the quaker colonies-第25章

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e　steel　pier　extends；　once　lay　cornfields。　For　a　hundred　years　it　was　a　favorite　resting　place　for　statesmen　and　politicians　of　national　eminence。　They　traveled　there　by　stage；　sailing　sloop；　or　their　own　wagons。　People　from　Baltimore　and　the　South　more　particularly　sought　the　place　because　it　was　easily　accessible　from　the　head　of　Chesapeake　Bay　by　an　old　railroad；　long　since　abandoned；　to　Newcastle　on　the　Delaware；　whence　sail…　or　steamboats　went　to　Cape　May。　This　avoided　the　tedious　stage　ride　over　the　sandy　Jersey　roads。　Presidents；　cabinet　officers；　senators；　and　congressmen　sought　the　invigorating　air　of　the　Cape　and　the　attractions　of　the　old　village；　its　seafaring　life；　the　sailing；　fishing；　and　bathing　on　the　best　beach　of　the　coast。　Congress　Hall；　their　favorite　hotel；　became　famous；　and　during　a　large　part　of　the　nineteenth　century　presidential　nominations　and　policies　are　said　to　have　been　planned　within　its　walls。



Chapter　X。　Scotch　Covenanters　And　Others　In　East　Jersey

East　Jersey　was　totally　different　in　its　topography　from　West　Jersey。　The　northern　half　of　the　State　is　a　region　of　mountains　and　lakes。　As　part　of　the　original　continent　it　had　been　under　the　ice　sheet　of　the　glacial　age　and　was　very　unlike　the　level　sands；　swamps；　and　pine　barrens　of　West　Jersey　which　had　arisen　as　a　shoal　and　island　from　the　sea。　The　only　place　in　East　Jersey　where　settlement　was　at　all　easy　was　along　the　open　meadows　which　were　reached　by　water　near　the　mouth　of　the　Hudson；　round　Newark　Bay；　and　along　the　Hackensack　River。

The　Dutch；　by　the　discoveries　of　Henry　Hudson　in　1609；　claimed　the　whole　region　between　the　Hudson　and　the　Delaware。　They　settled　part　of　East　Jersey　opposite　their　headquarters　at　New　York　and　called　it　Pavonia。　But　their　cruel　massacre　of　some　Indians　who　sought　refuge　among　them　at　Pavonia　destroyed　the　prospects　of　the　settlement。　The　Indians　revenged　themselves　by　massacring　the　Dutch　again　and　again；　every　time　they　attempted　to　reestablish　Pavonia。　This　kept　the　Dutch　out　of　East　Jersey　until　1660；　when　they　succeeded　in　establishing　Bergen　between　Newark　Bay　and　the　Hudson。

The　Dutch　authority　in　America　was　overthrown　in　1664　by　Charles　II；　who　had　already　given　all　New　Jersey　to　his　brother　the　Duke　of　York。　Colonel　Richard　Nicolls　commanded　the　British　expedition　that　seized　the　Dutch　possessions；　and　he　had　been　given　full　power　as　deputy　governor　of　all　the　Duke　of　York's　vast　territory。

Meantime　the　New　England　Puritans　seem　to　have　kept　their　eyes　on　East　Jersey　as　a　desirable　region；　and　the　moment　the　Connecticut　Puritans　heard　of　Nicolls'　appointment；　they　applied　to　him　for　a　grant　of　a　large　tract　of　land　on　Newark　Bay。　In　the　next　year；　1665；　he　gave　them　another　tract　from　the　mouth　of　the　Raritan　to　Sandy　Hook；　and　soon　the　villages　of　Shrewsbury　and　Middletown　were　started。

Meantime；　however；　unknown　to　Nicolls；　the　Duke　of　York　in　England　had　given　all　of　New　Jersey　to　Lord　Berkeley　and　Sir　George　Carteret。　As　has　already　been　pointed　out；　they　had　divided　the　province　between　them；　and　East　Jersey　had　fallen　to　Carteret；　who　sent　out；　with　some　immigrants；　his　relative　Philip　Carteret　as　governor。　Governor　Carteret　was　of　course　very　much　surprised　to　find　so　much　of　the　best　land　already　occupied　by　the　excellent　and　thrifty　Yankees。　As　a　consequence；　litigation　and　sometimes　civil　war　over　this　unlucky　mistake　lasted　for　a　hundred　years。　Many　of　the　Yankee　settlers　under　the　Nicolls　grant　refused　to　pay　quitrents　to　Carteret　or　his　successors　and；　in　spite　of　a　commission　of　inquiry　from　England　in　1751　and　a　chancery　suit；　they　held　their　own　until　the　Revolution　of　1776　extinguished　all　British　authority。

There　was　therefore　from　the　beginning　a　strong　New　England　tinge　in　East　Jersey　which　has　lasted　to　this　day。　Governor　Carteret　established　a　village　on　Newark　Bay　which　still　bears　the　name　Elizabeth；　which　he　gave　it　in　honor　of　the　wife　of　the　proprietor；　and　he　made　it　the　capital。　There　were　also　immigrants　from　Scotland　and　England。　But　Puritans　from　Long　Island　and　New　England　continued　to　settle　round　Newark　Bay。　By　virtue　either　of　character　or　numbers；　New　Englanders　were　evidently　the　controlling　element；　for　they　established　the　New　England　system　of　town　government；　and　imposed　strict　Connecticut　laws；　making　twelve　crimes　punishable　with　death。　Soon　there　were　flourishing　little　villages；　Newark　and　Elizabeth；　besides　Middletown　and　Shrewsbury。　The　next　year　Piscatawa　and　Woodbridge　were　added。　Newark　and　the　region　round　it；　including　the　Oranges；　was　settled　by　very　exclusive　Puritans；　or　Congregationalists；　as　they　are　now　called；　some　thirty　families　from　four　Connecticut　townsMilford；　Guilford；　Bradford；　and　New　Haven。　They　decided　that　only　church　members　should　hold　office　and　vote。

Governor　Carteret　ruled　the　colony　with　an　appointive　council　and　a　general　assembly　elected　by　the　people；　the　typical　colonial　form　of　government。　His　administration　lasted　from　1665　to　his　death　in　1682；　and　there　is　nothing　very　remarkable　to　record　except　the　rebellion　of　the　New　Englanders；　especially　those　who　had　received　their　land　from　Nicolls。　Such　independent　Connecticut　people　were；　of　course；　quite　out　of　place　in　a　proprietary　colony；　and；　when　in　1670　the　first　collection　of　quitrents　was　attempted；　they　broke　out　in　violent　opposition；　in　which　the　settlers　of　Elizabeth　were　prominent。　In　1672　they　elected　a　revolutionary　assembly　of　their　own　and；　in　place　of　the　deputy　governor；　appointed　as　proprietor　a　natural　son　of　Carteret。　They　began　imprisoning　former　officers　and　confiscating　estates　in　the　most　approved　revolutionary　form　and　for　a　time　had　the　whole　government　in　their　control。　It　required　the　interference　of　the　Duke　of　York；　of　the　proprietors；　and　of　the　British　Crown　to　allay　the　little　tempest；　and　three　years　were　given　in　which　to　pay　the　quitrents。

After　the　death　of　Sir　George　Carteret　in　1680；　his　province　of　East　Jersey　was　sold　to　William　Penn　and　eleven　other　Quakers　for　the　sum　of　3400　pounds。　Colonies　seem　to　have　been　comparatively　inexpensive　luxuries　in　those　days。　A　few　years　before；　in　1675；　Penn　and　some　other　Quakers　had；　as　has　already　been　related；　gained　control　of　West　Jersey　for　the　still　smaller　sum　of　one　thousand　pounds　and　had　established　it　as　a　Quaker　refuge。　It　might　be　supposed　that　they　now　had　the　same　purpose　in　view　in　East　Jersey；　but　apparently　their　intention　was　to　create　a　refuge　for　Presbyterians；　the　famous　Scotch　Covenanters；　much　persecuted　at　that　time　under　Charles　II；　who　was　forcing　them　to　conform　to　the　Church　of　England。

Penn　and　his　fellow　proprietors　of　East　Jersey　each　chose　a　partner；　most　of　them　Scotchmen；　two　of　whom；　the　Earl　of　Perth　and　Lord　Drummond；　were　prominent　men。　To　this　mixed　body　of　Quakers；　other　dissenters；　and　some　Papists；　twenty…four　proprietors　in　all；　the　Duke　of　York　reconfirmed　by　special　patent　their　right　to　East　Jersey。　Under　their　urging　a　few　Scotch　Covenanters　began　to　arrive　and　seem　to　have　first　established　themselves　at　Perth　Amboy；　which　they　named　from　the　Scottish　Earl　of　Perth　and　an　Indian　word　meaning　〃point。〃　This　settlement　they　expected　to　become　a　great　commercial　port　rivaling　New　York。　Curiously　enough；　Robert　Barclay；　the　first　governor　appointed；　was　not　only　a　Scotchman　but　also　a　Quaker；　and　a　theologian　whose　〃Apology　for　the　True　Christian　Divinity〃　（1678）　is　regarded　to　this　day　as　the　best　statement　of　the　original　Quaker　doctrine。　He　remained　in　England；　however；　and　the　deputies　whom　he　sent　out　to　rule　the　colony　had　a　troublous　time　of　it。

That　Quakers　should　establish　a　refuge　for　Presbyterians　seems　at　first　peculiar；　but　it　was　in　accord　with　their　general　philanthropic　plan　to　help　the　oppressed　and　suffering；　to　rescue　prisoners　and　exiles；　and　especially　to　ameliorate　the　horrible　condition　of　people　confined　in　the　English　dungeons　and　prisons。　Many　vivid　pictures　of　how　the　Scotch　Covenanters　were　hunted　down　like　wild　beasts　may　be　found　in　English　histories　and　novels。　When　their　lives　were　spared　they　often　met　a　fate　worse　than　death　in　the　loathsome　dungeons　into　which　thousands　of　Quakers　of　t