the quaker colonies-第20章

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yllinge　who　would　take　them　in　exchange　for　debts。　The　settlement　of　West　Jersey　thus　became　the　distribution　of　an　insolvent　Quaker's　estate　among　his　creditor　fellow　religionists。

Although　no　longer　in　possession　of　a　title　to　land；　Fenwick；　in　1675；　went　out　with　some　Quaker　settlers　to　Delaware　Bay。　There　they　founded　the　modern　town　of　Salem；　which　means　peace；　giving　it　that　name　because　of　the　fair　and　peaceful　aspect　of　the　wilderness　on　the　day　they　arrived。　They　bought　the　land　from　the　Indians　in　the　usual　manner；　as　the　Swedes　and　Dutch　had　so　often　done。　But　they　had　no　charter　or　provision　for　organized　government。　When　Fenwick　attempted　to　exercise　political　authority　at　Salem；　he　was　seized　and　imprisoned　by　Andros；　Governor　of　New　York　for　the　Duke　of　York；　on　the　ground　that；　although　the　Duke　had　given　Jersey　to　certain　individual　proprietors；　the　political　control　of　it　remained　in　the　Duke's　deputy　governor。　Andros；　who　had　levied　a　tax　of　five　per　cent　on　all　goods　passing　up　the　Delaware；　now　established　commissioners　at　Salem　to　collect　the　duties。

This　action　brought　up　the　whole　question　of　the　authority　of　Andros。　The　trustee　proprietors　of　West　Jersey　appealed　to　the　Duke　of　York；　who　was　suspiciously　indifferent　to　the　matter；　but　finally　referred　it　for　decision　to　a　prominent　lawyer；　Sir　William　Jones；　before　whom　the　Quaker　proprietors　of　West　Jersey　made　a　most　excellent　argument。　They　showed　the　illegality；　injustice；　and　wrong　of　depriving　the　Jerseys　of　vested　political　rights　and　forcing　them　from　the　freeman's　right　of　making　their　own　laws　to　a　state　of　mere　dependence　on　the　arbitrary　will　of　one　man。　Then　with　much　boldness　they　declared　that　〃To　exact　such　an　unterminated　tax　from　English　planters；　and　to　continue　it　after　so　many　repeated　complaints；　will　be　the　greatest　evidence　of　a　design　to　introduce；　if　the　Crown　should　ever　devolve　upon　the　Duke；　an　unlimited　government　in　old　England。〃　Prophetic　words　which　the　Duke；　in　a　few　years；　tried　his　best　to　fulfill。　But　Sir　William　Jones　deciding　against　him；　he　acquiesced；　confirmed　the　political　rights　of　West　Jersey　by　a　separate　grant；　and　withdrew　any　authority　Andros　claimed　over　East　Jersey。　The　trouble；　however；　did　not　end　here。　Both　the　Jerseys　were　long　afflicted　by　domineering　attempts　from　New　York。

Penn　and　his　fellow　trustees　now　prepared　a　constitution；　or　〃Concessions　and　Agreements；〃　as　they　called　it；　for　West　Jersey；　the　first　Quaker　political　constitution　embodying　their　advanced　ideas；　establishing　religious　liberty；　universal　suffrage；　and　voting　by　ballot；　and　abolishing　imprisonment　for　debt。　It　foreshadowed　some　of　the　ideas　subsequently　included　in　the　Pennsylvania　constitution。　All　these　experiences　were　an　excellent　school　for　William　Penn。　He　learned　the　importance　in　starting　a　colony　of　having　a　carefully　and　maturely　considered　system　of　government。　In　his　preparations　some　years　afterwards　for　establishing　Pennsylvania　he　avoided　much　of　the　bungling　of　the　West　Jersey　enterprise。

A　better　organized　attempt　was　now　made　to　establish　a　foothold　in　West　Jersey　farther　up　the　river　than　Fenwick's　colony　at　Salem。　In　1677　the　ship　Kent　took　out　some　230　rather　well…to…do　Quakers；　about　as　fine　a　company　of　broadbrims；　it　is　said；　as　ever　entered　the　Delaware。　Some　were　from　Yorkshire　and　London；　largely　creditors　of　Byllinge；　who　were　taking　land　to　satisfy　their　debts。　They　all　went　up　the　river　to　Raccoon　Creek　on　the　Jersey　side；　about　fifteen　miles　below　the　present　site　of　Philadelphia；　and　lived　at　first　among　the　Swedes；　who　had　been　in　that　part　of　Jersey　for　some　years　and　who　took　care　of　the　new　arrivals　in　their　barns　and　sheds。　These　Quaker　immigrants；　however；　soon　began　to　take　care　of　themselves；　and　the　weather　during　the　winter　proving　mild；　they　explored　farther　up　the　river　in　a　small　boat。　They　bought　from　the　Indians　the　land　along　the　river　shore　from　Oldman's　Creek　all　the　way　up　to　Trenton　and　made　their　first　settlements　on　the　river　about　eighteen　miles　above　the　site　of　Philadelphia；　at　a　place　they　at　first　called　New　Beverly；　then　Bridlington；　and　finally　Burlington。

They　may　have　chosen　this　spot　partly　because　there　had　been　an　old　Dutch　settlement　of　a　few　families　there。　It　had　long　been　a　crossing　of　the　Delaware　for　the　few　persons　who　passed　by　land　from　New　York　or　New　England　to　Maryland　and　Virginia。　One　of　the　Dutchmen；　Peter　Yegon；　kept　a　ferry　and　a　house　for　entertaining　travelers。　George　Fox；　who　crossed　there　in　1671；　describes　the　place　as　having　been　plundered　by　the　Indians　and　deserted。　He　and　his　party　swam　their　horses　across　the　river　and　got　some　of　the　Indians　to　help　them　with　canoes。

Other　Quaker　immigrants　followed；　going　to　Salem　as　well　as　to　Burlington；　and　a　stretch　of　some　fifty　miles　of　the　river　shore　became　strongly　Quaker。　There　are　not　many　American　towns　now　to　be　found　with　more　of　the　old…time　picturesqueness　and　more　relics　of　the　past　than　Salem　and　Burlington。

Settlements　were　also　started　on　the　river　opposite　the　site　afterwards　occupied　by　Philadelphia；　at　Newton　on　the　creek　still　called　by　that　name；　and　another　a　little　above　on　Cooper's　Creek；　known　as　Cooper's　Ferry　until　1794。　Since　then　it　has　become　the　flourishing　town　of　Camden；　full　of　shipbuilding　and　manufacturing；　but　for　long　after　the　Revolution　it　was　merely　a　small　village　on　the　Jersey　shore　opposite　Philadelphia；　sometimes　used　as　a　hunting　ground　and　a　place　of　resort　for　duelers　and　dancing　parties　from　Philadelphia。

The　Newton　settlers　were　Quakers　of　the　English　middle　class；　weavers；　tanners；　carpenters；　bricklayers；　chandlers；　blacksmiths；　coopers；　bakers；　haberdashers；　hatters；　and　linen　drapers；　most　of　them　possessed　of　property　in　England　and　bringing　good　supplies　with　them。　Like　all　the　rest　of　the　New　Jersey　settlers　they　were　in　no　sense　adventurers；　gold　seekers；　cavaliers；　or　desperadoes。　They　were　well…to…do　middle　class　English　tradespeople　who　would　never　have　thought　of　leaving　England　if　they　had　not　lost　faith　in　the　stability　of　civil　and　religious　liberty　and　the　security　of　their　property　under　the　Stuart　Kings。　With　them　came　servants；　as　they　were　called；　that　is；　persons　of　no　property；　who　agreed　to　work　for　a　certain　time　in　payment　of　their　passage；　to　escape　from　England。　All；　indeed；　were　escaping　from　England　before　their　estates　melted　away　in　fines　and　confiscations　or　their　health　or　lives　ended　in　the　damp；　foul　air　of　the　crowded　prisons。　Many　of　those　who　came　had　been　in　jail　and　had　decided　that　they　would　not　risk　imprisonment　a　second　time。　Indeed；　the　proportion　of　West　Jersey　immigrants　who　had　actually　been　in　prison　for　holding　or　attending　Quaker　meetings　or　refusing　to　pay　tithes　for　the　support　of　the　established　church　was　large。　For　example；　William　Bates；　a　carpenter；　while　in　jail　for　his　religion；　made　arrangements　with　his　friends　to　escape　to　West　Jersey　as　soon　as　he　should　be　released；　and　his　descendants　are　now　scattered　over　the　United　States。　Robert　Turner；　a　man　of　means；　who　settled　finally　in　Philadelphia　but　also　owned　much　land　near　Newton　in　West　Jersey；　had　been　imprisoned　in　England　in　1660；　again　in　1662；　again　in　1665；　and　some　of　his　property　had　been　taken；　again　imprisoned　in　1669　and　more　property　taken；　and　many　others　had　the　same　experience。　Details　such　as　these　make　us　realize　the　situation　from　which　the　Quakers　sought　to　escape。　So　widespread　was　the　Quaker　movement　in　England　and　so　severe　the　punishment　imposed　in　order　to　suppress　it　that　fifteen　thousand　families　are　said　to　have　been　ruined　by　the　fines；　confiscations；　and　imprisonments。

Not　a　few　Jersey　Quakers　were　from　Ireland；　whither　they　had　fled　because　there　the　laws　against　them　were　less　rigorously　administered。　The　Newton　settlers　were　joined　by　Quakers　from　Long　Island；　where；　under　the　English　law　as　administered　by　the　New　York　governors；　they　had　also　been　fined　and　imprisoned；　though　with　less　severity　than　at　home；　for　nonconformity　to　the　Church　of　England。　On　arriving；　the　West　Jersey　settlers　suffered　some　hardships　during　the　year　that　must　elapse　before　a　crop　could　be　raised　and　a