USA > New York > New York City > History of the city of New York : its origin, rise, and progress. Vol. I > Part 43
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409
A CURIOUS ROMANCE.
gentleman's daughter, and ere many months a gay wedding at St. George's manor furnished society gossip for a season. Heathcote built a manor-house on his extensive lands near Mamaroneck (which were erected into a manor in 1701), and was lord of the manor of Scarsdale to the end of a long and eventful life. At his death the title as well as the estate descended to his son Gilbert. He had other children, among whom a large legacy from his brother William was divided. His eldest daugh- ter, Ann, married Lieutenant-Governor James De Lancey. His third daughter, Martha, married Dr. James Johnson of Perth Amboy, who was the friend and correspondent of Gronovius, and who succeeded Heath- cote as mayor of New York
In July word came to Fletcher that the French were offering presents to the Iroquois, who had suffered terribly from the war while they July. had received no material aid from the colonies which they had defended. The defection of these brave allies would be the ruin of New York. The governor hurried to Albany, and summoned the sachems to an interview. He made them large gifts of clothing, hatchets, knives, and ammunition. They were apparently pleased, and gave him furs as a trib- ute of esteem. But they delivered no belt of wampum as a token of sincer- ity, and although they promised to remain steadfast and loyal, they left behind them a feeling of insecurity. Fletcher wrote to the king that the warriors accused the neighboring English colonies of cowardice and lazi- ness, and were extremely dissatisfied that they were involved alone in such bloody warfare. " And should we lose the affections of our Indian friends," he continued, " we should be instantly steeped in blood our- selves."
A new Assembly convened in September, and James Graham was elected speaker. Fletcher recommended two chief objects to the consideration of the House. One was the settling of a ministry, Sept. 14. the other was the establishment of the revenue during the life of the king. Business progressed slowly, for there was much coldness and back- wardness among the members. Fletcher sent a messenger on the Sept. 20. 20th to remind the House of the value of time and the great expense of the session to the country. Shortly after, Jacobus Van Cortlandt pre- sented the bill of the revenue, which was read for the first time. In the afternoon a committee from the House met a committee from the council at Stephanus Van Cortlandt's residence, where the bill was discussed at great length. The counselors were all for settling the revenue upon the king for life. The Assemblymen present, among whom were Jacobus Van Cortlandt, Johannes Kip, and Colonel Pierson, were firmly in favor of continuing it only for five years. An amendment warmly sustained
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HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK.
by the counselors was voted down by the Assemblymen, and it passed the House in its original form.
The next day a bill for the establishment of a ministry, which gave the election of rectors to the vestry-men and church-wardens, was trans- mitted to the council. It was returned with an amendment investing the power of collation in the governor. The Assembly refused to assent to an alteration which deducted so much weight from the scale of popular power. The bill became a law, and it was couched in such language as led the Church of England to think it was enacted for her establishment alone, and gave room for the dissenters to contend that it was passed equally for their benefit. Fletcher was so exasperated that he summoned the House before him and broke up the session in high temper. He said : -
" You have shown a great deal of stiffness. You take upon you airs as if you were dictators. I sent down to you an amendment of three or four words in that bill, which, though very immaterial, yet was positively denied. I must tell you that it seems very unmannerly. There never was an amendment yet de- cided by the council but what you rejected ; it is a sign of stubborn ill-temper. But, gentlemen, I must take leave to tell you, if you seem to understand by these words that none can serve without your collation or establishment, you are mistaken ; for I have the power of collating or suspending any minister in my government by their Majesties' letters patent. Whilst I stay in the government I will take care that neither heresy, sedition, schism, nor rebellion be preached among you, nor vice nor profanity encouraged. It is my endeavor to lead a vir- tuous and pious life and to set a good example. I wish you all to do the same. You ought to consider that you have but a third share in the legislative power of the government, and ought not to take all upon you, nor be so peremptory. You ought to let the council do their part. They are in the nature of the House of Lords or Upper House. But you seem to take the whole power into your own hands and set up for everything. You have had a very long session to little purpose and have been a great charge to the country. Ten shillings a day is a large allowance and you punctually exact it. You have been always forward enough to put down the fees of other ministers in the government ; why did you not think it expedient to correct your own to a more moderate allowance ? Gen-, tlemen, I shall say no more at present, but that you do withdraw to your private affairs in the country. You are hereby prorogued to the tenth day of January next, ensuing." 1
At this time the Assembly had no treasurer, and the public money went directly into the hands of the receiver-general, who was appointed by the
1 Journal of the Legislative Council of New York, Vol. I. 47, 48. Chalmers. Smith. Bancroft. Dunlap.
411
SIR WILLIAM PHIPPS.
Crown. It was issuable only by the governor's warrant, hence every officer from the auditor to the clerk of the Assembly must apply to Fletcher for their pay.
New York was afflicted with all the pressures which never fail to over- whelm any country whose resources are not equal to its enterprises. Be- sides, she was struggling alone against the common danger. Fletcher's letters to the king finally led the latter to send mandatory letters to the other colonies, ordering them to assist New York in the prosecution of the war. For greater union he sent a commission to Fletcher to govern Penn- sylvania, which Penn had neglected since the Revolution. By the same vessel came a letter to Fletcher from Penn himself, admonishing him “to tread softly and with caution," as that territory and its government was his own private property. Fletcher made a journey to Pennsylvania, and spent some six weeks in the province; but the Quakers had been instruct- ed how to evade his authority, and, finding he could accomplish nothing, he left the government to Lieutenant-Governor Markham, and wrote to William that the trust conferred upon him was " only a trouble," and, so far from adding strength to New York, his absence increased her embar- rassments.
It was during his brief stay in Pennsylvania that he presided at the trial of William Bradford, the printer, who, having been arrested and ar- raigned before two Quaker judges for having printed a pamphlet for the political party out of power without permission of the administration, had appealed to the highest tribunal in the province. He was triumphantly acquitted, and Fletcher, becoming greatly interested in him personally, and desirous of introducing the art of printing into New York, invited him to come to the metropolis and print for the government at a stated salary. Bradford accepted the call, and took up his permanent abode in New York.
Sir William Phipps had been commissioned to govern all New England, but his jurisdiction over the military of Connecticut was revoked and transferred to Fletcher. The latter went to Hartford to assume author- ity. He remained there twenty days, and tried in vain to prove the inhe- rent right of the Crown to control all matters appertaining to the militia. The General Court was intrenched behind the charter, and finally sent Winthrop to England for redress; the latter so pleaded his cause at court that the Crown lawyers decided in favor of the Connecticut charter, and that the king had only the right to appoint the quota to be furnished in times of great emergency. Fletcher's commission was consequently re- voked.
Fletcher next sent Mayor De Peyster and Counselor Brooke to Boston 26
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HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK.
to negotiate with Governor Phipps for assistance. He received them un- graciously. When they stated their errand, and told him of the weak condition of New York, the great depopulation it had suffered in the de- fense of the frontiers, the wavering temper of the Indians, and the ruin- ous taxes repeated and repeated upon the people until they were weary and disheartened, and asked for a proper quota from Massachusetts pur- suant to the king's instructions, Phipps seemed disposed to answer them in the same way that he reproved his servants, by throwing a chair at their heads. He swore he would not furnish a man nor a farthing. They told him that the governors of the different colonies were going to send commissioners to New York in October to confer on the subject, but he sharply interrupted them by declaring that none should come from him. Some of Phipps's counselors were present, and seemed heartily ashamed of his behavior. They apologized, aside, and hoped that De Peyster and Brooke would blame his education for what they had seen and heard. "His Excellency is needlessly hot," said Brooke. "Ah! you must pardon him; it is dog-days," was the reply.
1694. In the spring a new Assembly was elected. When they con- March. vened Colonel Pierson was chosen speaker. There was so much disagreement among the members about the amount of taxes to be levied upon the already overburdened people, that Fletcher became uneasy lest the gallant Iroquois should make a separate treaty with the French before he could furnish them the aid he had promised. Finally a dispute arose about the number of men necessary to guard the frontiers. Fletcher, worried out of all patience, testily informed the House that he was a competent judge of such matters, and if they would provide a subsidy, he would head the militia any moment when necessary. "Time runs away," he exclaimed. "You have now sat twenty days, and little or nothing is done. It were much more pleasant if business went on cheerfully at once." A bill was finally passed to raise a small sum, but it was insuffi- cient. The House demanded an examination of the public accounts, par- ticularly the muster-rolls of the volunteers in the pay of the province, the members who were of the Leislerian faction having accused Fletcher and his council of official stealing. It was granted ; but the malicious warfare of words did not cease. The session was adjourned on the 26th of March to meet again on the 25th of September.
During the summer the little printing-press of William Bradford created quite a sensation in New York. He was among other things em- ployed in printing the Corporation laws. The young printer was one of the most industrious of men, and was constantly issuing something novel, and from its rarity and freshness of course interesting to people who had
413
ROBERT LIVINGSTON IN ENGLAND.
hitherto been obliged to obtain all printed matter from a distance. His first issue was a small folio volume. The second was a 24mo of fifty-one pages, entitled " A LETTER OF ADVICE TO A YOUNG GENTLEMAN LEAVING THE UNIVERSITY, CONCERNING HIS CONVERSATION AND BEHAVIOR IN THE WORLD ; by R. L. A." A copy of this antique work was sold at an auction sale of E. B. Corwin, a few years since, for the small sum of $ 12.50 !
Robert Livingston was in England the greater part of this year. He sailed in the early spring, and his vessel was shipwrecked upon the coast of Portugal. He had no alternative but to undertake the hazardous jour- ney through Spain and France by land. He was about sixty years of age at the time, but in the full possession of all his remarkable gifts of intellect, and scarcely less reckless than in his adventurous youth. He accomplished the feat of getting through an enemy's country in safety, and in commemoration of the event altered the Livingston coat-of-arms from a demi-savage to a ship in distress, and changed the motto "Si je Puis " -If I am able, -to " Spero Meliora " - I hope for better things. He was cordially received by the lords at Whitehall.
He was surprised to learn that an order had passed the Privy Council for the pardon of the "condemned six " in New York, and that their estates had been restored to them ! He was still more surprised to meet Abraham Gouverneur in the antechamber of the king! But when he met young Leisler at the dinner-table of the Earl of Bellomont his feel- ings underwent a change, and he entered with characteristic warmth into the iron purpose of the young man to secure complete restitution of blood as well as property ; and he, moreover, aided the latter to the extent of his influence, which was not inconsiderable. William having been suc- cessfully petitioned for leave to apply to Parliament, Constantine Phipps (one of the Massachusetts agents) framed a bill to reverse the attainder of Leisler and his adherents, and Sir Henry Ashurst sat as chairman of the committee to whom it was referred. Dudley was present, and opposed it with all his strength, and the whole court regarded it with disfavor. It nevertheless passed into a law in April, 1695. Massachu- setts was triumphant, as it was supposed to contain a Parliamentary recognition of the rectitude of her violent proceedings. As for New York, this implied censure upon her administration engendered and con- tinued civil distractions until it seemed as if she would be rent in sunder. Gouverneur returned and became one of the ablest and most persistent leaders of the Leislerian party. In 1699 he married Mary Leisler, the widow of Jacob Milborne. - One of his daughters was the mother of the distinguished Gouverneur Morris.
Meanwhile September came and the Assembly once more convened.
414
HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK.
Fletcher presented a detailed account of his transactions with the Indians, Sept. 25. and explained to the House the ill effects of their late policy in
abating fourpence per day from the soldiers' pay. These poorly compensated men had been running away in troops of seven at a time. Eightpence could hardly provide food and shoes. Men could not be found to serve for such a paltry sum. Fletcher said he knew how to exercise strict discipline, but it went against his nature to put men to death for desertion when they were starving and freezing, and it was impossible for them to do duty barefoot on the frontiers in the winter. The New York soldiers were the more discouraged because those from New Jersey received their full twelvepence per day.
He also pressed attention to the disagreeable duty of raising more money for forts, ammunition, and stores. But the Leislerians in the House were growing bolder every day. They were determined to crucify the men who surrounded and supported Fletcher. They expressed dis- satisfaction with the disposition of the revenue. The books were again laid open for their inspection. They had no intention of being molli- fied, and picked flaws with many of the charges and disbursements, not- withstanding they were aware as well as others, that in time of actual war there will unavoidably be great and unexpected charges, indispen- sable to the welfare and safety of a country. Fletcher had, as soon as he found there was no prospect of help from the colonies (except New Jersey) applied himself to the work of obtaining recruits from England, and had so far succeeded that four hundred soldiers, as a standing force, about this time arrived. But they must be supported. While eight- pence per day would enable an English soldier to live better in Eng- land, as far as meat and clothing were concerned, than twice that sum in New York, the Assembly were unwilling to grant any additional pay. Fletcher argued that they could not be kept together on that amount of money ; they would soon have no means to buy shoes, stock- ings, and shirts. The dispute became very bitter. Fletcher accused the House of ingratitude, after all his efforts to secure the troops. The House muttered about the misapplication of the revenue. He finally prorogued them until the following March.
1695. When they then came together the wrangle was renewed with
vigor. The House asked for an adjournment until the muster- March 21. rolls could be inspected. Fletcher refused, on the ground that the request was improper, and he demanded the immediate raising of funds for the subsistence and pay of the officers and men in the service of the province. A bill was framed to raise £ 1000, to secure the frontier for six months. It was pronounced insufficient by Fletcher, and rejected.
415
GOVERNOR FLETCHER'S SPEECH.
A committee from the governor's council met a committee from the As- sembly, and placed the accounts of the province before them in order to show that a fraction over £ 1023 was at that moment actually due to the forces at Albany. The committee from the Assembly refused to look at these papers. They asserted that there was a surplus of funds some- where, and demanded the balance of accounts, not the accounts them- selves. They said they believed there was a voucher for every dollar which had passed the council-board, but would not credit the council. If Fletcher appointed more officers than the House made provision for, or detained the men longer in service, he must pay it himself. The com- mittee from the council explained that the men were detained longer in the service on account of the delay in the arrival of the soldiers from England, and the intelligence that the enemy were marching towards Albany ; there was also daily occasion to send out men to range the woods and defend isolated farms. Who so competent to judge in such matters as the commander-in-chief ? The men had done their work, and now they must be paid. The next day there was another meeting April 11. of the two committees. The council were represented by Ste- phanus Van Cortlandt, Chief Justice Smith, and Caleb Heathcote. Peter De Lanoy was at the head of the committee from the Assembly. The council tendered the House the muster-rolls ; they had before given the abstracts, they now put the original papers into the hands of De Lanoy, and desired him to compare it with the abstract in the presence of and for the satisfaction of every member of the Assembly. De Lanoy de- clined, saying, " There is no need of it."
But when the Assembly again voted, it was to raise only the £ 1,000. Fletcher was in a very trying position. He sent for the speaker
and the whole Assembly, and in the council-chamber earnestly April 12. entreated them to " leave fruitless and causeless contention and jangling, which was a stagnation upon all business, and regard only the good and safety of the province." The counselors took the opportunity to acknowl- edge themselves witnesses of the governor's integrity, and expressed their unanimous belief that it was his sincere desire to promote the best inter- ests of the people. It was to no purpose ; suspicion had taken deep root, and the House would not recede from its position. The fol- April 13. lowing morning the governor prorogued the Assembly for ten days. He said : -
" You have spent a long time at the expense of the country for no purpose. The supply you give is no supply at all. If a man gives me £ 1000, and obliges me to pay £ 10,000, he gives me nothing. .... I am as sensible of the burden of detachments as you can be and have done much more to lighten it.
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HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK.
It is an oppression that falls wholly upon the poor. The most of you are shel- tered by commissions, as justices of the peace or militia officers ; but you know that you must contribute some proportion to the taxes. The gentlemen who are of my council are riveted among you here. They have fixed down their stakes and have as much interest in the country as yourselves. Yea, more than all of you. They are as unwilling to bring a yoke upon their posterity as you are. I can name two of them who pay more taxes in one year than all of you pay. It seems strange that you will put no trust in them, and make doubts and scruples where there is no ground for it, in things which you yourselves confess you do not understand. There's never a man amongst you, except Peter De Lanoy, who pretends to understand an account. There is not one farthing of public money disbursed but by advice of the council, and there are good vouch- ers for it. .... Had you acted like men, if you found me out of my duty, it was your business to have provided for the safety of the province, then to have drawn up your accusation against me to their Majesties, which I should have taken care should have come to their hands."
The Assembly had on the 12th, in answer to a petition from five church-wardens and vestrymen of the city, declared that these church- wardens and vestrymen had power to call a dissenting minister, who should be paid and maintained according to the Act of September 22, 1693. Fletcher, who had very just notions on such subjects, sharply re- buked the members for meddling with what they did not understand. " The laws," he said, "are to be interpreted only by judges; .... there are no such officers as church-wardens and vestrymen in any Protestant church but the Church of England."
On the 20th Fletcher dissolved the Assembly by proclama- April 20. tion. Another was elected, and convened in June. Fletcher had been personally into the field, and influenced the election as far as it was in his power. Among the members were Colonel Henry Beekman,1 Brandt Schuyler, Major Wessells, and Jacobus Van Cortlandt. James
1 Colonel Henry Beekman was the eldest son of William Beekman, and brother of Dr. Gerardus Beekman. He settled in Esopus (Kingston). He was called the "Great Patentee " because of his extensive landed estate. A boy once asked a Dutch farmer on the Hudson, if there was any land in the moon. "I don't know," was the reply ; "but if you will go to Colonel Henry Beekman he can tell you, for if there is any there you may be sure he has got a patent for the bigger part of it." Colonel Henry Beekman was a deacon and elder in the Reformed Dutch church, and judge of the county of Ulster. He married Janet, the daughter of Robert Livingston (the nephew of Robert Livingston the first of the name in in this country) and his wife, Margaretta Schuyler. He was large-sized, of symmetrical figure, manly in bearing, with a handsome, intelligent face. His children were, 1, Henry, who married Margaret Livingston (children, Robert, Henry, John, Edward, Janet, Mar- garet, Alida, Catharine, Hannah) ; 2, Catharine, who married Mr. Paulding of Rhinebeck ; 3, Cornelia, who married Gilbert Livingston (children nine sons and five daughters) ; 4, Rob- ert ; 5, Gilbert.
417
CRUELTIES OF THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR.
Graham was speaker. More harmony was obtained, and reasonable sums were raised to defray the debts of the government. Some important bills were passed, and then the House was adjourned until October. In the interim Fletcher visited Albany and conferred with the Indians, giving them many presents. He scolded them for allowing Count Frontenac to rebuild the fort at Cadaraqui, but commended them in turn for having made peace with one of the remote western tribes which had hitherto aided the French. One of the warriors of the latter tribe had been cap- tured while negotiating the treaty, and put to death by the French in the most shocking manner. He was tied to a stake, and a Frenchman broiled the flesh of his legs with the red-hot barrel of a gun. A furrow was then split from the prisoner's shoulder to his garter, and filled with gunpowder, which was set on fire. The captors danced around and filled the air with shouts of laughter. When the poor fellow's strength began to fail his scalp was taken off and hot coals of fire placed upon his skull. He was then untied and ordered to run for his life. He reeled like a drunken man, and started in an easterly direction; they shut up the way and drove him to the west, which the Indians call the country of departed miserable souls. He had vitality enough left to throw stones at his pursuers. They finally put an end to his misery by striking him on the head. After this every one cut a slice from his body and con- cluded the entertainment with a feast. The Iroquois immediately served up their French and Indian prisoners in a similar manner. It was re- taliation and it was re-retaliation. The cruelties of that long and bloody warfare are beyond the power of language to describe. Count Frontenac finally determined to carry the sword into the very midst of the confed- erate tribes. He raised an army which was so large and extensive that it created a famine throughout Canada, and he was himself carried in an easy-chair directly in the rear of the artillery. News reached New York, and recruits were hurried off to the help of the Indians.
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