the quaker colonies-第13章

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success。　For　this　achievement　the　State　owes　him　a　debt　of　gratitude。

Thomas　Penn　was　in　the　extraordinary　position　of　having　to　govern　as　a　feudal　lord　what　was　virtually　a　modern　community。　He　was　exercising　feudal　powers　three　hundred　years　after　all　the　reasons　for　the　feudal　system　had　ceased　to　exist；　and　he　was　exercising　those　powers　and　acquiring　by　them　vast　wealth　from　a　people　in　a　new　and　wild　country　whose　convictions；　both　civil　and　religious；　were　entirely　opposed　to　anything　like　the　feudal　system。　It　must　certainly　be　put　down　as　something　to　his　credit　that　he　succeeded　so　well　as　to　retain　control　both　of　the　political　government　and　his　family's　increasing　wealth　down　to　the　time　of　the　Revolution　and　that　he　gave　on　the　whole　so　little　offense　to　a　high…strung　people　that　in　the　Revolution　they　allowed　his　family　to　retain　a　large　part　of　their　land　and　paid　them　liberally　for　what　was　confiscated。

The　wealth　which　came　to　the　three　brothers　they　spent　after　the　manner　of　the　time　in　country　life。　John　and　Richard　do　not　appear　to　have　had　remarkable　country　seats。　But　Thomas　purchased　in　1760　the　fine　English　estate　of　Stoke　Park；　which　had　belonged　to　Sir　Christopher　Hatton　of　Queen　Elizabeth's　time；　to　Lord　Coke；　and　later　to　the　Cobham　family。　Thomas's　son　John；　grandson　of　the　founder；　greatly　enlarged　and　beautified　the　place　and　far　down　into　the　nineteenth　century　it　was　one　of　the　notable　country　seats　of　England。　This　John　Penn　also　built　another　country　place　called　Pennsylvania　Castle；　equally　picturesque　and　interesting；　on　the　Isle　of　Portland；　of　which　he　was　Governor。　



Chapter　VI。　The　French　And　Indian　War

There　was　no　great　change　in　political　conditions　in　Pennsylvania　until　about　the　year　1755。　The　French　in　Canada　had　been　gradually　developing　their　plans　of　spreading　down　the　Ohio　and　Mississippi　valleys　behind　the　English　colonies。　They　were　at　the　same　time　securing　alliances　with　the　Indians　and　inciting　them　to　hostilities　against　the　English。　But　so　rapidly　were　the　settlers　advancing　that　often　the　land　could　not　be　purchased　fast　enough　to　prevent　irritation　and　ill　feeling。　The　Scotch…Irish　and　Germans；　it　has　already　been　noted；　settled　on　lands　without　the　formality　of　purchase　from　the　Indians。　The　Government；　when　the　Indians　complained；　sometimes　ejected　the　settlers　but　more　often　hastened　to　purchase　from　the　Indians　the　land　which　had　been　occupied。　〃The　Importance　of　the　British　Plantations　in　America；〃　published　in　1731；　describes　the　Indians　as　peaceful　and　contented　in　Pennsylvania　but　irritated　and　unsettled　in　those　other　colonies　where　they　had　usually　been　ill…treated　and　defrauded。　This；　with　other　evidence；　goes　to　show　that　up　to　that　time　Penn's　policy　of　fairness　and　good　treatment　still　prevailed。　But　those　conditions　soon　changed；　as　the　famous　Walking　Purchase　of　1737　clearly　indicated。

The　Walking　Purchase　had　provided　for　the　sale　of　some　lands　along　the　Delaware　below　the　Lehigh　on　a　line　starting　at　Wrightstown；　a　few　miles　back　from　the　Delaware　not　far　above　Trenton；　and　running　northwest；　parallel　with　the　river；　as　far　as　a　man　could　walk　in　a　day　and　a　half。　The　Indians　understood　that　this　tract　would　extend　northward　only　to　the　Lehigh；　which　was　the　ordinary　journey　of　a　day　and　a　half。　The　proprietors；　however；　surveyed　the　line　beforehand；　marked　the　trees；　engaged　the　fastest　walkers　and；　with　horses　to　carry　provisions；　started　their　men　at　sunrise。　By　running　a　large　part　of　the　way；　at　the　end　of　a　day　and　a　half　these　men　had　reached　a　point　thirty　miles　beyond　the　Lehigh。

The　Delaware　Indians　regarded　this　measurement　as　a　pure　fraud　and　refused　to　abandon　the　Minisink　region　north　of　the　Lehigh。　The　proprietors　then　called　in　the　assistance　of　the　Six　Nations　of　New　York；　who　ordered　the　Delawares　off　the　Minisink　lands。　Though　they　obeyed；　the　Delawares　became　the　relentless　enemies　of　the　white　man　and　in　the　coming　years　revenged　themselves　by　massacres　and　murder。　They　also　broke　the　control　which　the　Six　Nations　had　over　them；　became　an　independent　nation；　and　in　the　French　Wars　revenged　themselves　on　the　Six　Nations　as　well　as　on　the　white　men。　The　congress　which　convened　at　Albany　in　1754　was　an　attempt　on　the　part　of　the　British　Government　to　settle　all　Indian　affairs　in　a　general　agreement　and　to　prevent　separate　treaties　by　the　different　colonies；　but　the　Pennsylvania　delegates；　by　various　devices　of　compass　courses　which　the　Indians　did　not　understand　and　by　failing　to　notify　and　secure　the　consent　of　certain　tribes；　obtained　a　grant　of　pretty　much　the　whole　of　Pennsylvania　west　of　the　Susquehanna。　The　Indians　considered　this　procedure　to　be　another　gross　fraud。　It　is　to　be　noticed　that　in　their　dealings　with　Penn　they　had　always　been　satisfied；　and　that　he　had　always　been　careful　that　they　should　be　duly　consulted　and　if　necessary　be　paid　twice　over　for　the　land。　But　his　sons　were　more　economical；　and　as　a　result　of　the　shrewd　practices　of　the　Albany　purchase　the　Pennsylvania　Indians　almost　immediately　went　over　in　a　body　to　the　French　and　were　soon　scalping　men；　women；　and　children　among　the　Pennsylvania　colonists。　It　is　a　striking　fact；　however；　that　in　all　the　after　years　of　war　and　rapine　and　for　generations　afterwards　the　Indians　retained　the　most　distinct　and　positive　tradition　of　Penn's　good　faith　and　of　the　honesty　of　all　Quakers。　So　persistent；　indeed；　was　this　tradition　among　the　tribes　of　the　West　that　more　than　a　century　later　President　Grant　proposed　to　put　the　whole　charge　of　the　nation's　Indian　affairs　in　the　hands　of　the　Quakers。　The　first　efforts　to　avert　the　catastrophe　threatened　by　the　alliance　of　the　red　man　with　the　French　were　made　by　the　provincial　assemblies；　which　voted　presents　of　money　or　goods　to　the　Indians　to　offset　similar　presents　from　the　French。　The　result　was；　of　course；　the　utter　demoralization　of　the　savages。　Bribed　by　both　sides；　the　Indians　used　all　their　native　cunning　to　encourage　the　bribers　to　bid　against　each　other。　So　far　as　Pennsylvania　was　concerned；　feeling　themselves　cheated　in　the　first　instance　and　now　bribed　with　gifts；　they　developed　a　contempt　for　the　people　who　could　stoop　to　such　practices。　As　a　result　this　contempt　manifested　itself　in　deeds　hitherto　unknown　in　the　province。　One　tribe　on　a　visit　to　Philadelphia　killed　cattle　and　robbed　orchards　as　they　passed。　The　delegates　of　another　tribe；　having　visited　Philadelphia　and　received　500　pounds　as　a　present；　returned　to　the　frontier　and　on　their　way　back　for　another　present　destroyed　the　property　of　the　interpreter　and　Indian　agent；　Conrad　Weiser。　They　felt　that　they　could　do　as　they　pleased。　To　make　matters　worse；　the　Assembly　paid　for　all　the　damage　done；　and　having　started　on　this　foolish　business；　they　found　that　the　list　of　tribes　demanding　presents　rapidly　increased。　The　Shawanoes　and　the　Six　Nations；　as　well　as　the　Delawares；　were　now　swarming　to　this　new　and　convenient　source　of　wealth。

Whether　the　proprietors　or　the　Assembly　should　meet　this　increasing　expense　or　divide　it　between　them；　became　a　subject　of　increasing　controversy。　It　was　in　these　discussions　that　Thomas　Penn；　in　trying　to　keep　his　family's　share　of　the　expense　as　small　as　possible；　first　got　the　reputation　for　closeness　which　followed　him　for　the　rest　of　his　life　and　which　started　a　party　in　the　province　desirous　of　having　Parliament　abolish　the　proprietorship　and　put　the　province　under　a　governor　appointed　by　the　Crown。

The　war　with　the　French　of　Canada　and　their　Indian　allies　is　of　interest　here　only　in　so　far　as　it　affected　the　government　of　Pennsylvania。　From　this　point　of　view　it　involved　a　series　of　contests　between　the　proprietors　and　the　Crown　on　the　one　side　and　the　Assembly　on　the　other。　The　proprietors　and　the　Crown　took　advantage　of　every　military　necessity　to　force　the　Assembly　into　a　surrender　of　popular　rights。　But　the　Assembly　resisted；　maintaining　that　they　had　the　same　right　as　the　British　Commons　of　having　their　money　bills　received　or　rejected　by　the　Governor　without　amendment。　Whatever　they　should　give　must　be　given　on　their　own　terms　or　not　at　all；　and　they　would　not　yield　this　point　to　any　necessiti