the quaker colonies-第19章

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merous　enough　to　make　it　a　thoroughly　Puritan　community；　they　largely　tinged　its　thought　and　its　laws；　and　their　influence　still　survives。

The　difficulty　with　Jersey　was　that　its　seacoast　was　a　monotonous　line　of　breakers　with　dangerous　shoal　inlets；　few　harbors；　and　vast　mosquito　infested　salt　marshes　and　sandy　thickets。　In　the　interior　it　was　for　the　most　part　a　level；　heavily　forested；　sandy；　swampy　country　in　its　southern　portions；　and　rough　and　mountainous　in　the　northern　portions。　Even　the　entrance　by　Delaware　Bay　was　so　difficult　by　reason　of　its　shoals　that　it　was　the　last　part　of　the　coast　to　be　explored。　The　Delaware　region　and　Jersey　were　in　fact　a　sort　of　middle　ground　far　less　easy　of　access　by　the　sea　than　the　regions　to　the　north　in　New　England　and　to　the　south　in　Virginia。

There　were　only　two　places　easy　of　settlement　in　the　Jerseys。　One　was　the　open　region　of　meadows　and　marshes　by　Newark　Bay　near　the　mouth　of　the　Hudson　and　along　the　Hackensack　River；　whence　the　people　slowly　extended　themselves　to　the　seashore　at　Sandy　Hook　and　thence　southward　along　the　ocean　beach。　This　was　East　Jersey。　The　other　easily　occupied　region；　which　became　West　Jersey；　stretched　along　the　shore　of　the　lower　Delaware　from　the　modern　Trenton　to　Salem；　whence　the　settlers　gradually　worked　their　way　into　the　interior。　Between　these　two　divisions　lay　a　rough　wilderness　which　in　its　southern　portion　was　full　of　swamps；　thickets；　and　pine　barrens。　So　rugged　was　the　country　that　the　native　Indians　lived　for　the　most　part　only　in　the　two　open　regions　already　described。

The　natural　geographical；　geological；　and　even　social　division　of　New　Jersey　is　made　by　drawing　a　line　from　Trenton　to　the　mouth　of　the　Hudson　River。　North　of　that　line　the　successive　terraces　of　the　piedmont　and　mountainous　region　form　part　of　the　original　North　American　continent。　South　of　that　line　the　more　or　less　sandy　level　region　was　once　a　shoal　beneath　the　ocean；　afterwards　a　series　of　islands；　then　one　island　with　a　wide　sound　behind　it　passing　along　the　division　line　to　the　mouth　of　the　Hudson。　Southern　Jersey　was　in　short　an　island　with　a　sound　behind　it　very　much　like　the　present　Long　Island。　The　shoal　and　island　had　been　formed　in　the　far　distant　geologic　past　by　the　erosion　and　washings　from　the　lofty　Pennsylvania　mountains　now　worn　down　to　mere　stumps。

The　Delaware　River　flowed　into　this　sound　at　Trenton。　Gradually　the　Hudson　end　of　the　sound　filled　up　as　far　as　Trenton；　but　the　tide　from　the　ocean　still　runs　up　the　remains　of　the　Old　Sound　as　far　as　Trenton。　The　Delaware　should　still　be　properly　considered　as　ending　at　Trenton；　for　the　rest　of　its　course　to　the　ocean　is　still　part　of　Old　Pensauken　Sound；　as　it　is　called　by　geologists。

The　Jerseys　originated　as　a　colony　in　1664。　In　1675　West　Jersey　passed　into　the　control　of　the　Quakers。　In　1680　East　Jersey　came　partially　under　Quaker　influence。　In　August；　1664；　Charles　II　seized　New　York；　New　Jersey；　and　all　the　Dutch　possessions　in　America；　having　previously　in　March　granted　them　to　his　brother　the　Duke　of　York。　The　Duke　almost　immediately　gave　to　Lord　Berkeley　and　Sir　George　Carteret；　members　of　the　Privy　Council　and　defenders　of　the　Stuart　family　in　the　Cromwellian　wars；　the　land　between　the　Delaware　River　and　the　ocean；　and　bounded　on　the　north　by　a　line　drawn　from　latitude　41　degrees　on　the　Hudson　to　latitude　41　degrees　40　minutes　on　the　Delaware。　This　region　was　to　be　called；　the　grant　said；　Nova　Caesarea；　or　New　Jersey。　The　name　was　a　compliment　to　Carteret；　who　in　the　Cromwellian　wars　had　defended　the　little　isle　of　Jersey　against　the　forces　of　the　Long　Parliament。　As　the　American　Jersey　was　then　almost　an　island　and　geologically　had　been　one；　the　name　was　not　inappropriate。

Berkeley　and　Carteret　divided　the　province　between　them。　In　1676　an　exact　division　was　attempted；　creating　the　rather　unnatural　sections　known　as　East　Jersey　and　West　Jersey。　The　first　idea　seems　to　have　been　to　divide　by　a　line　running　from　Barnegat　on　the　seashore　to　the　mouth　of　Pensauken　Creek　on　the　Delaware　just　above　Camden。　This；　however；　would　have　made　a　North　Jersey　and　a　South　Jersey；　with　the　latter　much　smaller　than　the　former。　Several　lines　seem　to　have　been　surveyed　at　different　times　in　the　attempt　to　make　an　exactly　equal　division；　which　was　no　easy　engineering　task。　As　private　land　titles　and　boundaries　were　in　some　places　dependent　on　the　location　of　the　division　line；　there　resulted　much　controversy　and　litigation　which　lasted　down　into　our　own　time。　Without　going　into　details；　it　is　sufficient　to　say　that　the　acceptable　division　line　began　on　the　seashore　at　Little　Egg　Harbor　at　the　lower　end　of　Barnegat　Bay　and　crossed　diagonally　or　northwesterly　to　the　northern　part　of　the　Delaware　River　just　above　the　Water　Gap。　It　is　known　as　the　Old　Province　line；　and　it　can　be　traced　on　any　map　of　the　State　by　prolonging；　in　both　directions；　the　northeastern　boundary　of　Burlington　County。

West　Jersey；　which　became　decidedly　Quaker；　did　not　remain　long　in　the　possession　of　Lord　Berkeley。　He　was　growing　old；　and；　disappointed　in　his　hopes　of　seeing　it　settled；　he　sold　it；　in　1673；　for　one　thousand　pounds　to　John　Fenwick　and　Edward　Byllinge；　both　of　them　old　Cromwellian　soldiers　turned　Quakers。　That　this　purchase　was　made　for　the　purpose　of　affording　a　refuge　in　America　for　Quakers　then　much　imprisoned　and　persecuted　in　England　does　not　very　distinctly　appear。　At　least　there　was　no　parade　of　it。　But　such　a　purpose　in　addition　to　profit　for　the　proprietors　may　well　have　been　in　the　minds　of　the　purchasers。

George　Fox；　the　Quaker　leader；　had　just　returned　from　a　missionary　journey　in　America；　in　the　course　of　which　he　had　traveled　through　New　Jersey　in　going　from　New　York　to　Maryland。　Some　years　previously　in　England；　about　1659；　he　had　made　inquiries　as　to　a　suitable　place　for　Quaker　settlement　and　was　told　of　the　region　north　of　Maryland　which　became　Pennsylvania。　But　how　could　a　persecuted　sect　obtain　such　a　region　from　the　British　Crown　and　the　Government　that　was　persecuting　them？　It　would　require　powerful　influence　at　Court；　nothing　could　then　be　done　about　it；　and　Pennsylvania　had　to　wait　until　William　Penn　became　a　man　with　influence　enough　in　1681　to　win　it　from　the　Crown。　But　here　was　West　Jersey；　no　longer　owned　directly　by　the　Crown　and　bought　in　cheap　by　two　Quakers。　It　was　an　unexpected　opportunity。　Quakers　soon　went　to　it；　and　it　was　the　first　Quaker　colonial　experiment。

Byllinge　and　Fenwick；　though　turned　Quakers；　seem　to　have　retained　some　of　the　contentious　Cromwellian　spirit　of　their　youth。　They　soon　quarreled　over　their　respective　interests　in　the　ownership　of　West　Jersey；　and　to　prevent　a　lawsuit；　so　objectionable　to　Quakers；　the　decision　was　left　to　William　Penn；　then　a　rising　young　Quaker　about　thirty　years　old；　dreaming　of　ideal　colonies　in　America。　Penn　awarded　Fenwick　a　one…tenth　interest　and　four　hundred　pounds。　Byllinge　soon　became　insolvent　and　turned　over　his　nine…tenths　interest　to　his　creditors；　appointing　Penn　and　two　other　Quakers；　Gawen　Lawrie；　a　merchant　of　London；　and　Nicholas　Lucas；　a　maltster　of　Hertford；　to　hold　it　in　trust　for　them。　Gawen　Lawrie　afterwards　became　deputy　governor　of　East　Jersey。　Lucas　was　one　of　those　thoroughgoing　Quakers　just　released　from　eight　years　in　prison　for　his　religion。*

*　Myers；　〃Narratives　of　Early　Pennsylvania；　West　Jersey；　and　Delaware〃；　p。　180。

Fenwick　also　in　the　end　fell　into　debt　and；　after　selling　over　one　hundred　thousand　acres　to　about　fifty　purchasers；　leased　what　remained　of　his　interest　for　a　thousand　years　to　John　Edridge；　a　tanner；　and　Edmund　Warner；　a　poulterer；　as　security　for　money　borrowed　from　them。　They　conveyed　this　lease　and　their　claims　to　Penn；　Lawrie；　and　Lucas；　who　thus　became　the　owners；　as　trustees；　of　pretty　much　all　West　Jersey。

This　was　William　Penn's　first　practical　experience　in　American　affairs。　He　and　his　fellow　trustees；　with　the　consent　of　Fenwick；　divided　the　West　Jersey　ownership　into　one　hundred　shares。　The　ninety　belonging　to　Byllinge　were　offered　for　sale　to　settlers　or　to　creditors　of　Byllinge　who　would　take　them　in　exchange　for　debts。　The　settlement　of　West　Jersey　thus　became　the　dis