares that she had tried him so often and been deceived, that she " would rather dye than be brought to it again." But the court determined that being lawfully married, and no just cause of separation, they do live together as man and wife.
1673 April Sth .- Upon information given to the Mayor's Court, the court ordered that William Pamer shall make appear to Mr. Mayor before next court day, how he was married, and by what means he came by this wyfe.
May 6th .- The court adjudged a man to pay £6 Boston sil- ver, or the value thereof in wheat : the wheat at the price of 3s. 6d. per bushel.
May 2Sth .- A man swears to the agreement between Peter Ben- nett and Jean Le Roux. Bennett was the captain of a vessel sail- ing from London, and she engaged to pay for the passage of her- self and four children to New York, each the sum of £S sterling on arrival; and if the said Jean could not procure the money in
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six weeks, " the said four children should be at the disposal of the said Bennett for to be sold or disposed of at his pleasure." The court ordered accordingly, that she should pay £S sterling per head. Nothing is said of the power given to the captain over the children. But June 20th, Jacob Leisler came forward in behalf of this poor woman, and tendered the amount, £40 sterling " in this country pay," and the payment was made by agreement in mer- chandize and produce.
Some attempts were made to get up witchcraft, but they failed. The mayor and citizens did military duty, parading before the City hall, at Coenties slip, and holding guard at the fort, after locking the city gates, (on Wall street.) The fort was on a mound, terminating precipitously in a bluff on the south point of the island, and so remained till 1789, or after. The governour and council proclaimed that instead of eight white and four black wampums, six white and three black should be equal to a stiver or penny, (I presume a penny sterling.) The white wampum was worked out of the inside of the conque, and the black (or purple) out of the mussel or the clam shell.
Coenties slip was so called from Coenradt Ten Eyck-Coenties being the familiar equivalent for Coenradt.
1674 In the year 1674, John Gerritts was thrown into prison for pretending to extraordinary sanctity, and endeavouring to impose on the people. And Peter Ebbet was taken up on a warrant, for reporting that he had seen sights and visions in the city, and causing publick uneasiness. There were Indian alarms, and block-houses were ordered. The Quakers were fined for not doing military duty. The Long Island sachems came to New York and gave Andros assurances of friendship; but it appears that the Indians had been disarmed, and traffick had been forbidden with the Long Island Indians by the court of assizes. On the 18th of September, arms were restored to the Indians of East Hampton and Shelter Island, on account of good behaviour ; but in October, they were again disarmed. 1675
Orders made at the general court of assizes in New York, beginning the 6th and ending the 13th of October, in the 27th year of his majesty's reign, 1675. In consideration of the mischief happening from carrying liquors and goods to trade with the Indians at their plantations, where, in case of disorders "small releefe cann bee expected," it is ordered, that the law be observed, which prohibits strong liquors to the Indians in New Yorke schire, upon Long Island, and dependencies-and the constables are to take care that no powder or lead be sold to the Indians " but by them as directed, or by their consents." The governour's procla- mation about block-houses is to be observed. Resolved, that all canocs belonging to Christians or Indians on the North side of
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Long Island, to the East of Hellgate, shall be (within three days from the publication of this order,) brought to the next townes and delivered to the constables, to be secured near their block-house. And any canoe found upon the sound after that time, be destroyed .* That the Indyans at Mr. Pell's or Anne Hook's Neck, be ordered to re- move to their usual winter quarters, within Hellgate upon this Island. English weights and measures ordered, and others prohibited. This being a time of scarcity, corn and flower not to be exported. Ordered, that all persons having horses on Long Island, do within six months, prove their horses before the constables and overseers, etc., and such as shall be found unmarked (according to law) shall be forfeited, the one half to his Royal Highness, the other to the town. No person to presume to mark a horse or colt, but before a constable or overseer. Those on Long Island who have estates from £20 to 100, may keepe one breeding mare and no more, and so for every £100; but may have as many working horses as he shall have occasion for, and double the number in the woods. That every single person, though of but £20 estate, may keep one horse at home, and in the woods proportionably. Re- gulations made for the oil casks, at the East end of Long Island in the towns, " where the whaling designe is followed." Ordered, that besides the usual county rate for maintenance of ministers, " there shall be a double rate levyed upon on all those towns that have not already a sufficient maintenance for a minister." Ordered, that after this season, there shall be a fair or market yearly " at Breuklyn, near the ferry for graine, cattle, or other produce, to be held the first Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, of November ; and in the city of New York, the Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, following." Ordered, that in case of a "war with the Indians in this government (which God forbid)-one or more rates shall be levyed." Ordered, that the magistrates " do justice to the Indyans, as well as Christians." "That by reason of the separation by water, Sta- ten Island shall have jurisdiction by itself, and have no further de- pendance on the courts of Long Island, nor on their militia." Signed-Matthias Nicolls, Secretary.
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