USA > New York > New York City > History of the city of New York : its origin, rise, and progress. Vol. I > Part 34
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June 3. The idea of consolidation for the purpose of bringing New England under the direct authority of the crown was fully ma-
323
SIR EDMUND ANDROS IN BOSTON.
tured in the spring of 1686. Sir Edmund Andros was finally commis- sioned to the supreme command, and the former provisional appointment was revoked. He was empowered to make laws, levy taxes, regulate finances, and control the militia. Humanity and severity were mingled in his instructions. Liberty of conscience was particularly enjoined ; but printing-presses were forbidden, except by special license. Whole pages were devoted to the rights of the governed ; but assemblies were pro- hibited, on account of the dangerous power which they invested in the people. The great seal for New England was adorned with the remarka- ble motto, " Nunquam libertas gratior extat," - Liberty is never more agreeable - than under a pious king !
A similar commission was prepared for Dongan, and by it the Charter of Franchises, which had been so dear to New York, was made
void. Dongan was ordered to resume the powers of law-making June 10. and tax-gathering. He was also directed to swear into his service, as counselors, Frederick Philipse, Stephanus Van Cortlandt, Nicholas Bay- ard, Anthony Brockholls, Lucas Stanten, John Spragg, Jervis Baxter, and John Younge. These gentlemen were all well and favorably known at Whitehall, and their eligibility had been fully discussed in the Planta- tion Committee at one of its meetings over which the king in person presided.
In December (1686), Andros reached Boston, “ glittering in scarlet and lace," according to the discontented Puritans, who looked gloomily
on while his Irish soldiers, under Lieutenant-Governor Nicholson, Dec. 19. marched through the streets in brilliant uniform, with gay music and banners floating in the breeze. The free-and-easy manner of the new- comers was in the highest degree repulsive to the people. The stiff and formal bigots of Massachusetts, who had persecuted even to banishment and death every man and woman presuming to hold religious opinions different from their own, accused Andros of papacy, and turned upon him the concentrated strength of a long-cherished hatred. Their precious charter had been vacated, and his personal rule had been bestowed upon them in its stead. Had he been an angel from Heaven, under the circum- stances, he would hardly have pleased them. His soldierly bearing and administration were, according to their ideas, overbearing and oppressive ; and when he was sharp, quick, and decisive in his measures, they called him "the arbitrary and sycophantic tool of a despotic king." It is doubt- ful whether moderation on his part would not have given even greater offense.
Joseph Dudley, the president of the board which had temporarily ad- ministered the government, was appointed Chief Justice of New England.
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HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK.
William Stoughton and Peter Bulkley were made associate judges, and George Farwell, from New York, was the attorney-general. John West resigned his offices under Dongan, and removed to Boston, where he was made Secretary of New England.
One of the first acts of Andros was to rebuke Hinckley, the late gov- ernor of Plymouth, for intolerance, in seizing the property of Quakers for the support of other sectarian ministers. Indeed, the statesmanship of Andros was more tolerant and just, and provided more generally for the happiness and prosperity of all classes of inhabitants, than that which it superseded. He was fearless and unconcerned in regard to the public temper, and made and executed laws which indicate a profound regard for the good of the province.
Connecticut, at that period, had two wooers, New York and Boston. Dongan wrote an eloquent letter to the king, recommending the annexa- tion of Connecticut to New York, and suggesting that Pemaquid, which was troublesome and expensive, from being so distant, might be given to New England as an equivalent. Andros, wiser as to the king's intentions, was trying to induce Connecticut to come peaceably under his authority. Some very curious intercolonial intrigues followed. Connecticut coquet- ted ; giving New York to understand that it would be more agreeable to tend westward than toward the east, and allowing Boston meanwhile to kiss her hand. Andros treated Dongan with extreme official reserve, keeping him in the dark in regard to the true situation of affairs, and, with some show of haughtiness, communicated an order for the surrender of Pemaquid, which was promptly and cheerfully obeyed.
In the course of events, definite instructions reached Andros to demand 1687. the charters of Rhode Island and Connecticut. He set out at Oct. 22. once to visit the two provinces, accompanied by several of the Oct. 31. gentlemen of his council, with an escort of sixty soldiers. He was received in Hartford with distinguished ceremony. The General Court was in session, that same evening. Andros appeared, leaning upon the arm of Governor Treat, and publicly explained the king's policy in bringing his colonies under a single government, that they might the better defend themselves against invasion. Tradition says that Treat remonstrated against the surrender of the charter, and that just as Andros had secured one of the copies of the instrument, the lights were suddenly extinguished, and Joseph Wardsworth escaped from the hall and secretly hid the duplicate copy in a hollow tree, which was ever after known as the " Charter Oak." The authenticity of this story is severely questioned, since neither by contemporary writers, nor in the records of the colony, which were closed in the handwriting of Secretary Allyn, is there any
325
GOVERNOR DONGAN A STATESMAN.
allusion to such an occurrence. The next morning, Andros was con- ducted in state to the court-house, where his commission was Nov. 1. read, and Governor Treat and Secretary Allyn were sworn into office as his counselors. Royal courts were established, and the dominion of James rendered supreme over the land of steady habits.1 Andros then proceeded to New London, and to Newport. The old seal of Rhode Island was broken and the new authority set up. Shortly after, a post- route between Boston and Stamford, on the border of New York, which had been originally suggested by Lovelace and encouraged by Dongan, was established, and John Perry, as the deputy of the provincial post- master Randolph, was appointed to carry a monthly mail.
Dongan identified himself more and more, as time rolled on, with the state affairs of New York. He learned that the French in Canada were upon the eve of attacking the Iroquois warriors, and made a vigor- ous effort to prevent mischief in that quarter. He finally decided to spend the winter in Albany, the more readily to influence the Indians in favor of peace with their Canadian neighbors. His able and earnest let- ters to James, descriptive of the attitude of the belligerents, induced the British ministers to propose the Treaty of Neutrality with France, which was to be observed by the American subjects of both powers. Chancellor Jeffreys, with Barrillon, the French minister, arranged the details, and it was agreed, that notwithstanding any breach which might occur between the two sovereigns, absolute peace and neutrality should be maintained between their subjects in America; and that neither colonial power should, in any instance, assist the "wild Indians " with whom the other might be at war.
Although no mention of the Iroquois was made in the treaty, Dongan assumed that they were British subjects, and governed himself accord- ingly. The governor of Canada accused him of duplicity in permitting New York traders to go among these savages, and complained that he had broken the Treaty of Neutrality by advising and protecting them ; and finally, he maintained with boldness, the right of the French to sovereignty over the Iroquois.
Before going to Albany, Dongan empowered Brockholls to sign war- rants, papers, and licenses, and to attend to other public business which usually devolved upon the governor. He appointed Stephanus Sept. 20. Van Cortlandt mayor of the city in place of Nicholas Bayard, and Judge James Graham counselor in place of John Younge, who Oct. 8.
1 Brodhead, II. 472, 473. Palfrey, III. 541, 542. Col. Rec. Conn., III. 248, 249, 386 - 390. Annals, I. 298, 306. Trumbull, I. 371, 372. Holmes, I. 421. Col. Doc., III. 429,
511. Arnold, I. 504, 506. Force's Tracts, IV. No. 9, pp. 47, 48. Bancroft, II. 430.
326
HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK.
was not only very old, but lived at the east end of Long Island, one hun-
dred and fifty miles from the city and fort. He reappointed Peter Oct. 11. Schuyler mayor of Albany ; and confirmed prior legislation by ordering in council that certain Spanish Indians, who had been brought from Campeachy, in Mexico, and sold as slaves, should be set free.
Albany was fortified as far as possible ; for a party of Mohawks and Oct. 24.
Mohicans, exasper- ated against the French in Canada, had be- sieged Fort Chambly, burned houses, killed several men, and taken a large number of prisoners ; and a storm might burst upon the English set- = tlements at any moment. Dongan called upon his council in New York to consider ways and means to defray the expenses which Governor Dongan's House. the French movements were causing the province ; but they answered in effect that New York was not able to bear so great a burden alone, and that the neighboring colonies should be invited to contribute. The neighboring colonies were invited, but found it " inconvenient " to fur- nish any special aid. Andros offered a few men from New England, but no money. Pennsylvania withheld and Maryland refused help. Virginia was not disposed to contribute; but her governor, Lord Effingham, sent Dongan five hundred pounds. New Jersey, anxious to stand well with the king, voted a tax for the benefit of New York, which was never levied. Dongan pledged his personal credit, and even mortgaged his farm on Staten Island, to borrow of Robert Livingston two thousand or more pounds for the use of the government.
Judge Palmer went to London during the autumn, bearing dispatches from Dongan, which convinced James that the Treaty of Neutrality was not favorable to English interests. It had given to Louis a positive advantage. The Five Nations sent a touching appeal to the "Great Sachem beyond the Great Lake," for protection against their enemies ; and this brought to a crisis the question of European sovereignty over the Iroquois. The king at once ordered Dongan to demand from the gov- ernor of Canada all British prisoners, and to build necessary forts, Nov. 16. employ militia, and defend those Indians against the Canadians.
Louis attempted to argue his claim, and insisted that the Iroquois had
327
CONSOLIDATION OF THE COLONIES.
acknowledged French sovereignty since 1665. He complained also of Dongan's arrogance, " novel pretensions," and " dishonorable treat- ment "; but, in the end, an agreement was signed, that, until the Dec. 1. first day of January, 1689, and afterward, no English or French com- mander in America should invade or commit any act of hostility against the territories of either king.
New France, with her undefined territory, had the strength of union, while New England, New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania were dis- tinct and inharmonious. James, who took a lively personal inter- est in the details of his administration, resolved to unite his colo- 1688. nies under one vice-regal government. "I will make them a tower of iron," he said. He accordingly decreed that all his American possessions north of the fortieth degree of latitude, stretching across the continent from the Atlantic to the Pacific, should be consolidated into one great political whole, to be called New England.1 Pennsylvania was to be the solitary exception, as he could not afford to offend so useful a favorite as William Penn by the withdrawal of his charter.
As New England was henceforth to be governed by a single viceroy, either Dongan or Andros must be displaced. Both had been twice com- missioned by his Majesty. Andros had the larger experience, and ex- celled in executive talent. He was administering his trust to the entire satisfaction of James and his ministers, and it was thought best to retain him. On the other hand, Dongan was as good a soldier as Andros, with more independence of character. He had not hesitated to foil and em- bitter Penn, nor to anger Perth and Melfort, in the king's behalf. His policy and firmness had preserved Northern New York to the English, in spite of the French king and his shrewd maneuvers. He had given, indeed, more advice and shown more official zeal than was agreeable to the politicians at Whitehall. He was offered the command of a regiment, with the rank of major-general of artillery in the Brit- March 23. ish army, but saw fit to decline the honor. Andros received his appoint- ment, and hastened to assume almost imperial command over the province which he had left seven years before, and which, in the interval, had gained and lost a popular Assembly. Dongan retired to his farm.
Andros was at this time saddened by the recent death of his wife (whose funeral was attended in Boston, on the 10th of February, " with
1 Col. Doc., III. 363, 391, 392, 397, 415, 416, 425, 429, 492. Hutch. Coll., 559. Leam- ing and Spicer, 604, 605. S. Smith, 204, 206, 211, 568. Gordon, 53. Bancroft, II. 46, 47. Brodhead, II. 500, 501. Grahame, II. 299. Whitehead's E. J., 112, 113. Index to N. J. Col. Doc., 13. Chalmer's Annals, I. 590, 622. Proud, I. 322, 341. Dalrymple, II. 89, 90. Narcissus Luttrell, I. 461.
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HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK.
great pomp "), and delayed his journey to New York for some weeks.
He arrived finally, with quite an army of attendants, on Satur- Aug. 11. day, August 11, and was received by Colonel Nicholas Bayard's regiment of foot and a troop of horse. His commission was read at Fort James, and afterwards at the City Hall. The Seal of New York was broken and defaced in his presence, by order of the king, and the Great Seal of New England was used in its stead.
New York was deeply humiliated with the loss of her provincial indi- viduality. Dutch blood waxed warm, and Dutch wrath could with diffi- culty be restrained. New York and Massachusetts had been rivals and antagonists from the start, and differed politically and religiously on almost all essential points. The former was grand, courteous, hospitable, and magnanimous ; the latter, sectional, narrow, rigorous, and selfish. Both erred in persecuting the Quakers; but the annals of Dutch New York were not disfigured by the acts of self-righteous despotism which marred the record of her Eastern neighbor. There had never been so much as a fugitive spark of love between the two provinces, and New York despair- ingly pronounced her present " unhappy annexation " an "abhorred and unmerited degradation."
The counselors of Dongan - Brockholls, Philipse, Bayard, and Van Cortlandt - were sworn into the new administration, and found their official importance increased rather than diminished, as they could now vote on the affairs of Boston as well as New York. As it was necessary for Andros to make Boston his headquarters, some of the New York rec- ords were transferred to Boston for his convenience, and Lieutenant-Gov- ernor Nicholson was left in charge of New York affairs.
The Protestants of New York appear to have rejoiced to some extent in the change of governors. However noble and discreet Dongan's course might have been, the fact that he worshiped, every Sabbath, with a few Roman Catholics, in a small chamber in Fort James, had caused uneasi- ness. Dominie Selyns wrote to the Classis of Amsterdam, " Sir Edmund Andros has now stepped into this government of New York and New Jersey, and is of the Church of England; and, understanding and speak- ing the Low Dutch and French, he attends mine and Mr. Daillé's preach- ing." It was hoped that papists would not henceforth come so freely to settle in the province.
James was, at this moment, actually engaged in trying to change the religion of his kingdom. The cardinals at Rome were dismayed at his blunders. "We must excommunicate him, or he will destroy the little of Catholicity which remains in England," they said. James had, some time before, apologized to Louis for the discourtesy shown to France in
329
EXTRAORDINARY ACTS OF JAMES II.
favoring the exiled Huguenots, and in directing Dongan to encourage them to settle in New York, with the promise of letters of denization. He had also admonished the Huguenot ministers to speak reverentially of their oppres- sor in their public discourses. When his advisers ventured to remonstrate at these conces- sions, "One king should always stand by another king," was his apology ; and then he went on intrusting civil and milita- ry power to Roman Catholics. He multiplied Catholic chap- Brasil. els ; he favored the establish- The First French Church in New York. ment of convents in different parts of London; he encouraged the ap- pearance of monks and friars, clad in the habits of their orders, in the streets, and even in the Court itself; he attempted to proselyte the Protestants about him ; he held private interviews, which he called " closetings," with various members of Parliament, and, when they did not accede to his wishes, he removed them, unless they resigned of themselves, and gave their places to Catholics ; and he made direct attack upon the Established Church by granting equal franchises to every relig- ious sect.
A few days after he executed the commission to Andros, he issued his second declaration of the liberty of conscience, in which he renewed the abrogation of all test oaths and laws against dissenters. The April 27. act was unconstitutional, and every Catholic of good judgment, from the Pope downward, was alarmed for the cause it was intended to advance. Then he invaded Oxford, that its rich endowments might be shared by the Catholics. The University plucked up courage and resisted ; and, in consequence, twenty-five of its officers were expelled and rendered in- capable of holding any church preferment. As a last plunge, preparatory to the tumble from his throne the blind king resolved to have his decla- ration of liberty of conscience read in every church in the realm. Little did he dream of the spirit he was provoking. Archbishop May 4. Sancroft, of Canterbury, and six other bishops, in a petition refused to obey the command. The next day was the Sunday fixed for the May 18. reading, and only about two hundred out of ten thousand clergy-
men complied with the requisition. Against all advice, the seven bishops were committed to the Tower. They were taken to that dismal prison
330
HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK.
by water; and, as they passed along, the crowds of people, who had assembled in startling numbers, fell upon their knees, and wept and prayed for them. When they entered the iron gates, the officers and soldiers on guard besought their blessing. During their confinement, the soldiers of the army every day drank, with loud shouts, to their release. When they were arraigned before the Court of King's Bench, they were surrounded by a throng of noblemen and gentlemen and a multitude of sympathizing people. The jury brought in a verdict of " NOT GUILTY," and such a shout went up as had never before been heard in Westminster Hall, and was passed on from street to street, away to Temple Bar, and to the Tower, and westward, till it reached the camp at Hounslow, where fifteen thousand soldiers took it up, and echoed it again and again. The king heard the mighty roar, and asked in alarm what it meant ? "It is nothing but the acquittal of the Bishops," answered one of his Lords. "Call you that nothing ?" exclaimed his Majesty. "It is so much the worse for them."
Between the petition of the Bishops and the trial, the queen gave birth to a son. The prospect of a Catholic successor, which was a great June 10. consolation to James, since both of his daughters were Protestants, produced for him an unlooked-for and extraordinary result. Several of the leading noblemen of the realm, among whom was the Earl of Shrews- bury, the Earl of Danby, the Earl of Devonshire, Lord Lumley, the Bishop of London, Admiral Russel and Colonel Sidney, on the June 30. evening after the acquittal of the Bishops, sent a secret invitation to the Prince of Orange to come over to England.
Admiral Russel had visited the Hague in May, while it was still un- certain whether or not the declaration would be read in the churches, and had held a long interview with Prince William, advising him to appear in England at the head of a strong body of troops and call the people to arms. William was inclined to suspect the courage of those who talked about sacrificing their lives and fortunes in such an enterprise, and finally declined giving the subject consideration until distinct invitations and pledges of support should come to him from responsible sources. He or- dered prayers to be said under his own roof for his little brother-in-law, and sent a formal message of congratulation to London. Presently the rumor reached him that not more than one person in ten believed1 the child to have really been born of the queen. Mary partook of the pre- vailing suspicion, and the prayers for the Prince of Wales ceased in her private chapel. If she had ever loved her father, this supposed attempt
1 Clarendon's Diary, 1688. Correspondence between Anne and Mary in Dalrymple. Clarke's Life of James II. Burnet. Macaulay's Hist. of Eng. Ronquillo.
331
THE CHARACTER OF WILLIAM III.
to deprive her of her rights must have alienated her affections. It was many years since she had seen him. He had done nothing since her mar- riage to call forth tenderness on her part. On the contrary he had tried to disturb her domestic happiness, and had introduced spies, eaves-drop- pers, and tale-bearers under her roof.
The direct influence exerted by Prince William Henry upon the for- tunes of New York seems to demand a brief glance at his person and character. He was less than forty years of age, with a face of fifty, and a wasted, attenuated body, that seemed scarcely able to sustain the burden of existence. His fac- ulties ripened at a time of life, when, in ordinary men, they have scarcely begun to blossom. While but a lad, he aston- ished the fathers of the Dutch Common- wealth by his gravity and self-control. At twenty-three, he was famous all over Eu- rope as a soldier and a politician. He had been weak and sickly from his birth; and E.CLEMESE: SO his feeble frame was Portrait of William III. constantly shaken by a hoarse asthmatic cough. He never slept unless his head was propped by several pillows, and he could scarcely draw his breath in any but the purest air. He was the victim of severe nervous headaches, and exertion quickly fatigued him. He was neither a happy nor a good-humored man. His pale, thin face was deeply furrowed, and a cloud seemed ever to rest upon his thoughtful brow. His eyes were bright, keen, and restless ; his nose curved like the beak of an eagle ; and his compressed lips gave to his whole aspect an air of pensive severity. 21
332
HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK.
But he was endowed with the qualities of a great ruler. He had a hard and invincible will, which forced him at times into the performance of the most herculean labors. He could praise and reprimand, reward and punish, with the stern tranquillity of an Indian chieftain. When enraged, the outbreak of his passion was something terrible to witness, and it was scarcely safe, at such times, to approach him. His affection was as impetuous as his wrath; although, to the world in general, he appeared to be one of the coldest and most unfeeling of men. When death separated him from the object of his love, the few who witnessed his agonies trembled for his reason and his life.
He was not, in a fashionable or a literary sense, accomplished ; and, in social intercourse, he was either ignorant or negligent of the little graces which increase the value of a favor and take away the sting of a refusal. He understood Latin, Italian, and Spanish, and spoke and wrote French, English, and German, fluently, although inelegantly. He cared little for science, but was intensely interested in all questions of international usage, of finance, and of war. He was a born statesman. His theology had been molded by the faith of his ancestors, the discussions in the synod of Dort, and the austere and inflexible logic of the Genevese school. The tenet of predestination was the keystone of his religion, but he openly avowed his fixed aversion to intolerance and persecution.
His marriage had been purely a political consideration. He devoted himself to public business, field sports, and some of the beautiful ladies of Mary's Court, and proved himself one of the most negligent of hus- bands. For nine years, he and his young wife lived estranged, but Mary's gentleness gradually won upon his esteem. There was one cause by which they were kept asunder, of which Mary had not the slightest suspicion. A time might come when she would be Queen of England, while her husband, with the same royal blood in his veins, ambitious, versed in diplomacy, understanding the state of every court in Europe, and bent on enterprises of magnitude, could only hold power from her bounty and during her pleasure. It was but natural that a man so fond of authority and so conscious of strength should have been stung with jealousy, in view of his humiliating position. Bishop Burnet, Mary's spiritual director and confidential adviser, blurted the truth to her, one morning, and she thus learned, for the first time, that, when she became Queen of England, William would not share her throne. She tearfully sought the remedy. Burnet explained to her, that, when she received the crown, she might, if she desired, easily induce Parliament to give the regal title to her husband, and even transfer to him by legislative act the administration of the government. Mary was delighted with this oppor-
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