the quaker colonies-第33章

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ders　in　a　long　series　of　rapids。

The　custom　still　surviving　in　Wilmington　of　punishing　certain　classes　of　criminals　by　whipping　appears　to　have　originated　in　the　days　of　Willing　and　Shipley；　about　the　year　1740；　when　a　cage；　stocks；　and　whipping…post　were　erected。　They　were　placed　in　the　most　conspicuous　part　of　the　town；　and　there　the　culprit；　in　addition　to　his　legal　punishment；　was　also　disciplined　at　the　discretion　of　passers…by　with　rotten　eggs　and　other　equally　potent　encouragements　to　reform。　These　gratuitous　inflictions；　not　mentioned　in　the　statute；　as　well　as　the　public　exhibition　of　the　prisoner　were　abolished　in　later　times　and　in　this　modified　form　the　method　of　correction　was　extended　to　the　two　other　counties。　Sometimes　a　cat…o'nine…tails　was　used；　sometimes　a　rawhide　whip；　and　sometimes　a　switch　cut　from　a　tree。　Nowadays；　however；　all　the　whipping　for　the　State　is　done　in　Wilmington；　where　all　prisoners　sentenced　to　whipping　in　the　State　are　sent。　This　punishment　is　found　to　be　so　efficacious　that　its　infliction　a　second　time　on　the　same　person　is　exceedingly　rare。

The　most　striking　relic　of　the　old　Swedish　days　in　Wilmington　is　the　brick　and　stone　church　of　good　proportions　and　no　small　beauty；　and　today　one　of　the　very　ancient　relics　of　America。　It　was　built　by　the　Swedes　in　1698　to　replace　their　old　wooden　church；　which　was　on　the　lower　land；　and　the　Swedish　language　was　used　in　the　services　down　to　the　year　1800；　when　the　building　was　turned　over　to　the　Church　of　England。　Old　Peter　Minuit；　the　first　Swedish　governor；　may　possibly　have　been　buried　there。　The　Swedes　built　another　pretty　chapelGloria　Dei；　as　it　was　calledat　the　village　of　Wicaco；　on　the　shore　of　the　Delaware　where　Philadelphia　afterwards　was　established。　The　original　building　was　taken　down　in　1700；　and　the　present　one　was　erected　on　its　site　partly　with　materials　from　the　church　at　Tinicum。　It　remained　Swedish　Lutheran　until　1831；　when；　like　all　the　Swedish　chapels；　it　became　the　property　of　the　Church　of　England；　between　which　and　the　Swedish　Lutheran　body　there　was　a　close　affinity；　if　not　in　doctrine；　at　least　in　episcopal　organization。*　The　old　brick　church　dating　from　1740；　on　the　main　street　of　Wilmington；　is　an　interesting　relic　of　the　colonial　Scotch…Irish　Presbyterians　in　Delaware；　and　is　now　carefully　preserved　as　the　home　of　the　Historical　Society。

*　Clay's　〃Annals　of　the　Swedes〃；　pp。　143；　153…4。


After　Delaware　had　been　eighteen　years　under　the　Duke　of　York；　William　Penn　felt　a　need　of　the　west　side　of　the　river　all　the　way　down　to　the　sea　to　strengthen　his　ownership　of　Pennsylvania。　He　also　wanted　to　offset　the　ambitions　of　Lord　Baltimore　to　extend　Maryland　northward。　Penn　accordingly　persuaded　his　friend　James；　the　Duke　of　York；　to　give　him　a　grant　of　Delaware；　which　Penn　thereupon　annexed　to　Pennsylvania　under　the　name　of　the　Territories　or　Three　Lower　Counties。　The　three　counties；　New　Castle；　Kent；　and　Sussex；*　are　still　the　counties　of　Delaware；　each　one　extending　across　the　State　and　filling　its　whole　length　from　the　hills　of　the　Brandywine　on　the　Pennsylvania　border　to　the　sands　of　Sussex　at　Cape　Henlopen。　The　term　〃Territory〃　has　ever　since　been　used　in　America　to　describe　an　outlying　province　not　yet　given　the　privileges　of　a　State。　Instead　of　townships；　the　three　Delaware　counties　were　divided　into　〃hundreds；〃　an　old　Anglo…Saxon　county　method　of　division　going　back　beyond　the　times　of　Alfred　the　Great。　Delaware　is　the　only　State　in　the　Union　that　retains　this　name　for　county　divisions。　The　Three　Lower　Counties　were　allowed　to　send　representatives　to　the　Pennsylvania　Assembly；　and　the　Quakers　of　Delaware　have　always　been　part　of　the　Yearly　Meeting　in　Philadelphia。

*　The　original　names　were　New　Castle；　Jones's；　and　Hoerekill；　as　it　was　called　by　the　Dutch；　or　Deal。


In　1703；　after　having　been　a　part　of　Pennsylvania　for　twenty　years；　the　Three　Lower　Counties　were　given　home　rule　and　a　legislature　of　their　own；　but　they　remained　under　the　Governor　of　Pennsylvania　until　the　Revolution　of　1776。　They　then　became　an　entirely　separate　community　and　one　of　the　thirteen　original　States。　Delaware　was　the　first　State　to　adopt　the　National　Constitution；　and　Rhode　Island；　its　fellow　small　State；　the　last。　Having　been　first　to　adopt　the　Constitution；　the　people　of　Delaware　claim　that　on　all　national　occasions　or　ceremonies　they　are　entitled　to　the　privilege　of　precedence。　They　have　every　reason　to　be　proud　of　the　representative　men　they　sent　to　the　Continental　Congress；　and　to　the　Senate　in　later　times。　Agriculture　has；　of　course；　always　been　the　principal　occupation　on　the　level　fertile　land　of　Delaware；　and　it　is　agriculture　of　a　high　class；　for　the　soil；　especially　in　certain　localities；　is　particularly　adapted　to　wheat；　corn；　and　timothy　grass；　as　well　as　small　fruits。　That　section　of　land　crossing　the　State　in　the　region　of　Delaware　City　and　Middleton　is　one　of　the　show　regions　in　America；　for　crops　of　wheat　and　corn。　Farther　south；　grain　growing　is　combined　with　small　fruits　and　vegetables　with　a　success　seldom　attained　elsewhere。　Agriculturally　there　is　no　division　of　land　of　similar　size　quite　equal　to　Delaware　in　fertility。　Its　sand　and　gravel　base　with　vegetable　mold　above　is　somewhat　like　the　southern　Jersey　formation；　but　it　is　more　productive　from　having　a　larger　deposit　of　decayed　vegetation。

The　people　of　Delaware　have；　indeed；　very　little　land　that　is　not　tillable。　The　problems　of　poverty；　crowding；　great　cities；　and　excessive　wealth　in　few　hands　are　practically　unknown　among　them。　The　foreign　commerce　of　Wilmington　began　in　1740　with　the　building　of　a　brig　named　after　the　town；　and　was　continued　successfully　for　a　hundred　years。　At　Wilmington　there　has　always　been　a　strong　manufacturing　interest；　beginning　with　the　famous　colonial　flour　mills　at　the　falls　of　the　Brandywine；　and　the　breadstuffs　industry　at　Newport　on　the　Christina。　With　the　Brandywine　so　admirably　suited　to　the　water…power　machinery　of　those　days　and　the　Christina　deep　enough　for　the　ships；　Wilmington　seemed　in　colonial　times　to　possess　an　ideal　combination　of　advantages　for　manufacturing　and　commerce。　The　flour　mills　were　followed　in　1802　by　the　Du　Pont　Powder　Works；　which　are　known　all　over　the　world；　and　which　furnished　powder　for　all　American　wars　since　the　Revolution；　for　the　Crimean　War　in　Europe；　and　for　the　Allies　in　the　Great　War。

〃From　the　hills　of　Brandywine　to　the　sands　of　Sussex〃　is　an　expression　the　people　of　Delaware　use　to　indicate　the　whole　length　of　their　little　State。　The　beautiful　cluster　of　hills　at　the　northern　end　dropping　into　park…like　pastures　along　the　shores　of　the　rippling　Red　Clay　and　White　Clay　creeks　which　form　the　deep　Christina　with　its　border　of　green　reedy　marshes；　is　in　striking　contrast　to　the　wild　waste　of　sands　at　Cape　Henlopen。　Yet　in　one　way　the　Brandywine　Hills　are　closely　connected　with　those　sands；　for　from　these　very　hills　have　been　quarried　the　hard　rocks　for　the　great　breakwater　at　the　Cape；　behind　which　the　fleets　of　merchant　vessels　take　refuge　in　storms。

The　great　sand　dunes　behind　the　lighthouse　at　the　cape　have　their　equal　nowhere　else　on　the　coast。　Blown　by　the　ocean　winds；　the　dunes　work　inland；　overwhelming　a　pine　forest　to　the　tree　tops　and　filling　swamps　in　their　course。　The　beach　is　strewn　with　every　type　of　wreckage　of　man's　vain　attempts　to　conquer　the　sea。　The　Life　Saving　Service　men　have　strange　tales　to　tell　and　show　their　collections　of　coins　found　along　the　sand。　The　old　pilots　live　snugly　in　their　neat　houses　in　Pilot　Row；　waiting　their　turns　to　take　the　great　ships　up　through　the　shoals　and　sands　which　were　so　baffling　to　Henry　Hudson　and　his　mate　one　hot　August　day　of　the　year　1609。

The　Indians　of　the　northern　part　of　Delaware　are　said　to　have　been　mostly　Minquas　who　lived　along　the　Christiana　and　Brandywine；　and　are　supposed　to　have　had　a　fort　on　Iron　Hill。　The　rest　of　the　State　was　inhabited　by　the　Nanticokes；　who　extended　their　habitations　far　down　the　peninsula；　where　a　river　is　named　after　them。　They　were　a　division　or　clan　of　the　Delawares　or　Leni　Lenapes。　In　the　early　days　they　gave　some　trouble；　but　shortly　before　the　Revolution　all　left　the　peninsula　in