USA > New York > New York City > History of the city of New York : its origin, rise, and progress. Vol. II > Part 4
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dress to the king, expressing their abhorrence of the rebellion in Scot- land and the popish Pretender. Measures were adopted for the security of New York City, and men and means sent to the frontiers, where war had actually commenced. Bills passed the House in rapid succession. One of these required all persons in the colony to take the oaths pre- scribed by Parliament, for the security of the government against the Catholic religion ; the Quakers were allowed to affirm instead of swearing.
All at once a communication reached New York from the Com- Sept. missioners of Indian Affairs, that the enemy were on the war-path from Canada, and that the English traders had retired in alarm from Oswego, which was creating a very unfavorable impression upon the minds of the Indians, particularly the remote nations, who, on coming a long distance to trade, had found the place deserted. It seemed necessary that the post should be maintained on a more ample and efficient basis than ever be- fore, as a commanding mart, lest the tribes, disgusted with the want of courage manifested by the English, should go over to the French. The garrison at Oswego was accordingly reinforced, and large sums of money raised to increase the strength of the post and induce the traders to re- turn. There was no lack of prompt and efficient action on the part of the Assembly. Special allowances were voted for the defense of Albany and Schenectady, and £ 3,200 granted for the defense of the colony at large.
Thus far the Assembly and governor had acted in concert. But when New England was all astir making preparations to attack Louisburg, - the Gibraltar of America - and Clinton, having received an urgent letter from Governor Shirley of Massachusetts, recommending a closer bond of union between the colonies in order to the more efficient conduct of the war, asked New York to co-operate, he was reminded of the liberality of the various appropriations, and told that the taxes of the people were already too great, and ought not be increased except for purposes of de- fense ; besides, in the estimation of the mass of the community, the con- quest of Canada belonged exclusively to the crown.
Clinton's speech to the House on the subject was not well received. One point in particular irritated certain members beyond measure. A bill was before Parliament to prevent the issue of paper currency - bills of credit - in the colonies, which from the scope of its two last clauses was supposed by many to be a design to compel Assemblymen to obey all the orders and instructions of the crown. Money had been sent to two gentlemen in London, who were to oppose the bill, and Clinton asked the House to refund the same. As it had been raised by persons outside, during a legislative recess, the House declined. An address was not even vouchsafed the governor, which was contrary to all parliamentary usage, and he in turn was offended.
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HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK.
Henceforth the House assumed a peculiar attitude in respect to Clinton, slighting his opinions and recommendations ; it rejected the proposition of a guard-ship, intimated a design to lessen the garrison at Oswego, de- clined the advice of the Council in relation to appointing commissioners to act jointly with those of New England in treating with the Indians, voted only a small sum for the New England expedition, and delayed making provision for Indian presents. Its greatest misdemeanor, how- ever, was in its incivilities to the governor personally, who became so ex- May 14. asperated in the end, that, after indulging in a severe reprimand, he dissolved the body. He wrote to the Lords of Trade that it was astonishing how jealous the men of New York were of the power of the king; they picked flaws with every officer appointed by the crown, and gave them salaries or not, just as it suited their pleasure. In his opinion, it was impossible for any governor, in the present condition of the public . mind, to exert the influence requisite to a good government.
The merchants of New York were active in fitting out privateers at their own expense, and brought in many prizes, chiefly of sugars. Ad- miral Sir Peter Warren was first in the field, but he refused to pay duties, saying such were not demanded in the West Indies, where he had sent many prizes. Clinton wrote to the Duke of Newcastle, asking his in- terposition with the Commissioners of Customs in favor of waiving duties in New York, since it was well to annoy the enemy, and the results would be beneficial to the city.
The Twenty-Fourth Assembly was composed of nearly the same mem- bers as the Twenty-Third. David Jones, who was one of the great econo- mists of the time, was elected speaker. The culmination of horrors all along the northern and northwestern horizon influenced a certain degree of liberality in the appropriation of funds for actual defenses. But the question of direct taxation produced heart-burnings and discontents. The opinion that the crown imposed too heavy a burden upon New York in such emergencies grew with each roll of the suns. The governor was waiting to meet the chiefs of the Six Nations at Albany, and the House loftily provided for his expenses, and for Indian presents to keep the fickle warriors in the interests of the English. The Cape Breton expe- dition was treated with more favor, and £ 5,000 voted towards its accom - plishment.
The harbor of Louisburg, on the southeastern side of the Island of Cape Breton, was considered the key to the American possessions of the French. By the treaty of Utrecht, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland, including the island of Canseau, had fallen to the Crown of Great Britain, and Cape Breton had been ceded to the French. The harbor of the latter was con-
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THE CONQUEST OF LOUISBURG.
venient for the reception and security of ships of every burden, - man- of-war, and merchant-vessels. It afforded protection to navigation and fisheries, as well as great facilities in time of war, for interrupting the navigation and fisheries of the enemy. The French had built a fortified town - Louisburg - upon the island, which cost twenty-five years of labor, and thirty millions of livres. It was called the Dunkirk of America.1
The neck of land upon which the town was built was two and a quar- ter miles in circumference ; it was regularly laid out in squares, with broad streets lined with houses, chiefly of wood, with a few of stone. On the west side was a spacious citadel, on one side of which were the gov- ernor's apartments. The ramparts on every side of the town were from thirty to thirty-six feet high, with a ditch eight feet wide. Under the ramparts were casements to receive the women and children during a siege. There were six bastions and three batteries, containing embras- ures for one hundred and forty-eight cannon. On an island at the entrance of the harbor was planted a battery of thirty twenty-eight pounders ; and at the bottom of the harbor, directly opposite to the en- trance, was a royal battery of twenty-eight forty-two pounders, and two eighteen-pounders. On a high cliff opposite to the island battery stood a lighthouse ; and within the harbor, on the northeast, a magazine of naval stores.
The entrance to the town, on the land side, was over a drawbridge, near to which was a circular battery, mounting sixteen twenty-four pounders.
The reduction of Louisburg was as desirable to the English as that of Carthage was to the Romans. Governor Shirley of Massachusetts origi- nated the bold project. The British Ministry approved, and ordered Admiral Sir Peter Warren, then commodore, to proceed from the West Indies northward with his squadron, and co-operate with the movements of Shirley. The magnitude of the undertaking, as well as its boldness, at first startled the New-Englanders, but they soon caught the fire of enthusiasm, and made the necessary grants. Connecticut and Rhode Island enlisted in the scheme. The Connecticut division was com- manded by Lieutenant-Governor Roger Wolcott,2 bearing the commission
1 Marshall's Colonial History.
2 The Wolcotts were of the old English gentry. Henry Wolcott, one of the first settlers of Connecticut, was the son and heir of John Wolcott, of Golden Manor, in England. The manor-house is still standing, an immense castle of great antiquity, designed for the purposes of defense against the excesses of a lawless age, as well as for a permanent family residence. It is richly ornamented with carved work, and upon the walls may be seen the motto of the
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HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK.
of major-general. The commander-in-chief of the expedition was Colo- nel William Pepperell, who was raised to the rank of lieutenant-general.
Pepperell was a popular man, widely known; he possessed culture, courage, and coolness. He was of large, powerful, vigorous frame, with magnetic face and engaging manners. Before he accepted the command he asked advice of the famous preacher, Rev. George Whitfield, who re- plied that the affair did not look very promising; that the eyes of all the world would be upon him, and if he did not succeed, the widows and orphans of the slain would reproach him, and if he did succeed many would regard him with envy and try to eclipse his glory. Whitfield finally favored the expedition, furnishing the motto Nil desperandum Christo duce, for the flag, which gave the whole the air of a crusade, and many of the missionary's followers enlisted. One of them, a chaplain, car- ried on his shoulder a hatchet with which he intended to destroy the im- ages in the French churches.
Warren assumed command of the naval forces by order of the Admi- ralty. The two commanders, Pepperell and Warren, concerted their plans, and commenced operations in the early spring of 1745. The result was one of the most brilliant achievements of the age. Louisburg fell, and the news of the important victory filled America with joy and Europe with astonishment. The colonists began to know their own strength, and Eng- land was aghast at the development of so much energy and power. Bos- ton was illuminated, even to its most obscure alleys, and the night was signalized by fire-works and bonfires. All New England observed a day of solemn thanksgiving, set apart by the civil authority.
After the surrender of Louisburg a grand entertainment was given on shore by Pepperell, to honor Warren and the various officers of the navy who had been instrumental in the capture. Pepperell's chaplain, Rev. Mr. Moody, was somewhat prolix in saying grace before meals, and the
family arms, Nullius addictus jurare in verba magistri, - " Inclined to swear in the words of no master." It was in keeping with the independent spirit of an English gentleman of the Middle Ages, and with that of a Puritan of a later date, who spurned the dictation of ecclesias- tical wisdom. Wolcott sold a portion of his estate before he left England. He was a magistrate of the Connecticut colony, and his descendants in the direct line were magistrates, judges, and governors for over one hundred and eighty successive years. Roger Wolcott was the grand- son of Henry Wolcott, and the son of Simon Wolcott and Martha Pitkin. The latter - a beautiful, self-reliant young woman - came to Connecticut to persuade her favorite brother, the distinguished William Pitkin, to return to England. Tradition says that the wise heads of the colony were anxious to retain the brother ; and, charmed with the graces and superior accomplishments of the sister, resolved to capture and keep her also. Hence they selected Simon Wolcott, the handsomest and most elegant young man in Connecticut, to court and marry her. Among her descendants were six governors, and her granddaughter married an- other governor.
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ADMIRAL SIR PETER WARREN. 595
general was particularly anxious on this occasion that he should not fa- tigue his guests. Yet he dare not venture the hint of brevity. The chap- lain, however, was imbued with the spirit of the occasion, to the supreme delight of the officer ; his prayer ran thus : "Good Lord, we have so much to thank thee for, that time would be infinitely too short to do it in. We must therefore leave it for the work of eternity. Bless our board and fellowship on this joyful occasion, for the sake of Christ our Lord. Amen"
1136708
Warren was gazetted rear-admiral of the blue on the same day the news of the capitulation reached London, and was afterwards knighted. Pepperell was created a baronet, and made a colonel in the British army. Governor Shirley and Governor Wentworth were each confirmed in their governments. There was a strange reluctance on the part of the crown, however, to reimburse the colonies for the heavy expenses which they had so nobly and magnanimously incurred, and, by reason of which a conquest was effected of such magnitude, it was said, "as to prove an equivalent at the peace of Aix-la-chapelle, for all the success of the French upon the continent of Europe."1 The claim was prosecuted several years before Parliament could be brought to sanction an appropriation for its payment. The grant was finally obtained in 1749, amounting to £183,649. It was received in Boston the same year, and equitably divided among the colo- nies which had incurred the expenditure.2
The autumn of 1745 witnessed the destruction of Saratoga. A party of French and Indians from Crown Point surprised the settlement, burned the fort and other buildings, massacred more than thirty Nov. 16. families, and carried many persons into captivity. The country was un- covered to the very city of Albany, and the utmost consternation pre- vailed. The northern settlers fled from their homes with their wives and little ones, and complained loudly of the neglect of the government in providing for their safety. General dissatisfaction prevailed.
Now was Clinton's turn to be avenged. He had repeatedly urged the building of a fortress in the desolated region, and he reproached the House so sharply for its inattention to his requisitions, that, suppressing resent- ment and wrath, a resolution was adopted, to concur in every reasonable measure for the safety of the province, the assistance of the distressed, and
1 Belknap. Douglass. Mass. Trans., Vol. I. Pepperell's Letters.
2 The exact sum was £183,649 25 s. 72 d. The agent who prosecuted the claim encountered difficulties at every step. His name was William Bollan. The money was in specie. It consisted, according to a note in Holms, of two hundred and fifteen chests (three thousand pieces of eight, on an average, in each chest) of milled pieces of eight, and one hundred casks of coined copper. There were seventeen cart and truck loads of the silver, and about ten truck-loads of copper. Mass. Hist. Coll.
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in any well-concerted plan for distressing the enemy. Rewards were offered for scalps, bills passed for raising scouting-parties, erecting re- doubts, and furnishing and transporting detachments and provisions to all Indian allies. But fresh demands accumulated, and every advance of money created a quarrel among the members, often relating to the parti- tion of the general burden among the counties, and was granted under protest.
It was about this time that the Rev. Samuel Buel, D. D., commenced his fifty years' pastorate. He was called to the church of Easthampton, Long Island, through the recommendation of Rev. Aaron Burr of Newark. He had been a pupil of Rev. Jonathan Edwards, and had married the granddaughter of Rev. John Williams of Deerfield. He was a small-sized, active, cheerful, resolute man, of profound scholarship and enthusiastic piety. He was fond of society, of the chase, was gifted in anecdote, and his ready wit was the delight of his associates.1
1 The daughter (Jerusha) of Dr. Buel was married December 15, 1766, to David Gardiner, the sixth lord of the manor of Gardiner's Island. After the marriage ceremony the clergyman was congratulated by some of his people upon the honorable wedding. "Yes," he replied, " I always wished to give my daughter to the Lord." Dr. Buel remained at his post during the Revolution. He made no effort to conceal his Whig principles, but his pleasantry, po- liteness, and tact secured him the friendship of the British officers quartered at Easthampton. He often dined with them. At one time he had been invited by Sir William Erskine to accompany them on a deer-hunt, and was behind time at the hour appointed. The younger officers, impatient of delay, had mounted when he was seen approaching. Sir Wil- liam required them to dismount and receive the clergyman. Lord Percy was irritated that such deference should be shown " an old rebel," and when introduced was ungracious. Dr. Buel inquired what division of the army he had the honor to command. " A legion of devils just from hell !" was the ill-natured reply. " Ah, then," said the clergyman, with a low how, " I suppose I have the honor to address Beelzebub the prince of devils." Although the retort was so keenly felt that the young nobleman's hand touched his sword (a movement instantly checked by Sir William), he was captivated by the wit and brilliant humor of the minister long before the chase was ended, and subsequently became one of his warmest ad- mirers. On another occasion Sir William met Dr. Buel and remarked that he had ordered the people of his parish to appear the next day (Sunday) at Southampton with their teams. "I know you have," responded the clergyman, " but I am commander-in-chief on that day, and have annulled your order." The precedence was pleasantly admitted, and the order revoked. Dr. Buel was the immediate successor in the church of Rev. Nathaniel Hunting, who succeeded Rev. Thomas James, the first minister of the town, in 1650.
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PHILIP LIVINGSTON.
CHAPTER XXVII.
1
1745-1755.
PHILIP LIVINGSTON.
PHILIP LIVINGSTON. - PHILIP LIVINGSTON'S SONS. - WILLIAM LIVINGSTON. - PHILIP LIV- INGSTON'S DAUGHTERS. - PHILIP LIVINGSTON'S DEATH. - JOHN RUTHERFORD. - THE INDIAN CONFERENCE OF OCTOBER, 1745. - FREDERICK PHILIPSE. - THE PHILIPSE FAMILY. - PHILIPSE MANOR. - MARY PHILIPSE. - CLINTON AND THE ASSEMBLY. - PREPARATIONS FOR THE CANADIAN CAMPAIGN. - INDIAN CONFERENCE OF 1746. - HOR- RORS OF WAR. - CHIEF JUSTICE DE LANCEY. - DR. COLDEN. - VIOLENT CONTESTS. - NEW YORK UNDER DISCIPLINE. - A GLIMPSE OF NEW YORK IN 1752. - THE ODD WED- DING. - REV. AARON BURR. - SIR DANVERS OSBORNE. - STATESMANSHIP OF LIEU- TENANT-GOVERNOR DE LANCEY. - THE ALBANY CONGRESS. - KING'S COLLEGE. - WIL- LIAM LIVINGSTON. - THE GREAT FEUD. - NEW YORK SOCIETY LIBRARY. - GOVERNOR SIR CHARLES HARDY. - THE FRENCH WAR. - GENERAL BRADDOCK. - WASHINGTON. - WAR. - ACADIA. - HON. JOHN WATTS. - THE WATTS ESTATE. - THE WATTS MAN- SION. - ARCHIBALD KENNEDY. - No 1 BROADWAY.
P HILIP LIVINGSTON (the second lord of the manor) was one of the counselors. He exercised his delegated authority only upon special occasions, however, as he spent the greater portion of the year in his elegant manor-house. In all conferences with the Indians his presence was esteemed indispensable. He had been Secretary of Indian Affairs for nearly a fourth of a century, and was conversant with whatever con- cerned their relations with the people of the province. At an interview with the sachems of the Six Nations in the autumn of 1745, he opposed the governor's scheme for reducing Crown Point, giving reasons which occasioned a personal exchange of incivilities by no means flattering to either party ; at the same time a few Mohawk warriors complained that Livingston had obtained a patent for a large tract of land in their country which had never been bought or paid for, although Indian names were attached to the documents. Clinton censured Livingston, while the latter declared that the transaction was conducted in the same manner as all former transactions of the kind, only the Indians had since quarrelled among themselves, and denied the right of the old chief (now deceased) to negotiate sales. He said such difficulties were constantly arising.
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The young warriors, as soon as their fathers were gone, looked around to see what had been done, and grumbled if they happened to covet what their sires had sold. The governors of Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania were present at this meeting. It was feared that the Six Nations would revolt and go over to the enemy, and every effort was made to enlist them in the British interest. Clinton thought Livingston should relinquish his claim to the contested property, and Livingston thought the British government must be getting feeble if the officers recently engrafted upon New York were a sample of its governing mate- rial ; he considered himself entitled to protection.
Philip Livingston supported three princely establishments,- one in New York City, one in Albany, and his manor-house. He lived in a style of courtly magnificence. He was now sixty years of age. His brother Robert (somewhat younger than himself) built the large stone house at Clermont, (sketch, page 319) and was residing there with his family, of which the future Judge Robert R. Livingston - the father of the dis- tinguished Chancellor Livingston - was one of the most conspicuous members. He, Robert R. Livingston, was now twenty-six, and had been married about three years to Margaret Beekman, the daughter of Colonel Henry Beekman and Janet Livingston, and granddaughter, on her mother's side, of Robert, nephew of the first lord of the manor, and Margaretta Schuyler (only daughter of Hon. Peter Schuyler). They had a large famliy, of whom more presently.
Philip Livingston's six sons were already assuming the tasks and respon- sibilities of active life. Robert succeeded to the manor, and was the last lord, the Revolution breaking the entail. Peter Van Brugh, Philip, John, William, and Henry were all educated at Yale. Peter Van Brugh Liv- ingston went into mercantile speculations on an extensive scale, married Mary, the daughter of James Alexander, and built a handsome house on Prince Street; he was subsequently president of the New York Con- gress. Philip became a prominent merchant, erected a stone mansion on Duke Street, and a charming villa on Brooklyn Heights. He signed the Declaration of Independence. John was also a merchant; he married Catharine, the daughter of Hon. Abraham De Peyster, the treasurer of the province from 1721 to 1767, and one of the richest magnates of his time. They lived pretentiously on Queen Street near the De Peyster homestead. William was the pet and protégé of his maternal grandmother, Mrs. Van Brugh, and passed much of his boyhood with her in Albany. Before he was fourteen years old he had spent an entire year among the Mohawks, under the care of an English missionary. The language and habits of the Indians were esteemed an essential part of his education, as the proper measures
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WILLIAM LIVINGSTON.
to be pursued in regard to the French and Indians was the chief subject of colonial vigilance and apprehension. This was from 1736 to 1737. He was graduated from Yale, at the head of his class, in 1741, and studied law in the office of James Alexander. He was an apt scholar, and, through the vigor and quickness of his perceptions, took marvelous strides in legal knowledge. One day his father questioned him as to how he spent his evenings. "Never fear for my morals," he replied. "I am plodding at mathematics and astronomy every night until after nine o'clock." He married Susanna French, the granddaughter of Lieutenant- Governor Anthony Brockholls, and the great-granddaughter of the first lord of Philipse Manor. He became the celebrated war-governor of New Jersey. Henry was an extensive ship-owner and importer, and he also built himself a residence in New York City.
Philip Livingston's three daughters were brilliant and accomplished women. Sarah married William Alexander, - Lord Stirling, - the son of James Alexander. Alida married Henry Hawson, and, after his death, Martin Hoffman. Catharine married John L. Lawrence.1
Among the counselors who attended the governor during his conference with the Indians in Albany, were Joseph Murray and John Rutherford. The latter was a new-comer, but a man of rank and learning. He was appointed by the Lords across the water, and Clinton was annoyed. He had in his mind one or two native New-Yorkers whom he wished to serve, and urgently requested that the appointment of Rutherford might be revoked. He did not accomplish his point, but he did make an enemy of the gentleman in question. Four hundred and sixty-four Indians marched into Albany the night before the conference opened. Forty- three sachems called on the governor and his party about six o'clock. They were each treated to a glass of rum, and, after an exchange of courtesies, departed to partake of the supper prepared for them by the mayor and citizens of Albany. The subject of an aggressive campaign into Canada, with the help of the Indians, was discussed during this conference without specific results. The treaty was renewed with the Mohawks, and the commissioners from the other colonies urged united effort in the matter
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