ple supported Col. Lesler in retaining the fort, and subscribed a declaration, of mutual support to the Prince of Orange; Nicholson absconded and the people triumphed. King William received graciously the address of Col. Lesler, and confirmed him in his command. Gov. Dongan repaired to Ireland, where he became Earl of Limerick, and Col. Nicholson was made governor of Virginia, 1689.

Thus we have witnessed the good that God in his providence has caused to spring out of this despotic Popish reign of James II. by not only laying a foundation of friendly intercourse amongst the Indians, through the instrumentality of Gov. Dongan, and thus bringing ruin on the French, the scourge of the English in America; but by exciting the feelings of the people to the subject of religion, and thus opening the way for the introduction of that Gospel into the colony of New-York, where it had been but little regarded, and where it proved the means of promoting a unity of sentiment, effort, and design, with those NewEngland colonies, whose civil and religious institutions had been, and have continued to be, the palladium of NewEngland, and whose support was about to become important to the peace, happiness, safety, and even independent existence of the colony of New-York.

We will now bring forward the colony of New-Jersey.

CHAPTER VIII.

NEW-JERSEY CONTINUED.-RISE AND PROGRESS OF NEW-JERSEY FROM THE CONQUEST BY THE ENGLISH, 1673, to the REVOLUTION, 1702.

IN Chapter IV. we brought forward the history of NewJersey, in connection with New-York, down to the conquest of the English, 1673.-We will now resume the subject, and bring forward the history of New-Jersey.

In the year 1674, Lord Berkely claimed one half of New-Jersey, who conveyed his claim to John Fenwick, in trust for Edward Billinge, and his assigns. The next year Fenwick embarked for America with several families, and commenced a settlement in West-Jersey, which he called Salem. The principal characters that came out with Fenwick, were Edward Champness, Edward and Samuel Wade, John Smith, Samuel Nichols, Richard Grey, and others. Billinge being in debt, agreed to resign up his interest in the province to his creditors, and William Penn, Gawen Lawrie, and Nicholas Lucas, were appointed his trustees, to dispose of the lands accordingly, 1676. This arrangement caused a division of the state into East, and West-Jersey, in the following manner. The division line in granting lands upon this settlement, ran from the east side of little Egg-harbour, directly north through the country, to the utmost branch of the river Delaware. All that upon the east side of this line became East-Jersey, and all that upon the west side became West-Jersey. When the division was closed, a controversy arose between Fenwick and Billinge, that retarded the settlement for about two years.

West-Jersey was next divided into one hundred shares ; Fenwick took ten to satisfy his claim, and the other ninety were sold for the benefit of Billinge's creditors. Two

companies of Quakers in London and Yorkshire, became the purchasers of the major part of West-Jersey. In 1677, these companies sent out a colony to settle WestJersey, consisting of about one hundred and thirty people, who all arrived safe at New-Castle. Commissioners arrived also, to extinguish the Indian titles to such lands as they might wish to occupy, and thus provision was made for a settlement. The sufferings of this little colony were severe at first; but after they had made the purchases of the Indians, they both agreed to settle upon the island of Chigoes, which they called Burlington.

The Duke of York made as firm a grant of the powers of government to Lord Berkely, and Sir George Carteret, as he did of the soil; and they, by the same powers guaranteed to the people, the rights of civil and religious liberty, as fully and as amply as they were engaged in New-England; but they soon fell under the same despotic power, and in 1680, were doomed to suffer the tyrannical usurpation of that Andross, the scourge of whose rod we have so fully witnessed in New-England. The proprietors, Sir George Carteret and Mr. Fenwick, resisted this usurpation, out Andross extended the arm of his tyranny from his government at New-York, seized Sir George and Mr. Fenwick, transported them out of the colony, and imprisoned them in New-York: he next proceeded to lay a tax of ten per cent duty upon all goods imported at the Hoer Kill;* and five per cent upon the settlers at their arrival or afterwards, at the pleasure of the officer. Andross was the creature of the Duke of York, and these measures were conformable to the views of his despotic, avaricious master. The proprietors demanded satisfaction, upon the rights of their charter; the duke claimed to be heard by commissioners; the parties agreed; commis

* Estimating the goods at the aggregate amount of the bills of shipment in England.

sioners were appointed; they met accordingly, and gave a full hearing to the parties. The proprietors plead, that the king had made a full conveyance, by his grant to the Duke of York, not only of the soil of New-Jersey, but the right of government, and that the Duke of York had; for good and valuable consideration, conveyed to the proprietors all the rights vested in him by virtue of the king's patent, and that of course, all the rights of jurisdiction, forever, were alienated from the Duke of York, and vested in them. Further, they state that the powers of government were expressly granted in the conveyance; and that was a sinequanon in the purchase; for this was the basis on which the happiness, peace, and prosperity of the colony, were to depend: that a soil, however good, would be no inducement for settlers to jeopard their lives and properties, in clearing up a wilderness, unless they could be assured of an inviolable possession of their civil and religious rights. They plead that Englishmen, who lived under the protection of those laws that barred the king from taking the property of his subjects, without their consent, would never consent to alienate those rights, for the possession and enjoyment of property, however inviting the soil and situation, where the rights were vested in the despotic will of a lord and master; and that upon this principle, the rights of government must rest in the proprietors and their settlers, or New-Jersey would forever remain a wilderness. The settlers of New-Jersey will never consent to become tenants at will. The customs were removed.

Edward Billinge was appointed Governor, and Samuel Jennings Deputy-Governor, and his Excellency summoned a General Assembly from East and West Jersey, to meet on the 25th day of Nov. 1681. This assembly met accordingly, and exercised all the powers of legislation that the proprietors had claimed as belonging to their pur

chase, and which they, in their turn, had vested in the people. They enacted such wise and salutary laws as were essential to the peace, safety, and prosperity of a free and rising colony: these were to secure the unalienable, as well as inviolable rights of life, liberty, and property, with the rights of conscience. They ordered that there should be annually, one free assembly, chosen by the freemen of the colony; that the govornor should not prorogue nor dissolve the assembly, nor enact any law, impose any custom, nor raise money without the consent and concurrence of the General Assembly; and that he should not on any account, raise war, or any military force within the colony; and that he should not defer the signing and sealing the acts of the assembly. They also ordained that the assembly should not give to the governor of the province, any tax or custom for a longer term than one com-. plete year; that all officers of trust, should be appointed by the General Assembly, and that no man should be condemned or hurt, without the judgment of twelve jurymen. This oppression of Andross, if it did not promote the principles of civil and religious liberty, which we see so conspicuously interwoven in the system of government for New-Jersey, by exciting the people to guard against similar oppressions hereafter; it at least taught them the value of those liberties they did enjoy, and rendered them careful to preserve, as well as not to abuse them. We have witnessed, in the first volume, the same attempts of the creature Andross, to subvert the free governments of New-England, soon after his attempts upon New-Jersey, and at the revolution of 1688, we have seen him siezed by the people of Boston, and sent a prisoner to England, agreeable to order of his Majesty King William, May 1689.

In 1702, the proprietors of East and West-Jersey, resigned up their government to the crown of Queen Ann